Let's get this straight....
秋都 (Akito), 知 (Tomo), 絽希 (Roki), and 零也 (Reiya) are leaving chariots. That's means Riku will be the only remaining member.
Commence mass lolage.
Whenever you are done you can return to reading the rest of this rather short post. I just saw this and at first I was shocked that this was happening to one of my bands. Then I realized that most of chariots' output was shit so the fact that they're abandoning Riku means that either Ki$aki kicked them out because they weren't good enough or they all left because they realized their music was shit. I can't really say which is which for sure but I always feel that leaving the vocalist on his own was a dick move. It's all up to Riku now but since UC poured a fuckton of money into them to be their flagship band I don't see how Ki$aki's going to just let Riku disband this Titanic of a band.
Personally, chariots needs to start over with new members, new name and a new concept since I don't think that this current concept of "aggressive art" can be taken any farther without becoming repetitive. People have said that Riku's done better but I can't vouch for that since I haven't listened to Phantasmagoria due to obsessive Kisaki hate.
The band's final tour with the current lineup, carnage opera, will take place from 2010-02-14 to 2010-02-27 throughout Japan. After that the future is uncertain but it seems that chariots will continue, for a while at least. Some bands have come back from entire members leaving but most of the time they just call it quits.
Call it quits chariots x_x. Start over and wow us anew - your music is crap.
Monday, November 30, 2009
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Review: Nega - Haunted Jealousy
I can't say that I was looking forward to Nega's Haunted Jealousy as much as I was hoping for something that could redeem them and put them back on the front of "UC bands to watch". I wasn't particularly impressed with Grave of the Sacrifice when it came out because I thought they went a little over the deep end and immersed themselves too much in their softer side. I have no problem with a band experimenting with sound but Grave of the Sacrifice just didn't live up to the standards Nega has set for themselves in the past.
I wasn't expecting a quadrangle or an utsu out of this single but with it coming in three editions I hoped that out of these seven tracks there would be something redeeming here. But by just looking at the tracklist I wanted to vomit - there are THREE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTALS WITH THIS SINGLE.
Goddamnit can Nega get any more Kisaki? >_>
Dorje avoids the pitfalls of most Nega instrumentals by having a set melody and then expanding on it. Short pieces that they've done in the past like death warrant and Psyren were well thought out pieces that weren't fully realized so it ended up becoming redundant quickly. Dorje has a beginning, middle and end. Nice except instrumentals are dick moves.
Ganesh isn't as stellar. The electronic effects take away from the song because it doesn't feel like it lends itself well to the entire ambience of the single. Ganesh manages to expand as it goes along but when it returns to the pattern from the beginning it makes the track loop. I'm starting to appreciate shorter instrumentals that pack a punch and this is simply too long for something that doesn't reinvent itself.
Islamic is the only instrumental that I consider as appropriate to the mood of the single and this is the one i believe Nega intended for us to associate with the single. islamic does some experimentation that makes the other two instrumentals look safe in comparison (0:59 - 1:04) for example is something that might not work out but doesn't really matter in the long run since it's an instrumental and instrumentals are gay.
Haunted Jealousy destroys most of what was on GRAVE OF THE SACRIFICE and seriously sounds like something the GazettE would do if they had Jin as a singer. The mix of symphonic and hard rock similar to Soul Cry saves this song from totally sounding like a GazettE ripoff but I really cannot shake the feeling that they got a hold of DIM and took some tips from them. Then again, when one band with a crap vocalist copies off of another band with a crap vocalist the result are songs that are alike. Nega hasn't sounded like this before and even though Haunted Jealousy is nice it suffers from the addition of his ear-raping vocals. Jin really needs to improve because his voice is strikingly different and there's a fine line between ear-raping vocals and different but wonderful vocals - he hasn't found that balance quite yet.
As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING on this CD sounds like it came from the GazettE. I've been bitching about it the whole time but this is actually a positive since the last time we heard something distinctly Nega it swallowed giraffe cock. Oboro and Ogress are pretty much crap whereas the final track sounds much better.
Ogress has a nice breakdown and solo but after that pretty much everything blows chunks. I don't like Jin's voice in this track since he sounds very monotone and the beat once again sounds very GazettE-ish except it's lame and doesn't change up sans the solo. Oboro is slightly better but it fails at this chorus which comes out of nowhere and changes the flow of the song. In fact, this chorus is the only distinctly Nega portion of music on this entire single. Jin's hardkoar kvltic rapping actually started clicking with me after a few listens. It's lame and it gets repetitive quickly but I'll give Nega a few points for at least trying something different.
淫 雨と暗澹 is an interesting song and feels like a spiritual companion to Haunted Jealousy. Even though the influence is here in this song, it's not overwhelming like it is in the other two songs and Jin sings like something other than a drugged Muppet. It really sounds like the most balanced song on the single (even though I'm hating Jin's screams which sound like they're sampled from guilt trip >_> ). The only thing remotely unique about this song is the way it ends and I'm unsure if that's intentional or accidental.
I'm ambivalent on this single. On the one hand I like the fact that this isn't a continuation of Grave of the Sacrifice but on the other hand this is too GazettEish for me to fully appreciate. I like this single but at the same time I don't and there are one too many crap tracks for me to give it a high score. I'd grant this single a 6/10 if you give me numbers for these three reasons
1) too many instrumentals
2) Ogress and Oboro aren't as good as the other two singing tracks
3) this isn't Nega's core sound. it's a nice deviation but if I want to hear gazettE i'll hear GazettE.
At least it's better than Grave of the Sacrifice - it has redeeming qualities.
