Seimeisen

Their artwork is always so cool!
ETA: here's a stitch up of all the covers without the black spaces in between:

Their artwork is always so cool!
ETA: here's a stitch up of all the covers without the black spaces in between:

Going to throw in my tl;dr input on this album, since god knows we need to be less verbose than Setsuna was:
 
+:
 
-Musicianship has definitely increased since his earlier works. A lot of different influences are present here, as well as an effort to really try to be more than just blast beats and screaming with some harpsichord smeared on top
 
-Most of the songs are encapsulated in their own mood-setting intros so it doesn't feel like this all bleeds together
 
-:
 
-Too much of point one. I'm going to make a Drag Race reference here and compare this album to Jade Jolie during episodes 1~4: whenever she came out on stage, most of her criticism she recieved was that she had a vision in mind, but instead of sticking to it she kept tacking on accessories until she probably didn't have anything left in her closet. There's a distinct line between being complex and being serendipitous spaghetti.
 
-Very rarely do I have the attention span for songs longer than 8 minutes. If I do, they have to have a lot of things going on that make me want to both listen to the whole thing and remember what happened throughout the whole song. None of the tracks on this album provide me with the will power to keep on plowing through. As I said in chat when I was first listening to this album, each track in and of themselves felt like I was listening to an entire album because of how much was crammed into them.
 
-The wannabe-kyo struggle is too real. Comparatively, I have a much higher tolerance for bullshit vocals than Zess does. But there are points in this album where it goes from "ehh...he kinda missed that high note!" to "why the fuck is this whole section this high?" I get that people liked DSS for whatever reason and that it's the cool new thing to do, but at least know what your limitations are as a performer before attempting to do them. RIB has proven to be ignorant of his limitations on many occasions on this album alone.
 
-I don't even know if I made it to tracks 6 and 7 lololol . I probably did, but they came on an hour after I started trying this album and by that point I was a bit VDAS'd out.
 
All in all, it is safe to say that this album was disappointing. The album before this was great, and they still are my favorite touhou group, but this is the album I'm going to pretend did not happen. I think Zess' review provided a fantastic overview of what this album has to offer, and I shall condense into one word: "suffocating."

Artist: Vermillion-D Alice Syndrome Album: 鴉/IX Score: Surprisingly lackluster, despite all the effort put into it.
Setsuna is one ambitious guy for sure.

He started in his basement playing unremarkable trance music themed after Dante's Inferno until he was enraptured by the allure of the guitar, and has been inching towards metal since 2008. Every release from the now defunct 黒夜葬 got darker, heavier, and more melodic as Setsuna improved his metal sensibilities and dropped his trance ones. He achieved his greatest wish in finding a vocalist, and in one motion cut some ties with the doujin scene by forming VDAS. Despite the fact that they cover no themes from any franchise, there were still pictures of anime girls on the covers of their last three releases and they faithfully showed up at all the events to sell their merchandise.

In a way, 鴉/IX represents a total split from the scene it was birthed from. All doujin imagery has been eliminated from this album in an effort to appear as a serious metal band. Unfortunately for them, there are too many problems with 鴉/IX to consider their transition complete. Without the guiding light of ZUN, the duo have forgotten what made their music so interesting in the first place.

Let's start from the beginning: there is too much going on within each song. On one hand, this is the best production and mastering job that VDAS has ever had. On the other hand, there are enough riffs for three albums shoved into one. It's great when artists hold nothing back and can engross the listener entirely in their style, but 鴉/IX is suffocating. The result is a disaster. Each song feels like an album on it's own; with the exception of closer "And Then There Was None", every song goes on for over eight minutes. There are some cool moments in each, but it's inevitably ruined by another, more questionable inclusion. In comparison to previous works by these two, both together and separately, they expressed more with less musical brushstrokes. This sounds like they tried too hard to be progressive and failed. It's difficult to highlight a standout track because they all have the same problems. It's been a while since I wanted to shut off an album because I felt like I heard everything by track four.

