Rockerica

ALIVE

ギルガメッシュ

Release date: 10.6.2009.

Track list:
1. ALIVE
2. GAMBLE

So Girugämesh introduce us with their first single of the year, the new release after their last year's third album MUSIC.

ALIVE is an uptempo, grumbling, powerful metal-rock anthem with earthquake riff attacks, pumping bass-lines and soaring chorus. Mix all the ingredients, add a bit of scratching and you'll get every other great Girugämesh rock hit. Th only thing I hear as an improvement from the usual pattern is the metal rhythm-like drumming by Ryo which give an additional punch to the song. You love Girugämesh for songs like this one, and you'll certainly won't love them less for ALIVE.

GAMBLE goes on the harder track with a whirlwind of distorsion blasts, drum outbreaks and sinister bass. Satoshi takes the lower, vicious registers to bring out a certain, surpressed anger which simply explodes on a growl-mosh chorus explosion. And again you won't find anything new here, just the good combination of songs such as Patchwork, Volcano and similar.

So yeah more-less ALIVE is a sniper sure-shot of a single, bringing all the characteristic and loved elements this band offers combined in two pretty decent songs. Most likely it's kind of a redemption single for the last years pretty experimental and more risky album which didn't quite hit all the expectations from a lot of their fans. Oh well, better to stick with the confirmed, good-old winning recepie than going into the unknown, at least that's Girugämesh's philosophy on this single and I'm certain the fans will not mind it.
Because ALIVE is a true showcase of this band you can reccomend it to a potential new-fan without fear.

珠

Release date: 1.4.2009.

Track list
1. ぱらいぞ (Paraizo)
2. 渦 (Uzu) [PV]
3. 蓮 (Ren)
4. 嘆美なる死への憧憬 (Tanbi naru shi e no shoukei)
5. 桜月夜 (Sakura Tsukiyo) [PV]
6. 鬼哭啾愀 (Kikoku Shuushou)
7. 咒葬 (Jusou)
8. 素晴らしきかな?人生 (Subarashiki kana? Jinsei)
9. 永遠に、、、(Towa ni...)
10. 鬼灯 (Hoozuki)

Kagrra, deliver their first and most likely only release this year with their sixth studio album entitled Shu meaning jewel when translated. Their previous album Core featured their most experimental output side by side with their traditional song styles. So what does Shu bring us from Kagrra, this time?

The album begins with the vivid, vast, Japanese instruments and sounds colored Paraizo that rolls off as an perfect show reel of this bands sound and capabilites fusing harder rock guitars, Japanese music inspired melodies with a rich, beautiful chorus and wonderful instrumentals. No doubt Paraizo is one heck of a perfectly executed sure-shots and a great way to begin the album.

Uzu reflects once more the wide, ethnic flaird sound of this last year's single. The vast instrumentals unusual for a rock song, would most likely impress anybody as well as Akiya's tight, amazing solo that gives another hard edge to this "epic" piece. Ren introduces us to the song with a gentle melody and then emerges in a koto verse that had some Satsuki reminiscence. The pre-chorus tightens the mood before the usual, expressive and thick chorus. But then again it sounds more-less like every other expressive songe they've done which will keep fans satisfied, but those wanting more a bit empty-handed. Tanbi naru shi e no shoukei just lifts up the tempo of Ren, but follows the same mood type but shamelessly ripps off their older song Rin on an almost identical chorus. I'm used to other bands copying each other but that one band recycles ones songs so darn obviously is really surprising, especially when we're speaking of one really creative band like Kagrra.

Sakura Tsukiyo closes the first half of the album which we could mildly lable as generic. I can't believe that they made a PV for this because this is the most generic song on the album, starting off with a lulling, nighty verse and going onto the upbeat-but-not-quite chorus very similar to one in the song Kaze off the album Shizuku. Even my limited Japanese knowledge easily detects the very usual and slightly overused sugary imagery of cherry blossoms in the lyrics of the chorus.