I wasn't expecting a quadrangle or an utsu out of this single but with it coming in three editions I hoped that out of these seven tracks there would be something redeeming here. But by just looking at the tracklist I wanted to vomit - there are THREE DIFFERENT INSTRUMENTALS WITH THIS SINGLE.
Goddamnit can Nega get any more Kisaki? >_>
Dorje avoids the pitfalls of most Nega instrumentals by having a set melody and then expanding on it. Short pieces that they've done in the past like death warrant and Psyren were well thought out pieces that weren't fully realized so it ended up becoming redundant quickly. Dorje has a beginning, middle and end. Nice except instrumentals are dick moves.
Ganesh isn't as stellar. The electronic effects take away from the song because it doesn't feel like it lends itself well to the entire ambience of the single. Ganesh manages to expand as it goes along but when it returns to the pattern from the beginning it makes the track loop. I'm starting to appreciate shorter instrumentals that pack a punch and this is simply too long for something that doesn't reinvent itself.
Islamic is the only instrumental that I consider as appropriate to the mood of the single and this is the one i believe Nega intended for us to associate with the single. islamic does some experimentation that makes the other two instrumentals look safe in comparison (0:59 - 1:04) for example is something that might not work out but doesn't really matter in the long run since it's an instrumental and instrumentals are gay.
Haunted Jealousy destroys most of what was on GRAVE OF THE SACRIFICE and seriously sounds like something the GazettE would do if they had Jin as a singer. The mix of symphonic and hard rock similar to Soul Cry saves this song from totally sounding like a GazettE ripoff but I really cannot shake the feeling that they got a hold of DIM and took some tips from them. Then again, when one band with a crap vocalist copies off of another band with a crap vocalist the result are songs that are alike. Nega hasn't sounded like this before and even though Haunted Jealousy is nice it suffers from the addition of his ear-raping vocals. Jin really needs to improve because his voice is strikingly different and there's a fine line between ear-raping vocals and different but wonderful vocals - he hasn't found that balance quite yet.
As a matter of fact, EVERYTHING on this CD sounds like it came from the GazettE. I've been bitching about it the whole time but this is actually a positive since the last time we heard something distinctly Nega it swallowed giraffe cock. Oboro and Ogress are pretty much crap whereas the final track sounds much better.
Ogress has a nice breakdown and solo but after that pretty much everything blows chunks. I don't like Jin's voice in this track since he sounds very monotone and the beat once again sounds very GazettE-ish except it's lame and doesn't change up sans the solo. Oboro is slightly better but it fails at this chorus which comes out of nowhere and changes the flow of the song. In fact, this chorus is the only distinctly Nega portion of music on this entire single. Jin's hardkoar kvltic rapping actually started clicking with me after a few listens. It's lame and it gets repetitive quickly but I'll give Nega a few points for at least trying something different.
淫 雨と暗澹 is an interesting song and feels like a spiritual companion to Haunted Jealousy. Even though the influence is here in this song, it's not overwhelming like it is in the other two songs and Jin sings like something other than a drugged Muppet. It really sounds like the most balanced song on the single (even though I'm hating Jin's screams which sound like they're sampled from guilt trip >_> ). The only thing remotely unique about this song is the way it ends and I'm unsure if that's intentional or accidental.
I'm ambivalent on this single. On the one hand I like the fact that this isn't a continuation of Grave of the Sacrifice but on the other hand this is too GazettEish for me to fully appreciate. I like this single but at the same time I don't and there are one too many crap tracks for me to give it a high score. I'd grant this single a 6/10 if you give me numbers for these three reasons
1) too many instrumentals
2) Ogress and Oboro aren't as good as the other two singing tracks
3) this isn't Nega's core sound. it's a nice deviation but if I want to hear gazettE i'll hear GazettE.
At least it's better than Grave of the Sacrifice - it has redeeming qualities.
Friday, November 27, 2009
Review: Lycaon - Declaration of War
Declaration of War is a tough nut to crack. If you're listening to the Lycaon concept singles one after another this is easily the low point of all three. Cordyceps sinensis brings a lot more energy and makes you want to get up and jump around and A Box in Beautiful is just too damn good for this song to touch.
Another reason why this song falters a little bit before you even listen to it would be the title. Look at it - DECLARATION OF WAR. You would expect some screaming, hard, rough, insane track to be shoved up your vasdeference to screw with your sperm. It influences you to think you're going to get something you aren't and then when you hear this track you'll be mildly disappointed.
Let's repeat the scale of good to suck here:
A Box in Beautiful > Cordyceps Sinensis > Declaration of War
Excusing the name, Declaration of War is not that bad of a track. I can describe this as a softer touch to hard rock. Sure, it has it's handful of screams and rough passages but the rest of the track is a bit more melodic than we're used to Lycaon composing. This isn't a bad thing by any means but DoW lacks some balls. In fact, it lacks ANY balls: the cover is so badass but the song doesn't deliver on that false promise. If you come into this track looking for something to headbang to go away. Now.
If you're here to just listen to some pleasant music continue.
Now that we've established that remember that Yuuki's voice has the tendency to do weird crap like suck. He's improved of course but you can still see some of the weaknesses in his voice, especially in this single where he relies more on singing than his weird, nasal screaming. The guitars under him do some great things and make a wonderful listen but he can either make or break the track for you. It all really depends on how unskilled you can stand your singers to be.
I really want the lyrics to this and I don't have them so I can't continue on any further at this point but I'd like to sum up this track like this:
Declaration of War is the vagina but vaginas are good too.
OK so my friend said that but it's still applicable. Just because it's not the best doesn't mean it sucks - it's still got enough to keep any fan interested and it's not a half-bad track to get started with. They've done worse in my opinion.
