Aoi&Ryohei - Joukei Narabi ni Nodo Yubisaki.

[Daggi_X 2]

1. ぬめり取りねぶり - The heavy beginning sounded really promising, too bad the whole song wasn't like that. 7/10

2. Dear my suite... - The song sounded really messy upon first listen but it started to grow on me and became one of my favourites off this album 8/10

3. 破軍の時 - This is exactly why I missed old Ayabie. Great song! 9/10

4. すいせいせいぶつ図鑑 - A little boring. Sounded like something Aoi would do with his solo project 4/10

5. 勿忘草 - Aikagi 2.0! A song that has a fresh sound and feels familiar at the same time. Great idea! 9/10

6. カメレオン症候群 - This is what アヤビエ probably would sound like today if Ryohei had never left them. 7/10

7. plugged - There's nothing special about this song, but it went well with the flow of the album. 6/10

8. モノクローム - Even though this song has been released a while ago I still like it! 8/10

9. モルヒネにくちづけを - Another song that could have been a leftover from their old days. Aoi's vocals are a little annoying though. 6/10

10. 良秀ノ深遠ナル悩ミ - Easily the best song on the album. 10/10

11. 蝶 - I loved the original version and I love this version as well. One of my all time favourite songs! 10/10

12. 閉園の後、雨 - This feels a lot calmer than the original version and really shows how much those guys have progressed 9/10

Overall: 7.75/10

I'm actually really pleased with this album. Most of these tracks sounded like the two of them picked up where they had stopped in 2006 and even though you could tell that there is a lot of influence from their current projects it still sounded like something they could have released as アヤビエ.

[Seimeisen 4406]

葵＆涼平？ Nope! It's アヤビエ - and they're finally back, after years of 葵 having the metal sucked out of him, and 涼平...... doing something else that also isn't metal. Regardless of that, they've both matured as musicians. 涼平 has matured a lot as a composer, and while keeping to the typical song writing pattern, something about his songs are quite progressive. I really enjoyed this entire album, every song was great. My only gripe about this album is that it felt short, even for ten tracks.

I will say, however, that I'm glad they chose to re-record old songs as bonus tracks, especially the two they chose (copies of 閉園の後、雨 and 蝶 can set you back $50/each, maybe more). It's interesting to hear how much 葵's voice has matured since his very first song (閉園の後). As for the re-recorded version of 蝶, the guitars are clearer and everything is much more present. 葵 and 涼平 have also matured as producers.

This album is essential for all アヤビエ listeners. It has elements inspired by their present-day side projects, and something to remind you of the old days. It even has a cartoony CD cover, just like old times.

Recommended Tracks:

- ぬめり取りねぶり (!!!)

- カメレオン症候群 (agrees with Daggi's comment)

- 良秀ノ深遠ナル悩ミ (That kind of ending song that leaves you wanting more! Listen closely, you'll hear some screaming.)