nullmoon

The three Gemini songs followed by Birth In The Death on Alice Nine's Gemini album. Such a great ending to such a great album! 

He might have said "disorder", but who would understand his accent tbh? 
 

It's good; but not great.
 
One of the strange things about the GazettE is their inability -- or unwillingness -- to create a cohesive, solid, album experience that is consistent from start-to-finish. Throughout their career, the GazettE have only been consistent with one thing: mediocrity.
 
Take any of their albums and you'll find a mix of great music with strange forays into all kinds of styles ranging from smooth Jazz and Muzak to pop-punk, and electronica. While a band cannot be faulted for seeking to explore new sounds and styles, criticism is due when it results in an overall product that is lacking in consistency and impact. Without fail, the GazettE is consistent in that trend. Even albums considered among their "best" (NIL and DIM) are packed with the musical equivalent of bumper-to-bumper traffic. Often the albums will start with a strong trio of songs (Nausea & Shudder, Bath Room, Maggots) and then immediately devolve into boring, meandering pop tunes such as Namaatatakai Ame to Zaratsuita Jōnetsu, D.L.N., and Shadow VI II I that grind everything to a halt. 
 
This is a trend that, without fail, you can apply to every GazettE album. Except one.
 
DOGMA (2015) is an album best described as the GazettE's first real, and serious, attempt at consistent songwriting within the Metal style. In the past, we got structurally boring tracks like OGRE, HEADACHE MAN, Before I Decay, and DISCHARGE characterized by their simplistic progressions, structure, and rhythm. These are songs by a band, that you can tell, don't really understand metal because the style was largely unfamiliar to them. Years of refining their craft lead them to DOGMA, and as a result we got the most cohesive and impressive GazettE release to date. Each track fits into that "DOGMA style" and feels like they're part of one unified sound. Even the individual contributions by band members (Deracine, Wasteland, Grudge, Paralysis) fit into the overall sound of the album and don't deviate in anyway that could be perceived as jarring. DOGMA is, without a doubt, the GazettE's best album.
 
So imagine my surprise when the GazettE released a couple singles, and began promoting NINTH. The aesthetic was similar, the band's sound was similar, so I thought we would get a perfect compliment to DOGMA. In some ways we did, in others we didn't.
 
First let me say, I really enjoy the production on this album. DOGMA, despite great songwriting, was mixed in such a way where there's not much low end present in the mix. The bass and drums are largely drowned out by the over-prominence of the guitars. This is why some people here have said NINTH is mixed in a way that it sounds "muddy" -- because the mid-range instruments (guitars) are not has heavily prominent as they were in DOGMA or other releases. For once on a GazettE record, you can feel Kai's strikes on the drums and the low-end crunch of Reita's bass. The guitars are still there; but they're dialed back somewhat, leading to a more even mix that does not overshadow any of the other members.
 
With that said, it appears lightning was unable to strike twice for the GazettE, causing them to fall into composition faux pas that see them pulling from the well of musical gimmicks they seemingly always return to. One of which is Kai's insistence of playing this stale, party rock, pop-esque drum beat that opens the track Uragiru Bero and is played consistently in several other tracks that feel like the GazettE are moving away from a serious Metal sound and towards a combination of DOGMA with a mainstream pop/party vibe. There is also the GazettE musical gimmick of including hand claps to count along to the beat. Hearing this in the intro to the verse of ABHOR GOD, I can picture all of the Japanese girls clapping along and dancing in unison -- which is a strange visual for a song that opens up the way that ABHOR GOD does. And that's part of the problem for me: on an album that has tracks like ABHOR GOD and NINTH ODD SMELL, we're then treated to the designated pop sections and the run-of-the-mill pop punk tunes like UNFINISHED.
 
The GazettE tricked me. I thought when they released DOGMA, it would usher in an age of great songwriting because the band was challenging themselves in ways they hadn't done before. Not only were they trying to write metal tunes, they were trying to write good metal tunes. Serious metal tunes. That, apparently, was a one-time thing because the GazettE are back to business as usual. There's a lot that I enjoy about this album: FALLING, NINTH ODD SMELL, Uragiru Bero, and ABHOR GOD include some really stellar moments; but then you realize you're listening to an album by the GazettE, and I feel like the band suddenly realized it as well.
 
 
 
 
7/10
 

I've listened to the album daily since it came out and thought it wag pretty good. Popped in Dogma today, knowing that it's just one long song, and still found it more enjoyable? XD 

im more excited for this album than the new DEG

I agree completely with your take on the sound production, and the efforts to use better sound equipment must have made that much more of a difference.
I had a similar experience, as that itch for experimentation got the best of me, and I decided to listen to NINTH again and again, using 3 different types of headphones (open-back, closed-back, and noise-cancelling) with and without a DAC/Amplifier, as well as listening to it in the car (windows up and down), and even on the plane during my vacation trip haha.
 
