Review: The GazettE - Disorder

I figure whilst I have time this morning (which I feel is going to be a rare occurrence so watch the scale of these reviews start to curtail drastically) I'll get an album out of the way so I'm not completely lazy so today we're going to review an album I don't have to listen to in order to formulate thoughts about. That would be Disorder, and I have to say that The GazettE are pretty good at describing what it is their albums sound like. This album is loud, messy, brash, in your face about it, and when it's all over the fake Jesus on the cover just serves to tell you "you should have known all along that an album called DISORDER wasn't going to be friendly with your eardrums".

Both the Intro and Disorder Heaven, the outro, are pretty lame and aren't even worth mentioning in two separate breaths. The real starting track, The $ocial Riot Machine$, is barely coherent in English even with the lyrics since it relies on puns and word play in Japanese and it's supposed to sound more like a riot than a musical track. Screaming Ruki's duetting with screaming Ruki's complement buzzing guitars, loud drumming and thick bass and they all come together to cause as much compositional discord as possible for three and a half minutes. Senseless violence has never been captured better in a track but if you're looking for something musical (read: skip this album then) then you're going to facepalm at how disorganized and loud this track is.

Then again, this is what most people think metal is so I like it just out of spite, not for any redeeming qualities it may have. Perhaps a little more restrained in the veins of hard rock would be Carry?, which in this album's terms means just slightly psychopathic. It shows a little restraint and musicality in the verses that are punctuated by noise and then the chorus is there with Ruki's nasally singing that makes you wish he'd shut up and go back to screaming his little head off. Carry? doesn't carry the same mindless genius that made the last track stand out (pun not intended) but the little girl muttering "you[r ears] are almost dead" before the band falls into the apex of insanity is the high point of this song. I do feel the ending to this was dragged out and this shouldn't have been any longer than the previous track but it's still worth listening to if you have eardrums of steel.

Maximum Impulse feels like the last two tracks had a baby and then the baby stubbed it toes. Combine the racing pulse of the first track with random background screams, some hoarse singing, and you have something that's very interesting up until it gets to the chorus. I was getting a little interested in this album until it got there and then I wanted to just stop because it was so freaking BAD. The whole hardkoar kvltic metal portions mixing with the insane screaming does not go well with the high school choir chorus and then there's a whole helium portion before it goes into it the second time that makes me want to die. Unlike the last two hard tracks, I implore you to stay FAR FAR away from this one.

And no Ruki, you are not fucking welcome.

Zakurogata no Yuuutsu is a different type of sonic rape in that it's boring, chaotic, and messy in all the wrong ways. It’s also betrayingly upbeat for the message that Ruki sings about and the tone of the guitars doesn’t match the lyrics at all. It also has annoying special effects all throughout the song and what really kills it for me is that annoying trumpet or whatever instrument in the background. I just think it’s set a tad too loud for my ears, and the whole song a bit disorienting. The best part of this song would have to be the solo. Out goes the annoying noise and in comes the nice, clean guitars. It’s also pretty badass and leads right back into the chaos nicely. The part where everyone pauses later on in the song is also pretty cool, as I find Ruki really, REALLY nasal in this song and it grates my nerves. As for the lyrics of the song, I believe it’s about someone with a fatal disease of sorts and the memo certainly sounded like said person’s lover had killed himself to offer up his organs (or some other body part) in order to save the one he loved. This is such a sad story and the upbeat, messy tune doesn’t show the seriousness of the lyrics or any emotion to any extreme at all.

Shishigatsu Youka isn't as bad as it is boring. As much as fans orgasm all over Wakaremichi I actually don't like it all that much and having "conceptual" songs on the middle of an album that has nothing to do with a CONCEPT turns me off. Bluntly stated, this song sounds boring and ill-fitting, as if any generic VK band just poured this track out because it evokes a response from even the most brainless of fans.

Oh wait....what is the GazettE again?

The album would have done better to end with Saraba, the anti-war song that's probably my favorite off of this entire album. The riffs are strong and brutal and there doesn't happen to be a chorus problem anywhere in here (is still recovering from Maximum Impulse). Ruki's lyrics are pure poetry and one of the few from this album worth translating to find the meaning. It's one of the few songs here that actually doesn't suck and isn't a roaring mess on wheels and heroine. Speaking of heroine, SxDxR sucks dicks royally. It's supposed to stand for Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll but it's just not very good all around. I have no idea what the fuck the beginning is supposed to mean and the entire track just sounds chaotic and messy. This is truly disorder at it's finest form and it does not channel any of the GazettE's sound. The chorus also sounds annoying as fuck. Needless to say I don't recommend you listen to it.

Even in all this chaos the GazettE managed to find time to experiment. Anti Pop starts out sounding like a jazz club late at night before it goes off into some crappy, chaotic rock. It's one of those songs that sounds like the band got together with the sole intention to mow down the listener with every type of loud, insane, and crazy sound that they could find. It lags around the second minute with it's repetitiveness but otherwise it's another one of those weird tracks you can throw on to scare the shit out of your friends. And last but not least, Hana Kotoba is the necessary ballad requirement on every album that doesn't fit with the entire "disorder" theme but is definitely welcome as I only recommend two songs off this album in all seriousness (and this is one of them). It isn't as deceptively soft as the beginning will have you believe but compared to everything else on this album, the fact that there are acoustic guitars and violins in the background should tell you this was a risk and it works well.

Disorder blows in my opinion. It's too loud, chaotic, messy, and tries to do too much but then doesn't get anywhere with it's diversity. the GazettE needed to rein in some of their experimentation and focus more on delivering listenable tracks instead of bashing on their instruments and recording what comes out.

Recommended:

Saraba
Hana Kotoba

Score: 48%

Review: Dir en grey - Agitated Screams of Maggots

I'm compelled to review this only because the mix on the single was redone for the album that this was placed on and it's the middle of the damn night. In both situations, I'd suggest against picking it up under most circumstances. The main difference between this and The Marrow of a Bone is that the latter has a few redeeming qualities while this one should send you running to the high hills with enough rations to last until Christ comes again.

That means you know this isn't going to be a nyappy, smiley review with sugary marshmallows and my custom made feather duster to gloss over the not so great parts.

01. Agitated Screams of Maggots
02. Kodoku ni Shisu, Yueni Kodoku.
03. Spilled Milk
04. Obscure

I'll start with the last three tracks since I can put them all under one lump sum: suck. Although they don't scrape the bottom of the barrel of throwaway B-sides that Clever Sleazoid managed to sink to, Kyo's voice isn't as vibrant as some of the other live tracks they've included. As a matter of fact, Kyo's voice sucks. I don't care what excuse someone comes up with - I would rather have another studio track than three live tracks of this quality. Kodoku ni Shisu carries the distinction for Kyo being silent for roughly half the track, unquestioningly mutilating himself live. All three of the tracks lack the theatrical element that makes watching Dir en grey live and leaves these feeling empty.

Just grab the album and skip these.

So that leaves Agitated Screams of Maggots and that has only one redeeming factor - the lyrics. The entire song is in English which means Kyo sings and it all comes out sounding like gibberish. He screams his head off like a little demon and while it's a song full of energy and anger, it's also the only thing going on in the track. Die and Kaoru's lines are pretty basic, boring, and lacking depth. You could honestly play this track with one guitar, and if you're a fan of Dir en grey you know that it means they really took the easy way out with this track.

I can't give these tracks high scores if I can't detect when the music begins and the rape stops.

If you're in the mood to scream about vile acts such as raping daughters on graves or if you feel evil enough to take a silver bullet in the chest, then I guess moshing around to this punk-metal hybrid is for you. Otherwise I would take a pass, since this single really isn't all it wants to be.

So, a quick breakdown of the single

Agitated = me
Screams = Kyo
Maggots = this CD

Get it?

Score: 40%

Review: Gackt - Jesus

Since I happen to be going in no specific order and since I have a few extra minutes after moving in, completing the slew of recent Gackt releases is definitely in order. I do only have two left, so those that aren't fans of Gackt won't have to suffer through much more but all this damned "mandatory orientation" is seriously screwing with the schedule I had over the summer.

Then again, I had all day during the summer to do reviews and I cranked out one a day. Now that I have about 15 minutes to scribble something together I STILL manage to crank out one a day. Doesn't that speak volumes about my work ethic...

01. Jesus
02. Sayonara - ЯR II ver.-
03. Jesus (Instrumental)
04. Sayonara - ЯR II ver.- (Instrumental)

Jesus as a song rocks hard but as a single falters a bit short of my expectations. This stems in part from the fact that Lost Angels had two B-sides while this just has one and said B-side isn't as solid as some of his other efforts. I am quite aware that Lost Angels comes after this single but it's just the fact that this single could have - no, should have - come back in full force is what bothers me.

