tetsu_sama69

/thread

Welp, Nobady saw that coming.
 
Frankly I'm not surprised. Nobady wants to be in this band after all.
 
...ok I'll stop ^^;

Artist: ア​ルルカン Album: 墓穴 Score: Okay paradoxal, you win. Finally.
I could understand if someone glanced at Arlequin, sighed, and thought to themselves "yet more standard pretty boy metalcore". Snazzy looking bands with laughable musical ability are a dime a dozen in this scene, and they all sound the same - like recycled shit sprinkled with preservatives so you won't mind the stench or notice that you've already heard that riff five times this week. It's also understandable that due to the massive waves of shit that lap on the shore constantly that Arlequin flew under your radar. They certainly flew under mine. So, as I girded my loins for part two of really bland metalcore that people adore for reasons I do not understand, I was caught off guard. Imagine my face, then imagine how it would have looked when the first track was a righteous kick in the ass.

At one point I may have even thanked VK Jesus, but don't put me on record as having ever said that.

What sets Arlequin apart from the countless other bands that play this exact type of music are that they're good at it. Or, good enough to impress me. Arlequin is the one in a thousand band that can take electronics and metalcore and construct music that doesn't make me deaf. The last visual kei band capable of that feat was D.I.D., and they've left a void in the scene that Arlequin is both ready to and capable of filling. It's not the Holy Grail of visual kei but it's better than anything I've heard this scene fart out in a while. That in itself is revolutionary. It's also sad that decent has become good and good has become great in this small, inbred scene but this is not the time to bemoan the gradual manufacturing of this type of music. All the other basement-kei no1curr aggressive metalcore bands in Japan that spend more money on make-up and wigs than guitar lessons should pull up a chair and take some notes.

Boketsu is three tracks featuring decently good production, impressive riffs from guitarists intimate with their instruments, and a vocalist who can both growl and sing. The last part alone is what really puts this band on my radar. He can clean up on the technique and watch the inhales before he ruins his voice, but the lack of modulation and the remarkable consistency he displays on all three tracks is great. He reminds me of a Kyouki who is more in control of his voice but he definitely has his own style. He's also charismatic enough to make the aggressive verse - poppy chorus formula work to their favor. There's also enough power and energy in the breakdowns to put them a notch above obligatory, although I can do without them all the time. There's amazing bass presence on both the part of the bassist and the drummer and even the electronics are placed thoughtfully and not slathered all over the place like special sauce on Big Macs. This is solid but not amazing and it's clear where there's room for improvement. As these members make more music together, I expect them to become an even tighter unit.

Arlequin did not overplay their hand here. Halfway through the first track, I had to toss my hat up to them. For a bunch of nobodies, they wrote some solid tunes here. This is confirmation that at least SOMEONE over in the land of the rising sun is playing more than brainless metalcore. Even in 2014, there's room in visual kei for stodgy old heads like me. I look forward to seeing this band move up through the ranks and become semi-influential.

That is, if they don't pull the whole disbandment shuffle before then.

I can dig this

These guys are pure ear candy.

Can't wait to hear the previews!

how many times has this happened now...??
 
jin or w/e his name is must be the biggest asshole in the world 

Can't wait to hear the previews!

"With 10 re-recorded old songs and 1 new song"

Thanks Trombe
 
That sounds awesome to me *-*
I can't wait to hear the full version !!

Can't wait to hear it

Can't wait to hear it

Very true but Born has always had titles like that, "Damnit!!!" is a good song too XD

LOL, Really? This isn't really that weird of a title... doesn't seem out of place for BORN, very different from Sadie's current situation (Which is TOTALLY ridiculous lol..)
 
 
Anyway, I still enjoyed The Stalin and this is me saying it out loud!
Looking forward to this!

New short PV.
Sounds great, I already have both bonus track types ordered.
I love that they have Scottish tartans very close to the clan I was accepted in!

lol bye
 
That pic is doing things to me.

The video is making fun of the tanuki girls, but they're just like "HAHAHA IS THIS A TANUKI SONG" and complaining about how much they suck, saying the vocalist should use his head to write good lyrics and his screams also sucks

Can't wait!

Okay just watched it a few more times.
Loving it first off.
The song is like a fusion of their first album sound, and Teddyloid-esque style.
Lyrics I really like, interesting way of putting things, and a cool summer feel.
As Takeru stated before I feel as if he is again trying to fuse American and Japanese style to create something interesting.
He uses many elements and creates a cool aesthetic, while I am unsure of the booty shots etc, it seems to come off more as a playful parody of some things. I think overall it is really cool, and nice to open up the range of VK and Japanese products beyond the current standard of what we see.
They kept the song simple, it is not as sonic or tonically deep as their recent stuff, but SuG has always been about doing different things, and I cant really see how people could think they have changed too much when comparing this to something like 小悪魔 Sparkling, which had many similar elements.
And in any case I always enjoy seeing some actual relations from boys and girls in a video as opposed to too much crying about love lost.
But most important.... It is so sick that they have BMX in the video! I love that, but that is a personal thing, ehehehe.

"nobady wants 2 sing 4 us ://////" - the rest of the members

excuse me,but are actually kidding me xD ? their latest releases were quite different thats true,but still incredibly awesome and to mention I have all their latest releases,gothica,black maria and JUDECCA,and shikibu will come at the end of april in my collection XD and its actually good to see that they try new things not likesome others who do always the same ****

Great covers. Even though their singles haven't caught my attention for a long time now their albums have still been pretty good. I'm looking forward to this one.

Maybe they're catching on that people can't afford to buy 24 different kinds of the same single every 6~8.5 weeks like they could 7 or 8 years ago.