Ruki's recommendation to obtain better audio equipment in order to listen to their albums at their best is solid advice for sure.
Guess it would be no surprise then to anyone that listened to NINTH through something similar to Apple earpods and complained about the sound, simply because of the frequencies that overlap entirely from it's production (could be that muddiness everyone is referring to). Even in my own search to find the right balance of equalization and driver amplification to make this album sound amazing, I could feel that GazettE standard being set higher and higher. Perhaps we have become a bit too jaded with past expectations from the GazettE to present new ideas, that now we even criticize the sound when it differs from what we are used to. Perhaps this issue with the sound production is the first of many complaints to come until fans actually take Ruki's advice. Just gotta wait and see.
 
Here's my review on NINTH.
 
 
With that said,
 
| An album that GazettE fans have been waiting years for.
 
What I felt I listened to in NINTH was what a lot of us were truly waiting for. Something that kind of stopped with TOXIC, and DOGMA was the complete opposite of. It’s weird, but this feels like a GazettE album. There exist tracks that can be rightfully placed into the hall of Gaze-favorites. The sound is reminiscent to their days of spontaneity, where they just went at it with a collection of ideas, and in this case those ideas became NINTH. Is this is rival to DIM? I’d say no, and that’s because it is too sporadic in sound and execution to be heralded as one (too mashup-y in simple words). I can comfortably say that NINTH is a rightful successor, as it checks all the boxes that I feel made me a fan all those years ago, and even has the potential to be an album in 2018 that you can easily recommend to new fans of the scene. I think most would agree that if the album still holds its appeal even after as many listens as I have gone through, then it will most likely stay that way.
 

Yeah, Unfinished is literally just Shiver and Ibitsu again. 
 
It also sounds really awkward coming after three of the heaviest tracks on the album. 

The three Gemini songs followed by Birth In The Death on Alice Nine's Gemini album. Such a great ending to such a great album! 

With the first half of the year (almost) over, I thought it would be fitting to look at 6 albums and 6 singles that I have enjoyed so far. I'm going to include mini-albums in the former category. If you discover something new here, that would be cool. If you have a different opinion and would like to leave that in the comments, that would be cool too.
To make it simple, I'm just going to cover them in release order.
 
 
ALBUMS
 
03.07 DADAROMA - 「This is “LIVE”」
It's surely no surprise that possibly my favourite active band in the VK scene steals a spot with their latest mini-album. I'll be honest, this one didn't quite hit me on the first listen like a lot of their other releases, but after several listens it quickly became one of my favourites. The energetic and fast-paced dark pop opening of ファントムペイン (phantom pain) serves as an excellent opener to an EP that is overall quite dark in overall tone but with a ray of light in the surprisingly raw ある日、世界は美しいと思った。 (aruhi, sekai wa utsukushii to omotta.). The divisive 「THE KINKY」 nevertheless remains in your head longer than you might like, and of course we finally got a studio recording of live favourite KIDS' WAR. My personal top pick this time though is イノセント・ホリック (innocent-holic) for its energetic and ridiculously memorable chorus.

03.28 MY FIRST STORY - THE PREMIUM SYMPHONY
This one might seem like a surprising choice considering there are no new songs here, but the concept of bringing an orchestra to a rock concert has always been one that is very attractive to me (Bring Me The Horizon were also very successful with this recently in my opinion). MFS have done a great job of picking some of their best recent tracks and giving them a more epic makeover. I honestly don't really have a lot more to say since we know these tracks already, but for anyone with a similar disposition to yours truly, I think this is well worth a listen.

04.25 21g - GENORATION 2
This second album from 21g outdoes their first in both variety and maturity and comes off as a far more memorable release for it. 21g always had a certain element of whimsy to their writing and song topics, from songs about cats and chocolate to the common use of the soul (supposedly weighing 21 grams) and even the bands' own name in their lyrics, but toning that down a little and focusing more on memorable composition and trying some new things makes this album far superior to its predecessor. Other than outstanding singles 魂ノ歌 (tamashii no uta; one of my favourite songs ever) and 1st FINGER capping off each end of the album, HEAVY RAIN also gets a beautiful acoustic treatment highlighting Geno's gorgeous husky vocals and Miyako's guitar. Standout new tracks for me were catchy サイコパス (psychopath), kooky but powerful 頭文字G (kashira-moji G) and surprisingly raw engagement. If you haven't checked out 21g before, this is a great place to start.

