MERRY - Beautiful Freaks

[Guest]

-choral- // As far as intros go, that was pretty nice. Atmospheric.

finale // Pleasant, but nothing new. Sounds like it could've easily gone on any one of their past 2/3 albums.

モノクローム // Eh.

ザァーザァー // Love the melodies, but the arrangement is just a bit too flat/dark. Could've been amazing with an organ, piano, celeste, etc added in.

Fleeting Prayer // Eh.

-sabbat- // Interesting, but could've been so much more.

不均衡キネマ // LOVE. This is the MERRY that needs to come back. It's like a condensed Gekisei, which is still the 2nd best thing MERRY has ever done (after komorebi ga...).

絶望 // Gara's vocal line kills this song, and not in a good way. The instrumentals are great but that melody of a descending minor scale from the dominant is weak as fuck.

スカル // messy and confused.

夜光 // Formulaic. Eh.

クライシスモメント // Ok, but the shouting bits are pointless.

消毒 // That minor3rd-augmented4th bridge bit is tacky as fuq. Nah.

The Cry Against ME // The worst thing they've ever released on CD. Not even the pretty nice, clean chorus can save that shit verse.

アイデンティティー // Nothing about this stands out.

SWAN // oh god when he reaches the top of his range during the intro is it p a i n f u l. Getting a very very shitty version of fuyu no castanets. As far as MERRY ballads go this is dire. Think they're real cellos, but the production makes them sound synth'd. Urgh.

-dawn- // pointless.

4/10. As far as MERRY albums go, this is easily their worst, taking that crown from Peep Show - 不均衡キネマ is the only standout track.

[minre 13]

I didn't have much hope going into the album considering how over half the album consisted of old songs or instrumentals.

In the end, there was disappointment.

But it started out promising, the intro wasn't so bad, and I loved finale.

But most of the new songs felt short and were filled with shouting/repetition that did nothing for the songs.

And SWAN is so messed up that I like it.

Can't really remmeber anything else, though it felt like cry against vocals were redone? I dunno.

No Gekkisei [or castanets], so I can't say this was better than their previous effort.. don't know what to say.

Average/10.

[Pretsy 1343]

It seems that M.E.R.R.Y -lovers, jazzsters and bluesters are definitely going to hate this record

Anyways, before reviewing the whole album, let me review 5 single songs (including the remake of Cry Against)

first:

(brief overall review)

Nice alternative metal/post-hardcore - songs from Merry. Despite the fact that those are quite commercial songs, Gara's voice is still able to encapture the feeling (...yes Kyo, we are talking about your fail-ish clean singing) of those songs + Nice riffage and bass audibility

Not sure if they really fit into the album tho :/

9/10 as singles/separate songs

8/10 as album songs

(Yes I am srs, since I always liked their Japanese Modernist-ish songs)

Now, to the real business:

(romanized)

-choral- : Deep, atmospheric intro -good Merry starter, as usual - 9/10

finale: Basic Modern Garde-ish hard rock song - I didn't care for vocal effects, Gara pulled everything quite well. Not sure if this would fit as a second track, since I expected something new - 8/10

Zaa Zaa: Nice throwback to Nu Chemical Rhetoric-era - catchy and beautiful, digging the biss audibility once again - Old school awesomeness 10/10

-sabbat- : Yes yes yes, very good SE!! It's time for a wilder phase of BF Nero getting wild here as always, which is indeed, awesome! 10/10

Fukinkou Kinema: Gekisei-meets-basic-ska-number , I always liked VK ska songs and this is not an exception! Quite danceable tune imho - instant 10/10

Zetsubou: I thought that they would pull off Finale once again but all of the sudden, Post-hardcoreish "vocal hooks" came along ("Default default default default"?) - Normal song, but nah, they should have chosen either this or Finale for the second spot - it kinda ruins the flow of album after teh gorgeous FK - as an album song 7/10 - as a separate song 8/10

Skull: Long time no see, Skull! Gendai Stoic-ism shines in this song clearly, which you can notice in Gara's weird vocals and eroguro punk-ish approach (lol @ Gara attempting to growl like Kyo at some point) - Merii is back 10/10

Shoudoku: Hameln pretty much gave a hint about nice numbers like THIS - It's pure and raw "Merii-punk-in-your-face" pretty much! Definitely loving this, yum yum yum 10/10

Identity: Decent punk-song with Yuu shouting out loud in the background all the time - Wish he could just shut up at some point, its just pure annoying 7/10

Swan: Typical VK goodbye swansong with overused strings and kids' choir - UNGH

4/10

-dawn-: Gloomy & mystical closer - 9/10 without Swan/ 7/10 with Swan (I facepalmed after Swan and paused the SE in the middleway)