Kikokuu Shuushou (I apologize if the song titles were wrongly romanized) ties on the glimmering riffs of Sakura Tsukiyo, but sounds more firmer and harder. And I hope I'm not the only one who thought that Isshi's balls dropped on the explosive, strong, melodious chorus where Isshi's deep singing sounds simply amazing, very expressive and much more confident than when he sings in the high registers. There is something simply strong and rapturing in this song that makes it stand out more than the other songs on the album. A nice way to start the slight "not-sogeneric" half of the album.

Now the rest of the album made me think about Kagrra, sneaking into the secret vaults of other PS COMPANY bands and grabbing some of their unpublished materials and modifiying them slighty. Jusou has got this thick, thick mood, thicker than it was on their album Miyako and way more sinister on the verses before emerging in the powerful, IN-YOUR-FACE chorus which style somehow brings GazettE allusions to the head. And it's one of the rare spoiled choruses that isn't spoiled by the vocalist, but the guitarist playing it in a scale that's a bit too "bright" for a song of this kind, as such discontinuing the excellent mood delivered in the verses and singing. But overall Jusou still emerges as a hit on this album.

Subarashiki kana? Jinsei is just way too weird, unmatching and unappropriate with it's saxophones hitting into something that wants to be subtly hard and very upbeat at the same time. But yes the saxophones are what is annoying me the most in this song, because despite all the rocky, metaly edges on this band they were always a rock band with a strong Japanese sound. SAXOPHONES DO NOT BELONG THERE (with all do respect)! This song sounds more like the attempt to freshen up something that was left to be a filler track, but unfortunately the Miyavish, enhanced track doesn't do anything good to the album other than just capturing your attention for a couple of moments (either in positive or negative way).

Towa ni... would pass as an Alice nine. track thanks to it's upbeat, playful, riffs but when you hear Isshi instead of Shou on the mic, well that's when you realize it's Kagrra. And again the chorus just horridly reminds on one of their other songs, in this case Kamikaze (seriously if you don't believe me compare the choruses). Eien ni... is not bad in it's intention, but it provides way too familar stuff other than trying to bring something new. The album closes with the wonderful song off the single Uzu called Hoozuki where I simply can't find adequate words to describe it's melodious chorus, the reminiscent and swaying atmosphere, the way the song simply goes through you, ah, like sunbeams through a dark cloud after a rainy day.

Though Shuu has got a jewel or two and the songs overall are not bad, very well produced and polished, but compared to their previous albums this is their weakest album and not just of one reason but because of several reasons. The songs resemble a lot not just with one another but also with some of their older songs sometimes to the level where it sounds as a thoughtless self-ripp-off (like on Tanbi naru shi e no shoukei). A lot of them simply lack the direction, start off in one way and develop in another and then return back and forth, making them sound less certain. But that all could have somehow be overshadowed if there was at least some excitement or some innovation to them. I really love Kagrra, but I really though there would be more to the album than this.

But if we look at it's bright sides the album features the unmistaken, unmatchable Kagrra, sound and expression, fuses wonderfully the traditional Japanese sounds with powerful rock music and a feel as if their music is meant solely for the sake of beauty. Also the songs Paraizo, Uzu, Jusou and Hoozuki count not only as jewels on this album but also as gems in their discography, making this album a worthy listen even to the most demanding Kagrra, fans.

With all it good sides and those less sucessful sides Kagrra, still manage to deliver a recognizable sound and mood on their album Shu. Even though without any surprises nor will for experimenting Shu represents an excellent spring soundtrack which not only will Kagrra, fans enjoy but also fans of Japanese music overall. Still we do miss San and Miyako... quite.

39GalaxyZ

SuG

Date released: 15.4.2009.

Track list
1. 39GalaxyZ [PV]
2. VAMP VAMP VAMP
3. V.I.P GOBLINZ

Looks at the pink post-it placed above her head threateningly saying "I will not make fun out of bands in my reviews" and headdesks herself.

