Everyone who found this disappointing must have pregamed on Abel/Kein/Reborn. The GUILTY EP is not disappointing at all. The new Tetsu/Madoka team works better than the Tetsu/Rai team ever did, and Jin has some fucking beautiful bass lines. Yuuki's growls aren't all that bad either - I'm glad he chose not to layer them in intense amounts of distortion like a ton of other vocalists do. It's the one thing that turned me off of Screw's X-RAYS album a while back.
The opening of ZERO reminded me a bit of Dimmu Borgir's Unorthodox Manifesto, except this isn't as cool. It's just another one of those SE's that really -don't- deserve to exist. Compared to their past SE's though, this is rather cool. The Introduction on Calling was worse than this by miles and end of finale was much, [b]much[/b] more repetitive. Still, ZERO could have been omitted - hidden in the pre-gap and I wouldn't have cared much.
SALIVA OF GOD's introduction is severely disjointed. I like it. As for the rest of the song, I'm not as sold. Random double bass where none was needed mars the heaviness factor and for a song that's heavy it's straightforward and not as varied as it needs to be. Here, Jin asserts his position as a bassist more than Jun ever did and doesn't disappear under the crunchy, downtuned guitars. Perhaps Yuuki's tweaking of the guitar tuning helps this...who knows? Chorus was lame and the change in pace stereotypical, by-the-book VK but harmonized finger tapping saves it the first time around. The second time...just no. It's decent overall.
There's a really prominent, slightly annoying guitar part in ROSE OF SORROW that drags it down a lot, but Yuuki's rapping might turn off some even more. I don't find Yuuki's rapping to be that bad even though I find Japanese rap atrocious but I have more beef because it doesn't fit the tone of the song in the slightest. Whilst this one trips on the verse, it saves itself with that nice chorus. On the same level as SALIVA OF GOD, except I like it a bit less.
Still should have been a ballad though.
I normally can't sit through most of UnsraW's ballads so mentioning that I got to the end of GUILTY - twice - means I like it. I wouldn't exactly equate the end of this song to Jin's magnificent 9/11 divebomb at the end of [i]guilt trip[/i] but it could have been a LOT better. Yuuki's tonal gaps just isn't strong enough to hit those high notes although the lack of him coming back and screaming his guilt out was very much welcomed. The clean guitar is a real nice change of pace from the last two tracks and the solo bit where they harmonize was excellent. Liking this a lot.
WITHERING BLOOD sounds like an Abel/Kein leftover. This is good. It's not overly heavy just to be heavy and the guitars move through a lot of phases instead of alternating through three or so portions (I'm staring at YOU SALIVA OF GOD AND ROSE OF SORROW). The chorus isn't lame either and the transitions are seamless. Oh, and Yuuki doesn't do any bastardization with his vocals so it's all good. Like, love, would make triplets with.
They spiced DAMNED up with some synths and other instruments but it's just one of those piano outro's that have become so stale and overdone. I'm not even going to mention that if you take this and ZERO away you're basically left with a maxi, which makes me question the inclusion of ZERO that much more. It's pretty, carries that "unfinished" vibe and fits in with the tone well but that's it. I'm glad this isn't a heavy song though - this mini didn't need any more.
I liked this quite a bit more than I expected. It's not what we're "used to" but given time a lot of people will come to appreciate this. UnsraW "branched out" with their sounds and the incorporation of instruments that they've tried in the past here and there with mixed results works a lot better now. Instead of throwing in one or two tracks that don't work out too well with some old stale same old rockers and calling this a record they made this whole EP's vibe similar, yet something completely different than any of their past work. For that I have to give it to them.
Showing posts with label mini album. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mini album. Show all posts
Friday, April 23, 2010
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Review: NoGoD - Rashinban
*cracks knuckles*
Now I don't really need an explanation for my extended absence but I believe I owe you one anyway. The excuse is simple: college. Being a physics major + being completely out of my league = tons of catch-up. I also spent the time trying to figure out a way to circumvent the gods of computing at this school and then there was also just general laziness in updating overall.
But I told myself I would do a review on the 23rd for one reason: NoGoD. They're really the reason why I started my first blog and a lack of releases stopped me then. Their new release, Rashinban, is going to lead off this review spree. In the following days I'm also going to cover UnsraW's REBORN, Administrator's A, ScReW's X-RAYS, -OZ-'s VERSUS, Nega's Lover (unplugged), and Lycaon's Cordyceps Sinensis.
NoGoD - Rashinban
I had really mixed anticipations for this release. I doubted they'd ever return to the epicness of the Kanna Fukyou / Mugen Kyou period but I didn't think it would be as bad as the time where we waited for the release of Gokusaishiki to come out. My initial predictions were pretty much true since this EP is split pretty neatly between really commercial, generic pop-rock shit and then badass metal and it all lacks any sort of cohesion.