Conclusion: Pretty much, the passable album for Merry-punk/metal lovers with quite formulaistic song approach. The only downsides are Swan and the lack of "structurability/structurality" (sorry, can't choose the right word D:) - Those songs work very well as single "shuffle-random" songs but most of them (especially single songs) are just not able to uphold the onmoving soundscape and "structure" of this album

The context/idea of this album is not clear for me

But as the title says, it's all about separate tracks, without any plot nor theme

Rating:

As separate songs (together): approx. 9 points out of 10

The album itself: approx. 8,5 points out of 10

Sorry for my fucked up English, I'm just all confused about DSS and BF - might give them a better listen sometimes later

[Furik 832]

Currently listening but I must say... Gara > Kyo

Will review soon.

[mopkins 42]

I love the album, but half of it being previously released tracks definitely kills a lot of the impact :k

it's also lacking in blues, but that's okay! they don't have to blues all the time.

[Asakusa 95]

ok, I was all silence right here but I'll put a warning before all the shitstorm begins... Stop the comparing thingie, here we are reviewing MERRY's release and not DIR EN GREY nor Kyo. If you have something to say about DEG or their respective members, please go and post it in the respective thread. Also DIR EN GREY and MERRY are different bands with different styles. I'm overreacting? nope, this is some advice because there'll be people who will take this as something personal and the real shitstorm will start. So guys please keep it on topic, thank you.

[Guest]

I'm overreacting?

A bit? MERRY moved to Diru's label and pretty much became diru lite. Comparisons between them and Gara/Kyo are only natural considering what the band has done in the past 2 years.

[Asakusa 95]

I'm overreacting?

A bit? MERRY moved to Diru's label and pretty much became diru lite. Comparisons between them and Gara/Kyo are only natural considering what the band has done in the past 2 years.

as long as this stays on topic everything's fine. i'll look up on this, I don't want some shitstorm starting because of your review (you know your reviews are not something that some other people can stand.)

[ShanethVarosa 1209]

I consider Merry to be the absolute worst Japanese, Visual, whatever band ever. But this album I would say is the only album that contained even remotely listenable tracks. The way I ended up rating the album on my iTunes averaged a 4/5 stars, but I think when out of ten I'd give it a 6 compared to the other albums which all got two or worse. I was impressed by Finale and Monochrome more than anything else.

[dannemannen 69]

Not that impressed... started out well with finale though. Best song on the album is crisis moment.

Edit; Swan is beautiful

[nekkichi 6043]

nice and atmospheric (except for swan, it sucks sucks sucks).

seeing their indie days gone 4ever was kinda sad a few years ago, but I like this one; it's overall my favorite album of their after peep show.

better than previous 2 LPs too.

Really curious what they're gonna release next, since they probably have some unreleased material left in the studio.

[Asakusa 95]

ok, MERRY (my 3rd fav band)

well... this album was ok... *sigh* i had so much hope for this album (new label and all that stuff)

it's not bad but it could have been a lot better. it didn't beat my fav ones (1. Modern Garde and 2. PEEP SHOW)

maybe a few listens more and it will grow on me but i don't think so...

very dissapointing :/ great album but that's it.

7,5/10

[Des 289]

I'm not quite sure what they wanted with the new The Cry Against Me. I prefer the single version (without the "me").

Finale, Zaa Zaa and Fukinkou Kinema are definitely favorites of the new songs. -Choral- and -Sabbat- should've been full songs. Swan + Dawn just sound odd as album closer. Swan is a nice song on its own but it feels out of place.

Overall it's a great album, but it has a few weak moments.

[Tokage 5930]

Definitely digging this so far, only up to track 10, but it's definitely good.

It leaves a better 1st impression on me than under-world, at least, which took me like 3 full listens to get into ( and I still skip that christmas song, fuck that thing ) and it's much better than M.E.R.R.Y. as well. I like how there are songs on here that pretty much represent all the various points in their career.

Only thing that could've been left off IMO is Identity, that song has always felt as an under-world b-side to me.

[sai 868]

-choral- - Cool intro is cool. Reminds me a lot of some creepy fairytale, perhaps a darker version of Alice in Wonderland. 8/10

-finale- - Love it! Great guitarwork, vocals are weird, but not annoying me. Amazing solo. Build up could've been a little better though. Rapping is often done wrong, but Gara does it very good. Wish it was ended better or was a little longer as well. 8.5/10

Monochrome - I remember slightly liking this on the single, but eventually deleting it from my files anyway. Pre-chorus and build up is pretty nice but I don't really like the chorus. Everything about the song is good except from the chorus. Well, I've heard worse, I suppose. That accoustic solo btw <3 . 7.5/10

Zaa Zaa - I don't know what this is. Honestly. It's such a weird song, but fitting for the album, nonetheless. It doesn't really stand out on its own tbh. Yet I can see myself liking this after a while. I'll go with a 7/10 for now.

