TheStoic

This latest effort by The GazettE, while not unlistenable, failed to produce a song that really caught my ear after first listen until I reached Coda. Even despite the universal praise for songs like Last Heaven and Inside Beast, I was not drawn to revisit them after the first full playthrough. In fact, I have been listening to the album again and again, hoping that it grows on me to the point of changing my mind, but it is just not connecting like I hoped it would. Personally, I like Division considerably more. Tracks like 籠の蛹 [Kago no Sanagi], 影踏み [Kagefumi], Yoin, and Gabriel on the Gallows far surpass anything on Beautiful Deformity according to my tastes. Listening to this album really felt a lot like listening to Toxic in my mind. After the effort was finished, I wanted to like something, but I just didn't care enough to listen again. That is not to say I hate it either. This is The GazettE, and their overall style and sound really appeals to me, it just doesn't have a track that packs real punch like Filth in the Beauty or 13Stairs[-]1. And despite the universal dislike for tracks like Loss and Until it Burns Out, I actually liked those tracks more than the others. The agressive riffing and quick beat in the latter track produces a classic GazettE sound, even if it plays safe - it sounds good to me. The melancholic tone and palm muted delayed verse guitar work of Loss are the exact type of touches that make me enjoy the track, and I like the build to the chorus. I think this track is not as bad as the reviews it has received. This is no DIM or NIL, but I would rank it above Toxic without a doubt. If only they could build on the amazing mood and tone set by the closer Coda in the future albums, perhaps The GazettE can pull themselves out of this current slump they seem to be in.

I miss those Choruses and shredding solos from JDA. One of my old favorites from when I was first introduced to J-Rock. I would definately welcome their return with open arms.

I had no idea Sevenlize existed until today! I checked out their previews and thought they sounded similar to 404, although I was hoping for something more in the vein of meth., it is still good to know that Akito is still putting out music. Thanks for sharing the news!

I love the new Yeti track. I was also really glad to see HaKU mentioned above as they are one of my personal favorite Indie Acts. The new IVORY7 CHORD tracks sound really good:

VII-Sense has great Solos! Their Silent Assassin single wow'ed me the first time I saw it [at 1:35]: The solo from Reila by The GazettE, while not overtly technical, has a lot of emotion and fits the track flawlessly. I always loved that song because of the solo, and it hits the nostalgia bone to this day. Also, the solo in Raddock's Reforming single is so smooth, I am amazed every time I hear it [at 2:45]. Another not overtly technical, but emotional and memorable solo for me is Dir en grey's acoustic solo from the Kisou version of Undecided. It was one of the first solo's I took the time to learn on guitar, and I still play it all the time to this day.

- Renter en Soi - Deluhi - NeGa - D'espairsRay - meth. - Eat You Alive - Signal - OZ - And -eccentric agent- - Kagraa, All of the bands above were a huge loss in my mind. I love all of them. It has been a rough few years for disbandments.

I loved Akito's voice. His work in meth. was outstanding, and after hearing that meth. was disbanding (especially after the outstanding single Can't Come Back), I was glad to hear that he was joining 404NOTFOUND. It is sad that they never released more than a few singles after that. I hope that we hear the voX of Akito in the future. 404 also has some great guitar work, and in all, while this was somewhat expected due to the inactivity, it still sucks to hear it out loud.

I'm obsessed with the hooks and melodies of this band. Definately one of my favorite new bands in the last few years. Every single becomes like an earworm to me, and despite the fact they are more poppy and melodic than my usual soundtracks, I typically am more excited to see a DIV release than a release from a band like Sadie these days. I can't wait to hear their new material. Zero One was an amazing debut from a strong set of singles. I just hope that they don't fade into mediocrity with popularity like groups like Alice Nine. did for me.

Thank you for the warm welcome. I look forward to participating and discussing my love for Japanese music. @Ailin - I am also a huge fan of NeGa - their disbandment was definately a blow to my heart this past year!

The polish and dynamics of Kagraa, songs always placed me in a different world. I loved listening to them and thought most of their A-Sides were always top quality. The albums didn't always shine like the singles, but to this day songs like Satsuki and Uzu still are revisited. Kiryu on the other hand never caught my ear. I tried several times, but typically just couldn't make it through a PV even. Just not my ideal sound.

I personally love Cinema Staff more. Their vocalist has a very recognizable voice that I love. The melodies always seem to give me a very emotional feeling and at one time I was stuck ina month long addiction to their discography that still resonates with me. Hearing songs like Gate and 君になりたい [Kimi ni Naritai/I Want to be You] always give me a rush of comforting nostalgia that I can't shake. Arukara has a playful and eccentric spirit that doesn't allow me to connect with the music like CInema Staff does. The music is good, but it does not hold the power that EPs like Blue, Under the Imagination held for me.

はじめましてみなさん！ My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in. My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan. My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt. However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE. Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States. I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix. I look forward to meeting everyone! Thanks for the great content here.

Has anyone had a chance to listen to this album? I liked the PV's for all the A-Sides. Their sound is a clear evolution and maturity. The integration of acoustics adn atmospherics made me want to listen to this record more than the others they have released. I look forward to getting a chance to listen.

The 薔薇 ~Bara~ single re-envigorated hope in me that lycaon would return back to the Darker Sound I love from them, but this release killed that hope. It was very average, and I have not returned to it since first listen.

I like the shamisen in the composition; outside of that it feels like I'm watching a K-Pop video. I think I'll skip out on this effort. Hopefully the new SuG builds on the Fat Inside Horror sound.

I have always been a fan of D.I.D - this single solidifies them as one of my top favorites of 2013. While the re-recordings of old Para:noir songs are not extermely fresh, I think the intent behind them was to allow the new band to play the old songs under their new moniker as previously stated. While I am preferential to the original Amaryllis, the rest sound great, and I'm glad they were included in this "single" if you can call it that. I look forward to more from the band in the near future.