This is how a band can fail by doing too much. Setsuna has always been guilty of throwing in everything but the kitchen sink, but this is the first time where it hurts more than it helps. By incorporating more deathcore, more symphonic and gothic elements, more solos, and more operatic vocals, Setsuna and RIB have challenged themselves to be something greater. But neither know how to balance their aggressive moments with their more tranquil moments, and 鴉/IX quickly loses all sense of dynamics. Most tracks start from an ominous, foreboding intro and explode into a flurry of deathcore and pop choruses. Since each track has so much content, the first three tracks provide so much listening material that the last four tracks don't have enough individuality to distinguish themselves.

VDAS could have condensed 鴉/IX into a more listenable experience by shaving a few minutes off of each track. The largest offender here is the penultimate track "零ノ柩", which also happens to be the longest track clocking in at an almost insufferable thirteen minutes. Roughly half of it is spent listening to RIB's whiny, nasally falsetto, which does nothing to make the time pass faster. It's a shame too, because when he isn't straining himself RIB's style bears more than a passing resemblance to the visual kei scene. This could be a draw to many metal fans here who don't mind less than stellar vocals. If you're anything like me and prefer impeccable vocal performances, this is simply going to annoy you on multiple levels.

The more one pushes against musical boundaries, the more those boundaries push back. Vermillion-D Alice Syndrome was eager to push themselves, but they were not able to keep their creative influences balanced properly. As a result, their sophomore effort is a complete mess. It shows some promise, but overall I feel their concept was executed better on previous releases. I would recommend this to only the hardcore metal lovers that don't mind nasal cleans betwixt their growling. Everyone else can safely skip this album.

Their artwork is always so cool!
ETA: here's a stitch up of all the covers without the black spaces in between:

Their artwork is always so cool!
ETA: here's a stitch up of all the covers without the black spaces in between:

Their artwork is always so cool!
ETA: here's a stitch up of all the covers without the black spaces in between:

Alll Types <3
 

[header]MERRY - NOnsenSe MARkeT[/header]
 


[header]Rating: | Who (or what) is MERRY? ... THIS is MERRY:[/header]






01. iNtO the mARkeT 08. Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～
02. NOnsenSe MARkeT 09. Carnival
03. 東京 10. Station 07
04. 自意識過剰型木偶人間 11. 千代田線デモクラシー
05. ZERO -ゼロ- 12. 梟
06. 暗闇にピンク 13. Unreachable Voice
07. Hide-and-seek 14. 群青




