ghost
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Posts posted by ghost
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Screw's Duality.
It's surprisingly difficult to find at a decent price.
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http://sukekiyo-jp.tumblr.com/post/99417081539/mors-est-2-8cm
Live-track single.
Was a limited gift item for those who purchased a 2-day ticket at their Tokyo Garden show.
There will be another for one at the Osaka show.
This one has live recordings of:
-aftermath
-hidden one
-scars like velvet
Personally, not really interested. Live singles/albums just don't do it for me. It's not the same as being there and the studio recording is much better.
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@Jigsaw9: Yeah. I'm still...confused should I say? About the *you know what* scene (don't wanna ruin for anyone who hasn't seen it). Is that even possible?? Because I looked it up on google and apparently it's a thing.
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12012 - XII
12012 have been rolling with a new style since one of their guitarists left them before the release of their self-titled.
Overall, it's been a hit-and-miss with every new record since then, but the thing that remained constant in this transformation is that their music, regardless of whether or not it was bad or good, featured some very memorable content. I'm not too familiar with 12012's earlier years or even their mar maroon & Seven eras, but I will say that, within the context of these newer albums, I believe XI to be their best release yet. I will start out by saying that this album does not feature 12012's current heavy style (minus red).The album starts with vicious of absolution, which begins with an intro reminiscent of their last album The Swan. It quickly picks up into a slick guitar line and Wataru later joins in with a smooth and flowing melody. This pattern continues throughout the song until its short yet efficient ending. If I were to describe the track in two words it would be simple and eloquent.
story of a different dimension kicks things up a notch with heavier fast paced drums and features some tight and distorted guitar playing. Even with this upbeat change, the song features a melancholy string solo and, almost, Gothic choir sequence. The best thing about the track though is definitely the guitars: They're charismatic and also played in a variety of styles keeping things interesting.
The album finally gets more into the band's recent hardcore sound with the red. It's what you'd expect from a recent 12012 heavy song except that it's much cleaner in execution and Wataru's screams are done much better without delving into ridiculous loud shouting and vomit noise territory. There's even a short acoustic Spanish guitar break that's oh so sweet. It does begin to feel too long near the end with the song being just 3 seconds shy of 6 minutes. A lot of this, I feel, is contributed from a weak second melodic chorus. It gets especially sigh inducing the second time around when it transitions/becomes the climax of the song but just kinda stays the same. Still, this can be forgiven because of the catchy main guitar riff.
alone is a sweet upbeat ballad that's somewhat of a throwback to their mar maroon/Seven era (at least in terms of the more poppy nature of the song). I find the bridge and chorus to be one of the more catchy melodic lines they've thrown at us in a while and just can't get enough of it. One thing I never really noticed in other songs but did in this one is the deep and rich tone of Wataru's voice. I usually don't notice this because he sings so high but alone really makes his voice shine.
We now come to the final and longest song on the album, aqua. The first thing I'll say is that it's way too long. This song did not need to be over 9 minutes. Basically, it's the main chorus repeated again and again. The chorus is sung softly at first until the climax when everything is played at full force and then slowly fades out. I don't like the way the song fades out on this part because nothing is really happening in the music; it makes for a weak and unmemorable ending.
Couple of suggestions:
-If the song went into the climax after the piano break, I think it would've been much more tolerable.
-Take out the bass solo (too flat and adds too much time)
-Place the guitar solo at the end of the song to create a much more interesting fade out and keep the listener engaged.
I think its fine as the closer to the album, but these few qualities really take away from the impact the track could have had.
The songs individually are fairly strong, but I don't feel like that's where the strength of the album lies. Rather, I remember XII as a whole. I find it to be a fairly solid album from the start to finish having a smooth flow between songs, a uniform sound despite all songs being written by different members, and overall strong compositions. This is something their last few mini-albums lacked.
Yes, the album doesn't have that recent hardcore and intense 12012 sound, but I'll trade a softer more refined album for a messy execution of a style that doesn't really match with them. I feel like this is a stable balance between their heavy and poppy sides. The album is brighter than Decida of Silence and The Swan but still retains a serious dark tone. I'm glad they're going on hiatus so they can take a break and perhaps think about what direction to go next, but I definitely don't want them to disband. I hope that they'll return with a fresh new release that continues to build on this style.
[Kudos if you can guess where the skeleton image is from]
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Has anyone seen society?
I saw it once a few years ago and mostly just remember the visuals, but I remember it being pretty interesting.
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If you're referring to what I wrote, I never compared the music. I compared the consistency of each album. Seeing as Madrigal de Maria was their last album I felt it was appropriate to talk about it.I listened to it and it doesn't resemble anything close to MM music. people really should know what they're talking about before they post stupid shit like that.
Edit: Jk, didn't put 2 and 2 together.....they both (kind of) have MM abbreviations. How do you delete comments?
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I think it might be the intro SE that kind of sounds like Megaman.
Check out for yourself though, I found the album here (via Rezker):
http://www.4shared.com/rar/Czer-D3tce/GANGSTA.html
*edit
I think if that were the case my review would've been veeeeery different.
shizukasou reacted to this -
This is the worst release Sadie has ever put out.
