In the
days of yore, when pop music meant something, it was filled with nourishing
musical ideas and showed the tides of progress.
But then something happened, the ability for it to fill our soul has
nearly vanished, and the masses are starved on good music. There’s the occasional quality track that
stays good after multiple spins, but it has gotten to the moment where even
good pop music gets stale. We live in a
white-bread world in mainstream music.
However, there’s salvation from the drek that the masses need to know
about. In the words of Marie Antoinette,
or more accurately The Rods quoting her: “LET THEM EAT METAL!”
Hello degenerates,
heathens, weirdos, and deviants. I am the Rock Otaku, and I’m here to
show you worlds such as hard rock, metal, punk, alternative rock, movies, TV,
anime, video games, and anything that makes us scream, shout, and forget hate and sadness.
This series is
dedicated to the best that heavy metal can offer. As you will read, I will take you on a
journey though the annals of heavy metal’s storied history from its beginning
in early 70s, its crystallization in the late 70s and early 80s, its
breakthrough into mainstream conscience in the early to mid-80s, its maturation
in the late 80s and 90s, its dominance (sort of) in the 2000s and even today,
and the rare moments that very few talk about unless in the company of
like-minded fans. Not in that order, but
I’ll be looking at the footnotes of metal history in the order I desire. In short, this series is about metal, plain
and simple.
And today, I talk
about a movement so wild, so weird, and so Japanese that it had to be inspired
by western heavy metal: visual kei. What
I mean by inspired by heavy metal from the west is the whole idea of the
movement existing in the first place with the barrage of influences that are prevalent
in the more famous acts of the genre.
Alongside that is the, from what I know, strong use of heavy guitars,
shredding solos, and overall melancholy that’s also present in metal. But for a quick definition of what it is,
visual kei is a movement in Japan that mostly based in the music industry
there, with bands playing a barrage of styles while having striking,
over-the-top, and eye-catching imagery, costuming, and hairstyles. The main roots of the movement, due to its
image and early ethos, would be considered metal, glam rock, and punk rock,
with clear influences from the Los Angeles glam metal movement that was
happening in the 80s, plus some thrash, hardcore punk, alternative rock, and
NWOBHM influences. Some of the earliest
bands to gain notoriety in the movement include Luna Sea, Buck-Tick, Color, D’erlanger,
Dead End, Glay, and today’s band X Japan.
 |
| Yeah, this is one of those bands. |
.jpg/280px-X_Japan_Cosplay_(8644730147).jpg) |
| When fans cosplay as a band, you know they are icons. |
As for me, I can
easily call myself a male visual kei fan who’s there for the music, the
star-power, and some weird aspects of my personality that attract me to
it. I’m not sure why, but I can woo any
girl with the right words, but I feel that I have a kinship with the bands and
the fans due to my overall mentality. If
you already figured out certain things, good.
If not, then some of this may shock you.
But in general, I can easily call myself an X Japan fan without any
worries of embarrassment or humiliation.
Overall, I am a fan of J-rock as well.
Easily that could be due to my anime fandom, but you can also use what I’ve
stated about what I find appealing musically to make a claim that it’s easy for
me to like J-rock. J-metal, even more
so. A big part of why I like this band
in particular is probably due to the awesome guitar work from hide and Pata,
the intensity of the music at its heaviest, and how emotionally charged the
ballads are. Toshi’s more of an acquired
taste, but once you get past heavily accented Japanese singers, it’s easy for
the music to sweep you off your feet.
What’s weird is that recently I can’t get into country music without
thinking that the music would not fit with the singer’s heavy southern accent
and vice versa, whereas I’m okay with rock bands with Japanese singers who have
the accent, even when singing in English.
It may be due to me streaming Vanishing
Vision somewhere and getting hooked, starting with the striking album cover
and staying for the badass music, but I somehow think that this album is their
opus. And that’s saying something
considering Art of Life. But enough with the rambling, let’s get to
the metal.
