ghost

Charisma.com
 

 
 

 
I can't believe there wasn't an artist thread for these two flawless ladies yet. I personally feel like they're one of the strongest artists in J-pop at the moment and DIStopping is most probably the best pop album I've heard all year. Any more of you who enjoy them?

Eyyyyy.

Charisma.com
-iinazuke blue/Super Girl (HMV limited 7" lp single)
-ai ai syndrome
BTW, first order from HMV, everything went swelllll

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.....)
 
 

Will the handler of crocks do?
 

Sphire-Croid! This...
 

 
from under the CD tray is some of my favorite VK engrish.

FANGASM IS OUT THE ROOF
 

 
But I also got these
 

BTW, I heard they got this cat that looks like Saku-Kyo to do the vocals at 2:50 in funingen.
 

Hah, true. I was so focused on his chin. Overall, he does like fine.
Okayyyy enough about chin fats.
 
What are everyone's favorite tracks from sukekiyo so far? Let's say Top 10.
Mine are (in no order):
 
1. elisabeth addict
2. aftermath
3. vandal
4. kugui
5. funingen
6. in all weathers
7. Leather Field
8. Foster Mother
9. Maniera
10. Focus
 
*I would have put down "dunes" as well, but I have some weird attachment to funingen. I do admit that dunes is a stronger track. But...it just doesn't have Nyan-Kyo.

Been a while since I've done a drawing.
I've gotten a little better at shading after watching some youtube videos.
 
 
Just relax - 2015.01.28

 
 

Monochrome Heaven's Top 25 Tracks of 2014

Presenting The Top 25 Tracks of 2014 as voted by our Official Reviewers and staff members. Any Japanese song released in 2014 was eligible, although our primary focus was on J-rock.

25.
TAMTAM - "シューゲイズ"

24.

宇宙コンビニ (uchu conbini) - ­ 光の加減で話した (Hikari no Kagen de Hanashita)

23.

シナリオアート (Scenarioart) ­- "アオイコドク" (Aoi Kodoku)

22.

DIR EN GREY -­ "懐春 (kaishun)"

21.

LLLL -­ "Oddness"

20.

BACK­-ON -­ "セルリアン (cerulean)"

19.

101A ­- "Forbidden Sky"

18.

DIV ­- "漂流彼女 (hyouryuu kanojo)"

17.

PLASTICZOOMS ­- "Sleepwalker"

16.

ねごと (NEGOTO) -­ "黄昏のラプソディ (tasogare no rhapsody)"

15.

sow ­- "to growth, for growth"

14.

TK from 凛として時雨 (ling tosite sigure) -­ "unravel"

13.

DIR EN GREY -­ "輪郭 (rinkaku)"

12.

tayuta ­- "夢見た 蒼 (yumemita ao)"

11.

八十八ヶ所巡礼 (88kasyo junrei) -­ "攻撃的国民的音楽 (kougeki teki kokumin teki ongaku)"

10.

Mono -­ "Recoil, Ignite"

9.

和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band) -­ "千本桜 (Senbonzakura)"

8.

DIR EN GREY ­- "phenomenon"

7.

la la larks -­ "end of refrain"

6.

黒百合と影 (Kuroyuri to Kage) - "「浴槽」 (yokusou)"

5.

アルルカン (arlequin) ­- "墓穴 (hakaana)"

4.

mothercoat - "trickster"

3.

Boris -­ "雨 (ame)"

2.

THE NOVEMBERS -­ "Rhapsody in beauty"

1.

sukekiyo ­- "Aftermath"

I don't think this list was meant to be the be-all-end-all list of THE BEST songs, but more of a collection of songs that the review staff really liked. To shed some light on the process of how we got to this point, all organized by everyone's favorite feline: everyone had to come up with a list of 15 songs from this year. From there, the participants were asked to listen to all of them and pick at least 2 from every list up until we all had a total of 25 songs. You could not vote for songs you picked unless someone else also selected that track and you were also not allowed to pick songs from the same artist twice (trust me, there were at least 5 different options from Arche present).
 
