Eraser

For some reason, I would like this band just once to release a ballad as their single...

+1, another SORROW would be awesome! (I think it's their best single since AWAKE)

At least the title and the cover are quite good.

Wow, so random!

I guess it means they won't release their next album this summer.

That was a bit disappointing, but still better than their self-titled (though I recently realised I like at least 3-4 songs from that album).

Sounds like a combination of M (STUCK MAN ripoff from SEVEN) and SUICIDE.

CHABOO-CHABOO sounds like a leftover from their s/t, but other than that, I really like everything so far!

Btw they've added some interviews to their YT channel. If it's not too much to ask, could someone who speak Japanese summarize in some words what they're talking about? I'd really like to watch these interviews, too bad there are no English subtitles.

Reading those positive comments at Last.fm, I was wondering what do you guys think about this single. I find it strange that I'm the one who starts this topic, to me it looks like people are not really care for Sadie these days - which is completely understandable, I must add. So here is my first review topic, apologies for any stupidity! 

斑-まだら-

After hearing the previews, I was thinking this will be a "retro" song, trying to bring back the early-2000's VK feeling (maybe it's the PV, I don't know, but this song is definitely not what I was expecting after METEOR). I liked it much better than the other preview, and now that the full songs are out, I indeed like it way more than the other A-side. However, it has the good old DIR EN GREY correspondence - especially the chorus, which sounds like audience KILLER LOOP met RINKAKU). But after so many years, I think nobody will be surprised by this.

雪月花

Here is the other A-side, as "safe" as it can be. It's like the remake of the remake of the remake of Kagerou or w/e, I can't keep up anymore. It's that typical Sadie song that everyone knows. If my above lines are not complete bullshit and they wanted to bring back some 00's VK with 斑-まだら-, I think the purpose of this song is to represent the "modern" and "trendy" Sadie. Anyway, I don't say I hate it, because it's still catchy as fuck (and probably that's why they still can release the same song over and over again), but I really hope they will stop with this nonsense and write more original (or at least different) songs next time.

face to face

After being a bit negative here, I can finally show some compliment to Sadie, because I really like this song. Even though it's a B-side and shouldn't be as strong as the others, I think it's easily the best song of the single. They've had written some really good closure tracks to their 3-songs singles (Break the silence, for example), and I think they managed to do this very well again. I'd say it's finally an original song, but since I don't know every VK track in the world, thus I can't be sure, I just say it's a really good song!

Summing it up, I think it was a relatively good single. Thank God for not adding annoyingly bad B-sides like SUICIDAL ROCK CITY and LOUD UP, GENERATION this time (geez, even the titles are annoying as fuck). My only concern is the similarity to other songs, which means every song is good, just not that original it should be. But apart from this, I kinda like this single, and I'm sure I'll listening to it a lot more in the future. Overall score: 

lynch. - BALLAD

Dir en grey - かすみ

Most of the albums I was looking forward this year already came out, just a few Japanese release left (new DIR EN GREY, lynch, MEJIBRAY, GazettE). The only non-japanese album I can think of is Alone Aboard the Ark by The Leisure Society.

But I guess I just don't know whether my favorite bands will release anything this year or not.

Katatonia - One Year from Now

Awesome news!

Eraser, do you have an image of just Deicida of Silence's cover art you can post? If not that's cool, just curious.

Sure, here it is:

Couldn't find a way to download it from their OHP, so I've just captured the whole page with print screen and edited out the rest. Hopefully someone can deliver a better version later.

<3 Metric, Nightmare and Alice Nine

01. ムック - ニルヴァーナ -Moonbug Remix-

02. Owl City - I'm Coming After You

03. Lady Gaga - Scheiße

04. Lady Gaga - Marry the Night

05. the GazettE - THE END

06. Michael Andrews - Manipulated Living

07. Explosions in the Sky - The Only Moment We Were Alone

08. Katatonia - Unfurl

09. Frank Ocean - Monks

10. Morrissey - You Know I Couldn't Last

that vocal melody kinda reminds me of DEG's DIABOLOS, just sayin'.

