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%
Showing posts with label gazetto. Show all posts
Showing posts with label gazetto. Show all posts
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Sunday, August 16, 2009
Review: The GazettE - Gozen 0-ji no Trauma Radio
I'm attempting to review all the crap that's in my iTunes so I'm sure I don't need to type a few sentences explaining why early Gazetto and crap are synonymous. I find it quite hilarious that "Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder" adorns this single multiple times in English. I believe they are trying to tell us that this maxi-single is so horrible we run the risk of contracting said disorder if we manage to sit through the whole ordeal.
That's why this album is also called "0 a.m. Trauma Radio". If it's supposed to mean Zero Hour Trauma Radio, Zero Hour is when I get my hands on these CD's and crush them out of existence.
It can't be any worse than the offering yesterday. "Fascinating Teachings of the Brute Teacher" my ass; the only thing that album brutalized was my ear canals.
01. Machibouke no Kouen de…
02. WIFE
03. Shiawase na Hibi
That's why this album is also called "0 a.m. Trauma Radio". If it's supposed to mean Zero Hour Trauma Radio, Zero Hour is when I get my hands on these CD's and crush them out of existence.
It can't be any worse than the offering yesterday. "Fascinating Teachings of the Brute Teacher" my ass; the only thing that album brutalized was my ear canals.
01. Machibouke no Kouen de…
02. WIFE
03. Shiawase na Hibi
I considered myself a very fortunate reviewer after listening to this because I didn't come across anything as sonically raping as Kantou Dogeza Kumiai. Wife, the second track, gets pretty close to it but it becomes quite hilarious when the bark and call comes in. Since I mentioned Wife, I'll start here: it's pretty fucking bad. The song starts out with the pace of a three-legged, retarded donkey and then tries to get on pace but the entire song just screams "low-quality indies crap". One part comes off as mildly cool in that "it could be this" way but then Gazette busts into a portion where it sounds like they are saying "juice, juice, juice, GUILE". That ruins the song beyond repair and then the chorus is off, especially with Ruki behind the microphone. Wife suffers also from a lack of cohesion - nothing sounds tight and the members do not play together as a band. All the instruments sound so far away as if they are being recorded through tubes and then shoved together. Hell, I know they were indies at this point but fucking Wakaremichi sounded better than this! What the hell gives? You're supposed to sound better not worse. I want to know who the hell wrote this because there is very little musicianship in this song.
Machibouke no Kouen de... was actually re-recorded for an omnibus so I am curious as to what the differences are. Since I'm sticking with this version, I have to admit I don't understand what the static at the beginning has to do with anything. If they are blasting this through a "Radio" and this is supposed to be some sort of concept single (which it just might) then that would make -some- sense. It still doesn't excuse the odd sounding guitar(s). Perhaps it's because I am a fan of lower-tuned guitars but I find the riff very annoying and it sounds like there is only one guitar, some drums and a bass. 1:51-2:04 and the twin guitar solo was surprisingly decent overall but it's sandwiched in between crap and shit. I think that's all they had planned ahead for this song because other than that there is no guitar - just drums and bass.
The vocal processing is horrible here. Ruki sounds too forceful one second and then too quiet another and that's not his fault. Why the hell is the "zu" in zutto so pronounced? What IS his fault though is all that horrible noise coming out of his throat. Ruki's singing voice has improved from ghastly to just normal, average suck and his singing still sounds like he choked on some Listerine. But, as yesterday explicitly showed, he can do a lot worse. 1:51-2:04 shows that he can sing but he tries to push himself too much and he sounds like a musical plane crash.
I'm guessing this is why The GazettE doesn't play this song live and didn't re-record this track for an actual album release.
Machibouke no Kouen de... was actually re-recorded for an omnibus so I am curious as to what the differences are. Since I'm sticking with this version, I have to admit I don't understand what the static at the beginning has to do with anything. If they are blasting this through a "Radio" and this is supposed to be some sort of concept single (which it just might) then that would make -some- sense. It still doesn't excuse the odd sounding guitar(s). Perhaps it's because I am a fan of lower-tuned guitars but I find the riff very annoying and it sounds like there is only one guitar, some drums and a bass. 1:51-2:04 and the twin guitar solo was surprisingly decent overall but it's sandwiched in between crap and shit. I think that's all they had planned ahead for this song because other than that there is no guitar - just drums and bass.
The vocal processing is horrible here. Ruki sounds too forceful one second and then too quiet another and that's not his fault. Why the hell is the "zu" in zutto so pronounced? What IS his fault though is all that horrible noise coming out of his throat. Ruki's singing voice has improved from ghastly to just normal, average suck and his singing still sounds like he choked on some Listerine. But, as yesterday explicitly showed, he can do a lot worse. 1:51-2:04 shows that he can sing but he tries to push himself too much and he sounds like a musical plane crash.
I'm guessing this is why The GazettE doesn't play this song live and didn't re-record this track for an actual album release.
I will consider Shiawase na Hibi the only actual musical release this band has given us since Akai ONE PIECE on the Wakaremichi single. There's a difference between trying something different with your music and then sounding like experimental crap. The last four out of the five songs I've released is undescribable shit, which leaves only Juunanasai and this song to actually be listenable. For The GazettE, this must have been a "throwaway, extremely standard track that doesn't display our fondness for fucking up music". To me, this sounds like skill. All the members play together, everything sounds good (except Ruki) and although it starts out a little loud and rough it comes together. It's what I EXPECT an indies band to put out consistently, not some track tucked away at the back of a single because it's too "standard" a tune to be the A-side. Machibouke no Kouen de... has nothing on this, even with a kick-ass solo and one alright portion because the rest of the track was just shit.
Why the fuck does this sound better than the rest of their output on this track, yet the rest of this album sounds like remixed vomiting? This is fucking bullshit.
Ruki sings the best here out of all six early GazettE tracks that I've reviewed so far but he's still got very annoying vocal tics and that nasally crap going on for me to like it too much. However, he's learned to hold his notes so that's a positive. Said notes just don't sound that good...
Wife and Shiawase na Hibi can be found re-recorded on the Dainihon Itangeishateki Noumiso Gyaku Kaiten Zekkyou Ongenshuu compilation album. I suggest you look here and skip this, even though this was better than yesterday's....whatever the fuck that was.
Recommended:
Dainihon Itangeishateki Noumiso Gyaku Kaiten Zekkyou Ongenshuu
Score:
Since 1/3 of this album was decent, it gets a 33%
Why the fuck does this sound better than the rest of their output on this track, yet the rest of this album sounds like remixed vomiting? This is fucking bullshit.
Ruki sings the best here out of all six early GazettE tracks that I've reviewed so far but he's still got very annoying vocal tics and that nasally crap going on for me to like it too much. However, he's learned to hold his notes so that's a positive. Said notes just don't sound that good...
Wife and Shiawase na Hibi can be found re-recorded on the Dainihon Itangeishateki Noumiso Gyaku Kaiten Zekkyou Ongenshuu compilation album. I suggest you look here and skip this, even though this was better than yesterday's....whatever the fuck that was.
Recommended:
Dainihon Itangeishateki Noumiso Gyaku Kaiten Zekkyou Ongenshuu
Score:
Since 1/3 of this album was decent, it gets a 33%
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Review: The GazettE - Kichiku Kyoushi (32sai Dokushin) no Nousatsu Kouza
Fans of The GazettE often lament that their older sound was better and truer to their unique "style". Said fans also hate the fact that The GazettE has fallen into a pattern of alternative rock tinged with Green Day ripoffs and jazz numbers that don't belong on an album. I thought nothing of this until today when I came up empty on something to review so I figure I'd give this a shot and see what would happen.
Another part of me realized that I didn't have as much music in my iTunes worth reviewing as I thought.
Another part of me realized that I didn't have as much music in my iTunes worth reviewing as I thought.
- "Doro Darake no Seishun" (泥だらけの青春) - 5:07
- "Juunanasai" (十七歳) - 7:09
- "Kantou Dogeza Kumiai" (関東土下座組合) - 5:03
My collective thoughts on their second release? Is that what you are here for? Well then, look no further than below:
Just to let you know, at the end of this entire album my brain was screaming in pain because it appears there was a mass genocide of brain cells in my cerebellum.
For a change of pace, let's start with the vocalist. Ruki, shut the fuck up and go back to playing the goddamn drums. For fuck's sake you sound ghastly on every single offering here! I can't even call one of these tracks because you...DO something with your voice! Do you even hear yourself when you fucking sing? I tried covering the first song and I just couldn't because my larynx doesn't reach into the lower register of fail. Who told you you could sing?
Some people just aren't meant to sing. Just take a look at the American pop-punk scene, with their whiny, nasally, over the top voices! Now we know where Ruki gets his sonic inspiration from.
Perhaps the best example of this said "singing" I can give you is the second track, Juunanasai. It's supposed to be about the musings of some lonely baby mama getting left by her ever so altruistic boyfriend but it starts out sounding like the boys gathered in the warehouse and the downtown train passed by in the first few seconds of this song. Granted, this has nothing to do with the singing but the either accidental or purposeful sound of a train passing is more pleasing to my ears than Ruki's voice. When there has to be three Ruki's going on at any one time in the background in order for him to get close to "on pitch", we have a huge problem. What is even worse is when he tries that distortion at 4:00, he sounds like a girl trying to orgasm and having the track sound like it's stuck prolongs my punishment. The atrocious falsetto at 2:54 and the fucktarded mumbling at around 5:30 are other things Ruki tries to do to alleviate the constant barrage of one-sided suck but when the track runs on for over seven minutes and his fingernails-on-the-chalkboard voice is blasting into my ears at every moment (and I MEAN every moment) I don't want to listen. Hell, even when you THINK he's gone he's not because he comes right back! There is no solo and when you think the song is fading out he returns with his annoying nasally vocals and tries to a cappella the ending before the uptown train comes back.
Kantou Dogeza Kumiai is undescribable in just how bad it is. Yesterday's review was a trip through the positive side of weird music. This is a crash course in the polar opposite. The instruments here sound horrible and this comes off as the last few minutes of a rehearsal meeting a binge party. Lobotomized Ruki turns into tortured Ruki over the course as he somehow turned the dials and created a new brand of annoying vocals. His stupid vomit grunts, retarded giggles, gargled spit, horrible vocals and whatever the fuck else he does kills any credit the track may have had and to be frank this isn't the worst thing of this track vocally. Just wait until the last 30 seconds...
Doro Darake no Seishun is supposed to be the "single" here and with it's Addam's family inspired bass and ill-fitting digital effects at the end it straddles the line between suck and suck. If you need a Star Trek reference, this would be Deep Space Nine while Juunanasai would be The Original Series and Kantou Dogeza Kumiai would be Enterprise. The second here might grow on you over time just because it's charming in the instrumental department but the third is just a disgrace to music and the first is positively boring to sit through. For fuck's sake this doesn't even have anything to do with the title (which talks about teachers and their inherent pedophilia - HELLO PEDOBEAR!). Honestly, I don't give a damn what the hell Ruki is screaming about in his torture because there's nothing of "A-side value" in this track and it sounds just as bad as the first two I mentioned. Sure, the bass stole a few notes from a popular 60's show and the ending sounds like my clogged tub drain but this doesn't come close to a saving grace. The best part of this track is when it stops in the middle and you think it's done before the torture continues on once more. Seriously, stop hoping for something good on this maxi-single because you will find none.
