Review: Nega - Reminiscence

If I recall correctly, this single came out almost immediately after the last review I did, ReBirth Under the Chaos. In the span of a few months, Nega found some new source of inspiration that gave birth to this single. Either that, or they figured that Reminiscence and the following B-sides didn't fit in with the sound scape of the EP and decided to save it for another release. I'm going to go with the idea of the latter. Regardless, Reminiscence is an interesting single that might come as a surprise to those that didn't expect Nega to have a softer side to them.

1. Reminiscence
2. Another Eyes of Reminiscence
03. Dokusoukyoku Dainana Ban "hi ai"



1. Reminiscence
2. Another Eyes of Reminiscence
3. Dokusoukyoku Dainana Ban "hi ai"
4. Shinkaigyo

Reminiscence	I’m a fan of longer tracks, but not this time. Reminiscence is entirely too long, but it's still enjoyable if you don't mind it being so damn dragged out. It’s also a ballad, and coming just mere months after Rebirth Under the Chaos it’s definitely a new side of Nega. It’s most reminiscent of the fourth track of Rebirth Under the Chaos as it’s a slower and lighter tempo that doesn’t switch gears at any point in the runtime. Yuu’s piano lines signal the start of the song are beautiful and consistent throughout and lend a sense of timelessness. They also are a perfect compliment to Jin’s voice and the both of them end off the song peacefully. The guitars are tuned to just the right level so that they’re tangible but not overbearing and Jin’s vocals are solid throughout. San’s guitar playing is top notch as always but it’s his solo that creeps up and leaves an almost ethereal sense of pleasantry. It doesn’t disrupt the feeling of the track as it runs its course and ends up being a very memorable part of the package. If you need a ballad that takes forever to convey its message, this is for you.	6/10
Another Eyes of Reminiscence	The slightly distorted drum introduction is jarring coming off the ending of the last track. Compared to the last song it’s not as delicate but it’s still softer than the typical Nega fair we are used to hearing. The song starts off promising but it becomes apparent as it goes along that it has no direction and ends up fizzling out before it’s done. It was a good attempt at another side of experimentation but pales in comparison to the two tracks it’s sandwiched between.	6/10
Dokusoukyoku Dainana Ban "hi ai"	A piano dominated instrumental that manages to be even more heart-wrenching than the title track. It’s backed by a nice string section that helps to fill out the spaces where the band members aren’t at. Its simple but effective nature and short length also prevent it from feeling dragged out.	9/10
Shinkaigyo	After three relatively soft songs this feels out of place. In order to flow with the lamenting, depressive last number, it starts out with soft but determined drums that are joined by a whiny guitar, deep bass and a lamentful Jin. It doesn’t explode for a minute and when it does it feels restrained and unsatisfying. The verses and chorus don’t fit in with the sudden outbursts, and said outbursts feel forced and get repetitive before the song ends. The song would have worked better without them because Nega compromised and it didn’t work out well. Other than that, Jin soars in the chorus and the dark nature of the verses fits in well with the overall feel of the single.	6/10

So Reminiscence as a single is a little hit and miss. That's to be expected with an experimental single with a nature such as this. However, it comes with a solid A-side, and three not-so-suckish B-sides. Reminiscence as a title track is enough to warrant thinking about purchase, but it's appearance on Grave of the Sacrifice would warrant me to advise you picking that up instead.

Type A: 70%
Type B: 68%