Nagisa

After listening to this album about a dozen times, I guess I can review it. NIHIL Nothing in this instrumental really stands out. The vocals are rather haunting and the dubstep also sounds cool but the track as a whole felt unremarkable. The transition into DOGMA is perfect, though, which is where I think the value of this track lies. Without that, I think this is one of the worst instrumentals the GazettE has done, even worse than INFUSE INTO on TOXIC, which I actually liked. DOGMA Amazing. One of the best tracks on the album. This was the song I was most excited for after hearing the album preview, and it didn't disappoint me one bit. It has just the right combination of darkness and heaviness, like 13STAIRS[-]1, which I really like. The transition from NIHIL is flawless, and the opening just sounds epic, especially with the stringed instrument. The variety of Ruki's vocals in this song also contribute to its greatness. The screams are also not overdone, and it was interesting that there wasn't really a chorus. Interesting use of female vocals at the end. RAGE Despite the shouting, I really liked this song (although that might be because this song appears earlier in the album). The piano and melodic chorus are amazing. DAWN Like a lot of the songs on this album, my feelings are mixed on DAWN. The chorus is rather interesting, and I like how it mentioned 13 stairs. However, the shouts didn't really contribute anything, I felt. I did like how Ruki laughed in the middle and the part about redefinition (how he sings it, not thematically). DERACINE I must admit that the opening for this song was amazing. I'm always a fan of nice openings, and I think it is hard for a song to be good (in my opinion) without having a good opening. With that said, the shouts detracted from the rest of the song. The [Cradle and grave] part sounded cool, but the screaming took away from it. An above-average song compared to the rest of the tracks. BIZARRE Again, a good opening. The electronic elements throughout this song made it more interesting for me, and I also liked the thing that sounded like a piano (not sure what it was). Unfortunately the screams kind of ruined it for me. I'm not against screams, but I think they should appear in heavy songs like DISCHARGE and not randomly in songs that try to be more melodic. It was also interesting that the song was about someone who committed a crime in their youth. WASTELAND After DOGMA and OMINOUS, this is my favorite track on the album. Although the guitars don't really stand out on this track, I really like how Ruki is kind of rapping in the beginning. I also really enjoyed it when he sang the shorter verses. The slow pace of the song fits and I love how there are no screams in this one. I like the solo too. With the way some of the lyrics are spoken, I think it would have been interesting if a lyric video had been made for this song. Overall a very enjoyable and unique track. The subject of this song also reminded me of 泣ヶ原, my favorite song by the GazettE. INCUBUS This track grew on me. The French is kind of random but it is interesting to see the GazettE experimenting with other languages. The "I arise to broken nights" is pretty memorable, as are the excellent female vocals. It would have been interesting if they had had the female vocals go on for longer in the end. They convey emotion effectively. This is a nice track, but not on the scale of DOGMA or OMINOUS. LUCY I thought this was one of the worst tracks on the album. It sounded too typical to me. The drumming from Kai was nice, and I liked the solo, but they aren't enough to make this song stand out. The best vocal parts for me were the single verses in the beginning and halfway through the song. GRUDGE Although this song was completely in Japanese and the shouts were minimal, I still feel it was mediocre. There wasn't any buildup of emotion. It was somewhat like a ballad and then again not quite. The random shouting part kind of ruined the song. Midway through the song, the drums seemed to drown out the guitars. I did like how the voices overlapped at the end though. Nothing special. PARALYSIS This song made me notice how Ruki's best vocals are still in Japanese. This goes for many of the songs on the album but this one made me notice it. I guess I hadn't really compared them before. Again, the shouting interfered with my enjoyment of the rest of the song. Another lackluster song. DEUX I liked the piano in this track, as well as the opening. The way Ruki says "inferno" sounded really cool. The chorus was good and I liked it as soon as I heard the album preview, but the shouts again ruin the song. For me, the highlight of the song is the long section of Japanese near the end. It was melodic and beautiful. I wish that the track had ended after that instead of adding all that gratuitous shouting at the end. It was interesting that this track and INCUBUS both mentioned closing of eyelids. I'd say this track is on par with DERACINE. BLEMISH The chorus of this song reminded me of TOMORROW NEVER DIES. My favorite part was at the end where Ruki is begging someone not to abandon him. Like in INCUBUS, I felt the emotions in the song in that part. Other than that, the other parts don't really stand out. I wonder if the "goddess" mentioned at the end has anything to do with B-side on UGLY. It would be interesting if there were some link between the two songs. OMINOUS Tied with DOGMA for best track on the album. I think they probably released a lyric video to promote the album because they knew it was the best song on it. Everything about this track just screams melody. I especially enjoyed one of the parts where Ruki finished singing and the guitar continues on from his voice. The atmosphere of this track fits the title perfectly, and the solo is amazing. I think it is interesting that both this track and DOGMA don't really have choruses. The bridge on this track is also great and the song just gives you a sense of foreboding. Before giving my final opinions, I just wanted to say that the production of this album reminded me of NIL. First, there are no images in the lyrics booklet (at least in the regular edition), which was also the case with NIL and wasn't true for albums in between. Also, the color scheme on the CD of brown and black is similar, and the fact that both albums ended with amazing tracks and not instrumentals make me wonder whether or not it is a coincidence. Just something interesting that I thought I would throw out there. Initially, I thought that the songs on this album were too similar, but after listening to it a few times I was better able to distinguish between them. Nevertheless, the fact that over half of the songs contain shouting/screaming does not help the album. I would say that this album is a step backward from BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, although not a large step because there are a few amazing tracks. Even if BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY didn't really try to do anything thematically, at least there were several songs on it that I enjoyed. The only tracks that I can unconditionally say I enjoyed were DOGMA, RAGE, WASTELAND, and OMINOUS. Many of the other tracks have enjoyable parts, but the screams prevent me from fully enjoying them. I also think that on many of the tracks there was a distinctive lack of melody. I was fine with RAGE because early on, the combination of screams and melody still seemed fresh but it grew repetitive after a while. The biggest thing I don't like about this album is that while many of the songs are heavy (or try to be), only a few of the tracks succeed at being dark or dim. This is more of a personal preference, but my favorite tracks from the GazettE (besides Defective Tragedy) all have one of those qualities. For example, 13STAIRS[-]1 is dark and heavy, and I think DOGMA emulated those qualities quite well. 千鶴 and 泣ヶ原 are examples of what I consider dim, and we get something similar in OMINOUS. When I heard that the theme of the GazettE's project had the words darkness and ominous, I was stoked. And when I heard OMINOUS, I was extremely excited for this album. But when I finally heard it, it was a disappointment, because to me only a couple of the songs had the qualities that were advertised. I guess what I am trying to say is that if the whole album had gone with replicating the atmosphere in DOGMA and/or OMINOUS in the other tracks, it would have been an amazing album. I'm not sure what to expect with UGLY, but since it is being promoted under the auspices of OMINOUS YEAR, it would be nice if it could have at least one song with the atmosphere of DOGMA or OMINOUS. At the very least I hope they take out the excessive screams.