You say I'm being unfairly one sided, focusing only on Ruki's faults and calling this maxi shitty? Fine, I will level with you - the instrumentation is nowhere near as bad as Ruki but they don't go nearly as far as they need to to overcome the suck. They don't even scratch the upper surface of fail. Sure, they're interesting in the fact that they try and incorporate elements that don't usually find their way into music, Reita tries to do something with his damn instrument other than strum idiotically and Yune's drum lines aren't half as stale as Kai's on The Invisible Wall but it all comes out as something quirky but in need of a good vocalist to push it above the heap of other crappy VisKei bands out there.
Sorry that was redundant.
But they don't have one. They have...Ruki. Seven years later and he has come a long way but this is still.... inexplicably and unforgiveably bad. Everything here is guaranteed to scar your eardrums and skew your views of music. Do yourself a favor and pass this, even if you are an avid fan of The GazettE.
Score: 21%
I thought I told you to look no further? Shit, well since you read on anyway I should formulate a sentence or two. It's only customary that I give every album and single, no matter how shitty it may be, the space in the post alloted to them to expose their flaws, parade them in public and then whip them to death.
Just to let you know, at the end of this entire album my brain was screaming in pain because it appears there was a mass genocide of brain cells in my cerebellum.
For a change of pace, let's start with the vocalist. Ruki, shut the fuck up and go back to playing the goddamn drums. For fuck's sake you sound ghastly on every single offering here! I can't even call one of these tracks because you...DO something with your voice! Do you even hear yourself when you fucking sing? I tried covering the first song and I just couldn't because my larynx doesn't reach into the lower register of fail. Who told you you could sing?
Some people just aren't meant to sing. Just take a look at the American pop-punk scene, with their whiny, nasally, over the top voices! Now we know where Ruki gets his sonic inspiration from.
Perhaps the best example of this said "singing" I can give you is the second track, Juunanasai. It's supposed to be about the musings of some lonely baby mama getting left by her ever so altruistic boyfriend but it starts out sounding like the boys gathered in the warehouse and the downtown train passed by in the first few seconds of this song. Granted, this has nothing to do with the singing but the either accidental or purposeful sound of a train passing is more pleasing to my ears than Ruki's voice. When there has to be three Ruki's going on at any one time in the background in order for him to get close to "on pitch", we have a huge problem. What is even worse is when he tries that distortion at 4:00, he sounds like a girl trying to orgasm and having the track sound like it's stuck prolongs my punishment. The atrocious falsetto at 2:54 and the fucktarded mumbling at around 5:30 are other things Ruki tries to do to alleviate the constant barrage of one-sided suck but when the track runs on for over seven minutes and his fingernails-on-the-chalkboard voice is blasting into my ears at every moment (and I MEAN every moment) I don't want to listen. Hell, even when you THINK he's gone he's not because he comes right back! There is no solo and when you think the song is fading out he returns with his annoying nasally vocals and tries to a cappella the ending before the uptown train comes back.
Kantou Dogeza Kumiai is undescribable in just how bad it is. Yesterday's review was a trip through the positive side of weird music. This is a crash course in the polar opposite. The instruments here sound horrible and this comes off as the last few minutes of a rehearsal meeting a binge party. Lobotomized Ruki turns into tortured Ruki over the course as he somehow turned the dials and created a new brand of annoying vocals. His stupid vomit grunts, retarded giggles, gargled spit, horrible vocals and whatever the fuck else he does kills any credit the track may have had and to be frank this isn't the worst thing of this track vocally. Just wait until the last 30 seconds...
Doro Darake no Seishun is supposed to be the "single" here and with it's Addam's family inspired bass and ill-fitting digital effects at the end it straddles the line between suck and suck. If you need a Star Trek reference, this would be Deep Space Nine while Juunanasai would be The Original Series and Kantou Dogeza Kumiai would be Enterprise. The second here might grow on you over time just because it's charming in the instrumental department but the third is just a disgrace to music and the first is positively boring to sit through. For fuck's sake this doesn't even have anything to do with the title (which talks about teachers and their inherent pedophilia - HELLO PEDOBEAR!). Honestly, I don't give a damn what the hell Ruki is screaming about in his torture because there's nothing of "A-side value" in this track and it sounds just as bad as the first two I mentioned. Sure, the bass stole a few notes from a popular 60's show and the ending sounds like my clogged tub drain but this doesn't come close to a saving grace. The best part of this track is when it stops in the middle and you think it's done before the torture continues on once more. Seriously, stop hoping for something good on this maxi-single because you will find none.
You say I'm being unfairly one sided, focusing only on Ruki's faults and calling this maxi shitty? Fine, I will level with you - the instrumentation is nowhere near as bad as Ruki but they don't go nearly as far as they need to to overcome the suck. They don't even scratch the upper surface of fail. Sure, they're interesting in the fact that they try and incorporate elements that don't usually find their way into music, Reita tries to do something with his damn instrument other than strum idiotically and Yune's drum lines aren't half as stale as Kai's on The Invisible Wall but it all comes out as something quirky but in need of a good vocalist to push it above the heap of other crappy VisKei bands out there.
Sorry that was redundant.
But they don't have one. They have...Ruki. Seven years later and he has come a long way but this is still.... inexplicably and unforgiveably bad. Everything here is guaranteed to scar your eardrums and skew your views of music. Do yourself a favor and pass this, even if you are an avid fan of The GazettE.
Score: 21%
Monday, August 10, 2009
Review: The GazettE - STACKED RUBBISH
Alright, it's about time I bounced back from this momentary pause and started looking at music once again. Although it would be "the honorable thing to do" to review Versailles music today I can't at the moment so I'm going to take a freebie today and stab STACKED RUBBISH over and over again until it falls over. Consider this a release of my latent anger.
- "Art Drawn By Vomit" – 1:49
- "Agony" – 4:15
- Hyena" – 4:16
- "Burial Applicant" – 4:27
- "Ganges ni Akai Bara" (ガンジスに紅い薔薇) – 4:08
- "Regret" – 4:30
- "Calm Envy" – 6:05
- "Swallowtail on the Death Valley" – 4:06
- "Mob 136 Bars" – 2:39
- "Gentle Lie" – 3:53
- Filth in the Beauty" – 4:11
- "Circle of Swindler" – 2:58
- "Chizuru" (千鶴) – 5:47
- "People Error" – 2:58
Art Drawn by Vomit - F
I want to scream at the title track right now. Art Drawn by Vomit is a horrible 1:49 full of bad English, overused female vocals and clips of all the songs that are coming up on the album. At no point is this track rewarding. I would categorize this alongside -------- as one of the worst introductions I have ever heard. Skip.
Agony - D
Not as bad as the previous track, but still pretty atrocious. Agony is supposed to be a stripped-down Linkin Park clone, laden with more cases of bad Engrish and lazy instrumentation. What makes this song worse is that it sounds so empty and hollow as if it were a last minute addition to the tracklist. There is an abuse of turntables and a guitar lick in the background that becomes very repetitive over the pentatonic bass and the standard drumming. Nowhere in this song does Agony take a turn from the hip-hop/rock infusion that was done badly - so badly that you actually might laugh at The GazettE's attempt at being serious. Skip.
Hyena - B
Hyena actually has some energy to it but I expect nothing less from an A-side I heard and liked already. It flows nicely from the last track and when it launches into the screaming verses you forget all about the first two tracks. The switch at the chorus sounds natural and is a nice switch from the screaming Ruki that we heard earlier on in the track but the repetitive structure wears on my ears with continuous listens. The first two tracks should have been skipped and the album should have started with Hyena.
Burial Applicant - A-
Finally, a real song that doesn't suck. The beginning has some atrocious hip-hop elements that song could have done without, some passages sound like Repetition of Hatred, and the ending is a bit rough but overall Burial Applicant feels like the "start" of STACKED RUBBISH as a song. Burial Applicant feels a lot like Hyena in structure and especially in the switch from the verse to the chorus but I don't mind this. I say this this early on because I know that later on in the album you will be wishing some tracks sounded as good as this one.
Ganges ni Akai Bara - C
It does not feel right coming after Burial Applicant. In fact, Ganges ni Akai Bara doesn't feel right anywhere on this album. The former track has this melancholy atmosphere surrounding it and contrary to almost every other song on here "Ganges" feels needlessly upbeat. I would say Reita has a "bass solo" but it's so badly done I don't even want to mention it. Also, by the end of the song, all the Ruki parts become overwhelming and it's too much to enjoy. It's obviously a rehash of the abomination that was on NIL and even though it is done better here, poor placement and poor song choice delegate this to "mediocre" land.
Regret - C
Once again, senselessly upbeat but at least the two upbeat songs are stuck together to create a portion of suck instead of dispersing the suck throughout the CD. Regret is not a ballad or a rougher number so classifying this genre-wise is tricky. What this song does embody is a feeling of "playing it safe". All the instruments come together nicely, Ruki's voice sits atop them and belts his notes well, and the production is nice and crisp but it's all too damn standard. None of the members try to take a turn and do something unexpected and at the end of the day Regret comes off boring.
Calm Envy - C-
The first "ballad" of the album, Calm Envy is a stereotypical Visual Kei ballad. That is intended to be an insult by the way because The GazettE is capable of creating intense, drawing ballads and I do not feel anything from Calm Envy. Looks like even their forte was fucked up on this album. Add the obnoxious female vocals that do NOT need to be in this song and come in every three fucking seconds, a weak chorus that has no energy injected into it, and the solo that grabs my attention halfway into the song, and you have a weak excuse for a ballad on this album. After the solo things start to pick up a little because Ruki doesn't take a stereotypical, formulaic approach to the ending lines and there's a second solo leading out. Even though BOTH solos don't fit I will just pretend the first three minutes did not exist and that the last three minutes of Calm Envy is all we need to hear.
Swallowtail on the Death Valley - C-
No....no no. Night of pussy? The WORST example of overuse of female backvocals on the album thrown in without any thought whatsoever? Swallowtail here had the capability of being a catchy number but the obnoxious vocals every three seconds makes it very difficult for me to enjoy. Ruki also tries to sound sexy and isn't completely successful at what it is he does. Add that in with a song that doesn't fit coming after Calm Envy and we have a song that was actually overthought. If the extra elements are cut out and the track order was rearranged somewhat, I think I could grow to like this song more. I actually want to like this song but there are so many elements in this song that make me dislike it I have to leave it with a C- and move on.
MOB 136 BARS - D-
Does the suck not stop? Ruki's screaming sounds like someone shoved a drill in his ass set to hyperspeed and the instrumentation is just a riff-fest of suck. Drums are loud, bass is lazy, structure is redundant at best. What 136 comes off as is a bad attempt at trying to be American rock instead of Gazerock. This definitely does not belong here in between two softer tracks and it's inclusion just sounds awful. There is no getting used to this wall of noise in any way whatsoever. Skip.
Gentle Lie - B+
Finally, this musical schizophrenia pops out something halfway listenable! Gentle Lie is quite the entertaining track, even if it isn't typical GazettE. On this album, I will take anything that is performed well and although Gentle Lie is jarring coming after the screaming 136 we just sat through it manages to take the listener in a different direction. There are no annoying female vocals to deal with and Ruki delivers his lyrics well. The whole "no no no" thing he does sounds better when it's three of him and not three digitized women. The structure of the song is also fluid and there isn't one part that I can complain about. I am not a fan of this song in the slightest but I do have to acknowledge when The GazettE does something right.
