Augie1995

I hope this full length isn't as disappointing as their last one. Grimore had at most 2-3 really great and heavy songs while the rest was just.....pop?
 
Regardless, Desperate was a boss song and I have moderately high hopes for this new album.

Artist: Sadie Album: GANGSTA Score:
The musical equivalent of the human centipede, where genres are held hostage and stitched together ass to mouth so shit flows in one end and out the other. Except one of the genres is emaciated, another is dressed in drag, and a third took five too many Xanax and huddles unconscious in the corner. Making heads or tails of what GANGSTA wants to be is fruitless. A convoluted mess of bad ideas, worse ideas, and terrible execution, the best thing about it is how little the name has to do with anything. If you like your clouds with silver lining, it's not the visual kei equivalent of Sasuke Uchiha's mixtape, but the turntable scratching and rapping still rears it's ugly head when Sadie is done violating all the other genres they think they can handle.
 
The beginning of the end of my expectations starts with MODE OF GANGSTA, which kickstarts this thirteen track tour de force of all the ways to not juxtapose genres. Evoking feelings of a coked out futuristic dystopian cyberpunk electro-rave punctuated with gang vocals, it's about as good as DEATHGAZE's Japanese Meliorism. And by that, I mean it's cool for eight measures and then it needs to stop. But by this point, you've already ventured into the ectosphere and are being pulled towards the gravitational singularity that is this album whether you like it or not, and the only question you should have is why.
 
One of the few constants within this album is how any attempts to extinguish the flaming wreckage only makes things worse. Lead single DEAD END's intro may give you hope - as a formulaic Sadie rock number they're in familiar territory - but even here there are signs that things are going to go wrong fast. Not only do I feel like I've heard this song before - probably because I have - but the song feels like a disjointed collage of half-executed ideas that don't play well together. There's some sugar, some spice, a funky guitar line or two, a chorus with complex delivery, token heavy sections, and harsh vocals that feel like an after thought, thrown about to take up eight measures worth of time. There's some good and some bad, but it's the most consistent track on here.
 
Differences in opinion over the first two tracks can be summed up into "at least they're trying!" and "diversity!", so I can't knock this band for having no ideas. But at the end of the day, the inability to execute a vision even with a multitude of ideas is not a matter of opinion. It's a fatal shortcoming that births tracks like WELCOME TO THE UNDERGROUND, which is the most clumsy jazz-kei attempt of the last decade. It also marks the point where the album crosses the event horizon and there's no coming back. They keep up their cabaret pretenses for three minutes before sliding back into their trademark metalcore sound so they don't feel too out of their comfort zone, but the awkward focus on English lyrics and inappropriate guitar tuning betrays the band's intentions. The left-field metalcore section sports harsh vocals poor even by Mao's standards, and the aggression displayed near the end is at odds with the rhythm in the beginning. If they had held consistent, it would have been an amusing LIPHLICH imitation at best. Instead, this is a muddled mess.
 
But it's not just WELCOME TO THE UNDERGROUND that sounds like a spiked cocktail of ill-executed concepts. The second constant of GANGSTA is that Sadie doesn't know what it wants to play. A puree of shit banded together by interludes forms whenever Sadie tries to coax ideas into places they don't fit, and a majority of the album falls into this category. Whenever they stumble onto an idea that might work, they suddenly switch gears before it can get going. It would be more prudent to highlight all the songs that stay the course - wherever that course may be headed - from beginning to end. For that, I give props to Tokyo Gypsy, MESSAGE FROM HERE, and the piano outro PHRASE OF LIFE. I would never say any of these three tracks are "good". Singling one out as the best song is deceptive; it's like comparing a turd to twelve less smelly turds. What we have here are three tracks that didn't elevate my blood pressure, and thus I'll take the road less traveled and talk about the few positive aspects of this album.
 
Tokyo Gypsy is a slower rock song, which in the hands of a different band could have worked a lot better. It's the first song on the album that isn't a total disaster, but the band refuses to let it's hair down and get into the groove. This creates unneeded apprehension in the atmosphere. Nothing about this song screams "Listen to me again!", but the greasy back alley male strip club vibe I get from listening to it gives it a place of distinction in my mind. MESSAGE FROM HERE is a six minute ballad driven by a piano where only the rightmost five keys work. There's a feeling of the piano sitting on top of the music instead of integrating itself to it, and feels at odds with the prominent bass line. It deserves brownie points because it doesn't have a section of asinine songwriting to ruin the flow, but it doesn't captivate me either. It's far too long for what little ideas they're toying with, and could have been four minutes and delivered the same impact. The fact that it follows another ballad and leads into a piano outro means that while the album takes a sonic detour into consistency near the end, it's sinks into obscurity in a sea of similarity.
 
