Review: Anti Feminism - Kyousouroku

01. Shakai
02. Nationalism
03. Keikoutou
04. Kawareru
05. STREET FIGHTING MUCH
06. Kyoushi
07. Sodai Gomi
08. GO GO ANTI FEMINISM
09. Bakuretsu Toshi
10. Abura-sumashi
11. Kurage
12. Kyoukou
13. Sperm
14. 655321 gou
15. Ore wa aoru na!
16. Yume no kuni
17. BAD BOY A
18. Pinnochio
19. Misemono Koya no Mahou Tsukai
20. Kitanai Yatsu
21. Hakanai Hito Yose PANDA
22. Go-sick13
23. CRAZY COLOR
24. Kudaranai Hanashi
25. Korosou yo!
26. Buta
27. Makeinu

I have two major problems with this album. One is the lack of versatility in the tracks. At points in the album, I hear riffs that I could have sworn I just heard about two tracks ago. They switch it up a little, play it slower, faster, or lower on the guitar, but overall I feel like I'm listening to the same tracks over and over. Kyousouroku is a compilation album so I can forgive it a little but it's still a problem. Also, the song structures are laughably simple. They come up with a riff, repeat it for a while, then comes a crazy solo, then it goes back to the riff and then it ends. There are no parts in the song where anything switches up and they go into a different tempo. Anti Feminism works with one and it's at the speed of "bashing-flourescent-lightbulbs into-your-chest".

My second problem also excuses a few songs from the first: too many of these songs on the album are too short. If you want a more accurate description, out of 27 songs on the album only 15 break two minutes, and only 2 of those reach three minutes. None are over 3:30 in length. This is instant gratification at it's highest but then many of the songs sound like everything was played back very very fast and there isn't enough time to enjoy all the parts of it. Let's take Keikoutou as an example. The song has the nerve to be 1:03 and not immediately start with all the members playing. It takes a whole TWO seconds for everyone to come in, and this sounds ridiculous but realize the song is only 63 seconds long and they throw the whole kitchen sink in. Kenzi speaks very fast and even if I had the lyrics in front of me I don't think I would be able to follow. Then I swear the solo is about 5 seconds long, then comes a 4 second breakdown, then it goes back to the pace it set at the beginning. Way too fast.

I understand that this is ultra punk rock and songs are typically stylized to be very short, but the length of some of these songs are ridiculous and then I could swear that some of them sound so damn similar you can combine them and it'd make a better song. An example of this would be Keikoutou and Kyoushi; two very similar tracks that would work better together instrumentally then they do apart.

For the songs that are over two minutes long, they have a bit more complexity and allow for more enjoyability at the expense of a little monotony. An example of this is Sodai Gomi. It's at an enjoyable (yet still short) length but the one riff they decide to use before and after the solo is so repetitive you're actually wanting the song to be a little shorter. It might also be because it lifts sections right out of Nationalism, which you literally heard five minutes ago.

This is not to say that Anti Feminism is a one trick pony. A good number of the tracks have a bit of flair that makes me wonder why they can't do this on all of them. The album starter Shakai has the guitars and bass switch roles for a few seconds which is a neat trick that works to the song's advantage. The last song, Makeinu, is perhaps one of the few tracks on the entire compilation that switches tempos often AND comes with a nice surprise at the end of the track. Interestingly enough, these are the only two new tracks they've recorded for the album...

CRAZY COLOR has the guitarists alternating riffs in the verse without Kenzi having to stop, which means that it sounds like an actual song more than any other piece on this compilation. Some things happen in this track that shows me these men know how to compose music and they DO it for this track but not for every track. STREET FIGHTING MUCH is also another track that switches tempos and feels like an actual work of music rather than cacophony, along with a solo that fits and still keeps the AF energy going. I would love to experience this song live.

And finally, BAD BOY A shows that the boys actually know how to tune their guitars and they just choose not to, as the bass is featured relatively low and the guitars are in a different tune than they usually are (but it's not that noticeable). It is the best example of Anti Feminism punk rock here.

One very noticeable thing right out of the gate is that many of the songs abuse sound effects. GO GO ANTI FEMINISM actually turns me off as the firework effects in the beginning of the song scare the shit out of me. Kudaranai Hanashi starts out with something that sounds like a UFO laser that powers up and down repeatedly and continues throughout the entire song. 655321 gou not only sounds like it was mastered differently, but features a faded, jingling noise throughout the background and it sounds louder in the right ear than the left.

In addition, every song on this album features some sort of filter effect on Kenzi's voice that causes it to become annoying by track 20 or so. Go-sick13 is one example where the filter on his voice is so excessive it reverbs into the background. Even his roars vibrate! SPERM isn't as excessive, but it's mentionable because the masking effect on his voice makes the track sound better and it's one of the few tracks where it would have fit. Sadly, since every track uses it beforehand it's more of a standard-issue accompaniment rather than something AF did just for this track. Misemono Koya no Mahou Tsukai is notable not just because the title is longer than the song itself but because the vocal effect (or lack of one for that matter) renders Kenzi virtually inaudible. Hakanai Hito Yose Panda renders Kenzi just as audibly warped but that's because he sounds like static in some parts and words are lost.

Finally, some tracks are just meant to be played live and the CD doesn't do it justice. I can see the crowd yelling along "Ore wa aoru na!" while Kenzi jumps onto something dangerous and requests medical assistance during Ore wa aoru na!. Bakuretsu Toshi sounds like it was meant to finish lives and feels rather contained on a CD with no ballads or mid-tempo songs. Kurage sounds like a fierce piece of music that the band could continue on at a portion of a live for five minutes while the crowd jumps around because it feels like a pure rush of energy.

Kyousouroku's most staggering problem out of all of them is the amount of tracks. I don't think this was meant to be listened to all in one sit. I chose to end the review here because I'm trying to get a good overall view of the album across but there's so many songs it's virtually impossible without making this review any longer than it is (and I feel that if I keep going I'm going to lose interest in the reader). I personally feel that in this case, more is not better. If they had just taken the songs that were longer than 2:00 and all of the unavailable tracks and arranged them in a more suiting order this album would be more cohesive, but the amount of tracks that sound too similar along with the voice effect abuse leaves the few enjoyable tracks on the album to be hard to find...or just never heard because you stop after a certain point.

It's an enjoyable album for those that like Anti Feminism and a good starting place for those that want to see how this band sounds but it's too long and too repetitive to receive a high score. It's more for those that have most of their albums and need the last few pieces of music that they don't own. 6/10.