Pandabear

Finished
 
Yamada Kun and The Seven Witches - I loved this series. I guess its one third comedy, one third supernatural adventure and one third romance. The whole boy and girl body switching theme intrigued me so I wanted to give this series a shot and I’m glad I did. As it turned out there was a lot more other than just the body-switching theme. Although when it did occur, it was always hilarious to see the outlandish results. It got a bit feely toward the end but not over dramatically. Good stuff. Recommended. 
 
No 6 - This anime reminded me of The Giver, Fahrenheit 451 and every other dystopian book. It was pretty good. The new age/supernatural ending wasn’t as impactful on me for some reason.
 
Plastic Memories - Heard a lot of good things about this so i decided to check it out. IMO it was just an average anime. I liked it, but there wasn’t much originality or creatively here. I felt there were a lot of opportunities missed where the anime could have delved deeper into a lot of interesting subject matter, but instead opted to play it safe. I also did not resonant with the 2 main characters relationship, or the ending of the series. This is mostly because you find out from the very first episode one of them is a robot. So for me there was little to no emotional impact because of that. Also made me kinda hate the main character for going after the robot coworker instead of the cute, (and actual human), albeit tsundere, redheaded coworker who was secretly crushing back on them.  
 
Sword Art Online II - So I finally finished the second season and I will agree with everyone who says the first half of the season is definitely the better half. The rest of the second season is pretty much filler. I did enjoy the second half, but its really not that important to the main story. Still don’t get the hate the series gets as a whole. It’s not perfect but is enjoyable for a large portion. There are a lot worse animes than this series, *cough* Guilty Crown *cough* (Sorry evilcoconut)
 
Currently watching 
 
Accelworld - I honestly don’t know how Reki Kawahara can go from doing actually good writing and pacing in this series and then do it really bad when doing Sword Art Online. So obviously he either got lazy or was under some tight time constraints. I haven’t finished watching this series yet, but so far it’s stronger as a whole than the entire first season of SOA. I’m enjoying the story, characters and the whole futuristic virtual reality game theme again.
 
Masamune Monster Girls - Saw previews for this and couldn’t decided if it was going to be horrible or not so I decided to watch it. So far so good. It’s actually interesting and funny for a harem anime about monster girls. Although if you’re not a fan of harem anime or ecchi then you probably won’t like this series at all. 
 
Nisekoi - Just discovered this anime and I’m working my way through the first season. Story is nothing new but the animation is great, the writing is funny and it somehow pulls off all the anime cliches that make a series memorable and fun really well without it seeming like a blatant rehash.. Also kirisaki must be one of the greatest tsunderes I have seen in years

Ok, I've been giving it another listen and it's definitely growing on me. Maybe the whole expecting them to make a full on metal assault of an album threw me off, but this is a good release.
 
Alex did mention this album was suppose to sound like an alternative version of a death grip on yesterday and I do get a lot of those vibes minus a couple of songs.

Yeah this album was probably their weakest. It's just a mediocre album at it's best. At one point these guys were one of the few Japanese bands around who were doing the rock/metal thing with electronic music any justice. Unfortunately it seems they dropped the whole metal thing on this album and they overdid it with the electronica. Nobody needs an even crappier version of Fear And Loathing In Vegas. 
 
Actually I feel the band isn't quite sure which direction to head or is trying to follow trends. Their first ep was awesome as well as the follow up singles, their debut was ok as they went a little soft, but then they struck a balance on their 2nd album and now they went way too soft. So the band has a pattern of cycling from heavy to less heavy with every release. Come on guys, decide already. Can't tell if they have an identity crisis or are trying to cash in by going soft and trying to appeal to a wider audience. 
 
There are a few songs I like from this release, but I find the majority of the album to be filler and it really affects the replay value. Also not a fan of the production at all. Way too harsh in the upper frequencies and not enough low end or body. 
 
I still enjoy this band, and will continue to keep up with them but I hope they get it together.
 
