MEJIBRAY - THE"420"THEATRICAL ROSES

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

I have just listened to this album once with the second play-through going on as I'm writing this, but I'm doubtful my mind about this will change since it's Mejibray being Mejibray. Here's some notes from first impressions.

 

How Mejibray functions is akin to a factory at this point as the releases come out consistently in consistent quality. They stay true to the form and the wheel remains un-reinvented, with most of the experimentation being rather subtle and mostly just small variations to the particular mold their songs are made from; and that said this album will not win over anyone who has disliked them in the past. The band definitely has a trademark sound courtesy of the production job, MiA's power metal infused metalcore riffage and Tsuzuku's rough and effortlessly cool vocals. All the elements they've had in the past are very much present here, and it is an album for fans and the people who come in expecting something other than just ol' bijuaru with tsuzuku & co. will be disappointed.

 

The songs tend to feel a little samey during the 70 minute long behemoth, however this also manages to make the album feel very coherent. In the past where they would do very formulaic A-side, a little more upbeat B-side and the heavy B-side single track listings, here there's none of that "variety" as some would put it. A lot of the songs have similar paces and there's almost a complete absence of gimmick. The pacing is perfect especially with the Kisaki ballad being in the middle, though while I did certainly notice the absence of their always-quality A-sides on the second haafu, it didn't really matter too much...

 

And in fact, to me most gripes I'd have don't really matter because I just like the sound that they have. I think the riffs are kind of corny, they recycle shit like hell and Tsuzuku is the uncrowned king poseur of the visual kei scene, but that's kind of the appeal here. Tsuzuku is as charming as ever with the choruses being a definite highlight, and to me he could make an entire album where he just recites a phone book from beginning to end and I'd probably enjoy listening to it.

And as crappy as I think a lot of their riffs are, they do work for me in the context of everything. The non-single tracks while do lack the pop sensbility, are just really solid Mejibray tracks with hits and misses here and there, but I don't really care lol. I would say that overall this is some of their best material to date. There's no shit like HATE on this album which is gr8 2

 

 

ratings are stupid/5 

[Elazmus 1873]

I'm glad I'm not the only one sending Tzk requests for phone book recitation <3

[Gaz 1097]

so i’ve been hesitating to listen to this album because those previews didn’t impress me at all but right now when i’m finally listening to it, i simply cant stay aside and leave that small butthurt of mine just like that.

as being into mejigay for quite a while i always liked their rough songs more and never really cared for such sissy crap as emily. but in emily’s case i could clearly hear that this song is well-composed and not bad at all. with this album it’s quite the opposite: most of the songs are just meh and i always wanted to skip them. even those harsher songs are so weak and lame i just cant…  and what that fuck is wrong with tzk’s vocal? why does he has to use that awful vibrato all the time? correct me if i’m wrong but i don’t remember him doing that before.

and now i’ve finished through the whole album and i don’t feel like i will ever listen to it again. hugely disappointed, to say the least.

*brb putting some akercock into my body to get rid of that atrocious aftertaste of the album*

[blackdoll 907]

Im not surprised that Raven album ver was the best because that song just shitts on everything they done so hard excluding Gaichuu as i said  before. The only thing i wish they would have done was unfilter the growls at the background to make em brutal like gaichuu as i said on edohsama.

 

other thoughts

Cristate: wow sounding like satsuki nice (not that, that, goes far anymore for me)

Mr.rain wa shindafuri: nice main riffage (first time around)

SERVANT: like the beginning growls kinda sick could have been brutalized. the whiper deg ones sucked though and were not needed

and yeah they recylced riffs and not in a "ahhhhh" way either, even ripped of few of their own i think?

 

first listen: its good not great, second: whatever.

[Elazmus 1873]

and what that fuck is wrong with tzk’s vocal? why does he has to use that awful vibrato all the time? correct me if i’m wrong but i don’t remember him doing that before.

lol what..Tsuzuku's vibrato has been like this since VanessA....

[Gaz 1097]

^ i simply cannot remember any other song than emily when he did that tbh

[Aferni 2381]

This album was better than I expected, but with the exception of a few songs.(BOWWOW,Servant, and Copernicus) Thats it. everything else is......yea.

[Elazmus 1873]

^ i simply cannot remember any other song than emily when he did that tbh

Really ? I mean maybe it doesn't stand out to others as much as I think it does lol, to name a few, the chorus of A Priori, or in Decadance and Shuuei, Sadigate let's you hear it in speaking tone pretty well. I think it's constantly getting more and more noticeable as he goes, but if you listen to Taidou by VanessA you can tell his vibrato has just always been weird lol to me it's actually a selling point but I can see how it would annoy you to death if you aren't looking for it.

EDIT: forgot to mention if you ARE looking for it, try Meji's cover or Porno Star, he fills basicallyevery line with it lmao

I'll post a review of my own soon once I get a chance to de-hype lol

[Visutox 188]

I just tried this new release... The album sounds good overall but the same problem remains when it comes to me. My attempt to finally get into their stuff is a fail, once again. It's a decent record but honestly it would be a miracle if I give it a second listening. MEJIBRAY is just not my thing. Impossibru rabustori, huh.