Sadie- THE BLACK DIAMONDS album review

[Augie1995 325]

For some reason, I can only bring myself to do a song by song review unless the circumstances fit and even those circumstances I can't yet name myself... I'm being weird xD

Anyways, I'm going to give a summary of the album and what I thought of it. This album has one of the best starters I have heard from them...ever. Such an awesome song キミのミタイモノ is. All throughout the whole album, not a single song bore me. I was astounded by how different they sounded. They have had some awesome guitar melodies and riffs but the ones on this album were absolutely amazing, especially with a song like Mukuro. The ballads are simply beautiful and blew me away compared to the ones on COLD BLOOD. Tear drop is my favorite ballad from them without a doubt.

All in all, and astounding album, from start to finish. THE BLACK DIAMONDS >>>>>>>> COLD BLOOD.

[sai 868]

After the trainwreck that was called COLD BLOOD, I didn't feel much motivation to listen to Sadie again, nor try their new album. After Danao convinced me it wasn't terribad, I tried it out of curiosity. First things first: it's better than COLD BLOOD. But that doesn't say much.

Even though Sadie honestly seems to have tried to make a decent record it doesn't stand out to me as much as it should've. Of course, the album has some catchy tracks here and there that give a kind of kick-ass feeling, but apart from the catchy melodies there was nothing else going on in here. Even though COLD BLOOD was horrible, it at least had diverse tracks that were distinguishable from the other tracks on the album, what this album particularly lacked. I mean like I said before: the tracks aren't BAD, there is just too little going on on the album as a whole for me to find it interesting as a concept or so. Rosario still is really really bad though, I'm glad they didn't go totally hurrdurr-core again aside from that single.

I also somehow find the guitar work a bit...lacking? I don't know, but I don't really feel interested by Sadie's guitar work on this record (reasons why I love the bands I love: their guitar work is always top notch and diverse). It feels monotonous and flat and sometimes it just seems to have forgotten what riffs are and just chugs along for the rest of the track. I also miss the bass, they could've made that one a bit more audible. The drums do a good job though, like in most Sadie releases.

Overall I'd have to give it a 5/10. Not bad, but definitely not something I'll listen to again.

[minre 13]

sai's sentiments [2]

even though I couldn't bring myself to like COLD BLOOD, it had its moments...

while this just plays on as if nothing interesting was happening.

that sad, I really like tear drop. I also liked the opener, though frankly, it reminded me of the songs I lived by them mashed into an opener [though I could have done without the chorus...].

[also, on my 2nd time through the album, it felt like mukuro was wanted to pull a luna sea's rosier in the first second or two.... has bugged me since.]

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

I'm really enjoying this album, personally. I want to agree with Augie in that Kimi no Mitaimono is fucking outstanding, but I also really enjoy Mukuro, Meteor, Tear Drop, Rain Fall, and Kanashimi no Sanka. They're probably my overall favorites, but Ai no Wana is a pretty strong track. I really don't care for Rosario, Playgirl, or Flavor of Blood.

In comparison with other albums, though, I think Master of Romance is still my favorite. The Black Diamonds might be a close second and then Cold Blood and Undead bringing up the rear. I found that Cold Blood had some really amazing moments... Not getting the hate.

Gonna give this an overall 7.5/10

[Eraser 66]

I've only listened to it 2 times yet and it wasn't enough to me to form a proper opinion, so maybe I'll change my mind later. For now I think this album is mostly ok, not their best (I'm sure they'll never surpass MASTER OF ROMANCE tbh - hope I'm wrong ), but after RED LINE and METEOR, it was a pleasant surprise to me. I think it works very well as an album and it's clearly more coherent than COLD BLOOD (thanks to not filling the whole album with already well-known singles).

My only problem is the first 5 tracks sound too similar to each other, the second half contains far more veriety with two ballads and Rosario + Rain fall. Btw, these last two tracks are my absolute favourites from the album. Already liked Rosario, it was a really fresh thing from them (I know a lot of people dislike this song, don't really get why). About Rain fall... well, even if it sounds like Dearest mixed with RED LINE, I can't help because it's so goddamn catchy.