If anyone asked me about MERRY, I would show them “NOnsenSe MARkeT.” This is the definitive MERRY album! Not only is this album representative of MERRY as a whole, it pulls off quite a few things that don’t commonly work in Visual Kei. From the very first tracks, “iNtO the MARkeT” and “NOnsenSe MARkeT,” we have: an introduction that segues beautifully into the second track, beautiful acoustic guitars that don’t sound too poppy and in fact, add to the atmosphere (You’ll hear more in “Unreachable Voice”), and we get some fine-tuning and maturing of their previous sound from (the less than stellar received) “Beautiful Freaks.”
This album is full of throwbacks to their past styles, giving us some “現代ストイック” (Generation Stoic) vibes, a few “M.E.R.R.Y.” vibes, a little bit from “nuケミカルレトリック” (nu chemical rhetoric), and so on, while ultimately refining the sound of their previous effort. In Visual Kei, it’s not uncommon for a throwback or continuation to yield something stale, or perhaps “uninspired,” and perhaps that continued sound becomes another on the long list of (unwritten) definitions for that… “G” word (generic). But on this album, MERRY manages to show remnants of their past while keeping things fresh.
In Visual Kei, it also seems uncommon for bands to modify a recent sound for the better. If you didn’t like “Beautiful Freaks,” do not turn away from this album. The songs on this album are much more interesting and engaging, and the overall “package” is more cohesive.
One thing that contributes to the greatness of each song is the flow of the tracklist, and hearing each song in the midst of another. When I first heard “ZERO -ゼロ-” in late 2013, I completely dismissed it, despite instantly falling in love with the previous single “梟” (Owl), but hearing that song on this album made it a more enjoyable one. Although I will say, that pseudo-reggae break in the middle of the song had me cringing.
Let’s talk about Hide-and-Seek for a bit. It’s got a ‘surf-meets-’60’s jazz club’ kind of vibe, with emphasis on the jazz club, all the way down to the way all the instruments were equalised in production (just for this song); it sounds a bit like a live recording that took place at a jazz club. The song is also a rare example of how you can create one song, that can remind the listener of another (SID’s “妄想日記”), without it sounding like a carbon copy or ripoff.
Some more honourable mentions include the segment of the album from “暗闇にピンク” (Pink in the Dark) to “Carnival.” These are just damn fun songs, and overall give a similar kind of vibe. These songs are essentially the party of the album, especially “Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～” (Tango from Hell). After the party ends, you go to “Station 07” and take a train home… the rest of the album still has some energy, but it effectively winds down. And “千代田線デモクラシー” (Chiyoda Line Democracy) is just catchy as fuck, with the melody and that accordion.
I am about to eat my words about one song…
I thought that the album ending with “群青” (Aquamarine) was going to be bizarre, and leave the album unfinished. But when I read @*littlelamb’s comment about the song having a strong message to stay positive and hopeful, I kept an open mind. “群青” as an ending is not as bizarre as you may think. It does give you that sort of “to be continued…?” feeling, but it doesn’t feel wrong. It doesn’t leave you frustratingly thinking “where’s the last track??!!,” but instead, it leaves you anticipating MERRY’s next chapter. It’s saying, “this is where we’ll stop… for now. In the mean time, keep your head up!”
Every time I listen to the album, it doesn’t feel all that “experimental,” but in hindsight after listening, there are quite a few things that I can think of that would count as “experimental.” So maybe this album does have those moments, such as the Halloween dance track “Zombie Paradise ～地獄の舞踏曲～,” and the vintage sounding “Station 07” - “千代田線デモクラシー,” but the album isn’t scattered, or disjointed. The album is very cohesive and the tracklist flows quite nicely.
Honestly, I am highly impressed by this album, and am already considering it my favourite MERRY album. While I can’t say I’ve listened to a single album in their back catalogue as much as I have this one, I see this turning out to be their most memorable. If you want some material from a band that’s been around for awhile that can say “yeah, we still got it!,” listen to this album! If you’ve heard of MERRY, but haven’t really been engaged into their sound, listen to this album! If you’re new to Visual Kei, and wanna try out another cool band, listen to this album!
 

Last summer, I checked out their album i'mperfect. Fell in love with Metamorphose, and thought the rest of the album was really cool. But after one listen, I didn't really go back to it, as I directed my attention to other bands that were releasing new stuff, primarily in VK.
...
Yesterday, I downloaded their Best of Tornado compilation and the Who What Who What single. Listened through the compilation (well, not really listening, but previewing the songs in quick look), and my interest went through the roof. I gotta say though, I'm disappointed that they didn't include a remaster of Ling on the second CD.
Today, I listened to the compilation a few times. I am officially sold on this band! So far, I'm really digging Metamorphose, Missing Ling, テレキャスターの真実, 傍観, and I was music (also, funny name). However, I agree that WWWW wasn't too memorable. I guess the next album for me to check out is #4.
Also, does anyone know of any specific release dates of the following releases?
- #1
- として
- 鮮やかな殺人

I was hoping to hear at least one or two tracks with substantial harsh vocals, even though Yuuki hasn't used them much in a long time. They have musically come back around to a point where it would fit perfectly again and on such a long album especially. The intermission SE's were perfectly done IMO. CO ends up retaining some of the creepy circus vibe of MRC, but I actually find songs I like on it. All new tracks fit in nicely with Shadow.
 
Anyway Camera Obscura is great, my first listen first-round picks are Liar, Marionette, Anemone, Melancholic. I think they really nailed the piano ballad on Anemone.
 
EDIT: The tracks that I didn't get reeled by on the first play like Tsuioku, Dark Night, Rogue, Gypsy are very solid. Uniform darkness makes certain songs blend together but this is welcome on a conceptual album like this one.
 
I shouldn't have started the first play though while I was blackout drunk but I probably will be again by the time I play the whole thing again.

I HAVE MADE THE MEME!