Usually when you re-do a track, you're supposed to make it better, not equally as bland. Sayonara is a re-recording from one of his tracks on the Rebirth album and I'm not fond of either track to be quite frank. Gackt's slower, more ballad-like songs have a tendency of dragging themselves on until they get to the point of unpleasant and Sayonara is no exception. Until it gets up to the part when the violins kick in, the song is terribly boring and minimalist almost to the point of bare-bones. The violin portion gets a mention simply because it brings up the entire atmosphere of the track and provides something halfway interesting to listen to. Needless to say it's the best part of the entire album. In it's wake, the rest of the song seems to get better and if you manage to stick it out to the violins you just might end up finishing the song. Nonetheless, this song is just too long for me to recommend sticking it on repeat.

Jesus, however, is more gratifying. It busts out of the gate with "hey's", guitar riffs that immediately grab your attention, and Gackt's singing is emotional without sounding forced. Couple that with a great solo, a better ending than normally expected, and no part of the track that leaves me unsatisfied, and I'm quite happy with Jesus. Some fans were unhappy with Jesus and thought Gackt was being anti-Christian with his lyrics and accompanying music video (Gackt sings about a guy begging to God and Mary to save him from suicide and the guy in the PV was supposed to be Hitler I read). What's so anti-religious about that? I have just one sentence to say to those people:

"Target the actual bands that actually say 'fuck Jesus' in their lyrics instead of those that include Jesus and poetic license in their music. I actually saw an album titled 'Fuck me Jesus'. There's something you should go take a look at, not some bishounen rock artist who is pumping out singles because he's running out of money >.>"

So that was three. Bite me. Other than that little rant I'm pretty much done with this single. Two instrumentals, not worth mentioning, one good track, one letdown.

Recommended:

Jesus

Score: 75%

Review: Gackt - Redemption

I don't give a damn if Gackt is re-releasing these at the end of the year or not - this is still fair play in my book and the last two tracks most likely won't make a repeat on that album anyway. This is also the single that alerted me to Gackt. At first I noticed this song only as "that catchy ten-second theme for that commercial" and I hadn't any idea who Gackt was or what this single sounded like in it's entirety.

I just happened to get this song off LimeWire on a whimsical chance and had my mind blown when I added up the pieces....two weeks later.

01. Redemption
02. Longing
03. Redemption (Instrumental)
04. Longing (Instrumental)

Both Redemption and Longing are badass tracks in their own right and even though I haven't heard either track proper in almost a year or two I still can remember how fantastic the string section on the B-side was, or how the echoed scream that marks the apex of Gackt's wrath in the title track scared the hell out of me the first time I heard it. Coming after No ni Saku..., this is a complete 180. In no parts are these two songs boring and in many cases not only can I sit through them but I can stand to hear them again once they are finished.

Gackt has some sketchy English going on (Redemption has a section that will leave you grasping to figure out what language he just spoke) as well as an extremely catchy chorus and a nice breakdown. There is no one section that I have a huge complaint about except I don't really hear him sounding much like himself. He's doing new things with his vocals, which is always a pleasant thing to hear. If you need some music with a lot going on in both the background and the forefront I heavily recommend both these songs.

It sucks to know that Redemption is one of Gackt's most overhyped singles. Although I do enjoy the song I cannot say that it was one of the best things he's ever put out, and many fans will overlook the equally as excellent track Longing. As I stated before, Longing has an avant-garde, extremely experimental string section in lieu of a solo that I feel not only is genius, but keeps the song from feeling like another rendition of the first track. If you're a fan of a dark, hard rock sound then this song is as close to it as Gackt will ever get.

Any fan willing to enjoy some of the monogamous bishounen asskicking samurai warrior singer needs to pick this up along with some of his older and recent work. Some that spring to mind is the last single The Next Decade, Jesus, the entire Diabolos and Mars albums, and perhaps some of his work with Malice Mizer if you can stand to go back that far. Do not confuse the hard rock guitars here for Gackt's core sound, as it's as unexplainable as his sudden nose job between MM and here. He explores a vast variety of sounds and if you're just starting out you have no idea what it is this man is capable of sonically. Although it may be quite hard to digest, this has to be one of the first times Gackt has made a conscious effort towards a harder direction.

Although after the last single this isn't that surprising in my opinion.

The two instrumentals are bonuses but I doubt you'd be listening to those more than a few times for the novelty value. The first two tracks are strong enough to warrant buying this and to top it off you get a video of the monogamous bishounen asskicking samurai warrior singer rocking out with his dreadlocks and being all bishounen to the camera.

How can you not love that?

Recommended:

Redemption
Longing

Score: 90%

Review: Gackt - No ni Saku Hana no You ni

I have no idea how many singles Gackt has released without putting out an album proper but I believe the number approaches double digits. Since I believe that all of this material is too diverse and unfocused to compile on an album, all of these singles are worth reviewing. I was interested in this single after hearing Gackt just showed up at a high school graduation and performed this without any warning. "Public clamor for this was just so great" I read, "that they requested this be released as a single".

It ain't that great.

01. No ni Saku Hana no You Ni
02. No ni Saku Hana no You Ni (minna no uta)
03. No ni Saku Hana no You Ni (pf. style)
04. No Ni Saku Hana no You Ni (Instrumental)
05. No ni Saku Hana no You Ni (piano solo)

If Japanese isn't a language you understand and/or you weren't subjected to SPARTAN EDUCATION whilst you were a growing young lad or lass, then this song to you is going to be extremely boring. It takes him a year to put this together and it sounds like Gackt put together the instrumental portion to this on the car ride TO the high school and just winged it from there. He probably got off light with the title track because the message in the lyrics are so uplifting and he sings it so well. In fact, it's the exact opposite of what the sonic soundscape is: bright and inspired. I expected no less from a graduation song but still, the lyrics are touching. However, the lone acoustic doesn't work for a song of this length and the changes are subtle, making for one long, monotone track that seems to lack a chorus. He's done better than this.

The Minna no Uta version is merely a shortened version of the first track and it's better only for the purpose that it's suck in a more condensed version. I'd skip the first two and go to the third, which is a piano-backed version. The piano sounds like a more natural tone for this track and works more wonders than the acoustic ever could. If you desperately need to hear this track for whatever weird Gackt cravings you may have than this is the only track I'd recommend. However, Gackt doesn't remedy the problem of having a chorus section and the song just goes on and on and on and on with no sense of direction or purpose.

Oh well, at least the piano sounds nice.

The acoustic instrumental sucks anus and the piano version is rather boring if I don't have Gackt's voice to provide some additional variety to the track background so I can pretty much cut the review short. No ni Saku Hana No You Ni is extremely boring and doesn't come off very rewarding at any point in the single. With five tracks and all of them rather disappointing I'm going to have to give this single the recommendation of a pass, although the third track does get a mention for standing out the most in my mind.

Score: 45%

Lyrics

daremo inai GURAUNDO no namae kizanda sakura no shita
itsuka kimi to mou ichido
koko ni kuru koto wo yakusoku shiyou
CHAIMU no hibiku koutei no
katasumi ni saku hana no you ni
yasashiku waratte kureta kimi dake ni tsutaetai
tada "arigatou" to...
bokutachi wa itsu no hi ni ka
mata kono basho de deau sono hi made
no ni saita hana no you ni
kesshite makezu ni tsuyoku sakitai

kayoi nareta kono michi mo
kyoushitsu kara mieru keshiki mo
"itsumademo wasurenai yo"
to namida ukabeta, kimi no egao mo
itsumo minareta yuugure ga sakura namiki wo somete yuku
bokutachi wa sorezore no omoide wo
mune ni daite aruki hajimeru
itsuka mita yume no basho e tadori tsuku made
akiramenaide
mada na mo nai hana dakeredo
kesshite makezu ni tsuyoku sakitai

itsu no hi ka aruite kita michi wo
furikaeru toki ga kuru made
no ni saita hana no you ni
kesshite makezu ni tsuyoku sakitai
bokutachi wa itsu no hi ni ka
mata kono basho de deau sono hi made
no ni saita hana no you ni
kesshite makezu ni tsuyoku sakitai
kesshite makezu ni tsuyoku sakitai
sakitai...

No one has engraved their name on the ground beneath the cherry tree
So let's make a promise to
come here together again someday and do that
Like the flowers that bloom in the corner of the schoolyard,
where the echoing of the school bell can be heard
I want to express to you, who gently smiled for me,
a simple "Thank you"
One of these days, we'll meet here again,
so until that day...
I want you to grow stronger and never-give-up,
like the flowers that bloom in the field

The road we got used to walking down,
and the scenery we saw from our classroom
With a smile upon your face and tears in your eyes you said,
"I'll remember them forever"
We got used to always seeing, the setting sun coloring the rows of cherry blossom trees
And as we begin to walk towards the future,
we'll hold each and every one of these memories in our hearts
Until you reach the place of the dreams you've envisioned
Don't ever give up
You are flowers that have yet to be named,
but I want you to grow stronger and never give up no matter what

Someday, when the time comes
to look back down the path you've walked
I want you to have grown stronger and have not given up,
like the flowers that bloom in the field
One of these days,
we'll meet here again, so until that day...
I want you to grow strong and never give up,
like the flowers that bloom in the field
I want you to grow strong and never give up,
I want you to flourish... (1)

Review: Alice Nine - 華[hæ•nə] [Type C]

TYPE A & B REVIEW IS HERE (I know it says Type A but the only thing that separates those two from this one is the track that I'm going to review below).

