Ro plz

I finally listened to the previews. In some ways I really like what they're doing; but in others I'm underwhelmed. Just like their previous album everything is dressed up as sounding "new" when they're sticking to the same conventions that they've done throughout their career and adding a bit of flair to it. This is good and bad for me (upon initial listen of the previews), and where I feel like this release will end up going. There's some really awesome guitar work in there that is largely absent from Dir en grey, 12012, GazettE, Sadie, etc. Even though riddled with breakdowns and chugging done 100x over, Nii isn't taking the easy way out with power chords and simple chord progressions for the chorus. There is actual work and skill put into the sort-of shredding that he does in between the chugging riffs. I've always enjoyed Nii's playing, even when I've been at odds with their music.
 
The part that bothers me though, is my complaint with Monster: it's the same thing just dressed up differently to give the appearance of legitimate musical change when there is none. The level of distortion or the switch to extended range guitars (Nii was playing a 7 string last time I checked) =/= musical progress. Musical progress relies on how the music is structured, written, and where the band goes with it. What is girugamesh doing here? Nothing different than what they've been doing their entire career. Everything is in common time and features a half-step resolution at the end of every measure to lead into the next. Not only that; but sprinkle in some quick diminished hammer-on's and pull off's to add to the metalcore vibe. It's lazy; but in a way that is not only formulaic, it's underwhelming. Is it too difficult to extend a musical idea? Why can't a progression last longer than the given measure? Why don't they go anywhere with the music?
 
Despite that very harsh criticism, I'm still excited as this is an even further step away from that mess known as "GO"
 
 
 
 
 
EDIT: Just noticed the album is already up for download. Looks like I'll be listening to that next.

Here's the thing though, everyone and their mother knows that SADIE can't stand on their own two feet without jacking whatever Dir is doing at the given time. The GazettE has always been a hard/heavy band. MUCC from what I last heard has pretty much treaded into different directions musically. These comparisons are pretty baseless imo.
And also, I don't mean to rehash this but...these are samples. Seems a bit much to make such generalizations on a few seconds of a song.

Here's the thing though, everyone and their mother knows that SADIE can't stand on their own two feet without jacking whatever Dir is doing at the given time. The GazettE has always been a hard/heavy band. MUCC from what I last heard has pretty much treaded into different directions musically. These comparisons are pretty baseless imo.
And also, I don't mean to rehash this but...these are samples. Seems a bit much to make such generalizations on a few seconds of a song.

I'll refer to my comment from the previous page.
and this one just for the sake of stressing I'm not comparing their sound, but kyo did influence their direction with this release imo.
 

I'd be happy to back off on my comments if the final mini turns out a vk genre re-definer of 2014 and exceeds all the expectations (p. modest in my case)

Here's the thing though, everyone and their mother knows that SADIE can't stand on their own two feet without jacking whatever Dir is doing at the given time. The GazettE has always been a hard/heavy band. MUCC from what I last heard has pretty much treaded into different directions musically. These comparisons are pretty baseless imo.
And also, I don't mean to rehash this but...these are samples. Seems a bit much to make such generalizations on a few seconds of a song.

As I expected from these previews....a valiant effort/gift before they go on hiatus. I hope they realize that they are indeed strong as a band and this hiatus doesn't lead to disbandment. 

I mentioned this before in the bands thread, CROSSFAITH is officially done trying at this point. Everything up to ZION was them trying their best to make it in American mainstream metal. Now that they've done that, they just don't feel like putting much effort in their material anymore. Their last album and this song is a total disappointment. However, my final judgement on this band will be made once they drop this new album. This could very well just be a crap-tier single for an album that may blow us away or at least will be a step up from what they've been doing.

Inb4 any band that does anything remotely close to Old school VK or whatever is copying the oh so great SUKEKIYO.
Tbh the swan shows that 12012 actually has stopped tryna be wanna be'a and do their own thing. To me this is a continuation of that while fusing their older sounds in the mix as well.

I mentioned this before in the bands thread, CROSSFAITH is officially done trying at this point. Everything up to ZION was them trying their best to make it in American mainstream metal. Now that they've done that, they just don't feel like putting much effort in their material anymore. Their last album and this song is a total disappointment. However, my final judgement on this band will be made once they drop this new album. This could very well just be a crap-tier single for an album that may blow us away or at least will be a step up from what they've been doing.

Patrik from BatAAr, right?