If you had any doubts about which way this EP was going to go Jigokuchou doesn't give you an accurate representation of what's in store. For one, it's actually pretty damn sweet and minus a slightly lacking chorus the entire drive, energy, and passion that every member puts into this release could make you think that all the songs on this album would be like this. Jigokuchou is full of so many ideas, from chopped up sections to single guitar strumming to a chorus that I like (even if it's lacking) and all of this comes together in a package that I'd actually say I'd put up there with Tsumibatsu Egoist and Saikou no Sekai. However, it is precisely all these ideas that fuck over Rashinban in the end. An EP is a band's way of saying they don't have enough new material to warrant a whole new album but they still have some ideas that they want to present to their listeners. When you use up most of your good ideas in track one, and track two is basically a re-recorded version of a released song you don't give me much hope.
Short and sweet point: Jigokuchou is awesome.
Mr.HEAVEN is pretty much the same it was on the single last month but it feels remastered and has a few neat passages. Guitar lines are redone and restrained and K fits in perfectly like he did before but he's not the primary force behind the song. I like the return to the beginning after the solo and everyone seems more balanced. I even think Karin redid the lame basslines from before so it's still enjoyable, even if it feels less infectious from before.
Hachigatsu Sakujitsu stops the Rashinban train for a little bit as it tries to come off as a failed attempt at a ballad. If you want a good NoGoD ballad find Kono Sekai ni Mihanasaretemo or Rinne Tenshou. Hell, I'll even throw in Yakusoku no Chi in there because even that had more going than this track. Hachigatsu lacks the NoGoD touch and might take a few listens to grow on me. Definitely not addictive at all.
Hakoniwa doesn't bring it back right at ALL. It's another poppy track but it feels commercial and not at all like NoGoD. Once again, NoGoD's done this type of track before (Yuiitsu Ka, Nanairo) and they've done it so much better while keeping the attitude. I don't mind IF they do pop-rock, just as long as they do it the NoGoD way. Hakoniwa is going to be one of those Shirasagi-esque tracks that's good for mild listening but if you need a NoGoD fix it's not going to satisfy you at all.
I wanted to SHOOT myself listening to Kalmia. The choir ooh's and aah's, the forceful beginning reminiscent of MUCC's Flight, the cringe-worthy chorus that makes me want to neuter my reviewing self, the overall blandness in putting things together...this is not the NoGoD I want to hear. Hell, this isn't NoGoD and the fact that this comes after Ring-a Ring-o only exacerbates the problem of "you don't fucking fit" and "you don't fucking belong". NoGoD can pull off hard and soft and poppy songs well but this isn't one of them and the fact that it ENDS off Rashinban doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. I would have been fine with just five tracks guys.
You probably noticed I skipped Ring-a Ring-o. That's because the song is too epic for words. The name sounds like a fun and silly song but it's far FAR away from any of that nonsense. Far and away the best song here, I felt that actually describing why it was good doesn't work in this instance. Take my word for it - you actually NEED to listen to this track if you're going to pick up Rashinban because this makes the EP.
So in conclusion, this is basically what Mr.HEAVEN should have been last month. It could have even been the new "Batsu" - Ring-a Ring-o as the A side with Mr.HEAVEN and Jigokuchou being the respectable B-sides - but it ended up becoming bloated with so-so tracks that drag down the EP as a whole. NoGoD's trying to show us they can do more than metal but frankly I don't give a damn. You're good at what it is you do and some things you just can't pull off so what they need to do is go back to the drawing board and figure out why songs like Ring-a Ring-o work and others like Kalmia just don't.
You can either sound the part or you can play the part. Rashinban is sounding the part and it's not measuring up. In actuality, the only track I recommend you skip is Kalmia but I feel tracks three and four weren't up to par. It doesn't scratch Gokusaishiki or Mugen Kyou and is way inferior to Kanna Fukyou but it's a lot better than Ao no Daichi or Midori no Kaze. It isn't their best work and it isn't going to rock your world but it's worth picking up if not for the metal monsters they offer here.
Now I don't really need an explanation for my extended absence but I believe I owe you one anyway. The excuse is simple: college. Being a physics major + being completely out of my league = tons of catch-up. I also spent the time trying to figure out a way to circumvent the gods of computing at this school and then there was also just general laziness in updating overall.
But I told myself I would do a review on the 23rd for one reason: NoGoD. They're really the reason why I started my first blog and a lack of releases stopped me then. Their new release, Rashinban, is going to lead off this review spree. In the following days I'm also going to cover UnsraW's REBORN, Administrator's A, ScReW's X-RAYS, -OZ-'s VERSUS, Nega's Lover (unplugged), and Lycaon's Cordyceps Sinensis.
