Shmilly

MBHI had several unreleased songs, although most/all of them featured on their one live DVD release. They put a couple of short demos on YouTube around the time they started activity but several of those were never properly recorded. Interestingly though, one of them was a full song, it was just never released elsewhere: 21st century boy.
 
Recently disbanded MALISEND also played their full discography at their final live which I was able to attend, which included at least 3 unreleased songs (including the various free distributions). I directly contacted them upon disbandment inquiring about purchasing these unreleased tracks as at least some of them had demos on Youtube, but they informed me that no properly recorded versions had ever been made, so I wasn't able to get hold of them.
 
Going back to DDRM and KIDS WAR, Yoshiatsu's previous band Crazy Shampoo also had a couple of songs they often performed live but never saw official releases. After extensive research, it appears they had live distributions a long time ago, but since I've never seen them for sale either in used stores or at auction/Mercari, I consider them to be basically 'lost' songs. (Will pay for them if anyone has them though). The ones that immediately come to mind are 'Guernica' and 'Battou'.
 
 
 
And on a personal sob story, I have always deeply regretted missing Signal's last live due to my flight being just two days later, and as a result will pay handsomely for a copy of their last single 'Crossing fate' which has yet to even see the digital light of day.

CodeRebirth were severely underrated - their final album release is one of my favourite albums, period. I really hope Katsuya can find a strong vocalist to fit his djent-like compositions, but they need to have solid cleans too (imo too many djent bands are either purely instrumental or have only a screamer on vocals).
 
Whatever happened to that vocalist from aim (pre-GALEYD)? If he returned to the music scene I think he would be a good fit.

Tracklist:
1. 蛙-Kawazu-
2. ラブソング
3. ELISE (Type-A only)
4. 十五 (Type-B only)
 
 ｜Prosaic, but with potential
 
Should a band be held accountable for not living up to hype created by fans before they’ve released a single note of music or even revealed their identities? That’s the question I pondered as I listened to キズ (Kizu's) second, and newest, maxi-single 蛙-Kawazu-.
 
The conjecture surrounding Kizu started near the beginning of this year when a red and black flier was handed out at VK venues with precious little information other than the name of the band, details of their first show, and a phone number prominently displayed. Callers of the phone number were greeted by a recording informing them that the band would listen to “your pain, your worries, displeasure, and anxiety”.
 
All VK fans had to work with was a new, mysterious, melodramatic, emo as hell band that had left no direct clues about the members’ identities; not even a group shot in silhouette or with the faces obscured by masks! The biggest clue being that the other bands performing at Kizu's first show (DOGinthePWO, Unite) were popular bands in the scene, so this new band must be made up of people with connections… probably from playing in bands with some success themselves. This wasn’t a bunch of newbies who would be unknown whether or not their names and faces were public knowledge!
 
Little by little more info leaked out of the Kizu camp (the vocalist of the band would actually answer calls to their number, more fliers with references to despair and scars and blood and loneliness) but still no one was quite sure who was in this new band. Theories about vocalists from all sorts of recently disbanded acts were entertained. One that gained traction that I hoped would turn out to be true was that this was Karma from Avelcain’s new band. The signs were all there: Karma is the queen of teen-angst-zetsubou and these promotional materials for Kizu had that in spades.
 
When it was finally revealed that the vocalist was Lime previously of Lezard there was a collective “not bad… but I wish it had been *insert my favorite vocalist who isn’t in a band right now*”. By the time their first (extremely energetic and polished) PV came out many people had already come down from their speculative excitement.
 
With all that being said, what about the actual songs?
 
The music is not the backdrop for despair that their promo fliers would imply, which is a blessing because Lime is a capable vocalist but it’s hard to imagine him pretending to cut his wrists or mumbling to himself trying to quiet the demons in his head. In fact, the least worthwhile parts of this maxi-single come when Lime tries to showcase his harsh vocals. Too much of "ラブソング (Love Song)" is marred by Lime trying to contort his voice into shapes it just wasn’t meant to fit into. He’s much better highlighting his slightly staccato, higher range such as in the otherwise rather moribund "十五 (Juugo)".
 
Kizu is at their best playing the frenetic, vaguely djent-inspired fast-paced VK you can hear in the title track "蛙-Kawazu-" or after the jarring Beethoven intro homage has ended in "Elise". When the big riffs and digital effects combine into some bouncy, undeniably fun rock'n'roll you can see why Kizu have scheduled a second oneman live at Tsutaya O-West less than a year from their formation and having released only two singles.
 
Ultimately, I'd place my bets on the slightly brasher Razor or the even more scatter-brained Lack-co to be the 'winners' of these djent-kei experiments, but if Kizu can continue to channel the relentless energy of the performances in their PVs (shoutout to them for the throwback 'VK band in the woods' video) into their live shows and releases they should be able to make a name for themselves in the crowded and often staid VK landscape.
 