Though trying to compare SuG with anything coherent fails, you can consider them as a kind of cheap, colorful, E-colored, health check certificate-less candy which is anything but good for you yet you still consume it once in a while when your candy-rush goes over your healthy judgment capability.

Unfortunately 39GalaxyZ is (if even possible to believe) this insane Oshare kei's band worst output. 39GalaxyZ parades around with a clowny melody, squeaky electronics, really really bad singing (though that stopped surprising after a few singles) and guitars simply crying for help to get out of this rainbow colored LSD mash. I believe that even kindergarden kids (for whose level Takeru's singing/songwriting is) would find this song over the top.

VAMP VAMP VAMP tries to be all oriental and seducive, but it's melody evokes certain allusions on a certain kind of music I DESPISE so it's a minus from the start. The industrial touches and moody, distorted guitars would have worked really good if this was any other band than SuG. Just no. V.I.P GOBLINZ goes a bit faster, rougher, bringing more overall distortion noise a few background growlz, more of Takeru's squealing and some brainless headbanging/jumping. This probably works somewhat decent on a live performance, but here...

Unfortunately 39GalaxyZ doesn't have a upbeat, crazy, sugary yet somewhat enjoyable song that would make the endurance of the [insert pejorative adjective] songs be worth even a bit of your while. I can only imagine really tolerant listeners and DIEHARD fans listen to this single (questionably enjoying it).

Oh yeah and SuG's drummer Mitsuru will leave the band, which I think is a bit tragicomic because of all of the members, we know who deserves to be kicked out of the band first and banned to do music ever (and I'm not speaking of the drummer).

DETOX

Release date: 1.4.2009.

Track list
1. DETOX [PV]
2. Public Speaker
3. Nerve[less]

After they have intoxicated us last month with the fierce single VENOM, now it's time to go through an equally rough detox process with DETOX.

DETOX is one of the melodic -OZ- anthems with interchanging vicious verses and an uplifting, sky soaring chorus, something like Ringing, but even more intense. But DETOX really hits on the right spots: The growls are powerful, the melody is like it has wings and the moshing breakdown is their most wild up to date. DETOX is just another excellent song added in the discography of this definitely interesting and talented band. Fly Forever...

Public Speaker is something I'd define as a kind of street metal: raw, straightforward, riot inducing, loudness beauty with a certain, jumpy beat almost made for skip-roping onto it (think of Rich Excrement by the GazettE). Aside those rhythmic verses the chorus delivers a bright, capturing melody which is an effective contrast to the raw verses. The more I listen to the chorus the depper is the impression of this song. Really good!

Nerve[less] plays it on another approach combining metalcore-esque riffs with a fast, groovy rhythm which invites to banging but dancing at the same time. I sense a full body action at the lives! Nerve[less] blends perfectly with the rest of the single delivering fiercness, melody as well as a certain heavy-music-detox everybody needs sometimes.

Though at the first listen DETOX seemed like the less interesting version of VENOM, just like Spiral was to Blot, another few listenes showed me more and more just how good this single is and how in fact it's even better than it's more violent counterpart single VENOM. -OZ- fans as well as fans of the rougher, mosh-inviting, head-banging rock should check this great single out.

DISTRESS AND COMA

Release date: 25.3.2009.

Track list

DISTRESS AND COMA sounds like a hybrid of the excellent crooked, gloomy song Bathroom thanks to it's dead note filled riffs and creeping, dark atmosphere combined with the elegance, flow and steadiness of Guren. The song has got a very explosive (though female backvocal featuring) intro that drives into excellent riffs with metal licks all over them. The chorus is intense as always and features some really Yomi-esque singing by Ruki ( Especially on the Odoru odoru part of the chorus, that slight vibrato) but then after you've heard it like for the third time you realize that maybe it's a bit too much choruses for a song. In it's core DISTRESS AND COMA is a no-doubt certain sucess by the GazettE but it's such a steady, one line of the song that it gives off a feel that these guys had a good idea for a song but didn't know how to work it out to the end (just like Dir en grey's Glass Skin).

