So now you're wondering: FOOL DIDN'T YOU JUST DO THIS YESTERDAY? I will respond: yes, yes I did. Except today I have all five of the tracks and I can actually write a half-decent, level-headed review. As you can see, I have jokingly changed the title of the last one to "fangasm" meaning it points out all of the positives in the song and remains decidedly one-sided. This review will be more balanced.
1．Mr.HEAVEN
2．Mr.HEAVEN (団長仲間外れVersion)
3．Mr.HEAVEN (Kyrie＆Shinno愛の逃避行Version)
4．Mr.HEAVEN (華凛お花摘みVersion)
5．Mr.HEAVEN (K引き籠りVersion)
Even though I am glad to see NoGoD returning to the heavier side of music, I can't help but think that Mr.HEAVEN is nothing more than a mixture of all of their successful harder tracks placed into one 3:46 serving of greatness. The beginning is reminiscent of Tsumibatsu Egoist and Seshuuka and the verses are delivered just like Saikou no Sekai (so much so that it's scary). The chorus has some traces of Shukufuku no Uta, Kijin Fukanshou, and Zesshoku and whilst the solo is nice, it's so distinctively Kyrie that it does little to distinguish itself from many of the solos that were mentioned in every single song above sans Seshuuka and Shukufuku no Uta. Mr.HEAVEN loses a few points for not being original.
Another thing that I noticed thanks to the last four tracks is the bass. The basslines are set low in the mix and are very pentatonic, leaving the guitars and the drums to do all the melodic work. The basslines are borderline inconsequential, as track four on this CD sounds almost exactly like the first two. Of course, the edginess the bass brings is missing, but when the bass does nothing more than play four series of the same notes and then change up just like the guitars it's not that creative. He could have done some slapping, some pinch harmonics, or created a riff all his own, or something. Why is it that Kanna Fukyou-era Kurohai has a more-present bassline than this? Mr.HEAVEN loses a few points for relying too much on Shinno and Kyrie to carry the melody.
The drums is where things start to turn around. There's not much you can do in the way of melody with the drums, but K is really the one that holds the entire song together (since Karin's bass lines support him more than they do the guitarists). It's most evident in track five, when the very annoying metronome is ticking in the background as everyone else is playing. It feels very empty without him and that would be the track to make you realize how valuable his playing is to the entire NoGoD sound. He ups the track a few points.
The guitars are strong and hard like they are in most NoGoD songs, but a comparison to older works is inevitable, especially since it borrows so many elements from said songs. One of the most obvious things they've borrowed is the over-reliance on the guitars to push the melody forward and for all intents and purposes Mr.HEAVEN did not fail in that respect. There's even some guitar overlaying at the beginning (think Seshuuka at the chorus), and some pinch harmonics during the solo, making it feel less like a straightforward mosher and more refined and thought out. That is always welcome.
And last but not least we come to Danchou. He handles the demanding vocal department exceedingly well and doesn't overstep his boundaries or fail at trying something experimental. As for something experimental, the one-second pause at 0:52 works better in practice than it would seem on paper and the way his vocals cut out have you leaning out wanting more. He also bumps up the track a few points.
Keep in mind the next four tracks are meant for you to pick up an instrument and play along to it ^^. They all suck listening-wise.
So now we come to track two, which doesn't feature Danchou. Or rather, features a substantially less amount of Danchou. This should have just been a straight instrumental, as the backup Danchou vocals leaves a need better fulfilled by the first track. If it's going to be Danchouless, mute him out totally. It's good if you want to sing along, but no one outside of Japan HAS the lyrics.
Track three does not feature any guitars, and here it becomes quite obvious how much NoGoD relies on their guitars. It's good if you like to appreciate the drums and bass but as I said the bass lines are very simple in many parts and just having some drums and Danchou singing aren't very entertaining. This version especially lags during the solo part (for obvious reasons).
Track four is without the bass, and even though it's quite obvious Karin is missing his absence doesn't actually break this track. The guitars and drums carry enough of the melody to keep the track going without him there. It's not as good as the first track (none of these are, by the way) but it's the closest sounding to it.
Track five is missing K, and the annoying metronome in the back doesn't help any. If you're listening you will sorely miss his presence in the dynamics of the track but if you are playing along, I'm sure you'll appreciate the metronome moving along in the background because it will help you keep time.
