It has taken me three days to calm down and form coherent thoughts. This turned out longer than expected so it’s behind a cut. If you haven’t watched the music video, this is your sign from God.
1) Firstly. Who does all the screaming. I want to know. It’s a very important piece of information that I need to know. The laugh is Hongjoong’s but does he also do all the screaming. I need answers, NASA!
2) The Energy. Every single reaction I’ve seen about this song uses the word “energy”. Ateez do what other groups think they’re doing when the genre is hype because I’ve never NOT ONCE seen Ateez slack off. They leave blood and sweat on the floor for their rivals to slip on. When I first heard the song I thought my heart was just pounding from the excitement but my oximeter said I was actually having a near svt episode, lol. I shouldn’t laugh, it’s kind of unpleasant but HR 120 bpm? Yeah, only Ateez tbh.
3) Production Quality. I’d like to thank the Academy and KQ for the increase in budget for the MV because it really shows. They used it in a way that wasn’t an empty flex (expensive clothes, meaningless sets, fireworks) but rather, added to the world they’ve been building up since debut. You can see the narrative continue and I really appreciate that. The audio production on the song is just flaw free for me. I usually have so much to nitpick, even in good songs, but I have nothing else to add to Guerrilla. It must have so many layers and tracks to it but it was quiet when it needed to be and absolutely feral at the right parts. What a way to end a track. It didn’t fade out but exploded like a grenade. You can’t ever say that Ateez don’t commit to a concept in every single sense. You’ve heard of Ugly Crying, well Ateez Ugly Hype and have never been afraid to do that.
3) War Aesthetics. Okay bitch, listen, the creative team really stepped up 800% here for this era and this MV. There are so many warfare references in those 4 minutes that it makes my mind exhausted just thinking of the planning that went into all this. The speaker-bombs were fucking inspired. The use of zeppelins immediately remind me of war, particularly WW1, and an alternative steampunk reality. This part of the MV, which is a piece of art tbh, has got to be a homage to ‘Raising the flag on Iwo Jima’ during WW2 as well as Banksy’s Rage, The Flower Thrower piece in Jerusalem. I think that part of the MV was deliberately in slow motion because the inspiration came from still images. They make very clear statements about war and anti-war sentiments. Without boring you all, the last thing I wanted to mention is the font and colours used for the choreo scenes looks straight from vintage propaganda media. I could keep going but this post is already way too long.
4) Metal/Rock Aesthetics. That band room? With all the cables and amps? The mics? The spy cameras? The tv monitors? The fisheye lens? You can tell the team has watched a billion 1990s music videos. It also reminded me a lot of American Idiot. That’s all I wanted to say about that. There’s just a lot of influence in those shots.
5) Screamo in KPOP?! The way it was incorporated was really well done because it’s not prominent enough to scare away the more sensitive casual listener but it was definitely prominent enough for metal fans to have a crisis. We talk about Cultural Reset-This and Cultural Reset-That but nobody has produced a track like Guerrilla before. Nobody. This is one of those times where you can use hyperbole and be right. Nobody has made a song like this and there is no other song like this in KPOP right now. Respect to the Ateez team and the members for their total commitment because they operate like one big breathing organism and that’s why everything feels cohesive. I’ve been waiting 84 years for this. I hope we get to see it with a band one day.
6) Kim Hongjoong. I don’t know if it’s true or not but I feel his influence all over this. This is HIS era and the style/genre suits him the best. I know he likes Linkin Park and at the very least, this style of music, but I do wonder how much he was able to dictate the Ateez sound and direction. Guerrilla is so good and fed me so well that even if they never do this style again, I’m actually fine with that.
7) Literally. I just think it’s so amusing how literal this whole song/mv is. There’s just no “hidden meanings” or subtleties here. I’m not sure Ateez can even do subtle. Even their soft material is aggressively emotive. Haha.
8) People sometimes wonder why I only write long reviews about Ateez music but it’s because they always give me meat to sink my teeth into. Answer is still my Top 3 favourite kpop songs of ALL TIME. There’s just always so much to talk about and it doesn’t even hinge on how hot the members are. You know a group is Legit Good when visual appeal isn’t the first thing I want to talk about. We’re so lucky to live in the Ateez Era.
