Lin -The End of Corruption World- - Chaotic Resistance

[Ada Suilen 652]

Here it is my 2nd review on MH... I hope you will enjoy it

 

-Chaotic Resistance: this track made me jumping from my chair! It's a really powerful track, with 80's rock style, accompained by Sui's versatile voice... and that guitar before the last refrain!! I am really stuck on it  ---> 10/10

 

-Persecution Complex: this song instead goes deeper than the first one, with a gothic style, reprising from Megaromania music, with Sui that shows again his vocal ability And here Yushi made a good work with drums! ---> 9.5/10

 

-Schwarz Vrain: the worst song of this single... it was so messy and not suitable to Sui's style... ---> 6/10

 

-Sincerely: a typical listenable Megaromania ballad An enjoyable thing, but they must not be stuck on that kind of songs ---> 8/10

 

Final Vote ---> 8/10

This single introduced better the new Lin's line-up than Sacred Xanadu (that i enjoyed too but here the a-side totally blew me away!) and it composed by two parts: Kisaki songs (1st and 2nd track) and Mizaly songs (3rd and 4th track) and i liked most Kisaki part (look at numbers ) I hope that this new line-up understood what is the right direction they have to take, and i am waiting for songs like Chaotic Resistance, but now it will be hard letting me away from that tune, is so awesome

[Incogneeto 23]

Inb4 Sacred Xanadu>Chaotic Resistance (the tracks, not single as whole).

The composition in the new single feels kinda overdone IMO.

Schwarz Vrain wasn't that bad, but would have been a lot better if Sui could handle the screamos and stuff.

And yeah, Kisaki tracks over Mizaly tracks anytime.

Hoping they release a mini/full album next.

[hitsuji-hime 211]

The bass lines in Chaotic Resistance are so amazingly done, it makes me swoon *___* it sounds a bit like 90s visual kei. The only things I didn't like were when Sui reaches the high notes, which isn't always pleasing, and the muttered, unintelligible speech in the bridge part.

 

Persecution Complex has a very soothing sound, which matches Sui's vocals perfectly, plus it's got that "bad boy" guitar sound in the middle of it. Very pretty song overall.

 

Sincerely has a more poppy sound, a bit Megaromania-ish, which makes it my least favorite song in this single.

 

Schwarz Vrain takes the cake as my favorite song on here~ As Sui mentioned on his blog, he tried a different sound for this song, and it worked perfectly!! I didn't expect him to actually scream throughout this song, it really did take me by surprise!! Very catchy rhythm, but I feel it was too short ;w; still, doesn't make me love it any less.

 

This was way better than I thought, much better than Sacred Xanadu. I hope Lin keeps this up!

[Ada Suilen 652]

About Schwarz Vrain i think that he can improve his screamo, which i didn't enjoy in songs like Propaganda or others... i hope very much that Lin helps him in that sense

[Lestat 2167]

I personally think that Sui shouldn't do harsh vocals at all. It's kind of a thing on this single that let me down.

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Chaotic Resistance | Sui Takin Me 2 Church - 

 

Finally getting around to writing a review.

 

Lin has been one of those bands that I've love / hated since they started. They're like that childhood friend you were super close with growing up that started doing stupid shit once they got to college--all you can do is really watch and hang out with them in small doses because there's not a whole lot of the friend you once knew left. After some fighting, nights up pondering over regrets, and self reflection, you decided to stop being upset and realize he now has his own life to lead and it is time to, for the most part, part ways while cherishing the good times that weren't tarnished.

 

But then he started to get his act together: his grades went up, he started to dress better, no more coming home at 6:45 am caked in his own vomit, he's been hanging out with less douche-y people, and he's even got some job prospects lined up for after graduation. That friend you once had is starting to come back and you no longer count the seconds during each interaction you have with him. In fact, you've even started to look forward to catching up with him. Everyone has some sort of hot mess phase, but maybe this guy managed to pull himself out...

 

This allegory is how I feel about "Chaotic Resistance." It's taken all of Lin's idiosyncrasies and wraps them up in new, shiny, paper and presents them as a gift to those who've stuck through their awkward, self discovery, period (Are we Phantasmagoria? Are we Laputa??? Synth Chariots?????). It is hard to ignore that this 2nd line up does in fact bring much more elaborate guitar work, shifts their genre more towards the cheesy gothic symphonic metal that Phantasmagoria was, and definitely ups the effort put into the synthesizer, but when comparing to their first period it really doesn't seem as different as I originally thought on first listen. For example, their first single "Sacred Xanadu" is actually very similar to their first period aside from the three shifts I mentioned earlier--they still have their Laputa-ish rockabilly  synth-rock twang to their songs, but that accent is further buried under Mizaly's prominent (and albeit overbearing) signature style.

