[REVIEW] The GazettE - DOGMA

[Pretsy 1343]

Why does that make me a troll or hipster?

I suppose it's your use of hyperboles without further details that make you seem like someone fans shouldn't take seriously (not that I'd imply you being the one tho, lol).

 

Rather impressed that only a handful of MH folks, incl. me, realized that DOGMA had so little to no variation as an entirety (DIM kinda threw you here and there but at least the album had various elements to keep your attention). Others who shared their own points of criticism were spot-on - just where was this "tremendous" improvement?

 

Ps. Ruki still needs a coach, ASAP.

[bonsaijodelfisch 328]

Why does that make me a troll or hipster?

 

well, personally I don't really care much for guren myself and find it just one of the more forgettable gazette ballads, but specifically and out of nowhere calling out a track (that doesn't really differ much from anything else gazette has done) that is immensly popular, from the album which is pretty universally (on this forum) considered to be gazettes best so far and calling it one of the worst songs written by mankind leads me to two possible scenarios.

 

1. The poster desperately needs to make known, that his tastes differ from the peasant mainstream, which i would consider to be somewhat "hipster"

2. The poster wanted to piss off as many people as possible, which is what i would consider the "troll". If that was the intention and seeing that I reacted to it, well done i guess?

 

I mean of course it's totally fine not to like guren, but without any connection specifically slamming this track from that album makes it kinda hard not to come to these conclusions.

I suppose it's your use of hyperboles without further details that make you seem like someone fans shouldn't take seriously

well, and that ^^

 

sooo, to not be totally off-topic and trying to somewhat getting onto DOGMA, I probably aswell consider it a better effort than anything that came after DIM, but that doesn't mean much. In general it is very same-y over the whole length.

most of the tracks seem just like minor variations of the same base formula. On top of it it doesn't really vary much in energy, even the tempos are pretty similar throughout all the titles. As a result there aren't really any standout tracks per se for me, which is not good.

there are just little stand-out moments here and there, where i might think, nice riff / cool little vocal motif / interesting sound / nice groove etc. but that's about it.

 

Nonetheless i don't dislike the standard-gazerock fare that much and as mentioned it has its fun moments, so i would probably consider it somewhat of a 6-7/10. might do a full review if i happen to listen to it more often (i doubt it though)

[Pandabear 414]

I actually really like this release. It’s probably the best cohesive album the gazette has done in a while. And I’m glad they’ve addressed a lot of issues that dragged their other releases. 

 

For me the most important issue they managed to reign in was the use of electronic experimentation. In other releases the electronic portion of their songs were all over the place. They distracted from the actual song, were improperly placed, or added nothing of value to the actual composition. On DOGMA however, they actually properly use those elements. There are flourishes that add ear candy, or recurring parts that are interesting enough to stand on their own and don’t outstay their welcome. And for once they actual fit within the songs.

 

The creativity of the album is another strong point. From the electronica found on Bizarre to the creepy harpischord thingies on DOGMA.. Dynamics are actually used really well within sections of songs and the transitions from verses to choruses and other parts are proper for once. Logical transition was another issue previous gazette albums were suffering from, but for the most part they are gone on this release. Another major improvement is the really good build up of tension and release.   

 

All of the above reasons and the fact that most of the songs flow together well and hit hard and fast make DOGMA the most cohesive album the gazette has released in years. 

 

That being said the cohesiveness of the album is both a positive and a negative. This is extremely obvious in the gazerock and chug-chug portions of the songs. Don’t get me wrong, I love gazerock and chugs, but all those heavy guitar and gazerock sections found within this release tend to blur together once you’re a couple songs in. 

 

The actual production on this album is ok. It serves the music and isn’t a audio production masterpiece but it’s not too distracting either. The only major problem I have is with the guitar tone. It is very dry, sometimes too dark and harsh at its worse. You’ll probably start noticing it by DAWN and is at its most apparent on BIZARRE. It’s not cool when your guitars sound like they were put through an amp sim rather than an actual amp. Throw some reverb on there and get a TRLKVT swedish melo death guitar tone, or get someone better to mix them next time.

 

I feel someone was trying to retain some aspects of a modern production while keeping some aspects very raw. Reminds me of what Miss May I did with Rise of The Lion. Unfortunately in these types of genres, mixing the extremes of clean production  and raw production don’t work out, you can either go one way or the other. Thankfully, the gazette found an ok balance, and didn’t mess up like the previous mentioned band. Although I hope they just drop the entire idea next time and go either full raw or full clean. Had they gone full clean, I feel like those heavy chug moments wouldn’t blur together so much and would have actually been more interesting.

 

So all in all, not a bad album, but a very big step forward for the band. I found it very enjoyable, from the chuggy head banging parts to the more creative sections. It’s not a perfect album by any means, just a slightly above average release that’s easy to enjoy and digest without too much distraction.

