ShanethVarosa

This actually all sounds and looks really great to me, I've genuinely liked all their releases since and including Nil, even if they weren't great all the way through... So I'm sure im going to really like this as well. Everything seems on point and well thought out. I'm really here for this era.

Have to agree with the Kanon Wakeshima comments, I was really impressed with this album generally speaking. The two more electronic tracks were a huge surprise to me and being a big fan of electronic music it was something that made me very happy. Sansukumi was probably my second favorite on the album overall, my first being Geijutsuka no Kawaii Souzoutachi. Additionally, the title track Tsukinami and the second single Killy Killy Joker are close to the top of the list. 
 
As for the Div song, it's flawless of course. I haven't had the extreme pleasure of hearing Secret in full yet, but that was one of the tracks I was looking most forward to and it didn't disappoint, but it almost doesn't even sound like them. I'm trying to think of the band this song reminds me of, but it isn't Div. Anyway, it's great and I look forward to hearing the whole album.

Have to agree with the Kanon Wakeshima comments, I was really impressed with this album generally speaking. The two more electronic tracks were a huge surprise to me and being a big fan of electronic music it was something that made me very happy. Sansukumi was probably my second favorite on the album overall, my first being Geijutsuka no Kawaii Souzoutachi. Additionally, the title track Tsukinami and the second single Killy Killy Joker are close to the top of the list. 
 
As for the Div song, it's flawless of course. I haven't had the extreme pleasure of hearing Secret in full yet, but that was one of the tracks I was looking most forward to and it didn't disappoint, but it almost doesn't even sound like them. I'm trying to think of the band this song reminds me of, but it isn't Div. Anyway, it's great and I look forward to hearing the whole album.

Great review, I'd have to agree. I'm actually going to write my official review for VKH-Press later today and I feel like I have a lot to consider with this album.
 
On it's own, the album is decent and solid. But I feel like when you compare it side by side with Zero One it just... Doesn't measure up. I mean... First of all, I just really don't understand what Taste of Life and Golden Kinema Gekijou are doing on here, of course being that they were released before Zero One and didn't get updated at all. That being said, I LOVE ToL, but I would even say give Aozora ni Parachute a chance to be on an album or something... but maybe that's just me. Additionally, I didn't even like GKG, but I did love B-Side "Pieces." So again it was disappointing to me that GKG was on there instead of maybe Pieces.... 
 
Anyway, HK was a great single and so was You and Butterfly Dreamer. I feel they all have legitimacy on this album. As well as PoV, but I didn't care for that song as much, it just felt like a generic rock song without much feel or impact. And Justice I couldn't place for the life of me until I realized it was the B-Side from their Sid tribute single.
 
After all is said and done, there's 7 new tracks, of which about 3 of them are genuinely remarkable but maybe thats just me. Ai no Uta was kind of boring and the fact that it was so short felt like it was an intro that didn't even set the general mood for the album. Story was straight up boring and Rage/Secret Night were both high energy and enjoyable, but again when compared to what I know this band is capable of they just don't leave a mark. 
 
The best songs are Wing to Heaven, Dearest, and Stars. All of these songs are genuinely uplifting, feel-good, spring time songs which are produced well, composed perfectly, use the electro-rock influences (such as heavy autotune) that I come to expect from them at this point. They really present this opposite viewpoint from Zero One which had darker moments, this album focuses more on the light which is good too... 
 
But I just don't know if they could really ever top Teddy, Asterios, Cocktail Color, Vanish, and Hotarubi. 

Great review, I'd have to agree. I'm actually going to write my official review for VKH-Press later today and I feel like I have a lot to consider with this album.
 
On it's own, the album is decent and solid. But I feel like when you compare it side by side with Zero One it just... Doesn't measure up. I mean... First of all, I just really don't understand what Taste of Life and Golden Kinema Gekijou are doing on here, of course being that they were released before Zero One and didn't get updated at all. That being said, I LOVE ToL, but I would even say give Aozora ni Parachute a chance to be on an album or something... but maybe that's just me. Additionally, I didn't even like GKG, but I did love B-Side "Pieces." So again it was disappointing to me that GKG was on there instead of maybe Pieces.... 
 
Anyway, HK was a great single and so was You and Butterfly Dreamer. I feel they all have legitimacy on this album. As well as PoV, but I didn't care for that song as much, it just felt like a generic rock song without much feel or impact. And Justice I couldn't place for the life of me until I realized it was the B-Side from their Sid tribute single.
 
After all is said and done, there's 7 new tracks, of which about 3 of them are genuinely remarkable but maybe thats just me. Ai no Uta was kind of boring and the fact that it was so short felt like it was an intro that didn't even set the general mood for the album. Story was straight up boring and Rage/Secret Night were both high energy and enjoyable, but again when compared to what I know this band is capable of they just don't leave a mark. 
 