Another reason why this song falters a little bit before you even listen to it would be the title. Look at it - DECLARATION OF WAR. You would expect some screaming, hard, rough, insane track to be shoved up your vasdeference to screw with your sperm. It influences you to think you're going to get something you aren't and then when you hear this track you'll be mildly disappointed.
Let's repeat the scale of good to suck here:
A Box in Beautiful > Cordyceps Sinensis > Declaration of War
Excusing the name, Declaration of War is not that bad of a track. I can describe this as a softer touch to hard rock. Sure, it has it's handful of screams and rough passages but the rest of the track is a bit more melodic than we're used to Lycaon composing. This isn't a bad thing by any means but DoW lacks some balls. In fact, it lacks ANY balls: the cover is so badass but the song doesn't deliver on that false promise. If you come into this track looking for something to headbang to go away. Now.
If you're here to just listen to some pleasant music continue.
Now that we've established that remember that Yuuki's voice has the tendency to do weird crap like suck. He's improved of course but you can still see some of the weaknesses in his voice, especially in this single where he relies more on singing than his weird, nasal screaming. The guitars under him do some great things and make a wonderful listen but he can either make or break the track for you. It all really depends on how unskilled you can stand your singers to be.
I really want the lyrics to this and I don't have them so I can't continue on any further at this point but I'd like to sum up this track like this:
Declaration of War is the vagina but vaginas are good too.
OK so my friend said that but it's still applicable. Just because it's not the best doesn't mean it sucks - it's still got enough to keep any fan interested and it's not a half-bad track to get started with. They've done worse in my opinion.
Review: MUCC - Rakuen
I'm too tired to actually post a whole proper review with filler crap that doesn't matter at the moment but I do need to up something and I had written something about Rakuen on TW so I decided to port it here. Just for some background information, Rakuen is a different B-side on MUCC's Freesia single. However, for reasons I will get to now, I do not recommend you get this song on your media player.
If you mean weird as in crap then I agree with you. Both FUZZ and OZ had a rock element underneath it all so even though there were elements of synth underneath it it mixed well with the music. Rakuen sounds like they put it through the digitized factory and played everything back in MIDI. I didn't even finish this - I just didn't enjoy it any.
That's all I really had to say so I guess I'll say a little more. I find Rakuen to be complete shit. More auto-tune, more synth effects, more uninspired songwriting covered up with earnest experimentation. Rakuen is that kind of song that looked good on paper and ended up horrible in execution. None of it comes together and it's this big, grotesque spot in MUCC's territory that would be the musical equivalent of G from RE2: it looked like a good idea but by the time they were finished it was horrible and they had nowhere to store it so they let it loose.
This is worse than Shuushifu.
If you mean weird as in crap then I agree with you. Both FUZZ and OZ had a rock element underneath it all so even though there were elements of synth underneath it it mixed well with the music. Rakuen sounds like they put it through the digitized factory and played everything back in MIDI. I didn't even finish this - I just didn't enjoy it any.
That's all I really had to say so I guess I'll say a little more. I find Rakuen to be complete shit. More auto-tune, more synth effects, more uninspired songwriting covered up with earnest experimentation. Rakuen is that kind of song that looked good on paper and ended up horrible in execution. None of it comes together and it's this big, grotesque spot in MUCC's territory that would be the musical equivalent of G from RE2: it looked like a good idea but by the time they were finished it was horrible and they had nowhere to store it so they let it loose.
This is worse than Shuushifu.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Review: VanessA - world. is. my. mind.
VanessA softened up :O
I actually expected this to happen though. Here's why.
The two composers of VanessA used to be Nao and Haruki. Both of them have very different compositional styles. Here's a quick list of a few of the songs each composed.
Nao -
P.S.D.
Retrospection
LUCY
[MA]RIA
I am Psychopath.
B.M.METAMORPHOSE-murder side-
Haruki -
Memory Lapse
Arlequin
alive=terror
Feel U
Danger
NEW WORLD
jack off
axina
Now that Nao left and Koichi doesn't write music, this band is relying solely upon the compositional merits of Haruki, who traditionally came as "second composer" when Nao was leading the band. Those that liked "old VanessA" liked Nao's version of brutal metal with lots of screams. We're probably never going to hear that again. That isn't excusing the single any and I'm going to download it now, but that's really why I expected world. is. my. mind. to be a big slap in the face compared to CHI[MA]IRA (trust me, it's been a while since I've reviewed that and the CD's grown on me a LOT. I just don't feel like editing it at the moment).
I can understand why some people are upset at the change of direction that VanessA's taken and I'm going to say something completely radical here: they haven't actually changed all that much. When it comes down to it, the only thing this CD is missing is Genki's roars. Sandwich any two old VanessA tracks in between any random track on this single and none of these would "sound out of place".
What seems to upset everyone greatly is the lack of ear-bleeding, esophagus splitting screeches that VanessA has become increasingly renowned for since alive=terror. Even though Haruki did compose alive=terror and ARLEQUIN the dymanics of the band have changed since Nao left the band and You took over. Nao probably told Haruki to cut shit like jack off out and stick with composing rough, speedy compositional numbers while You embraced a change in direction (because in all honesty if they kept the shtick up long enough they were bound to repeat themselves AND Haruki usually had the best song on the last two out of the three maxi's they've released so....yeah.)