 

For me it’s a solid 7/10

 

Things I would like to see from the band next time;

 

-Continue with the experimentation, but refine it even further.

-Vary the heavy parts by using more dynamics or riffs.

-Have Ruki vary his screams, he only used one style on this entire release.

-More guitars solos from Aoi or Uruha. 

-More catchy/melodic ideas

 

Standouts songs for me, DOGAM, Deracine, Wasteland, Paralysis, Ominious. 

Don’t get the hype about Deux, it’s a good song, love the guitar part, but I’m not feeling it’s epicness. It does have a very post 2000's gazette feel, so maybe nostalgia glasses?

 

And how has nobody mentioned OMNIOUS???

Love that bleak introduction that goes into a creepy vocal pad and proggy sounding drums to your epic rock chorus, to a cleaver nod at the harp refrain from DOGAM into the most ballsy guitar and drum break on the entire album. Not to mention that sick outro solo. Do more stuff like this please gazzegods.

[Gaz 1097]

well i only tried this to confirm that gazette are still playing shit (or maybe even got worse, since they did so constantly till now) but after listening through i, to my big surprise, actually enjoyed it now and there. not bad, though nothing remarkable. oh and caps song titles are retarded shit

[dannemannen 69]

I am an old gazette fan and I gave this album a serious try.

And sorry... it is painfully bland, average and generic.
They didnt try to do a single "new thing" in any song on the whole album, everything feels "copy&paste".
There is not even one good catchy chorus...

I wonder how many people would have cared about this release if it was some new random band - 5/10

I know Gazette has grown away from it, but I still miss the days they released songs like "Best Friends" 

[Ro plz 1290]

Maybe my understanding of Catchy differs from you guys. Or many are blind to the fact that DEUX is pretty much the "mainstream/Catchy" song of the album. ESPECIALLY with that rehashed chorus....

 

 

OR are you guys meaning to say that because there isn't a ballad on the song, there's no catchy-ness in the album period (which is a lie....cuz uh...well...DEUX and its also just silly).

 

 

I am completely lost here and need clarification because these claims aren't making sense. 

[bonsaijodelfisch 328]

am completely lost here and need clarification because these claims aren't making sense.

well, the claim is more, that there aren't that many catchy choruses, and the ones that are there aren't any good, but that's of course subjective. 

However, you may seem to notice, the main qualm people have with the album isn't that of lacking catchiness, but that of monotony.

To elaborate on that, here my very in-depth, very scientific analysis, track by track:

 

1: NIHIL                           80bpm, B-flat minor, intro, electronic

2: Headache Man var. 1   100bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

3. Headache Man var. 2   120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

4. Headache Man var. 3   150bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

5. DERACINE                      75bpm, B-minor, Power Ballad or sth

6. Headache Man var. 4   110bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

7. Ruthless Deed v2.0        90bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

8. Headache Man var. 5   105bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

9. Hyena v2.0                   100bpm, C#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

10. Headache Man var.6  120bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)

11. Headache Man var.7  120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

12. Headache Man var.8  120bpm, D#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)

13. Headache Man var.9  145bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

14. OMINOUS                    90bpm, D#-minor, Song

 

now, if i wasn't such an asshat i might give them, that Hyena 2.0 (i think it's real title is lucy?) is more of a punkrock track than gurrgurr, that maybe the gurrgurr/balladybit songs have a more suitable example than headacheman, but you get the picture. the overall impression of the album is, that more than 2/3 of the songs are more or less slight variations of sth like headache man, somewhere between 100 and 120bpm, probably in B or B-flat minor. On DIM you had one headacheman (maybe adding moth, leech and ogre to the same realm, but that's about it), which is why people loved it so much. Here you have a full album consisting of one single track, that in the end just feels like an hourlong forgettable slob of generic riffwankery.

(which isn't helped much by the fact, that they once again fail to chime in on the possibilities of having two guitars. I mean, double-tracking is cool and all, but when the rhythm and the lead guitars are just carbon copies of each other for 90% of the time you really are doing sth wrong, or are being very lazy)

 

Edit: Also, having listened to the album a few times more now, i change my rating from 6-7/10 to more of a 5.5/10 due to severe boredom

[nullmoon 784]

I still don't understand the DEUX love.

[Pretsy 1343]

^^

 

 

(sorry I had to)

[platanity 99]

Here you have a full album consisting of one single track, that in the end just feels like an hourlong forgettable slob of generic riffwankery.

