After the letdown that was Midori no Kaze and the not so excellent pickup that was Ao no Daichi, I expected, nay, I BELIEVED that Gokusaishiki would just suck. I honestly had thought, deep DEEP down, that NoGoD had sold out. I gave it no chance as I popped in my headphones and began to listen to the first track.
And suddenly I was thrown for a “WTF” moment. Zesshoku sounds like KITOU ON CRACK! I couldn’t believe my ears: after the pop fest that was Dou and the slow moving dirge that was Yakusoku no Chi, I thought this album would start off poppy. And then he goes back and polls a “Red Soil” moment with the growling and the high pitched squealing overlaying one another as he goes. But not to worry BILLY! The song goes into the predictable poppy chorus pattern and that is going to be a repeated pattern all throughout this album. Kyrie’s solo is also way too short. Overall, the chorus takes away from the overall feeling of the song, so I leave it with an 8.
It’s still a kickass opener ^.^
Ginsekai is also another hard rocker, and trust me I was about to go insane when I heard this song. I thought they had lost it but this song had brought it back. I don’t mind the poppy chorus because the song isn’t as dark and it fits a lot better. It’s also the shortest song on the album. THOU HAST BEEN DUBBED A NINE. Dou follows this song and I guess it’s a good thing that it comes early. The mix on the album is far superior to the one on the Midori no Kaze review but otherwise it’s pretty much the same. 7 for you.
Now this is where things get a little complicated. Kijin Fukanshou and Kinshi Suzume both inhabit this spot but on different editions. I’ll go Fukanshou first because I mentioned it first. Nothing about this song has changed at all: it’s a hard rock song marred by a weak poppy chorus that drags the song down overall. The bass solo followed by the guitar solo brings up the points a few but otherwise it’s just average. Kinshi Suzume is a different story: with rumbling guitars that will get stuck in your head and a chorus that gets stuck in my head easily, this is easily one of the highlights of the album. Much like Ginsekai, the chorus is loud with Danchou saying something almost inaudibly underneath. The layering works just as well here and the chorus is also just as good. Kijin Fukanshou gets a 7.5 and Kinshi Suzume gets a 10.
Shihan doesn’t keep the energy well after Kinshi Suzume, but the guitars and the odd pacing keep me interested. It reminds me of Kirara from Kanna Fukyou in some ways but overall it’s just an average “filler” song for NoGoD. But just because it’s filler doesn’t mean it’s not good. The guitars channel some serious soul in parts and if you don’t tap your feet to parts of this song, check to see if your vitals are normal. The bass is also noticeable, which is an awesome ^(O_O)^ from me. Once again, the chorus is noticeably poppier, but the song is overall upbeat so it’s not that bad of a problem. It also makes the song somewhat stable. 7.
Tsubasa…I despised the mix on the single but it fits well here. The constant start-stop has been made less noticeable here so I enjoy it more (or it’s just grown on me, one or the other). It translates as wing but I visualize flying into the sunset or something romantic like that. I think they might have rerecorded this but I’m not sure. I leave it with a 6.5 (please note that anything above a 6 is worth listening to in my book). The best part about Tsubasa is the way that it ends, and that’s because of the song that follows it, Kono Ame no Mukou ni. This is Gokusaishiki’s answer to Aozora, and although it’s not as epic it’s a pretty good instrumental. It fits well into the soundscape of Gokusaishiki, although I wish it was a bit longer. It takes a little too long to get moving and once you fall into it’s clutches the song has about 30 seconds to go. Aozora is still better but I’ll give it a 7.5 for effort.
And next comes the epic Yakusoku no Chi, which is my favorite ballad by them, even if it is a little slow moving. Clocking in at somewhere near six minutes, I could imagine God chronicling Moses and the crew through the forest to “The Promised Land”, which is exactly what this title means. I’ll give it an eight. Seija no Yuuutsu (I’m unsure how many U’s there are in this title) has some interesting patterns going on in the chorus because it alternates between an inaudible Danchou and a loud one. The guitars remind me of the vibe from Shukufuku no Uta with some attitude. Seija is also a great song to listen to and oddly enough, it was the last one I listened to. I’ll give this song a 9 because it grows on me with the more listens I give it.
I was looking for another Tsumibatsu Egoist-level epic on this album, and I thought Ban Kuro Shinsou Dai Circus was that one. It starts out promising, and the first verse is pretty interesting but then…DAMN POPPY CHORUS. It pretty much ruins the 10 for this song even though the solo and just about everything else in this song was pretty good. Now you can argue that Tsumibatsu also had a poppy chorus but I didn’t rip into it, but keep in mind that this album is FULL of it. Circus would have worked better without the poppy chorus, and something equally as edgy and dark would have been better fitting. Even though I like the twisted feeling of this song, I can only give it an 8 in all honesty.
Ano hi no Sora ha Gokusai de is the only song on this album that utilizes an acoustic guitar. The longest song on this album, somehow it keeps me interested throughout. It tries to adopt an epic feel but doesn’t quite hit the mark. However, this ballad plays it a little too safe for me to like it a lot so much like the last song it gets an 8. Still an excellent ballad and the best way to end this album.
Yumemi Shoujo = Yankee Doodle in the solo. This song is weird, off, confusing, and somehow enthralling after everything that it puts against it. There’s a reason why it’s a bonus track: it’s too all-over-the-place to fit properly into the soundscape of this album. Think Kitou without the gurgling and more finesse in the guitars. Good for novelty listens, but I’ll give it a 5.5. The girls counting at the beginning make me crack a smile though.
3.9/5 for the limited edition
3.6/5 for the regular edition
Both manage to barely snag a four. I would stick with the limited edition for Kinshi Suzume and the limited edition track. Check me to see if my math is wrong.
Doesn’t top Mugen Kyou in my book, but it equals it, and Mugen Kyou was a badass album. This is a worthy successor to Mugen Kyou so enjoy listening to it.
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