まるこ水’s Neighborhood

Check this out, you might find something you like to send out to your friends and family. :)

This self portrait has been accepted in the Vetta collection at istockphoto. Woot~

BEFORE I DECAY

Release date: 7.10.2009.
Price: ￥ 1,785
NO: KICM-91290

Track list
1. BEFORE I DECAY [PV]
2. 瞞し (Mayakashi)

So... After a bit less than 3 months the GazettE present us with another single, which was shortly announced after the release of their 4th album DIM. DIM was a utter masterpiece and you don't simply go and release anything else after such a piece of an album right away, unless it was something that didn't fit into the album concept anyways but had enough potential to be released. I think this might be the case with Before I Decay, although the band itself expressed a simple wish to create a "simple, speed song" after DIM. And that is basically what BEFORE I DECAY is.

BEFORE I DECAY is a uptempo, furious, speed song with a lot of notes flying around and Ruki blasting his vocal folds out with raw growls. The beginning with the verses feels like a faster version of Zetsu's riff coupled with the distorted, noisy and ALMOST IDENTICAL riffs from CIRCLE OF SWINDLER. A few subtle metal licks add a bit to the variety but not as much as they did in LEECH. The chorus is the only thing in this song that feels a bit unpolished and done in a bigger haste than the rest, you could basically sing the MOTH UNDER SKIN chorus over it and it would fit. And when it comes to singles the GazettE haven't done a single original (excluding maybe Guren) chorus since Filth in the Beauty. Basically if you were to judge a song by it's first half it would seem rather generic as hell. The second half brings some pleasant surprises though, from the rhythm change in the pre chorus to the growly breakdown and the refreshing, calm and flickering moment after it followed by some amazing guitar tapping and alternate verse which sounds really intense, tight and cathartic before moving to the good, old chorus. It's incredible how this little part of the song adds so much potential and character to it! It's like when I first listened to SHADOW VI II I, I was fascinated by this one acoustic part to it and I could basically just listen to the song because of that part, (even though with time I grew to like the song overall) so I have a reminiscent same feel with BEFORE I DECAY.
So this song is cool enough to have it's own single and distinction, but it's on the other hand too generic to compete with some of the masterpieces off DIM (though I'd really change it for Headache man....). And this song is being used in the Japanese edition of the movie FAST AND FURIOUS, but not like I care about that.

Mayakashi leaves me with pretty split feelings about it. I really don't like the high main wah wah melody that repeats and sounds more like something I'd come across in a forgettable Alice nine. B-side or at some other "Light" indies band. The verses and pre-chorus are AND IF I FUCKING WILL HAVE TO WRITE THIS ALL OVER FOR THE THIRD TIME I WILL SHOOT SOMEONE, FUCK YOU VOX AND FIREFOX   really smooth and sound a bit like the song Kare Uta coupled with the transiting riffs of Gentle Lie, giving off a certain happy-reminiscent feel. The chorus sounds pretty undeveloped, like it would go into the right direction if it was given time and thought, which is not the case with this single. The main problem with this song is the same one that Shiroki Yuuutsu had on DIM: it's a song  the is good as a standalone, but placed next to a harder song it simply doesn't click. Eventually this song will grow on me, given the right time and context. But the certain pre-FILTH IN THE BEAUTY feel this song has will certainly make a lot of reminiscent listeners happy.

So overall BEFORE I DECAY brings a standard Gazetto sound with it enhanced with a few touches but not so polished and thoughtful as it was with DIM. But as the guys have stated before, it's a song that doesn't want to compete with it (or otherwise it would end up on the album). For me this release came way too sudden and my impressions for DIM haven't settled completely in order for me to get hyped about a new release. Before I Decay did exceed my expectations based on the preview, though the B-side came different from what I had imagined it to be based on the song title. The songs themselves are, in the end, really more than decent and I am sure that I'll give this release a lot of spins. So if you like the band this release is almost impossible to come by. And this band has already done so much this year so that this single is just the cherry-on-top.

VERSUS

Release date: 16.9.2009.
Price: ￥3,990
NO: LPO-014

Track list
1.LAST Shell
2.FILMY [PV]
3.BLAZE
4.VENOM
5.Needle
6.Reservation
7.ATHENA
8.IN RUBBISH
9.M.D.M.A
10.MIGRANT
11.DETOX [PV]
12.Breathe trees

After existing five years on the scene, the hard'n'heavy Visual kei band -OZ- released it's first full-blooded album. Along with the powerful singles VENOM and DETOX this is the third release that this band has given us this year. For those unfamiliar with -OZ- ; the quintet has formed in 2004. with the members including the vocalist Natsuki, guitarist Tama and Aki, bassist Nao and drummer Zukki, this band slowly but surely started gaining fans from the start with their furious, heavy rock music often on the boarder of metalcore with grinding guitars, pumped up rhythm and interesting vocal lines as well as one of the best growls delivered by their singer and lyricist Natsuki. The band has been delivering in a slow but still regular tempo various releases and their songs have been featured on a lot of omnibuses. The band is currently signed on the label LOOP ASH and is as such their most hardest band.

