Featured Review #45: 揚羽-ageha- by DOAK

[Zeus 7997]

Artist: DOAK Single: 揚羽-ageha- 1. 揚羽-ageha- 2. パラサイト 3. LICKER (Type A only) 3. eris (Type B only)

Rating: | About as appetizing as a clump of toenails and prison gruel.

 

DOAK is UnsraW meets Para:noir meets 2015. As cool as that sounds on paper, in practice it's not so good. Opposites don't always attract and this is one of those cases where a band that has so much going for it theoretically flops like a fish out of water. It's a more sobering, crushing realization when one remembers that this isn't a new band. DOAK has been operating under the session band name ERIZA in one form or another for the past few years. Before that, the members in this band were part of one or more semi-competent visual kei bands, evidenced by the fact that we still remember who UnsraW and Para:noir are. It would be a more than reasonable expectation that their first official release would sound better than an awkward collection of unfinished riffs. It's impressive how consistently flat the delivery is the entire time. There's only the faintest hint of originality poking up throughout the four song excursion into the savanna of lethargic metalcore. There's no rhythm or heaviness in the guitar, so no mosh pits in these parts, plus the smattering of electronic elements add insignificant amounts of depth to the music. These insipid metalcore leanings are among the better moments, with the dreadful moments reserved for when Yuuki sings. He's simultaneously tone deaf and off key all the time, as if he can't hear himself sing for some reason. The band knows he's not all that great of a vocalist - hell, I think everyone knows - but the only way they could compensate for his lack of range or ability was to slap some auto-tune over all the rough parts. It just makes things worse because these measures to compensate for his shortcomings are applied inconsistently too; Yuuki's opening vocal melody to 揚羽-ageha- is buried beneath mountains of digital "correction" but when the veil is suddenly lifted fifteen seconds later the result is no more desirable. Why bother at all? I wish he would pick up a guitar, rock out alongside the other band members, get literally anyone else to sing, and stick to supporting that person with harsh background and gang vocals. Maybe then this single would have a memorable few seconds outside of "LICKER"'s solo worth mentioning.

This is the exact definition of generic visual kei; this neutered, pedestrian, watered-down metalcore has less personality than a candle stick. Visual bands of yesteryear with unknown band members and a shoestring budget have composed more convincing riffs than whatever "eris" is supposed to be, and have had way less hype and attention. I had a soft spot for both UnsraW and Para:noir, but the combination of the two just doesn't click. 揚羽-ageha- didn't even make it to my music player before I purged it from my hard drive and I think I'll be all the better for it.

There's no nice way to say this so I'll be blunt: listen to anything else.

Support the band!

Purchase Type A here

Purchase Type B here

[doombox 4421]

I went and listened to this again since my first pass through wasn't that memorable, tbh. And I have to say, I feel like you're a little harsher on this release that I am, specifically Yuuki's vocals. Not that I'd call them good... but I'd be okay saying they're about average compared to what I think of most of the indies singers I hear these days. But I can't deny the description of "pedestrian, watered-down metalcore" is painfully appropriate here. 

 

Nice review!

[beni 2149]

I was genuinely expecting and hoping I wouldn't like it, haha. That chorus is pretty damn fine. xD Yes to the 'UnsraW,' a dunno to the 'Para:noir' side of it since I have yet to listen to them. It's a bit of a mash, admittingly, even though I have no idea what the other half I should expect from, but I do love that tempo in 揚羽-ageha-. Even the look shot is the generic part of this to me, lol. I swear that pose has been done a thousand times!

[shinobu. 252]

I didn't care much for UNSRAW when they were around, but listening to this single I find myself preferring to listen to them now. Yuuki's vocals aren't the best, but drowned out by poorly added auto-tune makes me wish they just didn't mess with his vocals. The music almost sounds like it could have its moments but then is crushed with the auto-tune and the chaos of the music. The music doesn't fit or flow much. 

 

"eris" is the only somewhat bearable song in my opinion. 

 

Maybe they can learn from their mistakes with this single and come up with something better. 

[Greyen 173]

Zeus nailed it with this review! I know Yuuki can do way better than this. Also I think this band would be a lot better with Shou as the drummer, It surprised me that Yuuki formed a new band without him since they were in both Core the child and UnsraW together, there was just something about Yuuki's compositions and Shou's drumming that worked and I feel like that's part of whats missing in DOAK. For now I'm just going to write this off as a demo release and hope they improve in the future.

[emmny 4139]

....and you took the words out of my fuckin' mouth. this review is the truth and the whole truth.

i liked unsraw not because the members were all proficient musicians, but because yuuki wrote tight, simple metalcore songs that banged pretty hard for the time. that brutality (br00tality) is completely sucked out of this release and it sounds like soul-less noodling wankery on their instruments. DOAK is lacking all semblance of emotion, and unless they magically pull something out of their musical hats (which is possible, given that its not their first rodeo) then they're doomed to fail.

bring back the masks!!! bring back visual kei!!!!

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

Listening to the single right now and it's pretty uninspired. I don't hate it, but had I'd never heard of UnsraW before or if this was just a random band of newbies I wouldn't have paid any attention to them.

 

 

"LICKER" is kind of cool since it sounds like early 2000's pre-trying-to-be-the-gazette-vkei, but I'm not going to write home about it.

 

"eris" is just a mess.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

I remember being put off by the first song, but the rest weren't bad. Granted, I don't even wanna re-listen right now, so yeah... Still lots of room to improve but it isn't a bad start. Everything just sounds kinda lackluster so far.

 

...kinda  ?

[Elazmus 1873]

I don't know if I'd call Eris a "mess" but it still baffles me why it's extended beyond TWO logical ending points, JUST to continue the same riff and lines XD

 

It has no business being half as long as it is..

[Zeus 7997]

I don't know if I'd call Eris a "mess" but it still baffles me why it's extended beyond TWO logical ending points, JUST to continue the same riff and lines XD

 

It has no business being half as long as it is..

I call it a mess because 60% of the song is redundant. As you said, the song had two logical ending points. The band could have stopped twice, changed up the riff, moved into an acoustic interlude, or did literally anything other than repeat the same basic chords over and over again for five minutes. PUH-LEASE! I'm not asking for DOAK to play progressive metalcore but if you only have enough ideas for two minutes play for two minutes! I'd rather a short two-minute song than a boring five-minute song.

[sugibo 403]

i can't believe i paid 3000yen for this shit.

[Elazmus 1873]

^ LMFAOO XD

[lichtlune 915]

People on MH are so cut throat I thought licker and eris were alright and worth being on my hard drive. 

 

 for me. I know they can do much better and there are some okay moments on this single if you can get past the bad parts. 

[JamesR 119]

For me it's a ★★☆☆☆... For now we can only hope they'll get their shit together for future releases.

 

and ffs Satoshi, this is what you dumped D.I.D. for? =/