From there, the end list was compiled by how many times each song was voted on by the number of people who placed it in their list of 25. The results were as shown above-- a little bit from everyone's list, sometimes reflecting their personalities and tastes, and sometimes not just because of how the votes resolved (i.e.: was not expecting that Uchuu song to be selected from my list, but here we are!).
 
Worry not: we definitely know there are plenty of other fantastic songs from 2014 and I don't think any one person agreed with this list wholeheartedly, but this was the result of the most democratic solution amongst 9 people on a super subjective topic Thank you for the feed back!

Great review Jigsaw!
I like that you kept it short and too the point but still elaborated where needed.
I think "foster mother", "leather field", and "focus" are my favorite tracks so far.
Not gonna lie, 雨上がりの優詩 to me sounds like a sukekiyo interpretation of Dir en Grey's "Dozing Green". Not really, but kinda haha.
 
I also agree that Vitium as a whole is a stronger release. I can never finish Immortalis in one sitting.
I'm curious what people's opinions might be if Vitium was released first and then Immortalis.

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.

Totally seconding your views there jig - neat review
 
Btw, I apologize beforehand for misinterpreting band's words about composer roles - they had a talk session @ Tokyo Kinema Club @7/2 where they revealed a few tidbits about behind-the-scenes stuff in Vitium and whatnot (thx to the blog owner for visiting that one, heh):
 
Source: http://ameblo.jp/nmnl-tgdeg/entry-11987120044.html
 
ps. I tried to interpret the trivia parts mentioned in my link, so feel free to correct me...
 
Leather Fields:  Yuchi
- Yuchi wanted to define his "groove" here (?)
 
Dunes:  UTA
- Mika thought the drumline here was very "touching" (lol?)
 
Dot: SE
- Takumi played this briefly in some Ameagari no Yuushi tour gigs...
 
Foster Mother: Yuchi
- Yuchi wrote this right away after their Kyoto live (?) and let Takumi do his twists afterwards
 
Ameagari no Yuushi: Takumi
- Demo was very folky, a la Elisabeth Addict pt. 2 (this detail was taken from their barks interview btw), and they came up with the final arrangement (a.k.a Vitium ver.) before their Germany live
 
Maniera: Yuchi
- Yuchi also played guitar in this one (?)
 
Hakuro: SE/Takumi
- this is apparently a " short (re)mix" of sukekiyo's EU/JP tour impro sessions
 
Celeste: Kyo + Takumi
- the result of Kyo being inspired by some movie (which they don't mention for some reason) and Takumi + Kyo's wild brainstorming
 
Focus: Uta (Takumi credited himself for arranging on barks.jp though)
- Mika uses djembe here
 
 
+ the whole band was very thrilled about having Toshi to collab in Ameagari and apparently Kyo is fanboying the actor in Focus collab (and he invited Mikami personally to do cameo in Vitium, hmmm)
 
 
I am rather surprised how Yuchi-heavy this record really is, haha.