1. Prologue (~ World Anthem):
Apparently, this is
based on a Mahogany Rush tune, which explains why on the album, the song’s
music is credited to Canadian guitarist Frank Marino. I’m sure that you can get that from
Wikipedia, so I shouldn’t be too worried about this for now. These aren’t entirely done quickly. However, for this track, this is one great
way to start the album. With the opening
guitar notes and pounding bass and drums, you get this sense of power growing
within as the song goes on. Included in
this are some great guitar melodies that exude confidence, power, pomp, and
circumstance. And throughout, you get
this uplifting feeling throughout the track.
Plus you also get some great use of horns, making this feel outright
regal. If there’s a flaw here, it’s that
the vocals at the end, while based around some sort of optimistic feeling, are
done in a guttural manner, similar to the band’s “Give Me the Pleasure” from
Vanishing Vision, which makes them a lot creepier and more disturbing than what
the song wants to do. Despite that, this
is a great intro to the album, and one that’ll have us inspired to continue
forward.
And now for X Japan’s
original forte in the realm of heavy metal: speed metal. With the increase in speed from the previous
track, the band makes its claim for metal glory with this title track of
awesomeness, even if the lyrics are pretty dark and disturbing (like most metal,
mind you). Starting that are some
catchy, but brutal riffs that pound you into the ground while also having some
sort of great melodic concept that allows you to enjoy you existence being
pummeled. Adding to that in the opening,
and for the rest of the song, is the earth-shattering bass from Taiji, a sound
that, rest assured, won’t cause nuclear meltdowns or tsunamis but does feel
like Gojira is making his approach to Tokyo, and the breathtakingly brutal drum
work from composer Yoshiki Hayashi. Yes,
Yoshiki’s the main composer here, and he’s the one delivering the powerful drum
performance. And you also get the
powerful vocals from Toshi, showing that, despite his clear accent, limited
English, and tendency to, in the early days, sound better singing in his native
tongue, he is one of Japan’s best metal vocalists based on power, feel, and
intensity alone. And that’s before the
melodic chorus which is preceded by a pounding pre-chorus and a great melodic
guitar line, and then it leads to more guitar pyrotechnics, with hide and Pata
delivering a shredding solo. And the
song itself is dark and melancholic, but is beautiful and enjoyable. Is there anything wrong with it? Is a Seinfeld
episode about anything important? Nope,
and that’s how I like it.
Though seriously, blue blood? And I thought pink blood in Danganronpa was unsettling.
Though seriously, blue blood? And I thought pink blood in Danganronpa was unsettling.
3. Week End:
The opening guitar
arpeggio is a sign that this song will be melodic melancholy at its best. Adding to that is later some powerful power
chords and bass parts that later segue into the drums kicking in and the song
going forward. After that opening is a
great riff that includes a melodic lick and supplementation from the bass and
drums, leading to Toshi’s emotional vocals.
For the song, I get the sense that this is dealing with suicidal
depression due to some of the English used and the overall tone of the tune,
which makes this sound a lot more depressing than it actually does. Adding to that is the melancholic instrumentation,
with a hook that’s equal parts catchy as it is saddening. But to keep things in check, Yoshiki plays
catchy and accessible drum beats, but somehow makes them interesting and adds
variation in the drums throughout. Oh,
and there’s an amazing guitar solo from hide and Pata that shreds your face off
then segues into a melodic riff that leads to a few lines that add to the
melodic section that both lifts and crushes your spirit. I don’t know how else to describe this song
sonically except having the same level of emotional intensity as anime. This song really feels like it could exist in
an anime series (from action to romance) and the vibes it delivers would mesh
with the tone. Is that a bad thing? It depends on the listener, but for me, it’s
great. But due to the tendencies for a
lot of anime to emphasize the emotions of the characters and the scenarios they
go through, it can come off as melodramatic, but a lot of Japanese media relies
on extreme emotion, including its pop, rock, and especially heavy metal. That and be more experimental. All of this may make you not enjoy it as
much, but since I’m technically an otaku (check the name and references for
proof), this is quality to my ears.