The best songs are Wing to Heaven, Dearest, and Stars. All of these songs are genuinely uplifting, feel-good, spring time songs which are produced well, composed perfectly, use the electro-rock influences (such as heavy autotune) that I come to expect from them at this point. They really present this opposite viewpoint from Zero One which had darker moments, this album focuses more on the light which is good too... 
 
But I just don't know if they could really ever top Teddy, Asterios, Cocktail Color, Vanish, and Hotarubi. 

Great review, I'd have to agree. I'm actually going to write my official review for VKH-Press later today and I feel like I have a lot to consider with this album.
 
On it's own, the album is decent and solid. But I feel like when you compare it side by side with Zero One it just... Doesn't measure up. I mean... First of all, I just really don't understand what Taste of Life and Golden Kinema Gekijou are doing on here, of course being that they were released before Zero One and didn't get updated at all. That being said, I LOVE ToL, but I would even say give Aozora ni Parachute a chance to be on an album or something... but maybe that's just me. Additionally, I didn't even like GKG, but I did love B-Side "Pieces." So again it was disappointing to me that GKG was on there instead of maybe Pieces.... 
 
Anyway, HK was a great single and so was You and Butterfly Dreamer. I feel they all have legitimacy on this album. As well as PoV, but I didn't care for that song as much, it just felt like a generic rock song without much feel or impact. And Justice I couldn't place for the life of me until I realized it was the B-Side from their Sid tribute single.
 
After all is said and done, there's 7 new tracks, of which about 3 of them are genuinely remarkable but maybe thats just me. Ai no Uta was kind of boring and the fact that it was so short felt like it was an intro that didn't even set the general mood for the album. Story was straight up boring and Rage/Secret Night were both high energy and enjoyable, but again when compared to what I know this band is capable of they just don't leave a mark. 
 
The best songs are Wing to Heaven, Dearest, and Stars. All of these songs are genuinely uplifting, feel-good, spring time songs which are produced well, composed perfectly, use the electro-rock influences (such as heavy autotune) that I come to expect from them at this point. They really present this opposite viewpoint from Zero One which had darker moments, this album focuses more on the light which is good too... 
 
But I just don't know if they could really ever top Teddy, Asterios, Cocktail Color, Vanish, and Hotarubi. 

Have to agree with the Kanon Wakeshima comments, I was really impressed with this album generally speaking. The two more electronic tracks were a huge surprise to me and being a big fan of electronic music it was something that made me very happy. Sansukumi was probably my second favorite on the album overall, my first being Geijutsuka no Kawaii Souzoutachi. Additionally, the title track Tsukinami and the second single Killy Killy Joker are close to the top of the list. 
 
As for the Div song, it's flawless of course. I haven't had the extreme pleasure of hearing Secret in full yet, but that was one of the tracks I was looking most forward to and it didn't disappoint, but it almost doesn't even sound like them. I'm trying to think of the band this song reminds me of, but it isn't Div. Anyway, it's great and I look forward to hearing the whole album.

Best New Tracks: February 2015

Best New Tracks is a new series brought to you by MH's review crew! Every month we'll be highlighting brand-new Japanese songs worth checking out, so stay tuned! Feel free to comment or discuss any of this month's picks and even offer your own as well!

@Zeus's picks:
"戦-ikusa-" by 和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band)

"marionette" by Lycaon

@fitear1590's picks:
"For You" by Czecho No Republic

"ツキナミ (tsukinami)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"endless" by ねごと (NEGOTO)
Watch the PV
"マーブル (marble)" by ユナイト (UNiTE.)

's picks:
"Paper Planes" by ONE OK ROCK

"Seven Deadly Sins" by MAN WITH A MISSION

"実験前" (Jikkenmae) by indigo la End

"Kawareru" by theCharmPark

"アカペラ" (A capella) by ペンタゴン (Pentagon)

"なくならない" (Nakunaranai) by 左右 (Sayuu)

@beni's picks:
"marionette" by Lycaon

"夜明けの街 (Yoake no Machi)" by CICADA

"そつぎょう (Sotsugyou)" by daoko

"へその緒 (Hesonoo)" by 黒百合と影 (Kuroyuri to Kage)

"Future,Super Duper,Nova" by X4

"TWO HEARTS" by 家入レオ (Leo Ieiri)

"さんすくみ (Sansukumi)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"至上の人生 (Shijou no Jinsei)" by 椎名林檎 (Sheena Ringo)

"WING to HEAVEN" by DIV

@CAT5's picks:
"all is white" by Anoice

"Ground" by CARD

"街の底" by eastern youth

"ンスターペアレンツ (Monster Parents)" - Jin-Machine

"Rep(110)%4" by loqto

"君を壊すガラスの衝動 (Kimi o kowasu garasu no shoudou)" by Lycaon

"Gengar" by Sel'm

"Foster Mother" by sukekiyo

"game over" by 大橋トリオ (Ohashi Trio)

"Setting Sun" by 疋田哲也(Tetsuya Hikita)+NIL

Yikes that is expensive. It better seriously come with something unbelievable. I obviously won't purchase that, but I'm always excited for new Gackt. I just wish he'd put out a god damn new album.