NoGoD - Rashinban
I had really mixed anticipations for this release. I doubted they'd ever return to the epicness of the Kanna Fukyou / Mugen Kyou period but I didn't think it would be as bad as the time where we waited for the release of Gokusaishiki to come out. My initial predictions were pretty much true since this EP is split pretty neatly between really commercial, generic pop-rock shit and then badass metal and it all lacks any sort of cohesion.
If you had any doubts about which way this EP was going to go Jigokuchou doesn't give you an accurate representation of what's in store. For one, it's actually pretty damn sweet and minus a slightly lacking chorus the entire drive, energy, and passion that every member puts into this release could make you think that all the songs on this album would be like this. Jigokuchou is full of so many ideas, from chopped up sections to single guitar strumming to a chorus that I like (even if it's lacking) and all of this comes together in a package that I'd actually say I'd put up there with Tsumibatsu Egoist and Saikou no Sekai. However, it is precisely all these ideas that fuck over Rashinban in the end. An EP is a band's way of saying they don't have enough new material to warrant a whole new album but they still have some ideas that they want to present to their listeners. When you use up most of your good ideas in track one, and track two is basically a re-recorded version of a released song you don't give me much hope.
Short and sweet point: Jigokuchou is awesome.
Mr.HEAVEN is pretty much the same it was on the single last month but it feels remastered and has a few neat passages. Guitar lines are redone and restrained and K fits in perfectly like he did before but he's not the primary force behind the song. I like the return to the beginning after the solo and everyone seems more balanced. I even think Karin redid the lame basslines from before so it's still enjoyable, even if it feels less infectious from before.
Hachigatsu Sakujitsu stops the Rashinban train for a little bit as it tries to come off as a failed attempt at a ballad. If you want a good NoGoD ballad find Kono Sekai ni Mihanasaretemo or Rinne Tenshou. Hell, I'll even throw in Yakusoku no Chi in there because even that had more going than this track. Hachigatsu lacks the NoGoD touch and might take a few listens to grow on me. Definitely not addictive at all.
Hakoniwa doesn't bring it back right at ALL. It's another poppy track but it feels commercial and not at all like NoGoD. Once again, NoGoD's done this type of track before (Yuiitsu Ka, Nanairo) and they've done it so much better while keeping the attitude. I don't mind IF they do pop-rock, just as long as they do it the NoGoD way. Hakoniwa is going to be one of those Shirasagi-esque tracks that's good for mild listening but if you need a NoGoD fix it's not going to satisfy you at all.
I wanted to SHOOT myself listening to Kalmia. The choir ooh's and aah's, the forceful beginning reminiscent of MUCC's Flight, the cringe-worthy chorus that makes me want to neuter my reviewing self, the overall blandness in putting things together...this is not the NoGoD I want to hear. Hell, this isn't NoGoD and the fact that this comes after Ring-a Ring-o only exacerbates the problem of "you don't fucking fit" and "you don't fucking belong". NoGoD can pull off hard and soft and poppy songs well but this isn't one of them and the fact that it ENDS off Rashinban doesn't leave a good taste in my mouth. I would have been fine with just five tracks guys.
You probably noticed I skipped Ring-a Ring-o. That's because the song is too epic for words. The name sounds like a fun and silly song but it's far FAR away from any of that nonsense. Far and away the best song here, I felt that actually describing why it was good doesn't work in this instance. Take my word for it - you actually NEED to listen to this track if you're going to pick up Rashinban because this makes the EP.
So in conclusion, this is basically what Mr.HEAVEN should have been last month. It could have even been the new "Batsu" - Ring-a Ring-o as the A side with Mr.HEAVEN and Jigokuchou being the respectable B-sides - but it ended up becoming bloated with so-so tracks that drag down the EP as a whole. NoGoD's trying to show us they can do more than metal but frankly I don't give a damn. You're good at what it is you do and some things you just can't pull off so what they need to do is go back to the drawing board and figure out why songs like Ring-a Ring-o work and others like Kalmia just don't.
You can either sound the part or you can play the part. Rashinban is sounding the part and it's not measuring up. In actuality, the only track I recommend you skip is Kalmia but I feel tracks three and four weren't up to par. It doesn't scratch Gokusaishiki or Mugen Kyou and is way inferior to Kanna Fukyou but it's a lot better than Ao no Daichi or Midori no Kaze. It isn't their best work and it isn't going to rock your world but it's worth picking up if not for the metal monsters they offer here.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Review: +D'espairsRay+ - TERRORS + Sixth TERROR
I can't recall for how long Terrors has been sitting on my hard drive unlistened to and it takes a bored me late at night to actually want to fruitlessly Google a cover for Sixth TERROR to gain enough interest to sit through D'espairsRay's first EP. This (and Sixth TERROR) are closer in sound to the dark side of D'espairsRay that we've grown accustomed to so if you're in the need for some gothic rock that can't be called gothic rock then I would already tell you you've found your band.