It's inconsistent, repetitive, and unmemorable.
The first problem is that every track overstays its welcome. More than half the album is over 4 minutes, most going almost up to 5. While you might think that's actually a good thing, it isn't. There are plenty of tracks that would be fine if they ended about halfway through, especially the heavier ones, but they keep going and going repeating the same elements. It really drags the album down.
The inconsistency in this album is no secret. You've got tracks where M to the ao tries the rapping thing (2 only actually), a few that sound more like a poor rendition of a middle school jazz play soundtrack, one that tries to implement electronics and synth for that fun and poppy yet heavy sound, a heavy alternative song (that sounds somewhat like Yellow Card's "Lights and Sound"), an uplifting pop ballad, a "Spirited Away" instrumental piano track, and a majority of songs that feature Sadie's typical chug a chug who gives a shrug style.
I'm not even disappointed that the album doesn't incorporate any "gangsta" elements. I just at least expect a uniform sound throughout the album. The album is all over the place and has absolutely no idea what its identity is. I found "Madrigal de Maria" to be a poor album, but it still had a uniform sound between all the songs and you can tell they're all from the same album.
But not using the gangster elements is another thing. If you're going to call your album "Gangsta" and even have a few tracks where you try to implement things like rap, why are there only 2 tracks that you do this on? What is the point to all this? You take these 2 songs out and you're left with nothing that relates to the title. Either go full out or don't do it at all. Make a choice and stick with it.
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I found barely anything worth listening to on this natural born trash CD that is only good as orange rotted.
-Shoot the targets, hidden in your mind - there's a lovely melancholy guitar break 2:40-2:50. The actual break is longer than that but when Mao comes in his vocals ruin it.
-Gesshoku - It sounds like Mao says "I scream for you p***y". It's kinda (kinda) funny.
-I find Tokyo Gypsy to be the only song I can listen to (the last guitar melody actually kind of sounds like something off the GazettE's Disorder. Tokyo Shinjuu, Tokyo Gypsy. Coincidence?...maybe?)
All in all there's about 5:04 worth of stuff I would listen to on this album.
Sadie needs to stop releasing material for a while and really think about what to do with their music. I think this album proves that they have no idea.
Gangsta is a prolonged cluttered wreck that needs to be banned and cut off from all access to consumers.
In fact, someone needs to take every copy and
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The riff from "Hate me or Love me?" was kinda neat.
I just wish they did something more with that.
I know it's only a few songs, but I'm not enjoying the album.
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especially Volcano, which borrows a riff from a SOAD song
Suite-pee yeah?
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Screw manages to roll out another mediocre album.
Where there's potential, they take that and go their usual route, which makes for a less than thrilling ride.
It's only been about a month and CDJapan is already selling it for 10% off. That should tell you what to anticipate.
Nearly every song tries to be heavy or hardcore and they all begin to sound the same.
They try to incorporate different elements like jazz and electronic/dub-step, but they aren't very well executed and distract more than add to the experience.
Burst Forth, for example, is fast and intense mostly throughout but will have these short jazzy moments. But, they're too short and infrequent that it just seems out of place. Calvacade is another example where the electronic breakdowns don't have much to do with the rest of the song and in fact drag it down. These sections don't work because they're too distinct and sudden. I can understand changing the mood of a song but Screw's execution is choppy and awkward.
A quick note on Eternal Flame, I'm all for the use of auto tune but Byo uses it throughout the entire song and it gets old fast. Calvacade also featured some auto tune but it was only used in some parts and much better executed.
Also, evil passions sounds like the GazettE's my devil on the bed.
The voice department especially falls flat as Byou just can not deliver the right vocals to back up the songs. His vocals don't have any power behind them and he sings some of the most unforgettable melodies. Also, his use of filters to add an harsh edge is as unsuccessful as ever. Not to say he can't sing entirely because sometimes he does sing well.
I've been ripping apart this album head to toe but there are some nice moments.
- mellow is a refreshing upbeat ballad that's a throwback to older Screw and reminds me of tracks like Celestial Bliss and Dearest Wish. Byo does a fine job here too.
- The use of piano in Burst Forth, while very short, is beautiful. They should have pushed the piano instead of the jazzy parts.
- オブセッション is a pretty neat track that mixes traditional Japanese sounds with a heavy vk style.
- Helter Skelter has a decent chorus and breakdown.
- 絶望の讃美歌's back up vocals in the chorus slightly remind me of BABY STAR.
Overall, It's a weak album.
There's not much variety and when the variety happens it's usually sloppy and unfitting.With tracks like mellow, though, a little bit of hope is restored and I'm now in a place
where I look forward to their next release.....But not that much.
Final Opinion
3/10*edit 5/10
(some of the album really stuck with me even after about a week. I admit the album has more staying power than I initially gave it credit for. I still say.....)
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I always thought they just transitioned from a studio version of g.d.s. into the live version of shokubeni. But good point, I'm not entirely sure.
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My gosh.
When Kaoru's hair was a decent length.