So now on to the review:
NEW WORLD is definitely the softest A-side they've composed so far and it's not without it's schizo section. I think this song has the only time Genki uses something other than clean vocals (and I also lol at the fact that this was their preview on their OHP). VanessA knew we weren't going to like this at all xD
This sounds like a sped up version of FEEL U in many places. Still sounds like the other half of VanessA to me. 7/10 because even though it was digestable I was still missing some of the death voice that Genki used to have all throughout his track. Some more of that was definitely needed here.
jack off
words can't describe how much I dislike this track. Perhaps I approached it hoping for it to be a harder song or perhaps something that didn't sound like a longer, less inspired version of NEW WORLD with some jazzy influence. However, I'm with everyone else that went "what the fuck happened to this band" on this track. In NEW WORLD. I could sense some of the old VanessA mixed in with Haruki's style but here it's just 
. Why the fuck does every VK band have to do some lame jazzy number that sucks anus? 4/10 for the solo, the portion after it and Koichi's nice basslines.
-axina- is more like what I want to hear from this band. Even if they decide to soften up their sound I do not want them throwing away their heavy metal roots. I sense some Vortex influence in the verses and I really do like the ominous bell over their guitar lines. If more of the single was like this instead of NEW WORLD./jack off I think a lot more people would enjoy this (I enjoy 2/3 of it just fine anyway). Oh, and I was wrong before - Genki does some roaring in this song before the second verse and during the fade out I think the members of the band attempted to do some screaming before failing and just spazzing out. What I DON'T like about this track is the bit of silence before the song starts up again a minute later for approximately 10 seconds before ending. It's completely pointless >.>
8/10 for axina
This single gets about a 6/10. There is no question that CHI[MA]IRA was better than this but if I give it a few listens I think parts of this will grow on me. I just can't bear to think that we'll never get the truly heavy VanessA back again because even though I liked this, I liked THAT a whole lot more.
I actually expected this to happen though. Here's why.
The two composers of VanessA used to be Nao and Haruki. Both of them have very different compositional styles. Here's a quick list of a few of the songs each composed.
Nao -
P.S.D.
Retrospection
LUCY
[MA]RIA
I am Psychopath.
B.M.METAMORPHOSE-murder side-
Haruki -
Memory Lapse
Arlequin
alive=terror
Feel U
Danger
NEW WORLD
jack off
axina
Now that Nao left and Koichi doesn't write music, this band is relying solely upon the compositional merits of Haruki, who traditionally came as "second composer" when Nao was leading the band. Those that liked "old VanessA" liked Nao's version of brutal metal with lots of screams. We're probably never going to hear that again. That isn't excusing the single any and I'm going to download it now, but that's really why I expected world. is. my. mind. to be a big slap in the face compared to CHI[MA]IRA (trust me, it's been a while since I've reviewed that and the CD's grown on me a LOT. I just don't feel like editing it at the moment).
I can understand why some people are upset at the change of direction that VanessA's taken and I'm going to say something completely radical here: they haven't actually changed all that much. When it comes down to it, the only thing this CD is missing is Genki's roars. Sandwich any two old VanessA tracks in between any random track on this single and none of these would "sound out of place".
What seems to upset everyone greatly is the lack of ear-bleeding, esophagus splitting screeches that VanessA has become increasingly renowned for since alive=terror. Even though Haruki did compose alive=terror and ARLEQUIN the dymanics of the band have changed since Nao left the band and You took over. Nao probably told Haruki to cut shit like jack off out and stick with composing rough, speedy compositional numbers while You embraced a change in direction (because in all honesty if they kept the shtick up long enough they were bound to repeat themselves AND Haruki usually had the best song on the last two out of the three maxi's they've released so....yeah.)
So now on to the review:
NEW WORLD is definitely the softest A-side they've composed so far and it's not without it's schizo section. I think this song has the only time Genki uses something other than clean vocals (and I also lol at the fact that this was their preview on their OHP). VanessA knew we weren't going to like this at all xD
This sounds like a sped up version of FEEL U in many places. Still sounds like the other half of VanessA to me. 7/10 because even though it was digestable I was still missing some of the death voice that Genki used to have all throughout his track. Some more of that was definitely needed here.
jack off
words can't describe how much I dislike this track. Perhaps I approached it hoping for it to be a harder song or perhaps something that didn't sound like a longer, less inspired version of NEW WORLD with some jazzy influence. However, I'm with everyone else that went "what the fuck happened to this band" on this track. In NEW WORLD. I could sense some of the old VanessA mixed in with Haruki's style but here it's just . Why the fuck does every VK band have to do some lame jazzy number that sucks anus? 4/10 for the solo, the portion after it and Koichi's nice basslines.-axina- is more like what I want to hear from this band. Even if they decide to soften up their sound I do not want them throwing away their heavy metal roots. I sense some Vortex influence in the verses and I really do like the ominous bell over their guitar lines. If more of the single was like this instead of NEW WORLD./jack off I think a lot more people would enjoy this (I enjoy 2/3 of it just fine anyway). Oh, and I was wrong before - Genki does some roaring in this song before the second verse and during the fade out I think the members of the band attempted to do some screaming before failing and just spazzing out. What I DON'T like about this track is the bit of silence before the song starts up again a minute later for approximately 10 seconds before ending. It's completely pointless >.>
8/10 for axina
This single gets about a 6/10. There is no question that CHI[MA]IRA was better than this but if I give it a few listens I think parts of this will grow on me. I just can't bear to think that we'll never get the truly heavy VanessA back again because even though I liked this, I liked THAT a whole lot more.
Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Review: MUCC - Freesia
*imported from Tainted World*
I actually downloaded it and forgot I had it on my iTunes until you reminded me. D: Let's get to this and I'll put down my thoughts after a few listens.