But if the stereotypical and ill-fitting image of a sad, introverted freak cutting his wrists in the bathtub spring to mind or the no less stereotypical but still hilarious kid with a combover, too much hairgel, and black clothing waft to mind when you hear "gothic rock music", then I suggest you avert your pale little eyes to something more digestable for your frail lower intestine and non-functioning colon.
May I suggest Nega instead?
01. Fascism
02. Carnival
03. ero:de
04. Zetsubou Romance
05. Murder Freaks
Sixth TERROR
(I am not sure if that's the real cover or not but at this point I could care less. If you want a cover for this song so badly take the Ura Mania Theatre one to the right (it's the red one). However I'm not reviewing Valentine here. I'll do that when I get around to Sexual Beast.)
01. "MONOKURO" ni natta saigo no hi
But if the stereotypical and ill-fitting image of a sad, introverted freak cutting his wrists in the bathtub spring to mind or the no less stereotypical but still hilarious kid with a combover, too much hairgel, and black clothing waft to mind when you hear "gothic rock music", then I suggest you avert your pale little eyes to something more digestable for your frail lower intestine and non-functioning colon.
May I suggest Nega instead?
01. Fascism
02. Carnival
03. ero:de
04. Zetsubou Romance
05. Murder Freaks
Sixth TERROR
(I am not sure if that's the real cover or not but at this point I could care less. If you want a cover for this song so badly take the Ura Mania Theatre one to the right (it's the red one). However I'm not reviewing Valentine here. I'll do that when I get around to Sexual Beast.)
01. "MONOKURO" ni natta saigo no hi
There really is no difference in what you get with the covers for Terrors. One is just the first press and the other is the second press and both are a right bitch to find ^^. Having that said I'll start with Terrors first.
In descending order starting with the most "gothic" tracks we start out with Zetsubou Romance and Carnival. Carnival is the most boring track on this release. With the exception of the distorted drums and some parts of the riff at the beginning of the song the rest of it fades into obscurity because it's overshadowed by the other songs on this release. The fact that this also comes after Fascism doesn't help it stand out any more. Fascism is that song that uses German to cement D'espa's street cred whilst being the beginning of the EP headbanger. Hitler's little speech draws you in like no other track on Terrors can. I'm also going to mention that I can't follow along with the damn lyrics that I see online. Hizumi's vocals stand out here more and his "heil" barks are pretty damn vicious but everything else about the song is a little lacking - it all feels streamlined and repetitive. The way the band fades out as the "Sieg Heil" chants come in is done pretty well but the chants cut off abruptly and go into Carnival, which as I said doesn't grab my attention as much as I want to.
Zetsubou Romance does the exact opposite even though it sounds very similar to Carnival (scratch that: everything sans Murder Freaks can be easily interchanged on this EP). What sets it apart are the eerie sounds that dot the song's soundscape, peaking in brilliance as it rises throughout the chorus. It adds a feeling of awesome and tension but it's broken by the rough transition into another verse. Hizumi overlaying himself because he's too lazy to fix the rhythm on his lyrics is a turn-off. Tihs slip-up is balanced by the insertion of the bass section overlayed with Hizumi's singing before it breaks into the rising chorus again. Some interesting portions are happening in this song but there are slip-ups which balances out all the cool sections. No. This needs to be re-recorded and reworked.
I call for a compilation album. Nao.
All three tracks sound very muddy and indies. The band comes together well but nothing in particular stands out. Zero's bass doesn't assert itself and could be easily omitted due to the omnipresence of Karyu's guitar, Tsukasa's playing on a marshmallow kit and Hizumi's barks sound washed out.
ero:de and Murder Freaks are a cut above but when I say a cut I'm talking a miniscule sliver of space that in the long run doesn't really mean a damn but they both come with extra bells and whistles that make them the best tracks here. Murder Freaks starts out with some rain and a haunting piano and Hizumi speaking to either someone else or himself alone in a mansion before the song kicks in. The re-recording on Born doesn't have the beginning (well it does, but it's attached to the end of the previous track and it goes on for three whole minutes. Seriously Hizumi, shut the fuck up.) However, the Terrors version is just the right length and it works out better in practice than I'm making it out to be. Other than that, the Born version is better mastered and has a better balance of instruments. Eh, we're talking about the Terrors version so I'll stick with that. Other than the fact that Karyu's guitar and Tsukasa's drumming owns everyone else in this track since it's the only audible thing next to Hizumi, the effects that play with your ears aren't irritating (glares at MUCC) and are done well and not every five damn seconds. As a matter of fact, they're so subliminal they fit in with the song the first few times and you might not even notice it because it adds to the song without drawing attention to itself. The ending was lame though and could have went into the stratosphere instead of....doing that. Boo.