SMOKKU WEEDO ALL DEY MASSAFAKKA FORU TUWENTEH BRAZE UP UPP TU ZA MAXXU HYAKKU PERCENTO. 

For a sec there I thought the 3rd track's title was gonna be WELCOME TO THE HOOD.

I really don't see what Ku did wrong here.......Digitalbounce I do hope you realized you just came off as a major rabid fan girl/fan boy. Chill. 
 
Anyways, I have curiosity for this new single. Lets see if it comes out better than their last album. I also wish their guitarist a speedy recovery. I really never thought Guitarists of anyone could suffer from injuries such as this. You learn something new everyday. 

New song was played
 

Lol why is Blitz Notorious?! 

Shinya isn't a bad drummer at all, he's just very inconsistent and lazy from the time they record new songs ALL the way to the Budokan lives where he miraculously is flawless. I noticed this as I was watching the new Budokan live and noticed it between the gap between Uroboros and the batch of DVD's they released before that Budokan live. It kind of makes sense since the Budokan lives are a big deal but even so....dude, practice! 
 
Speaking of which, did anyone watch the Dum Spiro Spero live? I thought It was the worst DVD the band has released.
Haha, he's always been supposedly. I remember reading an interview where he said he would find out about pop and such just to sleep with girls when he was younger. Surprised me as well.

Shinya isn't a bad drummer at all, he's just very inconsistent and lazy from the time they record new songs ALL the way to the Budokan lives where he miraculously is flawless. I noticed this as I was watching the new Budokan live and noticed it between the gap between Uroboros and the batch of DVD's they released before that Budokan live. It kind of makes sense since the Budokan lives are a big deal but even so....dude, practice! 
 
Speaking of which, did anyone watch the Dum Spiro Spero live? I thought It was the worst DVD the band has released.
Haha, he's always been supposedly. I remember reading an interview where he said he would find out about pop and such just to sleep with girls when he was younger. Surprised me as well.

I couldn't help but listen to this release after this detailed post and I'm on the first song right now....I really like this. And its very hard for me to sit down and check out random indies bands. I will def keep this band in my sights. Much appreciated Zess.
 
EDIT: SWEET MOTHER OF ZORDON. THIS IS AWESOME.
 
GOT DAMN.

Artist: ア​ルルカン Album: 墓穴 Score: Okay paradoxal, you win. Finally.
I could understand if someone glanced at Arlequin, sighed, and thought to themselves "yet more standard pretty boy metalcore". Snazzy looking bands with laughable musical ability are a dime a dozen in this scene, and they all sound the same - like recycled shit sprinkled with preservatives so you won't mind the stench or notice that you've already heard that riff five times this week. It's also understandable that due to the massive waves of shit that lap on the shore constantly that Arlequin flew under your radar. They certainly flew under mine. So, as I girded my loins for part two of really bland metalcore that people adore for reasons I do not understand, I was caught off guard. Imagine my face, then imagine how it would have looked when the first track was a righteous kick in the ass.

At one point I may have even thanked VK Jesus, but don't put me on record as having ever said that.

What sets Arlequin apart from the countless other bands that play this exact type of music are that they're good at it. Or, good enough to impress me. Arlequin is the one in a thousand band that can take electronics and metalcore and construct music that doesn't make me deaf. The last visual kei band capable of that feat was D.I.D., and they've left a void in the scene that Arlequin is both ready to and capable of filling. It's not the Holy Grail of visual kei but it's better than anything I've heard this scene fart out in a while. That in itself is revolutionary. It's also sad that decent has become good and good has become great in this small, inbred scene but this is not the time to bemoan the gradual manufacturing of this type of music. All the other basement-kei no1curr aggressive metalcore bands in Japan that spend more money on make-up and wigs than guitar lessons should pull up a chair and take some notes.

Boketsu is three tracks featuring decently good production, impressive riffs from guitarists intimate with their instruments, and a vocalist who can both growl and sing. The last part alone is what really puts this band on my radar. He can clean up on the technique and watch the inhales before he ruins his voice, but the lack of modulation and the remarkable consistency he displays on all three tracks is great. He reminds me of a Kyouki who is more in control of his voice but he definitely has his own style. He's also charismatic enough to make the aggressive verse - poppy chorus formula work to their favor. There's also enough power and energy in the breakdowns to put them a notch above obligatory, although I can do without them all the time. There's amazing bass presence on both the part of the bassist and the drummer and even the electronics are placed thoughtfully and not slathered all over the place like special sauce on Big Macs. This is solid but not amazing and it's clear where there's room for improvement. As these members make more music together, I expect them to become an even tighter unit.