They actually do sound pretty good. Nothing really, really remarkable. But they have a lot of potential to be great.

Not one to shy away from releasing albums, it's been really unusual to not have heard a full LP from D in over three years. The years have seen a staggering nine singles, three best albums, and two EPs from the boys which is quite the achievement. Being that there were so many singles, when Kingdom was announced I became worried that the album would be primarily pre-released singles. I was very pleasantly surprised when only four singles made the album and D gave us a whopping 11 brand new tracks. 
 
In a world where bands begin albums with 30-second instrumental introductions, D starts their 7th studio album with "Blood Moon," a visual kei spectacular. This song really captures the overall theme of the album and sets the tone for what to expect throughout: big choruses and big melodies. The song uses a liberal amount of a synth that sounds like it's trying to be a violin, but doesn't sound bad. In fact, this aspect of the song is what proves it's overall 'Visual Kei'-ness, if you will.  "Dark Wings," admittedly, was not my favorite song released prior to Kingdom but in the context of the album it makes sense. While the intro to the song lacks anything special, the chorus is huge and leads into a second verse that makes you forget about the lackluster intro. Possibly the most interesting song on the album is "Mother Doll" which has some of the best guitar work in D's career and one of Asagi's best vocal performances in recent years. The song begins with some pretty intricate metal guitar riffs and works its way through deep verses leading up to a catchy and powerful chorus.    "Tsuki no Sakazuki" was my personal favorite single released for Kingdom. It was the total package, from the catchy German hook to the chorus which really reminded me of older D songs (and how good were those b-sides, though, I mean really). "Tsuki no Sakazuki" gives way, however, to another one of my favorite songs: "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku," which shows in 4 minutes and 41 seconds exactly why Hiroki is one of the best drummers around. What we've seen so far on Kingdom primarily is Asagi's supreme vocal ability and how well he works with the band as a whole. "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku" is really driven by the drums in particular which is pretty atypical of D's usual style which focuses on big band compositions rather than focusing on one instrument over another. The third single choice for Kingdom is "Danzai no Juushi (Gunner)," a song that was lackluster on it's very own  release a la "Dark Wings," but comes into it's own in the context of the full album. In fact, it actually ends up standing out quite well with it's extremely-catchy chorus and harsh vocals which, when used as sparingly as on this song, are a real asset instead of a detriment.    "Secret Hangar" is the heaviest song on the album. Using a lot of rhythm in both guitar and drums instead of focusing on big guitar solos and powerful choruses. It's a nice change from the general pace of the album being so dramatic to change direction and now have a song that's really made for cutting loose and losing yourself in a song. "Anökumene" is an interesting anomaly in and of the fact it's less than three minutes in length and entirely instrumental. The song's overall purpose is apparently to break up different segments of the album, but doesn't exactly stand up as it's own number. Nothing about the song is particularly impressive, and I mean that not out of a sense of negativity, but just in the fact it left no impression on me. "En'ou no Koshikake" is definitely on the heavier side and sticks out in my mind in particular because of it's Arabic influence. One of the things I've learned about D after being a fan of them for so, so long is that they never shy away from using musical styles of other cultures in their songs and their continuous use of the Arabic style is one of their most unique characteristics and "En'ou no Koshikake" really drives that point home.    Following in the same vein as it's predecessor, "Kaze ni Totsuita Bailaora" is very influenced by another country. This time, that country is Spain. The song certainly has a nice beat and melody, but fails to stand out as it's own song. The best part, in fact, is the Spanish guitar in the beginning. "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~" is a song on which D made some interesting production choices. It begins with the sound of rain and Asagi singing through a vocal filter of some kind. As the song progresses, it becomes heavier and utilizes harsh vocals more and more before switching gears completely mid-song for the chorus and then returning to the heaviness and harsh vocals. Overall the song feels like the song was initially supposed to be a few other songs and they picked the best parts of those songs to turn into one full song and they called it "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~." This is then followed up with the other instrumental song, "Another Kingdom" which I'm fairly certain is just "Anökumene" with a different title if I'm being totally honest. Again, the song leaves no lasting impression on me.   The absolute climax of the album comes in on "Kurobara no Kishi", which brings us back to the style of song on the first segment of the album. Once again, D shows us how to effectively use the pseudo-choir as a bridge and properly scream a hook. The song goes on for 5 minutes and 15 seconds without losing intensity or interest. The fourth single choice for Kingdom is "Rosenstrauss", a song that is really more pop/rock than anything. After the acoustic piano intro, the song kicks up the pace in a big way creating an extremely exciting environment. Finally, the album closes out with the absolutely massive power ballad "Shuuen ~Sora he no Kaiki~." Not only does this song sufficiently some up the story of Kingdom but it feels like it's the goodbye D fans deserve after such a long and magnificent career. Additionally, the music video for this song is epic in every sense of the word. They spared no expense on the production value and costumes, that's for certain. This particular song inspires a sense of hope rather than finality. As we know, D is going on a hiatus for a while rather than disbanding altogether. The message of "Shuuen" overall, I think, is hope and promise for the future.   Overall, I would highly recommend D's "farewell" album Kingdom.  If there's one thing D does better than any visual rock band, it's putting together a cohesive theme album. Every song on Kingdom makes sense in the overall context without getting boring or repetitive. In fact, I may even dare to say this is their best album to date.     
Please support this artist by buying the album here from our friends over at CDJapan   This was my review published over on VKH, you can view the original article here: http://www.visualkeiheaven.us/2014/12/review-d-kingdom.html#more t

