anieresus 270 Posted March 19, 2011 OMG can't believe there isn't a review thread for Philia. What is wrong with you people? Philia: The video was released a few weeks before the actual release. At first I wasn't too impressed, but now it has grown a lot on me, but it's just typical Versailles playing it safe. 8/10 Judicial Noir: Pretty good, fucking guitar work as always, loved everything about it blah blah great. 8.5/10 Desert Apple: Sounds really dream theater-ish to me, not surprised because they are influenced by them. Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent work, I still prefer Silent Knight a bit more though. 9/10 Overall: A pretty classy single, nice songs, awesome instrumental song. Philia was pretty good and so was Judicial Noir. But I still feel like they're lacking something ever since DESTINY-The Lovers-. 8.5/10 They're still better than your favorites tho. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sai 868 Posted March 19, 2011 Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent work Y U NO LIKE TERU Anyway, thought this was a pretty decent single overall. I loved Philia, which I would give a 9/10. Imo the solo should have been a bit shorter. Judicial Noir was kind of disappointing of what I heard from the preview. The chorus was stil pretty good though, so 8/10. I'm not a big fan of instrumentals, but I thought Desert Apple was pretty good. 7.5/10 (I prefer Silent Knight as well) Overall: 8/10 Great job once again guys. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nekkichi 6043 Posted March 19, 2011 They have finally reached the point where I can no longer hear any differences between their title single songs. B-sides are okay, and desert apple is the best one so far. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Daggi_X 2 Posted March 19, 2011 They have finally reached the point where I can no longer hear any differences between their title single songs.B-sides are okay, and desert apple is the best one so far. Sad, but true. The single as a whole was not bad at all, but it's not really memorable, at least not for me. If I randomly played one of these songs, I would not be able to tell on which album/single it belongs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peace Heavy mk II 7200 Posted March 19, 2011 Honestly, not my favorite single by them. I was expecting Ascendead Master 2.0 but it wasn't really like that. Some of the points in the chorus were more yelped than sang which didn't really sit well with me. I love the melody of "Judicial Noir,"though, but the singing isn't as clean as it has been in the past. "Desert Apple" is a nice change of pace for them though: I liked how it was an instrumental that wasn't trying to emulate Hizaki Grace Project (not to say that the other ones are) and was something completely un-Versailles. Versailles has an interesting fan base. They're at the point in which they're going to get shit about absolutely anything they do: if a release sounds too close to another song they'll get people bitching about how everything is interchangeable. If they try something new, people jump-ship, burn their old cds, "It's because dey major!!!" "If only Jasmine were here to save us" for forever after. "Not the best of Bearsighs, but I'm not going to kill myself over it. " Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fitear1590 2414 Posted March 19, 2011 Versailles has an interesting fan base. They're at the point in which they're going to get shit about absolutely anything they do: if a release sounds too close to another song they'll get people bitching about how everything is interchangeable. If they try something new, people jump-ship, burn their old cds, "It's because dey major!!!" "If only Jasmine were here to save us" for forever after. Lol, you said it. Versailles could release the most epic fucking song and people would still complain, "guh, too overproduced" or "How insensitive to release more songs after Jasmine You's death. They should have just disbanded!" or something else. As for the single, definitely not my favorite release but for me, there was at least something to like about every song, which is all I really ask for. Philia: Really like the riff from like 20 seconds-30 seconds, love the solos (that lead back into that nice intro riff), love the ending section. Don't really like the part where Kamijo is almost acapella-ish except for the harp or whatever? Solid track. 8.5ish/10 Judicial Noir: The intro actually did remind me of Noble era stuff like SUZERAIN, but whatever, there's no pleasing fans anymore... Great solo section. I will agree that Kamijo's vox on this track are at times a bit iffy. Overall, some of the instrumentals are a bit filler-ish. Also lol at Kamijo's english at the end, haha. 7.5/10 Desert Apple: I really appreciate that Hizaki was experimenting on this one, since he has a very signature sound (and he has a tendency to be "safe" and stick to this sound). Nice general melody in the middle section, but the song overall is a bit messily put together. Yes, this is coming from a Love from a Dead Orchestra and God Palace fan, so I'm not opposed to lots of different movements, but I think this one could have been put together better. STILL, kudos for being outside of the Versailles comfort zone. 7.5/10 Overall: 8/10 I know they can do better, but it was a pretty good release. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nekkichi 6043 Posted March 19, 2011 Versailles has an interesting fan base. They're at the point in which they're going to get shit about absolutely anything they do: if a release sounds too close to another song they'll get people bitching about how everything is interchangeable. If they try something new, people jump-ship, burn their old cds, "It's because dey major!!!" "If only Jasmine were here to save us" for forever after. judging by versailles fans I've seen irl, they should stop doing music at all and devote themselves to onstage gangbang and rosewater sports. teh true fans won't care if musical part of this project is gone with Jasmine You, and I guess the band is adjusting to their needs accordingly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sai 868 Posted March 19, 2011 teh true fans won't care if musical part of this project is gone with Jasmine You, and I guess the band is adjusting to their needs accordingly. This. Look, they have a new bassist, get over it. I was sad about it too but that's life. Some people just can't stop whining. Same with the people who only like them because of their looks or whatever :/ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anieresus 270 Posted March 19, 2011 Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent workY U NO LIKE TERU . 'Cause Teru didn't play in this song as far as I know. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
