hariwenjiyu

I get the feeling that the music industry in Japan is really strapped for cash. There is marketing, etc that is geared towards exploiting the obsessive tendency of VK fans more that ever. Focusing on the looks or name cred.

1) Old bands reuniting; starting activities again
2) Revival lives for almost any band you can think of are increasing, even if it is just for 1 day
3) Superbands forming that will have a guaranteed fan base (more, KEEL, Femme Fatale, etc.)
4) Bands selling out hard (why MEJIBRAY…)
5) PSCompany (I am glad A9 got out of there)

There is too much saturation without enough quality. There is not that "indie" feel anymore. The economy and decline of working conditions have lead to some fairly oppressive management on the labels behalf.

A lot of people who have followed VK since the 90s have seen the scene evolve. I think it is evolving again right now, but the state of the entertainment industry as a whole is stiffing creativity (the anime sector is another good example).

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.

I completely agree. The lack of interesting approaches is just causing burnouts to the genre, seeing that it shoudln't be tied to a genre in music (which it isn't, usually).
But the repetition kills the excitement. Japan's labels are horrible, especially in terms of VK.
One of my friends living in Japan met MUCC two years ago, and they were unhappy and lacked funds to sustain themselves. This is sad, and this needs to stop. It's sad to see them squeeze out creativity for the heck of it, while being exploited. No wonder critics don't enjoy their music anymore.

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.
Last year, I spent amonth or so searching for those "diamond in the rough" VK bands and found a few. My tastes may very from yours, but I share the same sentiments about finding more unique and creative bands.
 
(I am going to steal Lestalt's formatting, hope that's okay)
 
● アルルカン - They are a self-proclaimed “新世代名古屋系” band that are trying to bring back an updated version of Nagoya-kei.
● DADAROMA - Heavy and inventive band from Yoshiatsu (ex- Crazy Shampoo).
● DIMDIVISION - If you like 9 GOATS and the like, you might want to check them out.
● DIV - An EDM-rock/pop-VK/metalcore band. Their newest album has them going in a new direction, which is fresh.
● SRASH NOTES GARDEN – A hybrid VK band with singer-songwriter elements. I found out about the band on Sakanagatoreta's blog site (A middle-aged Japanese VK fanboy). You might want to browse his site to check out minor VK bands that a lot of people might not be talking about yet. He literally reviews almost everything that comes out. http://ameblo.jp/sakanagatoreta/entry-11797369774.html
 
A9's side project, DIAWOLF, is also really different.

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.
Last year, I spent amonth or so searching for those "diamond in the rough" VK bands and found a few. My tastes may very from yours, but I share the same sentiments about finding more unique and creative bands.
 
(I am going to steal Lestalt's formatting, hope that's okay)
 
● アルルカン - They are a self-proclaimed “新世代名古屋系” band that are trying to bring back an updated version of Nagoya-kei.
● DADAROMA - Heavy and inventive band from Yoshiatsu (ex- Crazy Shampoo).
● DIMDIVISION - If you like 9 GOATS and the like, you might want to check them out.
● DIV - An EDM-rock/pop-VK/metalcore band. Their newest album has them going in a new direction, which is fresh.
● SRASH NOTES GARDEN – A hybrid VK band with singer-songwriter elements. I found out about the band on Sakanagatoreta's blog site (A middle-aged Japanese VK fanboy). You might want to browse his site to check out minor VK bands that a lot of people might not be talking about yet. He literally reviews almost everything that comes out. http://ameblo.jp/sakanagatoreta/entry-11797369774.html
 
A9's side project, DIAWOLF, is also really different.

That's something I really really like about this community. It's like a sunday barbecue, moms and dads chilling, making conversation and having a beer while listening to weird music, with just a few kids running around making noise and jumping on the pool, lol

Decided to give their newer albums a listen this morning before work.
 
Holy crap, if their stuff after "cell." is anything remotely as solid as "ammonite", I have been depriving myself. I am loving "ammonite" so much. It might end up being my favorite album of theirs.
 