Definitely Kagrra

No, my parents would disown me. Do you prefer CDs or other physical media over digital music?

Banned for using a large gif in your signature.

Yes, I think they are very unique animals. Have you ever had a close call with death?

Banned for using last.fm.

I didn't know. I guess I just don't like that kind of music.

In school now so no games, but a couple weeks ago I was playing Resident Evil Revelations 2.

Hammerhead sharks

THE BLACK SWAN. I don't like the style of singing of Kamomekamome. Their songs don't sound like visual kei songs at all.

No.

I guess I miss cheap fruit since fruit in Japan seems to be pretty expensive but honestly the rest of the food is so good that it is not a big deal.

I was pretty disappointed that Capcom announced Umbrella Corps. I was hoping for Resident Evil 7. It seems pretty counterintuitive for them to go towards more action-oriented games when the majority of fans seem to be wanting more horror elements. I mean, I didn't mind the action in Resident Evil 6 but I am not a fan of shooters so I will not be getting the game.

Hercules (the one with Dwayne Johnson in it) Thought it was pretty good. It was interesting how they made him so human.

Some Magic the Gathering Vintage singles.

Banned for having tattoos.

the GazettE - RED

I am a native speaker of English and Mandarin Chinese, and I'm fluent in Japanese too (learned at university). Tried learning Portuguese over the summer but back in school now. I hope to pick it up again sometime though.

Neither. I used to watch Pokemon, which got me into Japanese music, but not anymore. I do enjoy reading Japanese novels, though. I hate it when people assume that you learn Japanese just to watch anime/read manga.

When I was in middle school, I went on a 2-night camping trip in the woods. It was a group of around 100 students. The place where we ate and did activities was at the top of a hill, and our cabins were about 400m down the hill. On the first night, we had finished the day's activities and I was heading down the hill to get back to the cabin. It was pretty dark and there were a lot of trees, so I was rather scared. I thought about waiting for another group and walking with them, but it wasn't that far so I decided to walk back myself. I walked a few steps forward and saw a black mass walk across the path from left to right. It looked like Bigfoot, but it was so dark that I couldn't make out any features. Needless to say, I went back up the hill and waited for other people to head down and went with them back to the cabins. I didn't tell anyone about it, but I wonder if anyone else saw anything. It has been several years but I still remember the feeling of fear that overcame me when I saw the figure. I wonder if it was a hallucination, but I have never hallucinated before. So yeah, I believe that there are things out there that we don't know about yet. I don't know for a fact what is real and what is not, but I am open to the possibility of their existence.

