Review: VanessA - CHI【MA】IRA

Dear readers of my blog, I must confess: I have sinned greatly.

Rather, as I do my weekly scroll through my old reviews to come across comments that I could read, I realized that in the span of just six months my musical taste had gotten incredibly expansive. Taking a glance over several old reviews, I realized that my opinion wasn’t necessarily the same anymore and that a re-write of some of the older reviews was definitely in order to accurately display what my new viewpoint was.

Coming from someone that hated VanessA in June, listening to this single almost every day for a month straight shows you how much this band has changed in my ears. As I type this I tell you right now, I have no idea what it is I heard when I first popped CHI【MA】IRA back in my ears in June, but it definitely wasn’t this.

01. 散歌 -RETROSPECTION-
02. Arlequin
03. 【MA】RIA

Even six months later I don’t actually know what 散歌 is supposed to mean. The transliteration to “chika” remains. However, my original opinion on this song is definitely different. Its miles above alive=terror, which I have to say was admittedly average and really just not my cup of tea. 散歌-RETROSPECTION- is, however. As of this moment, being the last of the truly angry, crazy VanessA the fans love, 散歌-RETROSPECTION- does not let down. Genki’s death vocals are savage and his eagle scream contrast nicely, although all traces of heaviness disappear by chorus time (which I still have to say DOESN’T FIT. REALLY MEN, C’MON.IT’S NICE AND ALL BUT MOAR HEAVY, ANGRY SHIT). This will please the newer fans of VanessA who probably aren’t expecting something of this magnitude out of this band after world. is. my. mind. The solo with the high pitched squealing is not good for my ears (or anyone’s for that matter) and I sort of wanted some more of Genki’s growling after the first verse. Does it push the envelope of different and unique? No, not really but for a brutal death metal song with a lighter chorus and a deafening solo you can’t really do better than this one. It’s at the top of VanessA’s list of “songs you should listen to”.

I don't care what anyone says; I've heard Arlequin somewhere before. Genki's singing is annoying in the first verse (but catchy) and the growls in the second verse aren’t as savage as RETROSPECTION, but at least it isn’t as badly processed as B.M.METAMORPHOSE –murder side- (which really does have some bad sections with the vocals). The chorus uses Genki singing overlaying Genki shouting and that's perhaps the best part of the song tied with the jump into the breakdown/superfluous riffage. I'm also unsure if they threw female vocals in there somewhere, and I think I hear them so I'll call it fair play and say it makes this track better. Arlequin is the catchiest song on this album and probably is many a listener’s anthem. It sure as hell is mine and probably is the only thing that kept me from throwing this single away the first time around.

But like I said it’s not original. I’ve heard this somewhere before and Haruki definitely took some “inspiration” if you get my drift.

ARLEQUIN moves smoothly into 【MA】RIA. My original rip wasn’t EAC so my comment about the clunky transition can be blamed on silence that didn’t belong at the beginning of this track. I consider 【MA】RIA to be a bonus track due to its short length, because if I considered this a real song I’d be disappointed in how a kick-ass monster like this can’t top two and a half minutes. In case you’re wondering, it’s not an UnsraW/Core the Child cover. It’s its own song that shares the same title. Don’t you see the brackets? It’s definitely different.

Back to the song, if you need a quick fix of VanessA this could do the trick. However, it works much, much better when paired with the previous track since the roar out the gate hooks me in every time. It’s of a more violent breed than its A-side brother and if you really look at it it’s a condensed RETROSPECTION without the oddly fitting chorus. I don’t quite get the coughing at the end of the track but I bet if I had the lyrics (or a scan of the book) I could make sense of it.

So, far and away CHI【MA】IRA is the best single VanessA’s ever put out. I can’t find a good quality rip of P.S.D./Feel U (those rips floating around the alphabet blogs sound worse than YouTube rips) and at this moment I haven’t heard primitive. my. mind. so I can’t pass judgment on if that single brings back the schizo.

Anyone looking for a new breed of heavy, crazy, brutal shit needs to take a look at this single since it doesn’t get any better than this.

Nao’s departure is definitely the worst thing that’s happened to the band thus far.