I'll continue listening to their others works but i've also noticed something - this new album release is the longest they've gone releasing an album (if you don't want to count their mini-album 'echo'). Usually they release a new album every year or two.

it is announced at Plastic Tree live tour "自由落花(jiyuurakka)" tour final at Toyosu PIT at 2015/10/11 that their new album "剥製(hakusei)" will be released at 2015/12/23 (2 TYPE)
 
limited edition (5,400yen) will include CD+booklet, and regular edition (3,240yen) will include CD only
 
[track list]
01.◯生物(◯seibutsu)
02.フラスコ(frasco)
03.マイム(maimu)
04.ハシエンダ(haçienda)
05.告白(kokuhaku)
06.インソムニアブルース(insomnia blues)
07.float
08.落花(rakka)
09.スラッシングパンプキン•デスマーチ(thrashing pumpkin death march)
10.スロウ(slow)
11.剥製(hakusei)
12.●静物(●seibutsu)
 
 
btw they will hold their fan-request 2-day one-man live "ゆくプラくるプラ～海月リクエストの夕べ～" at TOKYO DOME CITY HALL at 2015/12/29-12/30
 
Day 1 - Plastic Tree '95～'04
Day 2 - Plastic Tree '05～'15

I get the feeling that the music industry in Japan is really strapped for cash. There is marketing, etc that is geared towards exploiting the obsessive tendency of VK fans more that ever. Focusing on the looks or name cred.

1) Old bands reuniting; starting activities again
2) Revival lives for almost any band you can think of are increasing, even if it is just for 1 day
3) Superbands forming that will have a guaranteed fan base (more, KEEL, Femme Fatale, etc.)
4) Bands selling out hard (why MEJIBRAY…)
5) PSCompany (I am glad A9 got out of there)

There is too much saturation without enough quality. There is not that "indie" feel anymore. The economy and decline of working conditions have lead to some fairly oppressive management on the labels behalf.

A lot of people who have followed VK since the 90s have seen the scene evolve. I think it is evolving again right now, but the state of the entertainment industry as a whole is stiffing creativity (the anime sector is another good example).

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.

I get the feeling that the music industry in Japan is really strapped for cash. There is marketing, etc that is geared towards exploiting the obsessive tendency of VK fans more that ever. Focusing on the looks or name cred.

1) Old bands reuniting; starting activities again
2) Revival lives for almost any band you can think of are increasing, even if it is just for 1 day
3) Superbands forming that will have a guaranteed fan base (more, KEEL, Femme Fatale, etc.)
4) Bands selling out hard (why MEJIBRAY…)
5) PSCompany (I am glad A9 got out of there)

There is too much saturation without enough quality. There is not that "indie" feel anymore. The economy and decline of working conditions have lead to some fairly oppressive management on the labels behalf.

A lot of people who have followed VK since the 90s have seen the scene evolve. I think it is evolving again right now, but the state of the entertainment industry as a whole is stiffing creativity (the anime sector is another good example).

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.

I have to agree about the over saturation. But I also agree that it has to do with taste. I don't think Visual Kei is going anywhere any time soon because it's an ever recycling scene. Certain looks get brought back and the new sound is noticeably inspired by and older sound. Which in turn I feel like the people who "grow out of it" are replaced with younger fans just discovering it.
Me personally I got sick of investing my time in to bands that just disband a year later. Like I get it that VK has a band for everyone and saying all the bands sound the same is a little incorrect. But I literally have like two bands that are still active that somewhat interest me. But I guess I have gotten lazy. I've already heard all the bands that have been around a while but o don't check out new ones because they'll probably disband after 2-3 releases.
My actual music interest has changed as well. I'm not just straying away from VK but I'm gradually branching out of the Japanese area. There are still bands I enjoy, but the point is that VK doesn't do it for me anymore. New bands I do check out sound like they played guitar for a year found a great hairstylist and knew a friend who did at home recording. But it's ok to sound mediocre if you look great in VK. It's VK so I can't complain much about looks vs actual music... But I do feel like a lot of bands have gotten lazy with being original and just sort of make something up like "this sounds VK enough" because the figure their image will sell.
That's probably going to upset people, but don't take it personal. VK is still a fun scene and it does have some talent... You just have to ween through the lack of talent to find the good stuff.
There's a lot more I want to say but won't because my fingers are actually getting sore from typing on a phone at a weird angle....

Interesting question!

I was into visual kei for many years. I witnessed the bumpy transformation from 90's visual kei to 00's visual kei (although it wasn't as prominent and 9 year old me didn't really know what was going on...I was just in it for what free tunes I could get) and one noticeable part of this transformation was how many online fans didn't move with it. Those that loved the old goth style of the 90s continued to but as the scene moved away from that sound and style they found less and less artists that appealed to them until they quit the scene entirely. This transition seems to happen every ten years because I'm witnessing it again. There's another transition occurring but lots of bands are going in many different directions. I bet in a few years we'll see the birth of new sub-scenes again like oshare-kei that we use informally to describe the new sounds that form (and I can see them forming around bands that use dubstep influence, alt-rock bands, "traditional"-influenced bands, etc.).