My previous complaints still stand.
ero:de does some awesome reverb shit before jumping into the distorted "shinjitsu" and going off at a million miles an hour. I can actually HEAR Zero in this track (somewhat) and there isn't one part of the song that comes off annoying as hell to kill the track. The insane mumbling in this track does get old especially since almost every track has it but ero:de is early on enough for you to not get sick of it. This track's transitions are smooth and the high frequency effects they put in there work well (I do think that portion around 2:30 is a bit WTF though) so I'd have to give this song a recommendation. Wow...it's the only song here I actually recommended.
And now for the one track on Sixth TERROR, Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi was also released on that Ura Mania Theatre demo tape (not like that's any easier to find) but I'll do it now. It's fucking brilliant. The way he sings it, the pain he describes everytime through his lyrics, the pure gothic creepiness mixing with the clean acoustics and distorted guitars, this song alone trumps everything that was on Terrors and shows a great deal of musical improvement in such a short period of time. It's darker and moves at a more plodding pace than anything else here but it's a work of genius. I recommend this.
And so that wraps up these two oldies. I strayed far away from the old cliche for two reasons. One is that it's a cliche and the other is that most of Terrors isn't really "goodies". They're all decent tracks but they fuck up somewhere in their runtime and lowers my expectations. They've got some other releases worth checking out so I wouldn't come running to Terrors first.
Sixth TERROR is another story...I actually have the lyrics for it so here you go.
Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi - The Last Day When Everything Went Monochrome
When did I start to forget the pain and let my heart degenerate into ugliness and wither completely.
I was always afraid it would break thinking that if I touched it, it'd fall to pieces
I learned what hurt and pain meant when I met you.
burn my body with feelings that spring without end
trust me, the one who wanted only you
these resolute feelings haven't changed
they're locked in my heart where they quietly sleep
your warmth, a room without you...
this blank in time that feels so very long
silence my voice, a sigh escapes
softly becoming tangled up
I believed that the time we warmed each other would go on forever.
the memories that stain the body long for you
put upon by the urging of my lust
this body can't forget you it hurts so it's breaking
dare to...wrap your hands around my throat
until this feeling right before me... goes white
because i'll always live on...
in the season the powder snow falls
and the memory
Recommended:
Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi
ero:de
Score:
Terrors: 61%
SIXTH Terror: 81%
In descending order starting with the most "gothic" tracks we start out with Zetsubou Romance and Carnival. Carnival is the most boring track on this release. With the exception of the distorted drums and some parts of the riff at the beginning of the song the rest of it fades into obscurity because it's overshadowed by the other songs on this release. The fact that this also comes after Fascism doesn't help it stand out any more. Fascism is that song that uses German to cement D'espa's street cred whilst being the beginning of the EP headbanger. Hitler's little speech draws you in like no other track on Terrors can. I'm also going to mention that I can't follow along with the damn lyrics that I see online. Hizumi's vocals stand out here more and his "heil" barks are pretty damn vicious but everything else about the song is a little lacking - it all feels streamlined and repetitive. The way the band fades out as the "Sieg Heil" chants come in is done pretty well but the chants cut off abruptly and go into Carnival, which as I said doesn't grab my attention as much as I want to.
Zetsubou Romance does the exact opposite even though it sounds very similar to Carnival (scratch that: everything sans Murder Freaks can be easily interchanged on this EP). What sets it apart are the eerie sounds that dot the song's soundscape, peaking in brilliance as it rises throughout the chorus. It adds a feeling of awesome and tension but it's broken by the rough transition into another verse. Hizumi overlaying himself because he's too lazy to fix the rhythm on his lyrics is a turn-off. Tihs slip-up is balanced by the insertion of the bass section overlayed with Hizumi's singing before it breaks into the rising chorus again. Some interesting portions are happening in this song but there are slip-ups which balances out all the cool sections. No. This needs to be re-recorded and reworked.
I call for a compilation album. Nao.