4. Easy Fight Rambling:
If you felt that the
last few songs were a little too melancholic, sad, and, well, emo, then this
song is definitely for you. First off,
this song is a rather rowdy tune based around being rowdy and possibly being in
bar brawls in Tokyo. Hell, the song is
called “Easy Fight Rambling,” and the song embodies a fist fight in concept,
even if the title alludes to being more talk.
And how easy it is. But
considering that this more of a glam metal tune, and a great one at that, the title
ultimately makes sense. Speaking of glam
metal, the guitars kick ass, the bass and drums lead to some wild, rowdy
rhythms, and the vocals are confident and full of energy. Plus that solo is kick ass. But like any glam metal tune, the hook is
catchy and awesome, even if it is in Japanese.
However, while this song is awesome, I’d recommend that this song may
inspire actual violence rather than, well, easy fight rambling. Great song, though.
 |
| What you'd want to do here. |
 |
| What you'd likely end up doing. |
But the band is known
for starting as a speed metal band, so speed metal is their original forte,
especially during the time period this album came out. So, obviously, the guitars are played in a
high-octane manner, with intense riffs that are melodic and aggressive. That and there’s a bunch of great guitar
moments in general, including the licks and a solo. The bass itself is thick and meaty, but in
the way that makes sense melodically.
There’s also the powerful vocals from Toshi that embodies the intensity,
power, and strength that a song like this is known for. Well, being an anthem with the same name as
the band (before the punk band from Los Angeles of the same name threatened to
sue them). And it feels like a slightly better
version of “You Wanted the Best” by KISS, both in tone and focus. Adding to that are the intense, pounding
drums from Yoshiki that ensure that the beat is powerful, intense, and strong,
something that is needed for this kind of song.
But that doesn’t mean the extra stuff is unnecessary. In reality, it adds to the song, such as the
gang vocals from fellow Extasy Records members before the band signed to a
major label for this album. And they work
on this track overall. Also, this song is
ultimately the kind that makes you feel like a badass when you listen to the
song. What I mean is that this song is
so fast, aggressive, intense, and badass that you end up enjoying the musical
ride and show interest in building your muscle.
That and it will inspire you to wear makeup and play speed metal, like
what happened with Salems Lott with their song “S.S. (Sonic Shock).”
However, this song is
two X’s away from being in the adult's only section.
6. Endless Rain:
6. Endless Rain:
But if there’s a
factor that makes X Japan, particularly Yoshiki Hayashi, memorable as well as
accessible to the masses, including the Japanese mainstream, it’s their
incorporation of ballads into their sound.
That and classical music, which was a major influence for
drummer/composer Yoshiki. And since he
started with the piano, it’s arguable that his strengths lie with the ivories
rather than beating animal skins (though he’s great at both). For this ballad, the opening starts with a
soft piano line that may cause western listeners to draw comparisons to Guns N’
Roses, but it gets to Toshi faster than the classic “November Rain” gets to Axl
(seriously, it’s as if even that song was hesitant with its singer, but this
one is comfortable with its singer).
Speaking of, the vocals here are emotional, powerful, but start off soft
and wistful before getting to the big emotions in the chorus. Oh, and the bass in the background adds to
the atmosphere to this track. Seriously,
Taiji is an underrated bassist, and this tune is prove of how good he is. As for the song itself, the theme is more
about sadness and despair, trying to move on from what’s troubling us and
making us sad, even when the pain is so powerful that it’s hard not to cry
about it. It’s a really powerful tune in
general, and it works in the placement on this album as a breather after the necksnapper
that was “X.” Also, it’s notable that
this is one of the few ballads that guitarist hide liked playing on, and the
solo is emblematic proof of that, being one of the best things about this tune
outside of everything else. Even the use
of orchestra, which adds to the grandiose nature of the tune as well as the
emotional focus is great. In short, this
is X Japan’s “November Rain,” and it’s arguably better.