As for me, I haven't cared about visual kei in years. There's an undeniable sound associated with it that appeals to all of us somewhat but the scene is saturated with a lot of bands that play very similar music. After ten or so years of listening to the same bands play the same kind of music and watching the progression of visual kei slow to a glacial pace, I got bored. @CAT5 at the time helped me to get adjusted to the other side of Japanese music, which in turn helped me to appreciate different artists in the visual kei scene which were doing things a little differently but we're still pretty cool. It also gave me perspective on just how small this scene really is. In a way, I came full circle back into visual kei but the artists that I enjoy and the amount I'm into it certainly has changed. Now I'm really into a lot of the alternative rock visual kei bands, nagoya-kei bands, or otherwise visual kei oddities that don't fit into the metalcore spectrum.

After thirteen years I can say that there's always bands in visual kei that sound different from the rest of the competition. @emmny mentions deadman and how influential they are as an "old band" but remember that deadman and Aliene Ma'riage were contemporaries! At the time, deadman was playing music completely new to the scene and look where it's got them. It's always easy to look back and say that yesterday's bands are better than today's bands because of x reasons but hindsight is always 20-20 and time has a way of preserving only the best. I feel like we won't really know if the scene's improving or dying for the next few years but I have more hope for the future of the scene now than I did a few years ago. 
 
It's really about how far you want to dig to find it and how willing you are to give new things a chance. And this is coming from someone who barely listens to any new visual kei.

Artist: the GazettE Album: DOGMA 1. NIHIL 8. INCUBUS 2. DOGMA 9. LUCY 3. RAGE 10. GRUDGE 4. DAWN 11. PARALYSIS 5. DERACINE 12. DEUX 6. BIZARRE 13. BLEMISH 7. WASTELAND 14. OMINOUS
Rating: | After 13 years, "Gazerock" is officially whatever the band wants it to be.
 
If you're ever having a bad day, remember that time we waited five months for the most underwhelming album of the year.

Let's ignore for a second that DOGMA is ARCHE, Iowa-era Slipknot, and a quarter of DIM shoved in a blender and served cold with a side of drop A chugging. The marketing campaign behind this was stellar, and for five months it was the lack of details surrounding this album that sparked my curiosity the most. Just a few weeks before release, the band revealed "OMINOUS" as a teaser. For a brief second, a flash of light shone through the heavens as the hype seemed justified and the band was poised to deliver something interesting.
"NIHIL" even began the experience as I had anticipated, only for dubstep to emerge halfway through to set all my hopes and dreams on fire. I was in so much disbelief, I curled into the fetal position and muttered "What the fuck is this?" to no one in particular. That one minute encapsulates my journey with this band for the last five years, and when the crushing main riff of "DOGMA" kicked in I felt like I was left holding the bag after a bait and switch operation. This isn't what I signed up for. This isn't what this was billed as. But I'm not one to judge a book by its cover - or in this case an album by its case - and I proceeded to give the rest of the album a listen. If it had matched even a quarter of my expectations and contained a song similar to "DIM SCENE", "千鶴" (Chizuru), "体温" (Taion), or "泣ヶ原" (Nakigahara), we would be having a very different conversation right now. If it was at the very least a darker, more moody companion to 2013's BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, I would have waved the intro off. It was neither.

What followed was a most unremarkable collection of metalcore. Despite the fact that everything between tracks three and thirteen blend into one another, all is not lost. I found the vocals at their most inspired and energetic in years. On songs like "DERACINE", Ruki's vocal melodies are the most memorable thing of all. I haven't been able to say that in years! The GazettE have also remembered that they have two guitarists, and have returned to utilizing both of them to great effect. There's also an obvious attempt at focusing on one thing and doing it well - except in this case it's perhaps too focused. The lack of a ballad or even a mid-tempo rock number to change the pace exposes the one-dimensional nature of the album and makes it feel longer than it already is. They even titled the songs in all caps with edgy one word phrases like "PARALYSIS" or "BIZARRE". No other track prioritizes atmosphere and melody over pure aggression like "OMINOUS", which as far as I'm concerned is the only track you need.