Yes, I had a friend in college who was really big on Ethiopian food so I have had it a couple of times. Do you ever wish that you had been born in a different country (not a specific country, just not in the country you are living in right now)?

MALFORMED BOX I think this was one of their best instrumental tracks. The Indian elements sound really interesting and the way it segues into the next track is perfect. I enjoy their intros but this one stands out to me. INSIDE BEAST This was one of the highlights on the album for me. The chorus is catchy and the use of female vocals was great. I also liked the sound of the drums. Thematically it fits with the album's cover. The electronic elements were used well. UNTIL IT BURNS OUT In my opinion, the most forgettable song in the album, kind of like In the Middle of Chaos was for DIM. Nothing stands out and it just sounds boring. DEVOURING ONE ANOTHER A great track. For me the highlight was the part towards the end where Ruki is speaking in Japanese. I like how he repeats "Am I next?" It gave me a sense of tension building up. I liked the intro too. It sounded very unique. The female vocals fit well too. FADELESS I didn't really like this track. Even though I liked Stacked Rubbish, I just don't feel this song is at that level. It is not as dull as UNTIL IT BURNS OUT but there are still no parts that grabbed my attention. The female vocals were distracting, and even the intro wasn't anything special. REDO This track was okay. It was a bit light for my taste but as a ballad it is fine. I wish there had been more emotion in the track. Pretty cool to hear a track composed by Kai though. LAST HEAVEN I didn't really notice this song while listening to the album the first few times but it has grown on me as I have listened to it more and more. I definitely noticed more emotion in this song than in REDO, and the chorus seems more catchy. The solo was great! LOSS I usually like songs composed by Uruha the best, and this song was no exception. The intro was just amazing. It didn't quite turn out to be the song I expected, but it was still great. The theme of the song was pretty sad and it definitely contributed to the emotion I felt. The female vocals were spot on and not used to excess. The mood of the song made me feel like it would fit on DIM, and the way the song ended with that phrase made it resonate with me. One of the best songs on the album, in my opinion. THE STUPID TINY INSECT This track was so-so. I think it tries to be heavy but doesn't go in that direction enough. It's interesting that the title uses an animal though. It made me think of other animal songs by the GazettE. IN BLOSSOM Great track. The heavy intro is cool, but the song after that is even better. The first few verses were depressing (in a good way) and set the mood for the rest of the song. For me, the best parts were when Ruki sang in Japanese. I think his voice is amazing during those parts, and the pairing with female vocals makes it even better. 鴉 I would rate this track a bit higher than THE STUPID TINY INSECT. It has a rough and unpolished sound, making it sound kind of rebellious to me. The vocals are a little better than in THE STUPID TINY INSECT, though, and I think the Japanese parts sound pretty catchy. 黒く澄んだ空と残骸と片翅 One of my favorite heavy songs by the GazettE. I think it is interesting how it is the counterpart of 春ニ散リケリ、身ハ枯レルデゴザイマスwhere this time it is written from the perspective of the butterfly. The intro is great. Again, the subject is depressing but Ruki's vocals are very good, and the ending of the song was well-done too. TO DAZZLING DARKNESS This track and CODA are tied for best track on the album. When I heard the preview with this song's opening in the background, I couldn't wait to hear the whole song, and I was not disappointed. For me this song is up there with 泣ヶ原 and DIM SCENE as one of my favorite GazettE songs. One of the best intros I have heard from the GazettE, and the song keeps the atmosphere throughout. The fact that the song is about the end of a live is poignant concerning this track's placement in the album. Ruki's voice in this song is haunting and I was definitely able to tell that this song was composed by Uruha. CODA Amazing. Definitely the best outro instrumental of the GazettE. The seamless transition between the previous track and this one makes it difficult to separate them. The guitars in this track are superb, and the way Ruki speaks the lyrics complements them very nicely. The atmosphere of the song definitely sticks with you after it ends; that is how good it is. Overall, I would say this album is definitely better than TOXIC and DIVISION. Most of the songs are very enjoyable, which was not something I could say for either of the previous two albums. It sounded like the GazettE put a lot of work into this album. This is my third favorite album, after DIM and NIL. For me, what sets those two apart from BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY is the atmosphere of the album as a whole. The songs in DIM and NIL were cohesive and made sense together, combining to create a great album. While BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY has many great songs, it is hard to describe what the album represents as a whole. With that said, I still think this is one of their best albums.

Cradily, Haunter, Dragonair, Chandelure, Kabutops, Milotic

Thanks for the warm welcomes everyone! I only got DOGMA last week and I want to listen to it a few more times before reviewing it, but so far I agree that many of the songs sound too similar. I will probably post a review for Beautiful Deformity in the next few days, though. Oh, and another quirk of mine is that I listen to all my music in order, so I start with whatever was released earliest and end with the most recent stuff, so it takes a while to listen to the new stuff a couple of times. It is easy since I mostly just listen to CDs.