But that’s just
Rolling Stone magazine saying how this tune is
7. Kurenai:
Let me guess, this is
the introduction to X Japan for most of you that didn’t involve Clamp (“Rusty Nail”
and “Forever Love”), Saw IV, or Rock Band (“I.V.” for the last two). Either way, this is one of the songs, if not
THE song, that defined X’s sound, with its ballad beginning, orchestral
flourishes, speed metal riffs, melancholic melodies, lightning fast rhythm
section, shredding solos, and wailing vocals that go from crooning to belting
depending on the part of the song. This
is their style, and it would be one that, in my mind, would inspire the overall
sonic structure of j-rock and j-pop as we know it while also being an influence
on anison (anime music for the non-otaku) and global power metal.
 |
| About that… |
To review this song in
full would require me to discuss every single one of the parts to it. First is the opening, with a symphonic
section where the orchestra plays the main melody of the song in its moody,
melancholic splendor. Then the clean
guitars come in to begin the power ballad section of the song. Here, Toshi croons in English about dealing
with the struggles of life and love that are tearing him apart with some accompaniment
from the other musicians. After that,
Yoshiki does a cymbal roll that has the song segue from rock ballad to speed
metal with the distortion guitars and bass kicking in with a melodic line that
serves as the musical backbone for the rest of the song in its thematic
tone. And during this, it hits you. Hide and Pata are great metal guitarists,
capable of going from soft and delicate to hard and heavy with the right transition,
heavy riffs and soaring licks included.
Also included are Taiji’s heavy bass performance and, of course, Yoshiki’s
wild and crazy drum work, which defies description and needs to be heard to be
believed, especially with his speed here.
And finally, it can’t be X Japan without Toshi, who sings with the right
amount of emotion throughout the song, from the verses to the two choruses to
the song, with the first acting a little like a pre-chorus without a chorus,
but the main chorus is a work of beauty.
Catchy as hell, will get in your head, and rightfully memorable, even if
you don’t know Japanese, you WILL be humming the melody of it. Oh, and there’s an amazing guitar solo from hide
with sections where Pata joins in, and it’s arguably one of the best guitar
solos to come from the visual kei movement in general. But back to the language use, I feel that
this song is better sung in Japanese due to Toshi’s limited English at the time
(he may be able to now, but I don’t trust him to sing this not in his native
language) and the fact that it helps with his emotional pull. If there’s one problem with this, it isn’t as
raw and dangerous as the Vanishing Vision
version, but it never needed to be raw, and I’d rather take better
production backed by a major label over heavily accented English.
8. Xclamation:
If there’s a way to
start a song, I would not usually recommend to have heavy metal bands use
middle-eastern percussion in the intro of a song if their sound is distinctly
based in Southern Rock or Country Music (imagine how poor little Kansas would
react, but then again, I don’t see them as a market for metal). Adding to that is the chord progression
played on clean guitars matching together with the exotic instrumentation and
feel like a glove. Said feel is also
punctuated by the use of more overdriven/distorted lead guitar work playing an
oriental line while the sounds of the jungle (which may be Tokyo after work
hours) in the background. And after a
while, the beat changes when the bass starts playing a funky line that has me
thinking “Give Me The Pleasure” from Vanishing
Vision due to the notes as well as the 16th-note beat playing
after this. Adding to that is the clean
guitar line that leads into a heavy riff, matched with pounding drums that feel
progressive as they do amazing. All of
that anchoring shredding and spiraling guitars, all of them played extremely
well. This song doesn’t need vocals
whatsoever, but it is interesting to have a straight instrumental somewhere in
the middle of the album that feels like its own song rather than something that
fits with another. But considering what came
before and what’s after, a tune with the atmospheric opening and ending this
one does is surprisingly cathartic. In
short, this is great.
9. Orgasm:
Now for a song that,
like “I’ll Kill You” from their previous album, was written and recorded as a
single prior to their major label debut, and… I am surprised that Sony Japan
gave the okay to Toshi, Yoshiki, hide, Pata, and Taiji to have this song on the
able. But for the stuff that I can
definitely recommend about it, it’s fast, it’s furious, it’s energetic, it’s
short, and the instrumentation is on point.