(which isn't helped much by the fact, that they once again fail to chime in on the possibilities of having two guitars. I mean, double-tracking is cool and all, but when the rhythm and the lead guitars are just carbon copies of each other for 90% of the time you really are doing sth wrong, or are being very lazy)

 

this pretty much sums up what ive wanted to say about the music direction of this album (:

[yakihiko 1480]

@@bonsaijodelfisch, you forgot to put NIHIL as INFUSE INTO v.2

[nullmoon 784]

I dunno, I usually love SEs but even I can admit NIHIL is a waste of time. Their SEs are usually awesome (to me)

[evilcoconut 109]

well, the claim is more, that there aren't that many catchy choruses, and the ones that are there aren't any good, but that's of course subjective. 

However, you may seem to notice, the main qualm people have with the album isn't that of lacking catchiness, but that of monotony.

To elaborate on that, here my very in-depth, very scientific analysis, track by track:

 

1: NIHIL                           80bpm, B-flat minor, intro, electronic

2: Headache Man var. 1   100bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

3. Headache Man var. 2   120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

4. Headache Man var. 3   150bpm, B-flat minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

5. DERACINE                      75bpm, B-minor, Power Ballad or sth

6. Headache Man var. 4   110bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

7. Ruthless Deed v2.0        90bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

8. Headache Man var. 5   105bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

9. Hyena v2.0                   100bpm, C#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

10. Headache Man var.6  120bpm, A-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)

11. Headache Man var.7  120bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

12. Headache Man var.8  120bpm, D#-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song (with little ballady bits)

13. Headache Man var.9  145bpm, B-minor, Heavy GurrGurr song

14. OMINOUS                    90bpm, D#-minor, Song

 

now, if i wasn't such an asshat i might give them, that Hyena 2.0 (i think it's real title is lucy?) is more of a punkrock track than gurrgurr, that maybe the gurrgurr/balladybit songs have a more suitable example than headacheman, but you get the picture. the overall impression of the album is, that more than 2/3 of the songs are more or less slight variations of sth like headache man, somewhere between 100 and 120bpm, probably in B or B-flat minor. On DIM you had one headacheman (maybe adding moth, leech and ogre to the same realm, but that's about it), which is why people loved it so much. Here you have a full album consisting of one single track, that in the end just feels like an hourlong forgettable slob of generic riffwankery.

(which isn't helped much by the fact, that they once again fail to chime in on the possibilities of having two guitars. I mean, double-tracking is cool and all, but when the rhythm and the lead guitars are just carbon copies of each other for 90% of the time you really are doing sth wrong, or are being very lazy)

 

Edit: Also, having listened to the album a few times more now, i change my rating from 6-7/10 to more of a 5.5/10 due to severe boredom

 

Thank you for this post tbh.  And, sidenote, Ominous was the only song that stood out to me lol.  it's frankly nowhere near the level of DIM imo. Very good Deathgaze cover album though. 

[lichtlune 915]

The hype is dying down I see. I guess people are finally seeing this album for what it is. Although I still think it deserves a passing grade but that's just me. 

[morbiusss 10]

generic. Cohesive but generic. Beautiful Defomity still had CODA, UNDO and LAST HEAVEN. DOGMA is pretty much nonsense, making a big package out of it with all the promo videos about hairstylists, graphic designers and wtf not. DIM was the last record which would have deserved this kind of marketing monster, but then again, it didn't need it since it was good. This record needs all promotion tricks that are possible since its bland, uninnovative, pre-pre-pre-pre-pre-avantgarde.

I complain! The riffs are dull, the usage of female voices is like THE ONE idea they had back then 2006. This is almost 10 years ago. And don't call using those dubstep intros as new ideas. I'm so bored by this band which is super sad. Listening to Cassis and Last bouquet later when I'm finished hating them for now.

[ghost 2687]

I enjoyed listening to Beautiful Deformtiy as a whole more than I did Dogma because of the variety, but I think there are stronger individual tracks on Dogma.

Beautiful Deformity favorites

Malformed box

Fadeless

Redo

Last heaven

Coda

Dogma favorites

Nihil

Dawn

Wasteland

Incubus

Deux

Ominous

And for fun, here are my favorite tracks from Toxic and Division.

Toxic favorites

Sludgy Cult

My Devil on the bed

Pledge

Ruthless Deed

Division favorites

Depth

Kagefumi

Dripping Insanity

And then compare these to Dim

Hakuri

The invisible wall

A moth under the skin

Leech

Nakighara

Headache man

Guren

13 stairs

Distress and coma

Kanshoku

Shiroki yuutsu

In the middle of Chaos

Ogre

Dim scene

So, I can say that for me, Dogma is their best album since Dim. And I like all these tracks very much. Every album has something to offer (even if some have a lot less to offer).

[Ro plz 1290]

I expressed my opinions after listening to the album a few more times, In chat. So I'll post them here.