On the other hand HEADACHE MAN is insane. And that is a mild attribute for it.
I smell a lot of ambivalence here!
It starts of with some really screeching guitar sounds and then bursts into thick, dark, heavy riffs combined with a crazy beat, rabid scratching, growling, yeeling... and then you realize: HOLY SHIT! IT'S SLIPKNOT.. WAIT GAZEKNOT! so obivous to anyone who has ever heard Slipknot. After the initial outburst they stick on such a mighty, excellent chorus as if it was taken straight from NIL and then it's like they have thought Wait... we have done this before... Let's do something different while the majority of the listeners most certainly thought Fuck. The song takes a totally new direction and turns into a very frantic Gazetto (not the GazettE) version of Dir en grey's Machiavellism with a collective ground shaking chorus and a lot of twistedness that GazettE used to have back in their old, pre-NIL days. And there is a person that can screech like Kyo and his name is Ruki (the smaller they are the higher they screech)
I already sense one of the most bonebraking pieces on their live performances. AND I'M EAGER TO SEE IT!
So whether you love or damn HEADACHE MAN you must admit that it's a totally different tune by this guys, even though it's not very original overall.

The last song of the single is the ballad WITHOUT A TRACE that is going to be used as an ending theme for some movie I don't care about   which automatically calls out the association on the cold and distant ballad Chidzuru, but WITHOUT A TRACE is different than that. The song is filled with sharp yet warm acoustic guitars with such a style that I don't believe the GazettE have ever used before, it has got a very westernized feel. But then the song burst out on the chorus, the instruments joins in and everything reaches it's peak on this strong, expressive, quite Guren like chorus. I love the feel that is enveloped in the chorus, a slight melancholic string but filled with a crtain warmth and strength, a kind of a ballad that rather makes you lift your head up and smile again rather than putting you more down. Though the song doesn't have a certain tension or a strong emotional seal, it still delivers a strong feel and impression on the listener, which is a undeniable sign of it's strength.

Rare are the bands that manage to deliver songs with such energy, strength, honesty and freshness making it sound like nothing you have heard before yet preserving it's core, as well as to redeem themselves for any downers they have done. DISTRESS AND COMA is another absurdly excellent single by the GazettE, which is compared to the previous singles more of a sure-shot, but a sure-shot that doesn't fail in delivering something new and unheard from this band in the end. The very narrow song structure that seems as if it's going in a straight line does leave an impression that this single is going in a bit westernized way, aimed more at a Western listener.

DISTRESS AND COMA is definitive, unconditional MUST for all GazettE fans as well as a strong reccomendation for every fan on intense, rocking Visual kei bands. We can definitely be curious about what DIM will bring this summer.

REDEEMER

D’espairsRay

Date released: 11.3.2009.

Track list
1. Lizard
2. BRILLIANT [PV]
3. REDEEMER [PV]
4. 琥珀 (Kohaku)
5. KAMIKAZE [PV]
6. Lost in re:birth
7. R.E.M-冬の幻聴- (R.E.M-Fuyu no genchou-)
8. HORIZON [PV]
9. MASQUERADE
10. 夜空 (Yozora)
11. PARADOX 5
12. HEAVEN'S COLOR

Two years have passed since the Visual kei veterans D'espairsRay have released their second album Mirror. The last year's frequent single output has announced that there is a third album on the way and also left a hint about what the third album will be like. The curious title REDEEMER gave somehow hopes to some older fans because with years and especially last singles D'espairsRay's sound has grown less characteristically dark, became more lighter and less wild.

So did D'espairsRay managed to redeem themselves with REDEEMER?

The album opens with the fierce, dark, industrial metal piece Lizard that will pull out a huge smile on every hardcore D'espairsRay fan. It's dark, energetic, vicious and everything you'd associate with D'espairsRay from tense guitars, powerful beats and soaring choruses. Lizard is what DAMNED was to MIRROR, a generic D'espairsRay track set for suiting the older, puristic fans and as such will undoubtuly be one of their favorite tracks on the album.

