Versailles's Self-Titled Album

[lichtlune 915]

doesn't seem to be any reviews of this yet and even if there were it would be very difficult to find any considering the title of the album haha but well here it is

1: Prelude - Its nice and all maybe even better than the original but i just don't understand why they had to include this on the album. 8/10 i guess

2: Rose - Its not bad but not fantastic either it has some nice moments and i like the chorus but for the most part its a really forgettable song 6.5/10 just because i know they can do much better.

3: Rhapsody of The Darkness - Based on the description we got a while back i initially thought this could be epic but really the harpsichord doesn't add much to the song and is only played throughout a few times i believe, not really the baroque/malice mizer-esque feel i was expecting but well i have learned not to have huge expectations anymore for these guys. overall not that impressed seems average and boring to me 6.5/10

4: Edge of The World - this one is kind of different i like it although kamijo does drag it down a little bit but the chorus isn't too bad and the guitar work i think is good too, i tend to enjoy their heavier songs a lot though. so for me 7.5/10

5: Illusion (Album Ver.) - I don't notice any changes really but i think its a nice song and does reminiscent that of lareine musically a little 7/10

6: Ayakashi - I like the Traditional Japanese sounds they integrated and its an alright song 7.5/0

7: Created Beauty - its a pretty good song although i think the chorus is repeated a little too often or is it just weak in comparison to the rest of the song? i don't know but overall i think hizaki did a wonderful job musically and kamijo seemed to have found his charm again even if i still think he sang better before holy grail he really has a beautiful natural voice i wish he wouldn't force it so much anyway I'll be generous. 8/10

8: Holy Grail-Amoroso - The opening violin segment nearly brings me to tears and i really enjoyed this even if they just rehashed a few old ideas from holy grail. 8.5/10

9: Brave - a nice little up tempo song i like it and the chorus is really catchy i think its one of my favorites on the album and that solo is nice 8/10

10: Truth - its a okay song and has some alright moments too but well i think they could have picked a better song for a music video but still i think its kind of nice 7.5/10

11: Sympathia - Yeah another oldie its good but i think the original was fine the way it was i think this was just another filler 8/10

Overall - 7.5/10 to me it seems apparent that they probably rushed this one together as well but i thoroughly enjoyed it for the most part and has a few songs that are worth going back and listening to again in the future unlike their last album. I'd say even though i know they could do a lot better it was still in my personal opinion more enjoyable than that of holy grail even despite being one of their shorter albums, if this is really their going away present to us though then I'm a little disappointed so much for going out with a bang.

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

For me personally, the album was a really emotional experience and it is really impossible for me to look at it from an objective enough standpoint that I could write a legitimate review. But nonetheless I can always write some positive thoughts I had:

I found Created Beauty to not be as epic as other songs throughout, but towards the end was just huge and absolutely wonderful. The instrumental that follows is essentially gravy.

Edge of the World didn't strike me at first due to the "weirdness" of the intro. How it was sort of a heavy growling guitar-fest and not their usual mood. But once the intro transitioned into the chorus, it was truly outstanding. I love both single A-Sides equally. Structurally, they're kind of the same song, but whatever they're still awesome. Illusion and Ayakashi are both really good, but I rarely listen to them for whatever reason.

The reworked Prelude sets an amazing mood and intro for the album and Sympathia (having always been my favorite Versailles song) was reworked to PERFECTION. Where it was good before it's great now.

Brave and Truth are just really cool tracks. I like Brave a little more due to that one section of the song where it just switches gears and has a different melody for a couple seconds. I love that it feels so pirate-y. Truth has a certain finality to it, as does Sympathia.

A lot of Je Ne Sais Quois about the album that makes it so perfect, but it's a perfect ten to me.

[Augie1995 325]

While I do wish that this album had been more of on a more epic scale, this wasn't so much for me but I still absolutely love Versailles and like someone on this forum once said, "Versailles could s*** in a bottle and I'd still love it."

Edge of the World was certainly something new that I enjoy so much! Kamijo sounds dark, but with himself still there. My main grasping point was that guitar solo. The first measures of it were so awesome right before the rest got quiet only for the guitar melody to shine.

Created Beauty wasn't as epic as I'd hoped for it but it was still good. The cooldown sounded like something from the winter times in Harry Potter and I loved that and Kamijo sounded pretty good.