I won't mention much of PHRASE OF LIFE, except it's a nod to Kisou and STACKED RUBBISH - a disjointed album ending on a pleasant note.
 
Once the piano from PHRASE OF LIFE twinkles it's way to an understated ending, my hopes are crushed. I've listened to the entire album but I don't know what the purpose was. How can GANGSTA be justified as the product of hard work and musical creativity, when corners were cut and questionable choices were made at every turn? When the band wants to play metalcore, I'm bombarded with rave synth, embarrassing gang vocals, bars of absolute shit songwriting, demented gerbil sounds that are supposed to pass for harsh vocals all held together with derivative pop hooks so recycled the logo is visible. How can one rectify the disparate influences that pull tracks apart rather than brings them together? Take bleach as a four minute excursion into all the things wrong with this album. There's prominent DJ scratching, more bad gang vocals, random unexplored changes in riffage, and melodic metalcore over a house beat held up by Sadie's favorite musical crutches. None of these things go together either on paper or in practice, but the band insists that they do. I can't find any redeeming qualities in this album, and additional listens of GANGSTA reveal more flaws and no hidden gems. If there are any in the music, it's hidden deeper than it's worth to find them.
 
There's trying, trying too hard, and then having no idea what you're doing anymore. Sadie has always been a straightforward metalcore band. The contention with their sound in the last few years is that they're using the same formula to come up with their tracks and they need a way to distinguish them. Thinking outside the box, gathering all of these ideas, and then leaving them outside the box defeats the purpose of gathering those ideas in the first place! If these ideas can't be used, they should be discarded. Instead, the box is as empty as it was before, the ideas are neglected like a child whose mother doesn't love them, the presentation is messy, and it's left to the listener to puzzle out what the band's true intentions were.
 
I'd rather vomit on tinfoil and eat it than listen to this again.

I'm loving this really pointless arguments over genres on a review thread.
 
Gravitation is definitely a step forward for Girugamesh and their sound. Gravitation (song) was still reminding you of MONSTER a bit but all of the other songs just brought some raw intensity that hasn't been present in a Giru song in years! They're doing what Crossfaith should be building up on, whereas Crossfaith is starting to feel like they're crawling towards 2011 Girugamesh. Definitely digging this and i'm excited for some new releases.
 
That buildup to Vortex's breakdown>>>>>>>
 
Also, stop calling djent a genre. It's insurmountably ridiculous to use the purr a distorted palm mute on the bridge creates as the name for a genre.

Oh god, please don't tell me people actually use the term "djent" as a genre here.
 
This mini is going to be mindblowing for sure, I agree with Rekzer, this made MONSTER sound like GO. Definitely digging these songs, VORTEX and GO AHEAD having some form of Nokubura headbang feeling to it, Reflection being very fast-paced and slightly aggressive; every member has certainly improved drastically

Miyavi: "Just feel the moment~"
 
Yeah, i'm not feeling it, Miyavi. Maybe try with another release? You're the "Samurai guitarist" Not the "Samurai drowned out by every other sound in the song"

Oh god, please don't tell me people actually use the term "djent" as a genre here.
 
This mini is going to be mindblowing for sure, I agree with Rekzer, this made MONSTER sound like GO. Definitely digging these songs, VORTEX and GO AHEAD having some form of Nokubura headbang feeling to it, Reflection being very fast-paced and slightly aggressive; every member has certainly improved drastically

2 new albums in one year? Doubtful.
 
Like hiroki said, it's most likely for their 10th anniversary tours and such

*slight apathy turns into actual interest*
 
  
Regular Edition                                        Type B                                   Type A

*slight apathy turns into actual interest*
 
  
Regular Edition                                        Type B                                   Type A

THIS. I would love to see GazettE give us a mini nowadays.