I've actually known about this track for quite a while but I've been to damn lazy to go find and review it simply because there were so many things that I'd rather sit down and do instead. By that, what I mean is that there were so many other albums that I want to sit and review but ultimately not muster enough energy to do. In a few days I'm going off to college so this review was scheduled for that Thursday when I might not be able to type up a review. Is it lazy of me? Slightly but I'm thinking about all those Alice Nine fans that wait with bated breath to see what I think of High and Low.

OK, so I probably don't have any Alice Nine fans waiting on me to tell them what I think of the second B-side but I figure since I did the first two I might as well do three within the same month and leave Hana behind for good.

I still don't get the album covers at all. They're very weird and I don't see any resemblance to a flower in any form so I'm going to guess that they didn't mean flower with this single. This certainly comes nowhere close to being the "best" and there aren't any cards in this single at all. I'll cop out with the meaning "beauty".

01. Hana (<-THIS IS HOW YOU SPELL IT) 02. Sleepwalker 03. High and Low

I have just one question to ask my viewers: what the hell was this? There are just some songs that you should not know the lyrics for, and High and Low is one of them. For that same purpose, I have given you the lyrics below to kill this song for you because you honestly should not enjoy this song. First off, the song has nothing to do with High's and Low's in any manner and it could have been related to life through the metaphor of a roller coaster, or it could have had to do with a depressed person addicted to their drugs that feels the "highs and lows", or basically something with a story! I have no idea what Shou's singing about (that's the vocalist's name) but the constant use of nonsensical Engrish mixed with lyrics about...nothing I can discern clearly...just kills this song for me.

So now you're going to want to know how I think this song sounds. Structurally, I like this song much more than Hana and SLEEPWALKER in that the chorus doesn't completely destroy the song. However, I think this song channels a little too much synth and the chorus doesn't pack the same punch that other bands manage (thinks UnsraW, ALSDEAD). I've read that this song channels some of the older Alice Nine while still keeping the fast tempo of their newer stuff and for this I cannot agree, disagree, or provide a valid opinion. All I know is when that electric effect kicks in at the end of the song and winds it down I know I'm done with this track. It may come off that I'm a superficial reviewer who gauges things on only how they sound and not what the lyrics mean but in this case I can't ignore these egregiously retarded lyrics.

So High and Low ends up like it's other two brethren: good for one listen to get you to say you've heard it and then tossed to the side because it's not worth playing twice. Hell, in the case of High and Low, I think once is enough.

Artists should not make music unless they have something important to sing about.

Score: 49%

Lyrics (although I didn't translate these myself I have no desire to seeing as how even with the choppy translation at hand there seems to be no point to this song):

Kakenunkete zanzou (Running through the afterimage)
kaza wa mata, iromeku (Wind is again, stirred)
Shitatakani SPEED SESSION (Severely SPEED SESSION)
Bure-ki nan te aru hazu nai (There is no expectation to a break)
Tobinotta DEAD COASTER (Jumping on DEAD COASTER)

Mazasu mono mo kimezu dasei de, sou IN THE PASSION (Target has also been decided inertially, seemingly IN THE PASSION)
Hashitta naka de dake mietekuru (It comes into view only while running)
Son na mon sa (That's it)

Shirazu shirazu ni juukou wo mukete (Unconsciously the muzzle is turned towards)
~Give you a perfect death right now~
Dakedo darekani furerareru koto motomete (However, request to perceive the matter by somebody)
I WANNA GO AWAY kudakechiru ummei sa (I WANNA GO AWAY shattered destiny)
~Lala breaking race of life~
OR YOU JUST GO AWAY? Kagayakeru daishou (Or you just go away? luster indemnification)

Mujuuryoku no hikari no naka de mieta no wa CRYING BABY (Is the CRYING BABY that was seen in the wieghtlessness' light)
Semegi au you ni nagare ni sakaratte (hesitating feelings, like going against the flow)
Chipponkena buraido mo nage sutete tsukami tore, sa~ (The tiny pride has too ben thrown away so grasp and take it)
Ashibayani no mimi suri nuke te yuku (At a quick pace gradually slipping through ear)
~Give you a perfect death right now~
Kimi ga sasayaku gokujou no NOISE, so plz-touch me, go crazy- (You whispered the finest NOISE, so plz-touch me, go crazy-)

Pray for high time kaki mida shite kure yo (Pray for high time it's stirring up)
~Lala breaking race of life~
Kick a low time yotei chouwa no GAME (Kick a low time Pre-established harmony's GAME)
~You cannot turn back already~

Baka shi ai no resu no naka de shinjitsu wo nusumi dase (In the race of fool and accomplice stealing the truth)

Shirazu shirazu ni juukou wo mukete (Unconsciously the muzzle is turned towards)
~Give you a perfect death right now~
Dakedo darekani furerareru koto motomete (However, request to perceive the matter by somebody)
I WANNA GO AWAY kudakechiru ummei sa (I WANNA GO AWAY shattered destiny)
~Lala breaking race of life~
OR YOU JUST GO AWAY? Kagayakeru daishou (Or you just go away? luster indemnification)

Kagiri no aru mono da kara koso kono toki wo ai sou (As it is a limited item so love this moment)

Review: D'espairsRay - Gemini

Well here we have the Gemini single, which stands apart from countless other singles for being completely fruitless to review because it actually has a PV for the B-side. Yes, the B-side was actually more popular than the A-side. Does this mean that the single sucks? No, it just means that they're both that great.

And just as an aside whenever I get to [coll:set] I'm going to treat it as the edition that doesn't have the two single tracks on it since it's pointless for me to copy and paste and I don't like mixing old work with new work. It doesn't feel right and the tone isn't the same. So in actuality, reviewing the Gemini single is needed. Who would have thought that?

01. Fuyuu Shita Risou
02. Reddish -DIVA Version-

Fuyuu Shita Risou wastes no time in getting started and that nice drum pace at the beginning ought to let you know D'espairsRay isn't playing around with genres in this track. It's fast, furious, hard rock the way it ought to be made and it's D'espairsRay at their core sound. There's singing mixed with screaming and barking, muted and heavy guitars overlapped with what sounds like violins, acoustics and a car going off in the background. Needless to say is that there's a lot going on in this song. What this song suffers from is being all chorus. It moves from the verses that are barely there into a lengthy but catchy chorus section. Hizumi sings well when he's not screaming the shit out of himself and he at least has enough brains to switch up the lyrics in the chorus to keep it fresh. The slowdown and then scream from hell followed with a sprinting pace from Tsukasa helps to lengthen the gap somewhat but for the most part Hizumi and company recycle the chorus way too much. Another, albeit minor complaint, is that the fade-out doesn't fade out completely. Turn up the volume and you'll understand what I mean. Other than those two complaints that I have Fuyuu Shita Risou is a solid single and one well worth checking out.

Reddish completely shits all over the title track and I have no idea why the hell it's labeled as DIVA Version since there aren't any other versions to my knowledge. With that aside, the sexiness that this track employs makes me want to shit myself in glee and knowing that it was Tsukasa that composed this sweetens this even more. The lyrics are pretty damn sick and the guitars and the singing....everything in this track comes together flawlessly and creates an experience that you won't soon forget. The ominous effects going on in the background, the female orgasmic sound that rapes both your eardrums simultaneously, Hizumi's barks and screams, and just about everything else going on sonically in this track is just awesome. It's the equivalent of a UFO smashing into a guitar and creating musical children. It really has to be one of the best tracks they've ever put out. This alone is worth grabbing the single for and I treat Fuyuu Shita Risou as an extra treat that's just as good.

Didn't you just hear me?

"This alone is worth grabbing the single for."

There's no need for a closing paragraph when that sentence does more than mountains of text ever could. Gemini is highly recommended and a good starting place for any open-minded enthusiast looking for some new material to get into.

THIS. IS. A. SINGLE.

From now on I'm going to compare every single release to the standards this set for me.

Score: 90%

Review: UnsraW - Abel/Kein

Today I have reached the point in my album reviewing business where I have nothing left to review but albums. Singles are really just a waste of time since I'll end up having to do the album anyway. This isn't the biggest problem I'm experiencing though. The problem that is magnifying itself by the minute (other than my worsening internet connection, which is why this is scheduled even though you can't tell) is the fact that I have a few artists left with a bunch of albums to review and reviewing them all in a row would be boring to non-fans. Since I know I have about three viewers that come back everyday I'd like an idea as to what you want to see.