Support the band: CDJapan

I guess it shouldn't be surprising after 10 years of extensive touring, but Yugiri's live vocals have improved a looot since the old CROSSTRIP days. I remember DaizyStripper being one of the first VK bands I tried listening to around the time of Dearest I think, I was amused by their name; now look how far they've made it!
Unfortunately I really don't have the spare cash to throw at this right now though...

I think people are setting their expectations too high after one or two particularly standout songs. As an admittedly die-hard fan since the beginning, I would argue that the very aspects of their recent music that have people divided have been largely present all along. Need I remind people that two of the tracks on their very first release were soft-rock jazzy numbers? Or that the originator of the electro-dance-metal numbers was a B-side on their first single? And their continued experimentation with different styles is one of the things that keeps both their releases and live performances exciting (the same people would probably be complaining that the dramatic metalcore is getting stale if it was the same stuff every time).
 
Rant aside, I think this double-single is a further evolution of the sound DDRM is developing. Ii Kusuri is a satisfyingly dark return to that side of their discography, if a little short, and Warui Kusuri is one of their better ballads that showcases how much Yoshi is maturing as a vocalist (seriously, go back to his days in Crazy Shampoo and you'll see what I mean).

Track 6 is a ballad for sure but hopefully they go out with a bang instead of another one.

I'm really liking both of these songs. Especially ii kusuri's refrain/chorus.
I felt the MV for warui kusuri (the white song) was a bit bland though. Yoshiatsu's vocals were exactly on point though.
 
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I feel a lot of people think of 溺れる魚 and 雨のワルツ type of songs with Dadaroma, but they have been experimenting with other sounds from the beginning; especially with their jazzy songs. There are still hints (sometimes very big hints) of deathcore in their latest releases, so I actually think they are going very strong. IMHO, they're getting better.

Always surprised how much criticism these guys get, I think their stuff is still miles ahead of most of their peers and really high quality musically. Maybe it's because their first few PVs set an extremely high standard?
 
Anyway, really enjoyed both songs and thought that warui kusuri sounds like one of their best ballads.

Yes, I believe so. Along with all their music videos.

Just wanted to clarify this, it's actually 5 new songs, one written by each member.

You can buy it through some stores like ZEAL LINK.

For the record, according to a post Yoshi made on the FC blog a while back, they are just making music the way they want to, which means they may continue down a softer path, or they may return to heavy metal again in the future, but nothing is planned out or decided. Toning down the screams on the heavier tracks on dadaism 3 was an intentional musical decision to achieve what he/they wanted to with those songs.
 
TL;DR props to the band for just making the music they want to make.
 
Also new single presale @ tour final, so I'll be picking it up then.

Was this too obvious?
 

 
The evolution from this to this in five years time always wows me

Sounds fine, I don't get all the hate from a preview of the last 50 seconds of the song. Look at Zouka to Kalashnikov, people complained it was too soft and then the full version came out with those brutal breakdowns.

DADAROMA's been horney lately lol
 
MASTERBATION
PORNO GRAPH
 
"Lets make a pv where theres a naked girl infront of us the whole time"

Free download of 2 songs until June 9 @official twitter. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5l6u4htkkqthm0s/AAAWZWlSz1dPpINL0YW3mns0a?dl=0

Free download of 2 songs until June 9 @official twitter. https://www.dropbox.com/sh/5l6u4htkkqthm0s/AAAWZWlSz1dPpINL0YW3mns0a?dl=0

I'm not going to disregard your opinion, but after the eloquent introduction the album review comes across as a thoughtlessly written rant from someone whose expectations weren't met. Did you even listen to it more than once before dismissing it as a disappointment?
 
Case in point: the song with the rain sampling isn't 'Romance Grey', it's 'Ookami Shounen to Doku Ringo'. 'Itoshi teru' isn't even correct Japanese, so you didn't even take the time to check the romanization before complaining about the song. This is just sloppy writing.
 
Yes, I'm a stalwart fan of DDRM, and while I agree that this isn't their best material to date, it isn't fair to write it off as repetitive songwriting just because it isn't as immediately appealing as some of their older work. Some albums take a while to grow on you, and while I was also a little underwhelmed by the third installment of 'dadaism', I gave it a chance and a few more listens and came to appreciate it for what it is.
 
'MASTURBATION.' is a catchy party rocker that was stuck in my head for days after I first heard it in full at Takashi's birthday live. I was on the side of the split that, rather than horror at this strange, all-English departure from the dramatic lead tracks we've come to expect, embraced Yoshiatsu's crazy side. I'm sure that out of the six tracks on this release, this opener will be the most divisive for long-time fans, but speaking personally I love it.
 
In the same format as the other dadaism's, 'Aishiteru to Itte yo' is a slightly jazzy number that adds to the ever-increasing repertoire of this style that the band is putting out. I'll admit that it's sadly not as memorable as other times when they've done it better (like the raunchy 'Saishuu Densha' and the frankly erotic 'Urei Libido' that somehow still finds time for headbanging among its sensual imagery) but it's not necessarily a bad song. I personally didn't find it weak enough to press the skip button through multiple listens.
 