Review: ALSDEAD - Distrust

My ALSDEAD, what has happened to you? D:

During that fateful day when I was pissed off and wanted to find some lame to tear into, I encountered ALSDEAD. Everyone was fangasming over Violent of Reason and soon after that I found myself quite enjoying the single on the principle that it:

"... doesn't sample aged semen from the festering penis of the generic VK cooler with this release and attempts to create some original music."

Sure, they sold out a little with the inclusion of a track like Kizu on the Violent of Reason single (and it’s Violent of Reason, not VOR fuckers) but I couldn’t complain about it too much because, well, Kizu was well done.

Why do I mention Violent of Reason before I mention Distrust? Well, ALSDEAD ended up taking Kizu and making an acoustic rendition of it (which worked about as well as an acoustic cover of Vredesbyrd) which should tell you that this single is going nowhere pretty much fast.

01. Distrust

02. Vanity

03. Kizu (Acoustic Rearrange)

I fucking despise the title track – it sounds nothing even remotely considering ALSDEAD and to make matters worse it’s not even good. The minute Maki starts a cappella with his Engrish should start sounding the “OH NOES” alarms in the back of your head. If that doesn’t, the electronic effects combined with the annoying chorus and the apparent lack of emotion will. Also, why the hell do I hear the “la-la-la’s” more in the background than I hear Maki? Someone definitely messed with the microphone values.

Everything about Distrust just screams “average” – the typical acoustic backed chorus, washed out screams, annoying chorus, synth effects to cover up where ALSDEAD knew they ran empty. This song started off on shaky ground in the composition stage and went nowhere. Even Maki sang like he didn’t care and it even sounds uncomfortable, as if he’s holding back. I don’t give a damn about how good the “mastering” sounds – the song has nothing on the PARADOX single, which couldn’t touch what were their first two singles.

So what did this song need? A better chorus, a damn good solo and some more screaming in their native language because the abuse of Engrish makes the track sound like an anime tie-in (and that, my students, is NEVER good).

So now we have Vanity, which starts out typical ALSDEAD with its downplayed introduction into a burst of energy. Standard, but it works and the guitar lines are definitely more assertive than that tip-toe around the morgue that was Distrust (like really, the guitar lines are SO much more pronounced in this one). I’d rate Vanity higher than Distrust based on the fact that the boys feel much more alive in this track even if it is the same song they’ve crapped out time and time again (this really just sounds like A_DUST x CYNICAL). I think they pushed Distrust a little too much because everyone knows English is COOL-DEHSU in Japan like Japanese is KAWAII-DESU amongst the lame otakus here (not the cool ones, the ones that make you look bad and make you want to commit genocide and mass murder – kudos to whoever gets that reference) and that every band needs some “diversity”. I hate to say it but over the course of the last four singles I’ve noticed the only noticeable risk they’ve taken is with F-99, Distrust and A_DUST. Whilst A_DUST’s experimentation is thoroughly evident up and down the first two songs of this single, F-99 is something they have yet to top and Distrust was a definite miss although I do appreciate the good things they tried to include in that track.

Like I said before, what I don’t like about Vanity (because if I didn’t cut back now I never would come back) is the apparent lack of innovation in their core sound. If this song played randomly I wouldn’t say “wow this is that really good track by ALSDEAD” like I would Violent of Reason. I’d just say “it’s ALSDEAD but it’s not that memorable. Oh well…” This track also fades out, and anyone that’s read this long enough knows that I regard tracks that fade out as tracks that lost direction somewhere in the compositional phase and didn’t know how to end off on a bang. Vanity didn’t do much to assert itself as the next generation of ALSDEAD and just meandered around as if it were looking for its bigger brother S.a.g.A. So much more could have, or rather SHOULD HAVE, been done with this track.

