Oh, this is a nice change of pace.
The experience that is Mother gets much of my praise musically for its incredible arrangements that paint a vivid depiction of Luna Sea's initial career and the era it was birthed in.
What's also worth noting is that many songs you think will end up a flop, gradually and surprisingly, get amazingly better as the track progresses. Once you hear that shift in direction after the buildup, you'll understand what I mean, it's something I've rarely experienced. Personally I think the break-periods with calmer songs in-between made the listening experience that much more enjoyable, and even those songs give you that same overall album feeling to keep things vivid. "Genesis of Mind", without a doubt, pulled a fucking David Bowie on my ass, continuing to prove that it is the "long-song"-ers that end up being worth the entire listen, and it's my favorite song on this album, hands-down. "Mother" is one of the best "last songs" I've heard thus far, you wouldn't even think it was last song in that album.
By just Mother alone, I'd be convinced that these were some majorly dedicated musicians with so much potential and creativity that was blossoming for its time. If other fans are saying that this is Luna Sea at their best, then that is a pretty fucking convincing argument. This is a pretty high point to be at, I'll admit, it's unreal. I wish I was there in person to witness this album being created in the studio, I like this album that much.
Really, I know this saying gets overused but, this is a release that you deserve to listen to if you consider yourself a VK fan.
There are a lot of great tracks that make the listen worth it, but the overall achievement I feel having listened to it is my takeaway.