Since UnsraW is coming back with a new single on the 23rd I think now is as good of a time as any to review their latest original release.

01. Social Faker
02. STARVING MOON
03. Platonic Bitch
04. Drain
05. Sakura no Namida
06. CLEAVAGE
07. Sora
08. ADDICTED TO IT
09. S.I.G.
10. ~tsuioku no kanata~
11. LUST
12. EVE

* Lust was on the first edition of this CD. It came from the Starving Moon single (which the first cover seems to heavily represent) and is a Core the Child cover. EVE is only on the second pressing and replaces Lust. I might as well do them both and save myself from doing three unnecessary reviews.

Even though Yuuki has returned to UnsraW healthy (and then Jun leaves with a still-injured hand >.>) I feel that I still need to state the obvious. Yuuki IS UnsraW. He writes most of the music, he brought the band together, and he has one of the more brutal and well-done screams in rock music. What is even more amazing is that even though he has some pretty brutal screams he can and does still sing parts of the song brutally. I haven't come across an UnsraW song that is all screaming and no singing. That fact is what makes me like this band so much.

Abel/Kein is my preferred album release out of them, especially since Spiral Circle was nothing more than a compilation of everything they released up to that point (then again, so is this -__-). It still carries the same signature UnsraW sound while being easier for the listener to digest. It's easier if I get a song to show you what I mean so I'm going to use Starving Moon. The lyrics are no less disgusting and morbid than they were on their earlier releases and they haven't pulled a 12012 on us and started doing pop rock either. It's still as brutal as their earlier works but the production isn't as rough and everyone is dark and heavy without being too loud. Yuuki focuses on singing and screaming almost equally in this song so if you're not a fan of too much screaming this might be tolerable (but if you're not a fan of screaming you aren't a fan of UnsraW) but otherwise I just find this entire song to be made of indescribable awesome.

If you need something filled with more screaming because that's right up your alley UnsraW should satisfy you with Social Faker. It's a good opener and mindless thrasher but not something I can listen to repeatedly since it all becomes very similar after a while. Starting out with some background effects it rushes into a 6/8 headbanger filled with bark-and-call sections, repetitive but functional riffs and gargling from Yuuki. Even the little breakdown is filled with a good deal of whispering death vocals, one particularly long scream and some functional riffs that actually deviate and slow the pace down. The chorus is the best part of the song, where Yuuki's singing and screaming compliment each other.

Platonic Bitch isn't one of my favorite tracks but I must concede to the disgusting lyrics of the track. Here's a nice, translated sample of what he's saying.

"Inserting into the wound, gouging deep, 「rape me」
Locking up the chains, I'll let you cum until you reach heaven"

Did I just kill or make the song for you? That was intentional since the entire song is about incest between a mother and a son who happens to be married and both of them like bondage but I'm guessing someone is.....getting raped. It's all very disgusting and confusing and I don't exactly know what's going on. Then again, I don't think I want to so I'll leave the lyrics at the end of this so you can all figure it out for yourselves (just don't share what you think about this song please). The entire song is hard rock and there are lots of screaming filled with a sung chorus (think Social Faker) and this song sticks with me just as well as Social Faker.

Drain's opening is pretty awesome because it doesn't immediately kick you in the balls. What it does is make you think that UnsraW is going to do something other than hard rock and some thrash, makes you lean in, then kicks you in the balls with the hard guitars at the beginning and lets you know you were right in the first place when you get to the verse. There is no set pattern for the singing and the screaming but the song progressively gets thicker and angrier as Yuuki sings on in the song. Drain also comes with a solo that's pretty cool and the starting riff that they repeat twice in the song is definitely not UnsraW normal but it fits better than expected. The examples of experimentation in Drain mixed with an improvement in what UnsraW is good at is the reason why I like this album so much.

Sakura no Namida is the ballad that signals the end of the Abel portion of this album. It contains some acoustic guitars and some piano so if you haven't gotten this far and you're wondering if UnsraW can be diverse than this song shows you that this album isn't one wall of monotone noise. It's not devoid of Yuuki's signature growls and death vocals but it's inserted in a small part and leads into some angry singing before it goes back to clean vocals, which rule the majority of this song. Yuuki's even got a nice falsetto and quiet, whispered sections to balance out those deeper parts. Usually I hate softer songs since no effort is put into them and everyone loves them since they're the only thing that doesn't sound like loud suck on those stereotypical albums but I will have to say I enjoyed this thoroughly.

Cleavage starts the Kein portion of this album off and it flips the entire formula found in Abel on it's ass. The verses are filled with singing and the chorus is slow growling mixed with higher than normal singing in the background. This doesn't mean that the rest of the song is any tamer; there's a section in the verse with extremely intense screaming altered with some effects and the guitars are suitably heavy throughout. Cleavage also ends off with an abrupt but polished finish that keeps the sentimental dark feeling confined to this song. I also have to recommend this one because it's my favorite after Starving Moon.

Sora's another slower, emotional song with tragic lyrics. It was the B-side to the Lustful Days single and it feels closest to a power ballad. It's the longest song here spanning a length of six minutes but Yuuki's powerful singing and the constant changing pace makes the song interesting. It's definitely one of those songs you shouldn't write off just because it's slower in nature and shows that UnsraW definitely isn't about screaming without a purpose. The boys have found new ways of expressing their "pain" and "love". On the other hand, ADDICTED TO IT is frantic and heavy. It's also about drugs and the dark atmosphere is typical UnsraW. The vocal patterns are also rough verses with a sung chorus. The whispering at the slow-down was pretty sweet and the rest of the song doesn't disappoint (I especially like the guitar part near the end) but there are so many other hard songs on this album ADDICTED TO IT doesn't stand out much.

S.I.G. is just plain heavy. The vocals are hard throughout with little to no let-up at any point and even when Yuuki busts into some quick rapping after some light guitar strumming it quickly goes back into the sack-crunching metal this album is full of. Speaking of Yuuki, there's so much of him in this track it becomes disorienting. He's arguing with himself while he sings and then he screams in three ears all at once and the alternating guitar parts underneath doesn't calm the pace down any. If you're looking for a heavy song that isn't necessarily dark, this is a pretty good choice.

~tsuioku no kanata~ is yet another song patterned after Sora and Sakura no Namida, in that it goes for a lighter atmosphere and puts more emphasis on the singing than on the screaming. What starts to grate on me at this point is that all three of the songs that I mentioned feel somewhat similar and none of them stand out any if you place them all next to each other but individually they all form a sharp contrast to the rest of the album. This track would be the one that goes the farthest to bridging the gap between flat out metal and softer portions. It's even got a few sections where it goes into harder territory but it always ends up restraining itself and moving back into a smoother atmosphere. It's definitely another interesting ride.

I'm willing to forgive all these sharp contrasts on the album since I know they shoved together two EP's to make this easier to buy. They didn't alter the tracklist any either so you've effectively just listened to both Abel and Kein.

If I remember correctly, LUST is a Core the Child cover and with it's placement here it feels more like a bonus track than a proper track all it's own. It's short length and similar sound to many songs here (which did this better) but what this song has going for it is an audible Jun and a slightly different harsh atmosphere. Otherwise, this is really just a lackluster UnsraW mosher. Actually, I can't even say it's an UnsraW mosher because Core the Child wrote this first and it doesn't even feel like an UnsraW piece if you examine it close enough. The ending is also underwhelming so I leave LUST wanting something more and feeling unsatisfied.

And that's where Eve comes in. Eve feels like the perfect ending piece to the Abel/Kein experience simply because it starts off with such a haunting, gothy atmosphere and doesn't subject itself to the "one of two paths" problem the rest of this album seems to have. If you also haven't noticed, Kein = Cain and Abel is pretty obvious and all three of them are related in the Christian faith, but I have faith myself that the readers of this blog caught on to this already since we're all so intelligent. Yuuki sings on cursing Eve (from the Bible) about her sinning and generally fucking over the entire human race and I must note that he does sound a little different here vocally. For the most part, he's relatively absent from this, preferring to croak in the background and then erupt with growls and sing sparingly. His singing is pretty sick though and his ending falsetto notes are great to hear. I have no idea when this was recorded although I think it must have been around the time these two were individually released as two separate EP's and they planned this all along since the first two EP's had a press limit. Whatever, Eve is a better ending track than Lust for this EP and I suggest you pick that one up instead.

No ending comments here: Abel / Kein is a must for all UnsraW fans and enthusiasts of heavy music in general. Go pick it up and prepare yourself for their return and hopefully those three songs will live up to the standards set here.

Recommended:

Buy it.

