A - 白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～ / SAKURA

[Zeus 7997]

Score: | The only thing stopping them now is production.

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A is somewhat of a rarity for me in the visual kei scene in that I enjoy everything they've ever done. After the release of ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA, I am convinced that this band can do no wrong. This double A-side doesn't change that any.

This is a more mature release that takes a few spins to really open up, so if you're a fan of A's rock anthem tunes you're going to have a hard time sinking your teeth into this. A have supplanted the background shouts, wailing guitar solos and speedy drums with a slower, more introspective atmosphere drenched in melancholy and hope, primarily constructed from vocals, piano and violin. 白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～ could have used some more musical progression to push it onto the same level as it's big brother track 雪月花 -The end of silence-, but with what it has it works excellently.

SAKURA is a good complement to the new track. On WHITE ALBUM, it was a track with a subdued atmosphere that got lost in the mix with the rest of the mini. The re-recording adds a new flair and gives some pop to the instruments that it really did need. The similar pace between both tracks also provides a nice cohesion so that one track flows into the next. This is best reflected in how one track can come after the other and neither suffers for it.

 

There are only two downfalls to this single. The first would be the orchestral version of  白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～ and the piano arrangement of SAKURA. Nimo was a prominent staple of both songs. Without his presence, the songs are pretty but have little to offer on subsequent listens. In particular,  白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～'s orchestral arrangement could have competed with the original if lyrics were present. What missed opportunities.

The second would be the only average production. Both ballads could have had a larger impact if they had that sparkle amazing production can add to a song, but their budget must not allow for such an advanced studio. Yet. I am only bummed over what I know could have been here and hope to see more of that emerge if they decide to place  白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～ on a future release.

With such mature songwriting and playing ability, these guys tower head and shoulders above most of the bands in the scene which birthed them. If you aren't on the A Train yet, get on board. These guys are going to get big.

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

Now that I have the mp3's, I can say some things about the songs.

 

I started with Sakura because I was curious if this was just a remake of the one on the White Album and yeah it was, but this is actually a really good thing. The Sakura from the White Album had so much potential, but was never truly memorable for me. I thought it was nice, pretty, far from bad, but a twinge on the boring side. This totally gets rid of the boring factor and now brings out the bigness that this song has. It's really captivating and captures the concept of spring perfectly. 

 

As for the piano version, I was so desperately awaiting this because their piano version of Abyss will go down in history as my favorite piano ballad of all time. Granted, those expectations are almost insurmountable. But I think it would have been a decent challenge to that if Nimo had actually sung for this. Just as the original is by no means bad, neither is this. It's definitely very beautiful and it does have an ambiance to it, but would be 100% better if Nimo was singing the same way he had sung on Abyss.

 

I wanted to get that out of the way so I could focus on the brand new song. 

 

Shiroi Akuma really did not give me what I was expecting, but that's a good thing. Judging by the preview I was expecting a basic, VK/JRock song with poor production and lamely attempted singing. I don't know why, in hindsight, that's what A would give me. Nimo sounds fresh and fabulous in this song, production value is decent enough for my taste and the pace is kept up pretty well. The finale of the song is huge, climactic, perfect. Totally what I SHOULD have suspected from the beginning.

 

The orchestra version I feel the exact same as the piano version of Sakura. 

 

Zess is right, this band has probably the most potential of any newer band... Save maybe for Div. I totally adore Div and think both them and A could really go far in the music industry,

[Augie1995 325]

<---Because apparently I can't give a rating of 5 stars. This band is really on a one way trip to taking over my music soul (I'm not black) 

 

 

All right, I don't really want to get that into reviewing this single, nor do I want to do a track by track review like I usually do. To sum it up, (ACE) simply have so much creativity and bring so much to the table that it is impossible to not see them as the "new V-kei phenomenon" as the promo vid for ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA said.