Arlequin did not overplay their hand here. Halfway through the first track, I had to toss my hat up to them. For a bunch of nobodies, they wrote some solid tunes here. This is confirmation that at least SOMEONE over in the land of the rising sun is playing more than brainless metalcore. Even in 2014, there's room in visual kei for stodgy old heads like me. I look forward to seeing this band move up through the ranks and become semi-influential.

That is, if they don't pull the whole disbandment shuffle before then.

Apocalyze is growing me but to me it feels like it lacks the heart and umph that the previous releases had. I feel that the hard work in their previous releases was pretty much done so they could break it in mainstream and catch that attention they seem to be getting now. With this heat, I fear that the bands future  releases will suffer the same thing I feel is plaguing this last album. Its so common now. And its a tad bit sad because they really are a great band.
 
I may be wrong and in the minority here but this is my musical side speaking/observing haha.

Apocalyze is growing me but to me it feels like it lacks the heart and umph that the previous releases had. I feel that the hard work in their previous releases was pretty much done so they could break it in mainstream and catch that attention they seem to be getting now. With this heat, I fear that the bands future  releases will suffer the same thing I feel is plaguing this last album. Its so common now. And its a tad bit sad because they really are a great band.
 
I may be wrong and in the minority here but this is my musical side speaking/observing haha.

Apocalyze is growing me but to me it feels like it lacks the heart and umph that the previous releases had. I feel that the hard work in their previous releases was pretty much done so they could break it in mainstream and catch that attention they seem to be getting now. With this heat, I fear that the bands future  releases will suffer the same thing I feel is plaguing this last album. Its so common now. And its a tad bit sad because they really are a great band.
 
I may be wrong and in the minority here but this is my musical side speaking/observing haha.

Lets see here...Kaoru said that the Unraveling is just a new song and its not likely it'll be on the new album. This means the only singles so far are RINKAKU and STU. Makes me believe that there is going to be yet another single in the near future before November. The gap from STU till then is way to wide not to have one. 
 
As for this DVD, I like what I'm seeing so far. However, I really wish after this, Die seriously needs to consider fine tuning the sound on his 7 strings. I don't know if its the pickups or his rig but consistently since they started playing after DSS was released, he sticks out like a sore thumb and its terrible. Its sounds like he's playing with an expensive toy ESP guitar. The remixes and stuff, don't bother and such. I was actually wondering when they would drop the actual symphonic version's of the said tracks. Seems as if they planned things out rather clever in regards to when and how they were released. 

I wish they would go back to the policy they had during The Code of Vulgar[ism]. Back then, some of the new material would be played live alongside the current material. Now Diru is content to stick with their staples and their 2 to 3 different interpretations of said song. I would love to know what the upcoming album is supposed to sound like and if there were some new tracks on this Live DVD it would make it a worthy buy.

This. So much.
I think a lot of this supposed "rivalry" or bashing stems from people's distaste in STU, hell even possibly Rinkaku and The Unraveling. Its pretty much just spite. And its not as if we didn't know that DIR EN GREY was going to take it down a notch. Kaoru specifically stated MULTIPLE times that their newer releases are going to be simple and quite honestly, its understandable. They successfully progressed substantially after the Marrow of a bone to Dum Spiro Spero. That takes a lot, especially having to deal with 7 strings vs 6 strings and fairly complex song structures. To want to tone down, while still keeping the essence of groups sound for a while is OK. It shows maturity. It shows that they too are human beings who know when to take necessary breaks. There are other bands other than DIR EN GREY that one may listen to at the end of the day if one isn't happy with the direction the band is going in. The end.
This sudden spark of "hate" is what's the popular thing to do. And while Kyo is the front man for Dir en grey, he doesn't even have that much musical say compared to Kaoru or Die. So if anything the comparison music wise vs Sukekiyo makes absolutely no sense...
As far as Shinya goes, he is one of my favorite drummers but its no secret that once the band started treading into more difficult territory, he's flawless in the studio but live, he cannot hold his own for some reason. Kaoru and Die have done a better job being clutch on the areas they may have had issues in, but I consistently notice the same minor screw ups in every single recent live DVD release. I dunno if its him not practicing or what....Chances are, the newer stuff they'll be playing will be better for him.