CRIMINAL LOVE fell under my radar after my mixed feelings regarding their latest album DARK BLOOD. Now, it has grown on me quite a bit, and despite my fury regarding the vocal direction and processing of ‘Sacrifice’, it is now one of my favourite ENHYPEN songs. Without further ado, here is the review!
‘CRIMINAL LOVE’ is the second official OST ENHYPEN sung for their Webtoon ‘DARK MOON: The Blood Altar’. Essentially, it is a follow-up to the excellent ‘ONE IN A BILLION‘, so that makes me quite excited considering how much spunk and grit the production of the latter had as well as the outstanding vocal performances there. While I don’t think ‘CRIMINAL LOVE’ matches up, it is still strong nevertheless.
Everything about the song seems intent on creating an intense atmosphere mimicking the drama of the Webtoon, whether it be the use of vocal effects that filters the members’ voices and makes them fuzzy and hazy at times, or the sound effects such as gunshots, bridges falling, or even the way it was delivered. I’m mostly here for it.
I’m fond of the foundations that the song was built on, particularly the choices of the chords, as they make for a very engaging listen as it progresses from section to section. Hence, despite the melodies not actually having much variation, the song never at any point feels non-melodic. That is a tricky balance to pull off. A number of NCT-esque songs fail to pull this off which makes it unengaging. This isn’t a NCT-esque song per se, but I used it as an example to demonstrate a point. This is especially evident in the pre-chorus for example, with sharp note sung by Sunghoon making for an exciting change of soundscape as it transitions into the chorus. The track flows smoothly, and nothing feels disjointed.
The production feels full and in sync with the vocals. Among the many sound effects used, I’m fond of the heavy knocks in the chorus, and it makes it stand out among the rest of their discography and in K-pop in general. It is something seldomly used, with makes it fresh and effective. I yearn for some more moments of excitement and tension, as I believe it did not fully commit yet, but it is nearly there.
ENHYPEN deliver a convincing performance here, particularly Jungwon, who happens to be my bias. His vocal performance here is full of personality. I also really like Niki’s lines as his talk-rapping/chanting sounds quite natural now. It is a far cry from debut era, and it is always nice to see improvement. They all did a great job.
If anything, I don’t think the melodies are particularly convincing especially in comparison to ‘One In a Billion’. It doesn’t fall into ‘not engaging’, but I think it could have pulled me in a bit more.
Hooks – 8
Production – 9
Vocal Delivery – 9
Overall – 8.75
Update: Upon retrospect, here are my updated score. Time has been very kind to it, and the feelings it triggers upon listen are simply cathartic.
Overall – 8.75 -> 10
K-pop Evaluated 
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