gyakutai 12 Posted March 19, 2011 They have finally reached the point where I can no longer hear any differences between their title single songs.B-sides are okay, and desert apple is the best one so far. Sad, but true. The single as a whole was not bad at all, but it's not really memorable, at least not for me. If I randomly played one of these songs, I would not be able to tell on which album/single it belongs. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
OmegaChaos 1 Posted March 19, 2011 It,s very nice single Philia - Totally epic.Love the riffs,solos,vocals..it,s perfect song.10/10 Judicial Noir - It,s good,but imo the guitar sound is a bit weak in this 8/10 Desert Apple - Not bad,but imo too inconsistent and messy 6/10 Overall 7.5/10 I guess...for them,my favorite band,it,s a bit dissapointing release,but good enough satisfy me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeus 7997 Posted March 20, 2011 Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent workY U NO LIKE TERU . 'Cause Teru didn't play in this song as far as I know. EXPLAIN YOSELF! I've been waiting for a Philia review thread so that I could gather my thoughts and see if everyone else is feeling the same way that I am about this release. It seems that in some respects I'm pretty much alone on this one. I will give Kamijo some points for finally being able to sing in that deeper register with full force. I liked his voice from before but the progression from Noble to Jubilee showed that he had improved and the progression from Jubilee to now shows further improvement. I have to take some of those points back though because he makes a few really bad calls here with his vocal lines. I'm particularly not a fan of Philia's chorus because Kamijo equates going higher in pitch with getting louder in volume. His semi-shouting singing doesn't work and I hope that is on their upcoming album. While I'm on that note, he hits a really raw note on Judicial Noir (around 3:29) that the producers should have corrected. It sounds 'ew' and not at all fitting. It was halfway between getting spit caught in his throat and sounding raw and anguished. It's not enough to make the song unenjoyable but it is of note. I do equate Philia with being a continuation of Ascendead Master because I see them both as singles that played it safe and the single versions of the songs have vocal tics that annoy me (like Ascendead Master, where Kamijo's K's were emphasized to the point where it sounded slightly clipped and grainy every time he said "kakumei wo utsukushiku" during the chorus). In terms of structure, Philia is much more forgettable than the song I just referenced it with because the guitars and their intricate melodies do not stick out as much as they have on previous releases. It seems like they've taken more of an approach of balancing everything as much as they can as opposed to having the lead guitars, organs and vocals at the front of every track. The guitars are more fuzzed out and subdued, the drums mastered better, the symphonic elements pushed way to the back and the bass more prominent and with more challenging lines. I can't say it's a bad decision as much as one I'm not quite used to. If I gave Philia (the song) a few more spins I'm sure I could grow to love it as a nice, safe Versailles song with a rather memorable ending. Judicial Noir ranks lower on my scale and along with select songs from NOBLE it's one of my least favorite Versailles tunes. That's not to say that it's an outright terrible song, because it isn't, but it's definitely what I would call "B-side material". On first listen, it sounded like a more aimless version of SUZERAIN. It starts with a path that it wants to take and a sound that it wants to define but around the chorus it starts losing steam and around three minutes as the solos come to a close it falls apart. The reversion to the chorus sounds like the composer didn't know how to progress and then returns to it to keep the momentum going, but the chorus itself doesn't exactly fit with the progression of the rest of the song. Once the chorus goes off into a completely different direction near the end, it trips up and becomes muddled. This song could have used two things: an extra minute and some crunch in the guitars. Versailles has tipped their hand before and shown us that they can deal with turning up the heavy but here the guitar lines, especially the intro, sound sparse as if there was some room that they needed to fill in. I would much rather see GLOWING BUTTERFLY or LIBIDO make an appearance on an upcoming album if they need tracks to fill it out. Desert Apple is a great song for the sole purpose that it does a good job at breaking the "Versailles mold" of what all their songs are supposed to sound like. I wouldn't have expected something like this to come out of them and I would have sworn the first minute was lifted right out of a Moi dix Mois song if not for the fact that 0:23 and onward is too derivative of Mana's composition style. 1:05 onwards provides a nice contrast with the beginning and uses one of the oldest compositional tricks in the book but I would have much preferred that the entire song followed in the vein of the beginning. Desert Apple sounds like two different songs (beautifully) smashed together: one half full of synth Versailles hasn't touched before and the other half full of all the airy guitar wankery we love them for. For that alone I'd take off a few points but nothing else about the song irks me. I prefer this to Silent Knight because this is straightforward, whereas Silent Knight sounds like the group recorded band practice. Overall, I say this single's slightly above average with Desert Apple leading the pack, then Philia, then Judicial Noir. I'm not into numbers but if I had to pick one I'd give it a 7, maybe an extra half just for Desert Apple. I prefer it to DESTINY but for upcoming releases they need to hire new people to master their tracks. The balancing of some instruments on this single are unforgivably off and for a band that considers itself a symphonic metal sextet, downplaying the symphonic part on all three songs is a questionable idea. Unless they're trying to distance themselves from that because they view it as a limiting factor in Hizaki's compositional skills, in which case this shows that the metamorphosis of Versailles is incomplete and this is a snapshot of them in some ugly, larval stage that we don't want to see before they emerge as a GLOWING BUTTERFLY. (hurrhurr) /walloftext Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