So that's it. I'm not sure if it has more good songs than COLD BLOOD, but as an album it works better.

[Thedane 176]

Oh boy here goes...

I'm writing this as i'm listening to the album.

First song: Opens well, brings hope of enjoyable songs to come. Though, i find it slightly too slow for an opener in my opinion.

Second song: Begins well, this might not go too horribly wrong. Yet has a big flaw, were still early on in the album and it's far too slowly phased.

Third song: Now we're talking... wait forget that, what the hell is this? A jazzy dance thing? Oh dear lord we're in for a bumpy ride.

Fourth song: meteor.. this song just doesn't seem to grow on me, at all. Sorry but it just wont.

Fifth song: Hmm sounds promising, even beyond the first 30 seconds. Proper guitar work, finally! Went better than expected!

Sixth song: A ballad? Now? Really? You haven't pulled up the right mood, i'm not hyped/pumped or anything, and you feel like easing the tension now? Good riddance.

Seventh: Oh sweet jesus, by far the best i've heard from them in years. Rosario is amazing, saves the mood for this album, it might not be so bad from now on.

Eight song: Eh well, this could go either way... and it just went for the worse. Somewhat catchy, but still, far too weak. Oh hang on a minute, it catches up a bit later on, not all miserable after all. Actually like the guitar work a lot in this song.

Ninth song: Another ballad... for real? *sigh* two fairly successful songs doesn't grant you the permission to throw another ballad at me. Good thing for you, Sadie, it isn't too bad. With that said, still disappointed. better round this 10-course feast off well, le grand finale is almost here!

Tenth song: That's it, this better raise the level a LOT. Halfway through, still nothing. No way on earth this could have been a weaker ending.

Overall: This was, if not worse, just as bad as cold blood. Far too many weak tracks, i know they can do so so so so so well, why are they doing this... the album had its moments, but they were far too few from what i'm used to when it comes to Sadie. I'll go listen to Master of romance, or even 13+2, back when they knew how to make an album work.

Overall score: 3/10

[relentless 254]

Whether it's Dir en grey or the GazettE, Sadie never surprises in practically ripping off influences. This album is another reason why they'll forever be regarded as Dir en grey-lite.

2/10 (for one cool part in the first track)

[morbiusss 10]

i think its funny how in this forum everybody is having an ultimate opinion after listening to an album just one time. like vk songs would be easy to get in like some shitty pop music.

[sai 868]

i think its funny how in this forum everybody is having an ultimate opinion after listening to an album just one time. like vk songs would be easy to get in like some shitty pop music.

Irrelevant to the thread. Besides, most of the reviewers have stated that they listened to it more than once or haven't stated that at all, so you cannot base conclusions on this.

[Guest]

Track One: Kind of cool at first but ruined by Mao's constant moaning of "SCREAMING HOLLOW." 1/5

Track Two: Kagerou + heavy metal energy = Not impressed. I'm also tired of bands using the whole double "itoshikute" in lyrics. It's as over done as singing about the red thread. This song was boring. 0.5/5

Track Three: Opens with funny sounding guitar chugs and then the guitars fall into an annoying insect buzz. Mao's vox are weird and stupid in this song. Failed Saddy Dance Rock with over-chugg-ey guitars. 0.3/5

Track Four: I'm already annoyed by this song after the intro. And that terribad whispering? Jesus this is a terrible song. Fuck this song. I'm skipping it. Skipped/5

Track Five: FRAVOR OF BROOD scream keeps me from taking it seriously and the trying to be bad ass rap that follows is lame. LOL that whole really lame "One dead, two dead, three dead, four," thing is hilarious. The drums are really getting on my nerves at this point in the album and I'm questioning why I'm even still going forward. This track is a pile of ridiculousness. AHAHA. "So Flavor of Blood is covered with darkness," fuck this song. 0.3/5

Track Six: Oh a Melancholic Ballad. Maybe this will be ok. ... ... ... Nope it's just meh. It's not even captivating at all. MEH. MEH. MEH. MEH. MEH/5

Track Seven: Obviously Sadie just trying to live up to the Diru roots. So far the only song I marginally like and it's from last year. 1/5