The main problem I have with the first two songs, Shuushifu moreso than Freesia, is the (ab)use of auto-tune. That shit wasn't present before Kyuutai and even though I only recall it being used slightly in Sora to Ito I still despised it's usage because I felt it interfered with the atmosphere of the song. MUCC fucking [i]raped[/i] this single with auto-tune because it's detectable in Freesia and mostly used in Shuushifu. I. Don't. Like. Auto-Tune. This single automatically isn't perfect in my book.
With that having been said, the recorded version of Freesia is much better and more majestic than the live performance let on (which was why I reserved all judgment on the song until now). Freesia is all around enjoyable, especially Miya's little solo near the end over Tatsurou's vocals. Even after 10 years MUCC's still got some ideas up their sleeves and even though their sound has changed over the years the only thing that's stayed the same is that they usually deliver. [i]Usually[/i]. I'd give this about a 9 out of 10.
I've heard Namonaki Yume but not enough to compare it to Shuushifu so I won't. However, this is the kind of song I like to hear in general and it pulled me in from the beginning until the auto-tune pissed me off. After that, the energy levels of this song really petered off for me. Whereas in Freesia I could tell why they used the auto-tune and to some degree it worked, in Shuushifu it really just annoyed the crap out of me and really prevented me from liking this song too much. 6 out of 10 for now but over time I'll revisit this again and see if my opinion changes.
From Furik's review I was expecting there to be some Tatsurou in this but two minutes in I realized he wasn't going to be there and that this was going to be pure instrumental. I'm OK with it, especially since the piano rendition of this song was great. I'm normally not into songs that were changed from pianos to guitars since for me it doesn't usually flow well but Freesia sounds great with both instruments behind this. I'd really have to give this a 10 just because if I enjoyed it this much the first time through I'm going to grow to like it more.
So yeah, the only thing I really despised about this single was the auto-tune laced all throughout it. MUCC needs to cut that shit out because Tatsurou's voice is too good for that crap. I'd give this about an 8/10 overall.
I actually downloaded it and forgot I had it on my iTunes until you reminded me. D: Let's get to this and I'll put down my thoughts after a few listens.
The main problem I have with the first two songs, Shuushifu moreso than Freesia, is the (ab)use of auto-tune. That shit wasn't present before Kyuutai and even though I only recall it being used slightly in Sora to Ito I still despised it's usage because I felt it interfered with the atmosphere of the song. MUCC fucking [i]raped[/i] this single with auto-tune because it's detectable in Freesia and mostly used in Shuushifu. I. Don't. Like. Auto-Tune. This single automatically isn't perfect in my book.
With that having been said, the recorded version of Freesia is much better and more majestic than the live performance let on (which was why I reserved all judgment on the song until now). Freesia is all around enjoyable, especially Miya's little solo near the end over Tatsurou's vocals. Even after 10 years MUCC's still got some ideas up their sleeves and even though their sound has changed over the years the only thing that's stayed the same is that they usually deliver. [i]Usually[/i]. I'd give this about a 9 out of 10.
I've heard Namonaki Yume but not enough to compare it to Shuushifu so I won't. However, this is the kind of song I like to hear in general and it pulled me in from the beginning until the auto-tune pissed me off. After that, the energy levels of this song really petered off for me. Whereas in Freesia I could tell why they used the auto-tune and to some degree it worked, in Shuushifu it really just annoyed the crap out of me and really prevented me from liking this song too much. 6 out of 10 for now but over time I'll revisit this again and see if my opinion changes.
From Furik's review I was expecting there to be some Tatsurou in this but two minutes in I realized he wasn't going to be there and that this was going to be pure instrumental. I'm OK with it, especially since the piano rendition of this song was great. I'm normally not into songs that were changed from pianos to guitars since for me it doesn't usually flow well but Freesia sounds great with both instruments behind this. I'd really have to give this a 10 just because if I enjoyed it this much the first time through I'm going to grow to like it more.
So yeah, the only thing I really despised about this single was the auto-tune laced all throughout it. MUCC needs to cut that shit out because Tatsurou's voice is too good for that crap. I'd give this about an 8/10 overall.
Review: ALSDEAD - Paradox
Since I decided on becoming at least semi-active again (or rather, I decided to stop being a lazy fuck and actually update my blog once in a while) I've decided on reviewing something every few days at least. I need to keep up on the new releases but at least be a few months behind so I can get some thoughts together and not let first impressions dominate what I think and how I feel about a particular piece of music.
Had I done that to Paradox trust me this review would have turned out quite differently.
This isn't the standard ALSDEAD fare since they decided to give us three tracks instead of two with this offering - however more doesn't always mean better. The main turnoff to this entire single would be the title track itself. I came into this thinking that it would be the best one out of the three but it's actually the worst. Paradox is the weakest track this band has given us so far and that's because it has a very sharp contrast between hard and soft. The beginning riff is deep and sick and it makes you think you're going to headbang and then it brings you into something as light as Kizu (Violent of Reason) and the transitions aren't working in their favor. The chorus doesn't add any points to it and the speaking part that Maki does at the breakdown is done much better in the track Cynical. At the end of the day, Paradox is too all over the place to be considered much more than an average song.
A_Dust and Cynical (No Nai Ranbu) are the two other tracks and I find them better in many different ways. A_Dust isn't as rough as Cynical but it showcases some experimentation with electronic synths and the chorus in this song is the best out of the single. The thing that gets me with A_Dust is that this band has always been about pushing boundaries with their music and at least bringing some new stuff to the table and A_Dust stops at "electronic effects". Maki's sing-scream style is still pretty much the same and the other members haven't really done anything awe-inspiring. A_Dust could have been so much more but they stopped short and called it a day. Cynical gets the same treatment but even worse. I've even heard others say that Cynical is a Kizu with a crazier solo. I have to disagree. Even though they might have recycled a few ideas (especially in that dreadful chorus) overall I don't get a Kizu vibe from this track at all. In fact, I had to go searching for similarities between the two. There aren't many other tracks in their discography as raw and frantic as this and even though the chorus doesn't really fit with the song too well every other part of the song just pulsates with raw energy. In a way, these two songs are all you really need for a single - one hard rocker with a great chorus and some synth behind it and another one that exemplifies some revelry in rock. Both of these are above average with Cynical edging out A_Dust based purely on the energy in the verses and the kickass solo.
