DADAROMA - 「dadaism ♯3」⎡"review"⎦

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

DADAROMA is, by all accounts available to me, one of the handful of bands from the new crop that have skyrocketed in stature and popularity to the levels previously held by the mid 2000’s indie stalwarts, crashing the party with probably the best case of intuitive visual kei marketing since conditional disbandment by first releasing Oboreru Sakana on Youtube for all gaijins to easily enjoy. Immediate hit in the west relatively speaking, due to its accessibility both in sound and availability, they’ve been on a continual upward surge since. And now two DADAism’s later, the third in the series has just dropped coinciding with the third year into their run.

 

Having now amassed a decent amount of bulk into their discography one can finally make some observations what DADAROMA is, and what they are about. What to note specifically, is that the overall image of their sound is uniquely scattered, and yet aesthetically consistent. Ever since their debut a polarity has been attributed to them; a struggle between the metalcore influence against their wacky, almost The GazettE-esque light-heartedness and a tendency to stick to more traditional nu-metal visual kei riffs and vocal stylings. At this point, three years on from their debut, it can probably be said that this is a false observation. Out of a discography of 47 or so songs, only about 4 or 5 put on their striped deathcore socks, while the rest tread the line of either appropriating the odd stylistic trick from the style or settle comfortably into the visual kei ballad/mid-tempo song territory. What does remain consistent however is their imagery of clowns, sex, clichéd visual kei political commentary and a very loud production that’s as slick as it gets. Looking at the entirety of their output from the past three years one notices that they’ve always been kind of the same; looking, sounding and acting pretty much like they’ve always done and whatever had been mistakenly attributed as a stylistic shift was merely a case of someone being unfamiliar with them. The palette of DADAROMA just happens to be very broad, and they happen to divulge in all the different aspects of it cyclically.

 

What I do think is true however, is that they do some things better than others, and DADAISM 3 is a prime example of it. In the third release of their EP series we see a band distilling all their worst traits into 20-minute slog that’s everything I hope this band will not be about in the future.

 

In their prime DADAROMA uses the interplay of their ability to use metalcore and traditional visual kei’s melodramatic potency to a great effect. In their first PV tracks Oboreru Sakana and Ame no Waltz they bang out a Suicide Silence 101 knock-off and whispery vk vocals at exactly the right times, and climax like the sinking titanic with a lazy vk fade out for the centuries. If perfect 2010’s visual kei was engineered in a laboratory, it’d sound like these two songs did. Fucking tremendous.

 

While for some of the subsequent PV’s they’d showcase their knack for doing other things, I believe that even if they didn’t continue chugging like before, at least they always stayed fun and sexy. When in form, Yoshiatsu gives a degree of gravity to everything he is on and there is no denying what a technically able band there’s behind him; so even when appropriating INSIDE BEAST or being really tacky with Nightmare Before Christmas Tim Burtony jingles, they’re awesome. With DADAISM 3 being something which they haven’t been before: boring.

 

Oddly enough starting out with a high note, DADAROMA’s PV cut this time is MASTURBATION that horrified a segment of the people on this board, and here I’ll make a case for it: MASTURBATION is interesting, loud and very obnoxious. One valuable life lesson I’ve learned from a childhood of watching pro-wrestling is that any reaction is better than no reaction. There’s an inherent value to the over the topness, and especially when it’s quite fitting for a band that’s always been kind of carney, and most importantly sincerely self-aware. Could I do without another mid-period Marilyn Manson dance live song? Yes, but I don’t hate it either and I kind of appreciate it for what it is. Despite everything it still bangs hard and remains true to the band’s spirit.

 

Things halt to a standstill right afterwards however, when DADAROMA apparently decides to churn out a EP’s worth of mid-tempo ballads and nu-nu-visual kei bangers, channelling pop Lynch and the worm-eaten corpse of that version of Girugamesh nobody liked. I’m making it sound worse than it is, but for a band that’s been so consistent a lull like this is both alarming and a curious choice. Before in songs like Yume Tarareba and Zouka what worked in their favour is both their colourful concept and the contrast in the sound of all their elements. Things that were generic were made cool by their skill and unique character. When a band like this then slows down and makes a collection of energetic live songs and heartfelt bittersweet ballads, I become disaffected when they fall short of the grand theatre of what they could be. Romance Gray is immediately forgettable compared to other songs structured the same way with the sampled rainfall and everything; Itoshi teru doesn’t hold a candle to the songs they’ve made before in a similar style either, and in fact every other song on here can as well be categorised into “they’ve done it before, and they’ve done it better.” Sincerely it is the first time this band has done something twice, and now it’s an EP full of very matter of fact diddies that lack the edge of their prior material, aside from the PV cut that’s a Risley Circus B-side with crass lyrics as its saving grace.

 

When this band takes its foot off the pedal, they can start sounding very generic and tired. This can be circumvented by doing things different. Working with your unique concept, not ripping off Lynch and utilising the tools at your disposal in ways that hasn't been done in the scene before. DADAISM 3 is a paint by the numbers EP from a very professional band no matter how you look at it; it doesn’t hit even close to as hard as 1 or have the diversity of 2. If they’ll settle on treading the same ground like a DOGMA Gazette junior, then they’ll absolutely have to bring back the deathcore for some desperately needed flavour, or otherwise we are due for redux of NOW and GO era Girugamesh. If the history of this band is anything to go by then they'll rebound shortly, but there's always that doubt...

 

 

[tetsu_sama69 1119]

 

[Shmilly 519]

I'm not going to disregard your opinion, but after the eloquent introduction the album review comes across as a thoughtlessly written rant from someone whose expectations weren't met. Did you even listen to it more than once before dismissing it as a disappointment?