 

When the preview was released, I was watching a crap quality one on YouTube from my phone. What I gathered from it was that it was going to be (ACE), but with their cheesy side. I feared for a snow version of Shangri-la. My expectations were not only proven wrong, but they were slapped continuously, dropped to the floor and stopped on ferocio.... you get my point. The instruments are just majestic as always, Rookie's violin is uplifting to my soul, and Nimo's voice has something that makes him belong to (ACE) and the sound they create. 

 

There has been one thing that I have absolutely loved about (ACE) recently. I do wish Mucho Gracias was still in the band, but ever since he left, the guitar in their songs have has a raw quality to them that I love. You can hear it in the Water version of ELEMENTA, and you can hear it in the solo of "Phantom." Is it just me or is that sound just perfect for this band? I can't imagine a fully distorted guitar in there like one you would hear from other rock bands. 

 

SAKURA is simply a very wonderful remake of their original. I, myself, have a way of listening to remakes. When I find out a band is doing a remake, I treat that remake as a new song entirely. That's how I can distinguish how much of a difference is in the new compared to the old (I did the same with Alice Nine and their b-side track to BLUE FLAME, G3. The new song showcased so much new potential and maturity that I could not believe it was a remake). Clearly their production on the new song is a lot better than the old SAKURA. The one thing I love, which Zess had the honors of stating, is how both new songs flow together. Actually, all songs flows together. Listen to the piano arrangement of SAKURA and then have Phantom of the snow come after it and the piano sounds like it takes a small break and starts again.

 

Everything about the remakes, Zess and ShanethVarosa had beautifully states already.

 

Here's why this single is now tied between Alice Nine's Daybreak for Best Single of 2013....Actually, this single and Alice Nine's SHADOWPLAY. My favorite instrument, guitar, my next two favorites would be both the piano and violin. This band has masterfully created a beautiful song(s) with these 3 instruments. Its an homage to my tastes, and I love them for this.

[sai 868]

| Whatever didn't fit in ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA we just threw on this single and it shows.

 

As many of you have probably noticed, I've never said a bad word about A in as long as I've been listening to them. Their discography is flawless and even after Mucho left, they didn't show any decline whatsoever. Hell, they got better, the peak being ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA. This single however, is a major crack in their discography and could've been better left unreleased.

 

白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～ doesn't contain any of the A magic that makes their songs so great. Rookies violin lines are muddled in the background, the chorus is stale, the horns are obnoxious and don't fit the song at all and Toshi is not even audible. I blame that last one on the production, because God does A need better production. I hope they'll start making some more cash soon so that they'll be able to afford a better studio. Anyway, back to the song. The only thing that impressed me was Rookies violin solo just before the final chorus. It gave off a totally different atmosphere than the rest of the song and therefore was way more impressive. Overall, I'd dub this song the worst A song yet.

 

Then SAKURA. SAKURA is actually pretty good. I liked this song on White Album too, though I'd have to say that it is the weakest track from the mini. They polished it well though, but from all songs, why SAKURA? I'd love A to remake White Album once they have better production though, since SAKURA shows they can remake their stuff without butchering it. It's more detailed, has more magic and charm to it and has made me like it more. SAKURA gets my seal of approval.

 

Then the orchestral version of 白い悪魔～Phantom of the Snow～. As I don't like the original, I was hoping Rookie would go nuts on this and pretty much do a Lindsey Stirling here, as he has the technical skills to pull it off. For everyone who doesn't know who Lindsey Stirling is, here you go:

 

 

Anyway, it was just lacking in that aspect that I think Rookie could've done a lot more with it. It didn't pack a punch and didn't have any memorable moments. The piano version of SAKURA is nothing spectacular either, it's a snoozefest, to be quite honest.

 

So all in all, this one is going straight in to the trash can and I hope this'll be the last A release to which I have to do that. Very weak release from this otherwise great band.

[Biopanda 2675]

Just a quick note, but Mucho is still sorta part of the band. He played with them live when they did the ELEMENTA ALCHEMICA onemans(I don't own the CD, so I'm not sure if he was the guitarist on there). I can tell you for sure that they credit Mucho as the recording guitarist on these singles though