Filth in the Beauty - A-
It's a love-or-hate deal and I am a fan of this track. Filth in the Beauty is such a departure from everything else we have heard so far and that makes this track better. It's the first time we were subjected to such monstrous amounts of female backvocals but what makes this song tolerable in my book is that the ladies actually sing their own lines and don't parrot Ruki, which is what really grinds my gears with a lot of the songs above. The whole solo section to screamy part is done well and the entire message - incest fyi - is just wrapped up so well that this refreshing song is a good reward for anyone who managed to sit through this album long enough to get to this point.
Circle of Swindler - B-
It's in the same vein of MOB 136 BARS but listenable. Circle of Swindler channels some aspects of American rock with Ruki's vocals completely in English and a rhythm section that sprints flawlessly. The solo at 1:12 is pretty good and that is followed by a quick bass solo before they jump back into it all. I would usually categorize this as "not the best here" but it IS the one of best here so just imagine how bad the rest of this album is. Circle of Swindler takes some getting used to and in this album of many different, clashing melodies this might be a song that fans of the harder side of The GazettE can appreciate amidst all this chaos.
Chizuru - A-
It's another ballad but I find this one more entertaining than Calm Envy. There was something about the former track that upset me. I am not sure if it was the guitar lines, the constant female vocals, or the lack of a tangible atmosphere. What that track got wrong is what Chizuru got right. The female backvocals are set perfectly in the mix and they add a haunting dimension without having to repeat what has already been said in a copycat way. The bass and the electronic distortion work together in the beginning of the song to create a dark, sorrowful tone and halfway in The GazettE manages to change pace without leaving behind the atmosphere too much. Chizuru moves inbetween two atmospheres very well and makes for an interesting listen hat doesn't take half of the track's lifespan to produce. I lower the rating of this track because it was re-recorded and the original on the Hyena single was superior due to the fact that the muddy bass was working in favor of the track's darkness.
People Error - B
*obviously inspired by Shinsou*
With that aside, People Error is pretty nice but it doesn't belong at the end of the album. In a way, it does belong at the end of the album but Chizuru was strong enough to end the album on it's own. People Error should have replaced Art Drawn by Vomit as the opening to this album because that would have been preferrable to....whatever the hell the intro track was. I hope having a pure piano instrumental ending does not become another staple Visual Kei trick because it seems almost every band wants to do a variation of it (Dir en grey, The GazettE, Nega, etc.) but here it's the nice, unpredictable way to end the album off.
So this is the eponymous STACKED RUBBISH for you. It starts off like a mess, gets decent around track four and then plummets like a rock until it gets to track 10. After track 10, the album becomes alright in my opinion but having a 14 track album go down this hard is a terrible waste of time, money, and talent. DIM is a complete turnaround from this.
What STACKED RUBBISH suffers from is incoherency. Some tracks are shoved onto the album almost at random and don't work where they are placed. Other tracks try to incorporate too many elements into it and instead of coming off as something fresh it ends up confused and over-saturated. Other tracks just plain suck and don't belong on this album. The worst stab that makes STACKED RUBBISH an epic failure is that there is no central "theme". These "theme" can just be in tone. DIM has a theme of "darkness" and NIL has a theme of "loneliness". STACKED RUBBISH feels like two EP's jammed together and constantly fights with itself as to what it wants to do.
At the end of the album, all it makes me want to do is not listen anymore.
Recommended:
Burial Applicant
Score: 39%
I want to scream at the title track right now. Art Drawn by Vomit is a horrible 1:49 full of bad English, overused female vocals and clips of all the songs that are coming up on the album. At no point is this track rewarding. I would categorize this alongside -------- as one of the worst introductions I have ever heard. Skip.
Agony - D
Not as bad as the previous track, but still pretty atrocious. Agony is supposed to be a stripped-down Linkin Park clone, laden with more cases of bad Engrish and lazy instrumentation. What makes this song worse is that it sounds so empty and hollow as if it were a last minute addition to the tracklist. There is an abuse of turntables and a guitar lick in the background that becomes very repetitive over the pentatonic bass and the standard drumming. Nowhere in this song does Agony take a turn from the hip-hop/rock infusion that was done badly - so badly that you actually might laugh at The GazettE's attempt at being serious. Skip.
Hyena - B
Hyena actually has some energy to it but I expect nothing less from an A-side I heard and liked already. It flows nicely from the last track and when it launches into the screaming verses you forget all about the first two tracks. The switch at the chorus sounds natural and is a nice switch from the screaming Ruki that we heard earlier on in the track but the repetitive structure wears on my ears with continuous listens. The first two tracks should have been skipped and the album should have started with Hyena.
Burial Applicant - A-
Finally, a real song that doesn't suck. The beginning has some atrocious hip-hop elements that song could have done without, some passages sound like Repetition of Hatred, and the ending is a bit rough but overall Burial Applicant feels like the "start" of STACKED RUBBISH as a song. Burial Applicant feels a lot like Hyena in structure and especially in the switch from the verse to the chorus but I don't mind this. I say this this early on because I know that later on in the album you will be wishing some tracks sounded as good as this one.
Ganges ni Akai Bara - C
It does not feel right coming after Burial Applicant. In fact, Ganges ni Akai Bara doesn't feel right anywhere on this album. The former track has this melancholy atmosphere surrounding it and contrary to almost every other song on here "Ganges" feels needlessly upbeat. I would say Reita has a "bass solo" but it's so badly done I don't even want to mention it. Also, by the end of the song, all the Ruki parts become overwhelming and it's too much to enjoy. It's obviously a rehash of the abomination that was on NIL and even though it is done better here, poor placement and poor song choice delegate this to "mediocre" land.
Regret - C
Once again, senselessly upbeat but at least the two upbeat songs are stuck together to create a portion of suck instead of dispersing the suck throughout the CD. Regret is not a ballad or a rougher number so classifying this genre-wise is tricky. What this song does embody is a feeling of "playing it safe". All the instruments come together nicely, Ruki's voice sits atop them and belts his notes well, and the production is nice and crisp but it's all too damn standard. None of the members try to take a turn and do something unexpected and at the end of the day Regret comes off boring.
Calm Envy - C-
The first "ballad" of the album, Calm Envy is a stereotypical Visual Kei ballad. That is intended to be an insult by the way because The GazettE is capable of creating intense, drawing ballads and I do not feel anything from Calm Envy. Looks like even their forte was fucked up on this album. Add the obnoxious female vocals that do NOT need to be in this song and come in every three fucking seconds, a weak chorus that has no energy injected into it, and the solo that grabs my attention halfway into the song, and you have a weak excuse for a ballad on this album. After the solo things start to pick up a little because Ruki doesn't take a stereotypical, formulaic approach to the ending lines and there's a second solo leading out. Even though BOTH solos don't fit I will just pretend the first three minutes did not exist and that the last three minutes of Calm Envy is all we need to hear.
Swallowtail on the Death Valley - C-
No....no no. Night of pussy? The WORST example of overuse of female backvocals on the album thrown in without any thought whatsoever? Swallowtail here had the capability of being a catchy number but the obnoxious vocals every three seconds makes it very difficult for me to enjoy. Ruki also tries to sound sexy and isn't completely successful at what it is he does. Add that in with a song that doesn't fit coming after Calm Envy and we have a song that was actually overthought. If the extra elements are cut out and the track order was rearranged somewhat, I think I could grow to like this song more. I actually want to like this song but there are so many elements in this song that make me dislike it I have to leave it with a C- and move on.
MOB 136 BARS - D-
Does the suck not stop? Ruki's screaming sounds like someone shoved a drill in his ass set to hyperspeed and the instrumentation is just a riff-fest of suck. Drums are loud, bass is lazy, structure is redundant at best. What 136 comes off as is a bad attempt at trying to be American rock instead of Gazerock. This definitely does not belong here in between two softer tracks and it's inclusion just sounds awful. There is no getting used to this wall of noise in any way whatsoever. Skip.
Gentle Lie - B+
Finally, this musical schizophrenia pops out something halfway listenable! Gentle Lie is quite the entertaining track, even if it isn't typical GazettE. On this album, I will take anything that is performed well and although Gentle Lie is jarring coming after the screaming 136 we just sat through it manages to take the listener in a different direction. There are no annoying female vocals to deal with and Ruki delivers his lyrics well. The whole "no no no" thing he does sounds better when it's three of him and not three digitized women. The structure of the song is also fluid and there isn't one part that I can complain about. I am not a fan of this song in the slightest but I do have to acknowledge when The GazettE does something right.
Filth in the Beauty - A-
It's a love-or-hate deal and I am a fan of this track. Filth in the Beauty is such a departure from everything else we have heard so far and that makes this track better. It's the first time we were subjected to such monstrous amounts of female backvocals but what makes this song tolerable in my book is that the ladies actually sing their own lines and don't parrot Ruki, which is what really grinds my gears with a lot of the songs above. The whole solo section to screamy part is done well and the entire message - incest fyi - is just wrapped up so well that this refreshing song is a good reward for anyone who managed to sit through this album long enough to get to this point.
Circle of Swindler - B-
It's in the same vein of MOB 136 BARS but listenable. Circle of Swindler channels some aspects of American rock with Ruki's vocals completely in English and a rhythm section that sprints flawlessly. The solo at 1:12 is pretty good and that is followed by a quick bass solo before they jump back into it all. I would usually categorize this as "not the best here" but it IS the one of best here so just imagine how bad the rest of this album is. Circle of Swindler takes some getting used to and in this album of many different, clashing melodies this might be a song that fans of the harder side of The GazettE can appreciate amidst all this chaos.
Chizuru - A-
It's another ballad but I find this one more entertaining than Calm Envy. There was something about the former track that upset me. I am not sure if it was the guitar lines, the constant female vocals, or the lack of a tangible atmosphere. What that track got wrong is what Chizuru got right. The female backvocals are set perfectly in the mix and they add a haunting dimension without having to repeat what has already been said in a copycat way. The bass and the electronic distortion work together in the beginning of the song to create a dark, sorrowful tone and halfway in The GazettE manages to change pace without leaving behind the atmosphere too much. Chizuru moves inbetween two atmospheres very well and makes for an interesting listen hat doesn't take half of the track's lifespan to produce. I lower the rating of this track because it was re-recorded and the original on the Hyena single was superior due to the fact that the muddy bass was working in favor of the track's darkness.
People Error - B
*obviously inspired by Shinsou*
With that aside, People Error is pretty nice but it doesn't belong at the end of the album. In a way, it does belong at the end of the album but Chizuru was strong enough to end the album on it's own. People Error should have replaced Art Drawn by Vomit as the opening to this album because that would have been preferrable to....whatever the hell the intro track was. I hope having a pure piano instrumental ending does not become another staple Visual Kei trick because it seems almost every band wants to do a variation of it (Dir en grey, The GazettE, Nega, etc.) but here it's the nice, unpredictable way to end the album off.
So this is the eponymous STACKED RUBBISH for you. It starts off like a mess, gets decent around track four and then plummets like a rock until it gets to track 10. After track 10, the album becomes alright in my opinion but having a 14 track album go down this hard is a terrible waste of time, money, and talent. DIM is a complete turnaround from this.