I dislike the initial version of Kizu – I dislike this track. It’s boring, lifeless, sounds almost nothing like Kizu until Maki kicks in. If Maki wasn’t singing I wouldn’t know WHAT this song would be but the instrumental portion of this is as riveting as watching lead chip. Acoustic does NOT MEAN BORING. I’ve heard some really beautiful unplugged renditions of tracks before – Freesia and Conceived Sorrow for example – but just pure acoustic tracks are usually boring as hell and are as painful as hemorrhoids to sit through (YEAH I’M LOOKING AT YOU GACKT). Now this is nowhere near as bad as No Ni Saku Hana no You ni but it’s still not excellent, which is all I expect out of these boys since I have high standards for them. The beginning sounds so lazy and then they start spicing it up near the end which THEY SHOULD HAVE DONE ALL TRACK. I don’t know what possessed them to even attempt to do this since most of it sounds half-assed. If they were going for that dreamy, I-don’t-know-where-I-am vibe with the acoustics, they pretty much missed the mark most of the time. It’s noticeable when the acoustic has to wind down to keep the flow and everything just gets so empty. They have the basic structure down but the little fills with the drums and the groove present in the original just aren’t here. Hell, they don’t even start twin acoustic melody until two minutes in, and when all you have are TWO instruments you better work it. I was looking forward to this after the lackluster previews of the first two, but nope they kinda didn’t hit it out the ballpark like I wanted.

I must admit though that acoustic arrangements to ALSDEAD is akin to black metal for Morning Musume. If they did an unplugged arrangement of Kizu, which I would have rather they done, this could have been much better.

So yes, one of my favorite newcomers is going down, down, down the chute. They haven’t reached that level where I drop them off at the next station and wave goodbye but they really need to bring it back in style and they need to evolve while they’re at it. I’m tired of hearing the same shit over and over again and it really is the same shit over and over again. I know they can do better – maybe if they stopped farting out singles every few months they’d have time to work on their music and make it memorable.

I’m on the fence with this one guys. Fans of ALSDEAD will enjoy it but not to the extent of their previous works, and anyone looking to get into them shouldn’t start here.

Review: Synside - THE CORE-subconsciousness-

Considering this new UCP band has members that are ex. GRIEVER and brodiaea, I can say that I really wasn't expecting much out of this band. To be fair, I haven't listened to anything by brodiaea but GRIEVER was another matter altogether. I never mentioned GRIEVER here nor will I do a review anytime soon because I don't feel like wasting time and bandwidth to bash a band no one cares about, but I can say that if Kisaki drops you from his label because he thinks you suck, you fucking suck. KIKYO, the ex-guitarist of GRIEVER, made it to this band and all I can say is that he somehow managed to make that jump from suck to generic.

At it's core, THE CORE-subconsciousness- is generic. Generic isn't necessarily a bad term and considering this is Synside's first release I didn't expect it to be anything magnificent. Hell, I'm glad it's not since bands that usually have stellar first releases end up fucking sucking over the course of the next few singles (like ALSDEAD - I'll get to their new single tomorrow). What is notable about THE CORE-subconsciousness- is that as the single goes on, the tracks get better and better. I dig the buildup that they have and I wonder if they placed the A-side last instead of first...

01. UNDER THE RIOT
02. SENSE GATE
03. IDEAL UNIVERSE

UNDER THE RIOT's chorus is very annoying and drags so it makes it the worst song off this release for me. This is sad since the song starts off pretty well. I like Rayka's death voice and the guitar lines aren't anything new but they work. The drumming backed with the death vocals at the beginning make for an excellent start but I really don't like the distortion put over Rayka's voice when he starts singing at the buildup. It's not used to cover up deficiencies in singing but it was turned up too much. The chorus is also drawn out and should have been truncated. Perhaps they should have opted for a different vocal melody as well - this one seems too "standard". I would have preferred it if UNDER THE RIOT was pure growling because the energy switch into the chorus doesn't do it for me. The song starts off promising but then peters off into averageness. It's nothing horrible but it could have been done so much better.

However I must say that since this single was released through UCP, having three songs instead of the standard two songs + album intro is quite refreshing, and considering that this is the worst song on the release and it's not that bad know this single is off on the right foot.

SENSE GATE features absolutely no growling whatsoever and shows a lighter, faster side to Synside, which is a good addition to this single because it establishes this band as more than a one trick pony. I like this song a bit more than the last since I feel it's more stable and balanced but I was hoping Rayka's death vocals would make an appearance somewhere in here. It's a step up from the last track so if you liked the last track SENSE GATE might be up your alley as well - unless you're one of those faegz that can't stand musical diversity and like bands to shit out the same thing over and over again.