I could dig deep if I wanted and point out minor flaws in specific tracks, but that would require another listen or two and the replay value for DOGMA is low. All of those criticisms have been lost to the haze that was this album. I have some fun during a listening session, but it quickly fades from memory as soon as it's done. Fun does not equate to a good album. The simple facts are that there's nothing new or distinctly "the GazettE" to see here. I'm half convinced this facade was forced by the band because it's been a while and the old has become new once again. Given some time, I believe DOGMA will wear thin much faster than other albums in their discography.

Diving head first into metal has yielded mixed results. DOGMA is an album purely for the biggest of GazettE lovers and metal fans. If this particular brand of Visual Kei metalcore appeals to you, this is your album. As for me, it's another uninspired, soon to be forgotten entry in the GazettE's bloated discography.


Support the band! Purchase DOGMA from CD JAPAN

well, the claim is more, that there aren't that many catchy choruses, and the ones that are there aren't any good, but that's of course subjective. 
However, you may seem to notice, the main qualm people have with the album isn't that of lacking catchiness, but that of monotony.
To elaborate on that, here my very in-depth, very scientific analysis, track by track:
 
1: NIHIL                           80bpm, B-flat minor, intro, electronic
2: Headache Man var. 1   100bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
3. Headache Man var. 2   120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
4. Headache Man var. 3   150bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
5. DERACINE                      75bpm, B-minor, Power Ballad or sth
6. Headache Man var. 4   110bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
7. Ruthless Deed v2.0        90bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
8. Headache Man var. 5   105bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
9. Hyena v2.0                   100bpm, C#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
10. Headache Man var.6  120bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)
11. Headache Man var.7  120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
12. Headache Man var.8  120bpm, D#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)
13. Headache Man var.9  145bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song
14. OMINOUS                    90bpm, D#-minor, Song
 
now, if i wasn't such an asshat i might give them, that Hyena 2.0 (i think it's real title is lucy?) is more of a punkrock track than gurrgurr, that maybe the gurrgurr/balladybit songs have a more suitable example than headacheman, but you get the picture. the overall impression of the album is, that more than 2/3 of the songs are more or less slight variations of sth like headache man, somewhere between 100 and 120bpm, probably in B or B-flat minor. On DIM you had one headacheman (maybe adding moth, leech and ogre to the same realm, but that's about it), which is why people loved it so much. Here you have a full album consisting of one single track, that in the end just feels like an hourlong forgettable slob of generic riffwankery.
(which isn't helped much by the fact, that they once again fail to chime in on the possibilities of having two guitars. I mean, double-tracking is cool and all, but when the rhythm and the lead guitars are just carbon copies of each other for 90% of the time you really are doing sth wrong, or are being very lazy)
 
Edit: Also, having listened to the album a few times more now, i change my rating from 6-7/10 to more of a 5.5/10 due to severe boredom

Ok, this is my first time listening to this band. Don’t know the history behind them, but I saw some hype surrounding them so I decided to check them out. 
 
I’ll get right to the point and say it left me very unimpressed. This a below average release.
 
First off the intro track is way too long. It isn’t interesting enough and is very stale, not much if anything changes over time. Should have scrapped this track or cut it down to under a minute. I did love the screams at the beginning though.
 
The next three songs have lots of problems. First the synth leads and electronic bits are way too overused. In some instances they’re used effectively, but during the main parts, they’re not melodic or interesting enough, or don’t have sufficient support from the rest of the instruments. Heretical Child is the prime example of this. If your'e going to rely on synth leads you better make them melodic and memorable. 
 
Another issue with that track is the transition into the chorus and the chorus itself which is really weak.
 
Jubaku is a slight improvement, but its still a below average track. The chorus is passable on this song, but the rest of the track is forgettable. It’s trying to be a heavy hitter, when in execution is comes across as a generic and a convoluted mess. Those “heavy” parts ruin whatever interesting ideas the track had going for it.
 
Black Lilly started off promising with the cool piano, creepy vocals, guitars and drudging bass lines and then the crappy synth leads and the band trying to be brutal ruined it.  Come on guys >.< this song had potential.  
 
Anaclisis. Ok, I actually like this song. It’s the only track the band got right when it comes to mixing the electronic and metal styles. The composition and build up of the song actually make sense. There aren’t any distracting electronic leads, the transitions are serviceable, the chorus is decent, and the band properly used a breakdown.  \m/  The only moment on this release when I went hell yeah and wanted to headbang. 
 