All three tracks sound very muddy and indies. The band comes together well but nothing in particular stands out. Zero's bass doesn't assert itself and could be easily omitted due to the omnipresence of Karyu's guitar, Tsukasa's playing on a marshmallow kit and Hizumi's barks sound washed out.
ero:de and Murder Freaks are a cut above but when I say a cut I'm talking a miniscule sliver of space that in the long run doesn't really mean a damn but they both come with extra bells and whistles that make them the best tracks here. Murder Freaks starts out with some rain and a haunting piano and Hizumi speaking to either someone else or himself alone in a mansion before the song kicks in. The re-recording on Born doesn't have the beginning (well it does, but it's attached to the end of the previous track and it goes on for three whole minutes. Seriously Hizumi, shut the fuck up.) However, the Terrors version is just the right length and it works out better in practice than I'm making it out to be. Other than that, the Born version is better mastered and has a better balance of instruments. Eh, we're talking about the Terrors version so I'll stick with that. Other than the fact that Karyu's guitar and Tsukasa's drumming owns everyone else in this track since it's the only audible thing next to Hizumi, the effects that play with your ears aren't irritating (glares at MUCC) and are done well and not every five damn seconds. As a matter of fact, they're so subliminal they fit in with the song the first few times and you might not even notice it because it adds to the song without drawing attention to itself. The ending was lame though and could have went into the stratosphere instead of....doing that. Boo.
My previous complaints still stand.
ero:de does some awesome reverb shit before jumping into the distorted "shinjitsu" and going off at a million miles an hour. I can actually HEAR Zero in this track (somewhat) and there isn't one part of the song that comes off annoying as hell to kill the track. The insane mumbling in this track does get old especially since almost every track has it but ero:de is early on enough for you to not get sick of it. This track's transitions are smooth and the high frequency effects they put in there work well (I do think that portion around 2:30 is a bit WTF though) so I'd have to give this song a recommendation. Wow...it's the only song here I actually recommended.
And now for the one track on Sixth TERROR, Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi was also released on that Ura Mania Theatre demo tape (not like that's any easier to find) but I'll do it now. It's fucking brilliant. The way he sings it, the pain he describes everytime through his lyrics, the pure gothic creepiness mixing with the clean acoustics and distorted guitars, this song alone trumps everything that was on Terrors and shows a great deal of musical improvement in such a short period of time. It's darker and moves at a more plodding pace than anything else here but it's a work of genius. I recommend this.
And so that wraps up these two oldies. I strayed far away from the old cliche for two reasons. One is that it's a cliche and the other is that most of Terrors isn't really "goodies". They're all decent tracks but they fuck up somewhere in their runtime and lowers my expectations. They've got some other releases worth checking out so I wouldn't come running to Terrors first.
Sixth TERROR is another story...I actually have the lyrics for it so here you go.
Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi - The Last Day When Everything Went Monochrome
When did I start to forget the pain and let my heart degenerate into ugliness and wither completely.
I was always afraid it would break thinking that if I touched it, it'd fall to pieces
I learned what hurt and pain meant when I met you.
burn my body with feelings that spring without end
trust me, the one who wanted only you
these resolute feelings haven't changed
they're locked in my heart where they quietly sleep
your warmth, a room without you...
this blank in time that feels so very long
silence my voice, a sigh escapes
softly becoming tangled up
I believed that the time we warmed each other would go on forever.
the memories that stain the body long for you
put upon by the urging of my lust
this body can't forget you it hurts so it's breaking
dare to...wrap your hands around my throat
until this feeling right before me... goes white
because i'll always live on...
in the season the powder snow falls
and the memory
Recommended:
Monokuro ni Natta Saigo no Hi
ero:de
Score:
Terrors: 61%
SIXTH Terror: 81%
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Review: MUCC - Antique
I came across this sometime in the past but I never bothered to listen to it because I'm a superficial bitch and I only like listening to music with pretty covers. If you think I'm being polemic I kid you not; this album cover terrified me as much as the Goosebumps book with that damned creepy dummy on the front. I look at the cover for Antique and that's all I think of and then I just glaze over it for Horizont with the tree or Gokusai with the hand. Something in me though wanted to give this mini a listen and see if what's inside is as horrifying as what's on the outside.
01. ---------
02. Yakeato
03. Shigatsu no Rengesou
04. Orugooru
05. Kokonoka
06. Aka
01. ---------
02. Yakeato
03. Shigatsu no Rengesou
04. Orugooru
05. Kokonoka
06. Aka
I'm not too sure about the lengths of these tracks but after this one it shouldn't matter. For this one it doesn't matter either way because I couldn't give two shits about this intro. It's a bunch of static that leads into Yakeato. What's worse is that they recycled this track for Tsuuzetsu. My god I have never heard of re-recording an opening and then sticking it on ANOTHER album, much less having that opening be STATIC! Was MUCC too strapped for creativity to come up with something less imaginative than ---------? For fucking crying out loud they didn't NAME this track, so I'll name it for them - unimaginative piece of shit.