minre 13 Posted March 20, 2011 honestly, I loved Judicial Noir while finding Philia to be questionable. also, I still think desert apple is a horrible title. enjoyable though. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JustIronic 1 Posted March 22, 2011 There's so much drama around Versailles lately. It's fucking annoying. The fandom I'm part of is pissing me off. Anyway, the single. Philia - Better than I expected. Never bothered to listen to the whole song when it came out, I waited for the single. It was a nice but average Versailles song. So much better than Destiny though. Judicial Noir - Best song of the single, easily. Destiny's B-side tracks beat this one, but I do like this. Desert Apple - Nice instrumental. I mean, their instrumentals are always nice. But this one is a perfect length, it's not SILENT KNIGHT-long and it's not Reminiscence-short. It's nice. Also, the intro had me thinking "Moi dix Mois", but I don't mind. It's some kind of variation at least. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
LIDL 692 Posted March 22, 2011 I really enjoyed Desert Apple. Nice instrumental number. All other can pass. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Masamune 72 Posted March 24, 2011 Liked both tracks, not fused on instrumentals so don't care that. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TheBistroButcher666 228 Posted March 24, 2011 Finally listened to Philia and it's a pretty solid release. 1. Philia is probably my least favourite but I certainly don't dislike it by any means. Better then Destiny for sure. 2. Judicial Noir is great though, I really like it. It's not as awesome as Libido but it's still a great B-side track. I think this would have been a better choice as the main title track for the single. Judicial Noir > Philia. It's so epic! 3. Desert Apple is an awesome instrumental piece. I've been wanting for a good instrumental track from them for awhile now. I have liked the last few they have done but nothing I've really loved or at least want to put on repeat. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Peace Heavy mk II 7200 Posted March 27, 2011 http://seraphimvisualkei.blogspot.com/2 ... hilia.html Wrote a more in depth thing this morning. I took a lot of what Zesshoku said to heart, actually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zeus 7997 Posted March 27, 2011 http://seraphimvisualkei.blogspot.com/2011/03/versailles-philia.htmlWrote a more in depth thing this morning. I took a lot of what Zesshoku said to heart, actually. Must read this then Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nekkichi 6043 Posted March 28, 2011 Note: Mana didn't invent crappy synth, so don't feel like their musical integrity has been compromised) Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sansamour20 2 Posted March 29, 2011 Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent work Y U NO LIKE TERU not that she doesn't like teru, it's just that Teru's not in Desert Apple. ^^ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sansamour20 2 Posted March 29, 2011 what the hell are with these people keeping on their claim that Versailles changed? HELL NO. or maybe they're just too busy fangirling or fanboying the band's look to even get a grip of the band's actual sound? anyway... Philia didn't really appeal to me that much. I don't like those type of tunes that are very mainstream, like those you often hear as opening themes for anime? but since it was used as theme for Onegai Kanaete, then it's reasonable. I just didn't like the chorus, but the rest of the song was actually good. The Versailles element of symphonic elegance is still there, the solos are fab as always(esp Teru's♥), and Kamijo's english singing is just as hilarious, but kidding aside, it's all good, and I'll give it maybe a 7/10 Judicial Noir this, i really enjoyed. The first stanzas reminded me a bit of Catharsis, but of course better done, but that's not to say that it sounds a copy of the latter. I enjoyed Kamijo's aggressive singing here, got me laughing actually, but not in a bad way. The chorus is very good. aa, I just really liked this. 8.5/10 Desert Apple As I got the Type A, the one with the Live clips, I was able to compare the recorded one from the live one. And DAMN did i enjoy the Live one!! so sadly, i can't help but compare it with the recorded version, which i found to be inferior, and duller. comparing them aside though, this instrumental is great, just as one would expect from Versailles' prowess in their instrument play. and i have to commend Hizaki for doing good even without Teru. I still liked Silent Knight much much better though, the rivalry between the dueling guitars there was really EPIC, the one thing that lacked in here, and is the essential thing for any Versailles piece. this comes out as an 8-8.5/10 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rize 1593 Posted March 30, 2011 Philia is the best track of that whole single ;3 Judicial Noir sounds ok^^ & desert apple is nice^^ They all did quite well, not bad at all =D Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ramrod 108 Posted March 30, 2011 D: Every Versailles release have and probably always will sound the same to me... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
anieresus 270 Posted March 30, 2011 Hizaki, Masashi and Yuki make a fucking excellent work Y U NO LIKE TERU not that she doesn't like teru, it's just that Teru's not in Desert Apple. ^^ I'm a HE not a she D: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