Score: 87%

Lyrics

Social Faker

Fuck up Fuck up
The pale face, the filthy bills
This era's situations, with the made up events
How is it, the feeling of looking down on someone?

Fuck off Fuck off
The false oath is the reality
"There are no troubles, and about the whitewashing,
go along with it"
I got used to this seesaw.
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!
Raise your fists
Change this era

Be about to hit IT
Give Me Voices of Assent For Fuckin' Witherer
Now, a voice of approval is just cool
reform of the era's situations
Your hands change this era, well let's go

Starving Moon

The Moon light
A winding snake, the hopes I want to bind
Look, they are soaked in saliva
The red moon looked down, in this spring night
The Moon light
The flower petals are a love fallen into chaos, A festering lie
The entwined fingertips are brazen you and the worthless reason
It seems like I cover all of these tied screams and this dark room
Without bein able to hide my inreaching love, I will soon be filled
with clouds.
I'll put strength into this decorated neck
The piled up two of us
The breaking feelings, I won't part from you
Rotten, inside of a cage, the two of us
I'll dream, unable to return

I'm fine with a reality where I don't wake up
The morning sun won't come...

I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S WRONG
FEAR IS IN MY HEART WHEN IS TOP IT CUZ HE CAN NEVER...
FUCK OFF, I don't want anything anymore.
Rape me you "THE AGONY" I'm ready.
the starving moon would be satisfied
by our decomposed bodies.

Platonic Bitch

Thrusting into the wound, breaking in deeply "Rape me"
I lock the chains and let you cum until you rise to heaven

Suck Me and Erectable again
Which do you like Dick or Dick?
Suck Me and Erectable again.
Which do you like Dick or Dick?

Spinning around, glittering it's my dinner every night
GET INSIDE
Wipe my son
Your Flower eats him.
Radical Sick

Even the taunting tears can't return
The piled up bodies, the piled up lies ah...

Even the exposed tears can't smile
The piled up bodies, the piled up lies are already...

I spread my wings Calling Together...
I can't notice the stupid drain

Garbage & Bitch & Wife

* bodies sung as love

Drain

I can hear it
Stained with bloody vomit, the madness screams
after all, you're as well like this
nothing changes
from this time on, my heart, unable to get used to this pain again...

It's stupid
A circumcised pig shows a nihilistic smile

On this bright day I wished for friendship on the surface
everything turns into a lie.
I'm gonna be sucked down into this spiral again

You don't understand anything about rusted me

I will get rid of everything
Death Like to segregation
Death Life to victimization

I continue to cut my left wrist, the overflowing blood
This confusion of returning to the empty space
and having no place to go...I WANNA UNSUICIDE

I'm gonna be betrayed again...
Die die right now, Yeah, right now
On this bright day I wished for friendship on the surface
Everything turns into a lie, I'm gonna be sucked down into the spiral again "drain"

I just wanna spit all about me, without being able to love it,
I can' forgive it.

I will get rid of everything
Death Like to segregation
Death Life to victimization

Sakura no Namida

In this night time I raised my eyes to, I think I'm always waiting
pass the space and time, reach, this funeral...

Flying I rip the darkness, always keep on shining,
I loved you too much
Fleetingly, I ligght up this life, give eternal happiniess into
these red days

The hidden tears are fluttering
they wil be melting and being sublimated...
Now the late farewell-present does not reach you

In the future, never again...
What did you see, what did you believe there?
This sinking voice is fading away, it's just going to be erased

"It hurts"

In the time when the clear sea got stagnant and black

Even if I escape to the bottome from now on,
I don't think another morning will come.

Flying, I rip the darkness,
so that this "prayer" will reach you some day, forever
Shining, I expand my wings,
to this far away place, this promise...

Sora

In the midst of playing out the left behind, vividly sinking memories
And carving out the last night

Crushed like always
The tightly clutched fragment
My body is rotting away before I realize it
Too pitifully late now

The mass of figures against the fading sunset
I won't bother with anyone anymore
I don't want to believe in anything, anything

Even though I want to go back, I'm still holding on
Reaching out my trembling fingertips
Even as I grieve....

Playing out the left behind, vividly sinking memories
And carving out the last night
Drowning in the comfort of the frightening unknown
Black and white will soon blur together within the 「　」

Unable to be saved from drowning
My decaying mind reflected behind my muddled eyes
I should accept the liberating rain
The conjoined reality lies there...
If I wish for ordinary tears
The past that I'd wronged will probably laugh at me now
Even though I want to go back, I'm still holding on
Reaching out my trembling fingertips
Even as I grieve....

Review: ALSDEAD - S.a.g.A

I find the cover interesting:

- The 02 in the corner could mean it's the second single or that there are two tracks within, but it could also be the amount in grams that morphine pills are dispensed. It could also have to do with the two drugs involved with what I'm going to get into below.
- The Chemical Formula printed upside down (c17 H19 N03) is a chemical called Hydromorphone, which is a morphine derivative.
- The CAS Registry number for Hydromorphone (and morphine) is 57-27-2.
- 285.4 is the molecular weight for morphine.
- F99 is linked to organic mental disorders and guess what? Morphine is used to treat it.
- C17H21NO is an antihistamine or sedative and you probably own it in a bottle called Benadryl.
- Morphine + Benadryl = rush

So I'm guessing this single is morphine related...

01. S.a.g.A
02. F99

S.a.g.A. is a pretty solid A-side but it can't compare to Violent of Reason in any fashion. I'm not going to compare a good song with a better song when the loser is pretty obvious so I'm just going to stick with why this hard and fast song is pretty good for what it is and compared to lots of other songs in this genre. One is that ALSDEAD actually nailed the transition from hard to poppy chorus without any complaints from me. It's smooth and sounds natural, instead of a forced, spliced introduction. The slight maneuvers they do during the chorus to lead you right back into the hard patterns are also pretty good and show some skill. Maki's singing is rough but solid and is pleasant to listen to and S.a.g.A. doesn't screw up anywhere. S.a.g.A. is a good way to start off the single.

F99 has to be the most experimental track these guys have put out so far in my listening spree and this probably has more to do with the drug motif than the last track. I have no idea what to call this introduction to the track but I certainly do like it and the song itself doesn't disappoint. Maki's singing is beyond awesome in that weird, sustaining way that leaves you wondering where they will go with it. The effects mixed with the guitars are done very well and I like the entire feel this song gives off. In the world of VK, this sounds unlike anything I've ever sat down and listened to before and by the time this mindfuck of goodness was over for the first time I automatically knew I would like this song (just like an addictive drug). Give this a try.

Wow I made F99 sound like a drug...

So at the end of the day it's yet another ALSDEAD single, which means it's good, which means I don't have to recommend it to you because you should be listening to it already. You are? Good job.

Leave me to mix my Benadryl and Morphine.

Score: 90%

Review: Nega - illegitimacy

I'm actually feeling rather drained today and I haven't done a lone post of anything of Nega since that atrocious album I believe so today I decided to put a mixture of effort and laziness together and talk about a single that has two songs that haven't made an appearance anywhere else.

HOW KEWL IS DAT? Not very but it's something, and I'd have to do this eventually.

01. PSYREN
02. illegitmacy

I don't know whether to classify Psyren as an instrumental or not but it fails either way. I'll pretend it's both and discuss why. On a two track release having an opening instrumental is lame and a waste of time and space. If it is an instrumental it's a bland one. It obviously includes sirens going off in the background but that's the most interesting part of the song since everything else seems to loop for two and a half minutes. Psyren is also very short for a song but very long for an instrumental, leaving this track in that grey area of unclassifyable. I'm not even going to mention how annoying Jin's vocals are in this but it's very fucking annoying. His screams are off-beat and disgusting, his whispers are repetitive and the entire track lacks any sort of pacing. As a song Psyren doesn't do anything other than repeat itself and suck.

So we're left with the track I suppose Nega wanted us to hear and that would be illegitimacy. The track is heavy, dark, full of nicely fitting ambient sounds, listenable singing and nice transitions. There are a few things that I dislike about this track. The first is obvious: it's 7:22 and the last minute is completely unnecessary and doesn't come to it's own until the last seven seconds. It would have been epic if it had just ended without the piano. The second IS the little slowdown with the piano. It doesn't feel right and the hard, horrorcore atmosphere was so much better. I could live with two if it weren't for the first since I actually think that the abrupt ending would have been cool. The beginning is also a little shaky since it transitions from sirens to heavy guitars but that's a bit of an excessive reason for me to not like this song. What illegitimacy does right it does excellently but everything else is meh at best.

So now I know why Nega didn't include this song everywhere else but this really could have been re-recorded for Grave of the Sacrifice. Psyren is unsalvageable but fix up illegitimacy a little and you have a pretty ominous track. The way it stands is that both tracks suck but illegitimacy (the song) is worth taking a second look at (if you can sit through it two times).