Holy grail amoroso? If I didn't know any better, it's just a medley of Holy Grail with a synth playing the vocal part of Masquerade. Still good.

Can't remember Brave right now (not a bad comment on it, just haven't gotten around to it for some reason)

Truth, this sounded a lot like the recent little singles they released this year, especially the guitar melody but it was still a nice song. The PV was really good but I didn't like the fact that for some reason it looked like Yuki was being lazy on some parts

Not an amazing way to finish off this album before their hiatus but it's satisfactory enough for me.

[LIDL 692]

I am underwhelmed.

I find it dull and lacking with passions.

Hoping for the album to be a great goodbye but doesn't happen.

They doesn't sound they have the ambition they were once having,

during the time Lyrical Sympathy/Noble any more.

So after i listened to this album,

i came to my decision that it's good for them to stop it while they're still on top.

At least they won't trapped into routines of producing the same old sounds that

have been a classic issue with most of Japanese bands.

Versailles themselves have showed a sign in this since Jubilee.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I actually liked this album. Granted it is lame that there were so few new songs, I did love all of the single tracks. However, a re-recorded intro? Really?

I think my favorite song is "Edge of the World" for how not them it is. It sounded really generic from the samples, but the song itself is a hell of a lot more interesting, and the Arabic thing going on in the middle is really cool.

I'll write a fuller review in probably 3 years since I'm so busy.

[mocksincere 0]

Certainly not their best. Maybe their worst. Not at all the amazing last album I had expected.

Why the hell did they rerecord Prelude? Was it that hard to make a new short intro? I didn't even hear any kind of difference from the previous version. Useless.

Rose is the kind of song I don't include in my playlist. Ever. I simply can't listen to that.

Rhapsody of the darkness is, on the other hand, very nice. It's one song I can enjoy.

Edge of the world is a beast of a song! It's entertaining, different and simply amazing. The best on the album, in my opinion.

Illusion is a listenable song, while Ayakashi is again, one of my favorites. Loved it the minute I heard it.

Created Beauty is plaaaaain booooring! What the hell happened with long masterpieces like God Palace, History of The Other Side of The Love From A Dead Orchestra? They were awesome, Created Beauty is just boring, boring and boring. I'm not gonna listen to that again. Ever.

Holy Grail -amoroso- is a nice interlude, in my opinion. Nothing special.

Brave and Truth are really nice songs. Not their very best, but good. I think I like Brave, though, a little more.

Sympathia, well, I never really liked that song, I know, it's one of fan's favorite, but not mine.

All in all, just not what I wanted. There are maximum 5 good songs on this album, and only two which are excellent, while one of them is older. The rest are just boring. I'm dissapointed.

[Rosà 37]

To be honest, the last Versailles album is not exactly that, what I was expecting from them. I'll write only a general opinion - many of the songs there included were quiet bland and shouldn't have been chosen to the farewell! Starting with "Prelude" - what for? Re-recording of an intro by adding echos? Making it incompatible with the second song? Is it really difficult for such a good composer to make a new short intro? A joke or what? Then the songs I kind of really dislike - Rose (all the time i'm asking the same question: Haven't I heard it somewhere?), Illusion (what the heck? Definitely not their style, it doesn't suit the album. I appreciate that the song is for fans but apart from this... neee, bland, melancholic. Nothing for me), Holy Grail -Amoroso- (The second faith & decision, but a long shorter and much impoverished) and Sympathia (any differences? What for to do re-record of the song, that was quiet ok?). Ayakashi and Rhapsody of the darkness is what I kind of like. Ayakashi because of it's orientality and Rhapsody, which reminds me of older Versailles' songs. Edge of the world I found weird, but refreshing. They weren't doing something like this one. Idk if it's quality problems or remastering, but sometimes it's hard to listen to it. Brave and Truth liked really much. Typical for the versailles. And almost for me masterpiece: Created beauty. It doesn't matter it has 10 minutes! It's brilliant. Listenable, nice music motives and lyrics. About this song i was worried the most, but fortunately for Hizaki it was good. So, when you want, you can compose something really good. See?

I give the album about 6 of 10 points. They really could do better before hiatus. I know, label, timetables, concerts, but... Yeah. Hope they will return with new powers, new tunes, which will be equal good or even better than their last releases...