blacktooth

Shinya is a small man.

Has Kyo ever sounded great on a live though? I've seen The Rose Trims... held up as an example of great live vocals, but I disagree. He's been setting the bar way too high for himself with studio magic for way too long.

Is that a 7" or a CD?

That's it. I'm done with this band.

Glorious midlife crisis. Die is looking good on the other hand—not so hungry skeleton anymore. 

I actually like that wacky vk-era stuff. Nowadays I think he's just having a midlife crisis. Even though it was during Peak Chug, I think he looks best when he was doing that Tony Iommi thing for a few years. 

I get what you're saying now. I've always felt Kyo was just more edgy than political because most of his imagery is just shock value and not necessarily parts of a cohesive political statement. Aside from Scream 4 Truth (lol) to me their boldest stance was the Vinushka video, which I have to say actually added to the theme and emotion of the song. 

Also Kaoru looks like an idiot. 

What do you mean by politicizing/antagonizing?

They only have Wtd. left to go, right? And each of these tours has been followed by an expensive DVD. Just what are they trying to fund?

Fug, all sixteen minutes of it?

Staff says taking pictures at the show is prohibited, but really, what are they going to do to you?

Do you think they're playing original Macabre or Unraveling Macabre?

18 minutes ago, nekkichi said:

two new songs during last years tour tho.

If they still remember how to play them. 

You need at least 10 rep to view it. 

I really want to listen to the 8cm I got, but I'm having no luck with my slot drive. Has anyone heard either of the live tracks yet?

I think it's the latter. I can remember some of his moments that have amazed me the most: the first time I heard his deep growls in Vinushka, the chanting bit in Juuyoku, those insane headtones in the Macabre remake, things like that. He does so many things and he does them so well, but I think he does them too much. Sometimes I just want a song where he stays in his powerful midrange for the most part, then whips out a trick as a surprise. Otherwise it's just not special anymore.

That's fair. In the past few years he's hit some higher and higher tones, but that doesn't really do it for me anymore. That's all I could think of going through this album. He's going to need to try some new vocal styles now that we've heard his whole range. 

Quote

I actually tried to say that Kyo could at least just do theremin stuff aside from vocal gymnastics and he would look more useful that way than just, as you said it, being the post-visual kei equivalent of Morrissey, haha.

Agreed. Kyo hasn't impressed me with his voice since... Uroboros. There's nowhere else for him to go in that regard, so he desperately needs to find another way to make himself useful. Theremin is a great start. Meanwhile, I want to see more of these sukekiyo guys stepping up to the spotlight, because they are very talented.

So that was a theremin that I heard! You're right about Yuchi—he certainly dominates the new album (excuse me, music collection). I actually prefer to see Kyo take the back seat as he becomes more and more the Japanese equivalent of Morrissey. 

I am personally offended that there is no resolving chord at the end of Ariana. 

Is this album progressive new wave?

I thought the discography concert series was their twentieth anniversary event. That's got to be the best gift they can give to their fans.

I understand what you're saying. I'm happy that the reverb is gone too, and I really hope it never comes back. I think the Vulgar comparisons mostly come from the costumes and the variety of wacky Kyo vocals. That's the only similarity I've noticed. 

Those B-sides are so disappointing. 

Did you find Sustain the Untruth captivating? I thought it was pretty underwhelming as a single too, though it's a very catchy song. Utafumi similarly seems to be one of those songs that really makes sense live, but falls flat in the studio. 

I just want the track suits to come back. 

A few decades earlier and that could have been Arnold Schwarzenegger.