Recommended:

illegitimacy

Score: 56%

Review: +D'espairsRay+ - TERRORS + Sixth TERROR

I can't recall for how long Terrors has been sitting on my hard drive unlistened to and it takes a bored me late at night to actually want to fruitlessly Google a cover for Sixth TERROR to gain enough interest to sit through D'espairsRay's first EP. This (and Sixth TERROR) are closer in sound to the dark side of D'espairsRay that we've grown accustomed to so if you're in the need for some gothic rock that can't be called gothic rock then I would already tell you you've found your band.

But if the stereotypical and ill-fitting image of a sad, introverted freak cutting his wrists in the bathtub spring to mind or the no less stereotypical but still hilarious kid with a combover, too much hairgel, and black clothing waft to mind when you hear "gothic rock music", then I suggest you avert your pale little eyes to something more digestable for your frail lower intestine and non-functioning colon.

May I suggest Nega instead?

01. Fascism
02. Carnival
03. ero:de
04. Zetsubou Romance
05. Murder Freaks

Sixth TERROR



(I am not sure if that's the real cover or not but at this point I could care less. If you want a cover for this song so badly take the Ura Mania Theatre one to the right (it's the red one). However I'm not reviewing Valentine here. I'll do that when I get around to Sexual Beast.)
01. "MONOKURO" ni natta saigo no hi

There really is no difference in what you get with the covers for Terrors. One is just the first press and the other is the second press and both are a right bitch to find ^^. Having that said I'll start with Terrors first.

In descending order starting with the most "gothic" tracks we start out with Zetsubou Romance and Carnival. Carnival is the most boring track on this release. With the exception of the distorted drums and some parts of the riff at the beginning of the song the rest of it fades into obscurity because it's overshadowed by the other songs on this release. The fact that this also comes after Fascism doesn't help it stand out any more. Fascism is that song that uses German to cement D'espa's street cred whilst being the beginning of the EP headbanger. Hitler's little speech draws you in like no other track on Terrors can. I'm also going to mention that I can't follow along with the damn lyrics that I see online. Hizumi's vocals stand out here more and his "heil" barks are pretty damn vicious but everything else about the song is a little lacking - it all feels streamlined and repetitive. The way the band fades out as the "Sieg Heil" chants come in is done pretty well but the chants cut off abruptly and go into Carnival, which as I said doesn't grab my attention as much as I want to.

Zetsubou Romance does the exact opposite even though it sounds very similar to Carnival (scratch that: everything sans Murder Freaks can be easily interchanged on this EP). What sets it apart are the eerie sounds that dot the song's soundscape, peaking in brilliance as it rises throughout the chorus. It adds a feeling of awesome and tension but it's broken by the rough transition into another verse. Hizumi overlaying himself because he's too lazy to fix the rhythm on his lyrics is a turn-off. Tihs slip-up is balanced by the insertion of the bass section overlayed with Hizumi's singing before it breaks into the rising chorus again. Some interesting portions are happening in this song but there are slip-ups which balances out all the cool sections. No. This needs to be re-recorded and reworked.

I call for a compilation album. Nao.

All three tracks sound very muddy and indies. The band comes together well but nothing in particular stands out. Zero's bass doesn't assert itself and could be easily omitted due to the omnipresence of Karyu's guitar, Tsukasa's playing on a marshmallow kit and Hizumi's barks sound washed out.

ero:de and Murder Freaks are a cut above but when I say a cut I'm talking a miniscule sliver of space that in the long run doesn't really mean a damn but they both come with extra bells and whistles that make them the best tracks here. Murder Freaks starts out with some rain and a haunting piano and Hizumi speaking to either someone else or himself alone in a mansion before the song kicks in. The re-recording on Born doesn't have the beginning (well it does, but it's attached to the end of the previous track and it goes on for three whole minutes. Seriously Hizumi, shut the fuck up.) However, the Terrors version is just the right length and it works out better in practice than I'm making it out to be. Other than that, the Born version is better mastered and has a better balance of instruments. Eh, we're talking about the Terrors version so I'll stick with that. Other than the fact that Karyu's guitar and Tsukasa's drumming owns everyone else in this track since it's the only audible thing next to Hizumi, the effects that play with your ears aren't irritating (glares at MUCC) and are done well and not every five damn seconds. As a matter of fact, they're so subliminal they fit in with the song the first few times and you might not even notice it because it adds to the song without drawing attention to itself. The ending was lame though and could have went into the stratosphere instead of....doing that. Boo.

My previous complaints still stand.

ero:de does some awesome reverb shit before jumping into the distorted "shinjitsu" and going off at a million miles an hour. I can actually HEAR Zero in this track (somewhat) and there isn't one part of the song that comes off annoying as hell to kill the track. The insane mumbling in this track does get old especially since almost every track has it but ero:de is early on enough for you to not get sick of it. This track's transitions are smooth and the high frequency effects they put in there work well (I do think that portion around 2:30 is a bit WTF though) so I'd have to give this song a recommendation. Wow...it's the only song here I actually recommended.

And now for the one track on Sixth TERROR, Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi was also released on that Ura Mania Theatre demo tape (not like that's any easier to find) but I'll do it now. It's fucking brilliant. The way he sings it, the pain he describes everytime through his lyrics, the pure gothic creepiness mixing with the clean acoustics and distorted guitars, this song alone trumps everything that was on Terrors and shows a great deal of musical improvement in such a short period of time. It's darker and moves at a more plodding pace than anything else here but it's a work of genius. I recommend this.

And so that wraps up these two oldies. I strayed far away from the old cliche for two reasons. One is that it's a cliche and the other is that most of Terrors isn't really "goodies". They're all decent tracks but they fuck up somewhere in their runtime and lowers my expectations. They've got some other releases worth checking out so I wouldn't come running to Terrors first.

Sixth TERROR is another story...I actually have the lyrics for it so here you go.

Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi - The Last Day When Everything Went Monochrome

When did I start to forget the pain and let my heart degenerate into ugliness and wither completely.
I was always afraid it would break thinking that if I touched it, it'd fall to pieces
I learned what hurt and pain meant when I met you.

burn my body with feelings that spring without end
trust me, the one who wanted only you
these resolute feelings haven't changed
they're locked in my heart where they quietly sleep

your warmth, a room without you...
this blank in time that feels so very long
silence my voice, a sigh escapes
softly becoming tangled up
I believed that the time we warmed each other would go on forever.

the memories that stain the body long for you
put upon by the urging of my lust
this body can't forget you it hurts so it's breaking

dare to...wrap your hands around my throat
until this feeling right before me... goes white
because i'll always live on...
in the season the powder snow falls
and the memory


Recommended:

Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi
ero:de

Score:
Terrors: 61%
SIXTH Terror: 81%

Review: Sadie - Ice Romancer

In order not to discourage my readers unaware of Sadie to the band, I'll balance a mediocre single with a better one. This is the last single they released that I'm willing to acknowledge and for being that it's actually just as solid as Grieving the Dead Soul. That means that this single is pretty damn solid. Let's get started.

01. Ice Romancer
02. MarionettE
03. Recall
04. Psychedelic Chemical Movie

Ice Romancer starts this maxi off with a bang, although I'm unsure as to what the title is supposed to mean. 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. Definitely one of their better offerings as a "single".

Don't be fooled by the first ten seconds of MarionettE: it's actually a hard rock number that's just a tad edgier than the first. The transition into the chorus is lighter but it's done in such a way that Mao keeps the energy in his vocals and keeps the pace interesting. His death vocals at the end are also pretty damn good. Mao also sounds less like Kyo and more like his natural self even though the entire structure is reminiscent of a Diru-style rocker. The last few seconds of his singing are a little too typical and the "breakdown" section could have been better but otherwise I also recommend this.

Recall threw me for a loop and I remember screaming a mental "what the fuck is this SADIE DOESN'T DO JAZZY BALLADS" in my head. Then I remembered back to Grieving the Dead Soul and namely Hakanai risou wazuka na ai and how much I liked that song when I gave it a chance so I decided to give Recall a chance (even though it comes out of fucking nowhere). Compared to Hakanai Risou Wazuka na Ai this feels more alive and vibrant and comes off as an intentional delivery instead of an accidental discovery. I do find this single to be oddly placed and it feels like they were trying to be diverse just to be diverse and forgot who it is that listens to Sadie. It's nice to see them branching out and trying new things and for all intents and purposes they rocked this but on an album with three viciously hard songs something like Recall doesn't quite fit in with it's jazzy nature. Perhaps if it wasn't such a hard transition from testicle smashing metal to light, jazzy tunes I would get into it more.

If you like what it is I described take a listen but I can't bash something done well and I can't call it one of my favorites so listen and see. Then again, if you like jazz why are you listening to a heavy metal band?

