A - Elementa Alchemica

[Zeus 7997]

Word around the visual blogosphere is that A's new single, Elementa Alchemica, isn't good. I've heard it called a vast disappointment. Accusations have been flung stating that A doesn't have what it takes to do a 40 minute prog song. Others say that the movements themselves are boring and lack soul. I look around me and see confused people, willing to try out the single but wary at the length of the single and afraid of disappointment.

I laugh at those lies and raise you all a glass of Jameson.

I'll tell you now that 2.5 of those complaints are unwarranted. The only thing that I will admit to having any credence to it is that the movements sound disjointed. That complaint only holds if you shelled out the bucks to get the digital version, which cuts out all of the music between each movement. Obviously, you can't cut out parts of a track and still expect it to sound good! Skip the digital release and get yourself the one-track, 40 minute epic so you can hear the song the way A intended you to.

ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA is far and away the best single to be released this year. It is also one of the most ambitious releases I have seen come out of the scene in years, doubly so from an indie band. ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA is clearly four songs in one, but a theme ties each song to the next. The movements are organized in a very logical manner and then the interludes that connect them don't feel forced. The result is not a song that was forced to be 40 minutes long for the sake of length, but a song that was composed and worked on and tweaked until it was done and it just happened to be 40 minutes. There's a very big difference between the two.

To better review it, I'd be tempted to break it down into four sections. However, that would be robbing each section of the build-up that comes before it and the wind down that comes after it. The interludes between each section are just as important as each element, perhaps even more so. Those who felt unsatisfied listening to the four movements as their own separate entity might change their mind when they hear the proper intro to 地の楽章 or the 10 minutes that come after 風の楽章, full of gentle guitar plucks, gongs, slight electronic touches and violin that are just plain gorgeous. It's also worth noting that while I find 水の楽章 to be the low part of all four movements (which in no way means it's bad, just that the others are better), the buildup after that explodes into a fantastic 20 minutes with 火の楽章/風の楽章. If you feel nothing after that, check your pulse. You might be dead.

So yes, A manages to bust out a 40 minute prog song while keeping the level of skill that I expect from them as well as incorporating the world theme that they've been dabbling with since WHITE ALBUM, but not in a totally awkward fashion as they're prone to doing sometimes. Check this out - at the very least you'll find that this just isn't your style. However, anyone that tells you that this is straight up awful has no taste in music.

I can't put it much more simply than that.

[Augie1995 325]

Edit: I finally got to give the 40 minute version a listen and it is perfect

Man, ACE really outdid themselves because this claim the best single of the decade. The transitions between the elements is so smooth that there are hardly any moments that you feel it could be changed. The moods set by the elements have you coming in strong with Earth and then calming down for Water, back to a strong sound with Fire, and then sets you in with Wind. The arrangements of these elements would not be better in any other way. When I listened to the digital version, Water was my favorite and Wind was my least favorite. It still hasn't changed but now all the songs have an even bigger impact what with the full intros.

All the orchestral pieces layered throughout the song just make this song an even more perfect song. The Spanish guitars during the intro for Wind, it really makes their goal of "World music domination" seem like they will be there in no time. Some of my favorite sections are like the section right after the guitar solo in Water when you have the flute playing. All I can think of are those Legend of Zelda game and movies that I've seen that seem to take place back in the past but in a fantasy world, I love it.

I simply have nothing to say to those saying that this song is boring or too long because I refuse to dignify them with a response.

There's only one thing that I would change, and that would be to remove the intro narration, it's so cheesy and I just want to get to the good part but I do love the way it transitions from the narration to the music. But, I get it, ACE wanted this song to have an overlying theme, the elements, nature if you will, and it was made to be like a story (still want to read the lyrics) so it's natural that they made a narration.

[dannemannen 69]

I was very disappointed myself. Didnt sound very special at all, rather boring actually.

Hope they return to the more melodic stuff again.

[sai 868]

First of all: anyone who claims this is boring or terrible needs to go listen to the 40-minute version instead of the digital version and then come back, because I have no clue whatsoever how someone could think this is boring.

Even though the four song sections are completely different, it still feels as one single song. The amount of diversity the track has also makes sure it doesn't get too repetitive, nor does it actually feel like the thing is 40 minutes long. The intro with the falsettos and the speech might be a bit cheesy, but once the earth section sets in it's all back to straight A goodness. Earth is strong, shaking and all over the place, just like the element itself. I therefore now take the time to praise them on how well they incorporated the elements' characteristics into the song sections, it was absolutely brilliant.