What STACKED RUBBISH suffers from is incoherency. Some tracks are shoved onto the album almost at random and don't work where they are placed. Other tracks try to incorporate too many elements into it and instead of coming off as something fresh it ends up confused and over-saturated. Other tracks just plain suck and don't belong on this album. The worst stab that makes STACKED RUBBISH an epic failure is that there is no central "theme". These "theme" can just be in tone. DIM has a theme of "darkness" and NIL has a theme of "loneliness". STACKED RUBBISH feels like two EP's jammed together and constantly fights with itself as to what it wants to do.
At the end of the album, all it makes me want to do is not listen anymore.
Recommended:
Burial Applicant
Score: 39%
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Review: The GazettE - REGRET
These are the kinds of singles that cement in my mind the reasons why people laugh at Japanese Rock music. Sure, you can tune them out with similarly crappy songs that stroke their love muscle, but when the day is done there are shitty bands and shitty songs in every genre of music.
This happens to be one of them.
01. Regret
02. Psychedelic Heroine
03. Worthless War
This happens to be one of them.
01. Regret
02. Psychedelic Heroine
03. Worthless War
Regret is not a ballad or a rougher number so classifying this genre-wise is tricky. What this song does embody is a feeling of "playing it safe". All the instruments come together nicely, Ruki's voice sits atop them and belts his notes well, and the production is nice and crisp but it's all too damn standard. None of the members try to take a turn and do something unexpected and it turns a "Gazerock" track into a radio-friendly hit. I don't listen to alternate genres of music for something I can hear on the radio. The radio sucks.
At the end of the day Regret comes off boring.
Psychedelic Heroine tries to infuse some disco and punk into The GazettE's rock soul but the quick pace hurts the guitars as they struggle to keep up with Ruki and the rhythm section. Thankfully, the rhythm section is just as audible as the leads and that allows Psychedelic Heroine to turn around at the chorus. From there the song is solid straight up to the end, where one guitar strums some chords before another one comes in. It's a better addition than a 24 second fade. Ruki's vocals are quick and loud but the female backvocals are overused (like usual). I like the amount of experimentation this track uses. It's something Regret needs.
Best song here.
Worthless War starts off with a bang but gets repetitive quickly. It's the whole "soft intro, hard song" formula. While the oriental-inspired beginning is creative, it gives way to a heavy portion that sounds too familiar. Ruki's lyrics are about war, but he repeats his verses twice which makes the song less interesting. The chorus is underinspiring at best and gives way to a short solo that's cool but can't save this song. Another problem with this song is that it doesn't fit on this single. Both of the tracks that preceded it were upbeat numbers and this tries to rear it's head and be dark. That attitude does not work here. As a standalone song it's decent but in the context of this single I would suggest you just end at Psychedelic Heroine.
Recommended:
As a matter of fact, all I recommend is the second track. The first is safe and the third is overshadowed by The GazettE songs that tried that formula and did it better (Akai One Piece, Anti Pop, Crucify Sorrow).
Score: 47%
At the end of the day Regret comes off boring.
Psychedelic Heroine tries to infuse some disco and punk into The GazettE's rock soul but the quick pace hurts the guitars as they struggle to keep up with Ruki and the rhythm section. Thankfully, the rhythm section is just as audible as the leads and that allows Psychedelic Heroine to turn around at the chorus. From there the song is solid straight up to the end, where one guitar strums some chords before another one comes in. It's a better addition than a 24 second fade. Ruki's vocals are quick and loud but the female backvocals are overused (like usual). I like the amount of experimentation this track uses. It's something Regret needs.
Best song here.
Worthless War starts off with a bang but gets repetitive quickly. It's the whole "soft intro, hard song" formula. While the oriental-inspired beginning is creative, it gives way to a heavy portion that sounds too familiar. Ruki's lyrics are about war, but he repeats his verses twice which makes the song less interesting. The chorus is underinspiring at best and gives way to a short solo that's cool but can't save this song. Another problem with this song is that it doesn't fit on this single. Both of the tracks that preceded it were upbeat numbers and this tries to rear it's head and be dark. That attitude does not work here. As a standalone song it's decent but in the context of this single I would suggest you just end at Psychedelic Heroine.
Recommended:
As a matter of fact, all I recommend is the second track. The first is safe and the third is overshadowed by The GazettE songs that tried that formula and did it better (Akai One Piece, Anti Pop, Crucify Sorrow).
Score: 47%
Monday, July 13, 2009
Review: The GazettE - DIM
I'll level with you right now: I was having doubts about this album. If DIM came out anything like Stacked Rubbish or Disorder I was contemplating dropping these guys by the wayside and finding a new band to listen to. But, if it came out to be another NIL I think I would stomach these guys for a bit longer because NIL had some decent passages at least.
DIM is the best damn album they've ever released.
Hakuri
This is an obvious rip-off of Dir en grey’s Sa Bir opening, except it isn’t as good. There are passages of the looped double dropped bass that I would swear got lifted right out of that SE and then there are parts that have a bit more instrumentation than Sa Bir. With all that being said, and shoving aside the obvious, Hakuri is creepy and very effective at what it is it tries to do. Sadly, the best instrumental here is the one they didn’t create on their own. 6/10
THE INVISIBLE WALL
The main fault in this track lies in the drums and the bass. The nature of THE INVISIBLE WALL relies on the support of the bass and drums to flesh out the quieter, more emotional parts. However, Kai’s drumming is static as hell and during those passages where he gets to show off he doesn’t do anything other than the general rolls. At that point he could have added some flavor to the track but he plays so monotone it renders a thoughtful and risky addition to the track rather mundane and unneeded. The bass is plain inaudible throughout most of the track and I actually had to turn up the equalizer to hear Reita. As soon as I did however, I turned the equalizer right off. Those lines aren’t very creative and the omission of said instrument makes this track a lot better. Now, having stated how much of a guitar-driven track THE INVISIBLE WALL is, I absolutely must comment on them further. When I first saw the preview I was taken aback by the sudden introduction of the guitars. It comes in uncharacteristically hard and then moves into this piece for which classification eludes me. Uruha and Aoi’s playing are the polar opposite of Reita and Kai’s and those two work together as a team to create the rough, tumbling melody that goes throughout the song. The electronic effect that underlines the two of them complements them and sounds thought out and not added as an after-thought. Finally, Ruki’s singing has improved greatly over his last effort even though he can still improve a lot more. The vocal variation on this track is also worth a mention. Even though I can tell he overlapped his whispering with his singing the variation is pleasant to listen to. The chorus is far and away the best and most memorable part of the track thanks to Ruki’s vocals, and when Ruki’s voice is the most memorable thing on the track you can tell something is amiss. Overall, I can enjoy this track but it could have been a lot better. 7/10
A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN
The hip-hop influences are back a bit and Reita’s bass is the dominant instrument in this track. More interesting bass lines and drum work are put down in this track which is great but the guitars still steal the show. Ruki’s singing isn’t as memorable as the last track but it’s no less creative. He’s pulling out all the stops with the singing, grunting, whispering, and digitized voice wreaking havoc over the 2:58 this track occupies. The vocal overlaying in the chorus could have been a bit stronger if they weren’t so damn annoying but it comes off as stronger than Ruki just using his regular singing voice because it provides substance. I can’t help but think that the ending could have been a bit stronger and that the fade out doesn’t do it justice. Not as fantastic as the last track but it still works. 7/10
LEECH
Oh my fucking god they re-recorded this track and it shows. The bass and drums are obviously louder and the vocals have been redone, for the better in some parts and for the worse in others. For the most part, the vocal work has improved vastly, although somehow the female vocals have gone from tolerable to annoying. Two notable things about Ruki’s vocals: one is his singing has been set upon each other in parts so it sounds like he’s dueting with himself so it gives some substance to the track that is always welcome. The second is that the random screams that were in the original have been delegated to one earphone and lowered somewhat which makes them sound a lot better. The guitars were deepened in sound but lightened in terms of the placement on the track, and the part where it’s most noticeable is when it slows down and you have a third guitar line weaving in and out under the two guitarists. On the single it’s barely noticeable but on the album you can sense it more and the punch it gives is more effective. This re-recording and re-mastering works and makes an already favorite track of mine even better. 9/10
Nakigahara
I feared a slow, boring, and drawn out ballad with this one. That is not the case. I would classify this as a mid-tempo song and from the start I was drawn into the song fully. The intro itself is a sort of musical electronic ambient piece with what sounds like a beating heart but it’s so short and moves so quickly into the music that I can’t really tell. Cleverly placed drum blasts, a thick, layered bass, and guitars that complement each other over electronic effects fully mark just one highlight of this track. The electronic effects in particular remind me greatly of those used in Hana no Sakanai Machi by exist trace. Nakigahara’s transitions are smooth and solid. This track also features more female vocals but they mesh better and aren’t as annoying. Speaking of vocals, they are excellent in this song and Ruki doesn’t use as many effects on his voice. His singing once again, varies from projection to spoken words to muffled, demented sobbing, which is a nice change from the incessant screaming that plagued most of Stacked Rubbish. You can sense an obvious improvement in his voice near the end of the song, when the band fades away but he’s still singing at normal volume, eventually going at it a capella. Not only does it provide a unique end to the song but it manages to keep such an intense piece from ending without a feeling of accidental abruptness. I say “accidental” because the ending is obviously intentional and works perfectly for such a musically upsetting track. I would bet anything this track would be even better live. This is definitely a front-runner for best song on the album and blows away everything on Stacked Rubbish for sure. 10/10
Erika
I don’t know what the name ERIKA has to do with anything but it’s a short SE that’s very dull and repetitive. It probably ties into the former track lyrically but I could go without it. I wish they didn’t include this. Skip. 1/10
HEADACHE MAN
I wasn’t too fond of this track when it was featured on the Distress and Coma single to begin with but I figured a re-recording of this track couldn’t hurt. The part that I still believe should be the chorus worked better on the single version but the mastering of the instruments sounds tighter and more cohesive. The drums in particular stand out more and I’m beginning to notice the patterns a bit better, which make me like the song a little more. I still am not a fan of the retarded lyrics in the chorus though. Overall though, the re-recording doesn’t add much more than the original had (I will add that the ending ad-libs and distorted voices are louder on this version...DOES SHE SAY OH YEAH MAN at the end of the song?) other than it being deeper in nature. It still gets the same basic score just tweaked a bit higher due to the pretty retouches. 5/10
Guren
