finnthesubhuman

Die cut his hair. This has to be significant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AF90LJRBQQc Am I the only one who finds it disconcerting Shinya breaks his usual stony pokerface for the first time for a very long time/ever here? Or should it be taken as a sign he still gives a damn occasionally.

Dir en grey is a good example of a band who is taking international music styles into their sound without being generic. They toured with BMTH and came back with deathcore influence...so what. They didn't suddenly spam two-note breakdowns. They legitimately began using the mix of thrash and hardcore with their previous death and progressive tendencies, and apparently some nu metal (!) for extra effect (re: bass technique). This is all potential evidence of a desire to play the bits they want to play (or at least what their lead composers want, re: current drummer issues) regardless of current popularity. Hell, they even (arguably) pulled off some variety of doom/drone/sludge, and since when has that been popular? I'm not well-versed in them but as far as I'm aware I think the answer is "never" (though if anyone knows differently, please tell). Funnily enough, this mix of primarily-European-based styles has brought them straight into my interests. Girugamesh, on the other hand, are just ticking boxes off a list. While Incomplete manages to successfully integrate dubstep with (almost) nu metal, Drain is a pointless rehash of these elements; I think this means they lucked out the first time they did attempted it, and that (again as Ito said) they're making use of the (imo cheaper) aspects of post-hardcore for the achievement of a faux-heaviness. I would be inclined to believe they genuinely liked this style if it was less popular, less omniscient, less of a mass-produced commodity, but I'm afraid I can't trust any band using so many cliches at an eerily coincidental point in time (especially since they released two singles only months ago that somehow lacked most of it). Then yes, the bottom line is I fucking hate it to begin with. I liked Incomplete, and the original singles, but if the two singles are being re-done in this "MONSTER" style, and the teasers are just displaying more and more of these elements, I think what little novelty they had will expire very quickly. While I'm hoping the album will prove otherwise (like Max the Hormone did), I am not feeling enthusiastic (as, unlike MTH, Girugamesh has not shown an overt sense of humour and/or self-awareness [certainly not since they decided to be Linkin Park]).

I'm Australian. Europe has always been fairly independent, but that's because Europe doesn't want to be America (as a generalisation). Europe has the strongest grindcore scene, currently. The thing here is that Americans generally don't want to copy them, and therefore the bands who copy America don't want to either. As for Japan, well, they have a Times Square, which i think is fairly indicative of exactly how much they want to copy America. Girugamesh pick up currently trending elements and incorporate it into their sound. I think I can be forgiven for drawing the conclusion that they did it consciously. I don't know many VK bands that haven't been copying anyone else so that's not the problem. It's that they're copying shit derived from post-hardcore (nobody can deny that is what they're playing now) more than anything else, and since I do not post-hardcore (and never did), I am not pleased. I am even less pleased that if they have decided to start copying something LESS OMNISCIENT in Western music (the particular strain of music that sees a significantly broader demographic and is therefore most influential to countries that idolise its source) when they could have decided to copy something else; the fact is, they didn't. As a side note, I see dubstep as electronica made by -core fans. That's why it has caught on so well with them. Case and point: Skrillex. How many nowadays would know dubstep if not for Skrillex? Where did he come from originally? Oh yeah--a post-hardcore band.

I was being sarcastic. The amount of v-neck, stretched-ears, Verb the Noun, post-hardcore-derived outfits themed after videogame characters is so massive that nobody can say Girugamesh are being original by taking these elements up. There's nothing underground about a genre that's has been infecting America since about 2007. It's not that I think the genre is shit. It's that THERE IS TOO MUCH OF IT. It's called oversaturation and it's what killed nu metal. I don't want Girugamesh to be something they've already been. They won't do it, and why should they? I'm pissed off that they are doing all the hallmarks (and the most generic hallmarks at that) of every currently popular scenes. I mean, the breakdown in Drain...how many times have I heard that exact same riff? My old guitarist used to play that whenever he was testing his guitar for fuck's sake...when we were both 16. And like Ito said, they're writing pop songs with some breakdowns and minimal-note chug riffs to pretend they're heavier, so even if I COULD tolerate what they're doing, I'd just be pointing out how they're not doing it very well. They're working on a checklist. Do we have chug breakdowns? Yes. Do we have random bass drop noises? Yes. Do we have a pop punk upbeat chorus at the end? Yes. Is one of our members dressed like a schoolboy? God knows why, but yes. I loved MUSIC. Even though they were ripping off Linkin Park, at least they did it at high quality, with some sense of self. There was nobody else who sounded that close to early Linkin Park. In fact they were so good at sounding like Linkin Park that somehow they managed to avoid sounding like a mere shitty copy. Here, well, they are rapidly becoming a shitty copy, just like nearly every other VK band currently going. If they're going to ride trends, I'd appreciate if they did it well. But I'd prefer they didn't ride trends. Let alone saturated, omniscient trends I have never been able to like that could do with one less, previously (somewhat) original band participating in.

Yes, because djentstepcore is totally underground. I agree with nearly everything Ito says, but the bottom line is they're still doing everything I don't like about modern rock and I really hope there are songs on here that aren't like this. The last three singles' A-sides were deceptive.

If they re-record things we'll end up with sixty odd minutes of urrruurgururugrhrurufuzz. I'd be content with some remastering at most.