Words: L
                                                                Music: L
                                                                Band: The 3rd Birthday
                                                                Vocalist: L
                                                                Gu: Yu-Chi
                                                                Gu: Folie
                                                                Ba: Tomoya
                                                                Dr: Unknown
                                                                              濁瞳に降る。
                                                    
  幾星霜…非道なる道を　ひぐらしは鳴く 紙風船落ち　さぁ　手のなる方へ　鬼さんこちら   悲しくはない　己を鬼の面でかくしたら 羅刹魅イラレ   血しぶきて　子守唄は　あぁ　幼き日の挽歌 首をしめつけて　さぁ　目覚める   あびるほど紅に染まれば　無明の闇　朽ちるまで 羅刹魅イラレ     落日燃ゆる太陽はただ 穏やかな時代を奪い去る 数え切れぬほどこの手には　抗えぬ弱さを刻んでる     ねぇ教えて清く生きる事の意味を あぁ　死んでしまうのなら無様だろ?     落日燃ゆる太陽はただ 穏やかな時代を奪い去る 数え切れぬほどこの手には　抗えぬ弱さを   貴方が残した苦しみを 愛と呼ぶのなら残酷です　現世は 今降りだした早雪が　抗えぬ弱さを それでも生きる事を　…笑ってる       ルポルタージュ1945       ―帝国ニ最敬礼   玉砕が使命と洗脳 逃亡は国賊と罵りあえば　有終の美を飾るがごとく 国家繁栄、此処ニ叶、イザユカン（慟哭と）重ナリ合ウ     ―彩華にホヘト塵ヌルヲ 粉塵に塗れた明日はない ―その身を捧ぐ空仰ぐ 日の丸没る     １９４５年２月１９日私とこの子を残して貴方は旅立ちました。 お国の為とは一体何が為。幸か不幸かとは一体何とある? 貴方が犠牲の上のこの日々に私は平穏など見いだせない。     黙祷を捧ぐ 弔いの花 いつかきっと報われる時が来るのでしょうか   ―帝国ニ最敬礼         絶望のカンテラ           冬はキラリ　街の灯が孤独の闇に少し滲んで 胸にあいた　空白を埋められずにいた   冬はひらり　粉雪が天使の羽の様に舞えば 俺とは違うと呟いて　目蓋を閉じた   人は人を傷つけ平和を願う　そんな世界に疲れたんだ 心叫ぶ　この感情さえも　行き場を失う　　、、、、言葉なくし   ありふれた日々よ　どうかそれ以上何も望まないと誓うよ だから今だけは　どうか静かに眠らせてくれ   乾いた空　乾いた風　乾いた街　乾いた夢 そして今日もまたどこかで涙が　落ちる　　「教えてくれ」   なぜ?生きる理由を　いつからだろうそんな事さえも　　、、、、忘れて     ありふれた日々よ　どうかそれ以上何も望まないと誓うよ だから今だけは　どうか静かに眠らせてくれ ビルの最上階　夢も希望もこの翼に全てを乗せて 俺は飛び立つよ　この現実もこの世界も何も見たくないから          Check out the release here! : http://monochrome-heaven.com/index.php?/topic/31862-the-3rd-birthday-%E5%B0%8F%E7%94%9F%E3%80%81%E3%83%80%E3%83%AC%E3%82%AC%E3%82%BF%E3%83%A1%E3%83%8B%E3%83%8A%E3%82%AF%E3%80%82-20141126/

Was hoping they would have announced an album, but I guess they can't do that until they have 7 post-VID singles, lol.
Still looking forward to this, given how excited I am for サドマゾ.

Was hoping they would have announced an album, but I guess they can't do that until they have 7 post-VID singles, lol.
Still looking forward to this, given how excited I am for サドマゾ.

Here's artwork from their OHP, since saving pics from ameblo can be a difficult process:



Am I the only one that thinks they look less old-skool than usual?
Also, agreeing with @Bear that ¥864 is not super cheap for a one-track
 

MERRY's NOnsenSe MARkeT - ¥2,592 DIAURA's Triangle - ¥1,979

All I really know is that every circle likes to fuck up this song save 2 examples I can think of

I kind of liked this. If they're like Nega but without vocals that make me feel like my ears were being sexually harassed by a oleaginous slug, then I could get into this.