 

I still believe DOGMA is their best effort since DIM. That will not change at all. I still believe DEUX is the best track on the album. This will also not change. However, I can say that the middle part of the album is very boring. Tracks 6-11 offer nothing new and is just filler. My initial rating of the album (when those tracks are negated), is still a solid 9/10. With them, its a 7.5/10. The other tracks do a great job of highlighting what the band is good it as well as how they are ready to take it to the next level. Basically what an album is supposed to do. Also, i won't lie, there is a certain repetition (even with my go-to songs), that can't be ignored as well. I can see how this rub many the wrong way. I feel that Ruki is to blame here since he has a dangerous amount of creative control in the band which does more bad than good if you ask me. Ruki has a very carbon/stale taste that's been plaguing every album since TOXIC. Eventually, while some can find some appreciation in some of these clearly rehashed songs, many will (if they aren't already) grow tired of hearing the same go-to riffs and such. I believe it was Uruha who stated that some of the songs he brought fourth were turned away because it didn't fit Ruki's "vision" of the album. Presty said this to me a few days back and it is very true, Ruki is indeed a diva. Its gotten to the point where I feel like Aoi or Uruha would shine MUCH better if they had their own bands. 

 

 

 

Composition wise, DOGMA (the song) is just wow. I was not expecting the track to turn out that way at all. Perfect example of the band trying something new. Whoever they got the influence from, please, may they do it again. DERACINE is another great track. Its a fairly simple song ,but the way Aoi and Uruha's guitars compliment each other and the smooth but heaviness of the track is very nicely done. RAGE is a nice blend of GazettE and Lynch. And as cheesy as Ruki's lyrics are during the screaming part, I like it. Its a VERY nice touch and gritty. BLEMISH, is pretty much Vortex but a upgraded version that packs more of a punch. DAWN, is just Gazerock mixed with Metalcore, and i dont mind it. Its a solid track. OMINOUS is on the same page as DOGMA as being another just well composed song, where you don't know what is next. Perfect ending.

 

Now to why i enjoy DEUX so damn much. It has that signature and genuine Gazerock feel to it but the other elements such as the well placed synths and piano and Aoi's part after the second bridge just shatters me. It feels like they all sat down and put their all into making this track as strong as it can be. Also, that ending came out of no where and I shit you not, I fell to the floor in awe. Its THE perfect song that the band has ever composed. 

 

In general, this album is a perfect follow up from BD. Very evident that time was put into these songs. The energy/umph is there as well as the growth. I like. Album of the year atm. 

[Pretsy 1343]

I am gonna steal 's format and have my own "adequate" say on where is Gazette now AFAIAC in terms of post-DIM ventures:

 

TOXIC

 

The "goal" of this album as I have conceived/interpreted it: antithesis to DIM's pompously "epic", yet very bloated, long and interlude satiety-ridden content. Those who criticized DIM for not being very loyal towards Gazette's otherwise energetic, stadium rock factor (NIL-SR fans) were in Gazeboys' minds during the process, and we shouldn't definitely exclude fresh -isms by courtesy of Sony at that time either. 

 

Pros: moderately diverse - shows that Gazette can be "fun", adventurous as they were in their old days, and have potential to churn out widely acceptable bangers or dirges once in a while. High-tempo performances, earlier smorgasbords were considered well. Much easier to follow - or "digest" as an entirety. Single song/album listening factors considered. Stressed, dynamic riffcraft. Better production (?).

 

Cons: Loses its concept after a while (one might interpret the album to be "industrial" during first 3-5 tracks, the rest pops up as too sudden). Not necessarily sincere or "serious" album in the same manner like DIM. Outro comes out as their most out-of-place closeup since "People Error" and feels too forced as an element that could otherwise "start" the concept instead of "wrapping everything up". Otherwise well-respected, given Gazette trademarks have reached their total subtlety in this record - solos became much briefer, rhythmic presences are less technical and more of "supportive" instead of "standalone" a la NIL era etc.

 

 

DIVISION

 

The "goal" of this album as I have conceived/interpreted it: the band was willing to take up on what you'd call "chameleon plan" in the world of music business - band's intention (which lives up to the title) aims to give listeners a choice (electronic, heavy vs. accessible, calmer part) instead of bombarding them with pompous, humongous package of pure dirges (DIM) or the gamut of concise subgenre demos (TOXIC), while much cheaper label-approved regular edition tries its best at forming the "clearer vision" of Gazette's/Ruki's ambitions circa TOXIC towards plainer, "more dynamic" soundscape with less technical frills. 

 

Pros: Several "strong" comebacks to the good ol' Gazette except with subtler but much stronger and darker features. Limited edition offers freedom in variety and choices. Very sincere in sound and lyrics (actual lyrical themes at that time), unlike playful and "fun" TOXIC. Much more condensed sound offers more vivid images of "how (good) it might sound during lives". 