There's a difference between taking influence and stealing melodies. The intro in Madara follows the drum patterns of Rinkaku and its chorus is almost exactly the same as a Dir en grey song (I can't remember if it's Audience Killer Loop or Marmalade Chainsaw)--way too similar to be anything but deliberate. People need to stop being so easily offended and accept that most VK bands are about as original as the people who write the scripts of the Scary Movie canon. Just because you like something doesn't mean they don't have flaws or that said flaws can be shrugged off. I mean for fuck's sake Nega's solo in Abase is near-identical to a segment of the solo in Dir en grey's Akuro no Oka. I love Nega but I saw that instantly. Not to mention the Muddy Cult/Obscure structure. People are complaining that Sadie is stealing bits of songs, not that they're taking influence from a bigger band. Nearly every current VK band takes influence from Dir en grey. Like Zess said, you listen to an ordinary Sadie song and it's either the same generic number they've been using for years or it's a pastiche of cannibalised Dir en grey passages (and their potential is constantly being masked in favour of these things). That is not influence. The use of random acoustic breaks and faster metalcore section is influence. The Madara chorus is THEFT. There is no ambiguity: this band is getting too comfortable with copying. If you can't hear it, you're in denial. It's not that people who are "hating" on the band (although some might be); it's that the truth is something others are refusing to see. Remember Amentia? That said, this album is really awkward sounding and feels more like a random collection of tracks which were given names and an order prior to being written, but most VK seems to do this. It's not boring (and when it's not stealing from DEG and merely taking influence, it can occasionally move from 'DSS on a budget' to 'reasonable proggy neo-VK-core' but it's nowhere near perfect. Madara might be near shameless but it's not bad. I'm afraid I agree with Zess on nearly every point. In particular, they should be playing things they can handle. They need to stop trying to be DEG and just be Sadie full time instead. I should probably add that if this drummer is going to rip Dir en grey's tom-heavy style off then he should at least consider a proper drumkit. And the ride is just too loud.

I didn't realise bootleggers re-recorded albums to get around copyright now. A unique idea to take the last three Dir en grey albums and bootleg them all at once, though, I suppose. (As a side note, at least this album is more interesting than the last few.)

Nu metal is not metal. Djent is not metal. Post-hardcore is not metal. And Girgugamesh at the moment seems to be combining elements of all three. An abundance of syncopated, downtuned breakdown-style riffs and a bit of screaming does not make something metal and this is coming from someone who likes Korn.

I hope they don't use that fart sound clip for every song. Surely they can come up with different kinds of generic drop noises. At least this pseudo-metal has the same level of energy they used to have. I still can only barely tolerate it but it's livelier than the last two albums.

I'll never understand why everyone shits themselves over Macabre. I'm more interested in the fact they played Jealous. It's nice when a setlist changes. Obscure stopped being fun live a very long time ago.

I don't usually recommend checking a band out based on their name. It's a flawed premise at best.

I think you mean "Massacre the Cheesecake" bro.

Clearly you haven't been following Korn. Their singer has been leading their direction since 2005. All his solo output has been EERILY similar to a more extremist version of their sound. He's leading them. When a single member's solo project is pretty much the direction a band is heading in I generally assume they're the reason for the band going in that direction in the first place. "Hey guys, listen to this awesome ____ band I just found, let's write something like that!" "Sure, okay, we're all chill, good to try new things." And then dictatorship begins. Please refer to: Sepultura/Soulfly.

So he was the one making them shit. It's always the singers. They develop egos and since they're the frontman they always get their way.

Because "Sustain the Untruth" is much better, you know, being so close to those angsty American metalcore bands. At least some stylisation keeps them in the ex-vis kei scene.

I'm very tolerant of bands changing their sounds over time (Carcass anyone) but when they take not one but multiple elements I just don't like and never have liked (in this instance the ever omniscient dubstep and post-hardcore) and cram it together I'm just not going to do it, no matter how well executed it is. I can handle one like on the title track. I can't handle both. It stops being influence and instead becomes an aesthetic. I liked COLOR more than this trendy material. If these b-sides are indicative of the album I'm going to have to call it quits on this band like I called it quits on nearly every other VK band who decided to abuse the elements I don't want to listen to which is, hang on, nearly all of them. I'm sure it's very good trendy dubwobslammoshcore but no fucking thank you.

I'm guessing Monster Ver means they'll have some wobs and cleaner mixing for the sake of consistency and unit coherency. In which case bring it.

No embryo on the tracklist. I knew they wouldn't film it. The new artwork is strange (as a standalone piece I'd probably be all over its contemporary nature but the description the author gave does not correlate whatsoever) but for once they're not following Murrka's super-edgy shit so I guess it's a mixed bag?

I like the sound of this.

I hope they won't be using this exact same PRETENDING TO BE HEAVY BY PLAYING VERY LITTLE AT A VERY SLOW PACE riff in every new song because it's going to get old very fast. I was hoping the one in Alien was just taking the piss out of bands who spam breakdowns but this makes me think they're being serious.

I find there's nothing more different than metal that takes after nu metal like MUSIC did and anything-hardcore. It divides my friends circle on many occasions. Both have conflicting vibes involved. Angst versus attitude, I suppose. Argh versus yeh. I like this single's sound. I don't see much of a MUSIC comparison aside from the use of electronics backing up the drums, but they've been doing that for years even when they played more overt pop-punk. Anybody expecting MUSIC part 2 is kidding themselves. But at this stage there's much more of a "hardcore" vibe in this and the last two singles I only found in 13's reborn. And I do like the presence of b-sides this time around. It's hard to judge whether I like the last two songs because they're flukes or if the band actually does have a more energetic sound now.

They're going to make it to 2020 without a studio version of Scatologist, aren't they? (And for the record, grave is in itself a pretty noticeable rip of Mein Teil by Rammstein. Though if it's a re-do, hopefully this means SxSxDxDx will get a re-record sometime.)

Great to hear F and Tsume will be on there. I was so sure the timeframe between released had killed the chance of that happening I almost bought the single. I'll have to find a way to pre-order it.