  The last track on this release is probably the best. It’s a ballad and it’s actually well done. Good emotional chorus, cool piano accompaniment, nice string sections, and mandatory emote solo. If only the rest of the of the songs on this release could have been held to this standard.
 
One last problem I have with this release is some of the guitars solos. Heretical Child has the worst solo I’ve heard in a while. Even the solo on  Anaclisis is not that good. It’s literally just a wah pedal that leads into sustained half/whole notes. It ends up sounding very boring, and emotionless. Which is strange because the solo on Jukai no Yubiwa is actually really good. I don’t know what’s up with the inconstancy but that needs to be fixed.
 
If 5/10 indicates a average run of the mill album, then I’m going to have give this release a 3.5/10.
 
 
Too many songs and pitfalls ruin it and the only 2 good tracks can’t make up for that. 
 
Things the band needs to get together
 
- Better electronic leads
- Know when to transition into heavy parts ( don’t just randomly throw the listener in and out.)
- Get better at combining the electronic and metal aspects. 
- Improve the guitar solos

Hope this doesn't slows SRASH NOTES GARDEN down, I'm still waiting for that postponed full album

"日本(nippon)" [track list]
00.prologue
01.亡月亡日
02.絶妙Σ
03.奇天烈レジャ〜
04.銀河の恥…
05.大安ナイト
06.幽星より愛を込めて
07.ウルトラ・ヘヴン
08.脳がとろける街888
 

Mission statement and introduction
 
I wanted to review something of theirs and I figured I'd write about everything they've done so far lol, since I feel there are some unfortunate tendencies in their material. I will rate songs a) based on personal preference and how much of an actual finished song it feels like since many of these don't actually seem like much more than riffs thrown together with swoosh transitions. A relevant point is that I absolutely adore ネガ's first 3 EP:s and, progressively less, the rest of their output. I also liked PERESTROIKA and loved the absolute fucking trainwreck that was VANITAS.

So, basically, THE BLACK SWAN is in some ways Jin's continuation of late NEGA. The metalcore ambition is there but this time we are presented with two guitarists that actually seem to be able to play the written riffs*, bass lines that are audible** and a drummer that is pretty technically good***. Jin however carries over, along with what seems to be a lot of the songwriting such as the ever-missed PERESTROIKA synths.

* this point I am factually unsure of as there seems to be no live footage of TBS anywhere. I stand however by ネガ fucking everything up after losing Hiroki
** at the expense of being really cheesy
*** again, in the studio. I'm not at all saying that Yuu was bad, but a lot of the TBS drum lines feel more solid than NEGA's
 
 
Review part

自深傍観者
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
How finished: ★★★☆☆

☑ Long piano intro
☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion
☑ Obnoxiously loud bass

Sadly, having watched the first TBS teaser video, you had pretty much heard all of this song. I guess it's pretty cool that it's mostly in 3/4 time or something and the main riff is actually kind of refreshing the first time. Things like the unexpected accentuated bass in the chorus makes for some kind of a twist and it's pleasant. There is however nothing at all new or interesting happening for the rest of the track after the chorus (which is all in all pretty bland), not even a proper breakdown. Where is the kitschy bad metalcore goodiness? This doesn't leave a huge impression on me at all, so I move on.



TRIPPER
Rating: ★★★★★
How finished: ★★★★★

☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion
☑ PERESTROIKA vocoder
☑ That fucking guitar whine thing

So judging from the name I expected some "sexy" sounding shit like MINDLESS from PERESTROIKA which I would most rather forget tbh. Instead we are treated to some pretty cool sounding dissonant-ish ~mysterious~ delayed guitar, turning into a pleasant mid-tempo main riff that keeps the arpeggiating melody theme which is a nice thought. The guitar work sounds pretty interesting during the verses and there's even some exciting trade-off with the bass! Wow! Later, shit hits the fan when we get a fantastically catchy dubstep-ish breakdown that transitions into a really epic guitar solo. The song then rounds off without feeling like a chore. Never during this song do I feel bored and this borrows the exact right proportions of PERESTROIKA and NEGA to make it enjoyable.