 

Cons: Minimum refinement of where TOXIC left wasn't really necessary from evolutionary aspect - DIVISION comes off as another sprint to failed business plan. Album content in general took one step further into more sterile areas, thus stripping members from their unique, auditory identities from the past and landing a huge spotlight on Ruki instead. Several tunes demonstrated unfortunate rehashes. First-time listeners might experience confusion while witnessing band vs. label-approved track order modifications - "which one is good to go with? Will I risk my expectations by picking the "wrong" order?".   

 

 

BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY

 

The "goal" of this album as I have conceived/interpreted it: In order to make up for what would have been otherwise conceived as "Ruki-heavy" back in 2012, Gazeboys broke a leg and went with the concept which would be very simple to express and execute: no compromises when it comes to the band expressing themselves as...um, "THE Gazette"?  Members giving their respective shares granted much wider and deeper insight of "where were Gazette?" and "where are they now?", consequently giving their older fans heads up about promising thrills and frills alongside with otherwise mostly unaccepted, yet forgivable frontman ambitions in the sound department (heavy electronics, heavy "studio factor").

 

Pros: "multifaceted" nature of BD has been considered down to its "core": Chimaera on the cover caters auspicious signs of being able to gather at least a decent flock of Gazerock kids to the same block. Each listener group was taken into account and incorporated into the package of TOXIC-idealized concise, accessible tunes without eventually resorting to failed attractions (DIVISION). Members' more prominent inclusion gave them "faces" in not-so-far-away-from-DIVISION soundscape. Various nostalgic throwbacks. Technically less chaste - Ruki's presence isn't "hella earful" anymore. Relaxed, much more motivated take at their current vision.

 

Cons: less vague inclusion of "frills" added a lot to several issues with ideas not being "executed 'til the sure finish" or "plastered in hurry". Sterility in techniques and performance from previous albums might still haunt more "experienced" fans. No songs come off as "standalone Gazette" - each and every track could be easily drawn to various, earlier Gazesongs. The 3rd take on their vision (instead of just moving on to the next sound) unfortunately signs a few cases of stagnancy and "musical despotism". 

 

 

DOGMA

 

The "goal" of this album as I have conceived/interpreted it: antithesis to the gamut of styles on BD, focus on defining the overall, "dogmatic" concept through sound by featuring a massive comeback to their considerate, serious and consistent era w/ compatible electronic elements from the present day. "DOGMA" aims to drive the band completely away from their genrehopping "this is Gazette" ventures and jump onto the simple mix of "rites and heavier, yet simpler songmaking". Single driving force behind each song - consistency in most aspects as a goal.

 

Pros: Single, simple and much more consistent sound with plainer, moderate palette of "dark, aggressive" emotions. Doesn't go far away from standard Gazette trademarks, i.e. melodies and solos. 

 

Cons: "Single sound" as an ideal drove band to the point where they renewed their sins (e.g. rehashing) and had not much focus or input into improvement of several displeasing Gazette cliches, such as Ruki's anemic techniques and range or lack of "spirit" in Aoi x Uruha collab. Interpretation of "simpler songmaking" should not always equal as "Small variations but same formula either way". Ruki-heavy factor makes its despicable comeback. Electronics might feel less all over the place but for the most part they seem to fill in "gaps" between decent moments in various bangers way too often - thus resulting in a huge chunk of aimless, samey heavyfest.

 

 

To sum up, Gazeboys have totes great plans that cross between music and business departments - but don't sport enough capacity or potential to nail their rich ideas right every time. 

 

PS. gomennasai for typos, today's not really great FYI.

[Saishu 1589]

I more or less joined the forums just to post my thoughts on this album, which says a lot for this release, though not exactly in a positive way.

 

Honestly, I was really excited to hear DOGMA, especially after I had seen the PVs for the title tracks and "OMINOUS." I was under the impression that Gazette waiting two years instead of dropping a fourth full length in four years had worked to their advantage. The title track had an interesting structure; more about forward movement up a hill and then suddenly dropping down without looking back. It's not your typical "verse chorus verse" affair, in fact, it's hard to even say the song has verses and choruses since it's just one new section after another. Tempo and meter changes abound. It's, dare I say, rather progressive, and I like how they utilized the female background vocals in a haunting manner towards the end. 

 

Then here comes "RAGE." I admit I like this track on an instrumental level, but Ruki's goofy ass English lyrics pull me out of my enjoyment a little bit. After that I just sort of space out and the rest of the album melds into this mass of generic, heavy riffing and absence of melody until we reach the end with "OMINOUS". Hell, even DUM SPIRO SPERO, Dir en grey's heaviest record, has melody all over the place. Name a song from DSS and I can sing you the chorus (except for "DECAYED CROW" because fuck that song). As has already been mentioned here, are Uruha and Aoi both still in the band? Because I can't tell! Where's Reita? I love the heaviest of heavy music and I dig the dark theme, but it's just not executed very well here. And really, this isn't an evolution of the band in any way, shape, or form; this is the same damn thing they've been doing since TOXIC, just with down tuned guitars. I guess I'm happy they shook things up a little bit (because lord knows I still can't believe they tried to pass "SHIVER" and "Ibitsu" off as two different songs), but this is still just more undercooked music from Gazette. Seems like DIM was the creative peak.