Psychedelic Chemical Movie ends this single off with a bang. The only thing I can complain is that it didn't go as epic at the end as I wanted it to but other than that it feels like the entire band put their soul into smashing your temples with some vicious rock. The solo is simple but channels rage better than something technical would and instead of getting off track with fancy additions and unneeded portions everyone keeps the pace simple, straightforward, and brutal. Mao's death vocals are especially effective when the band concentrates and makes the song about him and not about playing just for playing's sake. Like I said, the ending could have rocketed off into the stratosphere but as it stands it's a good way to end this single off.

I don't need to tell you that I recommend the entire single. From beginning to end Sadie actually made me retract my statement of playing like expert crap to sucker you in for the album because this single is solid from beginning to end. Some may trip up on Recall because if it's odd placing but otherwise I'm sure there's something in here for anyone no matter what mood they're in (although there's really just two: anger and post-anger).

Recommended:

The whole thing

Score: 85%

Review: Sadie - Crimson Tear

In what is the second of "albums I have but haven't taken the time to listen to", we have the maxi-single Crimson Tear. Thanks to Master of Romance I've already heard the title track but here's to hoping that the rest of this maxi-single isn't as bland. At least the cover is epic...

If it is shitty I'll be mad I actually subjected myself to 15 minutes of crap.

01. Crimson Tear
02. Payment of Vomiter
03. Dustin' Fucker Life
04. The Heartless

Crimson Tear comes off as more of a B-side than something deserving of "single" status. It's spastic, all over the place, and excessively scream-filled. This single's already getting off to a bad foot but I know Sadie's put out better and worse so this floats somewhere in the middle of crap. What sets Crimson Tear apart from it being better than it is is the lack of effort that they put into this. The transitions are plentiful but nothing is forceful enough and it just sounds like a bunch of shredding and riffage but no one section that grabs and throttles me with it's awesome. The chorus is annoying as fuck and Mao's scurgle at the end of it isn't badass - it's pathetic. As a matter of fact, most of Mao's singing is failure in this song. I have no idea what Sadie was going for other than generic riffing and lack of musical creativity. This isn't Sadie - this is some random band who thinks they can rock but they can't. I've seen Sadie rock and I would call this their worst single ever but the Kagerou single dethroned this one. Crimson Tear is unfulfilling.

At least the music video is badass.

Payment of Vomiter suffers from Engrishplox and most of the song is in English and weaves a pathetic tale of woe and loneliness. Mao is cruel people and he prays for you. Speaking of Mao his vocals go from being downright shitty (that's when he strains himself and sounds like he's either anally raped or gargling mouthwash) and very good (that's pretty much everything else). At least 50/50 is better than inconsistent crap.

Other than those two things it's infinitely better than the track that preceded it. My only -other- gripe with this song is that it doesn't dive all the way in. It indulges it's big toe into the watercooler of epic Sadie soundscapes but they feel confined by the last track and don't want to make too big of a departure. I don't give a fuck about the last track. This is a whole new track and calls for a whole new structure.

Dustin' Fucker Life annoys me to no end in that chorus. There seems to be some slight flute-like instrument that plays this series of three notes that completely kill it and makes me want to skip it. Said chorus is cheesy but I can live with it. If you can't hear it don't strain yourself because you don't want to. It made me stop liking this song. Other than that part this song manages to distance itself from the last two tracks and doesn't particularly screw up in one place too badly.

The Heartless has some extremely bad harsh vocals in English punctuated by some good clean vocals in Japanese. The contrast is effective but Mao's death vocals could have been better. He sounds like he has a sore throat. It has nothing to do with the lyrics: his high parts sound like a chipmunk and the low parts aren't deep enough. Speaking of the lyrics, they once again are a depressing tale of woe and emo-ism. Don't you have anything else to sing about? Ugh...if you can live with those vocals you'll probably like the song as it is quite catchy. Otherwise...you won't. Simple, no?

And that's the end of Crimson Tear. It was half decent and half shitty when you take everything under consideration so it seems like a standard Sadie single. It could have been more and it could have been worse but what they do is play good enough to warrant you buying it but play bad enough so that they can trump it on their album and make it seem awesome. So, to wrap this up (since unlike them I'm pretty consistent with my shit):

Recommended:

Payment of Vomiter
The Heartless if you can stand the death vocals.

Score: 53%

Title track is a pile of shit...

Review: MUCC - Shion

I think it's about time I touch upon something most people might actually have on their computer. Shion is actually the place where I started with MUCC and then I worked my way back to their earlier releases and knowing one of my Internet pals she's probably been looking forward to seeing what I think of this album without explicitly asking me to review it. Now she doesn't have to, since I'm going to do it today.

01. Suion
02. Fukurou no Yurikago
03. Nuritsubusunara Enji
04. Fuzz
05. Game
06. Flight -Album Version-
07. Anjelier
08. Chiissana Mado
09. Semishigure
10. Shion
11. Sorawasure
12. Shiva
13. Libra - Album Version-

I jest, I jest. I've actually listened to most of this album - just not all in one sit. Shion is pretty thick to get into and if you like it all on the first listen there's obviously something wrong with you because this album needs to grow on you. Like fine wine, good cheese and yours truly, this needs time to grow on you for you to begin to truly appreciate it.

That doesn't mean there are parts of this album that blow more than others. We'll get to those in due time.

With that said, Suion isn't one of them. It's actually one of the album intros worth listening to because Miya took a risk and put a lot of thought into it. The puddle sounds and continuous repetition are great for starting out the album out and it builds up from really simple to...not so simple. It's also the perfect length and doesn't become dull with subsequent listens. Go interesting introduction!

MUCC usually puts their strongest offerings right up at the beginning of the album, so I'm not surprised that Fukurou no Yurikago is solid. I actually expected it to be considering that in most MUCC albums the memorable songs come first or early on (Zetsubou, Bouzenjishitsu & Ware, Arubeki Basho) Fukurou no Yurikago wastes no time in getting the album started, since I don't know many people that would consider water dropping into a bucket "music". Every review out there says that this album channels "Middle-Eastern" themes and as much as I would like to be an ass and disagree I can't get the image of Aladdin flying on a rug out of my head when I listen to this song. That means Fukurou no Yurikago does sound like it borrows elements from Indian music and culture and it comes packaged with a chorus that actually does it's JOB (i.e. making the song better) so when it's repeated what would normally annoy me actually sounds epic. The fact that this song moves into Nuritsubusunara Enji smoothly only helps to add up the points even more. It's definitely worth a listen.

For some people, this mass experimentation with styles is bound to start pissing them off...now.

Nuritsubusunara Enji is a sampling of the hard, screamy MUCC from the older days mixed with some of their new influences but the piercing yells and the punk metal riffs loses steam at the chorus. In fact, the chorus is the entire low part of the song because everything else is so much better than it and the transition to it is choppy. It also feels weird coming after the soaring rock number that was Fukurou no Yurikago because the transition is not doing this song any favors. One final comment about this song is on the length because I feel that it runs on for a minute too long and the energy dissipates after the awesome solo at the three minute mark. What Nuritsubusunara Enji has going for it is raw, pulsating energy and a cleaner ending than Fukurou no Yurikago. Tatsurou's growls and screams have also improved dramatically and are pretty solid. The fade out on the guitars mixes with the intro to Fuzz cleanly and leaves this song feeling decent at worst.

If you don't like Fuzz then I cannot help you. You also might want to stop listening to this album while you're at it. Fuzz is 4:54 of win and unlike most other electronica songs it doesn't suffer from monotony. There are breakdowns every half a minute, a thick contrabass current thanks to Yukke (he can be seen playing it in the PV), and a semblance of the badass rock attitude that I expect out of every band. The acoustic strums in the first verse are also pretty fucking sweet and the touches with the harmonica take some getting used to but personally I can't see how the song would be the same without it. What I could go without are the reverb on Tatsurou's voice: it's slight at most but it does get annoying after a lot of listens. About Tatsurou's voice: it fits well into this song and it's good to see MUCC playing to his strengths instead of mashing along and forcing him to keep pace (which they incidentally do at some point later on in this album).

Game continues the genre-bending game with a thick, soaring track that combines the elements of dark and heavy without necessarily considering the two synonymous. Tatsurou's voice once again channels some Middle-Eastern influences in the verses and the way the two guitars complement each other under Yukke's bass leads to the song feeling rich with tension. I'd venture to say the best part of the song is when Miya's strumming the guitar alone before Yukke and Satochi come in with their respective instruments and have the entire song regurgitate awesome into your eardrums. The fact that MUCC decides to explode at the halfway mark and then keeps the tension throughout shows that they're not in this album to replicate what all the other bands do. They're here to do their own things and even if they sample some inspiration somewhere else they still keep it MUCC at the core.