4/10

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

Because its a well crafted song? It uses effective use of atmosphere, dynamics, tension and release, instrumentation and has a good chorus and an interesting progression into an outro solo? Come on who doesn’t love outro solos?   But seriously, I would argue it’s the best song on the entire album and one of the best the band has done in recent years. Yeah sure, there’s nothing special about the elements I described above by themselves, but on this song the band actually managed to make the sum greater than its parts. Everything has a purpose for being there and while it’s not the best song ever created, or even for 2015, it’s creative enough and it’s near perfect execution is what makes it a strong track.    To me, this song should have been the standard and should have represented what the rest of the album should have been. Dynamic, creative, well composed, varied and a strong execution.   I still consider this album a slightly above average release. I do agree this album will be more favorable with the metal inclined (that’s me) and gazerock fans (also me). I can definitely see myself listening to this when I want something hard and fast from their catalog with just enough sprinklings of creativity for extra ear candy. For me it's got good replay value.   However, I don’t understand the people that tear this band and album apart like its the biggest pile of doo doo known to mankind. In fact I feel a lot of negativity toward the bands recent releases, this one included, are extremely exaggerated. The same goes for the praise for their well received albums. I love the band, but I’ve never considered any album they released to be a masterpiece or even close to one. The negativity might make sense if they ever had a streak of masterpiece albums, but they really never have.    I’ve only taken the band seriously on occasion, where I feel a large portion of everybody else takes this band seriously 110% of the time. But i guess this is an entirely different topic. 

Because its a well crafted song? It uses effective use of atmosphere, dynamics, tension and release, instrumentation and has a good chorus and an interesting progression into an outro solo? Come on who doesn’t love outro solos?   But seriously, I would argue it’s the best song on the entire album and one of the best the band has done in recent years. Yeah sure, there’s nothing special about the elements I described above by themselves, but on this song the band actually managed to make the sum greater than its parts. Everything has a purpose for being there and while it’s not the best song ever created, or even for 2015, it’s creative enough and it’s near perfect execution is what makes it a strong track.    To me, this song should have been the standard and should have represented what the rest of the album should have been. Dynamic, creative, well composed, varied and a strong execution.   I still consider this album a slightly above average release. I do agree this album will be more favorable with the metal inclined (that’s me) and gazerock fans (also me). I can definitely see myself listening to this when I want something hard and fast from their catalog with just enough sprinklings of creativity for extra ear candy. For me it's got good replay value.   However, I don’t understand the people that tear this band and album apart like its the biggest pile of doo doo known to mankind. In fact I feel a lot of negativity toward the bands recent releases, this one included, are extremely exaggerated. The same goes for the praise for their well received albums. I love the band, but I’ve never considered any album they released to be a masterpiece or even close to one. The negativity might make sense if they ever had a streak of masterpiece albums, but they really never have.    I’ve only taken the band seriously on occasion, where I feel a large portion of everybody else takes this band seriously 110% of the time. But i guess this is an entirely different topic. 

Because its a well crafted song? It uses effective use of atmosphere, dynamics, tension and release, instrumentation and has a good chorus and an interesting progression into an outro solo? Come on who doesn’t love outro solos?   But seriously, I would argue it’s the best song on the entire album and one of the best the band has done in recent years. Yeah sure, there’s nothing special about the elements I described above by themselves, but on this song the band actually managed to make the sum greater than its parts. Everything has a purpose for being there and while it’s not the best song ever created, or even for 2015, it’s creative enough and it’s near perfect execution is what makes it a strong track.    To me, this song should have been the standard and should have represented what the rest of the album should have been. Dynamic, creative, well composed, varied and a strong execution.   I still consider this album a slightly above average release. I do agree this album will be more favorable with the metal inclined (that’s me) and gazerock fans (also me). I can definitely see myself listening to this when I want something hard and fast from their catalog with just enough sprinklings of creativity for extra ear candy. For me it's got good replay value.   However, I don’t understand the people that tear this band and album apart like its the biggest pile of doo doo known to mankind. In fact I feel a lot of negativity toward the bands recent releases, this one included, are extremely exaggerated. The same goes for the praise for their well received albums. I love the band, but I’ve never considered any album they released to be a masterpiece or even close to one. The negativity might make sense if they ever had a streak of masterpiece albums, but they really never have.    I’ve only taken the band seriously on occasion, where I feel a large portion of everybody else takes this band seriously 110% of the time. But i guess this is an entirely different topic. 

Because its a well crafted song? It uses effective use of atmosphere, dynamics, tension and release, instrumentation and has a good chorus and an interesting progression into an outro solo? Come on who doesn’t love outro solos?   But seriously, I would argue it’s the best song on the entire album and one of the best the band has done in recent years. Yeah sure, there’s nothing special about the elements I described above by themselves, but on this song the band actually managed to make the sum greater than its parts. Everything has a purpose for being there and while it’s not the best song ever created, or even for 2015, it’s creative enough and it’s near perfect execution is what makes it a strong track.    To me, this song should have been the standard and should have represented what the rest of the album should have been. Dynamic, creative, well composed, varied and a strong execution.   I still consider this album a slightly above average release. I do agree this album will be more favorable with the metal inclined (that’s me) and gazerock fans (also me). I can definitely see myself listening to this when I want something hard and fast from their catalog with just enough sprinklings of creativity for extra ear candy. For me it's got good replay value.   However, I don’t understand the people that tear this band and album apart like its the biggest pile of doo doo known to mankind. In fact I feel a lot of negativity toward the bands recent releases, this one included, are extremely exaggerated. The same goes for the praise for their well received albums. I love the band, but I’ve never considered any album they released to be a masterpiece or even close to one. The negativity might make sense if they ever had a streak of masterpiece albums, but they really never have.    I’ve only taken the band seriously on occasion, where I feel a large portion of everybody else takes this band seriously 110% of the time. But i guess this is an entirely different topic. 