 

But, MAN! "DOGMA" is such a great track, though! What happened? I feel like it was the first song they wrote for the album and they KNEW it was gold, so they decided to run with the idea of an album full of heavier, darker tracks. But the well had already run dry. They blew their load. It's a shame...

[Licio123 181]

I really agree with the above poster about the title track. It's a nice mix of other genres that Gazette didn't pull for a long time. It's grindy, heavy and dark. Then they threw it all away and went back to their generic headbanging songs...

 

The album as a whole is way too similar. Other than DOGMA, after the first listen I liked only DERACINE, BIZARRE and OMINOUS. I think it will grow on me over time, but for now, it seems that Gazette is the new DEATHGAZE, using CTRL+C and CTRL+V on most of their songs. It's a pity, as I was really excited after the first track.

 

6/10 

[seratonin 43]

However, you may seem to notice, the main qualm people have with the album isn't that of lacking catchiness, but that of monotony.

To elaborate on that, here my very in-depth, very scientific analysis, track by track: 

 THANK YOU, this monotomy is due to the adoption and influence of more western/generic metalcore!

Western metalcore (generally speaking) has this unilateral, static sound, which isn't bad. But

considering how Gazette was before, it would make a unique sounding band turn more generic

I've listened to SO MUCH metalcore, and I don't listen absent-mindedly, I listen with intent, and here is what I noticed:

 

 

Western metalcore influence in the Gazette creates the following I have noticed in the DOGMA album :

-New album is more uniform in sound throughout the songs, which is why the new Gazette album tends to sound like one long song. Repetitive western metalcore style is just HARD HEADBANGING FOR 50 MINUTES ALL THE TIME. There has to be finesse and build up to hard metal music; need contrast. Gazette had this element in previous albums

-Gazette's new album is less melodic (compared to previous Gazette works). Less melody, more plug and chugging heavy guitars, drop tuning, followed closely by...

 

-DOGMA has seldom any passionate solo's! I couldn't remember ONE SOLO listening to the whole album (OMINOUS came closest), no more shredding, complicated and catchy riffs gone! (off the top of my head if you need an example, look at the metal but more intricate guitarwork in LEECH).

Gazette were probably thinking: "Hey why don't we remove all the diverse guitar tones and acoustic guitar work we did in the previous albums!"

-DOGMA has repetitive breakdowns. Spamming power chords, like from 0:04 seconds starting in DAWN. Maybe catchy +1, but unique and diverse sound -1.

-DOGMA has both guitars played in unison, so that there's no clear LEAD guitar and rhythmic playing, no double rhythmic playing. Guitar has completely lost its ambience. Take a look at the diverse guitar work shown in 泣ヶ原

Songs like GRUDGE, and OMINOUS are the only songs I could remember that sounded different.

Everything else sounded like RAH RAH RAH LET'S GO HARD AND HAVE LOTS OF APATHETIC  AND MEANINGLESS HEADBANGING FOR AN HOUR TO FILL OUT THE REST OF THE ALBUM

 

 

[Mind of the sun 71]

Solid metalcore album.

Really easy to listen to.

This year's guilty pleasure album for sure.

 

8/10

[Nagisa 131]

After listening to this album about a dozen times, I guess I can review it.

 

NIHIL

Nothing in this instrumental really stands out. The vocals are rather haunting and the dubstep also sounds cool but the track as a whole felt unremarkable. The transition into DOGMA is perfect, though, which is where I think the value of this track lies. Without that, I think this is one of the worst instrumentals the GazettE has done, even worse than INFUSE INTO on TOXIC, which I actually liked.

 

DOGMA

Amazing. One of the best tracks on the album. This was the song I was most excited for after hearing the album preview, and it didn't disappoint me one bit. It has just the right combination of darkness and heaviness, like 13STAIRS[-]1, which I really like. The transition from NIHIL is flawless, and the opening just sounds epic, especially with the stringed instrument. The variety of Ruki's vocals in this song also contribute to its greatness. The screams are also not overdone, and it was interesting that there wasn't really a chorus. Interesting use of female vocals at the end. 

 

RAGE

Despite the shouting, I really liked this song (although that might be because this song appears earlier in the album). The piano and melodic chorus are amazing. 

 

DAWN

Like a lot of the songs on this album, my feelings are mixed on DAWN. The chorus is rather interesting, and I like how it mentioned 13 stairs. However, the shouts didn't really contribute anything, I felt. I did like how Ruki laughed in the middle and the part about redefinition (how he sings it, not thematically).