 

Case in point: the song with the rain sampling isn't 'Romance Grey', it's 'Ookami Shounen to Doku Ringo'. 'Itoshi teru' isn't even correct Japanese, so you didn't even take the time to check the romanization before complaining about the song. This is just sloppy writing.

 

Yes, I'm a stalwart fan of DDRM, and while I agree that this isn't their best material to date, it isn't fair to write it off as repetitive songwriting just because it isn't as immediately appealing as some of their older work. Some albums take a while to grow on you, and while I was also a little underwhelmed by the third installment of 'dadaism', I gave it a chance and a few more listens and came to appreciate it for what it is.

 

'MASTURBATION.' is a catchy party rocker that was stuck in my head for days after I first heard it in full at Takashi's birthday live. I was on the side of the split that, rather than horror at this strange, all-English departure from the dramatic lead tracks we've come to expect, embraced Yoshiatsu's crazy side. I'm sure that out of the six tracks on this release, this opener will be the most divisive for long-time fans, but speaking personally I love it.

 

In the same format as the other dadaism's, 'Aishiteru to Itte yo' is a slightly jazzy number that adds to the ever-increasing repertoire of this style that the band is putting out. I'll admit that it's sadly not as memorable as other times when they've done it better (like the raunchy 'Saishuu Densha' and the frankly erotic 'Urei Libido' that somehow still finds time for headbanging among its sensual imagery) but it's not necessarily a bad song. I personally didn't find it weak enough to press the skip button through multiple listens.

 

'NPD' is another brash synth-backed mover like 'Trend Identity' that is clearly meant to be enjoyed to its full potential in a live setting. (For those who are interested, my best guess at the acronym is 'Narcissistic Personality Disorder', which ironically fits Yoshiatsu's attitude to himself and his relationship with the band's fans pretty well. The lyrics also reference Hans Selye, a pioneer in biological stress, and the DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria). It works well enough for what it is, and I enjoyed the energy even if it only lasted for around 3 minutes.

 

At this point I feel like I'm going to go against the general consensus on 'Romance Grey' by saying that it might be my favourite track on the whole release. I can see why many people might immediately think of it as a bland rock ballad, but looking at DADAROMA's discography, this is not repetitive songwriting but something completely different for them. Going back to the basics with a strong riff, emotional vocals and a simple structure made this song the opposite of forgetful in my opinion - it stands out as a unique style amongst the combination of dramatic masterpieces, brutal headbangers, energetic live rockers and jazzy experiments that make up the rest of their discography. Rather than dismissing 'Romance Grey' as a standard ballad, I say bravo for trying something new.

 

Now we come to the dramatic, fairy-tale piece for this album. 'Ookami Shounen to Doku Ringo' opens with another attempt to take a lens to society, telling the story of a young boy who was poisoned and how the media were far more interested in the perpetrator than the poor victim. It didn't immediately seize me in the same way as 'Oboreru Sakana' or 'Lucid Dream', but perhaps this is the track that has grown on me the most through multiple listens. The structure is a little different to their usual arrangements in this style, because it doesn't really get going until the sudden change into a major key after the oppressive opening for the contrastingly uplifting chorus. In fact, I think this is the first time one of their dramatic works has a lighter chorus, which caught me off guard the first time I listened to it. Unlike the aforementioned tracks too, it ends rather abruptly instead of with a lengthy instrumental fade out.

 

Finally comes the obnoxious 'Watashi, Bangya ja nai wa' which is another song evidently meant to be enjoyed at a concert rather than sitting at home. At first listen this is perhaps the most throwaway track of the whole release, and as such a disappointing way to round off the regular edition, but upon closer inspection it's a surprisingly heavy hitter with some chugging downtuned guitar designed to lead the titular bangya in synchronized headbanging. For me this track treads a fine line between catchy and forgettable; what I mean by this is that it's not a song I would deliberately choose to listen to over any number of other offerings from DADAROMA, but nonetheless when it immediately starts up after the sudden ending of the previous track, I can't help but get caught up in the energy it brings.

 

So that's dadaism number three. This review ended up a little longer than I expected, but I wanted to throw a contrasting opinion out there while it might still be relevant.

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

13 minutes ago, Shmilly said:

Case in point: the song with the rain sampling isn't 'Romance Grey', it's 'Ookami Shounen to Doku Ringo'. 'Itoshi teru' isn't even correct Japanese, so you didn't even take the time to check the romanization before complaining about the song. This is just sloppy writing.

 

 

oops yeah i fucked that up. just swiftly googled and was 2 lazy to copypaste the original titles from the files. 

 

I wrote what I look forward from them, and then what I perceive they gave regarding this paradigm ( this is why I don't score also, to emphasise subjectivity. I just don't feel like pussyfooting and adding I THINK or IN MY OPINION in front of every sentence just to appease people ). Don't give a shite what anyone else wants or thinks, and 3 was indeed not what I was hoping to see. From them I pray for one thing only, which is indeed a certain stylistic direction that is not this one but what they've done a few times before. I call it like I see it. Listened to it probably five or six times now, i think it's tired af save for masturbation

[Shmilly 519]

14 minutes ago, Disposable said:

Don't give a shite what anyone else wants or thinks, and 3 was indeed not what I was hoping to see. From them I pray for one thing only, which is indeed a certain stylistic direction that is not this one but what they've done a few times before. I call it like I see it. Listened to it probably five or six times now, i think it's tired af save for masturbation

 

And that's fair enough, everyone's entitled to an opinion. I'm hoping for better on their next release too!