1) You're right, by itself it's nothing mind blowing.  However I feel it's an interesting part and used effectively especially when combined within the rest of the track.
 
2) I agree with you on the lack of aoi X uruha guitarcraft. Not just on this song but the overall album. However, I feel the dynamics and tension of the track are some of the best on the entire album. Probably up there with DOGMA to be honest. How that composition was arrived at to achieve those results isn't really a matter of importance to me. I.E shifting or experimenting with tracks in pro-tools. I don't feel this should deter from the final result.  As far as instrumentation is concerned, it wouldn't really surprise me if the parts were heavily edited/punched in. I know to some people, this is a huge negative, to me, not so much. As long as the parts don't sound obviously edited, and or distract from the music. Playing those songs live and not having your shit together is an entirely different matter and something I'm not ok with.
 
3) Yes I love outro guitar solos, however, I wouldn't use them as quality indicator for an entire song. This was a jest :)That being said I did enjoy that there was an actual guitar solo in the track since most of the other songs on this album were void of them.  
 
4) Can't say much about lyrics because I never look into them with this band or other Japanese bands. Sometimes I do, and I find they actually have decent to good lyrical content, other times not so much. This isn't as a big deal to me with Japanese bands since I don't really focus on the lyrics and stick purely to the music. It is however disappointing, though not surprising, the bands has quality issues with their lyrics.
 
By creativity I meant the way the song was composed, the structure, not your typical straight verse-chorus-verse, although its a variation of it, and how the rest of the elements are brought in together and stripped away throughout the song. I'm not saying the track stands on a island of unattainable creative genius, but I believe there is enough going on throughout for it to be considered creative.
 
It's how all these different elements are brought together and executed that make the track strong IMO.  Even if it's a rehash to some extent.  And I''ll take this track over Chizuru, which I never really got the hype for. 
 
I will agree DOGMA is the other great track from this release. 

Because its a well crafted song? It uses effective use of atmosphere, dynamics, tension and release, instrumentation and has a good chorus and an interesting progression into an outro solo? Come on who doesn’t love outro solos?   But seriously, I would argue it’s the best song on the entire album and one of the best the band has done in recent years. Yeah sure, there’s nothing special about the elements I described above by themselves, but on this song the band actually managed to make the sum greater than its parts. Everything has a purpose for being there and while it’s not the best song ever created, or even for 2015, it’s creative enough and it’s near perfect execution is what makes it a strong track.    To me, this song should have been the standard and should have represented what the rest of the album should have been. Dynamic, creative, well composed, varied and a strong execution.   I still consider this album a slightly above average release. I do agree this album will be more favorable with the metal inclined (that’s me) and gazerock fans (also me). I can definitely see myself listening to this when I want something hard and fast from their catalog with just enough sprinklings of creativity for extra ear candy. For me it's got good replay value.   However, I don’t understand the people that tear this band and album apart like its the biggest pile of doo doo known to mankind. In fact I feel a lot of negativity toward the bands recent releases, this one included, are extremely exaggerated. The same goes for the praise for their well received albums. I love the band, but I’ve never considered any album they released to be a masterpiece or even close to one. The negativity might make sense if they ever had a streak of masterpiece albums, but they really never have.    I’ve only taken the band seriously on occasion, where I feel a large portion of everybody else takes this band seriously 110% of the time. But i guess this is an entirely different topic. 

The one with the giant head was one of the best so far IMO. Don't get some of the hate toward it. 
 
Also love how Misha from periphery did a short cover of the theme song.
 

Yes to this. And they have kinda gone prog rock.
 
 
 
It did suck ass. Well it was actually an ok album, but compared to the mighty 3 they've done, Poison, Scream and Fever, it was ass by comparison. It was slightly better than Temper Temper, but what that album had over Venom was the bullet magic. There always those handful of songs that have the bands signature sound oozing out of them, on Venom, none of them had it.
 
I was also not a fan of the production. It was still too much of a hard rock production rather than a metal production and I love Terry Date. 
 
It's one of my disappointments in core music for this year along with All That Remains Order Of Things. 
 