The album begins with the guitar flickering intro to LAST Shell before exploding in a sharp and hard mass of riffs. The verses are slow, mesmerizing and with a thick, ominous mood. Damn it's just the kind of verses I like and the kind of verses I'd make if I was making music, damn you -OZ-. The song builds up tension in the pre-chorus and stretches in a huge, powerful and wide chorus followed by an excellent, vibrating guitar solo. If anything these guys know how to deliver energy and how to soar with their songs sky high. And LAST Shell is not just an great example of it, it is a great song.

FILMY starts off with this really twisted riff and rages with grinding distorted guitars and hoarse, brutal growls. The verses go in a fast pace with high guitar tones over it, following a growling pre-chorus and again a soaring, shining chorus. Really FILMY seems like an intense follow up to the excellent song DETOX. Right before the bone-breaking breakdown is a groovy bass solo, following a wonderful guitar solo. This song is simply intense and doesn't calm down, not a second and such are more-less all the songs on this album.

BLAZE's main riff sounds like stone breaking, powerfuuullll. The pre-chorus is dangerously in the extreme metal territory, just as the short solo after the quite inappropriate bright chorus that somehow just pops-out and sounds almost "gospel" because of it's mass chore feel. VENOM comes as a small reminder on this years, same-titled single that has got really good intro riff before going into some really strange verses and very tight packed chorus, though I have to admit sometimes -OZ- does deliver songs which have parts that don't really seem to have a logical melody or logic at all and VENOM is one of them, though saved by really excellent and hard riffs.

Needle brings some heavy groove to the record just as Perfect Ruler did on the single VENOM, but Needle's groove is more worked out, cooler and moodier. Interesting the verses could pass as real metal thanks to their guitars while the chorus delivers this pretty cathartic, wide and intense feel like one of their songs Fade which I really love when it comes to some Visual kei songs. One of my favorites here. Reservation seems to continue onto Needle but it is more faster and more vicious. And again the heavy guitars come as irresistible for fans of distortion. Reservation gives a lot of growling and a pretty upbeat chorus that pulls out the best of Natsuki's pretty high pitched vocals.

Interesting enough was to see their almost pure-metal song ATHENA coming on the album, but the excitement was somehow watered down by the fact that this album version had way blander singing than the original and less dynamics, but still brings some diverse and dynamic guitars this band has to offer. Sadly the song had to experience some changes because the original really kicked ass. On the other hand I am glad S.I.N didn't make it to the album because it was quite average. IN RUBBISH opens up with some fast and razor sharp riffs and again I feel like a total sucker because I absolutely adore the brutal guitars this band has along with their raw, explosive energy. IN RUBBISH also emerges as a gem on this album with an excellent pre-chorus where Natsuki's voice comes out very raw and very clean, which is cool enough to make this song stand out. The rest of the song develops in this usual, catchy growl-distortion storm that is bound to torment you all the way.

M.D.M.A is another mosh-grind fest but with this oriental touch in guitars as well as dark, almost demonic verses and a sweeping, big, interesting chorus that blows anything in it's way. MIGRANT has got this one downbreaking, dark, fucking epic riff that would be an excellent bas for a fucking killer song, but in MIGRANT it doesn't seem to have this strong role unfortunately. MIGRANT has got this really odd vocal melody lines, just like VENOM for which you don't know whether to love them or hate them, while the rest of the song has got this usual, brilliant guitars.

Following MIGRANT comes the excellent, uprising song DETOX which came from the same-titled single. With it's anthem chorus and character, powerful guitars, bright as well as dark moments DETOX is sure to lift anyones spirits up as well as encourage. Really excellent song.

The beautiful, glimmering Breathe Trees serves as an excellent, yet reminiscent ending to this album as well as it's one of it's best songs. The pre chorus and chorus remind me on some Visual kei song I can't really recall, but I know I have heard this bright vocal line coupled with sustained chords. Overall the song lifts us once more sky high and loudly as well as strong ends this exceptionally strong album.

