Have been waiting for this album since I read the live reports that included 3 untitled tracks.It's my first review and these are my impressions after hearing the album for the first time. Let's get on to it:
1- XiSS: OK, this isn't a bad opening track at all. It builds the tension for the 2nd track really well, it keeps you aware and on the edge. However, isn't as touching as the works of mr. Kamiyama in "The Price of Being a Rose is Loneliness". Also, we have a short 10 track CD with a opening song! That's just bad. 7/10
2- My Bloody Burroughs Poem: This opening track is a very weird choice. It doesn't explode and gives the fullfilling feel of "Dummy Blue'' or feels natural like "Kagemai" or "Deracine". It's slow and its chorus doesn't stand out, which would be alright if we didn't already have XiSS. 7/10
3- Cavallaro: Awesome! It's downright post 2000s D'ERLANGER, and a strong 3rd track. I feel like they put extra work in the keyboard side of the song, which adds to its catchiness. 9/10
4- Beast in Me: This song got better the more I listened to it since the leaking from the Akasaka Blitz live. It has the weight the PV version didn't have, is strong and is the song to advertise the album. 9/10
5- My Lips to Overlip your Lips: Don't get me wrong, this song totally kicks ass, and is one of the best from this album. However, compared to its live version from the Deep Inside of You DVD, the songs doesn't feel as heavy and the chorus are too slow to have the proper impact. It follows the rule made by the LA VIE EN ROSE AND BASILISK, whose songs sound way better during the lives. 8/10
6- Candy in the Shape of you: Starts really smoothly, builds well during the bridge and has a very interesting chorus. Sometimes I had the impression the song has two chorus, one after the other. 8/10
7- Crimson Crow: WORST SONG OF THE ALBUM! It feels like a transition song, with a lot of good drums work, but it gest to the 1 minute mark and you ask yourself: "WTF?". After Kyo begins singing, I started to wonder where the song was going, and then came the chorus: it was weird! It'd be alright, IN A BUCK-TICK album, or in a more introspective VK band album, but in a D'ERLANGER album? Not a bad song, but in strange lands,nevertheless. 6/10
8-Dance Naked, Under the Moonlight: BEST SONG OF THE ALBUM! It feels a lot like TABOO, but less orchestrated and more intense. From the previews, it was the song I was most looking foward. 10/10
9-Is this Love: A song fit for the LAZZARO or D'ERLANGER albums, punkish song with a dancing chorus. Good song, but nothing outstanding. 8/10
10- The end of eden: This song is the most surprising song from the album. It sounds like Blanc cheres Douleur in its structure, as it repeats itself in a cycle in a similar way, and endsthe album in very high spirits. However, it is does sound like an unwanted farewell. 10/10
To sum it up, I'm a little bit disappointed, as I have been waiting for this album for a long time. It's just too short for a 4 years wait. The tracklist is very good, but I was not enough to get me satisfied. I'd be way more happy if we had re-recordings of demo songs like TONIGHT or JAIL TOWN. A barely 40 minutes CD after ones that lasted over an hour is just not the way to go. However, if they from now on release new albums like this, annually, it'll be awesome.
8/10.