The guitars are played with aggression but accessibility, the bass is
thick and meaty (considering the title, eesh), the drums are pounding (okay,
why am I thinking euphemisms here?), and the solos shred shirts, bras, and
underwear with skill and tact (hopefully no one gets any weird ideas about me
here). That and there are some awesome
gang vocals, one of the greatest forms of harmonies in heavy rock, and the kind
that will allow for you to have a healthy supply of melons and peaches while
keeping your perceived manliness intact (even if you’re outfits are even more
out there and androgynous than those of POISON!). But this song has problems that may lead to
this not aging well as well as giving the band a bad reputation with
progressive but wimpy Western culture critics.
Specifically, this song in practice is a lot more violent due to the
sound, tempo, and method of the band playing their instruments, as well as how
the chorus is done. While I can argue
that this is more about the experience of sexual pleasure and letting it out rather
than the foreplay beforehand, and hopefully I am not part of the generation
that blacklisted private happy time, making me understand this song’s intent,
it’s sonically the equivalent of more violent sexual activities, ranging from
BDSM, kinky torture, and even a quick rub to pure rape, and that is something
that I feel can be a little too off.
Also, Toshi does NOT sound smooth here, and while I can defend that with
the quick point I made, I really can’t defend what that entails. He sounds like a perverted maniac than the
classy perverts of the Rat Pack era.
Sorry, but this is a dud in comparison to the rest of the album. Not an unsalvageable song, though.
 |
| "Unsalvageable? We wouldn't let Haruhi near X! Versailles, maybe." |
But seriously, B-Hop
would hate this.
 |
| "Trust me, I know he would. Also, are you using Spotify for this entry? I mean, I would if Sony handled music I was reviewing, but I'm not as competent as you in HTML. Or music reviewing for that matter." |
Wade, what are you doing here?
From getting screwed over in understanding women by an immortal vampire, that's how. Moving on.
10. Celebration:
|
| "Just to mess with you. Also, loving the hair. How do you get blue hair like that?" |
10. Celebration:
So there’s this weird
sound effect that starts and ends this album that sounds like cowboy boots
walking across a floor to a party. I’m
sure that’s just me, but that could actually be the song itself. No seriously, listen to it. But after the first time, you get a bluesy
guitar line that leads to another great guitar riff that, while having some
bluesy elements to it, carries from glam metal like with “Easy Fight Rambling.” But instead of fighting and screwing, this is
about partying like an animal all night.
And it’s arguably the closest thing the band did in spirit to “Rock And
Roll All Nite” by KISS. What I mean is
that the guitar riff has a 70s hard rock swagger that fueled Guns N’ Roses’
audial debauchery while also having the showmanship in the guitars, bass (which
kicks ass here, by the way), and drums, which are more conventional and simple
by Yoshiki’s standards but still having some great moments and fills, that made
Van Halen, Def Leppard, and Mötley Crüe international superstars. But even then, this has a lot in common with
what Aerosmith did that I tend to compare this to some of more rowdy, up-tempo
work of the Bad Boys of Boston. Another
factor behind all of that is Toshi’s rockstar performance, including the
belting he’s great at as well as his crooning.
Also, you get a shredding solo (though it might be more in that
pre-Eddie Van Halen guitar wailing style that peppered the work of Aerosmith,
Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, KISS, Blue Öyster Cult, Black Sabbath, Budgie, Rush,
The Who, Boston, Foreigner, and especially Queen) that showcases the talents of
hide and Pata on the guitars. But if
there’s a reason this song rocks, it’s that it’s upbeat and not ashamed of that
fact whatsoever. I mean, with the band
singing about being rock stars before the final two tracks and living life to
the fullest, this could easily be the most uplifting and positive song the band
ever wrote. Even then, there’s still
that Japanese weirdness as there’s some vocals directly after the solo that are
clearly sped up like a chipmunk. I mean,
if this song ever got shifted to have the singer sound like Alvin, the squeak
there would be unbearable. But even
then, this song kicks ass.