This single didn't make me feel as much as Violent of Reason or S.a.g.A. did but when I gave it time to grow on me I began to like the single much more. Paradox is a hard pill to swallow but old and new ALSDEAD fans alike can enjoy the first and the third track and take on the second track whenever they feel like taking a risk with the band. They have a new single coming out in a few months so hopefully this band has decided to both get a lot better and take some more risks with their music.
Rating: Slightly Above Average - worth checking out.
Had I done that to Paradox trust me this review would have turned out quite differently.
This isn't the standard ALSDEAD fare since they decided to give us three tracks instead of two with this offering - however more doesn't always mean better. The main turnoff to this entire single would be the title track itself. I came into this thinking that it would be the best one out of the three but it's actually the worst. Paradox is the weakest track this band has given us so far and that's because it has a very sharp contrast between hard and soft. The beginning riff is deep and sick and it makes you think you're going to headbang and then it brings you into something as light as Kizu (Violent of Reason) and the transitions aren't working in their favor. The chorus doesn't add any points to it and the speaking part that Maki does at the breakdown is done much better in the track Cynical. At the end of the day, Paradox is too all over the place to be considered much more than an average song.
A_Dust and Cynical (No Nai Ranbu) are the two other tracks and I find them better in many different ways. A_Dust isn't as rough as Cynical but it showcases some experimentation with electronic synths and the chorus in this song is the best out of the single. The thing that gets me with A_Dust is that this band has always been about pushing boundaries with their music and at least bringing some new stuff to the table and A_Dust stops at "electronic effects". Maki's sing-scream style is still pretty much the same and the other members haven't really done anything awe-inspiring. A_Dust could have been so much more but they stopped short and called it a day. Cynical gets the same treatment but even worse. I've even heard others say that Cynical is a Kizu with a crazier solo. I have to disagree. Even though they might have recycled a few ideas (especially in that dreadful chorus) overall I don't get a Kizu vibe from this track at all. In fact, I had to go searching for similarities between the two. There aren't many other tracks in their discography as raw and frantic as this and even though the chorus doesn't really fit with the song too well every other part of the song just pulsates with raw energy. In a way, these two songs are all you really need for a single - one hard rocker with a great chorus and some synth behind it and another one that exemplifies some revelry in rock. Both of these are above average with Cynical edging out A_Dust based purely on the energy in the verses and the kickass solo.
This single didn't make me feel as much as Violent of Reason or S.a.g.A. did but when I gave it time to grow on me I began to like the single much more. Paradox is a hard pill to swallow but old and new ALSDEAD fans alike can enjoy the first and the third track and take on the second track whenever they feel like taking a risk with the band. They have a new single coming out in a few months so hopefully this band has decided to both get a lot better and take some more risks with their music.
Rating: Slightly Above Average - worth checking out.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Review: Lycaon - cordyceps sinensis
I need to talk about this single before Royal Order comes out.
If you were around the internet looking for this single a few months ago then you know the story. If you don't I'll sum it up really quickly: Lycaon makes a very bad business decision to limit these to 500 copies in Like an Edison stores and otakus that buy anything with the word "Kuniitichiwa" muttered in it lost their math ability to reason that 500 copies of a CD can't be bought by 1000+ people. Said elitists didn't want to share their warez and butthurt people bawwed up the internet until someone leaked this. They held a tighter vagina clamp on Declaration of War and A Box in Beautiful but then Lycaon kicked them in the dick and said all three were going to be on Royal Order so the elitist whores bawwed futilely and decided to share once they realized their rarez weren't going to be so rarez anymore.
On to something a little more respectable, Cordyceps Sinensis sits between Declaration of War and A Box in Beautiful when it comes to how good these concept singles were. All three of them blow their previous work out of the water and make me a bigger fan of them now. cordyceps sinensis is a very hard, catchy song with lots of high pitched grunting mixed with a very addictive opening and reverb yelling. I actually like the pre-chorus for the alternating guitars although the regular chorus isn't that bad at all. I can't summon it in my mind at will although listening to it doesn't make my orifices bleed.
Honestly speaking I can't remember anything that they've done previous to this song that channels any of the raw energy that they put into this song. What comes closest is The 1st degree genocide holic but this trumps that song in plenty of ways. If you're looking to get into Lycaon start at Ambrozia and then skip to this because I feel chains of collar wasn't up to par. This was a definite bounce back and a nice treat from a band that can handle both hard and soft.
Final Judgment: Pretty Good.
If you were around the internet looking for this single a few months ago then you know the story. If you don't I'll sum it up really quickly: Lycaon makes a very bad business decision to limit these to 500 copies in Like an Edison stores and otakus that buy anything with the word "Kuniitichiwa" muttered in it lost their math ability to reason that 500 copies of a CD can't be bought by 1000+ people. Said elitists didn't want to share their warez and butthurt people bawwed up the internet until someone leaked this. They held a tighter vagina clamp on Declaration of War and A Box in Beautiful but then Lycaon kicked them in the dick and said all three were going to be on Royal Order so the elitist whores bawwed futilely and decided to share once they realized their rarez weren't going to be so rarez anymore.