I'm making SENSE GATE seem like more than it is. It's also generic but it's done right, it's different, it sounds great and it's enjoyable. The production may not be top notch but I've heard far worse. So far this single is 2 for 2 and they haven't fucked up too badly.

IDEAL UNIVERSE sounds like GRIEVER if the band members could play well and the vocalist could sing. In case you didn't get it, it's meant to be a compliment. The mixture of electronic with punctuated guitar riffs sounds pretty cool and they pack a lot of groove. Rayka's chorus line for once isn't annoying as hell and he does exactly what I wanted him to do in SENSE GATE - mix his good singing with his growling. Therefore, IDEAL UNIVERSE to me is the best track so far and definitely is single material. Generic? Yes, but it's good generic. I even see some slight signs as to what Synside's future direction would be in the industrial mixed with the heavy metal and I like it. If you're looking into Synside, this is the best track here.

So for a first single, it's a little on the empty side concerning originality but it's not garbage like most VK first releases are. Nothing stands out as amazing but it's all great to average out into a single that's enjoyable to listen to, even if it's not something you'd put on repeat every day.

I'd give it about a seven.

Review: Administrator - A

I'm actually quite averse to songs that start out with just the singer and then have the song curl around it in that vexingly poppy fashion but what I'm even more averse to is what I dub "born syndrome" - a basic lack of cohesion between verse and chorus. This cannot even be excused by musical incompetence since you have to know what the hell you're doing in order to screw up that bad. Administrator's A manages to screw up both of those Visual Kei pitfalls early on with Ace and Hidden Scar.

Ace is your basic run through of an upbeat rock song and doesn't stray from the formula. It doesn't have the same balls that selfish clover had and it doesn't take risks so what I'm left with is just another faceless VK song that wants to bare some teeth but doesn't commit itself to doing so 100% of the time. A few annoying things in this song would be the electronic effects that come in pointlessly, do nothing, and fade away. They'd almost be unnoticeable if they weren't all chained one after another. Another would be the hey's followed by the choir aah's since neither one of them works for Akuta.

Simply put, Ace isn't a good A-side for Administrator's first single. Too generic, not representative of what they're capable of.

Hidden Scar starts out pretty badass and I can even forgive the slight born syndrome but what I cannot overlook is the fact that it slowly segues into some stepbrother of Ace's. In places they even start to sound similar and Administrator remembers somewhere along the line that the song was supposed to be harder so they throw in a growl or two and then return with bad special effects and a bridge and chorus an octave too high for my comfort zone. No. The entire last minute is just painful and it becomes almost unbearable to realize that it's still the same song I was listening to three minutes ago.

Too long, too undecided, does not deliver.

Oboro is the type of song I want to hear from Administrator and easily up there for me around selfish clover. Proper use of special effects mixed with a sense of direction and a memorable riff is only offset by an awkward chorus. If that chorus was better Oboro would have won this race by a landslide but it's not like it's got any competition on A. It's the only song with a solo that I'll recognize and some of the ways that Akuta sings portions of the song sound great. It's definitely the only song I'd recommend out of this affair.

Good, maybe even above average.

A does not deliver but it's not surprising since this band hasn't been around for long and are still trying to find their way. It could have been a lot better but it could have been a whole lot worse so where it sits right now isn't all that bad. It just isn't all that memorable either.

55%

Review: D'espairsRay - Final Call

Let's take this time to recall two things that I've said in reviews prior. The first would be that I would take a new approach to writing reviews and the second is that D'espairsRay's single "Gemini" would be the standard that I would hold all future reviews and releases up to. I haven't actually been keeping to that too much: I still am reviewing things technically and I haven't so much as mentioned Reddish since that review. I think that's because I've heard the songs before, I've picked them because I know what they sound like, and I know what I like and what I don't like.