Here's artwork from their OHP, since saving pics from ameblo can be a difficult process:



Am I the only one that thinks they look less old-skool than usual?
Also, agreeing with @Bear that ¥864 is not super cheap for a one-track
 

MERRY's NOnsenSe MARkeT - ¥2,592 DIAURA's Triangle - ¥1,979

Was hoping they would have announced an album, but I guess they can't do that until they have 7 post-VID singles, lol.
Still looking forward to this, given how excited I am for サドマゾ.

Wait, what? ... *goes to check Japan Codes*
WOW! They lowered their prices! Their cards used to be a lot more expensive. Thank you for mentioning that you got the card from Japan Codes.
Edited the main post to update the section on gift code shops. Japan Codes is now the best pick.

"Touhou music" involves "re-arrange songs" (i.e. covers) of music from the Touhou Project video game series. All of the music is composed by ZUN. It's not official Touhou music. All of this is fan-work, so it is part of the Doujin music scene (non-official, self-published, sold at Japanese comic conventions, or doujin specific stores such as the evil MelonBooks).
I don't know much about the Touhou series, so I can't explain the scantily-clad animu girls that are on all the album jackets. My guess, it's probably just a general doujin music thing?

thanks for the tutorial. worked great!
 
i bought the gift card from japan codes and it was actually a lot cheaper than on offgamers!

Welcome to the official tutorial to create a Japanese iTunes account!
 
Before you get started, make sure you have all of the following:
✅ An E-mail Address That Is Not Registered To An iTunes Account
Something like Gmail, Yahoo, etc. I would not recommend that you attempt to use your iCloud e-mail address (if you have one).
✅ A Valid Japanese Billing Address
From what I’ve read around, iTunes requires a valid Japanese billing address and they have a system that will check. While it’s probably against Apple’s terms of service, you can use public/business addresses. One user used J-list’s business address, for another account of mine, I used my Tenso mailbox. You could probably even use a Japanese Apple Store location.
✅ A Japanese Phone Number
Requirement is debatable. Some people have claimed that they have used their own (non-Japanese) phone numbers, others have claimed to use a random string of numbers, or a 01 2345 6789 sequence… do whatever works!
✅ Japanese iTunes Gift Card
I highly recommend that you use Japan Codes, because their cards are the cheapest, and they have a wide selection of cards for other stores, such as レコチョク. I also recommend OffGamers.com if you have multiple iTunes store accounts from many different countries. I use OffGamers to get cards for my UK iTunes account.
 
One thing to keep in mind about gift code shops:
Every single one of these shops claim to send out gift codes immediately. Some shops live up to this promise... sometimes. It really depends. Sometimes one shop will send out codes instantly, other times that same shop may make you wait a few days.
 
Now that you have everything on that checklist, let’s get started…
 
Open up iTunes and go to iTunes Store. If you’re logged into an iTunes account already, then log out.
Then, scroll all the way down to the store homepage, and click on the flag in the bottom corner. It will take you to the region select page.
When you're on the region select page, look for the Japanese flag and click it.
Now you’re in the Japanese iTunes store.
 
Some computers may display the store in Japanese.
If that’s the case, then...
続ける = continue
キャンセル = cancel
戻る = back
同意する = agree
 
Click the Sign In button, then click the Create Apple ID button.
You’ll get some Welcome to iTunes screen. Click Continue.
Then there will be a Terms and Conditions page, check the box at the bottom, and click the agree button.
 
Now, let’s enter some basic account information:
 
Here’s where we begin to have some fun! Many people have trouble with this part.

Don’t worry, you actually can skip the Payment Type part with all the credit cards, and just enter your gift card code below that.
Enter the Billing address. I used From Japan’s headquarters in the picture above, and you could probably get away with using it, too.
Click Create Apple ID and buy some Japanese music!
 
Feel free to PM me with any questions or feedback.

They're making a PV of the bonus track? lol
Triangle was very good, and while singles can be hit/miss with these guys, I still have high hopes.