Track Eight: Oh another electro dance rock song. Oh wow. This is probably the worst song on the album. AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA. Are they serious? This song is laughable. This song is so bad. 0.1/5

Track Nine: So far so bland and reminiscent of some past Saddy songs. Over all it's bland and boring and has no substance. The music doesn't even sound good. It just melts together and gets even more bogged down by Mao's vocals and the annoying drumming. I say good bye to this song and wont wait for anymore from this band. Sadly there is another track. 0.1/5

Track Ten: Another meh ballad that is kind of more tolerable. Probably the only song that is listenable on the whole fucking album. But still nothing interesting and over all a boring ballad. 1/5

Terrible album. Saddy is just dir en grey with puma purses. Fuck this band. Fuck these shitty songs.

[jduv86 224]

I'll edited this later when I get home from work with a track by track review but let me just say that overall I LOVE THIS album! Really great

EDIT: Just noticed this oops lol

The Black Diamonds > Master of Romance > Cold Blood

I meant Master of Romance > The Black Diamonds > Cold Blood

[relentless 254]

i think its funny how in this forum everybody is having an ultimate opinion after listening to an album just one time. like vk songs would be easy to get in like some shitty pop music.

Visual kei isn't deep in the first place...it's pretty plain. Sadie is FAR from deep.

[ghost 2687]

Kimi no mitai mono

Holy moly this is an awesome opener to the album. It's dark and heavy yet sweet and soft.

My favorite part is the mid-section where the guitars play their notes like drops of water hitting a calm lake and creating ripples. The song reminds me a little bit of their old music from like 13+2 era.

8/10

mukuro

After the first track, this song just sounds weak. It's like a much weaker blend of [confusion] and [meteor] and they seem to use much more primitive guitar riffs and melodies. And there is some confusion because they've been showing much stronger composition skills lately. The only part I can say that enjoy is the pre-chorus: it's got such a lovely melody and Mao's voice is beautiful.

5/10

ai no wana

This one is like a more bland [virtual fakeman]. There's not much I can say about this song except that it's your typical jazzy song with heavier elements.

4/10

meteor

suckish intro. I start liking the song when Mao in and especially when the distorted vocals come in. I've loved the chorus since I heard it and I still think it's beautiful. The mid-section sounds like filler and I feel like they could have done something more interesting, but, transitionally it works fine.

6/10

flavour of blood

I enjoy this song most than others on the album because it retains the smoothest flow through out one song. It's not your typical heavy track either, it's got some melodic elements for balance too. The "one dead, tw....." thing was a little corny, but I thought it was fun little thing. I can't stand the ending though. It sounds like there should be more.

6/10

tear drop

Beautiful ballad marred by generic Korean ballad chorus, complete with generic string set. Although, I can't deny that Sadie really shows their strong compositional skills in this song. They've come a long ways in their ballads. My favorite part is the intro and guitar solo which is great!

5/10

Rosario

I found Rosario to be a pretty average track when it came out and I still feel pretty much the same. First, I'm glad that it fits into the album nice and snug even with songs like Meteor. It doesn't seem crazy out of place like the singles in [Cold Blood]. I dunno. It's like a crazier, darker [dress] to me.

6/10

Playgirl

Mao's vocals are king in this song. I like the guitar riffs too: they're pretty fun to rock out to. The pre-chorus is ugly though and I think ruins the flow of the song. The sweet chorus kind of makes up.

I feel like it could have been one of their best songs, if only the flow wasn't ruined with that chunky fat man pre-chorus and boring other parts.

6/10

Rain fall

What da red line? I think it sounds like a sweeter [red line]. I don't like the way they started the song; what with such a lovely chorus I thought it'd be a song that built up to it, but they get right into it. I love the chorus though and the part after it. The chorus has this, kind of, synth playing behind everything and it adds a melancholy sound to the song that I love. I feel like everything else is generic though and kills down the golden parts of the song.

6/10

Kanshimi no sanka

The most beautiful piano intro to a song Sadie has every done in my opinion. I can feel the dark chords of the piano wrap around me in sweet sorrow as Mao's voice softly caresses my skin. And when the guitars come in, they bring this contrast of light. Melody A sweeps you away in a sort of waltz, and with its beautiful and melancholy melody that builds up. The guitar plucks (as well as Mao's dual vocals near the end) are reminiscent of [swallow Rain] and bring a nostalgic feeling to this song.