Fuck, at least Akai Oto on the first copy of the mini was more imaginative than this. They actually had to do some fucking work, instead of just turning their television on channel six and then recording that for 20 seconds. Since the tracklist for the first edition differs, Akai Oto was supposed to be an "opening" for Aka, which came second. So what did they do? Take the first few seconds of the song, lower the volume, distort the pitch a tad, and then shove it right in front of some fucking static! And then to make it worse it doesn't even segue smoothly! Both of these track are pieces of garbage that just show that a band makes more money by making some shitty sound effects and calling it an "intro". Why be creative when you can be lame because you make the same amount of money per track ANYWAY? Lazy fucktards.
Yakeato is the "new" track that they marketed for this single (and that's quite deceptive since there's actually two here but w/e). I actually like the entire haunted vibe echoing off Tatsurou's moans. It fits with the creepy cover. What I don't like is how roughly the song switches course in the middle and goes from a haunting atmosphere to a sprinting piece. I'm not being pulled into the song the same way from that point on and that transition should have been done better. Drums feel all off and the guitars feel like they're jamming just to keep it moving. Another thing is that this song relies a lot on stereo techniques, as I often sense it moving from one ear to another and it is not needed. That bastardry continues right up to the end, where there's some loud noise in one ear that's supposed to disturb me greatly. Such an ending would have been great if Yakeato had taken an approach similar to KAErazaru Kioku and kept the creepy feeling all the way to the end but it's wasted on a track that switches pace badly halfway in. It's not that bad but I'm just stuck in the thoughts that it could have been truly orgasmic.
Since I am in a negative mood today, I shall refer to this song as Shigatsu no Rengesou. Unlike Yakeato, I get nothing from this song. Shigatsu no Rengesou is a flat-out boring song, and with a runtime approaching the closer edge of five minutes it bores the crap out of me. Miya's occasional guitar plucks lighten the mood and Yukke's bass isn't deep so much as it is warm but no one does anything interesting up until the solo. Miya's solo portion is pretty good, and the rhythm portions going on underneath the wailing guitar is the best part of the song. Shigatsu no Rengesou is a standard Angura-Kei rocker, which means it's boring. Standard is vomit-inspiring boring. Give me something fresh.
Orugooru is too fucking long and the structure of the song is very simple, which leads to it getting very repetitive before the song ends. This was meant to be played live as Yukke and Miya play the same lines over and over again. By the fifth minute into this song I'm wondering why it's still going. Orugooru also abuses the presence of twin stereos and Tatsurou sings more often in different ears than he needs to. Miya's guitar also likes to switch ears often and it's not needed. MUCC is relying on these audio tricks to make up for the lack of meat in these songs and all it does is make the songs cheesier and disorienting.
Parts of Kokonoka sound very similar to the bluesy rocker Gerbera, especially around: everywhere. Tell me 1:47-1:52 doesn't sound like the solo from that song. I'm not imagining things. Well, back to the actual song here, I find Kokonoka bloated but it does enough switching up to keep the pace from stagnating like spoiled milk. There's some bass-only sections, random female voices speaking in the background, some light guitar plucking and some blues-backed section. All these changing parts make it an interesting song to hear but not one to listen to. Tatsurou's voice sucks majorly and it cracks a lot. Around the 3:30 mark he just starts singing and he doesn't stop until the guitars slow down for a little bit and then he comes in again. He is the main reason why this song drags so much; he is just not interesting to listen to this far back. He's sucked in every track so far but he just excels at sucking here.
Aka sprints at the speed of a circumcision and the pace is really interesting in that "bang my head against the wall" sort of way. This was supposed to be re-recorded from the demo tape they handed out, which means all they did was add that retarded beginning that irritates my eardrums. Despite those two setbacks, it's the best song here but what did you expect out of an A-side? It's verses have that rare quality to be very simple but very effective at sticking in your memory. Tatsurou's vocals are rough and they suck compared to the re-recording, so I suggest you take a look at this on the WORST OF MUCC collection they released. Unlike that album, it was wise of MUCC to put this track last. It's long, drawn-out nature does not suit well being the introduction to an album.
Then again, neither did the first two tracks I mentioned. Ruddy pieces of shit they are...
I'm going to tell you right now: this MUCC is not the Korn-inspired thrash fest that they were on Houmura Uta. You like Houmura Uta? Stick with that time period, trust me. This is weird, ethnic Japanese rock at it's core and not everyone's going to get it. I get it, but I'm in that large group that doesn't like it. The droning nature of Antique suits the faded cover well and by the end of Aka I feel that I didn't get anything out of listening to this album. Half these songs were too damn long and the other half of these songs were too damn suckish, which leads me to the final section of this bitch-fest.