'NPD' is another brash synth-backed mover like 'Trend Identity' that is clearly meant to be enjoyed to its full potential in a live setting. (For those who are interested, my best guess at the acronym is 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder', which ironically fits Yoshiatsu's attitude to himself and his relationship with the band's fans pretty well. The lyrics also reference Hans Selye, a pioneer in biological stress, and the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria). It works well enough for what it is, and I enjoyed the energy even if it only lasted for around 3 minutes.
 
At this point I feel like I'm going to go against the general consensus on 'Romance Grey' by saying that it might be my favourite track on the whole release. I can see why many people might immediately think of it as a bland rock ballad, but looking at DADAROMA's discography, this is not repetitive songwriting but something completely different for them. Going back to the basics with a strong riff, emotional vocals and a simple structure made this song the opposite of forgetful in my opinion - it stands out as a unique style amongst the combination of dramatic masterpieces, brutal headbangers, energetic live rockers and jazzy experiments that make up the rest of their discography. Rather than dismissing 'Romance Grey' as a standard ballad, I say bravo for trying something new.
 
Now we come to the dramatic, fairy-tale piece for this album. 'Ookami Shounen to Doku Ringo' opens with another attempt to take a lens to society, telling the story of a young boy who was poisoned and how the media were far more interested in the perpetrator than the poor victim. It didn't immediately seize me in the same way as 'Oboreru Sakana' or 'Lucid Dream', but perhaps this is the track that has grown on me the most through multiple listens. The structure is a little different to their usual arrangements in this style, because it doesn't really get going until the sudden change into a major key after the oppressive opening for the contrastingly uplifting chorus. In fact, I think this is the first time one of their dramatic works has a lighter chorus, which caught me off guard the first time I listened to it. Unlike the aforementioned tracks too, it ends rather abruptly instead of with a lengthy instrumental fade out.
 
Finally comes the obnoxious 'Watashi, Bangya ja nai wa' which is another song evidently meant to be enjoyed at a concert rather than sitting at home. At first listen this is perhaps the most throwaway track of the whole release, and as such a disappointing way to round off the regular edition, but upon closer inspection it's a surprisingly heavy hitter with some chugging downtuned guitar designed to lead the titular bangya in synchronized headbanging. For me this track treads a fine line between catchy and forgettable; what I mean by this is that it's not a song I would deliberately choose to listen to over any number of other offerings from DADAROMA, but nonetheless when it immediately starts up after the sudden ending of the previous track, I can't help but get caught up in the energy it brings.
 
So that's dadaism number three. This review ended up a little longer than I expected, but I wanted to throw a contrasting opinion out there while it might still be relevant.

Great thread, I like hearing the little things that are memorable at shows!
 
- During Morrigan's set at Ikebukuro Cyber. During RIP (which is two minutes on CD but about 15 during their shows) they do the whatever it's called when the front row of girls lay over the bar/stage and the rest of the crowd takes turns slamming into them on the fourth beats. Anyway, during that the vocalist went out into the crowd to start dragging people forward who weren't participating (even going into the venue's stairwell, haha). When he sauntered over near where I was standing I could see the surprise in his face to run into a giant white dude amidst the crowd of tiny girls and instead of attempting to drag me into the melee he gave me a high-five.
 
- I wrote about this one during a 君は鋭く。set here. A middle-aged woman in the crowd approached me between bands and asked what band I was at the show to see. When I told her 君は鋭く she got really excited and grabbed a wrist band off their merch table and gave it to me. I will continue to believe she was someone in the band's mother until proven otherwise.
 

kazuki from screw spat in my eye
 
it got really red and irritated for a couple of days

Heads up, this release was postponed to next week (5/10) because of production issues. However, it was sold in a limited quantity at their live on 5/1.

It was announced at "MEGA VEGAS 2017", the release of the New Single "SHINE" was decided on June 14, 2017!
Also, from this release, Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas will be transferring to Warner Music Japan.

[CD Track List]
01. SHINE
02. Something to Gain After the Pain
 

1. sweeeeeet
2. best promo photo of 2017 hands down

they got the wrong vocalist tho

Hi-res sounds better than iTunes, using Audio Technica studio headphones, a Dragonfly DAC and correct playback settings.
 
24-bit does not sound any different to 16-bit.
 
This is because 24 or 16 bits refers to the bit depth, not the bit rate, and on the vast majority of recordings (excluding perhaps orchestral music) the only difference is 8 bits of noise. There is no way we could truly take in the full audio range of 24-bit music without turning up the volume so high it would essentially be fatal (because of course decibels refers to pressure). That's why when making CDs, the remaining bit depth is simply filled out with inaudible noise frequencies. And this is even before all kinds of filtering and editing that go on in the studio.
 
Simply, there is no such thing as a perfect digital representation of music recorded in analogue sound, which is why even the studio files will probably sound no different to the CD itself. So those extra 8 bits of depth are incomprehensible to the listener.
 
For recording music, go 24-bit. For listening, 16-bit is more than enough for 99.9% of listeners.