*slow clap of slight apathy*

Hands Like Houses for sure!! Awesome band right there, very melodic. I enjoy playing their songs off their first album on guitar, especially A Clown and His Pipe
 
1. Akeldama- A Seed of Hope
2. The Contortionist- Flourish
3. Nocturnal Bloodlust- FATE
4. Vistlip- RETRO
5. A Lot Like Birds- Connector
6. TesseracT- Of Reality - Calabi-You
7. Dance Gavin Dance- Happiness
8. The GazettE- HEADACHE MAN
9. Sianvar- Your Tongue Ties
10. Galneryus- Bash Out!
 
OH MAN!! That shuffle was too good!! I can't decide! Akeldama is so atmospheric, with contrasting heavy vocals and high cleans and the riffs! The Contortionist is death metal at its finest, with the most epic melodic section ever that is glorious to play on guitar! A Lot Like Birds has the most beautiful intro buildup with some amazing drumming, plus so much energy and emotion in the song. TesseracT's Calabi-You is a hell of an instrumental song with a sax in it... THIS IS TOO MUCH! I'm sorry, I can't decide

Brings back an indie nostalgia 

Sorry, she was very anonymous as to who "their CDs" was and nowhere did I see something like, "According to them" so i misunderstood
 
I've always said. Mac is a girl's computer, iPhone is a white girl's phone, and iTunes is their mall. iTunes and almost everything apple has always been about reeling in that money and slapping that name brand everywhere, so you can count on iTunes to be the music store with songs that are overpriced beyond belief. An album on the Google Play Store usually costs about 2 dollars cheaper than itunes, sometimes even being only $4.99 because, unlike iTunes, they have common occurences of sales going on. I get that NB feels that since their stuff is on iTunes, piracy on their music should cease to exist, but that's a flawed mentality. Not every country has iTunes, and as Nyasagi is saying, some countries have it worse with the song prices than others. If masa honestly thinks that it's enough, he needs to rethink his approach on this.

Sorry, she was very anonymous as to who "their CDs" was and nowhere did I see something like, "According to them" so i misunderstood
 
I've always said. Mac is a girl's computer, iPhone is a white girl's phone, and iTunes is their mall. iTunes and almost everything apple has always been about reeling in that money and slapping that name brand everywhere, so you can count on iTunes to be the music store with songs that are overpriced beyond belief. An album on the Google Play Store usually costs about 2 dollars cheaper than itunes, sometimes even being only $4.99 because, unlike iTunes, they have common occurences of sales going on. I get that NB feels that since their stuff is on iTunes, piracy on their music should cease to exist, but that's a flawed mentality. Not every country has iTunes, and as Nyasagi is saying, some countries have it worse with the song prices than others. If masa honestly thinks that it's enough, he needs to rethink his approach on this.

I feel Misha Mansoor (Guitarist and founder of Periphery) has the right idea to towards piracy and people that pirate music:
 
"Just for the record, i am not going to waste my time saying that Piracy needs to stop, because it will be just that, a waste of time, it is what it is. 
With that said and established, i really don't think that it is too much to ask that IF you are going to pirate a band's album that you don't overtly rub the fact that you stole their music in their faces. 
Remember guys, merch nets bands more money, but cd sales determine their profile in the music industry, buying either helps ensure that the bands you love can afford to keep making the music that you love."
-Misha Mansoor

I feel Misha Mansoor (Guitarist and founder of Periphery) has the right idea to towards piracy and people that pirate music:
 
"Just for the record, i am not going to waste my time saying that Piracy needs to stop, because it will be just that, a waste of time, it is what it is. 
With that said and established, i really don't think that it is too much to ask that IF you are going to pirate a band's album that you don't overtly rub the fact that you stole their music in their faces. 
Remember guys, merch nets bands more money, but cd sales determine their profile in the music industry, buying either helps ensure that the bands you love can afford to keep making the music that you love."
-Misha Mansoor

the good news is he already has a wheelchair for those right subcapsular renal and that right iliac avulsion fracture xD

the good news is he already has a wheelchair for those right subcapsular renal and that right iliac avulsion fracture xD

the good news is he already has a wheelchair for those right subcapsular renal and that right iliac avulsion fracture xD

I have a feeling like the last 10 comments should be in the DIV artist topic and not on the news forum for a release.

I have a feeling like the last 10 comments should be in the DIV artist topic and not on the news forum for a release.

The new Animals as Leaders album is excellent! All dat jazz(metal & progressive & whatnot).
 

It seems I'm the only person which like their first albums and almost all "karma" tracks...