 
Yeah can't wait what those guys will do next. Apparently the album is done, they are just looking for a label to release it through. I'm especially looking forward to what Ian will do on vocals. His vocals keep getting more brutal and refined with every release. 
 
They redid an old song off their 1st album with their current  lineup and it's pretty rad.
 
KNEEL BEFORE MY MINIONS, AS THEY KNEEL BEFORE ME
 

Yes to this. And they have kinda gone prog rock.
 
 
 
It did suck ass. Well it was actually an ok album, but compared to the mighty 3 they've done, Poison, Scream and Fever, it was ass by comparison. It was slightly better than Temper Temper, but what that album had over Venom was the bullet magic. There always those handful of songs that have the bands signature sound oozing out of them, on Venom, none of them had it.
 
I was also not a fan of the production. It was still too much of a hard rock production rather than a metal production and I love Terry Date. 
 
It's one of my disappointments in core music for this year along with All That Remains Order Of Things. 
 
 
Yeah can't wait what those guys will do next. Apparently the album is done, they are just looking for a label to release it through. I'm especially looking forward to what Ian will do on vocals. His vocals keep getting more brutal and refined with every release. 
 
They redid an old song off their 1st album with their current  lineup and it's pretty rad.
 
KNEEL BEFORE MY MINIONS, AS THEY KNEEL BEFORE ME
 

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

The one with the giant head was one of the best so far IMO. Don't get some of the hate toward it. 
 
Also love how Misha from periphery did a short cover of the theme song.
 

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 
 
For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.
 
The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   
 
All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 
 
That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 
 
The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.
 
I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.
 
So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.
 
For me it’s a solid 7/10
 
Things I would like to see from the band next time;
 
-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.
-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.
-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.
-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 
-More catchy/melodic ideas
 
Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 
Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?
 
And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???
Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 
 
For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.
 
The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   
 
All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 
 
That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 
 
The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.
 
I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.
 
So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.
 
For me it’s a solid 7/10
 
Things I would like to see from the band next time;
 
-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.
-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.
-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.
-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 
-More catchy/melodic ideas
 
Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 
Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?
 
And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???
Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 
 
For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.
 
The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   
 
All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 
 
That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 
 
The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.
 
I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.
 
So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.
 
For me it’s a solid 7/10
 
Things I would like to see from the band next time;
 
-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.
-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.
-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.
-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 
-More catchy/melodic ideas
 
Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 
Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?
 
And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???
Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 
 
For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.
 
The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   
 
All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 
 
That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 
 
The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.
 
I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.
 
So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.
 
For me it’s a solid 7/10
 
Things I would like to see from the band next time;
 
-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.
-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.
-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.
-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 
-More catchy/melodic ideas
 
Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 
Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?
 
And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???
Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 
 
For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.
 
The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   
 
All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 
 
That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 
 
The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.
 
I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.
 
So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.
 
For me it’s a solid 7/10
 
Things I would like to see from the band next time;
 
-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.
-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.
-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.
-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 
-More catchy/melodic ideas
 
Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 
Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?
 
And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???
Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90wG8ObCBE0
 
Anybody watch this? It's like a crazy back to the future with interdimensional space travel on crack. Was a huge fan of the first season and can't wait for the 2nd season. Love the crazy scifi antics, the strange creatures/aliens, the cleaver writing and the way this show pulls off crude jokes in a smart way.

Like the tittle says, what are some stupid and cool band names you've come across? For me band names are important, they can determine whether someone decided to listen to your music, how your indexed online, and should more or less reflect the genre of music you play.    I'll stick to purely Japanese just to keep it simple and relevant.    The Cool   Asian Kung Fu Generation Blood Stain Child - Intriguing and disturbing.  Boom Boom Satellites - This just sounds cool. Dir en grey Fade Galneryus - Is it an alien planet? An intergalactic spaceship? Who cares it sounds cool.  Lost Eden Luna Sea Deathgaze - Simple but cool. Too bad the band rips off songs and their original content is mediocre at best. Oblivion Dust T.M.Revolution - Takanori Makes Revolution. Nice usage of acronyms.  Pay Money To My Pain - I would be rich if this was a thing.   The Bad   Babymetal - I love this band and everyone behind it, but it sounds like they spent 5 minutes to come up with that name.   Screw - So apparently no one in the band thought about online search index?
  9goats Black Out - Too VK-ish. I actually love this band, but the name kept from wanting to listen to their music at first because I found the name off putting and thought they were just another generic vk band.   That being said, at least 50% of vk bands have really godawful band names.    That's about it for me. I don't really listen to vk anymore, so I'm spared some of those atrocious band names, and the rest of the bands I know don't really have bad enough or cool enough names to make the list.