Review: UnsraW - Spiral Circle ~COMPLETE~

Well, somewhere else on this page I'm getting some nice feedback on one of the harsher reviews that I've written and I suppose said people that don't agree with me find that sort of music to be agreeable. I can't change an opinion and it's theirs to keep but I'd actually like to show them that it's not the entire brutal death metal genre I'm against - just that particular band. Now I don't listen to a particular band in that genre but I figure UnsraW comes comfortably close so I figure I'd review one of their albums today. Enjoy? Probably not but hey, if I got you to read this far it's a success in my book. Combine that with the fact that I reference this band a ton but I don't actually have any reviews of them and it becomes perfectly logical for this review to come when it does.

Disc one (CD)

1. "End of Finale (Introduction)" - 2:43
2. "Dust to Dust (New Recording)" - 3:06
3. "-9-" - 3:25
4. "Maria (New Recording)" - 2:31
5. "In the Fact" - 4:03
6. "Kyuumin -Oyasumi- (New Recording)" (休眠-おやすみ- ) - 6:01
7. "Karma" - 4:30
8. "[Rew]" - 3:52
9. "Gate of Death" - 5:16
10. "Warai Oni" (嗤い鬼) - 2:40

Disc two (DVD, European edition only)

1. "-9-"
2. "Gate of Death"
3. "Karma"
4. "Warai Oni" (嗤い鬼)

Maria, Kyuumin -Oyasumi- and Warai Oni are all covers done first by Yuuki & Shou's previous band CoЯe The Child. Combine that with a re-recording of Dust to Dust, the singles -9- and Gate of Death, and the B-sides [REW] and IN THE FACT and the only new UnsraW track is the first one. This looks like more of a compilation to me.

With that all pushed aside...

end of finale	Clocking in at almost three minutes, this feels way too long to be an introduction. It would have worked better if it were about a minute shorter. Also, the techno vibe of this track does not fit in with the tone of the album. You can just skip straight to Dust to Dust if you want.	6/10
Dust to Dust	It does the joint stereo playing I’m fond of and it functions better as the introduction to this entire album due to the simplicity of this song. Even though it’s simple it’s still effective enough to be a pleasant listen. The drums and guitars are solid and Yuuki’s vocal growls are “unique” to say the least. The bass passage 2/3 in is also pretty cool and I can see this song easily being longer live. My only gripe is that there could have been more to the passages and the transition into -9- could have been better. Otherwise, it’s pretty decent.	7/10
-9-	I swear that introduction does not fit with those verses even though it all meshes together perfectly. Said verses sound lifted right out of Dust to Dust but they work better in this song. What really saves this song is Yuuki’s singing during the bridge, which change up the pace enough to keep the song fresh and distinctive enough from Dust to Dust. The last few seconds also feature some electronic effects so none of it feels too repetitive. Technically speaking, it’s better than Dust to Dust although I don’t think it was too great of an idea to put both those songs one behind the other.	9/10
Maria	One of the viewers of this blog said that VanessA covered this song on their CHI[MA]IRA single and although I can’t hear it I can say that UnsraW’s cover of this song was originally done by CoЯe The Child. I can tell too because this song channels more of the thrash metal than the heavy metal. In a change of pace, Yuuki sings the verses and growls up the chorus which works for this song. Said growls don’t sound anything like the ones from the last two tracks which is a plus and the song is the perfect length for its style and atmosphere.	9/10
IN THE FACT	The striking thing about this song is how the verses are sung, which is strangely quiet and subdued. The roaring guitars quiet down into little strumming here and there before all hell breaks loose in the chorus and growls are unleashed. Yuuki’s singing and screaming are used in tandem here and they work side by side effectively, except I can’t help like this song sounds too much like it’s predecessors.	8/10
Kyuumin – Oyasumi-	CoЯe The Child cover number two feels quite out of place but is also quite needed on this album. The last four tracks started to melt together into one loud screaming growl fest of thrash metal. It’s naturally the longest song on the album and its presence is significant to making the album sound diverse. Even with the drastic change in sound I can’t deny that somehow it fits in conceptually. It’s not my favorite track but its inclusion makes the album better.	10/10
Karma	A proper introduction to the dramatic ending of the last track starts Karma out on the right foot. As the introduction makes obvious it’s a harder song but it contains far fewer sections of growling and screaming and relies more on Yuuki’s singing voice. This choice was wise as it eases the transition from Kyuumin into the next track. As a stand-alone track however, it’s underwhelming.	7/10
[REW]	THIS IS WHAT I WANT UNSRAW TO SOUND LIKE WHEN THEY WANT TO BE HEAVY. Thick, heavy guitars supported by nonstop double-bass drums and the consistent bass, it actually feels like the band is playing together for once. My personal favorite off of the entire album due to the kick-ass introduction it has, it’s only made better by the changing nature of the verses before it launches off into an equally as demonic chorus. The middle part is a little underwhelming but the abrupt ending and then lead-in to Gate of Death makes up for it.	9/10
Gate of Death	This is the darker, more ominous side of UnsraW. I love the simple one-guitar opening accentuated by the other guitar before the drums and bass slide in softly. Yuuki’s singing fits the dark mood before the other members pick up the pace and get harder but still keeps the atmosphere flowing. Throw in some judicious use of growling and an unexpected twist two and a half minutes in and we have the closest thing to an epic on this album. Every member stays solid right up until the end, when the dark, moody beginning returns, slows down and signals its departure. Best track on the album.	10/10
Warai Oni	CoЯe The Child cover number three suffers from bad track placement. This track would have benefited being placed between [REW] and Gate of Death, but it’s not the way to end off this album and it doesn’t feel comfortable after Gate of Death. This is meant to be more of a live-centric song with its repetitive, simple structure and it’s reliant-on-energy atmosphere to keep you interested. It's a good thing the length of this song is short because it gets old quickly.	6/10

Well, I didn't expect too much from this album when nothing on this album is something we haven't heard at some point before. Most of these tracks are B-sides or just not UnsraW and the scary thing is most of the covers are actually better than the B-sides and rank up there with the two singles. There's also the Spiral Circle EP's, which are missing Kyuumin, Dust to Dust, and Maria. That rating is below. Comparing this to Abel/Kein, I would advise you to get Abel/Kein, but not to miss out on -9-, Gate of Death, [REW], and a few others here.

Recommended:

-9-
Kyuumin - Oyasumi -
[REW]
Gate of Death

Score (complete): 81%
Score (EP): 70%