I am more impressed with the re-recording of Guren than I am with the re-recording of Leech. On the original, I bashed the instrumental work of the track because I said it was generic and uninteresting. I’ll correct that statement now: the mastering on the original track was horrible. Due to the bad balance of instruments, the song came off more delicate than it should have. This made the guitars seem rough and alien and hid all the touches that the band put into the track. On the re-recording however, everything was re-done and for the better. Right out from the beginning, whatever those sounds were are louder and crisper, immediately drawing the listener in. The acoustic guitars sprinkled throughout are sharper and the two guitars don’t dominate the speakers and drown out everyone else. I think the tuning on the guitars were also changed which has the greatest impact right before the solo, where the transition isn’t as rough and edgy. The violins stand out more and even the bass sounds crisper and cleaner, both lending more substance to the track. This creates a stronger framework for Ruki’s voice to expound upon, which also sounds better than on the single (there's even a spoken part in here that wasn't on the single version). Thus, everything that I bashed the single for getting wrong the album does right. Combine the much improved instrumentals with the disturbing and poignant lyrics (it’s about a miscarriage and how women in Japan should start valuing their children more) and you have a song that can be considered one of the GazettE’s best ballads. A definite must-listen on this albums and fans of the original recording will find this one superior in every fashion. 10/10
Shikyuu
Sounds like a dying kitty. The only reason why I’ll give this one a slightly higher score than Erika is that it has a purpose in being on the album. I just told you Guren was a song about a miscarriage, and there’s a screaming baby going off in the background. Put two and two together. Still, it’s a creepy instrumental that cuts off abruptly that I would suggest skipping. 2/10
13STAIRS［-］1
One of the more creative heavy numbers on DIM. It starts off with this dark, ambient opening broken by Uruha’s clean guitar over the distorted background. Reita’s bass dominates this track and although his lines are simple they’re brutal and effective. It’s Ruki, however, that captivates my attention most of all. His clean voice sings for a minute and then holds out some notes before the distortion clears up and the song becomes driven from there. This is the darkest song on the album from a musical perspective, and I really want the lyrics to this album so I can figure out what it’s about because the title intrigues me. The contrast between the distortion and the clean, the soft and the hard, and the calm beginning of the song juxtaposed with the schizophrenic chorus of screaming, yelling and growling creates the definitive metal monster on this album. The last minute or so, where the band members speed up and create tension is topped with a Ruki arguing with what sounds like himself and everyone else. It almost sounds like the inside of an insane person’s mind, and it all peters off into distortion. Different and welcome in my ears and the simplistic but driven drum beats on this track are listenable. I feel that if Kai went wild here it would have ruined the tone of the song. HEADACHE MAN has nothing on this. 9/10
DISTRESS AND COMA
It’s no less brilliant than it was on the single, which the violins in the background being slightly louder and the track being deeper as a whole. Judging it based on the track the re-mastering was unneeded but in the context of the entire album it meshes better. I personally prefer the original to this because the heaviness isn’t as characteristic but it’s not that big of a deal. My initial complaints on the single version still stand but overall it’s still an excellent song. 9/10
Kanshoku
Boring. Directionless. Uncreative. Skip. 2/10
Shiroki Yuutsu
This song has some clapping for the first portion of the track and although I didn’t notice it the first time the transition between the clapping and Kai’s intro is subtle. The clapping and the drum work alternate throughout the track. There are more violins, nice guitar, and beautiful singing laced throughout the whole track. They complement each other beautifully but there’s a little something missing that would push this track over the edge. All in all, I just find this song to play it a little safe and take fewer risks than it should, but it sounds beautiful. I believe the title translates as “White Melancholy” so even though the sounds are musically lighter it’s most likely just as depressing as the rest of this album. It’s a nice way to change the pace of the album somewhat. 8/10
IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
This definitely changes the pace of the album a lot but it doesn’t fit in as well. The beginning part of the album sounded like a plunge into despair and then you have this rocker with English lyrics that isn’t as heavy or downbeat. It would have worked a lot better if it were placed earlier on. I also love the racing guitar lines that bring to mind some of The GazettE’s more accessible tunes mixed with some Western influence, and the guitar solo is reminiscent of CIRCLE OF SWINDLER. I don’t mind Western influence much in Japanese music as long as it’s incorporated well, and it’s used to great effect there. The omission of female vocals on this track is also glaring, because if this were a track placed on Stacked Rubbish I could pick out all the places they would have thrown in some voices. That makes this track sound a lot better knowing that it could have came out sounding like Swallowtail on the Death Valley. For what it is it’s nice but once again, it would mesh more if it came earlier. 8/10
Mourou
Skip. 1/10
OGRE
This is the DISCHARGE of DIM in more ways than one (disgusting sexual pun intended). Musically, this song sounds like a wall of noise but it lacks the attitude of DISCHARGE. It’s got slower passages, roaring riffs, sections that hit you like wrecking balls and short guitar licks that don’t really click the way they should. Ruki’s voice is also pretty suckish in this one. He goes from sounding like a dying old man to constipated grunts with very little singing in here at all. This would work better live. I really want the lyrics to this song because that might sway my opinion somewhat but overall OGRE is underwhelming. 5/10
DIM SCENE
I was definitely happy when I saw that DIM SCENE wasn’t another abstractly placed PEOPLE ERROR clone. Sadly, it’s no Taion clone either and I think I would have preferred that to this. DIM SCENE a full blown track and while it doesn’t reach epic it’s solid. It's got violin, drop tuned guitars, and beautiful vocals all working together to produce a musically beautiful track. Once again, just having Ruki sing unaccompanied by the molesting female vocals strengthens the track. The transitions from chorus to verse are standard issue and would have worked better without all the effects and the solo fits perfectly within the track. A nice, pretty ending track but it could have used more emotion, more passion, and more oomph (and less of the lalala at the end). 7/10
So there we have it. It has an absurd amount of instrumentals that aren't needed and a few tracks aren't the greatest but as an album it's the most cohesive and determined effort they have created. It's not drenched in female backvocals and hip hop inspiration like Stacked Rubbish, it isn't as hit or miss as NIL, and it isn't directionless like Disorder. It's not as epic as I wanted it to be but it's better than I expected. It's worth the purchase if you're a GazettE fan and definitely NEEDS to be in your collection.
Download (excluding singles):
- THE INVISIBLE WALL
- Nakigahara
- 13STAIRS[-]1
Rating: 62%
Lyrics (courtesy of Motris from Tainted World)
THE INVISIBLE WALL
Pig that is soaked in soup of crime
It is a pain of the children whom you murdered
Hate yourself
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
gareki no shita de shinjitsu ga no tauchi
mawaru e wa nani yorimo fukai
The invisible wall
kodoku zouo shitto fuan
kyomu ni saita muhyoujou nani yorimo omoi
The invisible wall
sanjou oou fujouri ni omoeta warau aozora
In the maze without an end... ayamachi ni obore
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
tsugunai tsuduke... And die
Pig that is soaked in soup of crime...
In the maze without an end...
「Hate yourself」 ayamachi ni obore
In the maze without an end...
「Hate yourself」 Why do you still breathe?
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
aijou mo shira nu kodoku na PARADE
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
tsugunai tsuduke... And die
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
The product of the sense of beauty
yukashita no High society
sungeki no kyouki wa utsukushii
Abnormal culture = Modern normal
jimetsu teki de utsukushii
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
hidoku kouka na Masquerade
mahi shite yuku kaikan ni oboreru
Abnormal beauty = Modern beauty
biki tsutta emi wa kirei
menomae de temanei te takumi ni hatsu wo maku
Fake ni etsuraku Alcohol ja toke nu ART
hyoumen dakeja Without a doubt
freedom of expression yoku dekiteru
The product of the sense of beauty
Orange no Head
You resemble a butterfly
It is only a pretense
You forget to have been called a moth sometime...
A sense of beauty...
Fake ni etsuraku Alcohol ja toke nu ART
hyoumen dakeja Without a doubt
freedom of expression yoku dekiteru
The product of the sense of beauty
Orange no Head
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
tasha ga tsukutta hyoujou demo
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
yuiitsu no sonzai
yukashita no High society
LEECH
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Marble no kabe wa takaku
doro ni nureteitayo
naguri tsukerareta youna
itami ga ore wo hanasa nee
tairyou ni koboreta Imperfection
kanzen ni nomareta Expression
I who sings black again.
I who dyes black again.
nando mo atama wo tsubusu Insult
Let's send a gallows in the
last scene which you hope for.
Don't hush up a mistake.
Take responsibility.
imada mie nee namegata shire zuno butsu
matowa setanoha subete uwabe dake
uritoba saretano wa shisou no gizou
kori mosezumata yotte koya garu
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your face.
meni utsuru kotae wo egaku
I want to scatter your trick.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your excuse.
kuroki hi wa ima mo ase numama...
A prosecute.
Your luck will run out someday.
Hatred to you is a proper act.
nagareta kekkan to
muhyoujou to muryoku
toki ga boukyaku ni uetemo
wasureru koto wa shinai
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
Let's send a gallows in the
last scene which you hope for.
Don't hush up a mistake.
Take responsibility.
imada mie nee namegata shire zuno butsu
mato waseta no wa subete uwabe dake
uritoba sareta no wa shisou no gizou
kori mosezumata yotte koya garu
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your face.
meni utsuru kotae ga kieru
I want to scatter your trick.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your excuse.
kuroki hi wo houmuru muimi sani
I felt humiliation.
utsukushiki seijaku ga
kanashi geni yureteru
me wo fusagu koto sae tsumi
A prosecute.
Your luck will run out someday.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
NAKIGAHARA
ansoku ni kurueru haru iro
wasurete shimaeru mono naraba
kyuu kai no bi ni ryoume shizume
tada kodoku nanodato waraeru
daisan ni kawareru haru iro
iki hisome nukarumi wo oyogu
bata ashi de oborete yuku sama wa
souzoudoori detsumaranai
genjitsu wo korosu kikite yori
tayasuku kizu wo tsukereta darou
mei wo umete
fuhai shita ne ga minamo yurasu
yugamu youni mawaru haguruma
kishimu naru ni mimi wo katamukeru
kirei ni kurueteru darouka
subete wa kinku no asai umi
asen yakato mimachigaeru hodo kegare
sayounara muhou no yami ni ochiteiku
sayounara korede owari
namida doukoku no ame
kyomu to muki au tabi afure
tsuduru kotoba ga nijimu
namida itsuka wa karere
seijaku ni koro sareru
kage fumi no owari ni chimayoi
fuhai shita ne ga minamo yurasu
yugamu youni mawaru haguruma
kishimu naru ni miwo nage kiduita
sore to nite iru koto ni kiduita
sayounara muhou no yami ni ochiteiku
sayounara korede owari
namida doukoku no ame
kyomu to muki au tabi afure
tsuduru kotoba ga nijimu
namida kodoku to chiru
seijaku ni ikiru nara
nidoto warae nu youni kizan de
anata wo aishita watashi ga iru
anata wo mitsumeta watashi ga iru
anata wo motometa watashi ga iru
anata wo naku shita watashi ga iru
watashi wo aishita anata ga iru
watashi wo mitsumeru anata ga iru
watashi wo kowashita anata ga iru
watashi wo ubatta anata ga iru
watashi wo koroshita anata ga iru
watashi wo furushita anata ga iru
watashi...
HEADACHE MAN
「All is true...and all is a lie...」 Shut up mother fucker.
Get out! Dear dick man!
Show your brain which I cannot understand.
kannon tsura no DAD mousou no kousou tsuneni bousou
Please stop the bad joke.
You are a romancer!
Please do not confuse my band by a lie anymore.
You are too awkward a man.
Leave here before a ditch deepens...
I am a cause of your headache. And this is your song.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Leave here before a ditch deepens.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Hey, stop the bad joke. Get out! Dear dick man!
Show your brain which I cannot understand.
kannon tsura no DAD mousou no kousou tsuneni bousou
Please stop the bad joke.
I am a cause of your headache. And this is your song.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Leave here before a ditch deepens.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Hey, stop the bad joke. Get out! Dear dick man!