I'm not grading the last four tracks because they would drag the score down unnecessarily. So what do I think of Mr.HEAVEN now? I will say exactly what I said before
"It's almost like a mixture of all their hard songs into one."
It's a nice track, and it's solid on it's own, but compared to what they've put out before this single lags far behind some heavy NoGoD classics such as Saikou no Sekai, Strawberry Night, Tsumibatsu Egoist and Zesshoku.
Here's hoping that the mini-album they're releasing September 16th carries some more surprises. And here's trivia bit number two: The name of said mini-album is going to be 羅針盤(Rashinban). It means Compass. Perhaps they'll actually find some direction in making hard and soft songs that don't sound like the rest of their output glued together.
Recommended:
Mr.HEAVEN
Score: 75/100
Another thing that I noticed thanks to the last four tracks is the bass. The basslines are set low in the mix and are very pentatonic, leaving the guitars and the drums to do all the melodic work. The basslines are borderline inconsequential, as track four on this CD sounds almost exactly like the first two. Of course, the edginess the bass brings is missing, but when the bass does nothing more than play four series of the same notes and then change up just like the guitars it's not that creative. He could have done some slapping, some pinch harmonics, or created a riff all his own, or something. Why is it that Kanna Fukyou-era Kurohai has a more-present bassline than this? Mr.HEAVEN loses a few points for relying too much on Shinno and Kyrie to carry the melody.
The drums is where things start to turn around. There's not much you can do in the way of melody with the drums, but K is really the one that holds the entire song together (since Karin's bass lines support him more than they do the guitarists). It's most evident in track five, when the very annoying metronome is ticking in the background as everyone else is playing. It feels very empty without him and that would be the track to make you realize how valuable his playing is to the entire NoGoD sound. He ups the track a few points.
The guitars are strong and hard like they are in most NoGoD songs, but a comparison to older works is inevitable, especially since it borrows so many elements from said songs. One of the most obvious things they've borrowed is the over-reliance on the guitars to push the melody forward and for all intents and purposes Mr.HEAVEN did not fail in that respect. There's even some guitar overlaying at the beginning (think Seshuuka at the chorus), and some pinch harmonics during the solo, making it feel less like a straightforward mosher and more refined and thought out. That is always welcome.
And last but not least we come to Danchou. He handles the demanding vocal department exceedingly well and doesn't overstep his boundaries or fail at trying something experimental. As for something experimental, the one-second pause at 0:52 works better in practice than it would seem on paper and the way his vocals cut out have you leaning out wanting more. He also bumps up the track a few points.
Keep in mind the next four tracks are meant for you to pick up an instrument and play along to it ^^. They all suck listening-wise.
So now we come to track two, which doesn't feature Danchou. Or rather, features a substantially less amount of Danchou. This should have just been a straight instrumental, as the backup Danchou vocals leaves a need better fulfilled by the first track. If it's going to be Danchouless, mute him out totally. It's good if you want to sing along, but no one outside of Japan HAS the lyrics.
Track three does not feature any guitars, and here it becomes quite obvious how much NoGoD relies on their guitars. It's good if you like to appreciate the drums and bass but as I said the bass lines are very simple in many parts and just having some drums and Danchou singing aren't very entertaining. This version especially lags during the solo part (for obvious reasons).
Track four is without the bass, and even though it's quite obvious Karin is missing his absence doesn't actually break this track. The guitars and drums carry enough of the melody to keep the track going without him there. It's not as good as the first track (none of these are, by the way) but it's the closest sounding to it.
Track five is missing K, and the annoying metronome in the back doesn't help any. If you're listening you will sorely miss his presence in the dynamics of the track but if you are playing along, I'm sure you'll appreciate the metronome moving along in the background because it will help you keep time.
I'm not grading the last four tracks because they would drag the score down unnecessarily. So what do I think of Mr.HEAVEN now? I will say exactly what I said before
"It's almost like a mixture of all their hard songs into one."
It's a nice track, and it's solid on it's own, but compared to what they've put out before this single lags far behind some heavy NoGoD classics such as Saikou no Sekai, Strawberry Night, Tsumibatsu Egoist and Zesshoku.
Here's hoping that the mini-album they're releasing September 16th carries some more surprises. And here's trivia bit number two: The name of said mini-album is going to be 羅針盤(Rashinban). It means Compass. Perhaps they'll actually find some direction in making hard and soft songs that don't sound like the rest of their output glued together.
Recommended:
Mr.HEAVEN
Score: 75/100
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