Right after Lizard we come to BRILLIANT, a track that lives most of the part up to it's name and that was the first single in 2008 since more than a year of release-void since MIRROR. BRILLIANT still sounds bright and rapturing as it did last year, even though this track is more of a sure-shot and with style more bound to the energetic character of the MIRROR era. Nevertheless it's wast guitar parts and hymnic chorus will surely enchant many.

The third track and the undeniable title track of the album is REDEEMER that already caused for a hype before the album release thanks to it's amazing PV. REDEEMER counts to the best tracks on the album and is a sort of a redemption for the light singles of last year. REDEEMER's every second is filled with energy, oscilating between madness, darkness and energy! The track has got BALLS! The riffs are so amazing that you'll be taking your guitar instantly and trying to figure them out, the rocky beats just invite for jumping and moshing while Hizumi's strong voice holds the strings of the song. REDEEMER lives up to it's name and brings D'espairsRay in their most raw core.

We come to the first ballade of the album, Kohaku or amber, which opens with an tense industrial flair and Karyu's typical tense power chords. Kohaku kinda plays it on calm and tense, a bit on the edge of light and dark and the expressive yet somehow unoriginal chorus shows Hizumi's wide vocal range. Unfortunately Kohaku is a bit unexciting and lacks a certain something, a certain uplift, sadly because Tsukasa has composed it and he has pleasently surprised me with a lot of his compositions like LOST SCENE and especially SCISSORS.

And again we face another single, this time KAMIKAZE which esentially delivers excellent and innovative guitar parts and verses while the chorus is pretty much unspectacular, predictive, pop-rock and overall bad ruining that way the original charater of this song. Of course we don't have to wait long for redemption because Lost in re:birth kicks in. I think Lost in re:birth somehow represents the album but most of all a new style of this band very well. Lost in re:birth starts as a melodic death metal tune, well at least up to the rocky pre-chorus.The guitars are very sharp, fast and expressive, the singing soars up into catharsic heights but most of all the thick instrumentations and mood give of a more refined, more layered feeling expression than any of their songs before marking this new, present D'espairsRay sound of REDEEMER.

After Lost in re:birth we come to our second ballade R.E.M-Fuyu no genchou- (Winter's auditory illusion, why does every song with winter in it's title have to be a ballade). R.E.M is fluent, somehow calming but powerful and tense. The chorus soars into heights, delivering a very beautiful melody. Though not as tense nor innovative as some of their other ballads, it's still very touching and interesting (especially the violin touch in the second part) and will surely touch many.

Horizon as the last single on the album shows off a pop-rock side of D'espairsRay, very much sounding like L'arc~en~ciel. Horizon isn't bad by itself, but it's not D'espairsRay so it's quite understandable that it's one of their most hated tracks. How much you will like this bright, positive, light track depends on how much of a dark D'espairsRay purist you are. After the last single interruption we come to MASQUERADE which generally sounds like a more melancholic, darker and thicker Trickstar (oh and I will kick Hizumi in the nuts the next time he uses a verb with out in it like break out, flake out). The guitars are pretty tight as well as the chorus but again, it sounds like there is something missing and if the horrid English won't make you at least a bit pissed (as an English speaker) as well as the lower-than-average growls then... MASQUERADE has got something, should have had something but it seems as though there is a huge unfilled void in it.

We come to the OFFICIAL DOWNER of the album... ladies and gentleman Yozora! I think every D'espairsRay purist, dark, gothy fan took out it's shotgun and , if they didn't  shoot themselves in the legs, went to Japan to shoot D'espairsRay. Yozora or Nightsky (totally unsuitable because all I hear are rainbows) is a upbeat, fast, pop-rock track that sounds it has been taken from Alice nine's secret wault, sprinkled with Ayabie's cuteness and glimmering chime and fasten up to sound like Dir en grey's resented JESSICA. Oh yeah this song sure brings Oshare D'espairsRay images into the head, dressed up in candy, rainbows and Hello Kitty. The worst part of it is that it's a must-be ENDING song for lives which means two things: a) it's irritating by default, b) it's unavoidable on lives. ....Daaaaamnn.