 

DERACINE

I must admit that the opening for this song was amazing. I'm always a fan of nice openings, and I think it is hard for a song to be good (in my opinion) without having a good opening. With that said, the shouts detracted from the rest of the song. The [Cradle and grave] part sounded cool, but the screaming took away from it. An above-average song compared to the rest of the tracks.

 

BIZARRE

Again, a good opening. The electronic elements throughout this song made it more interesting for me, and I also liked the thing that sounded like a piano (not sure what it was). Unfortunately the screams kind of ruined it for me. I'm not against screams, but I think they should appear in heavy songs like DISCHARGE and not randomly in songs that try to be more melodic. It was also interesting that the song was about someone who committed a crime in their youth.

 

WASTELAND

After DOGMA and OMINOUS, this is my favorite track on the album. Although the guitars don't really stand out on this track, I really like how Ruki is kind of rapping in the beginning. I also really enjoyed it when he sang the shorter verses. The slow pace of the song fits and I love how there are no screams in this one. I like the solo too. With the way some of the lyrics are spoken, I think it would have been interesting if a lyric video had been made for this song. Overall a very enjoyable and unique track. The subject of this song also reminded me of 泣ヶ原, my favorite song by the GazettE.

 

INCUBUS

This track grew on me. The French is kind of random but it is interesting to see the GazettE experimenting with other languages. The "I arise to broken nights" is pretty memorable, as are the excellent female vocals. It would have been interesting if they had had the female vocals go on for longer in the end. They convey emotion effectively. This is a nice track, but not on the scale of DOGMA or OMINOUS.

 

LUCY

I thought this was one of the worst tracks on the album. It sounded too typical to me. The drumming from Kai was nice, and I liked the solo, but they aren't enough to make this song stand out. The best vocal parts for me were the single verses in the beginning and halfway through the song.

 

GRUDGE

Although this song was completely in Japanese and the shouts were minimal, I still feel it was mediocre. There wasn't any buildup of emotion. It was somewhat like a ballad and then again not quite. The random shouting part kind of ruined the song. Midway through the song, the drums seemed to drown out the guitars. I did like how the voices overlapped at the end though. Nothing special.

 

PARALYSIS

This song made me notice how Ruki's best vocals are still in Japanese. This goes for many of the songs on the album but this one made me notice it. I guess I hadn't really compared them before. Again, the shouting interfered with my enjoyment of the rest of the song. Another lackluster song.

 

DEUX

I liked the piano in this track, as well as the opening. The way Ruki says "inferno" sounded really cool. The chorus was good and I liked it as soon as I heard the album preview, but the shouts again ruin the song. For me, the highlight of the song is the long section of Japanese near the end. It was melodic and beautiful. I wish that the track had ended after that instead of adding all that gratuitous shouting at the end. It was interesting that this track and INCUBUS both mentioned closing of eyelids. I'd say this track is on par with DERACINE.

 

BLEMISH

The chorus of this song reminded me of TOMORROW NEVER DIES. My favorite part was at the end where Ruki is begging someone not to abandon him. Like in INCUBUS, I felt the emotions in the song in that part. Other than that, the other parts don't really stand out. I wonder if the "goddess" mentioned at the end has anything to do with B-side on UGLY. It would be interesting if there were some link between the two songs.

 

OMINOUS

Tied with DOGMA for best track on the album. I think they probably released a lyric video to promote the album because they knew it was the best song on it. Everything about this track just screams melody. I especially enjoyed one of the parts where Ruki finished singing and the guitar continues on from his voice. The atmosphere of this track fits the title perfectly, and the solo is amazing. I think it is interesting that both this track and DOGMA don't really have choruses. The bridge on this track is also great and the song just gives you a sense of foreboding.

 

Before giving my final opinions, I just wanted to say that the production of this album reminded me of NIL. First, there are no images in the lyrics booklet (at least in the regular edition), which was also the case with NIL and wasn't true for albums in between. Also, the color scheme on the CD of brown and black is similar, and the fact that both albums ended with amazing tracks and not instrumentals make me wonder whether or not it is a coincidence. Just something interesting that I thought I would throw out there.

 

Initially, I thought that the songs on this album were too similar, but after listening to it a few times I was better able to distinguish between them. Nevertheless, the fact that over half of the songs contain shouting/screaming does not help the album. I would say that this album is a step backward from BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, although not a large step because there are a few amazing tracks. Even if BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY didn't really try to do anything thematically, at least there were several songs on it that I enjoyed.

 

The only tracks that I can unconditionally say I enjoyed were DOGMA, RAGE, WASTELAND, and OMINOUS. Many of the other tracks have enjoyable parts, but the screams prevent me from fully enjoying them. I also think that on many of the tracks there was a distinctive lack of melody. I was fine with RAGE because early on, the combination of screams and melody still seemed fresh but it grew repetitive after a while. 