Fleeting Prayer - Never heard the actual song because when this was released I never listened to MERRY before. I must say it's a pretty awesome song. Great chorus, weird structure, great instruments. 8/10

-sabbat- - I'm not that much into instrumentals, and this is no exception. The drumming is pretty cool though, but that's it. It reminds me of D's drum solo on VAMPIRE SAGA, only with more instruments added. It gets more interesting after a while though. 7.5/10

Fukinkou Kinema - The idea for a fun song is there, but it doesn't get out until the chorus. The vocals in the beginning are not very good, but they get better once the song progresses. Overall it's a pretty fun song, like I said. 8/10

Zetsubou - I'd like to applaud them for making a song that started so awful with the "Zetsubou Zetsubou Zetsubou" thing" into something awesome. 8/10

Skull - Uuuuuuuuurrrrrrr. No.

Awful screams, structure is awful, could've been so much better than it is. They should've kept it a slower song. 4/10

Yakou - Luckily Yakou makes up for all the awfulness that was Skull. Digged this on the single, I still love it. 9/10

Crisis Moment - Liked it on the single, still like it. 8/10

Shoudoku - Fukinkou Kinema pt. 2? So-so. I could imagine this being a fun live-song. For a regular listen however it's not my piece of cake. It's too messy. 6/10

The Cry Against ME - Agreed with Des. The single version was much better. I don't know what they were thinking when they made this, but it's definitely a lot worse than the original. 5.5/10

アイデンティティー - Meh. It has its fun parts (BREAK OUT BREAK OUT!), but that's it. 6.5/10

SWAN - This has grown on me after a few listens. It has a charm you need to discover, even though it's rather hard to find. 8/10

-dawn- - Outro, that kind of fits SWAN. There is nothing going on in it, so I won't rate it.

Overall: 8/10

I'd love to rate this higher, but I can't. The first part of the album was amazing, but the second part fell short and was saved by the good singles (Yakou, Crisis Moment) and SWAN. As for creating an atmosphere that matches the concept and the title, I'd give MERRY a 9/10. Beautiful Freaks is definitely a great way to describe this album. Compliments.

[The Libertine 2]

surprised to hear so many disappointed. A solid 9/10 for me. Very fun and heavy at same time. This and underworld make up for the few mediocre albums before them.

[froggyman75 28]

-choral- - intro/10

This is a decent intro. There's not much else I can say. I love the cool guitar riff though.

finale - 7/10

I like how the intro leads into this song, it just fits. The intro riff is pretty awesome too. I like how you can hear how much Gara has improved as a singer over the years too. He's definitely getting a lot better. Not much else I can say about this song though. It's just a bit of a standard Merry song. I reckon it could have easily fit onto under-world. Anyway, onto the next song.

Monochrome - 10/10

I can't tell if this is re-recorded or not (if it has been, please tell me) so I'll just put a heavily edited version of what I put for the single:

There isn't much I can say about this song. I love it. Gara's voice is just amazing. There's not much else that could top this for me.

Zaa Zaa - 8/10

This song's pretty good. Once again, Gara's voice is amazing. This sounds a bit like earlier Merry to me. Not much else I can say really other than it's pretty good.

Fleeting prayer - 10/10

This isn't a re-record is it? I would post what I put for my previous review of this but my opinion has changed, this is definitely a "grower" song. Anyway, I'm not exactly the biggest fan of Merry's ballads but this is just amazing. I absolutely adore this song. Gara's voice is just amazing and the guitars go so well with it. Only "negative" for this song is the drums, they're nothing special but that's not worth a point deduction. There's not many words to describe how much I love this song. It's beautiful.

-sabbat- - interlude/10

I love how this feels like a drum solo. Pretty awesome drumming from Nero though. The guitar effects are pretty cool too.

Fukinkou Kinema - 9/10

I like this. Definitely one of the better (new) songs from this album so far. I love this stuff from Merry. I hope they do more of this.

Zetsubou - 8/10

I love the instruments in this. This is also a really good song. Gara's vocals when singing "Zetsubou" sound a bit iffy though. It doesn't quite ruin the song but it's still a bit iffy. Really liking the song though.

Skull - 8/10

I've never listened to the original (as far as I can remember) so I can't compare it. This song is amazing though. I love the screaming in this song too. These types of songs tend to be my favourite. It's made me want to hear the original too. That speaking at the end is bleh though.