DIV - Secret

@X-Marc oop I had no idea. Well I suppose I'll just not have my hopes up for an XMSG DVD altho I would love to relive that night again and again.

@Wonrei yeah they actually shot a music video for it back in August or September and then played it at XMSG.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvonGOpBSIE

Well it's exciting that they have a release month but I thought it was gonna be April? Anyway, I hope it actually comes out in August.
At the end of the day, I dont fucking care what people are thinking and saying about them. I fucking love them. Can't wait to hear these new songs.

Not one to shy away from releasing albums, it's been really unusual to not have heard a full LP from D in over three years. The years have seen a staggering nine singles, three best albums, and two EPs from the boys which is quite the achievement. Being that there were so many singles, when Kingdom was announced I became worried that the album would be primarily pre-released singles. I was very pleasantly surprised when only four singles made the album and D gave us a whopping 11 brand new tracks. 
 
In a world where bands begin albums with 30-second instrumental introductions, D starts their 7th studio album with "Blood Moon," a visual kei spectacular. This song really captures the overall theme of the album and sets the tone for what to expect throughout: big choruses and big melodies. The song uses a liberal amount of a synth that sounds like it's trying to be a violin, but doesn't sound bad. In fact, this aspect of the song is what proves it's overall 'Visual Kei'-ness, if you will.  "Dark Wings," admittedly, was not my favorite song released prior to Kingdom but in the context of the album it makes sense. While the intro to the song lacks anything special, the chorus is huge and leads into a second verse that makes you forget about the lackluster intro. Possibly the most interesting song on the album is "Mother Doll" which has some of the best guitar work in D's career and one of Asagi's best vocal performances in recent years. The song begins with some pretty intricate metal guitar riffs and works its way through deep verses leading up to a catchy and powerful chorus.    "Tsuki no Sakazuki" was my personal favorite single released for Kingdom. It was the total package, from the catchy German hook to the chorus which really reminded me of older D songs (and how good were those b-sides, though, I mean really). "Tsuki no Sakazuki" gives way, however, to another one of my favorite songs: "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku," which shows in 4 minutes and 41 seconds exactly why Hiroki is one of the best drummers around. What we've seen so far on Kingdom primarily is Asagi's supreme vocal ability and how well he works with the band as a whole. "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku" is really driven by the drums in particular which is pretty atypical of D's usual style which focuses on big band compositions rather than focusing on one instrument over another. The third single choice for Kingdom is "Danzai no Juushi (Gunner)," a song that was lackluster on it's very own  release a la "Dark Wings," but comes into it's own in the context of the full album. In fact, it actually ends up standing out quite well with it's extremely-catchy chorus and harsh vocals which, when used as sparingly as on this song, are a real asset instead of a detriment.    "Secret Hangar" is the heaviest song on the album. Using a lot of rhythm in both guitar and drums instead of focusing on big guitar solos and powerful choruses. It's a nice change from the general pace of the album being so dramatic to change direction and now have a song that's really made for cutting loose and losing yourself in a song. "Anökumene" is an interesting anomaly in and of the fact it's less than three minutes in length and entirely instrumental. The song's overall purpose is apparently to break up different segments of the album, but doesn't exactly stand up as it's own number. Nothing about the song is particularly impressive, and I mean that not out of a sense of negativity, but just in the fact it left no impression on me. "En'ou no Koshikake" is definitely on the heavier side and sticks out in my mind in particular because of it's Arabic influence. One of the things I've learned about D after being a fan of them for so, so long is that they never shy away from using musical styles of other cultures in their songs and their continuous use of the Arabic style is one of their most unique characteristics and "En'ou no Koshikake" really drives that point home.    Following in the same vein as it's predecessor, "Kaze ni Totsuita Bailaora" is very influenced by another country. This time, that country is Spain. The song certainly has a nice beat and melody, but fails to stand out as it's own song. The best part, in fact, is the Spanish guitar in the beginning. "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~" is a song on which D made some interesting production choices. It begins with the sound of rain and Asagi singing through a vocal filter of some kind. As the song progresses, it becomes heavier and utilizes harsh vocals more and more before switching gears completely mid-song for the chorus and then returning to the heaviness and harsh vocals. Overall the song feels like the song was initially supposed to be a few other songs and they picked the best parts of those songs to turn into one full song and they called it "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~." This is then followed up with the other instrumental song, "Another Kingdom" which I'm fairly certain is just "Anökumene" with a different title if I'm being totally honest. Again, the song leaves no lasting impression on me.   The absolute climax of the album comes in on "Kurobara no Kishi", which brings us back to the style of song on the first segment of the album. Once again, D shows us how to effectively use the pseudo-choir as a bridge and properly scream a hook. The song goes on for 5 minutes and 15 seconds without losing intensity or interest. The fourth single choice for Kingdom is "Rosenstrauss", a song that is really more pop/rock than anything. After the acoustic piano intro, the song kicks up the pace in a big way creating an extremely exciting environment. Finally, the album closes out with the absolutely massive power ballad "Shuuen ~Sora he no Kaiki~." Not only does this song sufficiently some up the story of Kingdom but it feels like it's the goodbye D fans deserve after such a long and magnificent career. Additionally, the music video for this song is epic in every sense of the word. They spared no expense on the production value and costumes, that's for certain. This particular song inspires a sense of hope rather than finality. As we know, D is going on a hiatus for a while rather than disbanding altogether. The message of "Shuuen" overall, I think, is hope and promise for the future.   Overall, I would highly recommend D's "farewell" album Kingdom.  If there's one thing D does better than any visual rock band, it's putting together a cohesive theme album. Every song on Kingdom makes sense in the overall context without getting boring or repetitive. In fact, I may even dare to say this is their best album to date.     
Please support this artist by buying the album here from our friends over at CDJapan   This was my review published over on VKH, you can view the original article here: http://www.visualkeiheaven.us/2014/12/review-d-kingdom.html#more t