We face the last and probably most expressive and memorable tracks on the album, at least in my opinion, which are both quite contrast compared to one another but both very storng in rendering the feelings sewn into them. PARADOX 5 is a really unusual D'espairsRay track and sounds like more melancholic, guitarless D'espairsRay tune (like Screen but different in expression) mixed up with a tribal, ambiental feel of Deep Forest (a French ambiental, world music group that combines the ethnic sounds of Africa and other continets with a chillout, ambiental, electronica music). Since I like both of the bands (and Deep Forest is always very reminiscent for me) this song is a favorite in my ears. The song sounds very wast, almost as if it embraces the whole world, the echoing, female backvocals give off a dramatic seal, but at the same time it sounds distant, cold, sad, somehow helpless as if it is caught in a eternity of hopelesness and transience. PARADOX 5 is definitely one of D'espairsRay most unusual, but very moving and expressive songs.
(Samsara (in Jainism, Japan) : mundane existence, full of suffering and misery and hence is considered undesirable and worth renunciation. The Saṃsāra is without any beginning and the soul finds itself in bondage with its karma since the beginingless time. )

Heaven's Color is on the other hand almost an complete contrast from PARADOX 5, a bright,light tune which on the first glimpse sounds like HORIZON 2, but...different. The interesting mood of the song, a watercolor blend of happy, sad, yearning gives of a very strong reminiscent feel. But this reminiscence doesn't sound sad or bitter at all, it sounds so warm and comforting that you can almost feel how this song flows into you and spreads it's warmth all over you. I didn't expect that such a light song I'd usually despise at D'espairsRay would end up be my favorite on the entire album, better than all of the dark, brooding songs. It owes it's honesty and warmth as well as reminiscent feel that somehow sounds like "Life isn't perfect, but what we had and we have is a reason enough to feel happy in life", sort of.

In a way (as I have predicted it, meaning either I have ESP or I read people really well) REDEEMER is a slight bipolar album because on one hand we get thick, dark, pretty heavy tunes like Lizard, Redeemer, Masquerade and on the other light, bright, positive tunes as Kamikaze, Horizon, Yozora, Heaven's color and some of which are neither bright nor dark like Kohaku and R.E.M. Their last singles were somehow bipolar with a bright A-side and a rather dark B-side (sadly, they should have taken the better B-sides which outmached the A ones in many ways). This polarity does show some versatility this band posesses but at the same time breaks a certain cohesion that would bind the songs, just like it was the case on [Coll:set] and Mirror. But that is not the only flaw of this album: almost every song is like a lit firecracker that sparkles all over but doesn't go out with a bang, making potentially excellent songs and classics sound like there should be something but isn't.
Also the songs with the charactersitic sound don't really flow naturally like they did before, The industrials are somehow blandly used, the growls are pretty insecure and the charming, strong yet simple riffs are drowned in several guitar layers that somehow blend into one mass.

REDEEMER doesn't really bring total redemption by D'espairsRay, but it certainly has got it's virtues. Primarly it's this certain sound and mood thickness which gives up more complex layers of feelings, more worked out than it was before. REDEEMER brought partially the mood back that was lost in the loudness and energy of MIRROR, but it still isn't the cohesive and brooding mood [Coll:set] had. The best thing would be if the elements of all three albums would be combined in a way so the songs would be filled with energy, with a strong and clear atmosphere but thick sound that allows a lot of flexibilty to the songs emotions.

Though not their best album, REDEEMER is definitely a must listen for every D'espairsRay fan, regardless of experience. As for D'espairsRay, REDEEMER is just another step on the border between what they are and what they want to be.  

VENOM

Date released: 4.3.2009.

Track list
1. VENOM
2. Perfect Ruler
3. NEVER 【F】

-OZ- is on a consecutive single run with this month's single VENOM and next month's DETOX (haha neat titles). Both singles come in 2 different versions with bonus CDs containing comments and live recordings.