Cool, thanks for sharing. (Man I miss old Obscure live)
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Goooot it ?.
Don't think I ever heard it.
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Do you mean the one they used for shows like Code of Vulgar[ism]?
If so, they did release a studio version of that on their "saku" single.
It's called "G.D.S."
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That is a nice intro.
For anyone who hasn't heard.
I could only find a short live clip from their US tour last year.
WARNING - screaming starts at 0:35
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*new album hype*
so no intro and longer tracks this time. makes me think of Kisou somehow.
Who knows, maybe they'll pull a Sukekiyo and put the intro as the second track. I still think it sounds weird.
Even though I know you're referring to just the track list, more Kisou would be
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Alsoooooo:
The Special Limited Version comes in a gorgeous 3-disc package, including the album tracks on a high fidelity 「Blu-spec CD2」, a 7-track bonus CD including a new instrumental track, remixes of single tracks “SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH” and “Unraveling” and unplugged/symphonic versions of their new tracks. The 3rd disc included will be a Blu-ray/DVD of a special studio live recording shot in one-take and Live footage from the TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?- concert that took place in August 2014.
Initial Limited Version is consist of 2 discs, including a 3-track bonus CD with a remix of “SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH” and unplugged/symphonic versions of their new tracks.
Special limited edition
DISC 2 : CD
It includes a new instrumental track ‘and Zero’ and ‘tefu tefu’ and remixes of single tracks “SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH” and “Unraveling” and unplugged/symphonic versions of their new tracks.DISC 3 : Blu-ray or DVD
It includes new tracks ‘Un deux’ and ‘Chain repulsion’ as special studio live recording shot in one-take, Live footage from the TOUR14 PSYCHONNECT -mode of “GAUZE”?- concert that took place in August 2014 and “ARCHE” original footage contents.Initial limited edition
DISC 2 : CD
It includes a remixe of single tracks “SUSTAIN THE UNTRUTH” and unplugged/symphonic versions of their new tracks.From OHP
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Macabre and Uroboros are high on my list. I can't really choose 1, but right now in this moment it feels right to say Macabre.
It's the era I remember most through their concerts and music videos. They put on a lot of cool lives during this time. I think this was still when Kyo would throw eggs at the fans during lives and spit out fake vomit and weird white goop. Strange bloke he was.
This was also around the time ain't afraid to die was released (which is my favorite song and music video of all time in all of the music in the world).
Also, BDSM Die
I won't deny that Uroboros is the stronger album though. Macabre had some awesome songs, but some parts of the album would draaag.
They're also the first 2 Dir en Grey albums I ever bought. Heck, the first 2 Jrock CDs I ever bought.
(Although Uwajimaya rips you off like no other. 50$ for Macabre, what was I thinking (I wasn't)).
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And are trying to snatch a share of kyo's weave
I'd be inclined to agree more if these samples sounded more like Sukekiyo but I agree with Hellion, it sounds more like they're incorporating their previous style.
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Really diggin alone.
But man do these guys ever stay consistent? If someone ever asked me about 12012 I'd have to consider 3 different eras.
I liked the direction they were going with decida and the swan and so was hoping this would be a refined continuation of the two.
Saaaad face.
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Anyway, just rambling here, but I see Sadie is in the same boat as BORN, where it is cool to make fun of them, and that makes everyone follow them over other bands. I expect this to continue for a while, just like MuCC's following, where they changed their approach to.music years and years ago but people still post in every thread about how they used to be better, yet these people still follow every single release regardless.
I think it's more so that we know what these bands are capable of yet they continue to take on new directions that deviate from their original sound, so much so that it's distracting. Us following them is perhaps a hope that the band will go back to the sound that their old fans originally fell in love with. It's what happens when a band changes their sound: You lose old fans, you make some new ones. New fans like their new sound, but the old fans don't.
At the same time, fans (in general) don't want the hear the same material over and over again. That's why bands do something new. But, the band has to know how to expand their sound from the root, not just try a new style. That way they're not just doing something new, they're doing something new with their established style, what originally made them unique or stand out. By choosing a brand new style they alienate their old fan base and on the flip side, if they ever want to do something they used to do, they alienate their new fanbase. Keeping this balance is difficult, but that's one of the challenges of growing as a band.
In regards to the preview, I don't think it's anything to write home about. But I find it so much more preferable to [bleach].
Given the title the covers seem like an odd choice too.
But, only time will tell whether or not the album will come together.
*I just gave [bleach] a listen and it has more to do with GANGSTA than does [Dead End] (so far).
Who knows, the rest of the album might be this.
12012 - XII
in Reviews
Posted
I'm all for not bashing, but with your comment on people who didn't like aqua, aren't you kind of being a hypocrite?
Also, how do you know how someone formed their opinion? Besides, all the reviewers here explained why they didn't like a certain aspect of the album. I might have phrased it differently, but I wouldn't say that's automatically labeling something as bad.
I personally didn't enjoy aqua as much because I felt it was too repetitive and could have been cleaned up a bit. It was disappointing for me because it had the potential to be even greater.
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