Not one to shy away from releasing albums, it's been really unusual to not have heard a full LP from D in over three years. The years have seen a staggering nine singles, three best albums, and two EPs from the boys which is quite the achievement. Being that there were so many singles, when Kingdom was announced I became worried that the album would be primarily pre-released singles. I was very pleasantly surprised when only four singles made the album and D gave us a whopping 11 brand new tracks. 
 
In a world where bands begin albums with 30-second instrumental introductions, D starts their 7th studio album with "Blood Moon," a visual kei spectacular. This song really captures the overall theme of the album and sets the tone for what to expect throughout: big choruses and big melodies. The song uses a liberal amount of a synth that sounds like it's trying to be a violin, but doesn't sound bad. In fact, this aspect of the song is what proves it's overall 'Visual Kei'-ness, if you will.  "Dark Wings," admittedly, was not my favorite song released prior to Kingdom but in the context of the album it makes sense. While the intro to the song lacks anything special, the chorus is huge and leads into a second verse that makes you forget about the lackluster intro. Possibly the most interesting song on the album is "Mother Doll" which has some of the best guitar work in D's career and one of Asagi's best vocal performances in recent years. The song begins with some pretty intricate metal guitar riffs and works its way through deep verses leading up to a catchy and powerful chorus.    "Tsuki no Sakazuki" was my personal favorite single released for Kingdom. It was the total package, from the catchy German hook to the chorus which really reminded me of older D songs (and how good were those b-sides, though, I mean really). "Tsuki no Sakazuki" gives way, however, to another one of my favorite songs: "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku," which shows in 4 minutes and 41 seconds exactly why Hiroki is one of the best drummers around. What we've seen so far on Kingdom primarily is Asagi's supreme vocal ability and how well he works with the band as a whole. "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku" is really driven by the drums in particular which is pretty atypical of D's usual style which focuses on big band compositions rather than focusing on one instrument over another. The third single choice for Kingdom is "Danzai no Juushi (Gunner)," a song that was lackluster on it's very own  release a la "Dark Wings," but comes into it's own in the context of the full album. In fact, it actually ends up standing out quite well with it's extremely-catchy chorus and harsh vocals which, when used as sparingly as on this song, are a real asset instead of a detriment.    "Secret Hangar" is the heaviest song on the album. Using a lot of rhythm in both guitar and drums instead of focusing on big guitar solos and powerful choruses. It's a nice change from the general pace of the album being so dramatic to change direction and now have a song that's really made for cutting loose and losing yourself in a song. "Anökumene" is an interesting anomaly in and of the fact it's less than three minutes in length and entirely instrumental. The song's overall purpose is apparently to break up different segments of the album, but doesn't exactly stand up as it's own number. Nothing about the song is particularly impressive, and I mean that not out of a sense of negativity, but just in the fact it left no impression on me. "En'ou no Koshikake" is definitely on the heavier side and sticks out in my mind in particular because of it's Arabic influence. One of the things I've learned about D after being a fan of them for so, so long is that they never shy away from using musical styles of other cultures in their songs and their continuous use of the Arabic style is one of their most unique characteristics and "En'ou no Koshikake" really drives that point home.    Following in the same vein as it's predecessor, "Kaze ni Totsuita Bailaora" is very influenced by another country. This time, that country is Spain. The song certainly has a nice beat and melody, but fails to stand out as it's own song. The best part, in fact, is the Spanish guitar in the beginning. "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~" is a song on which D made some interesting production choices. It begins with the sound of rain and Asagi singing through a vocal filter of some kind. As the song progresses, it becomes heavier and utilizes harsh vocals more and more before switching gears completely mid-song for the chorus and then returning to the heaviness and harsh vocals. Overall the song feels like the song was initially supposed to be a few other songs and they picked the best parts of those songs to turn into one full song and they called it "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~." This is then followed up with the other instrumental song, "Another Kingdom" which I'm fairly certain is just "Anökumene" with a different title if I'm being totally honest. Again, the song leaves no lasting impression on me.   The absolute climax of the album comes in on "Kurobara no Kishi", which brings us back to the style of song on the first segment of the album. Once again, D shows us how to effectively use the pseudo-choir as a bridge and properly scream a hook. The song goes on for 5 minutes and 15 seconds without losing intensity or interest. The fourth single choice for Kingdom is "Rosenstrauss", a song that is really more pop/rock than anything. After the acoustic piano intro, the song kicks up the pace in a big way creating an extremely exciting environment. Finally, the album closes out with the absolutely massive power ballad "Shuuen ~Sora he no Kaiki~." Not only does this song sufficiently some up the story of Kingdom but it feels like it's the goodbye D fans deserve after such a long and magnificent career. Additionally, the music video for this song is epic in every sense of the word. They spared no expense on the production value and costumes, that's for certain. This particular song inspires a sense of hope rather than finality. As we know, D is going on a hiatus for a while rather than disbanding altogether. The message of "Shuuen" overall, I think, is hope and promise for the future.   Overall, I would highly recommend D's "farewell" album Kingdom.  If there's one thing D does better than any visual rock band, it's putting together a cohesive theme album. Every song on Kingdom makes sense in the overall context without getting boring or repetitive. In fact, I may even dare to say this is their best album to date.     
Please support this artist by buying the album here from our friends over at CDJapan   This was my review published over on VKH, you can view the original article here: http://www.visualkeiheaven.us/2014/12/review-d-kingdom.html#more t

Not one to shy away from releasing albums, it's been really unusual to not have heard a full LP from D in over three years. The years have seen a staggering nine singles, three best albums, and two EPs from the boys which is quite the achievement. Being that there were so many singles, when Kingdom was announced I became worried that the album would be primarily pre-released singles. I was very pleasantly surprised when only four singles made the album and D gave us a whopping 11 brand new tracks. 
 