On to something a little more respectable, Cordyceps Sinensis sits between Declaration of War and A Box in Beautiful when it comes to how good these concept singles were. All three of them blow their previous work out of the water and make me a bigger fan of them now. cordyceps sinensis is a very hard, catchy song with lots of high pitched grunting mixed with a very addictive opening and reverb yelling. I actually like the pre-chorus for the alternating guitars although the regular chorus isn't that bad at all. I can't summon it in my mind at will although listening to it doesn't make my orifices bleed.
Honestly speaking I can't remember anything that they've done previous to this song that channels any of the raw energy that they put into this song. What comes closest is The 1st degree genocide holic but this trumps that song in plenty of ways. If you're looking to get into Lycaon start at Ambrozia and then skip to this because I feel chains of collar wasn't up to par. This was a definite bounce back and a nice treat from a band that can handle both hard and soft.
Final Judgment: Pretty Good.
Review: chariots - Hikari
I might as well do this one since I've just literally finished reviewing Hai.
Since this single came out a little over a month ago I've had time to let this grow on me so I can come to a good decision about how I really feel about this in the end. I have to say that the subsequent single Hai has many things over this single but there are a few things on this single worth checking it out. That's the main focus of this review - to point out all the things that this inferior single has that's worth at least pirating it.
cigar is a better opening track than Fall ash for the sole purpose that it has thought put into it. The latter track sounded like uninteresting crap whereas cigar catches you at the beginning with some reverb vocals and straightforward but catchy guitar. There's no epic solo or beautifully sung lines here but it does it's job of opening up the single for you. If you're into opening tracks then this is a pretty good addition to your growing collection. What I don't like about this track is that it doesn't lead into Dazzle right and it goes on for a little too long. Also, this track could have been a lot more had the band worked on it and fleshed it out. For what it is though, cigar is one of the better of it's breed in the "crap we stick at the beginning to make our CD look like it's worth your yen".
DAZZLE is crap in disguise. The song starts out very interesting but then it hits a very bland chorus that does nothing for me and sinks the song faster than the Titanic. The little portion where everything suddenly stops before a rough guitar comes raging in was pretty cool and is actually the only part of the track I can remember. The vocalist makes everything else sound bland and uninteresting as if you've heard it all before and as I said the chorus is just all around average. If this is supposed to be the A-side to this single then I'm thoroughly unimpressed. I'm not even that avid of a chariots listener and I know this band can do so much better than this.
The final track (I can't figure out if it's romanized Zan Kage or Zanei) has tons of whammy bar abuse in the guitar lines and a very repetitive guitar line at that. This repetitive guitar line actually drives the song because it's less of a "look for the technologically advanced shit" and more of a "bang your head and enjoy your energy faggot". On any normal occasion I would hate songs like this but Zan Kage manages to do this by sprinting at 100 kilometers an hour and having verses that pack some attitude. The chorus is a little neutering and makes the song feel like a new spin on an older classic but the fantastic solo makes up for that little blunder. I'd much rather this be the A-side since I actually remember what it sounded like after it finished (whereas I forgot what DAZZLE sounded like by the time I hit the chorus of this song).
As I said before, Hai is a definite step up from this single all around but I still recommend checking out the final track because it comes packed with some groove and a pretty good solo. Everything else here is pretty much a skip unless you've got another reason for liking said tracks.
Final Judgment: Average.
Since this single came out a little over a month ago I've had time to let this grow on me so I can come to a good decision about how I really feel about this in the end. I have to say that the subsequent single Hai has many things over this single but there are a few things on this single worth checking it out. That's the main focus of this review - to point out all the things that this inferior single has that's worth at least pirating it.
cigar is a better opening track than Fall ash for the sole purpose that it has thought put into it. The latter track sounded like uninteresting crap whereas cigar catches you at the beginning with some reverb vocals and straightforward but catchy guitar. There's no epic solo or beautifully sung lines here but it does it's job of opening up the single for you. If you're into opening tracks then this is a pretty good addition to your growing collection. What I don't like about this track is that it doesn't lead into Dazzle right and it goes on for a little too long. Also, this track could have been a lot more had the band worked on it and fleshed it out. For what it is though, cigar is one of the better of it's breed in the "crap we stick at the beginning to make our CD look like it's worth your yen".
DAZZLE is crap in disguise. The song starts out very interesting but then it hits a very bland chorus that does nothing for me and sinks the song faster than the Titanic. The little portion where everything suddenly stops before a rough guitar comes raging in was pretty cool and is actually the only part of the track I can remember. The vocalist makes everything else sound bland and uninteresting as if you've heard it all before and as I said the chorus is just all around average. If this is supposed to be the A-side to this single then I'm thoroughly unimpressed. I'm not even that avid of a chariots listener and I know this band can do so much better than this.
The final track (I can't figure out if it's romanized Zan Kage or Zanei) has tons of whammy bar abuse in the guitar lines and a very repetitive guitar line at that. This repetitive guitar line actually drives the song because it's less of a "look for the technologically advanced shit" and more of a "bang your head and enjoy your energy faggot". On any normal occasion I would hate songs like this but Zan Kage manages to do this by sprinting at 100 kilometers an hour and having verses that pack some attitude. The chorus is a little neutering and makes the song feel like a new spin on an older classic but the fantastic solo makes up for that little blunder. I'd much rather this be the A-side since I actually remember what it sounded like after it finished (whereas I forgot what DAZZLE sounded like by the time I hit the chorus of this song).
As I said before, Hai is a definite step up from this single all around but I still recommend checking out the final track because it comes packed with some groove and a pretty good solo. Everything else here is pretty much a skip unless you've got another reason for liking said tracks.
Final Judgment: Average.
