Review: VanessA - LOVE OF INSANITY

I think I'm unintentionally going backwards through VanessA's discography. Despite the very annoying way this band spells their name I think they're beginning to grow on me a little bit. Repeat listens to this single might explain why however.

01. I am Psychopath.
02. LUCY
03. Memory Lapse

I am Psychopath.	This song single handedly owns just about every other CD single they’ve released up to this point. It borrows some of the hip-hop inspiration pioneered by the GazettE and infuses it with some uniquely VanessA styles and electronic effects to create an arythmical track that is as pleasing as it is confusing. Genki’s roaring and grunting is used wisely and sparingly, and the English lyrics (included below) are disturbing as all hell. Put this all together and we have a track I can put on repeat and not get bored of. For once in the history of Engrish in J-rock, the mumbled lyrics actually work better. The only gripes I have are that the song ends too early and the transitions between the verse and the chorus could be better. Otherwise, this is the type of heavy I want out of VanessA.	9/10
LUCY	Not as brilliant as I am Psychopath but it’s still listenable. The guitars start with some attitude and run through two verses before it stumbles at a chorus that doesn’t quite fit in. There also is no solo which is a disappointment. I’d have to agree with those that say that LUCY sounds generic but I’m not too into that extreme. I can sense that this song follows a stereotypical form of construction and I can sense where the break downs and slow parts are coming seconds before they happen. The weakest track here.	7/10
Memory Lapse	HOLY. SHIT. WHERE IS THE ROARING, SCREAMING VANESSA I’VE GROWN TO HATE? We have a track of VanessA’s that features none of Genki’s rough vocals and is actually pleasant. It starts out deceptively, as if it’s going to be a soft ballad but it gets appropriately rougher around the onset of the verses. This is the right kind of experimentation I like to see and VanessA’s softer side has proved to be just as enjoyable as their darker side. It's the perfect way to end off this single.	10/10

So yes, this is the single that I compare every subsequent VanessA release to. It's just that damn good in VanessA standards and I don't think they've topped themselves since, although CHI[MA]IRA's first two tracks come closest. LOVE OF INSANITY sounds closest to VanessA's core sound, unlike the preceding single which I find to be forced in some respects, and the following single (alive=terror) which sounded overly heavy in many places. The lyrics to I am Psychopath are below, and I give this single 87%.

I am Psychopath

make love because we love each other,
with keeping rhythm.
My hope is bathing your blood while we unite.
I want to hack you up.
and someday, I want to eat you, because I love you.
I guess I'm a Psychopath.
But it's the truth about loving you
So wait for me. I'll fucking kill you.
I
PSYCHOPATH
I AM
PSYCHOPATH
I AM
PSYCHOPATH