In a world where bands begin albums with 30-second instrumental introductions, D starts their 7th studio album with "Blood Moon," a visual kei spectacular. This song really captures the overall theme of the album and sets the tone for what to expect throughout: big choruses and big melodies. The song uses a liberal amount of a synth that sounds like it's trying to be a violin, but doesn't sound bad. In fact, this aspect of the song is what proves it's overall 'Visual Kei'-ness, if you will.  "Dark Wings," admittedly, was not my favorite song released prior to Kingdom but in the context of the album it makes sense. While the intro to the song lacks anything special, the chorus is huge and leads into a second verse that makes you forget about the lackluster intro. Possibly the most interesting song on the album is "Mother Doll" which has some of the best guitar work in D's career and one of Asagi's best vocal performances in recent years. The song begins with some pretty intricate metal guitar riffs and works its way through deep verses leading up to a catchy and powerful chorus.    "Tsuki no Sakazuki" was my personal favorite single released for Kingdom. It was the total package, from the catchy German hook to the chorus which really reminded me of older D songs (and how good were those b-sides, though, I mean really). "Tsuki no Sakazuki" gives way, however, to another one of my favorite songs: "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku," which shows in 4 minutes and 41 seconds exactly why Hiroki is one of the best drummers around. What we've seen so far on Kingdom primarily is Asagi's supreme vocal ability and how well he works with the band as a whole. "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku" is really driven by the drums in particular which is pretty atypical of D's usual style which focuses on big band compositions rather than focusing on one instrument over another. The third single choice for Kingdom is "Danzai no Juushi (Gunner)," a song that was lackluster on it's very own  release a la "Dark Wings," but comes into it's own in the context of the full album. In fact, it actually ends up standing out quite well with it's extremely-catchy chorus and harsh vocals which, when used as sparingly as on this song, are a real asset instead of a detriment.    "Secret Hangar" is the heaviest song on the album. Using a lot of rhythm in both guitar and drums instead of focusing on big guitar solos and powerful choruses. It's a nice change from the general pace of the album being so dramatic to change direction and now have a song that's really made for cutting loose and losing yourself in a song. "Anökumene" is an interesting anomaly in and of the fact it's less than three minutes in length and entirely instrumental. The song's overall purpose is apparently to break up different segments of the album, but doesn't exactly stand up as it's own number. Nothing about the song is particularly impressive, and I mean that not out of a sense of negativity, but just in the fact it left no impression on me. "En'ou no Koshikake" is definitely on the heavier side and sticks out in my mind in particular because of it's Arabic influence. One of the things I've learned about D after being a fan of them for so, so long is that they never shy away from using musical styles of other cultures in their songs and their continuous use of the Arabic style is one of their most unique characteristics and "En'ou no Koshikake" really drives that point home.    Following in the same vein as it's predecessor, "Kaze ni Totsuita Bailaora" is very influenced by another country. This time, that country is Spain. The song certainly has a nice beat and melody, but fails to stand out as it's own song. The best part, in fact, is the Spanish guitar in the beginning. "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~" is a song on which D made some interesting production choices. It begins with the sound of rain and Asagi singing through a vocal filter of some kind. As the song progresses, it becomes heavier and utilizes harsh vocals more and more before switching gears completely mid-song for the chorus and then returning to the heaviness and harsh vocals. Overall the song feels like the song was initially supposed to be a few other songs and they picked the best parts of those songs to turn into one full song and they called it "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~." This is then followed up with the other instrumental song, "Another Kingdom" which I'm fairly certain is just "Anökumene" with a different title if I'm being totally honest. Again, the song leaves no lasting impression on me.   The absolute climax of the album comes in on "Kurobara no Kishi", which brings us back to the style of song on the first segment of the album. Once again, D shows us how to effectively use the pseudo-choir as a bridge and properly scream a hook. The song goes on for 5 minutes and 15 seconds without losing intensity or interest. The fourth single choice for Kingdom is "Rosenstrauss", a song that is really more pop/rock than anything. After the acoustic piano intro, the song kicks up the pace in a big way creating an extremely exciting environment. Finally, the album closes out with the absolutely massive power ballad "Shuuen ~Sora he no Kaiki~." Not only does this song sufficiently some up the story of Kingdom but it feels like it's the goodbye D fans deserve after such a long and magnificent career. Additionally, the music video for this song is epic in every sense of the word. They spared no expense on the production value and costumes, that's for certain. This particular song inspires a sense of hope rather than finality. As we know, D is going on a hiatus for a while rather than disbanding altogether. The message of "Shuuen" overall, I think, is hope and promise for the future.   Overall, I would highly recommend D's "farewell" album Kingdom.  If there's one thing D does better than any visual rock band, it's putting together a cohesive theme album. Every song on Kingdom makes sense in the overall context without getting boring or repetitive. In fact, I may even dare to say this is their best album to date.     
Please support this artist by buying the album here from our friends over at CDJapan   This was my review published over on VKH, you can view the original article here: http://www.visualkeiheaven.us/2014/12/review-d-kingdom.html#more t

Not one to shy away from releasing albums, it's been really unusual to not have heard a full LP from D in over three years. The years have seen a staggering nine singles, three best albums, and two EPs from the boys which is quite the achievement. Being that there were so many singles, when Kingdom was announced I became worried that the album would be primarily pre-released singles. I was very pleasantly surprised when only four singles made the album and D gave us a whopping 11 brand new tracks. 
 