Artist: sukekiyo Album: VITIUM Score: The essence of sukekiyo, molded into perfection. sukekiyo has managed to slowly convert me from being a mildly disinterested bystander to a casual listener who's always on the lookout whenever something new pops up concerning the band. Their first full-length IMMORTALIS proved to be a slow-burning behemoth of many faces (and facets), and their latest offering VITIUM isn't too far off from that impression either. Kyo and co. don't seem to be in a hurry, as evidenced by the size of this new 'mini' album which is still longer than most bands' albums. Throughout these 37 minutes, they present their compositions in typical sukekiyo fashion: sprawling, mysterious, unpredictable. This time around, however, it seems they were able to craft a more unified sound for themselves (as if they weren't already unique enough), with a concentrated approach to boot. Each song sounds more coherent in and of itself, while still retaining the "expect the unexpected" avant-garde quality they've come to be known for.
VITIUM starts off powerfully and majestically with "leather field" – a dark flower blooming and branching out in sukekiyo's aural grotto. Hints of manic aggression and weirdness also rear their heads, prefiguring what's to come in the second track "dunes." This song introduces a demented vibe with its jittery guitars and drums, the band's interpretation of violent jazz-metal. Surprisingly, we are treated to an interlude next ("dot") that doesn't do much in itself but it serves as a fitting ambient intro to the following "foster mother." Kyo's deep croons drift onto a hypnotic beat complemented by beautiful guitar flourishes and keyboards that evoke an ambiguous atmosphere, on the edge of tranquility and uneasiness. One of the standout tracks for sure!
As VITIUM's centerpiece, "雨上がりの優詩 (Ameagari no yuushi)" pales in comparison to "foster mother," although it is a decent slower number complete with some fantastic textures and a soothing, airy outro. The atmosphere continues through "maniera," but it quickly turns into a quirky explosion of psychedelic metal tinged with calmer acoustic noodling. If DIR EN GREY drove out to the desert high on mescaline, this is what they would jam out. If "maniera" was the hallucinatory freak-out, the second interlude "白露 (Hakuro)" serves as a soundtrack to expulsion – not as fun but still necessary. All the more so, it heightens the magnificence of the follow-up, "celeste." Switching between tumbling piano sludge and schizophrenic episodes, it's a strong indicator of what sukekiyo is capable of. Naturally, after all of this there's no other way to go but softer, as "focus" closes the record with ethereal floaty melodies... or so it seems until the flamenco bit kicks in, segueing into one last creepy look into the abyss.
As you can tell, this mini album is quite a trip from start to finish. Whereas IMMORTALIS seemed overly long and drawn-out at times, VITIUM manages to capture the band's perfected essence, more powerful and twisted than ever. It is clear that sukekiyo has finally found its own voice. Let's just hope we'll get to hear that voice more in the future as well!

This was drawn by someone I have never met or talked to before...not sure how to feel...lmao 

