Featured Review #10: 氷の中の少女 by JUPITER

[Zeus 7997]

Artist: JUPITER Single: 氷の中の少女 Score: Bland power metal single take three.

氷の中の少女 is the newest single before their sophomore album THE HISTORY OF GENESIS, which will feature all six songs from their last three singles. While hyped at first because it was going to feature four members of theatrical power metal outfit Versailles, JUPITER has failed to deliver any release - let alone any song - that gives them their identity. I don't follow JUPITER religiously, choosing to check out a release of theirs now and again to see if their sound has changed. Since this, as well as ARCADIA, is indicative of the sound on their upcoming album, it's looking pretty weak right now.

氷の中の少女 is another run of the mill power metal track. It has Hizaki written all over it, and it's clear he's lost his touch. He's always used the same bag of tricks, but it's never felt so familiar and rehashed. The ambitious, grandiose tinge to the tone of the song, as well as the variety and inspiration from different eras of classical music are gone. It's been replaced with a more commercial, accessible, and unoffensive sound. Since it's been this way since the beginning of their career, it's a deliberate attempt to either distance themselves from previous bands or to compensate for Zin's peculiar singing style. Whatever the reason is, it's not working.

On one hand, I shouldn't be comparing this band to previous bands by these members. On the other hand, when all the complexity and camp is stripped from the music this is what's left. A part of me is bothered that four of the most talented musicians in modern visual kei are producing music of this caliber. Teru, Masashi, and Hizaki all have vastly different compositional styles, yet I don't sense a synthesis of their influences anywhere. Zin sings with clarity and control, but has no power or presence. He's at odds with the quick, demanding melody. Hizaki and Teru are more concerned with twin guitar riffing than with the overall direction of the song. The result is a song that while technically demanding, doesn't go anywhere. Those with a preference for guitar will adore this song; for the rest of us it goes in one ear and out the other.

The crucial ingredient of diversity, missing from 氷の中の少女, is present on SACRED ALTER. This sounds like a Teru creation, but I could always be wrong. JUPITER like to switch it up by producing a faux-thrash number, and most of the time it complements the usual bright and cheery affair well. It starts out with a spoken voice section over violin and electronic beat before going into riffs with some groove and body. Even the rhythm section feels invigorated and all the life missing from the first song is here. That's where all the praise ends. Zin can't growl, so he improvises with a combination of an awkward rasp, a falsetto that would make Asagi blush, and poor harsh vocals. He was able to get by on Darkness by just sticking with the rasp, but his need to be diverse does more harm than good. The falsetto in the chorus is the tipping point, as it doesn't harmonize with the sudden change in the melody. Overall, it was an experiment that didn't work so well this time. Jupiter need to either accommodate for Zin or do something else, because this type of music does not suit his voice.

What frustrates me most is that the song with the goofy vocals has all the drive and energy and their actual single feels so dead. 氷の中の少女 has a feel of "been there, done that" and models the previous single ARCADIA in both composition, construction, and mood. It fails to distinguish itself in any way. I must sound like a broken record by now, but there's an insurmountable wall between the band and I. There's a crucial element missing to their music and I can't put my finger on what it is. If we could take the energy from SACRED ALTAR and mold it to complement Zin's singing, we would be cooking with gas. But I don't understand why Hizaki and company decided to go with Zin as a vocalist if they weren't going to make music he could keep up with.

Time is ticking for this band. THE HISTORY OF GENESIS better have some killer tracks that define this band's modus operandi, or they will soon fall into obscurity.

[kyoselflove 2680]

I really wanted to like Jupiter but I think maybe just a few songs are enjoyable other wise they sound boring and generic.  I know people probably hate to hear this, but I really miss Versailles and Kamijo is seriously the shit right now, I hope he continues to kick ass.  Zin's voice does always sound weird and off, I've noticed, probably why I'm beginning to not enjoy them as much.

 

Anyways, great review! 

[Lestat 2167]

You hit the spot there on their entire career. We've heard it in western power metal bands already, and to be quite frank, even those will waltz over Jupiter with ease. Their is no harmony in their playing — and with this I mean that the members are failing to complement one another. There is no clear distinguished sound that tells us, 'Oh, this is Jupiter!', but instead when a track might pop up on a shuffle playlist we would have to quickly check who the artist might be because there is simply no way of telling that these musicians are the same individuals who produced such majestic pieces of musical perfection in the group Versailles. 

[Zeus 7997]

You hit the spot there on their entire career. We've heard it in western power metal bands already, and to be quite frank, even those will waltz over Jupiter with ease. Their is no harmony in their playing — and with this I mean that the members are failing to complement one another. There is no clear distinguished sound that tells us, 'Oh, this is Jupiter!', but instead when a track might pop up on a shuffle playlist we would have to quickly check who the artist might be because there is simply no way of telling that these musicians are the same individuals who produced such majestic pieces of musical perfection in the group Versailles.

Bingo. I need to remember that phrase, so if I'm inclined to review their album I'll use it if it still applies.

It's wrong to expect a lackluster album from JUPITER before it's even released. But off the strength of their latest singles it's looking just as forgettable as CLASSICAL ELEMENT. I haven't heard one song off of the last three singles which I would rate as anything more than average, and there was no feeling or emotion in the lead tracks at all. I honestly don't see them staying relevant too much longer, and once JUPITER misses the boat to major label stardom their days are numbered.

[Shaolan974 6185]

They're okay. Different than Versailles, Aikaryu, or HGP but in a good way.