In a world where bands begin albums with 30-second instrumental introductions, D starts their 7th studio album with "Blood Moon," a visual kei spectacular. This song really captures the overall theme of the album and sets the tone for what to expect throughout: big choruses and big melodies. The song uses a liberal amount of a synth that sounds like it's trying to be a violin, but doesn't sound bad. In fact, this aspect of the song is what proves it's overall 'Visual Kei'-ness, if you will.  "Dark Wings," admittedly, was not my favorite song released prior to Kingdom but in the context of the album it makes sense. While the intro to the song lacks anything special, the chorus is huge and leads into a second verse that makes you forget about the lackluster intro. Possibly the most interesting song on the album is "Mother Doll" which has some of the best guitar work in D's career and one of Asagi's best vocal performances in recent years. The song begins with some pretty intricate metal guitar riffs and works its way through deep verses leading up to a catchy and powerful chorus.    "Tsuki no Sakazuki" was my personal favorite single released for Kingdom. It was the total package, from the catchy German hook to the chorus which really reminded me of older D songs (and how good were those b-sides, though, I mean really). "Tsuki no Sakazuki" gives way, however, to another one of my favorite songs: "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku," which shows in 4 minutes and 41 seconds exactly why Hiroki is one of the best drummers around. What we've seen so far on Kingdom primarily is Asagi's supreme vocal ability and how well he works with the band as a whole. "Chi ni Nureta Ikkaku" is really driven by the drums in particular which is pretty atypical of D's usual style which focuses on big band compositions rather than focusing on one instrument over another. The third single choice for Kingdom is "Danzai no Juushi (Gunner)," a song that was lackluster on it's very own  release a la "Dark Wings," but comes into it's own in the context of the full album. In fact, it actually ends up standing out quite well with it's extremely-catchy chorus and harsh vocals which, when used as sparingly as on this song, are a real asset instead of a detriment.    "Secret Hangar" is the heaviest song on the album. Using a lot of rhythm in both guitar and drums instead of focusing on big guitar solos and powerful choruses. It's a nice change from the general pace of the album being so dramatic to change direction and now have a song that's really made for cutting loose and losing yourself in a song. "Anökumene" is an interesting anomaly in and of the fact it's less than three minutes in length and entirely instrumental. The song's overall purpose is apparently to break up different segments of the album, but doesn't exactly stand up as it's own number. Nothing about the song is particularly impressive, and I mean that not out of a sense of negativity, but just in the fact it left no impression on me. "En'ou no Koshikake" is definitely on the heavier side and sticks out in my mind in particular because of it's Arabic influence. One of the things I've learned about D after being a fan of them for so, so long is that they never shy away from using musical styles of other cultures in their songs and their continuous use of the Arabic style is one of their most unique characteristics and "En'ou no Koshikake" really drives that point home.    