Review: Snow Man - Grandeur

I do not watch anime, but if watch them eventually, Black Clover would be high on the list simply due to the OSTs. I mean really, they are on a massive role. TXT's Everlasting Shine made it high on my end-of-year-lists, while the new Treasure OST is solid, and now Grandeur. Of course, this is not Snow Man's first shot at a Black Clover title theme song. Over their 4-single long career, 2 of them are now Black Clover themes, this and Stories. I wonder if Snow Man and Black Clover will become interlinked due to this.

Now I like Stories, but it was a song utterly lacking in longevity. Notably, because they are like 500 other songs like that which come out during each anime season. Grandeur, on the other hand, takes me back to the late second-generation of K-Pop at times.

Lyrically, Grandeur is what you would expect from an anime theme. "Never give up", "Let us rise", "Do not look back", the usual. That does not mean it is bad, though I could point to many songs that do this better, some even by Snow Man.

The first verse is funky and has some brass. But overall, the feel is very much like a Big Band song. I like the piano sprinkled here along with the electronic synth. It creates a fun and wild style. Something refreshing, there is no autotune till the pre-chorus. And even in the pre-chorus, it is used wisely. The members' voices are not perfect, but its rugged, off-tune style goes great with Tommy Clint's polished production.

Based on the verses, it is hard to tell where the chorus will go. Thankfully, any fears prove unjustified. The chorus is lightning in a bottle. It is funky and heavy on the brass and feels like a culminated moment. Switching between singing and rapping, the first phase is perfect for its short-lived life. It is ambitious yet joyful, and will probably be played whenever the good guys are winning.

The second phase is instrumentally driven. It is fun and very hype-ey (is that a word?). Overall, the chorus is a culminated moment, making anything worth it.

The next verse is rap driven. But keeping up with the song's fun style, the rap is fun and light. That does not lower the members' performance, which is on spot. When the chorus comes back, it feels like a joyful moment waited upon for ages.

The bridge lets the piano take center-stage at first. I love how the good-old big band and jazz piano styles are incorporated into this funky dance track. It really builds an atmosphere. After the vocal-segment, instead of the chorus, we get a neat rap. I have not heard this sort of stuff since the second generation of K-Pop. Okay, Dreamcatcher did this in Scream, but that was edgy, here it is fun.

When the chorus comes back, the joy triples. As it should be, the instrumental is more in-depth in the final chorus, and a high-note comes in too for good measure.

A grower by all methods, Grandeur is a gem, worth checking out in all measures.

But really, at 0:36, am I the only one who hears "Fighting, fighting soldier, yes do it, do it salad!". Please tell me no.

Here is the Full Version Link, but really, they just repeated the chorus refrain once again. You can just stick with the YouTube version if you want.

Rating: 9.25/10

Image Source: Genius