I SOLATION
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
How finished: ★★☆☆☆

☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Obnoxiously loud bass
☑ That fucking guitar whine thing

Also being featured in the initial TBS teaser, there really isn't much more to this song than the first half. It's a little bit heavy and it's pretty fast and there are some budget D.I.D.-sounding elektronix idk. The verse feels pretty badly disjointed. There is a swoosh transition between every fucking part of the song. The chorus sounds like a more boring version of NEGA's VORTICAL [E]MOTION. What's pretty cool however is the breakdown, introducing(?) that whine that one of the guitarists seems to really like. After that however, there is, as in 自深傍観者, absolutely nothing interesting going on whatsoever.



THE HOPELESS
Rating: ★★★★☆
How finished: ★★★★☆

☑ 15 NEGA songs fit into one
☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Obnoxiously loud bass
☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion
☑ That fucking guitar whine thing

TBS' first single lead is probably the most NEGA-sounding song they've done. We have verse shouting, swoosh noises and a brooding church organ synth or whatever. The works! The pre-chorus however offers something new to the table which is pretty exciting. We are then subjected to a chorus that really oozes NEGA cheesiness. The trademark guitar whine then leads into a breakdown and a kind of awkward insipid guitar solo. All in all, this is basically the formula of NEGA's VANITAS singles but much more cohesively executed and featuring every TBS indulgence so far. Bonus mention for OK though lulzy video.



HATE YOURSELF UNTIL YOU DIE
Rating: ★★★★★
How finished: ★★★★★

☑ Phantasmagoria level SE
☑ Better than 壁

So this is, as far as I understand, the live closer song of choice for TBS. After a totally emotional SE intro we are given a very straightforward, catchy mid-tempo metalcoreish main riff which alternates with a standard fast-paced "blastbeat" part throughout most of the song. The verse leads into a really solid chorus with interesting bass work and the "HAATE YOUUURRSEEEEELF" parts are fun. Drums are really solid throughout. All in all, this is very stable and really sounds like the whole band working together. There are no swooshing sounds either (as far as I could hear anyway), which is amazingly refreshing!! I'm actually sure this is equally as solid live.



long japaneez title song
Rating: ★☆☆☆☆
How finished: ★☆☆☆☆

☑ You have heard this before
☑ Fucking wooden bass or whatever
☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion

I honestly did not know what to expect from the long-awaited ballad but saw that it would feature like a stand-up bass or sth? That seemed like a pretty cool gimmick. Starting out with that chord progression that you've heard at least 10 times in VK played on an acoustic guitar, we are then introduced to a half-hearted drum beat. At around 1:30 we finally get the promised wooden bass which really doesn't do anything interesting at all. The line could have just as well been played on a regular bass (maybe for an even better effect idk.) By 2:45 we have a pretty bland build-up and the chorus is just meh. Jin has thus only used his ~quiet voice~ so at this point we can safely expect an EXPLOSION OF EMOTIONS later on. Idk, whatever, I just don't care. At 3:40 or something some sketches of potentially interesting guitar effects trikkery appear and pass by unnoticed. An arpeggiating guitar break with engrish whispering just isn't enough to save the song at this point and when the chorus hits for the climactic final stretch, it is accompanied by the most boring drum line imaginable. Basically this is that excruciating track WILL from NEGA's VANITAS but somewhat ~darker~ and somehow even worse. This seems like a sketch of a sketch of a finished track and is painfully bland.



INSIDE SILENCE
Rating: ★★★★☆
How finished: ★★★☆☆

☑ InSSSSSSSSSSide SSSSSSSSSSSSilenCCCCCCCCCCCCe
☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ That fucking guitar whine thing
☑ Key change

Fast song. At some point we get a verse with clock ticks instead of a beat? Whatever, I forgive you just give me more of the fucking synth voice goodiness. The next thing I know I'm at a fun bass solo after which the tempo actually slows down (NEGA did this a couple of times and it's so cheap and dirty and I love it) for the really sweet breakdown, where a whine™ leads the way into a crazy (faster) guitar solo. The rest of the song isn't much to write home about and I guess it has an overall "basic" structure-wise feel but one cannot deny the fun factor.



失い
Rating: ★★★☆☆
How finished: ★★★☆☆

☑ Piano intro
☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Obnoxiously loud bass
☑ Key change

From the start, this feels like business as usual. The piano intro sounds like a 2009 ネガ SE which suddenly and really nicely erupts into a cool early ネガ level haunting low-tempo riff. Rushing through a fast part, the verse is quite exciting with interesting guitar and actually pretty surprisingly tricky drum work from Len, transitioning into an alright, slightly cheesy chorus. Another verse leads into the build-up for the fast part from the beginning but then dissolves into... another build-up... or something... Anyway, this eventually results in a really solid headbanging breakdown. Then the song goes back into the chorus and then into the chorus again with a key change, a guitar solo and a really loud, almost painfully cheesy bass line. The chorus then slows down and the song kind of dissolves into nothing. All in all, this is kinda disjointed but the components are by themselves solid and fun. Bonus mention for cool video.