05.02 零[Hz] (zero hertz) - 零聖戦 (zero seisen)
I can't find the comment right now, but someone here said that this is the best 'generic kei' album in recent memory. However, I think that doesn't do it justice. This is a rare case of a release that wasn't really on my radar impressing me so much that I went out and bought it (99% of the new music I buy these days I am aware of well in advance). The vocals are great, the instrumentals are tight and often surprisingly heavy, and the album is just a blast all the way through, if a little on the long side. ZIHARD opens with a sense of urgency and immediately ramps up the energy, lead track AZUL is incredibly catchy, and it's just a parade of energetic synth-happy visual kei from there on out. It's not just really listenable, but at times genuinely great and one of the biggest surprises this year for me.

06.06 LOVEBITES - BATTLE AGAINST DAMNATION
From the bottom of my heart (and maybe also somewhere a little lower *ahem*) I truly believe these girls are the new vanguard for old-school power metal in Japan. Some might knock them for their lustrous costuming and all-girl lineup, but give any single song from LOVEBITES a listen and you will understand immediately that they know how to rock. Inspired by the best of 80s metal from Iron Maiden to Helloween, lyrics all in good but sometimes slightly incoherent English, and lengthy duelling guitar solos, and you have all the basics for a good time. The members are all talented, the performances are tight, and the composition is rock solid. The girls even won the Best Newcomer Award at the Golden Gods Award Show this month for this very release. If you're not put off by female vocals in your power metal, LOVEBITES are absolutely one to watch. (Also props to my bae Miyako for being in not one but two bands with top six releases this year).

06.13 the GazettE - NINTH
Well, here we are again. The GazettE have put out a new album, which means the fandom has been split once again; I for one am on the side that very much enjoyed this one. As others have said before me, I think the bar is set so high for this band after their lengthy career that it's less a matter of sub-standard music and more a case of unreasonable expectations. Had any of a number of less well-known indies visual bands sent this album out into the world, we would be singing their praises. But it's the GazettE, so again those wanting more of the same are disappointed, while on the other side who encourage trying new things are criticizing the band for doing just that. Following their metalcore-inspired DARK AGE project, the GazettE have refined a more gritty sound that retains those heavy elements like chugging riffs and breakdowns but incorporates more alternative songwriting and a more diverse composition than their last album. It's a difficult one to rate for me because at first there were not a lot of standout tracks; instead the album as a whole is very pleasant to listen to with a shorter runtime than usual and less filler too. Of course lead track Falling is a strong, memorable opener, and UNFINISHED cleverly fades out the album with a much more old-school GazettE vibe and a riff reminiscent of a more mature 春雪の頃 (shunsetsu no koro, which is also one of my favourite older tracks). I also really enjoyed TWO OF A KIND with that looped ending vocal sample over the heavy instrumental as well as the more experimental composition in THE MORTAL. The two softer tracks in the middle were both solid and NINTH ODD SMELL grew on me surprisingly quickly considering how bland it is composition-wise. It's a testament to how difficult it is to talk about the GazettE these days that this is already the longest comment on this list so let's leave it at that for now.
 
 
SINGLES
 
03.01 abstracts - Nocturne
After starting out without a vocalist and still pulling off one of the best djent EPs I've ever heard (with some guest help of course), skip forward three-and-a-half years and abstracts have recruited a vocalist who brings something a little different to their brand of technical metalcore. Their 'street' EP MODE, once I was able to get my hands on it, proved to be a great showcase of the style they have settled into, with even a little urban influence in some of their tracks like Monologue. I'm convinced though that Nocturne might be their best song to date, or at least in their current lineup. From the brutal technical riffs to the way the chorus slowly builds up to a kind of release, this is a headbanger for sure. Do yourself a favor and hit it up on YouTube.

03.07 NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST - WHITEOUT
I know they call this one an EP, but it just isn't. Three songs and an instrumental is just a maxi single. With that out of the way, I love all three of the widely different tracks presented here. The lead track seemed at first like a hot mess when the PV came out, but it grew on me after multiple listens and I respect the band trying something a little unusual with the sax. LIVE TO DIE is one of my favourite NCBL songs in recent memory; it just hits so hard but with such a memorable chorus that this was my jam for a long time. To wrap things up, 無義道 (mugidou) is a beautifully melancholic track that slows things down again. A really solid single in my opinion.

03.13 キズ (kizu) - 傷痕 (kizuato)
For me, Kizu is a band that has just been going from strength to strength. It bothers me slightly that to collect all of their songs, you have to buy both types of every single, but at least that's a sensible way to divide types, unlike what many other bands are doing. The djent-inspired composition is just my jam, and the instrumentals are tight. For me, Lime's vocals are not just tolerable but impressive - even more so on this release, which showcases his range a lot better (in terms of style, not just pitch). 怨ミ節 (uramibako) suprised me with almost operatic, enka-like notes in a very powerful and memorable performance. EMIL also has that same energy Kizu always displays, but in a more melancholic style. Another really good single.