11. Rose of Pain:
Yeah, if you noticed,
I praised the positivity in the last track because this one is not the
happy-go-lucky, Carpe Diem kind of song.
Based on the title, this one is more of a tear jerker. But from the beginning, the song starts with
a melancholic, classical-inspired orchestral movement on an organ that has
shades of Bach, with the guitars taking cues from “Fugue in G minor.” After that, we get a mix of heavy power
chords and orchestral strings matched with the heavy bass and drums ushering in
the power ballad part of the song. How
much of a power ballad? Well, it’s over
9000. The emotional aspects of it are
definitely strong, with the use of clean guitars playing sad arpeggios matching
with Toshi’s emotional vocals, matching the melancholy of the main overall song
and sounding as if he’s crying. Then the
first main chorus hits, and the use of power chords and orchestras anchors the
continued emotional assault from Toshi on your heartstrings. Then of course, you get some powerful guitar
melodies and solos afterwards that embody this song’s musical sadness and
include some of hide’s best work on the axe.
Plus there’s also the heavier verses and chorus that hits like a rock
that’s the part I’d call the heavy ballad part.
And that’s where the amazing guitar lines come from. Also brilliant was the aforementioned orchestral
parts, and the moments when Yoshiki jumps on the piano and plays some amazing
solos. Overall, the song has a classical
feel to it that showcases the influences from the genre on these Japanese
rockers.
But then it turns into
a speed/thrash metal song at the halfway point.
No joke, this is probably the longest song I’ve ever recorded on this
series at nearly 12 minutes. Here, the guitars
go from sad to aggressive with much more bite, and Toshi’s vocal performance
goes into heavy metal rage. Plus the
drums enter the frenzy that Yoshiki is known for outside of his classical piano
playing. Oh, and Taiji’s bass get some
bite with some notable notes. And the
structure somehow reminds me of anison, from the chord structure in the
pre-chorus to the key change in the chorus versus the verses. Seriously, if there was a tragic shoujo anime
out there, this could easily be the ending theme based on the thrash section
alone. But just because the song is
faster and angrier doesn’t mean the classical influences haven’t been
exorcised. They are still around, with
the guitar playing a classical-inspired line after the chorus that takes influences
from the aforementioned “Fugue in G minor.”
And due to the length, the band takes the key of the chorus and plays sections
from the first parts (the power and heavy ballad parts) and in the way they
played those notes there in that key.
And then they deliver a pounding ending that’s loaded with the emotion
of the rest of the song. Pardon the
length, which may be an issue for you readers with ADHD, but this song is
nothing short of brilliant, and I can easily listen to this song due to
everything going on in the emotional onslaught and not ever check how much left
there is to the song. But that’s me, and
even I admit this may be a little too melodramatic for some of you. Regardless, this song is a gem, and my anime
fandom is an aspect where I can attest to liking this and recommending it. But even then, this could have been the album
closer, but there’s more sadness on the way.
 |
| "Really, more sadness? You need more kittens in your life, you sad, strange, long blue-haired man. Like me." |
12. Unfinished:
From the opening
vocals, the concept of sadness is not just familiar to X, but it’s one of the
things that drives them artistically.
How so, the song’s themes deal with a nasty breakup initiated by the
protagonist, and the aftermath of that, with him as depressed about it as the
girl he broke up with and longing for a reunion, but he knows that’s
impossible, possibly because he can’t even treat her right in general. The sad part, he knows that, despite their
strong love, they are just incompatible.
That’s the sad part, and for the instrumentation, which is the first
thing that hits you, the first notes played are on piano, and it sounds as if Cheers suddenly became a very, very
tragic drama, as if you’re at the bar not to socialize but to drink away a bad
day, where you lost your job due to crappy management, lost your car in an
accident and it was totaled, lost your girlfriend to your own vanity, lost your
parents in a freak accident, lost your brother in a mugging, and you just saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal
Skull. However, the swirl of
emotions is enough for you to completely break down, crying profusely, it looks
so bad that someone can’t look at you without sobbing, and the tears and snot
are getting into your beer, which somehow causes it to taste like regret, sadness,
and depression, which is noticeable since it’s some mass-marketed cheap bear
that tastes like water (or moose urine on a good day) usually.