As usually -OZ- deliver one meat-mincing, grinding riffs, metal infused song goodness. VENOM is pure poison with crushing riffs ready to drive over you like a truck over a roadkill. Whereabout some parts of the songs including the chorus don't really have logic and have strange progressions, the rest of the song from verses, breakdowns to bridges is one simple -OZ-fest that fans are sure to love, though not as ingenious or worked out as some of their other songs, still VENOM is one hell of a piece everybody will like to mosh/headbang to.

Perfect Ruler has got a lot of heavy groove in it with it's downtuned distorted low riffs and mesmerizing verses. Even though these guys are more metalcore than heavy groove, I must admit that they sure master any metal gerne given. The breakdown is simply brotal and once again invites to some heavy bonebreaking mosh party.

NEVER 【F】 came as a surprise, it's one of their intense melodic ballads such as ringing, Colors and some others. The certain oriental touch gives such a strong Kagrra, reminiscence (especially to Utakata or Shizuku), that you could almost say that NEVER 【F】is neo Kagrra, but with more distortion. Either way I simply love -OZ-'s ballads because they're really intense and show how metal-style can be a very expressive style for intense, raw and honest feelings.

If you have the chance to hear the B-version of the single, it has got also the live version of one of their best songs Butterfly and it's so vividly performed that I'd walk barefoot to Japan just to see it live and surprisingly Natsuki sings A LOT better live than on the records.

Overall VENOM is one hot, metal-flaired rock single that will make any fan of brachial, rock aggression happy. Though it may not be as good or memorable as Bulk it's certainly better than their last Spiral or Live-distributed Raze. If you're an -OZ- fan or a fan of the harder Visual kei bands you shouldn't have second thoughts about this one. 

It hasn't pass long since the GazettE's last pants-pissing-PV-awesomeness LEECH and the men from the GazettE are back with another PV for their new single DISTRESS AND COMA.

In the spirit of the song's name and title, the whole PV gives off a gloomy, distressed, melancholic kind of feel. The main figure is a strange ballerina confined in a room.

The ballerina seen in a dream

I'm not usually a interview follower but this ballerina has got a certain meaning for the song, Ruki described her a person he has seen in his dreams, he wanted to know who she was but he couldn't see her face and that is what inspired him for Distress and Coma.

Those that know GazettE's videography will certainly be struck with a flashback feel when watching this PV. The closed gloomy room, monotone color filters, doll-like girl, expressive shot angles and similar; yes it all reminds a lot on Taion and Guren PVs, just Distress and Coma is more gloomier, less clearer and more passive than the two.

Faceless

1 comment

The GazettE are again set pretty much in the PV background, more less covered in shadows of the dark room they are playing and seen in different, pretty much interesting angles. In a way, you almost have the feeling like they are behaving the same way as they did in Guren, just more shaded by dark and in different outfits which don't really come to light in this PV. But the overall dynamic, yet steady movements enhance even more the shadowy, latently intense feel of the song. And as always Ruki's presence overtops the other members but that is one of the privilages for being the "most mobile part of the band".

What I personally like a lot about serious, dark and rather artistic GazettE's PV's are the underlying layers of feelings and symbolism which can be interpreted in many ways. I also like their beautiful-dreadful contrasted estheticism. The various images that flash and interchange in this PV contrast with one another, being almost still but saying a lot.

The PV matches the intense hard rock piece very well, projects the overall feel of the song very well and is just as monotonous and almost distant as the song itself  but nevertheless with a strong tension within it.

Snow, darkness and the GazettE

Distress and Coma is certainly a very expressive and melancholic kind of PV, set in a dream-like, transient and unclear setting; with feelings of tension, yearning, sentiment, subtle anger sewn into it. Undoubtfully this PV will be praised by the fans of the band and those who like aesthetic, melancholic PVs. Though it might not be their best output in their videography (being a little bit passive and washed out) it is certainly a nice and moving PV. Another valuable and beautiful achievement by this band.