04.15 SARIGIA - DECAYED
Thanks to some kind soul on YouTube we are able to hear this live-limited release from promising new band SARIGIA. (Still looking for a copy to buy, anyone...) After their solid first release RUIN, this continues to build up the hype. Beginning with a surprisingly solid instrumental track, both of the full songs on this single are excellent, with the band starting to really form an image for themselves and a certain atmosphere in their composition. Until such a time as it is widely leaked or I can get hold of a copy, I urge you to hit this one up on YT while you still can.

05.08 BABYMETAL - Distortion
I feel like I've never really had an opportunity to explain my relationship with BABYMETAL. Like so many others, when this group was first announced, I wrote it off as a bizarre excuse to stick underaged idol schoolgirls on another genre of music. However, after the release of their second album, I happened to get a lift one day from a friend who I know is a massive fan, who was playing it in his car. I was so impressed with the composition and surprisingly catchy mix of metal and pop elements that I asked who it was, and found a new respect for BABYMETAL. In addition to arguably one of the best touring bands in metal, featuring none other than Leda of my ex-top band DELUHI, I started to take this group seriously. Distortion is, if repetitive, another good showcase of intense but catchy songwriting, and the other new song they have been playing live is solid too. I'm really looking forward to another album announcement.

05.23 breakin' holiday - LILITH
This one makes it onto the list over a couple of others due to the sheer number of times I've rocked out to the title track. After the confusing mess that was ZERO MIND INFINITY, Juri and co. seem to have found a solid formula with their current lineup and LILITH took me completely by surprise when it was first released on YouTube. It has that old DELUHI sound that I forgot I missed so much (in part because of Juri's vocals, for obvious reasons), but LILITH is just so damn intense and gets my blood pumping every time. It has a pace to it that makes even loop listens satisfying. Let's not talk about the second track though...
 
 
Edit: Might have jumped the gun slightly by not waiting until the end of the month because new DEXCORE is sounding tight.

I thought I meant something to her. I thought that for the first time in my life I actually had a friend. Nah, apparently I'm still just a piece of trash that can be ditched and thrown away however she pleases. Promises and plans don't matter. It doesn't matter that we haven't seen each other in over six months and after this summer there will be very few possibilities for us to ever see each other again. She's made it pretty clear that she has better friends and better things to do. Oh well. Then again why am I even surprised anymore.

Hot Take: anyone ever notice how much Kyo looks like Frieza?

That's a graphic designer out of a job.

I saw Dimlim yesterday and he did do the scream. Very well, actually. 

The three Gemini songs followed by Birth In The Death on Alice Nine's Gemini album. Such a great ending to such a great album! 

Title is pretty self-explanatory. Sometimes an album simply has that sweet spot where a couple of tracks that come right after the other just shine. What's everyone's favorite?
 
Mine's gotta be this one:
 

(too lazy to type oop)

The version on their OHP is 256kbps AAC, which I currently have. The DVD/Blu-ray with the PV should have the original 'single version' in lossless audio. Whenever it leaks, I'll make a rip and do some editing, to make sure it transitions properly with the surrounding tracks.
 
I have to wait on the DVD/Blu-ray rips leaking online to do this, because I got the Blu-ray version. I'm pretty sure my optical drive that I bought in 2015 for $20 doesn't take Blu-ray discs.

My thoughts exactly, the album version is a muddy shitfest. HOW COULD YOU, GUYS?! WTF

Does anyone actually like the version of Falling on the album MORE than the PV version? I'm ignorant but I thought I could hear the instrument parts better individually and the vocal track was more engaging when it's not harmonized for every melody like Ruki's voice seems to be.

surprisingly "OK" ! 
love the detailing of some guitar works ! and nice touch with samplings and effects.
some tracks are nice ! 
 
my impression on this was like "dogma 2.0" but with a more colors instead of monochromatic approach (maybe it's because of the "2012 kanye merch" artcover ?)
 
definitely not ground breaking but nice album to listen for the next 2 weeks !

I wish Josh Wilbur would have mixed the whole album not just the FALLING mixed that was released in the 10th of march.
coz that mix is 10times better than the album production 
 
 
Coz apparently they didn’t have time to do it with Josh Wilbur so they chose a different producer

don't come back and take half of indie scene with u next x

^ Not so bad imo
 
It's hard to top this :

At least that album cover is dope...
 
Actually, they weren't supposed to. They are part of the Dark Age Project, that included a DVD, the album and two singles, as far as I remember.
 

it's a planned post-album single for the dogma cycle, same as undying; b-sides for those two are giving me strong dogma leftover teas though.
 
I don't think it's going anywhere considering it's one of their best singles in a long time tbh.

I'm not listening to anything until the album is out. I'm going in with no expectations, that always works out for me.