1) The Auditory Version comes with the music video while the Optical Impression comes with the music video. Most of the time, it really comes down to personal preference as to which one you want more. I always felt that with YouTube having multiple copies of the music video before it even gets released the Optical Impression was a bit redundant so I advised you to always go with the Auditory Impression. Unlike most The GazettE singles, however, Distress and Coma falls under a peculiar quirk that I'll get into when I start the review.
2) The advantage to having the DIM track list in front of me is that assessing the value of past singles becomes a lot easier. And with the advent of DIM coming, I'm questioning the value of any person buying this single. I'll get into this shortly as well.
Distress and Coma -Optical Impression-
01. Distress and Coma
02. Headache Man
DVD: Distress and Coma [PV]
Distress and Coma -Auditory Impression-
01. Distress and Coma
02. Headache Man
03. Without a Trace
Now to get into the major problem I see with this single: with DIM's release coming up and the album having both Distress and Coma and Headache Man on it, the Optical Impression is rendered near obsolete. Now that apparently would make the Auditory Impression the one to buy, but in a change of pace I'll review Without a Trace first.
Without a Trace is the softest song out of the trio, and I find it horribly boring. It doesn't climax at any point in the song to create something beautiful. The singing is nice and they bring in violins for this single, much like for the title track. The guitar work is also nice but the bass and drums are missing for portions of the song at a time. When they do come in though, the track becomes a little more interesting, but not much more. I just feel like this song lacks life in some parts of it. If you're in the mood for a soft song this song might do the trick, but compared to their other work such as Cassis, Calm Envy and even Guren this song lacks.
The final track poses a problem, as you're either paying to get the music video for Distress and Coma (which is excellent might I add) but making the physical CD obsolete or paying to get a sub-par final track and making the rest of the CD obsolete. Either way, you don't get much so I would advise you just don't buy the CD at all and wait until the album to experience both the tracks.
As for Distress and Coma, it's the best single they've released out of the three. It combines the ballad-esque style of Guren with the guitars and edge of Hole and threw some violins and directions to the mix. If there was one song that I could compare this to, it would be Nausea and Shudder from the NIL album, but a little less excellent than that. Other than the fact that they repeat the refrain once too often and the song runs for longer than it should, it's a fantastic track that gets a near-perfect score from me. It almost erases the aptly titled STACKED RUBBISH.
Headache Man...could have used some work. The song will literally give you a headache at parts, and Ruki honestly fails at screaming. They tried channeling some Slipknot and mildly succeeded, but then didn't at other parts. The part at 1:00 should have been the chorus to this song and had that been so I would like this more. But of course, they have a "WE ARE THE CAUSE OF YOUR HEADACHE" repeat, repeat, repeat RAWR thing going on in the song. They also brought back the disc jockey effects like from Defective Tragedy but it's abused rather than used. It takes a few listens to grow but it's not going to be my favorite track of all time. Stick with Distress and Coma.
If you're dead-set on buying this single, I would actually stream "Without a Trace" first and see if you enjoy it. Seeing as how I didn't, I would recommend that you buy the Optical Impression once more (I actually recommend you don't buy it at all and wait until DIM) and get an awesome music video instead of a just OK ballad / mid-tempo song. 4 out of 5, and that's only because of the A-side.
Without a Trace is the softest song out of the trio, and I find it horribly boring. It doesn't climax at any point in the song to create something beautiful. The singing is nice and they bring in violins for this single, much like for the title track. The guitar work is also nice but the bass and drums are missing for portions of the song at a time. When they do come in though, the track becomes a little more interesting, but not much more. I just feel like this song lacks life in some parts of it. If you're in the mood for a soft song this song might do the trick, but compared to their other work such as Cassis, Calm Envy and even Guren this song lacks.
The final track poses a problem, as you're either paying to get the music video for Distress and Coma (which is excellent might I add) but making the physical CD obsolete or paying to get a sub-par final track and making the rest of the CD obsolete. Either way, you don't get much so I would advise you just don't buy the CD at all and wait until the album to experience both the tracks.
As for Distress and Coma, it's the best single they've released out of the three. It combines the ballad-esque style of Guren with the guitars and edge of Hole and threw some violins and directions to the mix. If there was one song that I could compare this to, it would be Nausea and Shudder from the NIL album, but a little less excellent than that. Other than the fact that they repeat the refrain once too often and the song runs for longer than it should, it's a fantastic track that gets a near-perfect score from me. It almost erases the aptly titled STACKED RUBBISH.
Headache Man...could have used some work. The song will literally give you a headache at parts, and Ruki honestly fails at screaming. They tried channeling some Slipknot and mildly succeeded, but then didn't at other parts. The part at 1:00 should have been the chorus to this song and had that been so I would like this more. But of course, they have a "WE ARE THE CAUSE OF YOUR HEADACHE" repeat, repeat, repeat RAWR thing going on in the song. They also brought back the disc jockey effects like from Defective Tragedy but it's abused rather than used. It takes a few listens to grow but it's not going to be my favorite track of all time. Stick with Distress and Coma.
If you're dead-set on buying this single, I would actually stream "Without a Trace" first and see if you enjoy it. Seeing as how I didn't, I would recommend that you buy the Optical Impression once more (I actually recommend you don't buy it at all and wait until DIM) and get an awesome music video instead of a just OK ballad / mid-tempo song. 4 out of 5, and that's only because of the A-side.
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