Final Call is a bit different from the other two reviews I've done this month since I literally just got my hands on the single. Even though I've heard the title track from the music video, I don't like judging a song until I get the actual MP3 since the two tend to differ (sometimes immensely). Now that I have the Mp3 with the entire album, it's time to start this review up!

01. Final Call
02. Going on!
03. Ark in the Storm

In some ways I want to relate D'espairsRay to girugamesh. They both released an album (REDEEMER vs. MUSIC) that was immensely different from their other works and alienated their fanbase because "this wasn't the that I grew to like and got used to!". Both D'espa and Giru failed with their last album in the respect that the new sound they were experimenting with clashed and drowned out their older sound so that the product of the album came out sounding like the hunger cries of an aborted fetus wrapped in cellophane. Finally, both bands are similar in the fact that their post-album singles contain traces of the sound that was on their album but with a new tinge to it that actually makes these singles better than some of the tracks on the previous album.

Finally, the construction of the A-side track and certain elements they incorporated in this single sound like they took them from girugamesh and other bands that dabble in that style.

The guitar work is catchy, effective, and rather simple, cycling between a few riffs here and there so it keeps the journey changing throughout. Some of the work on REDEEMER was just as catchy as this and had more going on in the way of musicianship, so Final Call is already not making me feel that musical nirvana we all listen to music for. I imagine myself on a roller coaster during the entire song, with the beginning effects happening while I leave the station. The song blasts in when I'm on the first drop down and as I go through the verses it feels like I'm taking a lot of twists and turns. The entire song is pretty interesting but much like many roller coasters the more you go on the more similar they all begin to feel. The transition into the chorus feels like I hit a break and I stopped for a quick second before going down another steep drop; it's sudden, uncomfortable and it throws you off, but you're able to get right back into it because it moves at a million miles an hour and it's too exhilarating to ignore.

Hizumi's vocals would be the air that smacks your face as you're on this ride. You can't be on a roller coaster without some sort of air resistance but on some rides there is a such a thing as too much air blowing in your face and that ruins the entire run. Bluntly put, there is too much "air resistance" on this track. Hizumi's mumbling, echoing, lack of screams, and singing that doesn't variate too much makes it sound overdone. Much like SCREW's HEEL, he should stick to one or two types of vocals because if you overdo the vocals it becomes too piercing and difficult to enjoy (if you still need an analogy, it becomes difficult to "breathe"). I don't doubt that Hizumi knew what he wanted to do but on this recording it feels like he held back on some of the parts and overdid others, resulting in what sounds like this.

Some well-done deep vocals mixed with some forceful, clean singing and perhaps a trademark scream thrown in for good measure would have been ample for this track. When you take the entire song into perspective he doesn't mess it up too much but it is noticeable when I listen and that detracts from my experience.

The solo is the part of the song that defies all sort of roller coaster analogy, which means it's that part of the "roller coaster" where it actually makes you feel like you're soaring through the air. The feeling that Karyu captures here and the bridge Hizumi sings are the best parts of the song and the entire song should have moved at that pace. At points, this song becomes a little too fast to sit down and enjoy because it feels like it trips all over itself and the guys said "alright, let's all agree to stop here and play this part!"

Although this doesn't get it's own paragraph, the ending effect was lame, unoriginal and faded too fast. I generally don't like fade-outs unless it's a sustained note but this takes it to a whole different level and it sounds like they ran out of riffs to recycle so they just threw that on the ending and called it a day.

At the end of the day, I don't think I'll ever purposefully put this song on again because there's just so many other songs they've made that just DO more for me than this. It's purposelessly catchy, the riffs feel bland and recycled, and the electronic effects feel thrown in without careful thought.

I pretty much know Going on! is going to be the token "dark and angsty" song on this single but I can't help but like it because it sounds so damn good listening to it. D'espairsRay is just better at playing dark and heavy songs and there's nothing else to it. This pulls you in in ways that Final Call can't and didn't and I'm going to rent out D'espairsRay to girugamesh so they can teach them how to use hip-hop elements effectively.