7/10

This album was kind of a let down.

I like bits and pieces and the overall idea for songs like mukuro, tear drop, and rain fall, but it just doesn't deliver at the end.

I either like the chorus and not the rest of the song, or I like the rest of the song except the chorus.

It's a real bummer too because the parts that I like are soooo good!

The ending of [Kanshimi no sanka], while it does leave with chills down my spine, I think, was not the best way to close off the album. The listener is left wondering more about if the song is really over as opposed to thinking about the last 50~ish minutes and how they're different after listening to the album.

I feel like Sadie could have really made something magical here but they kind of went average with it in a lot of ways. The 2 gems in this album are [kimi no mitai mono] and [Kanshimi no sanka] and the rest are either below average or are marred by below average parts.

6/10

[Asakusa 95]

I give up with this band, I gave them too many chances and this album was the last one.

I'm not gonna give a track by track review because I skipped every song.

Like I said before, every song of them sound exactly the same.

I don't forgive you Sadie, you disappointed me...

I'll always love the Trend Killer/Grudge of sorrow era, and I don't care if that's the past, I miss THAT GOOD OLD Sadie that will never come back.

[sai 868]

i think its funny how in this forum everybody is having an ultimate opinion after listening to an album just one time. like vk songs would be easy to get in like some shitty pop music.

Visual kei isn't deep in the first place...it's pretty plain. Sadie is FAR from deep.

The reason why we removed the approval system was because we thought people might actually stop off-topic slander and make serious reviews. Guess will still didn't get the message. Alright buddy, continue this discussion elsewhere. If you feel like discussing this with me (which I wouldn't recommend), I'm 10 seconds away from clicking that warning button.

[PsychoTechno 0]

Hello!

I am a new member but I've been listening to most of their stuff so here's my review.

First song: Kimi no Mitai Mono

This is a good track. I find it more amusing than Cold Blood's first track.

The first thing that took my interest is Mao's vocal work in this track. It's superb.

I am not really sure about how high he can reach but this is awesome. Although the song is kinda short, it's worth listening.

7/10

Second song: Mukuro

The first few parts of the intro reminds me of TRUE by Exist+Trace. The song is good too. It's not that heavy and not too popish. Some people say Sadie is just like Dir en Grey and stuff and I am aware of the fact that the latter is Sadie's influence. But as I enjoy their music, I can say that they have developed their own style and this song is one. The chorus is good.

6/10

Third song: Ai no Wana

It's not that impressive but it's better than inserting another single just to fill the album up. It reminds me of their first songs like Awaki Gunjou.

6/10

Fourth song: METEOR

This is a good song. It's slightly fast-paced and the chorus leaves some hint that the song really is made by Sadie. The guitar work after the first chorus is cool. It's like there's a couple of androids talking with beeps and bleeps.

8/10

Fifth song: Flavor of blood

This song is simple. It has some kind of weakened blast-beats and alternating pace. The chorus is good as well. But the pauses in the song makes it sound weird plus Mao's whispering. It has some drones which just like in Red Line which sounds good.

6/10

Sixth song: tear drop

Probably one of the best songs in the album. It's like GazettE's PLEDGE but with less complex guitar works. The goosebumps it gave me can be compared when listening to Sayonara no hate or Kowarete Iku Sekai (Girugamesh). I like how they utilize Mao's voice in creating this kind of song.

8/10

Seventh song: Rosario

Ah. Pure darkness in their style with weird clothing. It's murky and can be played during rituals for summoning plagues and the most horrific of the demons. The chorus wraps it good. It's better than their previous singles and doesn't sound too popish too. Although some parts are tiresome but it can be managed.

8/10

Eighth song: Playgirl

Ha! I thought my player suddenly turned on its shuffle. I like the song. It's not so Sadie and just like METEOR, it's upbeat. Sometimes, you need some light after listening to all chaos.