Well, now that you said that, I hear a lot of similarity too (it's strange I didn't notice it myself, 'cause DIABOLOS is one of my favorites from DSS).

Btw, I think most of you've noticed it by now, but the cover of their new EP is the second half of CUNNING KILLER's cover. This is how they look like together:

(Sorry for the different text colors, couldn't find a better quality of CUNNING KILLER.)

I don't really understand why did they use a mini-album AND a live limited(!) single for this though.

DEICIDA OF SILENCE PV preview:

I kinda like it so far.

Wow, didn't see it coming at all. I thought DIVISION was a one-time thing and they will return to the "3-4 singles before the full album" formula. I wonder if it'll be anything different from their last two albums.

I really like those lynch. songs, and somewhat enjoy Diary of Jane too since DEATHGAZE plagiarized it.

1. Duran Duran - Too Bad You're So Beautiful

2. Coldplay - Low

3. 12012 - FORTITUDE

4. Coldplay - Daylight

5. The xx - Fantasy

6. D'espairsRay - DEVILS' PARADE

7. PLASTICZOOMS - UNDER///BLACK

8. Versailles - 妖 ～ayakashi～

9. 12012 - KALEIDOSCOPE

10. Röyksopp - Miss It So Much

It wasn't an easy choice, but I must say I like this track as much as I hate the rest of the album (still feel a bit bad for not choosing The xx or Röyksopp instead).

1. D'espairsRay

2. Lynch.

3. Dir en Grey

4. Lycaon

4. MEJIBRAY

5. Shojo Lolita23Q

6. LIV'ERT

7. R-shitei

8. Nightmare

9. MERRY

10. Baiser

I've a feeling DOOR TO THE SKY will be the best song.

Unfortunately I don't know most of these, but the Smiths songs make the list instant awesome. Paint a Vulgar Picture is one of my favorite songs ever!

1. Owl City - The Saltwater Room

2. DEATHGAZE - SLEEP IN THE RAIN

3. Dir en grey - ZOMBOID　零式MIX

4. Katatonia - Ambitions

5. A - 水の楽章

6. Duran Duran - So Mislead

7. The Postal Service - Nothing Better

8. The Beatles - Money (That's What I Want)

9. Foals - Out of the Woods

10. Massive Attack - Inertia Creeps

Cover arts are available on their website: http://www.sadie-web.com/jp/discography.html

I don't see any reasons for them not to release an album each year.

They aren't mad famous so no nation-wide touring, their VK years are pretty much over, so there's no need to release 20 + singles in 3 types between each album, and  a 10 track album once in 12 months is not much since 3-4 of those already come from singles.

Gzeatte technically roll out more songs per year than any other band, yet I don't see anyone calling them out.

I think it's harder to release an album with 10-12 songs than a bunch of singles with 2 b-sides. Those 10-12 songs should work together very well to make it a good album, while the b-sides are mostly just random fillers (well, there are some exceptions, but a lot of bands do this).

And speaking of the Gazette, most people think their 2010-2012 stuff weren't so good either. I think they could write better songs too if they'd slow down a bit.

Btw I've enjoyed every lynch. album so far, which means I'll probably like this one too. I just think they could be even better with some extra time (the "new album every 2 years" formula was perfect for them before).

So they're officially the "Rihanna of J-Rock" now (like someone said it earlier). I don't think it's possible for any band to release great albums every year, so I personally don't expect anything more than their last one.

classy covers. not digging that glyphic something to the left of the title, tho.

That thing reminds me of D'espairsRay's logo from their MONSTERS-era. Good covers tho, except that copyright bullshit under the title.

A prefer the first song (the PV is quite interesting too). 雪月花 sounds like a 9999th version of forbidden/Dearest/whatever so far.