The entire time I sat on my bed in my dorm listening to this (yes I'm in college, that's why these reviews are less frequent ;_;) I was just in shock because they took me on a fecking journey through emotions with this song and that's something they haven't done since Bullet, Scissors and Cocoon. I could feel the emotions and they didn't sound forced or lazy. Going on! moves at the same pace as Final Call but it feels more comfortable with moving that fast and the transitions between the chorus and the verses aren't as drastic and noticeable. They're nothing more than smooth drops on that roller coaster.

What caught me the most with this song was that piano-backed bridge, which I wasn't expecting at all. It comes completely out of left field and leaves me floating in a state of unease before it's just Hizumi for a few seconds and then it plunges into the madness that is the ending. Hizumi's death vocals make a reappearance on this track and not only does he sound fiercer than I've heard him in a while, he actually sounds like he is enjoying himself singing this song. You can always tell when an artist wants to sing a song and when they sing it just to sing it. This is an example of the former.

I actually would put this song on again.

Ark in the Storm is the transgendered kid that's having trouble deciding what public bathroom s/he should go into. S/he could technically fit into both but neither would actually be proper for him/her. Thus, s/he is left standing outside looking from the "light and poppy" bathroom to the "dark and heavy" struggling to figure out which one to enter because having such cut and dry definitions eludes this little oddity of a track. Normally I would say that combining both elements of the two sonically opposite genres results in an abomination most closely resembling half the stuff from Born's abnormal head machine album but in this case Ark in the Storm manages to pull through and sounds pretty damn good. The problem with most of D'espa's poppier tracks is that it's nothing more than their heavier tracks played just as fast on a higher register, which makes it all sound uncomfortable. Ark in the Storm manages to have it's ankle deep enough in the pool of dark and heavy to sound natural while still being light and containing some violins. It could have been heavier but it sounds fine as is and it goes to show that they aren't putting out heavy B-sides just because they know it works. If you're trying to measure up all the tracks that they've released that contain this post-Mirror D'espairsRay sound than Ark in the Storm easily trumps every other track.

Not like it had much competition.

(And if any of those references above offended you, they shouldn't have. I wasn't poking fun at anyone purposefully -_-;;)

Long review short: playing things faster doesn't always make it better. Final Call is too fast and too messy, Going on! is perfect as is, and Ark in the Storm is a little confused but pulls out alright in the end. I would actually recommend you pick up this single just for the last two tracks but in no way would I suggest you submit yourself to Final Call if you're not a fan of D'espairsRay messing with newer styles and doing it badly.

Recommended:

Going on!
Ark in the Storm

Score: 75%

Review: Gackt - No ni Saku Hana no You ni

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

It ain't that great.

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

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

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

Oh well, at least the piano sounds nice.

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

Score: 45%

Lyrics

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

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

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

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

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

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

Review: D'espairsRay - Gemini

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

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

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

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

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

Didn't you just hear me?

"This alone is worth grabbing the single for."

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

THIS. IS. A. SINGLE.

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

Score: 90%

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

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

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

May I suggest Nega instead?

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

Sixth TERROR



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

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

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

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

I call for a compilation album. Nao.

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

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

My previous complaints still stand.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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


Recommended:

Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi
ero:de

Score:
Terrors: 61%
SIXTH Terror: 81%

Review: Sadie - Ice Romancer

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

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

Ice Romancer starts this maxi off with a bang, although I'm unsure as to what the title is supposed to mean. On my very first listen, I SWORE I was listening to Kyo from Macabre or maybe Kisou. We know that you idolize Kyo but goddammit does everyone have to sound like him now? Mao sounding a whole lot like him takes off a bit from the song because it doesn’t seem as fresh, but the screaming and the verses are more original. Speaking of the verses, they divide into a quiet section followed by an aria from Mao’s demonic, Kyo-inspired other half. Overall, this is a pretty solid song and one of those worth listening to if you haven’t heard it yet. Definitely one of their better offerings as a "single".

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended:

The whole thing

Score: 85%

Review: Sadie - Crimson Tear

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

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

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

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

At least the music video is badass.

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

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

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

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

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

Recommended:

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

Score: 53%

Title track is a pile of shit...

Review: 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.

1. "Doro Darake no Seishun" (泥だらけの青春) - 5:07
2. "Juunanasai" (十七歳) - 7:09
3. "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:

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%