7/10

Ninth song: Rain fall

Others might say it has the same style as Red Line because Mao sings both of their titles after the intro/chorus part. Though in Red Line, it has the standard of just repeating the chorus but Rain fall has some lines to continue the chorus. I like the guitar work but it can't beat Red Line's solo.

Tenth song: Kanashimi no Sanka

Hoa-hoa-hoa-hoa~ Another slow song. I like the ending part of this song.

Although I haven't read the lyrics yet, I think this song has some good meaning.

6/10

Overall: The album is better than expected. I prefer their random chug-chugs in their songs but this album has its good points. Other albums too, has their respective good points and some songs really differ from the other. It's good to have some time to listen to them and compare.

And since I am new here, I want to share my top picks (without tracks from the latest album):

1. Meisai (Single version > Undead 13+2 version)

2. Red Line

3. Sayonara no Hate (I was hoping for them to recreate this song)

4. A Holy Terrors

5. Ice Romancer

6. Swallow Rain

7. Kasumi ni Kieru Hana

8. Dress

9. Beauty Shadow

10. Dearest

Ha! Sadie is one of the best bands I know. I prefer them over the GazettE.

Thanks for reading!

[Ro plz 1290]

To start off I'm legit baffled at the posts stating The Black Diamonds is better than Cold Blood. To each his or her own but c'mon are you friggin kidding me?! Cold Blood is the best album Sadie has made hands down. Even the typical catchy/anime type songs on that album stand out more than a good chunk of what was on The Black Diamonds. However, there are "strong" points in the album. The opening track, Kimi no Mitai Mono IS amazing. Its clear that its the bands interpretation of Merciless Cult. You'd have to be a complete idiot or just plan ignorant not to see that. Same thing goes for Tear Drop. Another well done track. Would've done even better if I didn't hear it before...by the Gazette (Pledge Ring a bell?). Rosario (Different Sense) was another kickass track from the get go. The rest of the album however has been done...again...and again...If not by Sadie or some other VK band. Cold Blood makes the rest of this album look like complete crap. Track after track except for Cry More was great. Goes to show you that SADIE has no sound, and is just a band that is here to take up space and I agree with Will...they will always be Dir en grey /Gazette Lite.

[dannemannen 69]

Fuck, I wanted to love this album so much but most of the new songs suck =( The only new one i like is tear drop, all others sound like fillers. Damn sadie, you did such an awesome work with RED LINE mini, what happened? 5/10

[morbiusss 10]

to me it seems as we are listening to an old, immature sadie. like, you know, "come on it's their first album! they got better after this".

they had their peak of creativity, production, and maturity with MASTER OF ROMANCE and maybe THE BULLET STORM.

COLD BLOOD wasn't that bad, but the singles where pretty horrifying (save dress and the b-side true world).

it still got the album feeling, and they tried to write interesting songs.

now THIS. RED LINE indicated which way they want to go now with the title song, RODEO SCREAM and the two soft ballads daydream and koe. good songs, and i like if bands change their style, if not it gets boring.

THE BLACK DIAMONDS, however, is a terrible mixture of the new style and some thrown in wannabe dark numbers. not black at all, not dirty at all, not hard at all.

it sounds like some teenage-band's first album.

METEOR and Playgirl are horrible. catchy choruses, yes, but the "growls", "screams", or whatever that mess should display and the breakdowns ruin these songs. seriously, this is even pre-teenage girl's music.

then we have rosario, which is so bad, a wannabe gothic track with a ridiculous chorus.

i watched the video after i listened to this and i couldn't stop laughing. what's wrong with them??????

is this the same band which made AWESOME AWESOME videos like Silent Eve, meisai, Gieving the dead soul and Ice Romancer??????

WHAT HAPPENED? the video for meteor is a joke, too.

tracks i like in this album: tear drop, ai no wana, mukuro, kanashimi no sanka.

kanashimi no sanka is the ONLY track which really shows how much talent they have, and gives newbies a glimpse of the fantastic music they can discover if they are going back in sadies discography.

i hope they will find their way.

going back or making good vk-pop, both fine, but both styles should be done 100%, not breeding some miserable bastard.

3/10

[x_dak_x 5]

I'll have to give this album a try. the review seem quite mixed... missed their am2 performance