Greyen

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I want to play this little game.
And Splatoon is coming in may, and Majora's mid-feb, yiipii !


 
Well, you'll not regret it, there are plenty of good games on this console (sadly people love to bash the WiiU). i'm amused when people say "ITS NOT 4K 100FPS 500GO  ITS SHITE". Excuse us but while we're actually playing games, you're still complaining for hours about the hardware and appearances lmao. :')

I NEED a Wii U for the new xenoblade, might actually go back and replay the first on a completely new save file. Playing on a new game plus was pretty fun after a few months of not playing but everything went by so fast because of everyone being such a high level xD I remember my first play through taking almost 200 hours to beat so hopefully the new xenoblade has just as much content.

I NEED a Wii U for the new xenoblade, might actually go back and replay the first on a completely new save file. Playing on a new game plus was pretty fun after a few months of not playing but everything went by so fast because of everyone being such a high level xD I remember my first play through taking almost 200 hours to beat so hopefully the new xenoblade has just as much content.

I don't know about you guys, but I'm super hyped for Xenoblade Chronicles X. The original was already fantastic and one of the best all-around JRPGs of the previous console generation, and X seems to be taking everything that was great about the original and amplifying it (although the soundtrack probably wont be as good with Sawano as the sole composer, in my opinion). Just look at that world design! 
 

The only conclusion you can make when you listen to "THE OMNIGOD" and then to "ABSOLUTE SENSES" is that Gaku is a fuckin genius, a smart guy. I know he isn't a HYS member (only live-support) but still, leaving NB was one of the best decisions he ever made in his fucking life. Sorry for that off-topic but I had to say it. Now, talking about this new release: THE OMNIGOD is not a bad album, but it lacks something that normally makes me say "I really enjoyed this shit". I didn't feel anything. GENESIS actually has an atmosphere that I really enjoy, and except 1 or 2 more songs, the rest is lyrically and musically bland. The album has its few good parts, but overall it is really disappointing. It's a shame since I expected more from NB. But hey, at least the album artwork is awesome.
 
My rating:
   

For me,this album is a bunch of really good ideas which are not well put together.
Every new song had a really great potential,but NB messed up in the execution.
But who knows,this album may grow on me with time.

Here's my unpopular opinion so feel free to disagree.

Different ≠ Good. I'm tired of hearing "so-and-so is the 1251878th pop-rock band, therefore they are shit." I need someone to explain to me - logically - how people actually arrive at the ludicrous position that being different is a necessary condition for being good. If someone likes a certain style or sound - isn't it obviously natural to continue seeking out the same sound he enjoys so that he can derive the same satisfaction from it? People who love 90s nagoya kei are unwavering fans because of its very distinctive sound which has been arguably "lost" - and hence the nostalgia for that period. Is that really hard to understand? No. While having some originality is always welcome, it is neither necessary nor sufficient (nor even the most important) criterion for enjoying the music in question.

Pop-rock tends to be unfairly tagged as "the genre where everything-sounds-the-same" although pretty much the same thing can be said of "dark/gloomy kei", "core-ish music", electro, etc. Any counter-objection that I'm over-reducing the complexity of latter "genres" can be likewise applied to pop-rock, which I believe is more diverse than what most people (especially people who despise it) assume it to be. These days everything from Royz to Xepher to AKB48 are being carelessly chucked in the amorphous and ever-extending category of "poppish music", which allegedly (and almost by definition) sound the same. I do wonder if it isn't laughingly pretentious for people to dismiss stuff they don't like by saying "pop-rock all sound the same, hence they are garbage" while remaining willfully blind to their own human impulse to seek out the same sound/style when it comes to their pet subgenres. (I'm not going to name anyone.)

It's incredibly easy to sound different. I can record 620 minutes of belting chromatic scales non-stop, or 4 seconds of farting into the microphone. Sadly that makes for neither good nor enjoyable music.

Shou really needs to join them

The B-sides are redeeming and as much as I hate to admit it, I'll probably listen to them from time to time. SOS is the most appealing to me.  With that said, this is the new CROSSFAITH.....all hail.

勇企(yuuki) session "銀と嗤えば侵されゆく宴(gin to waraeba okasareyuku utage)" will perform at Shimokitazawa MOSAiC at 2014/12/14
 
"銀と嗤えば侵されゆく宴(gin to waraeba okasareyuku utage)" members:
Vo.勇企(yuuki) (ex-UnsraW, now in ERIZA)
Gt.暁(satoshi) (ex-D.I.D., now in ERIZA)
Ba.夜紫(yoshi) (ex-CATFIST)
Dr.匠(shou) (ex-UnsraW-->Para:noir(support), now WING WORKS(support))
 
 
ERIZA SET-LIST at 2014/10/10:
 
01.THE PROOF
02.sign
03.糸(ito)
04.LICKER
05.eris-I

People were expecting something from Sadie? When and where? Everything I read leading up to GANGSTA was about how silly the name was and how bad the album was going to be. People were calling their reactions before the album was even released, and the reviews are a reflection of that belief. Is it right that people judged the book by it's cover? No. But it's not as if GANGSTA is helping the situation any when even the people that are defending the album won't go higher than 5/10 or 6/10.
I actually like Sadie and listen to a lot of material between Crimson Tear to Master of Romance often. I didn't want to give GANGSTA a bad review because hating Sadie gets me likes and makes my readers laugh. I wanted to be the one to go out on a limb and say Hey, this album is actually really good! But it's not.

I liked the b sides more than madness, but yeah it was pretty disappointing overall. Just like ender-ender, I'm also very stubborn and won't give up hope that their next release will be far better than this. If it isn't... well I guess ill just stick to their old stuff until they end up releasing something good again. 