That’s how depressing this song’s piano
performance is and the kind of mental images generated from it. Even worse is that it’s blatant about the
singer’s and his girlfriend’s sadness from this. You can say that their love, as a result of
this decision, is, well, unfinished. And
the melancholy is perfect here, with the sad-sounding piano, guitars, bass, and
subdued drum performance. Oh, and the
piano solos here are beautiful, even if they get a little noodly towards the
end, but then, they represent the emotional swirl I was discussing. Oh, and Toshi does NOT sound happy here, he
sound’s depressed, and the harmonized vocals are strong here, and it helps that
he sings in English, which adds to the universality of the song. And while the title may sound weird, it’s that
this song is a tune from Vanishing Vision
that they literally finished for this album.
Oh, and it’s the end of the album, just like how Aerosmith ended some of
their albums with the big ballad (see Toys
in the Attic and Rocks for great
examples of this). But if we can agree
on something happy, this makes Simple Plan sound like fresh dog turds in the
front lawn even more than they already did.
 |
| Something like this emotionally. |
No seriously, can we just replace that damn “How can this happen to me?” song with this one and just
leave it at that?
 |
| Thanks, Han. |
Well, this got long,
but even then, it’s paramount to discuss just how great this album is. It’s a lightning-fast blitzkrieg of thrashing,
high-speed, power metal with dark, messed up, and empowering themes at one
point then a tender set of romantic power ballads dealing with love, loss, and
depression the next. Then there’s also
the hard rock swagger between then. It
has everything: heavy, crunching, melodic, and shredding guitars, thick,
powerful, and rumbling bass, pounding, fast, and intense drums, dramatic,
emotional, visceral vocals, and piano, organ, and orchestral swells that add to
the songs they’re used in. If you want a
near-perfect Japanese heavy metal record that showcases the skill, talents, and
abilities of the best and most influential the country has to offer in rock,
than X Japan, and this album in particular, is it. If there are a few flaws, this album does get
very melodramatic at points, but that’s the result of most likely cultural
norms and what sells in the country. But
considering it’s time and framing, the idea of mixing metal with Japanese pop
styles was somehow revolutionary and gave Japan a metal scene that they can
definitely call theirs (until the American visual kei movement kicks into full
gear). And even then, it’s worth
listening for the wow factor of the musicality of the band in general. Plus the song’s don’t entirely abide by the
verse-chorus-verse formula, which may be a turnoff for some of you, but it’s interesting
to think about musically, as when the hooks come, they hit hard and are
memorable. In short, this album is a
classic for Japanese metal, a great major-label debut for the band, and a
shining example of what happens when a band takes the ultimate chance and lands
with gusto.
Final Score: 9/10
(Brilliant, beautiful, and ear-opening Japanese metal, among the best in the
genre)
Somehow, if I am depressed, I feel that this is also a great way to cope with that. But that's me, and I'm dealing with some crap right now.
Somehow, if I am depressed, I feel that this is also a great way to cope with that. But that's me, and I'm dealing with some crap right now.
If you agree or
disagree, feel free to leave a comment below telling me what you think. Also, make sure to like my Facebook page
here: https://www.facebook.com/RockOtaku92/. Be
sure to follow me on Twitter here: https://twitter.com/RockOtaku92, my Instagram page is here: https://www.instagram.com/rockotaku92/, and my Tumblr is at this link: https://rockotaku92.tumblr.com/. That
and be sure to follow my blog. The way
to do so is to the right of this page.
Next Time on Let Them
Eat Metal: Due to the way they promoted their latest work, a certain band’s
breakthrough will be discussed.
Until
next time, this is the Rock Otaku. Live
Loud, Play Hard, and Eat Metal.
All used references
are done under the rules of fair use and are owned by their original creators.
No comments:
Post a Comment