Review: chariots - Hai
College is a right pain in the ass.
If you've managed to follow this blog for the better part of the month hoping for an update this is your little present. I've had a ton of work heaped on me and I've had to put some things aside to concentrate on passing - this would be one of them. Now that I have some time I think I'll write up a few reviews while I still can.
This would be one of them.
The single that gets to be reviewed today will be Hai by chariots. I'm choosing this because even though I've had lots of work and tons of trouble getting a hold on new music I've still kept up with a lot of things and this single will most likely get me back into reviewing things on at least a semi-regular basis while being something fans would want to read to make an educated decision on the single.
Hai is a nice little limited edition item limited to 5000 copies so this tells me two things: 1) by the time anyone reads this it's going to be gone and 2) Kisaki's behind the release campaign of this band.
Putting hatred for Kisaki's marketing schemes aside (and the obvious notion that if you print things in three editions with bunches of different artwork alongside a press limit you'll be hard pressed to make money back) Hai is what I'd like to call an OK single. Back in June when I reviewed the two Nega singles Dig and Ill I called the practice of putting an opening track on a three track maxi to be "unacceptable". I still believe this to be true and as a result the opener Fall Ash comes off to me as a bad attempt of filling out their requirement to make a CD with Kisaki.
What I have against this track even more is the mood that the next two tracks give off. Hai was meant to be a darker comparison to last month's Hikari and the opener sounds like the starting track at a techno bash than something that would symbolize the descent into death (since if you look at all three names it's what they're hinting at). It's just plain cheesy and not worth my time.
Canvas ni...(I'll be damned to type that entire thing out mind you) is the standout track here and is packed full of emotion and elements that draw the attention of the listener. There are some electronic effects put to good use throughout the song, especially in the solo and the verses and you can hear the improvements in the bands sound over their previous releases. From the little distorted guitar line to the sudden scream into the chuggy guitar line this song keeps it moving while keeping it melancholic, which is the flowing current throughout this song. The chorus is also pretty tight compared to some of their older stuff which fell flat on their faces come chorus time. The name of the vocalist eludes me at the moment although I can say his voice has improved over the last releases and even though I have a love/hate relationship with some of the things he does with his voice he does nothing but shine here.
Reversal is supposed to be the angry song that appeases fans like me that chafe at slow ballads. I'm not liking this song as much as the last song because it's straight, heart pumping action and doesn't carry the same melodic punch as the former track. The screams, which I think mean reversal don't sound good or bad as much as they do weird. Those will need some time to grow on me but all in all Reversal is a good companion to the second track.
So what have we from Hai? Well if you're a fan of chariots then you already have this illegally downloaded in your music folder and if you hate chariots then at least give the second track a chance since it might grow on you. If you have no idea what I'm talking about give this a try if you're open-minded (and if you aren't what are you doing here?)
Final Judgment: scrap the first track and we have something very respectable here.
If you've managed to follow this blog for the better part of the month hoping for an update this is your little present. I've had a ton of work heaped on me and I've had to put some things aside to concentrate on passing - this would be one of them. Now that I have some time I think I'll write up a few reviews while I still can.
This would be one of them.
The single that gets to be reviewed today will be Hai by chariots. I'm choosing this because even though I've had lots of work and tons of trouble getting a hold on new music I've still kept up with a lot of things and this single will most likely get me back into reviewing things on at least a semi-regular basis while being something fans would want to read to make an educated decision on the single.
Hai is a nice little limited edition item limited to 5000 copies so this tells me two things: 1) by the time anyone reads this it's going to be gone and 2) Kisaki's behind the release campaign of this band.
Putting hatred for Kisaki's marketing schemes aside (and the obvious notion that if you print things in three editions with bunches of different artwork alongside a press limit you'll be hard pressed to make money back) Hai is what I'd like to call an OK single. Back in June when I reviewed the two Nega singles Dig and Ill I called the practice of putting an opening track on a three track maxi to be "unacceptable". I still believe this to be true and as a result the opener Fall Ash comes off to me as a bad attempt of filling out their requirement to make a CD with Kisaki.
What I have against this track even more is the mood that the next two tracks give off. Hai was meant to be a darker comparison to last month's Hikari and the opener sounds like the starting track at a techno bash than something that would symbolize the descent into death (since if you look at all three names it's what they're hinting at). It's just plain cheesy and not worth my time.
Canvas ni...(I'll be damned to type that entire thing out mind you) is the standout track here and is packed full of emotion and elements that draw the attention of the listener. There are some electronic effects put to good use throughout the song, especially in the solo and the verses and you can hear the improvements in the bands sound over their previous releases. From the little distorted guitar line to the sudden scream into the chuggy guitar line this song keeps it moving while keeping it melancholic, which is the flowing current throughout this song. The chorus is also pretty tight compared to some of their older stuff which fell flat on their faces come chorus time. The name of the vocalist eludes me at the moment although I can say his voice has improved over the last releases and even though I have a love/hate relationship with some of the things he does with his voice he does nothing but shine here.
Reversal is supposed to be the angry song that appeases fans like me that chafe at slow ballads. I'm not liking this song as much as the last song because it's straight, heart pumping action and doesn't carry the same melodic punch as the former track. The screams, which I think mean reversal don't sound good or bad as much as they do weird. Those will need some time to grow on me but all in all Reversal is a good companion to the second track.
So what have we from Hai? Well if you're a fan of chariots then you already have this illegally downloaded in your music folder and if you hate chariots then at least give the second track a chance since it might grow on you. If you have no idea what I'm talking about give this a try if you're open-minded (and if you aren't what are you doing here?)
Final Judgment: scrap the first track and we have something very respectable here.
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