I'm not crazy about the single, either. Major disappointment (pun intended!). I find little glimmers of cool things in Madness and S.O.S, but it sounds like they have a way to go before they make this new style work for them and feel genuine. I don't mind lighter styles of music from bands that used to be heavy. However, it has to feel like a natural progression and this single just feels really forced to me. I agree it's probably due to Sony (I felt that way from hearing Madness the first time anyway). This won't be getting many plays in my lists, but I'm too stubborn to let 1 mediocre single wash away 4 albums I thoroughly enjoyed. I'll wait to see what they do on their next album. 

I'd love to participate but I'm having connection troubles with my 3DS.
On that note, I LOVE THIS GAME!!!

Cover and spot for their 2nd album.
 

 
DVD (MV集)
1. GENESIS
2. DESPERATE
3. Strike in fact
4. Libra
5. V.I.P
6. Sphere
 

they have announced that their indefinite hiatus has been officially rescinded
 
 
SET-LIST at 2014/10/05:
 
01.until the Day I Die(茜(akane) less ver.)
SE.雲の巣(kumo no su)
02.atheism
03.the resolution
04.the RED
05.Ira
06.瓦解(gakai)
07.invidia
08.ANTI+CHRIST anthem
09.I want to die
10.Good morning, MOTHER fxxker
11.the Point of No Return
drums solo
12.心眼、そして双眼。(shingan soshite sougan)
13.THE NATURAL BORN SINNER
 
EN1
01.paradox
02.the time has come
03.Amaryllis
04.BLEADEAR
05.acedia
06.W.O.D.
07.$howtime in the [World's End.]
 
EN2
01.until the Day I Die

their live-limited singles will be provided with their "lucky cheki" to be released at their live at Ikebukuro EDGE at 2014/10/10 and at Daikanyama UNIT at 2014/10/11 as follows:
 
2014/10/10 - "糸(ito)(Trial ver.)"
2014/10/11 - "LICKER(Trial ver.)"

they are in the process of recording for their forthcoming new EP, although details have not yet been announced
 
 
SET-LIST at 2014/09/22:
 
01.Broken Dreams
02.Let me go
03.The Walker Part 1: Realization
04.Memories of our days
05.End Piece

Does it really matter into what genre it fits best? Will it change your opinion if you can categorize it? It comes down to your taste, if you like it good, if you don't then move on. These arguments are pointless, modern music can't really be put into well-defined genres like before anymore, especially when it comes to rock/metal and all the endless sub-genres, obviouslly there are clear boundries between major genres and exceptions, but almost all music tends to borrow elements that are considered to be distinctive of a particular genre. Not to mention music evolves over time so the sound of what was once called metalcore can't be the same today, music isn't that stagnant, otherwise we wouldn't have so much diversity in music. Everything is IMO.

Both ShanethVarosa and Furik took the words right out of my mouth.I believe this is their best release in years and I'm glad they finally put the energy back into their songwriting, I was left wanting more and if this is just a small taste of their next full length, I' m very excited for it! Not going to do a review for each song but overall this an easy  

I think we all needed this...
 
I hate to say it but it was a bit Nostalgic seeing Kenta in a song with that much intensity again.

BEFORE MY LIFE FAILS will release their new single "SOLARIS" on 2014/11/05.
 
Tracklist:
 
1. Direct Solaris 2. Transaction  3. Division Point  

Artist: girugamesh EP: Gravitation Score: After a few years of borderline radio-friendly stagnation, Girugamesh have hit back with quite possibly their best release yet.
After a few years of borderline radio-friendly stagnation, Girugamesh have hit back with quite possibly their best release yet. Last year's Monster symbolised a beacon of hope for both fans and the band. The aggression was back, the heaviness was back, Girugamesh was back. Although steeped in pop-sensibilities at times, the album took a 180 from pop to electronic metalcore, leaving the burning wrecks of Now and Go far behind.

It's been a year since their last full-length Monster, and Gravitation not only keeps this reclaimed heaviness in place but polishes it to perfection. Kicking off with their hardest song to date, 'Go Ahead' lures you in with gentle tones before ripping your head off. Satoshi's transition from gentle crooning to terrifying growls, for example, are nothing short of frisson worthy. Having the rawest vocals, the hardest breakdown, and the most memorable chorus, this song characterises the EP and spearheads their new sound. As a song that can only be described with superlatives, 'Go Ahead' highlights how Gravitation has led the band to a new level of heaviness. This permeates throughout the EP. While 'Reflection' displays a hard metalcore influence, for instance, 'Vortex' goes beyond that, opting for a thrashy deathcore vibe; a massive departure from Go in many respects.

I thought it would let up at some point but the whole EP is like this; every time a lull in the intensity is expected, it continues its bombardment of chunky riffs and pleasantly incessant drumming. This is exemplified best in 'Reflection' where Satoshi tries to do some severe damage to his throat...in the best possible way. They could have included a slower, gentler track to give the listener a breather, but instead they opted for five heavy songs varying in loudness and intensity. The infectious electronic elements and catchy vocals which have characterised their more recent efforts are used to full effect here, modernising their previous sound and making each track as memorable as the last. All of these elements culminate in 'Vortex' which, replete with screams, riff-heavy guitar work and double-bass pedaling, is the best way to end Gravitation: in the same loud and exciting way in which it started, exuding a confidence not found on their older material. This is the Girugamesh we wanted after Music and the band sure as hell knows it.
 
By cramming everything their fans love about them into one neat package, Girugamesh has created their best effort yet. Contrary to more recent releases, the intensity and loudness of their old sound is back and better than ever. While taking a new form reflective of some current "-core" genres, classic Girugamesh permeates to the point where they might win their older fanbase back.

Upon listening to Gravitation it's clear that Girugamesh are back and louder, heavier and better than ever!