「All is true...and all is a lie...」
GUREN
gomen ne ato sukoshi
anata no namae to nemurasete
yorisotta sugi shi hi wa itami wo yorokobi ai
ryoute ni utsushi dasu anata wo omoi naiteiru
soko ni furu kanashimi wa shira nai mamadeiiyo
ansoku ni furue wo oboeta tari nu me wa nani wo miru
usure naide anata yo
wazu kana toiki wo kikasete hoshii
chiisa na kodou de naku
anata yo koko made oide
kawarenai yume ni tsuduki ga arunara
douka togireru zuni...
koufuku to yobe nakutemo
oborete kasa naranu hibi wo
usure naide anata yo
wazu kana toiki wo kikasete hoshii
chiisa na kodou de naku
anata yo koko made oide
「sukui no te saemo aimai de
byou kizami no mayu wa ito wo
chigirezu ni hai ni naru」
[solo]
usure naide anata yo
wazuka na toiki de kii tete hoshii
chiisa na kodou no ne ni kasu renu inori yo todoke
yobe nu namae wo daite
yubiori kazoeru asu wa kienai
mimi wo fusa gi kii teta yurikago yureru oto
tori modose nu haru ni guren no hana ga saku
13STAIRS[-]1
taihai shisou ukiyo hanare no Grave
Discrimination against music
gouhou no 13
The loser who was brain washed
Bullshit
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Rightnow…
In front of me!
You cannot understand my vulgar thought
It is a correct answer
It is your duty to train a slave waving a waist
Rotten buyer
Shame on you!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
In front of me!
Bravely…
Rotten seller
Know yourself!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Before that…
Suck my dick
You cannot understand my vulgar thought
It is a correct answer
It is your duty to train a slave waving a waist
Rotten buyer
Shame on you!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
In front of me!
Bravely…
Rotten seller
Know your self!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Before that…
Suck my dick
The industry has been already over
The red base
All the losers sing a hymn in hell
Enjoy a vulgar play
saa warae tobiorirenu LOOP suushiki ni kuwareta kaku
saa warae madayarerundarou? 13 madeato sukoshi
Can't get back
A loser of the uncontrol lability
Enjoy a vulgar play
Can't get back
DISTRESS AND COMA
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
Hello... dear my bride, nani wo miteiru no
yuka ni chitta chou mo hiroe nu sonomede
wasuretai no wa shiro sugita kutsuu
shinjiteru to ii kikasu kizu wa kienai
odoru odoru nemurasete to odoru yama nu namida
koe wo koroshi yowaku furueru teni kuchibiru wo oto su
Hello... dear my bride, ashimoto wo yaku
miminari nimou chikaduku hitsuyou nado
muishiki ni haita iki ga hada wo sou
kamoku yurasu yaiba ni emi wo...
wasuretai no wa shiro sugita kutsuu
shinjiteru to ii kika su kizu wa kienai
yaseta yume ni same nu ima ga utsuru kanashimi sae
sugao dayoto kotaete kureru nara kizutsuitemo ii
[solo]
wasure naide
itami wo shiru anata ni hikareta koto
koko de oyasumi
odoru odoru nemureru made odoru yamanu namida
nanimo nai to kokoro wo fusagu tobi kare soudato
yaseta yume ni 「mou ichido」 wo utau kanashimi sae
jibun dayoto kotaete kureru nara kizutsuitemo ii
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
owaru hazu no yume ni
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
sayonara ga saiteru
SHIROKI YUU UTSU
kaze ni nabiku DRAPE no mukou
hakujaku na koe ni furueta no wa karada janaku
hajimete ishiki shita 「ushinai」
shimi tsuite hanarenu fuankan
nuguute no atatamori wo wasure sou
shirakabe ga tsure saru anshinkan
shigatsu wa nando mireba owaru
kake chigau dake de konnani tayasuku kuzurete yukeru
sou kuchi ni dasu yorimo moroku
hirari hirari to kanashi geni yureru
kaesu emi ni wa utsura nai
yuu utsu yo doko he
kami shimeru yowasa ga shitta hakana sano imi
ima wa kimi wo mamoru youni daku youni...
kotae ga uso dato itte
warui yume nanoto waratte
[solo]
kake chigau dake de konnani tayasuku kuzurete yukeru
sou kuchi ni dasu yorimo moroku
iki made kizu ni tada kotaeru dake
tsumaru kotoba wo ooi tsukusu
yuu utsu yo doko he
shigami tsuki negatta asu wa imamo saiteru
kimi wo mamoru kano youni
yura yura yura
kaze ni nabiku DRAPE no mukou
hakujaku na koe ni furueta no wa karada janaku
hajimete ishiki shita 「ushinai」
IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
The little freedom which I know
All which I should keep
It may be lost someday
Anyone is the same
I stood in this stage and have noticed it
Am I who sings there truth?
It is wrong! I am here
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
The only means to prove oneself
I have a beloved person and a family
Nothing is different from you
Look as one human being
I have a lot of hateful guys
Nothing is different from you
Look as one human being
Honor and position aren't important
Do you remember it?
It becomes motherfucker
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
The only means to prove oneself
[solo]
The little freedom which I know
The dream which I should keep
It may be lost someday
It may be lost someday
I stood in this stage and have noticed it
Am I who sings there truth?
It is wrong! I am here
No one can be saved with lie
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
To ascertain each other's wound
Let's deliver all of me
A song like misfortune pride
In the middle of chaos
The only means to prove oneself
OGRE
jiga houkai ranyou kakusei fuyuu sakuran Abuse
sogai jihei ken'o yokujou kiben jii seiteki Abuse
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
I-n-f-e-c-t-i-o-n
I-n-f
aizou mugon kyozetsu kairi mutaku jaku ko iki zetsuen
rinbu hakuri kodoku utsu
kagai shisou jakusha no mure
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
God is a liar
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
I-n-f-e-c-t-i-o-n
I-n-f
jiga houkai ranyou kakusei fuyuu sakuran Abuse
sogai jihei ken'o yokujou kiben jii seiteki Abuse
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
God is a liar
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
Ogre Play You are the ogre
who wore skin of God
Ogre Play You are the ogre
who wore skin of God
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
DIM SCENE
azawarai sugita sei de
sono kikyuu ya kachi wa nuke ochi
tonari de nemuru danzetsu wa gukou
sou kuzureteku joukei no imi wo
kuchiteku imi wo
muragaru karasu no moto he
naki yamu made zero ni touhi suru kazu wa ou
ibitsu ni magaru arubeki sugata wa
nui awaseru hodo fukaku tokeru
doukou ni ukaberu genjitsu wa kara
mahi hita kokoro no sei ka
sora ga ato kire hikari ga chi ni ochiru
nageku koe wo ayasu akago no yume
nuritsubushi sugite tadare teku uso
chou no hane de rakkasuru ga
kunou no urade oboreteiru ai
nakigara ni te wo nobasu boukansha
hai tsukubaru asu wo warau rouba
douka ore no mama de
[solo]
atari wo ume tsukusu ate naki itami
me wo toji tomosu uta ni kizu nado iyase nu
kabeichimen ni saki dashita owari
daremo ga boukyaku wo negau tabi
sou ushitsuri yakireta ore no uta wa
honogurai kyomu no soko de oboreteru
rarara...
DIM is the best damn album they've ever released.
- 「剥離」 Hakuri - 1:43
- THE INVISIBLE WALL - 4:35
- A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN - 2:57
- LEECH - 4:15
- 泣ヶ原 Nakigahara - 7:19
- 「エ リ カ」 Erika - 0:53
- HEADACHE MAN - 3:54
- 紅蓮 Guren - 5:40
- 「子宮」 Shikyuu - 0:43
- 13STAIRS[-]1 - 5:02
- DISTRESS AND COMA - 5:20
- 「感触」 Kanshoku - 0:52
- 白き優鬱 Shiroki Yuutsu - 4:29
- IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS - 3:02
- 「朦朧」 Mourou - 0:23
- OGRE - 3:14
- DIM SCENE - 5:12
- DVD (limited edition only)
- THE INVISIBLE WALL Music Clip
- The Other Side of [DIM]
The name must have been chosen for a reason: DIM is the darkest, heaviest, most ambient piece of work The GazettE has put out to this date. Some may call it maturity. Others may call it experimentation. I prefer to use the term "these-guys-got-up-off-their-lazy-asses-and-put-some-effort-into-their-music-for-once."
And yes I'm still playing around with the formatting.
And yes I'm still playing around with the formatting.