Once earth ends, the heavy atmosphere immediately calms down. The switch is there, but it's not disturbing, nor is it too big. The nature sounds really set a nice atmosphere for the water part that follows closely after the short melodic intro that is mainly focused on Rookie's violin playing. Water is dramatic, concentrated, with a mix of calmness and power, just the way water actually is. I personally am very fond of this section, though pointing out a favourite is difficult. Every time I get into a section I can't make up my mind which one I prefer. And I don't have to choose one, since it's one song after all.

Fire's intro is badass and wild and makes the fire song sound better than it was on the digital version. It's not that I disliked it (not at all) but it didn't leave an impression on me like earth and water did. The same goes with the air song, it sounds a lot better when taken with the other three along with a good intro. Fire therefore sounds brutally epic now, but epic in a different way than earth was. The switch from water to fire again was quite big, but that's what made it so great in my opinion.

Then last is air. On the digital version this song didn't stand out for me at all, but taken with the great intro and melodic sections along with the fact that it's the closing element and therefore lightens the song up a bit, it sounds a lot better. It's still my least favourite section out of the four, but it's good they placed this one at the end and not somewhere in between. This single would've sounded completely different and probably worse if they had changed the order of the elements.

After air follows a dramatic outro with an orchestra, which ends this 40-minute masterpiece. A wins single of the year, with a solid 9.5/10 (didn't like air enough for a 10/10) and a permanent place in the list of my favourite VK acts of the past few years.

[LIDL 692]

What a brilliant record from start to finish.

I throughly enjoyed it.

It just, you know, solid.

Many fears they would end their career when Muchos left.

But they prove their worth, and right now, i never regret that Muchos left.

Their direction is on the right track right now.

I miss this kind of sounds, you know,

this scene have been so boring with every other band

trying to be "OMG SATANIC METVL - COOL - SHOW MAH SKILLZ BITCHAZZ"

O.K, disregard the obnoxious title,

that i bet 4 of 5 of us never get why or what, that pretty common with VK scene,

this release is the best they ever done. It's fresh!

I could not fathom those of you that think it flop tbh.

Your basic ears need some upgrade tbh.

Really, VK have hope with A,

just so long every other band got inspired to break the mold,

and NOT blatantly copy them now.

Sorry their talent and visions can't ever be copied.

ANd as for A themselves, i hope they keep reinvent themselves.

So, looking forward what to come from A.

[CAT5 9075]

Since this single was receiving rave reviews from members that I respect on a musical level, I figured I'd give this a listen. Mind you, I'm only familiar with a very few songs from A, so I wasn't entirely sure what to expect.

I honestly did find the intro fairly cheesy, but as soon as the song got off ground, I was pleased with the different directions it took. Admittedly, I was more fond of the instrumental "build-ups" than I was the actual song sections. The epic scale of the instrumentation really highlighted how weak A's vocalist is, and so while I definitely appreciate A's musicianship, their vocalist just doesn't measure up all the time.

Elementa Alchemica is extremely solid, but my biggest gripe with it is the format in which it was released. In the world of Visual Kei, releasing a 40 minute song is extremely ambitious and I commend A for that. However, I simply think this song would have worked better if it had been released as a mini album instead. It's difficult for me to view this as one progressive track because the sections are so distinct and it's VERY apparent when the song transitions from one section to the other. I would have preferred for each of the 4 song sections and each of the instrumental sections to have been on separate tracks. This way, Elementa Alchemica would have flowed the same if the tracks were played consecutively and it wouldn't appear to be a bunch of different songs and instrumentals glued together for the sake of creating a "40 minute epic".

All in all, a commendable effort from A, but a questionable format...

[Jigsaw9 6783]

I honestly did find the intro fairly cheesy, but as soon as the song got off ground, I was pleased with the different directions it took. Admittedly, I was more fond of the instrumental "build-ups" than I was the actual song sections. The epic scale of the instrumentation really highlighted how weak A's vocalist is, and so while I definitely appreciate A's musicianship, their vocalist just doesn't measure up all the time.

My thoughts, pretty much.

Also this was the first release by them that I listened from start to finish, and it wasn't bad. I prolly won't listen to it ever again, but it was a cool concept and I respect their ambition.