Zeus 7997 Posted June 16, 2018 | A great white flash of nothing special. Every so often, I come across a single or an album that leaves me speechless. Whether that is a good or a bad thing depends on if my expectations were met. Despite my glowing review of RAZOR's first mini-album, their newest single "BRILLIANT" leaves me feeling cold. Strip away the visual kei conventions and I'm left with very little that I can associate uniquely with RAZOR. Listening to BRILLIANT is listening to a different take on the same three songs. Lead single "BRILLIANT" sounds like a bog-standard upbeat visual kei song with a misplaced breakdown. It's a boring track and a close cousin to the third track, "PINNOCHIO", but "PINNOCHIO" is way more interesting. I'd have flipped the track list and marketed this single as "PINNOCHIO", if the goal was to pilot something radio friendly. "HONEY" is the track for those looking for something to head bang to, with a groovy riff, but changing the key the song is composed in doesn't change the way it was constructed. It could be so much more than it is. No matter how much this band is divorced from any previous bands, I expect the lessons learned to carry over. If I limit the scope of this conversation to just BORN, I'm confident in saying that BORN were way more adventurous in the genres they were inspired by and put into their music. The result wasn't always great, but they tried. I need RAZOR to find that same interest, and I'm not only talking about the genre. Give me a solo instead of a breakdown, take more time to develop the introduction to a song, amp up the electronic effects or strip them entirely, or even start the song off with the chorus immediately. Even doing small things can help to give each song an identity. This has sounded like a very negative review, but I assure you that there's still something here for the modern visual kei fan to dig into. I am personally just hoping for more. RAZOR is one of the few bands on the scene I have any type of emotional connection to, so I want to see them succeed. In order for that to happen, I'm going to need to see some progression. "HONEY" and "PINNOCHIO" are passable, but I'm looking for a stronger showing from their lead single. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Shmilly 519 Posted June 19, 2018 I agree that this single isn't their finest work, but I don't think you're giving them enough credit for variety in their music. For stripped down elements, try their softer songs like ネイキッド. Being more adventurous with genres? How about イノセンス or even PINOCCHIO on this single? Songs that go directly into the chorus? The last two singles were exactly that. I think RAZOR have found a sound they want to go with, which is why some of their choices of lead tracks recently seem a little stale, but if you take the rest of their work as a whole I think there is a reasonable amount of experimentation for the length of their career and the size of their discography. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeus 7997 Posted June 20, 2018 On 6/18/2018 at 9:12 PM, Shmilly said: I agree that this single isn't their finest work, but I don't think you're giving them enough credit for variety in their music. For stripped down elements, try their softer songs like ネイキッド. Being more adventurous with genres? How about イノセンス or even PINOCCHIO on this single? Songs that go directly into the chorus? The last two singles were exactly that. I think RAZOR have found a sound they want to go with, which is why some of their choices of lead tracks recently seem a little stale, but if you take the rest of their work as a whole I think there is a reasonable amount of experimentation for the length of their career and the size of their discography. I'm going to have to listen to the songs you've mentioned and get back to you. I reviewed this single without revisiting any of their other material. In the context of this single, everything sounds a little too similar for my tastes. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
zombieparadise 487 Posted June 20, 2018 More of PINOCCHIO, ネイキッド and 邪崩 are what I want to hear from this band. This is the direction they need to go in. The LIQUID VAIN, DNA, and BRILLIANT A-sides have all used a similar formula that is far too generic for my taste and don't come close to anything on the first mini imho. They need to step away from that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
deedlitmurata 86 Posted June 24, 2018 I agree PINOCCHIO should have been the main song on this single, I find this song spectacular. If they keep doing more like this, I think it will be great. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