Yakou - 7/10

Another single song. I haven't really liked this song as I have the other singles but it's still pretty good. A bit of "standard" Merry really. The chorus to this song always gets stuck in my head though, I love Gara's singing in it, even if it is a bit generic.

Crisis Moment - 9/10

My initial listening to this song had it as my favourite Merry songs. After a lot more listens to now, It's still amazing but definitely not there best. I love the riff in the chorus, it's awesome. Gara's singing is, once again, the best thing in the song. I love it.

Shoudoku - 10/10

I really like the intro to this song and just the whole song in general. Once again, it reminds me of old Merry. Love it. The shouting is awesome too. Definitely my favourite new song.

The Cry Against ME - 10/10

I love all the added screams and shouts in this song. It makes what I found the best hardcore punk song I've heard, even better. Fucking amazing. I love all the extra stuff they added in too.

(Apprantly using a genre you thought best described a song makes you a huge retard. If anyone would like to correct me on what sort of superheavyhardcrapcore type of genre this is then feel free.)

Identity - 8/10

I loved this song when it was released but I feel the re-recording really isn't as good. Some of the stuff they've changed just doesn't sound right. Gara's singing is a lot better in this version though which makes the chorus for this song SO much better. Overall it's a decent re-recording, just not as good.

SWAN - 6/10

The start of this sounds really bleh. I'm not a huge fan of ballads though. It sounds just like a generic ballad. Definitely the weakest song from this album. The choir in the background sounds like it's synthed which is just tacky and un-needed. It's not as bad as everyone makes it out to be though, it's just a bit generic.

-dawn- - ending/10

S'alright.

Overall - 8/10

This album is really good, I'm not gonna lie, but it just doesn't work as an album. The songs all work a lot better as single songs. Not the best they've done but certainly not the worst.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

All in all, I like the album. However, most of the songs that I love basically more or less take up the whole middle part of the record. It's a weird feeling because in the beginning it doesn't seem like a particularly good album, and at the last few songs it doesn't leave that impression either, despite the fact that I love almost everything inbetween, to some extent. xDDD

Biggest favorites: Zaa zaa, Fukinkou Kinema, Crisis Moment, Shoudoku

I'd give a 7/10. It's a good album overall but won't be my fave.

[evilcoconut 109]

went into this with massively low expectations, but was actually pleasantly surprised. Finale, ザァーザァー and 不均衡キネマ were probably my favorites. They haven't completely lost that bluesy cabaret sound, though it's massively in the background comparatively. Either way, I liked it a lot more than Underworld, that's for sure. The Cry Against was still terrible though.

[Saaam-chan 50]

I was really happy when I got the CD...

And I really liked the most tracks... sure the most songs were allready released... and so there were not so much songs to waiting for... but at least... its a solid album and I don't think they failed this time...

I give a 7/10 ~

(I am a big fan of the band)

[Asakusa 95]

yep, after a lot of listening to this album all I can say now is:

FUCKING AWESOME PIECE OF WORK.

it was difficult to me at the first listen but now that this album has grown on me a lot... amazing!

still can't beat my 2 fav ones but I loved this.

forget the 7,5/10 I gave to this, now is a big 9/10!

[*littlelamb 78]

After letting my feelings on this settle a little, all I can say is I love everything.

All the new songs are great, couldn't pick a favourite, though ザァーザァー won't stop giving me chills. The flow of the album is just beautiful, really should be listened to all the way through. Like... how ザァーザァー, which is about Daisuke passing way, goes into Fleeting Prayer, which is a requiem. Written before his death, but Gara sang it for him in their first live after the fact. And then -sabbat- starts the "LP B-side" and we get 3 very Merryish songs, Skull not sounding out of place in the least even though it's the first song they ever wrote as a band. Somehow it connects seamlessly with Yakou via Gara's sheep counting, and then there's Crisis Moment, another "new MERRY" song, which is similar in theme to Yakou except with increasing desperation. Then there's a 3-song varied punk excursion. Shoudoku is perfect and Kenichi's playing in it so distinct. And finally SWAN, which is written for another person close to the band who passed away. First "magnificent ballad" they've made. I'm not a ballad person at all in general, but it's stunning. The drums are the highlight for me. Despite being sad it ends on a positive note with "Your night will turn into dawn..." and then there's a beautiful -dawn- at sea.

Oh and I must make a note about the Type B DVD. The acoustic versions of Crisis Moment and Yakou are even more gorgeous live than on CD, and everyone who's still pining after retrock Merry (as if they're not still retro) should hear Mayonaka. Songs don't get more perfect than that. Maybe they'll put it as a B-side one day, though it sounds better live I'm sure.

Great album. Thank you, Merry.