 

The biggest thing I don't like about this album is that while many of the songs are heavy (or try to be), only a few of the tracks succeed at being dark or dim. This is more of a personal preference, but my favorite tracks from the GazettE (besides Defective Tragedy) all have one of those qualities. For example, 13STAIRS[-]1 is dark and heavy, and I think DOGMA emulated those qualities quite well. 千鶴 and 泣ヶ原 are examples of what I consider dim, and we get something similar in OMINOUS. When I heard that the theme of the GazettE's project had the words darkness and ominous, I was stoked. And when I heard OMINOUS, I was extremely excited for this album. But when I finally heard it, it was a disappointment, because to me only a couple of the songs had the qualities that were advertised. I guess what I am trying to say is that if the whole album had gone with replicating the atmosphere in DOGMA and/or OMINOUS in the other tracks, it would have been an amazing album.

 

I'm not sure what to expect with UGLY, but since it is being promoted under the auspices of OMINOUS YEAR, it would be nice if it could have at least one song with the atmosphere of DOGMA or OMINOUS. At the very least I hope they take out the excessive screams.

[YuyoDrift 1540]

Alright I am going to get this over with. It's been long enough. This is more of a review for myself, as I am conflicted, so to speak and I need to get this off my mind.

 

Before any hint of the release date, I had only listened to OMINOUS beforehand as a teaser and thought that if the overall album were to sound exactly like this, then they've come back to that gifted sound, which seperates them from the rest of the scene.

 

Expecting something new and true to them, I drove around listening to the album once it released.

 

The minute I heard NIHIL and DOGMA, I had some questions already starting to arise, but settled down remembering that DIM started somewhat similarly with 13-STAIRS.

When I got to RAGE, I skipped the track about a minute in, no big deal. I'm not gonna like every track right off the bat.

It wasn't until I skipped the next 5 tracks that I realized something was wrong here.

DEUX had something that made me somewhat enjoy it, but going on from there it was nothing but skipping of the tracks until I arrived at OMNINOUS, the track that gave everyone hope that the GazettE finally stopped with all this experimentation and is finally composing what acquired them this acclaimed status in the VK scene. No doubt a track that should have defined them by now.

 

After hearing that and to my utter surprise, that was the last track on the album, and it was over.

 

I can't tell you how many times I uttered the words "what the fuck? What the fuck was that? That's it?!?!?

 

I played the album over a couple more times and disliking the tracks even more the second and third time.

At first, the tracks felt so generic, monotonous, and lacked any feeling or emotion. Something you'd hear from the mainstream hard rock bands here in the States. Something was missing and I was not in the right mindset to assess and determine what it was. I decided to push this album on the backburner for a couple weeks, as I was highly disappointed and did not feel this album deserved a review.

 

After that time passed, I played it once more, determined to figure out what it lacked. Kai and Reita were very on point, carrying the entire burden of playing with such versatility and precision that I was blown away, it was overwhelming if anything. Ruki matches them with more aggressive vocalization (growls and screams), but could tone it down a bit with his english singing and stick with japanese.

 

It was OMINOUS that laid out the fault in the rest of the tracks. Where is the awesome Aoi/Uruha collaboration? Where are the passionate solos that this band is known for?

I can barely make out some of Aoi's signature guitar play, and Uruha's guitar melodies are almost non-existent. What gives?!? The album sounds completely thrown off-balance. Usually it's Reita and Kai following the guitar riffs, but its apparent who dominated this album.

 

The approach with this entirely hard sound it seems, has taken many by surprise. Some are for it, and others aren't. I leaned towards being against it, but after listening to the album over and over, listening to every aspect and detail as to why the GazettE chose this direction for the album, it makes sense. It's for the purpose of showing us this conflict (perhaps theirs).

 

You can hear it in GRUDGE, DEUX and especially in OMINOUS. Its a taste of what you know to be, their capabilities as of right now.

Yet, they struggle with this newer sound, that they have yet to work out themselves. Ruki's vocals are falling behind or not meeting their requirements (or at least, I'm beginning to notice) and Aoi and Uruha may be having sync issues, but it's beautifully masked within the album with harder basslines and drumming.

 

The GazettE really gave us something to think about with DOGMA, as it wasn't as apparent with BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY.

 

 

Now overall, the album itself is a great comeback after 2 years of teasers, with something to give the average Gazerock fan to feed on until the next release, but as far as those who wanted an album with OMINOUS all over it (including myself), we were left with disappointment (I was left with confusion, if anything).

 

So my review of it is as simple as this: The album did very well to please the masses, and overshadow any faults with harder Basslines/Drumming, but the faults are still there to be noticed.