 

To simply dismiss this single as more "Megaromania leftovers" shows a lack of attention and exposes an already jaded disposition because it completely glosses over how much the group has improved even in just the very very small span of just two singles. Take the title track, for example: there is fantastic use of different forms of phrasing throughout each part of the song and they all blend together well. Part of what makes a song that's less straightforward "good" is how each of the parts are phrased into each other. The acoustic guitar over the brisk drumming that leads into a pipe organ harmony, followed by a gut punchingly soulful chorus would not work had the transitions between the addition and removal of the parts not been carefully put together. On top of the phrasing and continuity, this song also has a well crafter guitar solo that ends uniquely, which is a big deal for vkei that tends to rely on playing it safe; I really dig the super exposed triplet pattern of the lead guitar at the end of solo before the last rehash of the chorus and outro melody. 

 

"Persecution Complex," or as I like to refer to as "Ode to Tumblr," was actually the low point of this single for me but only because I don't always like slower melancholy songs unless there's a phenomenal hook (spoilers, there isn't here). It is one of their "heavier" songs in the sense that the guitars are generally in a lower register and the bass is very prominent while the synthesizer is generally dystopian sounding. This atmosphere is then lost in the chorus, which returns to "~HOLD ME AS I SING IN THE RAIN~" sadness (think Mikansei to Guilt). Apart from being generally unremarkable, this song is still a prime example of how coherent song writing can stop Lin from having a discography that's 75% duds. 

 

The following song took me by surprise. "Schwarz Vrain" is Phantasmagoria-tier synth x100 with a simple melody that is the backbone for the entire tune, as it plays almost constantly throughout. The real surprise here is that the harsh vocals here make Sui sound almost exactly like Riku. Somewhere on MH is a thread that says that Vkei vocalists single with an accent and tone on purpose, so I am under the impression that this song shows what Sui sounds like without the eye liner. While this song is very repetitive, it holds its place well in the single and is my 2nd favorite on the CD. I like the aggression of the verses and how it transitions to more gentle, yet still firmly powerful, chorus. "Schwarz Vrain" has gotten mixed reactions thus far, but I can almost promise it was meant to be a killer live track which doesn't always translate well to a CD. Sorry Kamijo, but Lin outdid you in the "HEBI INDUSTRIAL B-SAIIIIIIIDO"  department this year.

 

The last song on the single, "Sincerely" is fairly safe for Lin, but still good. I do not agree with OP in classifying it as a ballad at all, however. I also do not agree that it is a "typical Megaromania song" either. Actually, out of the whole single, this song here is the most first period Lin song they've done so far! The verses, yes, are akin to later Megaromania softer rock songs (possibly off of their pirate-themed album), but the synthesizer here is definitely what early Lin was all about. What's cool though is that it sounds kind of like a modern rendition of a Sega Game Gear game sound track. The most interesting thing I found about "Sincerely" is that it is essentially a reimagination of Phantasmagoria's "幻想曲～Eternal Silence～." Instead of "I wish...heaven" the song starts off with "I wish fo-e-ba." The guitar solo even has a homage to ES'. With that being said, the tempo and mood of "Sincerely" is much more lively, but at least Kisaki is realizing what elements he's worked with in the past that have been well received by fans.

 

All in all, this is a sprint in the correct direction for Lin. Be as butthurt as you want that Riku is no longer in the band, but pretending like their ratio of 1 great to 7 trash songs was an appropriate expectation for quality is just wrong. Instead of resting on his laurels, Kisaki is now realizing that he can use what has worked well before and apply it in a modern context. Yes, there's a lot of elements being pulled back from Phantasmagoria going on here, but they're being used to create something new instead of just herding Megaromania's fanbase up for some quick cash. Basically, this is confirmation that Chariots was an awful idea. In just 6 songs, this band has become very cohesive, powerful, and hopefully vigilant to becoming stagnant. I also think the year or so break was a great way to start fresh for everyone involved--Yushi's drumming is less predictable, Kisaki's bass lines are actually audible and his synth is less tacky, Mizaly's weave is more natural and he is learning how to be a virtuoso without steam rolling over the rest of the group, and Sui's vocals have gotten so much cleaner--less modulation, less awkward trailing at the end of a phrase, and his harmonization adds to the song rather than acting like calamine lotion over an obvious blemish. 

 

As stated above, I'm giving this release 4.5 stars out of 5. Definitely one of my favorite releases of this year and was completely blown away by how much they've improved. Even if all of the songs on this CD had some flaws, I could forgive them in recognition to what happens when effort is actually applied to reinventing yourself.