Manji 卍

So, Ninth is out and what I've mostly read online is that it is not at the same level as Dogma, it's generic, it's been heard before, bla bla bla... so I tried it out asap and wrote an overall review, (don't expect a song-by-song musical analysis).
 
I have to agree on one thing with the negative critics: Dogma was the shit on a technical level, but the more I play it the more it feels like a single long song. I distinctly remember playing it for the first time and asking myself "when is this song ending, sounds like a freakin' Versailles song", only to check the iPod and realize it was already on track three.
 
Sure, Ninth sounds like "shit we've heard before", but the album on it's own is more diverse, soundwise, and has ups and downs. I rated songs while I went through it with 4 stars and others with 2, 3's and a 5 along the way. Dogma was a flat three. All the way. For Dogma, none of the tracks sucked but none was outstanding for me either. Which is not a good thing because I honestly never even remember what the album sounds like (the album and the singles related to the concept). And every time I play it to see if I magically start liking it I get bored and switch to something else halfway.
 
Ninth, however, felt more... Complete? Catchy? Memorable? Your pick. It was definitely something else.
I can distinctly remember which tracks stood out for me and which ones I disliked. Whereas for Dogma I cannot even tell them apart. Sure, it's generic GazettE, it's stuff we all know, it's familiar. But more importantly: it works. Structures work together to make songs memorable, in good or bad ways. And, tbh, I feel if any other band would have released this it would have been probably praised. But since it's Ruki's distinct voice attached to those riffs people get a "déjà vu(heard)" feel. And, being the popular band it is, the bar is always high when it comes to them.
 
While Dogma was a good dive into darker, heavier waters, I always felt their execution of it was not as proficient or distinctive as it could have been. While, for me, Ninth nailed it. You can always try new things, and I'm all for bands attempting new styles, but sometimes it can be better to go back to a safer zone and kill it than keep attempting at something new and do it halfway. And Ninth is good proof of it. I get the more versatile feel I got from albums like Nil and Stacked Rubbish, in a more mature, polished and 2018-ish way.
 
The tracks that stood out for me were Falling, Utsusemi, Sono Koe wa Moroku and Unfinished (a banger, way to finish an album). 
I did not pay attention to the first version of Falling and I will certainly not do it now, but this version gave me a better impression (it could be the transcode-decent bitrate difference rather than the mixing itself). It's catchy and modern enough for a PV and the composition has Ruki all over it. I'm a sucker for good rock ballads and Sono Koe wa Moroku was melodic enough without going on a chopped-onion level of cornyness. Utsusemi and Unfinished were just straight up my alley; strong yet not overly harsh on the voice.
Ninth Odd Smell and Gush sadly blend together a bit too much for my taste yet both are solid tracks that will most likely grow on me and Babylon's Taboo was barely... bearable. The SE track was terrible, but their SE's rarely are my taste at all. The Mortal has a mystic feel to it and to me it carries on the atmosphere from the previous releases, with a pleasant twist. Abhor God is powerful and thankfully short, otherwise I'd feel it drags on more than necessary. I feel it will be a great song live. Two of a Kind felt like a "fresh old Gazette" and Uragiru Bero fitted the album nicely to, but didn't catch my attention that much, felt like a filler track.
 
The album showed both a heavier side yet was kept melodic and reminded me a lot of Division, one of their best releases imho. Like it, it was packed with both harsh and softer aspects and shows maturity and improvement.
Overall I give it a 4/5, and I will most likely buy it in Japan in a few months. Otherwise I'll get the iTunes version. It's a great release and if you felt lately that GazettE was getting stale you should definitely try this album. It is unmistakably The GazettE, yet fresh and modern.

@Manji 卍 same: I prefer their heavy, dark side of DOGMA much more, but maybe that's just me (I like superheavy stuff)
BTW, my preorder from CDJapan has been shipped already earlier today!

The more I listen to this preview,more it grow on me.it's a fun album.now I understand why Ruki said that he wanted it to be different from DOGMA,he just wanted something less serious. 
 
Personally,I wanted to see their albums getting darker and darker, but what can we do if they decided to keep the same recipe...

i can't wait till kyo commits a massive genocide against most of his fanbase

well,sister and himitsu deserved to be rerecorded...

Indeed.that tittle sounds like a bland K-pop single.

Weird to see "Sister" on there, but I guess TODAY is the day to rerecord that

The tracklist for the new single (as seen on THE GALLO's official site):
 
1. PLUTO
2. 大帝都秘密倶楽部-極楽- (Daiteito Himitsu Kurabu-Gokuraku-)
3. 極東恋時雨・櫻 (Kyokutou Koishigure・Sakura)
 
There will also be an original karaoke version of PLUTO.
 
I'm glad to see there will be another song in the "Kyokutou Koishigure" series!

Or Ruki can stop being such a dictator. 
 
I mean, going by the songs the other guys have written, it’s not like they’re writing polka or country music. Maybe Ruki should have taken his EDM and R&B influences elsewhere? I don’t know. 
 
Anyway I thought Kai was “leader-sama”. What’s the deal with that?

I don't agree with this statement one bit and i'm under the assumption it comes from the fact that maybe the scene has gotten TOO used to side projects lately. Doing side projects shouldn't be used as a cop out, ESPECIALLY to a reoccurring problem. Its dismissive in this case, especially since we have clear evidence that its effected one of the members negatively. 

It bothers me that Ruki seems to have written the most songs for the band, especially in recent years. The band will never evolve with him in control. 

I'm already so fuckin pumped for a full length,90's style bands are always exciting

I'm doing Kikyo x Jaki cosplay based on 薄紅ノ葬 but probably slightly variated, just need to wait for my shit to arrive. #China
Kinda love Kikyo to have gone pink tho!  ❤️ Miria is my fave from the new look, demented and violent hentai doll, haha. 

Awesome news
Will be bad to see they changing their current look,bcuz I simply loved this one

†発売記念ツアー†
7.19渋谷club asia
7.24仙台space zero
7.25新潟REVERST
7.29浦和ナルシス
8.6名古屋HOLIDAY NEXT
8.7大阪心斎橋SHOVEL
8.9福岡graf
8.11大分DRUM B-0
8.15埼玉会館
8.16池袋RUIDO K3
 
†ツアーファイナル単独公演†
8.29池袋blackhole

Agreed this sounds like such a fun live track. And it gets me hyped for the album so much. Its got an old school vk feel to it, its incredible 

They definitely love doing live tracks like this.the fans are going to have fun with this one.even in such a bad quality you can notice how good Ruki's clean vocals are,and that falsetto is to die for. 
 

another track from Ninth
the quality is really bad tho
 
Holy fuck It sounds so fucking awesome tho. So catchy i love it

This MV gave me the excitement I was used to feel when I started watching vk music videos for the first time,made me so happy, really good production, enjoyable breakdowns and big chorus .Sho just keeps surprising us in every new MV,his look is hauntingly beautiful, and funny how you see the traces of Kyo's influences here and there.

lmao don't need a avelcain cover band anyway 

Omagad, you guys are hating on that ballad so much!

I absolutely melted when I first heard the song. Amazing!
 
Though...Sho has a shit technique when using harsh vocals, I hope he doesn't wreck his voice. He needs a vocal coach for sure.

God, that chorus is beyond perfection.i started to feel like DIMLIM is going to be that kind of band that you enjoy every single track with no exceptions.Btw,all those released tracks won't be included in the album...

God, that chorus is beyond perfection.i started to feel like DIMLIM is going to be that kind of band that you enjoy every single track with no exceptions.Btw,all those released tracks won't be included in the album...