Review: Sadie - Gain

Anyone that remembers Kagerou knows how shit that single was. My opinion hasn't changed a little except for Knife growing on me slightly and the title track a smidgen more but my hopes for that single will forever remain dashed. Gain was originally supposed to be a single and somewhere along the line Sadie decided to give us a little bit more and turn this into an EP. I don't mind the end result, especially since it turned out like this.

01. ever
02. brain core
03. beauty shadow
04. CHAOTIC WORLD
05. 愛しさは孤独の支配者
06. Regret

1. ever: This is the way you start an EP off. ever's composition is similar to that of Ice Romancer except it blends in a bit of this new heaviness Sadie's going after (then again, Sadie's obviously following in the steps of their masters Dir en grey) The guitar riffs are very impressive and it seems that both Tsurugi and Mizuki have finally woken up. Aki has his moments but he's really not omnipresent in this song at all. Mao's vocals obviously improved and are the highlight here, holding the song together and giving it a soft and heavy feel. Many bands have attempted this before and failed but Sadie makes this work.
ever ★★★★★(4.5)

2. brain core: By the intro I wasn't impressed and the verse doesn't help either. The chorus is puts the nail in the coffin and labels this song as mediocre. brain core just doesn't have anything that makes me say "FUCK YEAH! ROCK ON!" It's just another 'ok' song and will end up being forgotten amongst the others on this EP. The slow down part around 3 minutes into the song is really nice though and does go some length to changing up the pace that this song was going at.
brain core ★★★(3.0)

3. Beauty shadow, With some ominous guitar playing that foreshadows what everybody expects to be another failed attempt from a VK band to make a heavy intro, beauty shadow doesn't disappoint aesthetically. But don't let beauty shadow's intro fool you, the song is a beautiful but powerful mixture of Sadie's THE BULLET STORM and more. Mao's verses are slightly annoying but memorable in that "I don't want to remember you way". The way he layers the atypical rhythm on top of the guitars are pretty good but the chorus is just a little....bland? The solo, while short, is damn good, so I'm glad to say this song is different from anything they've done before. I'm glad they haven't really repeated themselves as of yet.
Beauty shadow ★★★★★(4.5)

4. CHAOTIC WORLD: Vocals, guitars, bass, and drumming all work in monstrous harmony here. I have no idea where this side of Sadie erupted but I'm enjoying it immensely. The group chorus is pussy weak and could have been a lot stronger and drags down what could have otherwise been a genius, dark and brutal song. I can overlook the weak chorus. CHAOTIC WORLD's guitar work is masterful and the genius composition goes a long way to assist in the crushing precision present in this song. The song has breaks amongst the chaos that give it a haunting feel and keep it from shitting on itself. If your a fan of Sadie's heavier work I definitely suggest this track for you.
CHAOTIC WORLD ★★★★(4.0)

5. 愛しさは孤独の支配者(Itoshi saha kodoku no shihaisha), Love this song! LOVE THIS FUCKING BALLAD! Not many ballads actually hit my heart like Sadie's ballads do. They are really pleasing to the ears. I love Mao's voice in this song. It sounds so celestial and otherwordly. This is the song that stands out on this mini. Everything works well here but I can't help but feel that it could have been a little more heartfelt and that it was stuck here just to give a sense of diversity before the album ended.
愛しさは孤独の支配者 ★★★★★(4.5)

6. Regret: THIS IS A WONDERFUL FOLLOW UP! This is great! Why couldn't this amount of creativity be put into EVERY FUCKING SONG ON THIS MINI! From the first 20sec. I could already tell I'd love this song. THE CHORUS IS BY FAR THE BEST ON THE WHOLE MINI ALBUM! Amazing vocal performance for this song. The instrumental is spectacular. A great mid range song. Nothing to heavy, but nothing to soft. A perfect ending and yet I'm disappointed by this being the ending song. It makes me want more from this mini album.
Regret ★★★★★(4.5)


Nothing reaches the level of 5 star epic but the last three songs are definitely an improvement over the first half of the EP, which already was an improvement over Kagerou. The sound they carried in Master of Romance is echoed here but it's somewhat different....heavier, more raw yet just as Sadie as always. It's no The Trend Killer but it has something over their other mini's that keep Gain from disappearing into obscurity a la THE SUICIDE MACHINE.

I see Sadie following in the foot steps of Dir en grey, I'm not saying that they are copying Dir en grey, but following their steady format of evolution over the years. Sadie is evolving into a heavier sound very steadily, so it doesn't feel rushed like the GazettE, instead it feels natural, which is very good. Sadie's musicianship may not be the best, but they are all getting better at what they do, and for that I am thankful. Every release by Sadie does better than the previous work, in a way the band as a whole are topping themselves every release.

Though Sadie may not be the best band to surface, they have talent and in Gain they express this. There is nothing that really stuck out to me as a problem on the release, instead, as a whole, Gain impressed me completely.