It's enough to be a fan of fierce, hard Visual kei songs with distorted guitars, blasting rhythm as well as with a lot of bestial growls and soaring choruses altogether packed with unbeatable energy because it's the basic formula all songs of the album Versus are based, almost without any exception. This is really awesome if you are a fan of the band and their effective, although not very original riffs. So if you're hooked on them, you'll have no complaints to this album. But to be somehow objective about it, this album most of the time sounds like an undifferentiated rage and loudness fest that blends in into almost one track. You will know how the whole album sounded overall, but you won't remember the individual tracks (not before spinning it a lot of times), so it's not very versatile in terms of song construction and innovation.

But what this album does deliver is the very best this band has to offer and every song is filled with such energy that it's almost impossible not to feel at lest a bit excited about it. Their live performances must really be an exhilarating experience because by just listening the songs on the stereo you feel almost overwhelmed by their raw energy, which isn't held back not even for a moment.

So overall -OZ- really gave the best of their brutal style and met with all of their fans expectations, not going beyond them but also not delivering anything below. -OZ- fans as well as the fans of the harder Visual kei bands such as UnsraW, Sadie and similar really have a reason to be excited with VERSUS. So if you're looking for an energy and rawness driven soundtrack you're no better off with anything other than -OZ-.  

Okay I admit this is not so auditory perfect (but it's not it's intention) just about how awesome it is.

Karyu was fantastic in the role of a drummer! So good that I even forgot it was him there on the drums, he really has got a good sense of rhythm and a lot of energy. Hizumi was ok, not perfect but he did concentrate. Where about Zero just cheated, we know bassists are/were in a point of their life guitarists also. So he did kinda got away with it didn't he?

Man I just love role changes, they can get pretty awesome. I wish more bands would do this. Overall I think D'espairsRay would be good even with changed roles like on this video, but I guess they've picked  the roles that suit them the best and that it what makes D'espairsRay's sound so powerful and amazing.

FINAL CALL

2 comments

Release date: 9.9.2009.
Price: ￥1,260 (normal edition)
NO: UICV-5004

Track list:
1. FINAL CALL [PV]
2. Going on!　
3. Ark in the storm

CONGRATULATIONS D'ESPAIRSRAY ON YOUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY!!!
So more-less to mark this auspicious event I shall write a review for their new "Anniversary" single entitled FINAL CALL. Because what is the best way of marking a decade of activity other than releasing a nice single (okay, though for a decade an album would be more fitting, especially in Visual kei where rare bands manage to hold together for a decade, but that would be picky wouldn't it?).

FINAL CALL is a typical D'espairsRay energy-infused, industrial-glazed , uptempo rock piece leaning more to a hard rock sound other than the industrial/gothic metal sound they've always pulled off. The song takes the bits of the best this band has to offer: layered, running and awesome guitar riffs which will make you instantly take your guitar and play along (or at least in my case), a soaring chorus with a gothic-glaze to it, pumping basslines and powerful drums, even a warm and expressive guitar solo. FINAL CALL takes the certain warmth and melody that was featured in some tracks of their latest album REDEEMER and fuses them with the raw energy and rapture this band is known for. Though FINAL CALL isn't exactly another REDEEMER, nor does it have it's explosive energy and fiercness it's nevertheless a very decent and interesting song that won't leave the fans dissappointed.

I can imagine Going on! to melt faces, cause acute myalgia as well as dislocate joints from the excessive jumping and banging on the lives, but as a standalone track Going on! feels a bit undefined. There is this energy and groove that is really appealing and cool, but the song is somehow thinned by the not so good hip-hopish part and backrgound yelling which seems quite pointless. On top the song doesn't really bring anything new (but on the other hand, the whole single overall doesn't do that) and it's a bit ruined by some redundant parts. Though I do fell it eventually growing onto me, though it doesn't have this secret charisma or greatness that B-sides like Scissors, Desert or even Cocoon had.

Ark in the storm sounds a bit ambitious with this "uprising" feel and emotionally colored mood similar to the song KALEIDOSCOPE and MASQUERADE but it simply has got this void in it, sounds like something is missing or like there isn't enough thrust to it to really lift it sky high. The song isn't bad, the riffs and "solo" are awesome, Hizumi's singing is decent, the drumming really keeps the song going but it just feels there.

The overall please with this single really depends on your expectations from this band. The single isn't as energetic as REDEEMER was, but it's less "light and happy" than KAMIKAZE or HORIZON, though those singles have way more powerful B-sides. I am personally pleased with guitars since I like Karyu's style so in that aspect it did match my expectations. But the basic weakness of this single is that it's very uncovincing and almost without any charisma that simply overflows many of this band's songs. If you're able to get over that then you'll get a decent single which is more like a bottle of champaigne opened up for the auspicious occasion rather than a full-blooded serious release.

But overall fans of the band and everything this band has to offer musically won't have too much of complains and will surely play this release over and over to mark a decade long activity of this great Visual kei band. I raise my guitar in your honour.