Recommended:
Aka on WORST OF MUCC
Score: 40%
Fuck, at least Akai Oto on the first copy of the mini was more imaginative than this. They actually had to do some fucking work, instead of just turning their television on channel six and then recording that for 20 seconds. Since the tracklist for the first edition differs, Akai Oto was supposed to be an "opening" for Aka, which came second. So what did they do? Take the first few seconds of the song, lower the volume, distort the pitch a tad, and then shove it right in front of some fucking static! And then to make it worse it doesn't even segue smoothly! Both of these track are pieces of garbage that just show that a band makes more money by making some shitty sound effects and calling it an "intro". Why be creative when you can be lame because you make the same amount of money per track ANYWAY? Lazy fucktards.
Yakeato is the "new" track that they marketed for this single (and that's quite deceptive since there's actually two here but w/e). I actually like the entire haunted vibe echoing off Tatsurou's moans. It fits with the creepy cover. What I don't like is how roughly the song switches course in the middle and goes from a haunting atmosphere to a sprinting piece. I'm not being pulled into the song the same way from that point on and that transition should have been done better. Drums feel all off and the guitars feel like they're jamming just to keep it moving. Another thing is that this song relies a lot on stereo techniques, as I often sense it moving from one ear to another and it is not needed. That bastardry continues right up to the end, where there's some loud noise in one ear that's supposed to disturb me greatly. Such an ending would have been great if Yakeato had taken an approach similar to KAErazaru Kioku and kept the creepy feeling all the way to the end but it's wasted on a track that switches pace badly halfway in. It's not that bad but I'm just stuck in the thoughts that it could have been truly orgasmic.
Since I am in a negative mood today, I shall refer to this song as Shigatsu no Rengesou. Unlike Yakeato, I get nothing from this song. Shigatsu no Rengesou is a flat-out boring song, and with a runtime approaching the closer edge of five minutes it bores the crap out of me. Miya's occasional guitar plucks lighten the mood and Yukke's bass isn't deep so much as it is warm but no one does anything interesting up until the solo. Miya's solo portion is pretty good, and the rhythm portions going on underneath the wailing guitar is the best part of the song. Shigatsu no Rengesou is a standard Angura-Kei rocker, which means it's boring. Standard is vomit-inspiring boring. Give me something fresh.
Orugooru is too fucking long and the structure of the song is very simple, which leads to it getting very repetitive before the song ends. This was meant to be played live as Yukke and Miya play the same lines over and over again. By the fifth minute into this song I'm wondering why it's still going. Orugooru also abuses the presence of twin stereos and Tatsurou sings more often in different ears than he needs to. Miya's guitar also likes to switch ears often and it's not needed. MUCC is relying on these audio tricks to make up for the lack of meat in these songs and all it does is make the songs cheesier and disorienting.
Parts of Kokonoka sound very similar to the bluesy rocker Gerbera, especially around: everywhere. Tell me 1:47-1:52 doesn't sound like the solo from that song. I'm not imagining things. Well, back to the actual song here, I find Kokonoka bloated but it does enough switching up to keep the pace from stagnating like spoiled milk. There's some bass-only sections, random female voices speaking in the background, some light guitar plucking and some blues-backed section. All these changing parts make it an interesting song to hear but not one to listen to. Tatsurou's voice sucks majorly and it cracks a lot. Around the 3:30 mark he just starts singing and he doesn't stop until the guitars slow down for a little bit and then he comes in again. He is the main reason why this song drags so much; he is just not interesting to listen to this far back. He's sucked in every track so far but he just excels at sucking here.
Aka sprints at the speed of a circumcision and the pace is really interesting in that "bang my head against the wall" sort of way. This was supposed to be re-recorded from the demo tape they handed out, which means all they did was add that retarded beginning that irritates my eardrums. Despite those two setbacks, it's the best song here but what did you expect out of an A-side? It's verses have that rare quality to be very simple but very effective at sticking in your memory. Tatsurou's vocals are rough and they suck compared to the re-recording, so I suggest you take a look at this on the WORST OF MUCC collection they released. Unlike that album, it was wise of MUCC to put this track last. It's long, drawn-out nature does not suit well being the introduction to an album.
Then again, neither did the first two tracks I mentioned. Ruddy pieces of shit they are...
I'm going to tell you right now: this MUCC is not the Korn-inspired thrash fest that they were on Houmura Uta. You like Houmura Uta? Stick with that time period, trust me. This is weird, ethnic Japanese rock at it's core and not everyone's going to get it. I get it, but I'm in that large group that doesn't like it. The droning nature of Antique suits the faded cover well and by the end of Aka I feel that I didn't get anything out of listening to this album. Half these songs were too damn long and the other half of these songs were too damn suckish, which leads me to the final section of this bitch-fest.
Recommended:
Aka on WORST OF MUCC
Score: 40%
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)