This is an obvious rip-off of Dir en grey’s Sa Bir opening, except it isn’t as good. There are passages of the looped double dropped bass that I would swear got lifted right out of that SE and then there are parts that have a bit more instrumentation than Sa Bir. With all that being said, and shoving aside the obvious, Hakuri is creepy and very effective at what it is it tries to do. Sadly, the best instrumental here is the one they didn’t create on their own. 6/10
THE INVISIBLE WALL
The main fault in this track lies in the drums and the bass. The nature of THE INVISIBLE WALL relies on the support of the bass and drums to flesh out the quieter, more emotional parts. However, Kai’s drumming is static as hell and during those passages where he gets to show off he doesn’t do anything other than the general rolls. At that point he could have added some flavor to the track but he plays so monotone it renders a thoughtful and risky addition to the track rather mundane and unneeded. The bass is plain inaudible throughout most of the track and I actually had to turn up the equalizer to hear Reita. As soon as I did however, I turned the equalizer right off. Those lines aren’t very creative and the omission of said instrument makes this track a lot better. Now, having stated how much of a guitar-driven track THE INVISIBLE WALL is, I absolutely must comment on them further. When I first saw the preview I was taken aback by the sudden introduction of the guitars. It comes in uncharacteristically hard and then moves into this piece for which classification eludes me. Uruha and Aoi’s playing are the polar opposite of Reita and Kai’s and those two work together as a team to create the rough, tumbling melody that goes throughout the song. The electronic effect that underlines the two of them complements them and sounds thought out and not added as an after-thought. Finally, Ruki’s singing has improved greatly over his last effort even though he can still improve a lot more. The vocal variation on this track is also worth a mention. Even though I can tell he overlapped his whispering with his singing the variation is pleasant to listen to. The chorus is far and away the best and most memorable part of the track thanks to Ruki’s vocals, and when Ruki’s voice is the most memorable thing on the track you can tell something is amiss. Overall, I can enjoy this track but it could have been a lot better. 7/10
A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN
The hip-hop influences are back a bit and Reita’s bass is the dominant instrument in this track. More interesting bass lines and drum work are put down in this track which is great but the guitars still steal the show. Ruki’s singing isn’t as memorable as the last track but it’s no less creative. He’s pulling out all the stops with the singing, grunting, whispering, and digitized voice wreaking havoc over the 2:58 this track occupies. The vocal overlaying in the chorus could have been a bit stronger if they weren’t so damn annoying but it comes off as stronger than Ruki just using his regular singing voice because it provides substance. I can’t help but think that the ending could have been a bit stronger and that the fade out doesn’t do it justice. Not as fantastic as the last track but it still works. 7/10
LEECH
Oh my fucking god they re-recorded this track and it shows. The bass and drums are obviously louder and the vocals have been redone, for the better in some parts and for the worse in others. For the most part, the vocal work has improved vastly, although somehow the female vocals have gone from tolerable to annoying. Two notable things about Ruki’s vocals: one is his singing has been set upon each other in parts so it sounds like he’s dueting with himself so it gives some substance to the track that is always welcome. The second is that the random screams that were in the original have been delegated to one earphone and lowered somewhat which makes them sound a lot better. The guitars were deepened in sound but lightened in terms of the placement on the track, and the part where it’s most noticeable is when it slows down and you have a third guitar line weaving in and out under the two guitarists. On the single it’s barely noticeable but on the album you can sense it more and the punch it gives is more effective. This re-recording and re-mastering works and makes an already favorite track of mine even better. 9/10
Nakigahara
I feared a slow, boring, and drawn out ballad with this one. That is not the case. I would classify this as a mid-tempo song and from the start I was drawn into the song fully. The intro itself is a sort of musical electronic ambient piece with what sounds like a beating heart but it’s so short and moves so quickly into the music that I can’t really tell. Cleverly placed drum blasts, a thick, layered bass, and guitars that complement each other over electronic effects fully mark just one highlight of this track. The electronic effects in particular remind me greatly of those used in Hana no Sakanai Machi by exist trace. Nakigahara’s transitions are smooth and solid. This track also features more female vocals but they mesh better and aren’t as annoying. Speaking of vocals, they are excellent in this song and Ruki doesn’t use as many effects on his voice. His singing once again, varies from projection to spoken words to muffled, demented sobbing, which is a nice change from the incessant screaming that plagued most of Stacked Rubbish. You can sense an obvious improvement in his voice near the end of the song, when the band fades away but he’s still singing at normal volume, eventually going at it a capella. Not only does it provide a unique end to the song but it manages to keep such an intense piece from ending without a feeling of accidental abruptness. I say “accidental” because the ending is obviously intentional and works perfectly for such a musically upsetting track. I would bet anything this track would be even better live. This is definitely a front-runner for best song on the album and blows away everything on Stacked Rubbish for sure. 10/10
Erika
I don’t know what the name ERIKA has to do with anything but it’s a short SE that’s very dull and repetitive. It probably ties into the former track lyrically but I could go without it. I wish they didn’t include this. Skip. 1/10
HEADACHE MAN
I wasn’t too fond of this track when it was featured on the Distress and Coma single to begin with but I figured a re-recording of this track couldn’t hurt. The part that I still believe should be the chorus worked better on the single version but the mastering of the instruments sounds tighter and more cohesive. The drums in particular stand out more and I’m beginning to notice the patterns a bit better, which make me like the song a little more. I still am not a fan of the retarded lyrics in the chorus though. Overall though, the re-recording doesn’t add much more than the original had (I will add that the ending ad-libs and distorted voices are louder on this version...DOES SHE SAY OH YEAH MAN at the end of the song?) other than it being deeper in nature. It still gets the same basic score just tweaked a bit higher due to the pretty retouches. 5/10
Guren
I am more impressed with the re-recording of Guren than I am with the re-recording of Leech. On the original, I bashed the instrumental work of the track because I said it was generic and uninteresting. I’ll correct that statement now: the mastering on the original track was horrible. Due to the bad balance of instruments, the song came off more delicate than it should have. This made the guitars seem rough and alien and hid all the touches that the band put into the track. On the re-recording however, everything was re-done and for the better. Right out from the beginning, whatever those sounds were are louder and crisper, immediately drawing the listener in. The acoustic guitars sprinkled throughout are sharper and the two guitars don’t dominate the speakers and drown out everyone else. I think the tuning on the guitars were also changed which has the greatest impact right before the solo, where the transition isn’t as rough and edgy. The violins stand out more and even the bass sounds crisper and cleaner, both lending more substance to the track. This creates a stronger framework for Ruki’s voice to expound upon, which also sounds better than on the single (there's even a spoken part in here that wasn't on the single version). Thus, everything that I bashed the single for getting wrong the album does right. Combine the much improved instrumentals with the disturbing and poignant lyrics (it’s about a miscarriage and how women in Japan should start valuing their children more) and you have a song that can be considered one of the GazettE’s best ballads. A definite must-listen on this albums and fans of the original recording will find this one superior in every fashion. 10/10
Shikyuu
Sounds like a dying kitty. The only reason why I’ll give this one a slightly higher score than Erika is that it has a purpose in being on the album. I just told you Guren was a song about a miscarriage, and there’s a screaming baby going off in the background. Put two and two together. Still, it’s a creepy instrumental that cuts off abruptly that I would suggest skipping. 2/10
13STAIRS［-］1
One of the more creative heavy numbers on DIM. It starts off with this dark, ambient opening broken by Uruha’s clean guitar over the distorted background. Reita’s bass dominates this track and although his lines are simple they’re brutal and effective. It’s Ruki, however, that captivates my attention most of all. His clean voice sings for a minute and then holds out some notes before the distortion clears up and the song becomes driven from there. This is the darkest song on the album from a musical perspective, and I really want the lyrics to this album so I can figure out what it’s about because the title intrigues me. The contrast between the distortion and the clean, the soft and the hard, and the calm beginning of the song juxtaposed with the schizophrenic chorus of screaming, yelling and growling creates the definitive metal monster on this album. The last minute or so, where the band members speed up and create tension is topped with a Ruki arguing with what sounds like himself and everyone else. It almost sounds like the inside of an insane person’s mind, and it all peters off into distortion. Different and welcome in my ears and the simplistic but driven drum beats on this track are listenable. I feel that if Kai went wild here it would have ruined the tone of the song. HEADACHE MAN has nothing on this. 9/10
DISTRESS AND COMA
It’s no less brilliant than it was on the single, which the violins in the background being slightly louder and the track being deeper as a whole. Judging it based on the track the re-mastering was unneeded but in the context of the entire album it meshes better. I personally prefer the original to this because the heaviness isn’t as characteristic but it’s not that big of a deal. My initial complaints on the single version still stand but overall it’s still an excellent song. 9/10
Kanshoku
Boring. Directionless. Uncreative. Skip. 2/10
Shiroki Yuutsu
This song has some clapping for the first portion of the track and although I didn’t notice it the first time the transition between the clapping and Kai’s intro is subtle. The clapping and the drum work alternate throughout the track. There are more violins, nice guitar, and beautiful singing laced throughout the whole track. They complement each other beautifully but there’s a little something missing that would push this track over the edge. All in all, I just find this song to play it a little safe and take fewer risks than it should, but it sounds beautiful. I believe the title translates as “White Melancholy” so even though the sounds are musically lighter it’s most likely just as depressing as the rest of this album. It’s a nice way to change the pace of the album somewhat. 8/10
IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
This definitely changes the pace of the album a lot but it doesn’t fit in as well. The beginning part of the album sounded like a plunge into despair and then you have this rocker with English lyrics that isn’t as heavy or downbeat. It would have worked a lot better if it were placed earlier on. I also love the racing guitar lines that bring to mind some of The GazettE’s more accessible tunes mixed with some Western influence, and the guitar solo is reminiscent of CIRCLE OF SWINDLER. I don’t mind Western influence much in Japanese music as long as it’s incorporated well, and it’s used to great effect there. The omission of female vocals on this track is also glaring, because if this were a track placed on Stacked Rubbish I could pick out all the places they would have thrown in some voices. That makes this track sound a lot better knowing that it could have came out sounding like Swallowtail on the Death Valley. For what it is it’s nice but once again, it would mesh more if it came earlier. 8/10
Mourou
Skip. 1/10
OGRE
This is the DISCHARGE of DIM in more ways than one (disgusting sexual pun intended). Musically, this song sounds like a wall of noise but it lacks the attitude of DISCHARGE. It’s got slower passages, roaring riffs, sections that hit you like wrecking balls and short guitar licks that don’t really click the way they should. Ruki’s voice is also pretty suckish in this one. He goes from sounding like a dying old man to constipated grunts with very little singing in here at all. This would work better live. I really want the lyrics to this song because that might sway my opinion somewhat but overall OGRE is underwhelming. 5/10
DIM SCENE
I was definitely happy when I saw that DIM SCENE wasn’t another abstractly placed PEOPLE ERROR clone. Sadly, it’s no Taion clone either and I think I would have preferred that to this. DIM SCENE a full blown track and while it doesn’t reach epic it’s solid. It's got violin, drop tuned guitars, and beautiful vocals all working together to produce a musically beautiful track. Once again, just having Ruki sing unaccompanied by the molesting female vocals strengthens the track. The transitions from chorus to verse are standard issue and would have worked better without all the effects and the solo fits perfectly within the track. A nice, pretty ending track but it could have used more emotion, more passion, and more oomph (and less of the lalala at the end). 7/10
So there we have it. It has an absurd amount of instrumentals that aren't needed and a few tracks aren't the greatest but as an album it's the most cohesive and determined effort they have created. It's not drenched in female backvocals and hip hop inspiration like Stacked Rubbish, it isn't as hit or miss as NIL, and it isn't directionless like Disorder. It's not as epic as I wanted it to be but it's better than I expected. It's worth the purchase if you're a GazettE fan and definitely NEEDS to be in your collection.
Download (excluding singles):
- THE INVISIBLE WALL
- Nakigahara
- 13STAIRS[-]1
Rating: 62%
Lyrics (courtesy of Motris from Tainted World)
THE INVISIBLE WALL
Pig that is soaked in soup of crime
It is a pain of the children whom you murdered
Hate yourself
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
gareki no shita de shinjitsu ga no tauchi
mawaru e wa nani yorimo fukai
The invisible wall
kodoku zouo shitto fuan
kyomu ni saita muhyoujou nani yorimo omoi
The invisible wall
sanjou oou fujouri ni omoeta warau aozora
In the maze without an end... ayamachi ni obore
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
tsugunai tsuduke... And die
Pig that is soaked in soup of crime...
In the maze without an end...
「Hate yourself」 ayamachi ni obore
In the maze without an end...
「Hate yourself」 Why do you still breathe?
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
aijou mo shira nu kodoku na PARADE
Sorrow made you
In the bottom of the dark dead sea
Sorrow made you
tsugunai tsuduke... And die
In the maze without an end...
Why do you still breathe?
A MOTH UNDER THE SKIN
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
The product of the sense of beauty
yukashita no High society
sungeki no kyouki wa utsukushii
Abnormal culture = Modern normal
jimetsu teki de utsukushii
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
hidoku kouka na Masquerade
mahi shite yuku kaikan ni oboreru
Abnormal beauty = Modern beauty
biki tsutta emi wa kirei
menomae de temanei te takumi ni hatsu wo maku
Fake ni etsuraku Alcohol ja toke nu ART
hyoumen dakeja Without a doubt
freedom of expression yoku dekiteru
The product of the sense of beauty
Orange no Head
You resemble a butterfly
It is only a pretense
You forget to have been called a moth sometime...
A sense of beauty...
Fake ni etsuraku Alcohol ja toke nu ART
hyoumen dakeja Without a doubt
freedom of expression yoku dekiteru
The product of the sense of beauty
Orange no Head
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
tasha ga tsukutta hyoujou demo
A sense of beauty... Supply and demand
yuiitsu no sonzai
yukashita no High society
LEECH
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Nobody believes you.
Marble no kabe wa takaku
doro ni nureteitayo
naguri tsukerareta youna
itami ga ore wo hanasa nee
tairyou ni koboreta Imperfection
kanzen ni nomareta Expression
I who sings black again.
I who dyes black again.
nando mo atama wo tsubusu Insult
Let's send a gallows in the
last scene which you hope for.
Don't hush up a mistake.