Following in the same vein as it's predecessor, "Kaze ni Totsuita Bailaora" is very influenced by another country. This time, that country is Spain. The song certainly has a nice beat and melody, but fails to stand out as it's own song. The best part, in fact, is the Spanish guitar in the beginning. "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~" is a song on which D made some interesting production choices. It begins with the sound of rain and Asagi singing through a vocal filter of some kind. As the song progresses, it becomes heavier and utilizes harsh vocals more and more before switching gears completely mid-song for the chorus and then returning to the heaviness and harsh vocals. Overall the song feels like the song was initially supposed to be a few other songs and they picked the best parts of those songs to turn into one full song and they called it "Binetsu ~Ame no Fantasia~." This is then followed up with the other instrumental song, "Another Kingdom" which I'm fairly certain is just "Anökumene" with a different title if I'm being totally honest. Again, the song leaves no lasting impression on me.   The absolute climax of the album comes in on "Kurobara no Kishi", which brings us back to the style of song on the first segment of the album. Once again, D shows us how to effectively use the pseudo-choir as a bridge and properly scream a hook. The song goes on for 5 minutes and 15 seconds without losing intensity or interest. The fourth single choice for Kingdom is "Rosenstrauss", a song that is really more pop/rock than anything. After the acoustic piano intro, the song kicks up the pace in a big way creating an extremely exciting environment. Finally, the album closes out with the absolutely massive power ballad "Shuuen ~Sora he no Kaiki~." Not only does this song sufficiently some up the story of Kingdom but it feels like it's the goodbye D fans deserve after such a long and magnificent career. Additionally, the music video for this song is epic in every sense of the word. They spared no expense on the production value and costumes, that's for certain. This particular song inspires a sense of hope rather than finality. As we know, D is going on a hiatus for a while rather than disbanding altogether. The message of "Shuuen" overall, I think, is hope and promise for the future.   Overall, I would highly recommend D's "farewell" album Kingdom.  If there's one thing D does better than any visual rock band, it's putting together a cohesive theme album. Every song on Kingdom makes sense in the overall context without getting boring or repetitive. In fact, I may even dare to say this is their best album to date.     
Please support this artist by buying the album here from our friends over at CDJapan   This was my review published over on VKH, you can view the original article here: http://www.visualkeiheaven.us/2014/12/review-d-kingdom.html#more t

This is really, really unfortunate news. I loved them when they first started out and I was so happy when they came back from hiatus because the music they made then felt very special, like they really had vamped it up a lot. Ride-Hazard still blows my mind to this day. Ugh. So sad. But Hopefully this last live limited single is good and makes its way here sooner rather than later. 

About half new songs, that's pretty good. But the cover art is really, really impressive. I don't know what it is, but I find it stunning!

Hmm... Half the album is old material. Which is fine, I guess. But I can't help but to wonder why they would put Taste of Life and Golden Kinema Gekijou on here and not on their previous album. In any case, solid track list. I can't wait to hear the new material.

Botox or not, I'd still do him big time.

These previews actually do sound quite amazing. This band is often hit or miss with me but it seems judging solely based off of these previews that they have an album of hits. Of course there's no way to tell right now... It could be a total deception, but I'm excited and now officially anticipating this album.

found them here: http://xxplanetasiaxx.tripod.com/ss_lyrics/release_me.txt