I'M SHIT NOODLE, BUT...
Rating: ★★★★★
How finished: ★★★★☆

☑ i like girl. i like sex. i like money. i'm shit noodle
☑ Jin trying to sound like a girl
☑ Swoosh transitions

From the beginning this is slated to be completely amazing. The main riff of this is like exactly 瞋恚の炎 by PERESTROIKA but with super wild synth, making it so much more fun. This is precisely the kind of kitsch I want to hear from a band like TBS. I don't even know what to write, everything about this is just super fun, from the headbang parts to the chorus to the guitar solo to the fact that this is Jin venturing into weird semi-ironic V-ROCK IS DEAD territory.



ETERNAL SLEEP
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
How finished: ★★★★☆

☑ NEGA level drum machine
☑ You have heard this before

Can TBS deliver a good ballad? This does not answer the question as this track really isn't anything special as far as VK ballads go but kind of OK I guess? At least it is a well-defined song compared to the long ass japaneez title one and has a guitar solo and actually decent arrangement. Thankfully, there's no wooden bass in earsight. Whatever, songs like this are not the reason I listen to TBS.



SICK (黒夢 cover)
Rating: ★★★★★
How finished: ★★★★☆

☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Juicy ass bass slides
☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion
☑ That fucking guitar whine thing

OK so this is from a Kuroyume tribute album which got uploaded here recently. Now I basically don't know anything about Kuroyume or the original song but this is a controlled and quite pleasant, fun and unique (featuring all the appropriate hallmarks) sounding effort from TBS where all of the band really comes through in quite technical ways. Especially the piano-tinged breakdown and the solid guitar solo sound really fresh.
 
 
 
MIRROR,MIRROR
Rating: ★★☆☆☆
How finished: ★★★☆☆
 
☑ Clean guitar delayed to oblivion
☑ Swoosh transitions
☑ Broken glass SFX
 
This is TBS' first attempt at a fast ballad-ish song I guess, and I must say I expected more. We are introduced to a gentle guitar intro which turns into a slightly weird main riff... Which is okay, since the verse actually sounds good! The chorus is not great though and the following breakdown is just plain awkward. The guitar solo is slightly more solid. All in all, just nowhere near 17歳の孤独 #sorrynotsorry
 
 
Some kind of conclusion
 
I suppose this indicates some kind of trend of half-assed song writing but also some technical proficiency. There is hope for some good music to be made and songs like TRIPPER genuinely show promise. This seems however to more often than not be eclipsed by contrived transitions and generally some late NEGA awkwardness. Though once again, the reason why I listen to TBS is to get my dose of gimmicky metalcore with that guitar whine used as much as possible.
 
P.S. the trailer for the new single has a really bland chorus. Man oh man.
P.S.#2 eagerly awaiting first faux jazz song and a decent ballad

If it wasn't for Akira, Rakka would be rather bland. But those guitar riffs.
It's an okay song like the other two singles (Mime and Slow). Pura is more of an album band for me and I almost never enjoy their singles by the time they come out, so I'm not worried.

Plastic Tree new maxi single "落花(rakka)" will be released at 2015/09/02 (4 TYPE)
 
limited edition TYPE A & B (2,160yen each) will include CD+DVD, limited edition TYPE C (1,944yen) will include CD+DVD (including "落花(rakka)" PV), and regular edition (1,296yen) will include CD only

MOSES 2015 A/W COLLECTION×薫(kaoru)(DIR EN GREY) "Wool Gown" (32,400yen)
 

 
http://store-moses-horns.com/?pid=91656144

That's because when they 1st became major sales didn't go well, so their label cancelled their contract.
 
So they become major and take pics looking like a boy band and no longer compose their own songs ? Meh. No wonder many VK bands don't want to ever be major anymore.

if they wanna keep the AYABIE name, takehito should try to persuade Aoi in order to let him come back at least...
I don't mind they make it a duo unit.

Maybe because is very hot at Sun day on HEAT IsLAND
*ba dum tss*