Review: Sadie - Master of Romance

Sadie to me is a mixed basket: they sound like a regular garage band at some points, something original at other points, and a huge Dir en grey copy band most of the time. Naturally, I would wonder how their first original album would sound. Would it sound great and like the older stuff (a la The Trend Killer) or would it be more of the newer, "garbage" tracks (like Crimson Tear)?

01 imaginary creature
02 Ice Romancer
03. 心眼 (Shingai)
04. VIRTUAL FAKEMAN
05. Scarlet
06. アゲハの亡骸 (Ageha no Nakigara)
07. Crimson Tear
08. 陽炎 (Kagerou)
09. Parasite Scene
10. Grieving the Dead Soul
11. Swallow Rain

I never answered it, and I just played the first track, imaginary creature. imaginary creature is an interesting track: after the last two singles and the -Undead13+2- album, I was expecting a whole RAWR SCREAMO EMO KYO IS MY GAWD HERE’S A DIRU RIFF smashed into my temples. An obstacle progress clone was obvious and I always regarded obstacle progress as a great opener and mood-setter to an album What do I get? A piano and some soft singing which is a great opener and mood-setter to an album. I think I heard some muted screaming in the background and some banging (especially the loud one toward the end). It’s a grower and I don’t think that it’s the best song on the album, but it’s good enough for what it sets out to do.

*cuts the bullshit*

I can’t HEAR Mao throughout half of this track to be quite honest. He doesn’t sound like Kyo that much in this song but if I could hear him better then my decision might change. The piano is soft and soothing and is the proper way to start off an album. If you are also ever in need, this is a good song to
- slice your wrists to
- play boogeyman with
- comb your hair over with
- lament your girlfriend leaving you for being a frugal loser

I don’t have much to say: the song is too damn short. It’s interesting but only because it could have GONE somewhere but it ends on that note that makes it seem unfinished and done at the same time. I leave it with a 7.6.

The album truly takes off with Ice Romancer, the latest single they’ve just released. I’m not sure what they mean by the title though. On my very first listen, I SWORE I was listening to Kyo from Macabre or maybe Kisou. We know that you idolize Kyo but goddammit does everyone have to sound like him now? Mao sounding a whole lot like him takes off a bit from the song because it doesn’t seem as fresh, but the screaming and the verses are more original. Speaking of the verses, they divide into a quiet section followed by an aria from Mao’s demonic, Kyo-inspired other half. Overall, this is a pretty solid song and one of those worth listening to if you haven’t heard it yet. It gets itself a 9.

Shingai starts out weird and repulsive, with a pig squeal. The song actually starts when Mao clears some phlegm from his throat. It’s the standard hard rocker with bark and respond calls with squealing verses here and there. I prefer Grieving the Dead Soul to this song, but maybe because I heard that song first, but there’s nothing wrong with this song. After a few listens, the alternate heavy/heavier verses start to sound listenable, but the chorus overdoes it with the growling and turns me off. The piece afterwards with the guitars scaling upwards is pretty damn cool though. I would give it a 7.

VIRTUAL FAKEMAN’s chorus reminds me of MAD-ROID, especially when Mao sings ’sono mono sa’. This song is upbeat and funky, and I hate this song. I also like it at the same time. It’s a new sound from them and for some reason Mao doing some disco dancing in this song while he headbangs sticks in my mind. When I’m walking in the street with this song, this song seems to run a lot longer than the 4:37 it says it is. I just get lost in this song with the singing and the smexy riffs that play on my ears. I just can’t get enough of the guitars in this song, and that’s probably what draws me back again and again. It’s the first original song on this album, because it wasn’t a prior single (Ice Romancer), it IS a song (imaginary creature) and it isn’t underinspired (Shingai). However, it just doesn't fit in the soundscape of this album, being all upbeat and all. I give this song an 8.8.

