doombox

Yohio and that raptor pose. lol. They look cool, though. And I think I have the same leggings as mustache dude.

Their shows look pretty high energy from the audience's side. XD I love that they get down in the crowd, that's pretty awesome.

October is going to be nuts. I love it.

Excited for this too!

Yay it's back up!

Artist: ARTEMA Album: ARTEMATE PARTY 1. Fighting Dreamer 2. Starting Over 3. Trade Off 4. TAKE ME OUT 5. FLY HIGH 6. INFINITE PARTY 7. ROLL OUT 8. To The New World 9. Stronger 10. 5:00AM 11. ONE -Let It Die- Rating: | They don't party like they used to. So far, ARTEMA have been doing a good job of retaining their pre-major label electronicore leanings mixed with melodic pop. Their debut album proved they could tone things down without losing their unique sound, and their second showed us they weren't afraid to go even heavier while they mixed it up with the big boys. I had every expectation ARTEMATE PARTY would follow a similar route and continue to build off of ARTEMA's staple "Kiracore" style. As it turns out, I was wrong about that. ARTEMATE PARTY brings us back, possibly with even more pop arrangements, to their self-titled release territory. This one offers a more mature sound, but it also feels more reserved at the same time. The problem here is that they took away aspects of themselves that stood out from the plethora of radio ready electronic rock that is overrunning the airwaves right now. It has them blending too much into their competition. And as an added side effect, it also made their new songs sound way too much like each other. "Fighting Dreamer" is an opener that's pretty typical for ARTEMA's major singles. Like the ones before it, it stays in the electronic rock field with a breakdown thrown in for added spice. The breakdown itself isn't all that neck-breaking or original, and it's awkwardly cleaved against the following guitar solo. This also keeps everything fairly tame. But the video is fun, and you do get the general idea of what ARTEMA are about. In the past, a single like this would be the lightest and most straightforward song on the album. That is not the case here. The painfully repetitious "Starting Over" along with blatant Fear, in Loathing in Las Vegas worship in "ROLL OUT" stay fairly mellow as well. I single these songs out because in the context of the album they begin to sound like unnecessary filler. One of the other issues is that they expose the melodic limitations of vocalist, Meg. He's a wonderful screamer, but his singing range is limited, and the more melodic ARTEMA become, the more he relies on extremely similar vocal arrangements. This cluster of tracks are a glaring representation of this. As well as the closing track, "ONE -Let It Die-" which is especially unmemorable, so much that it takes away from the entire album due to its placement. But don't get me wrong, ARTEMATE PARTY is not all bad, it just takes a little time to get the party officially started. "Trade Off" and "TAKE ME OUT" in succession do have a good energy about them with fun atmosphere. They also set up "FLY HIGH" to come in and finally work a nice blend of what's popular with what ARTEMA know how to do well. The catchy vocal melody is great for singing along, and it works in harmony with the punchy drum beat to get people jumping. This song is perfect to tear up a live house. "INFINITE PARTY" builds right off of that sentiment as it fuses some legit house music into electrocore and results in one of the first "big drop"/hardcore breakdowns I've ever heard out of the Japanese scene. The rest of the track may not be anything new, but the breakdown alone is worth giving it a spin. Not only did the band push a harder techno vibe with some of the songs, they even tread into nu-metal territory with "Stronger" incorporating a rap-style vocal delivery. The record as a whole has a much more modern pop feel than previous works. ARTEMA are coming to a crossroads and trying to work on expanding their arsenal of genres, but the direction of ARTEMATE PARTY suffers from being a bit lost in the process. Even with all the filler, the band doesn't sound as if they are losing any of their fighting spirit just yet. Though this might have been much stronger as an EP with leftover b-side material, in the end. I worry many old school fans won't have a strong reaction to this album, as they may be holding a candle for their heavier side much like I do. However, a few of the tunes have "grower" potential, so it's definitely an album they should give an honest chance. Support the band! ARTEMATE PARTY on CDJapan ARTEMATE PARTY on HMV ARTEMATE PARTY on YesAsia

Excited, but wish there were more new songs. XD

Yay! I always like these guys.

Preview~ Sounds pretty nice, actually.

Ah thanks. ^////^ And omg maybe! I was on LJ for a long time as cure4thecommon. But I did have a few different names over time. Do you mind me asking what your username was?

I did a Sho Asakawa ~inspired~ hairstyle for a while last year. I also had a neon pink hair that was just inspired by visual style in general, no one specific. (This picture is super old so sorry it's small lol)

Oh Jessica's going to have cameos? Thats cool. Lily Rabe is really good. Is she coming back this season? It'd be nice if they gave her more than 1 episode this time.

I was seeing Mizuki as Uruha and Tsurugi as Kai/Shinya too, but your version works just as well. lol

They look cute. That bi-color mohawk reminds me of old Alice Nine.

I agree. It's going to be hard to hold an audience when most of the audience was built around Jessica. The cast for this season feels huge trying to make up for her.

It's like Dir en grey and Gazette had a baby. XD Still looks nice, though.

I was not expect that EEYYAAAAAAAA!!! after reading "SuG roadie" hahaha. Not bad. I'll check for these guys.

Oh yes, I approve.

I'm not sure I'm sold on the music yet, but hearing Masakazu's voice. <3

Demons? XD They must have a very interesting life to know that! lol. Thank you. I hope I meet people here to share my interests one day too, but at least I have my online friends. Thank goodness for MH! Oh no, showing visual kei pvs to people who have never seen them before. That is an unforgettable experience! haha

Welcome (officially?) to MH! I sometimes don't like sharing my favorite bands with people who aren't into Japanese music. So I can relate a little bit. Mostly, I just hate when people have knee-jerk reactions and make fun of the bands when they have never even heard their music yet. But people where I live are not very open-minded. Unsraw used to be a favorite of mine too! Nice choice.