Artist: Jupiter Album: THE HISTORY OF GENESIS Score: The Birth of Venus. The Death of Creativity.
Visual Kei is a world of its own; a patchwork scene that mixes and matches various established genres and reinterprets them under its own musical and aesthetic niches. The peculiarities found within the scene - which can range from vocal style, visuals, songwriting, marketing ploys, to general band ethics - are usually recognizable, but also fleeting at best. When you add in the fact that any given Visual Kei band can have an entirely different set of musical influences, this renders comparison to the "source" of those influences a fruitless task outside of music historicism. Visual Kei is best appreciated from within, with some kind of inside narrative. Something that explains how Visual Kei operates or the rationale behind a band's artistic choices. However, sometimes you'll come across a band that defies a narrative - for better or worse. Jupiter is one such band.
On their sophomore effort "THE HISTORY OF GENESIS", it's painfully apparent that they fall in between the cracks of being a successful metal band with Visual Kei aesthetics and a Visual Kei band that has effectively appropriated metal into their repertoire. Instead, they sound like a lukewarm imitation of both - neither delivering from a metal standpoint, nor fully embracing the artistic nooks of Visual Kei. Some of the most "thrashing" moments of the album, like opener "The Birth of Venus", single track "LAST MOMENT" and "ARCADIA", are marred by hackneyed power-metal songwriting and technical, yet emotionless instrumentation that fails to engage. It's as if guitarists HIZAKI and TERU are literally riffing in one ear and out the other. Even the harder hitting songs like "Darkness" and "絶望ラビリンス" lack punch and wouldn't warrant headbanging, much less a simple head nod.
But beyond the lackluster songwriting and sterile musicianship, THE HISTORY OF GENESIS suffers from a host of other issues, one of which is ZIN - Jupiter's vocalist. As a metal vocalist --power-metal in particular-- ZIN doesn't cut it. He lacks the soaring, dynamic range and the theatrical bravado necessary to be compelling. His harsher vocal attempts, as heard in tracks "SACRED ALTAR" and "Darkness", are weak and struggle to be heard amidst all of the drab riffage. Even by Visual Kei standards, ZIN's vocals are thoroughly uncharacteristic. There are no tortured quirks or endearing imperfections to add charm to his performance. So while ZIN isn't a remarkably good vocalist or an offensively bad one, he still occupies an awkward musical territory - one that simultaneously falls short of the expectations of metal and the appeal of Visual Kei.
The final nail in this album's coffin was hammered in by its wearisome length and seemingly asinine arrangement. Of course, metal albums are usually protracted affairs, but with 14 tracks and a duration 10 minutes shy of your average feature-film, there just isn't enough quality material here to justify sitting through it. Omitting a few tracks or trimming some of the fat would have done some good. Running at nearly 8 minutes, title track "The History of Genesis" is a progressive behemoth that feels like more of a chore than an immersive epic. Even with the track being placed near the end (it's the last track on the limited edition), it just feels like a tired recap of the entire album, as opposed to an actual climax. Instrumental guitar ballad "Church Candle", as dull as it is, would have served more effectively as an intro or an outro. Instead it's slapped right in the middle of the album and adds no sense of progression or logical flow. "Shining" is another unfortunate curveball in which Jupiter delves into an oshare kei-esque pop-punk number. Normally, a band's attempt to diversify their sound would be laudable, but in the the context of the album it comes off as half-baked filler.
Though for all of its weaknesses, THE HISTORY OF GENESIS isn't without some merit. One of the band's strongest showings was, ironically, the only song composed by ZIN - "Red Carnation". This track revels in everything Jupiter tried but failed to accomplish with the rest of the album. All of the symphonic and neo-classical elements are kicked into high gear, and ZIN even duets with a female vocalist, giving their music a much needed spark. "THE MOON", however, is the album's most standout track. It's a groovy, mid-tempo ballad where HIZAKI and TERU put the power chords and the chugging on hold to embrace smoother guitar tones. There's even an unexpected, but extremely welcome jazz breakdown. Unlike "Shining", this is an instance in which Jupiter tried something new without deviating from the tone of album or abandoning their core sound.
It's obvious that Jupiter has all of the tools to impress; they're just misusing them 80% of the time. If HIZAKI loosened his compositional stranglehold and allowed more new ideas to flow in and if ZIN were a bit more convincing, then Jupiter could become a force to be reckoned with. But as THE HISTORY OF GENESIS has shown, Jupiter is stuck in an uninspired artistic limbo devoid of a narrative. Whether your musical inclinations lie with metal or Visual Kei, this album is sure to leave you entirely apathetic.

like a boss

Here's me doing my best Paradoxal cosplay :v
 

The worse they could do is have the band play over a green screen with the lyric video imposed as the background.

Been a while since I've done a drawing.
I've gotten a little better at shading after watching some youtube videos.
 
 
Just relax - 2015.01.28

 
 

I put Agato up because, as noodle has pointed out, it's his vibrato. It can be pretty overused and exaggerated, don't you think? Obviously we all have our preferences, and as I said above, most of my favs are ones mentioned in the 'bad' section lol. I see no problem in any of these guys, I just think others might so that's my contribution. I love the band and his voice because of this anyway, it's different but it can surely be called bad by others. It's a good and bad one for me personally, haha.
And good gravy, noodle, ESIE is epic! x'D

The Worst
ミサルカ (Misaruka) - Rosary
This song was made for this thread. As if watching what's-his-face's over-acting (yes, even for VK) weren't enough, the vocals on this new track are even worse: so confusingly terrible. Here's a summary of some of the most egregious parts:
-Pathetic growl that goes on for waaaaaay too long
-"Having a seizure" vocals at :54
-Forced deep vocals at 1:02
-Awful VK vibrato at 1:50
-The sneeze (??) at 3:10

The fact that the production simply plops the vocals on top of everything just makes it worse.