Flight was re-recorded for Shion but this pop trash still burns in my eardrums. The good thing to this song is that it's placed right after Game to pick you up but it excels at that job and then comes off as obnoxiously happy. That irritates me to no end. For once Satochi lays off the long cymbal lines and focuses more on the rhythm and Miya's guitar is cleaner throughout. I'm not a fan of songs that sound like anime themes (and this one does) so I often give it a pass. If you like happy, upbeat songs check this one out. Then again, what the hell are you doing reading this?

ROLLER DISCO BABY! Anjelier contains the same ingredient of unnecessary upbeat sounds but what makes this song ultimately enjoyable is that it's not afraid to abandon that sound for segments at a time. The way it switches atmosphere so quickly by inserting a synthesizer here or dropping down a note there makes the song less standard and more subject to repeat listens. I'm wondering if Miya composed this just to piss Tatsurou off because the notes that he has to climb at the chorus strain his voice to the limit and I'm afraid to hear him sing this live. HOWEVER...I do have to wonder what the hell a disco anthem is doing in the middle of the album and I also have to wonder WHY MUCC chose to do disco in the first place. They did fine but Anjelier doesn't fit here.

Another ballad already? Yeah, Chiisana Mado is another ballad and it's inevitably going to be compared to Game since it follows on it's heels rather quickly. Don't even try because the two sound so different a comparison isn't going to get you anywhere. It's passionate without being overly dark and it incorporates some nice strings and some ethereal guitar strumming along with a stunning solo section complete with a piano and some acoustic guitars. Yukke threw in the entire kitchen sink composing this one and this is easily the most majestic song on Shion. Despite that it sticks closer to the album's core sound than you might think.

Semishigure irritates my eardrums at the beginning but other than that it doesn't sound much different than from when it was released on "MUCC LIVE BOOTLEG #2" in 2006. (then titled "Gokusai Part1 ~RARE TRACK~). I still don't understand why MUCC had to fuck that part up because it pierces my eardrums and it honestly hurts after repeatedly listening to it. It channels some of the atmosphere from the last track while sounding a little like Nuritsubusunara Enji and that creates another track that sounds alright but doesn't stand out too much. Tatsurou's voice remains in control here and he doesn't sound like he's straining himself here. If nothing else this sounds like a warm-up to the next track, bridging the gap between a majestic ballad and a heavy number with punkish rhythms and solid singing. Semishigure doesn't blow me away but it doesn't suck either.

The self-titled track Shion doesn't let down and in some ways sounds like the culmination of what the entire album wants to be. MUCC keeps it interesting throughout the entire five minutes and is full of singing, chanting, falsetto, and screaming along with quiet portions juxtaposed with brutal riffs and oppressive drums. Shion has so much going on that it takes more than a few listens to grasp everything that was put into this track. Some things going on in this track are so subliminal that they lend to the mood without you even noticing it. One such passage is when the track slows down into some bongos while Satochi's drums slowly speed up creating a sense of tension that explodes right back into the chorus. Tatsurou also throws in some duetting falsettos that are almost inaudible if you're not listening for them and there's a riff section going on in the chorus that I almost didn't notice the first time around. Tatsurou brandishes some death vocals on us don't translate well with the overdone chorus but do better at the slowdown which is dragged out a little too long. Other than that Shion is nothing less than mindblowing.

Sorawasure feels like it was placed here to wind the listener down from Shion. Tatsurou jumps right into the verses which is a bit different than from what I'm used to hearing and the chorus isn't too jarring. The slowdown was a little too typical but that's not too bad. Nothing about this song is pushed to the limits and because they keep the song simple while adding in slight changes to the typical formula and adding neat additions like the acoustic/string and the solo solidifies this as one of their more creative songs. I'm glad to see that they manage to keep the album going with another good song after something great like Shion. It shows you get your money's worth when you buy an MUCC album.

Shiva is that song that's going to make me eat my words. I hate Shiva with a passion. It starts out with what sounds like a speed metal riff and it keeps the deception going for a good 20 seconds before it evolves into some unlistenable pop-punk every other fucking genre under the sun shit. It tries to bring back the attitude later but that's about as believable as Barney busting into some gangster rap about friendship. This and Yasashii Uta are two songs that I could see them ending a tour with but I'm glad the album didn't end off with this. It's disappointing whe I get ready to mosh and I can't because it breaks out into a treehouse anthem. Skip.

Libra is heaven to my ears after sitting through Shiva. MUCC shows that they can be deep and sinister without having to resort to primordial screaming for five minutes on end and that showed with the transition between dark Tatsurou and the blasting guitar portions. The chorus takes away from the gothic and creepy atmosphere that the song is mostly made up of but other than that Libra does a good job of ending the album off, even with the unnecessary silence at the end of it.

In a change of pace (and because I see it pointless to review the singles for this album after this), I've placed reviews for all the singles for this album underneath (excluding the title tracks of course). Perhaps starting now will help to alleviate the "scroll syndrome" I envision having in a month or two.

The only song to talk about here is Touei. It's nowhere near as strong as Libra and actually comes off as a leftover track that could have been sandwiched in easily on Gokusai. It provides a nice contrast to Libra but if it's left to stand on it's own two feet I honestly doubt that Touei could leave much of an impression on the listener. It's got a few interesting passages but nothing that really grabs your attention overall. It's not a bad song but it's not an assertive one either so that's probably why it's delegated to the lone B-side position on this single. MUCC has created better than this and they know it.

Recommended:

Libra

Score: 70%

01. Fuzz
02. Chain Ring
03. Mae e (live)
04. Fuzz Electro Cruisin' Remix

The title track was featured in Cloverfield but even the B-side got some screen time somewhere else. Judging by the way this song sounds I would call Chain Ring an anime theme out of derision but it actually IS an anime theme (anime: Zombie Loan) which just calls for lulz. I actually remembered this song when I got up to take care of some business and when I was listening to it the first two times I wasn't paying much attention to it. Chain Ring actually isn't that bad and for a B-side it's completely superior to Touei. I find the mix between rough and light to be on point and the acoustic twangs before the chorus hits were a nice addition I didn't catch the first four times.

The third track is a live track which automatically means that without visual accompaniment it sucks. Mae e doesn't come with visual accompaniment but it does have a few nice touches like Tatsurou's harmonica portion, crowd interaction and an elongated solo section. I do believe that MUCC put this here for a reason. Even though Mae e was released back on Homura Uta and Fuzz was released on Shion there's a similar feeling both songs give that show that MUCC hasn't really changed all that much with their sound so to speak. Mae e very similar to Chain Ring was well. Compared to other lives I've heard this doesn't sound too bad vocally or instrumentally so if you don't have Homura Uta this is a good song showing you what some parts of it sounded like.

Barring some odd rhythmic patterns and the obvious effects that the remix had on the song, Fuzz electro cruisin' remix doesn't sound too different from the title track. The reverb on the voice is more noticeable but it sticks out less like a sore thumb here. What sticks out more and annoys me to no end here is Tatsurou's "whoas" in the chorus. I miss the acoustic guitar in the first verse and the punch that Yukke's contrabass had on the song in the verses so this remix pales in comparison to the title track. It still was an honest effort at trying to do something different and it didn't really fail too much. It just didn't live up to the standards set by the first track.

Recommended:

Fuzz
Chain Ring

Score: 77%

01. Flight
02. Kanashii Hanashi
03. Libra (Live)
04. Yasashii Uta (Live)

I listened to the single version of Flight before I got to Kanashii Hanashi and I have to say that Miya must have gotten fond of a certain distortion, equalizer or amp effect because it stays the same between Flight and Kanashii Hanashi. Chain Ring is still the king of B-sides here but Kanashii Hanashi doesn't lag far behind. I'm liking the fuzz effect on Yukke's bass and the attitude on the chorus is pretty cool. The classic "step up" method used in songs at the chorus to amplify it's meaning before it's over doesn't work too well here though but it's nothing that renders the song unlistenable. It's worth a listen.

Live, Libra lacks the punch that studio recording and mastering has in the way of the instruments. MUCC can't replicate all the little fancy touches that they have on the album so it's rather straightforward with some S.E. support in the background to make the song sounds somewhat like the recording on the single. I do have to mention that there are some frills here and there that remind you that this is live and they do like to take some spins on their music and the way the song ends off is smoother than the ones they've recorded for sale. Tatsurou's voice is also in prime form and for a live recording his voice is excellent.

And last in this super-spree of reviews we have...an eleven minute live recording of Yasashii Uta. Perhaps an explanation as to why it's over twice as long as the original recording is that it's the last song in a live tour in Germany (Tats says so himself in broken English at the beginning) but it really overstays it's welcome seven minutes in when all I have to hear are "lalalala" over and over again. I'm actually happy this song ended because if you're not in the moment at the concert you're not up for hearing an 11 minute track that has been condensed into a listenable 5:13 beforehand. I think the main reason this was included was because it shares similarities to Flight but it would have been nice if it was short and to the point.

Recommended:

Kanashii Hanashi

Score: 60%