Take responsibility.
imada mie nee namegata shire zuno butsu
matowa setanoha subete uwabe dake
uritoba saretano wa shisou no gizou
kori mosezumata yotte koya garu
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your face.
meni utsuru kotae wo egaku
I want to scatter your trick.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your excuse.
kuroki hi wa ima mo ase numama...
A prosecute.
Your luck will run out someday.
Hatred to you is a proper act.
nagareta kekkan to
muhyoujou to muryoku
toki ga boukyaku ni uetemo
wasureru koto wa shinai
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
Let's send a gallows in the
last scene which you hope for.
Don't hush up a mistake.
Take responsibility.
imada mie nee namegata shire zuno butsu
mato waseta no wa subete uwabe dake
uritoba sareta no wa shisou no gizou
kori mosezumata yotte koya garu
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your face.
meni utsuru kotae ga kieru
I want to scatter your trick.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
I want to scatter your excuse.
kuroki hi wo houmuru muimi sani
I felt humiliation.
utsukushiki seijaku ga
kanashi geni yureteru
me wo fusagu koto sae tsumi
A prosecute.
Your luck will run out someday.
Can you hear the counting song of pain, baby?
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
You are the same as a leech
which sucks blood to live.
NAKIGAHARA
ansoku ni kurueru haru iro
wasurete shimaeru mono naraba
kyuu kai no bi ni ryoume shizume
tada kodoku nanodato waraeru
daisan ni kawareru haru iro
iki hisome nukarumi wo oyogu
bata ashi de oborete yuku sama wa
souzoudoori detsumaranai
genjitsu wo korosu kikite yori
tayasuku kizu wo tsukereta darou
mei wo umete
fuhai shita ne ga minamo yurasu
yugamu youni mawaru haguruma
kishimu naru ni mimi wo katamukeru
kirei ni kurueteru darouka
subete wa kinku no asai umi
asen yakato mimachigaeru hodo kegare
sayounara muhou no yami ni ochiteiku
sayounara korede owari
namida doukoku no ame
kyomu to muki au tabi afure
tsuduru kotoba ga nijimu
namida itsuka wa karere
seijaku ni koro sareru
kage fumi no owari ni chimayoi
fuhai shita ne ga minamo yurasu
yugamu youni mawaru haguruma
kishimu naru ni miwo nage kiduita
sore to nite iru koto ni kiduita
sayounara muhou no yami ni ochiteiku
sayounara korede owari
namida doukoku no ame
kyomu to muki au tabi afure
tsuduru kotoba ga nijimu
namida kodoku to chiru
seijaku ni ikiru nara
nidoto warae nu youni kizan de
anata wo aishita watashi ga iru
anata wo mitsumeta watashi ga iru
anata wo motometa watashi ga iru
anata wo naku shita watashi ga iru
watashi wo aishita anata ga iru
watashi wo mitsumeru anata ga iru
watashi wo kowashita anata ga iru
watashi wo ubatta anata ga iru
watashi wo koroshita anata ga iru
watashi wo furushita anata ga iru
watashi...
HEADACHE MAN
「All is true...and all is a lie...」 Shut up mother fucker.
Get out! Dear dick man!
Show your brain which I cannot understand.
kannon tsura no DAD mousou no kousou tsuneni bousou
Please stop the bad joke.
You are a romancer!
Please do not confuse my band by a lie anymore.
You are too awkward a man.
Leave here before a ditch deepens...
I am a cause of your headache. And this is your song.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Leave here before a ditch deepens.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Hey, stop the bad joke. Get out! Dear dick man!
Show your brain which I cannot understand.
kannon tsura no DAD mousou no kousou tsuneni bousou
Please stop the bad joke.
I am a cause of your headache. And this is your song.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Leave here before a ditch deepens.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
It undermines an empty head.
We are the Cause of Your Headache!
Hey, stop the bad joke. Get out! Dear dick man!
「All is true...and all is a lie...」
GUREN
gomen ne ato sukoshi
anata no namae to nemurasete
yorisotta sugi shi hi wa itami wo yorokobi ai
ryoute ni utsushi dasu anata wo omoi naiteiru
soko ni furu kanashimi wa shira nai mamadeiiyo
ansoku ni furue wo oboeta tari nu me wa nani wo miru
usure naide anata yo
wazu kana toiki wo kikasete hoshii
chiisa na kodou de naku
anata yo koko made oide
kawarenai yume ni tsuduki ga arunara
douka togireru zuni...
koufuku to yobe nakutemo
oborete kasa naranu hibi wo
usure naide anata yo
wazu kana toiki wo kikasete hoshii
chiisa na kodou de naku
anata yo koko made oide
「sukui no te saemo aimai de
byou kizami no mayu wa ito wo
chigirezu ni hai ni naru」
[solo]
usure naide anata yo
wazuka na toiki de kii tete hoshii
chiisa na kodou no ne ni kasu renu inori yo todoke
yobe nu namae wo daite
yubiori kazoeru asu wa kienai
mimi wo fusa gi kii teta yurikago yureru oto
tori modose nu haru ni guren no hana ga saku
13STAIRS[-]1
taihai shisou ukiyo hanare no Grave
Discrimination against music
gouhou no 13
The loser who was brain washed
Bullshit
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Rightnow…
In front of me!
You cannot understand my vulgar thought
It is a correct answer
It is your duty to train a slave waving a waist
Rotten buyer
Shame on you!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
In front of me!
Bravely…
Rotten seller
Know yourself!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Before that…
Suck my dick
You cannot understand my vulgar thought
It is a correct answer
It is your duty to train a slave waving a waist
Rotten buyer
Shame on you!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
In front of me!
Bravely…
Rotten seller
Know your self!
Commit suicide in with-it-ness
Before that…
Suck my dick
The industry has been already over
The red base
All the losers sing a hymn in hell
Enjoy a vulgar play
saa warae tobiorirenu LOOP suushiki ni kuwareta kaku
saa warae madayarerundarou? 13 madeato sukoshi
Can't get back
A loser of the uncontrol lability
Enjoy a vulgar play
Can't get back
DISTRESS AND COMA
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
Hello... dear my bride, nani wo miteiru no
yuka ni chitta chou mo hiroe nu sonomede
wasuretai no wa shiro sugita kutsuu
shinjiteru to ii kikasu kizu wa kienai
odoru odoru nemurasete to odoru yama nu namida
koe wo koroshi yowaku furueru teni kuchibiru wo oto su
Hello... dear my bride, ashimoto wo yaku
miminari nimou chikaduku hitsuyou nado
muishiki ni haita iki ga hada wo sou
kamoku yurasu yaiba ni emi wo...
wasuretai no wa shiro sugita kutsuu
shinjiteru to ii kika su kizu wa kienai
yaseta yume ni same nu ima ga utsuru kanashimi sae
sugao dayoto kotaete kureru nara kizutsuitemo ii
[solo]
wasure naide
itami wo shiru anata ni hikareta koto
koko de oyasumi
odoru odoru nemureru made odoru yamanu namida
nanimo nai to kokoro wo fusagu tobi kare soudato
yaseta yume ni 「mou ichido」 wo utau kanashimi sae
jibun dayoto kotaete kureru nara kizutsuitemo ii
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
owaru hazu no yume ni
Until your distress sleeps...
Fill me up with your grief...
Until your distress sleeps...
sayonara ga saiteru
SHIROKI YUU UTSU
kaze ni nabiku DRAPE no mukou
hakujaku na koe ni furueta no wa karada janaku
hajimete ishiki shita 「ushinai」
shimi tsuite hanarenu fuankan
nuguute no atatamori wo wasure sou
shirakabe ga tsure saru anshinkan
shigatsu wa nando mireba owaru
kake chigau dake de konnani tayasuku kuzurete yukeru
sou kuchi ni dasu yorimo moroku
hirari hirari to kanashi geni yureru
kaesu emi ni wa utsura nai
yuu utsu yo doko he
kami shimeru yowasa ga shitta hakana sano imi
ima wa kimi wo mamoru youni daku youni...
kotae ga uso dato itte
warui yume nanoto waratte
[solo]
kake chigau dake de konnani tayasuku kuzurete yukeru
sou kuchi ni dasu yorimo moroku
iki made kizu ni tada kotaeru dake
tsumaru kotoba wo ooi tsukusu
yuu utsu yo doko he
shigami tsuki negatta asu wa imamo saiteru
kimi wo mamoru kano youni
yura yura yura
kaze ni nabiku DRAPE no mukou
hakujaku na koe ni furueta no wa karada janaku
hajimete ishiki shita 「ushinai」
IN THE MIDDLE OF CHAOS
The little freedom which I know
All which I should keep
It may be lost someday
Anyone is the same
I stood in this stage and have noticed it
Am I who sings there truth?
It is wrong! I am here
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
The only means to prove oneself
I have a beloved person and a family
Nothing is different from you
Look as one human being
I have a lot of hateful guys
Nothing is different from you
Look as one human being
Honor and position aren't important
Do you remember it?
It becomes motherfucker
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
The only means to prove oneself
[solo]
The little freedom which I know
The dream which I should keep
It may be lost someday
It may be lost someday
I stood in this stage and have noticed it
Am I who sings there truth?
It is wrong! I am here
No one can be saved with lie
Let's deliver nonfiction
A song like misfortune pride
I vomit original pain
To ascertain each other's wound
Let's deliver all of me
A song like misfortune pride
In the middle of chaos
The only means to prove oneself
OGRE
jiga houkai ranyou kakusei fuyuu sakuran Abuse
sogai jihei ken'o yokujou kiben jii seiteki Abuse
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
I-n-f-e-c-t-i-o-n
I-n-f
aizou mugon kyozetsu kairi mutaku jaku ko iki zetsuen
rinbu hakuri kodoku utsu
kagai shisou jakusha no mure
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
God is a liar
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
I-n-f-e-c-t-i-o-n
I-n-f
jiga houkai ranyou kakusei fuyuu sakuran Abuse
sogai jihei ken'o yokujou kiben jii seiteki Abuse
Ogre play
God is not a humanist
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
God is a liar
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
Ogre Play You are the ogre
who wore skin of God
Ogre Play You are the ogre
who wore skin of God
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
Ogre play God is a beast
You make money by faith
DIM SCENE
azawarai sugita sei de
sono kikyuu ya kachi wa nuke ochi
tonari de nemuru danzetsu wa gukou
sou kuzureteku joukei no imi wo
kuchiteku imi wo
muragaru karasu no moto he
naki yamu made zero ni touhi suru kazu wa ou
ibitsu ni magaru arubeki sugata wa
nui awaseru hodo fukaku tokeru
doukou ni ukaberu genjitsu wa kara
mahi hita kokoro no sei ka
sora ga ato kire hikari ga chi ni ochiru
nageku koe wo ayasu akago no yume
nuritsubushi sugite tadare teku uso
chou no hane de rakkasuru ga
kunou no urade oboreteiru ai
nakigara ni te wo nobasu boukansha
hai tsukubaru asu wo warau rouba
douka ore no mama de
[solo]
atari wo ume tsukusu ate naki itami
me wo toji tomosu uta ni kizu nado iyase nu
kabeichimen ni saki dashita owari
daremo ga boukyaku wo negau tabi
sou ushitsuri yakireta ore no uta wa
honogurai kyomu no soko de oboreteru
rarara...
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)