Scarlet and Ageha no Nakigara blew me away the first time I heard them. The beginning to the former sounded like something from a song I’ve heard somewhere before, but it works. It’s a rock track with a slower pace and a lot of emotion, and may be the best damn song on the album. I can also hear all the Engrish clearly! It certainly is my favorite out of all the new tracks they’ve provided, and I could play this on repeat over and over again. The latter defies any sort of categorization that I can come up with, and that makes it interesting in my book. I guess you could call it a ballad of sorts but that’s not an apt title. It doesn’t matter: the guitars are beautiful and Mao can apply screams without ruining the whole feel of the song. He truly blends his singing and his death vocals to make an interesting and refreshing chorus. Mao’s singing is also great and for once he doesn’t sound like a Kyo from seven or eight years ago. If you don’t regard Scarlet as the best song on the album, then Ageha no Nakigara deserves runner up. Both songs are worth a listen and they get 10’s.

I read a lot of people disliked Crimson Tear and almost “stopped liking Sadie for it”. I don’t feel the same way. Sure, it’s a bit spastic, all over the place, and screamy, but that’s Sadie for you. I’ll be fair; the PV influenced my decision greatly. When I'm just listening to the song, it lacks sorely. It doesn't sound like enough effort was placed into it, so at the end of the day I really would recommend you watch the PV and see. For listening purposes I would skip however. A solid 6.

I listened to this album about five times before I sat down to type this and I will tell you, I don’t really remember Kagerou. I have to type and listen at the same time because I won’t remember it. I find nothing exceptional about this song, but the chorus is adequate at best. It’s a generic track that’s not too hard and not too soft. I give it a 6.5: it’s not my fault it’s forgettable, but it’s a solid rocker that’s worth an investment with guitars that have the possibility to get stuck in your head.

Funny how they release this as a single. It's like a Crimson Tear that's improved upon, but it's infinitely better. I just feel like I heard this somewhere before.

The same can be said about the next track. Parasite Scene has a deceptive opener. It soon bashes you over the head with the hardness equal to that of an erection and lumbers along at that pace. Reminded me of New Age Culture, except they don’t borrow the ending. I was about to compare this to Shingai but the chorus was calling for attention: Mao layers his growling with screaming to make an interesting duet with himself. Sadly, I don’t find the same interesting novelty in the guitars in this song but they bust out some interesting riffs here and there. I brand thy song an eight.

This song made me sprain my neck from the awesome. It’s a grower, but once it has grown on you you’ll never stop listening to this song. There’s a reason why Grieving the Dead Soul hit number one on the charts: it fucking rocks. Grieving the Dead Soul has everything you’d hope for from a hard rocking Sadie song: a chorus of ghoulish death vocals, Mao’s trademark sing-scream style, and a refrain that will have you head banging even at your desk. In less expected territory, Mao raps at various points throughout the song, but it meshes wonderfully with the raging mood. It’s also a relief that he doesn’t sound like Kyo from Children/Stuck Man. Still the shining moment is his wrathful screaming, particularly toward the end. The quiet area near the middle of the song substitutes for a solo and is a breather after the two minutes of awesome shit they hurl in your face. They break up the pace and keep you on your toes, waiting to see how much they’ll throw at you once you inhale. This track exhibits the real flairs of Sadie packed into one concentrated track of sublimity. Unlike Shingai and Parasite Scene, it’s dynamic in vocals AND guitars. It gets a 10, and only because it takes a while for the song to grow on you.

I’m having Inconvienent Ideal flashbacks right now: Swallow Rain is the mid-tempo rocker that ends the album on a lighter but equally as emotional level. The way Mao sings Swallow Rain during the song is the part that stands out most to me, and the rest of the song is equally as emotional. I would give this song a nine as well.
The bonus track, Newage Slicer, is worth mentioning for the sole purpose that it sounds like a Child Prey throwaway. However, because it is a bonus track, I'm not going to pass judgment on the track. I do like the name though ^^

That ends Master of Romance. I’m pleased to say no song on this album sucked, but there were parts of the album that were underwhelming to me. I found Shingai and Kagerou to be a bit disappointing, but Scarlet, Ageha no Nakigara and Swallow Rain were nice surprises. It’s a solid effort for a first album, and overall it gets a 4 out of five.