6 posts tagged “mini-album”

Punkitsch

SuG

Date released: 3.9.2008.

Track list
1. butterfly BoY
2. 輪廻せんちめんたるギャング (Rinne sentimental gang)
3. HYSTERiC HONEY
4. The last slim bullet
5. 餓鬼☆戦争~デスペラードは突然に~ (Gaki sensou ~Desperado wa totsuzen ni~)

Hehe did your brain had enough time to recover from the damage caused by Noiz Star, SuG's first album? Are you ready for some more that will be caused by their second mini-album Punkitsch?

The title Punkitsch pretty much accurately displays the content that lies beneath the very flashy and in a way disturbing CD cover. Combine punk with kitsch (German for flashy, basically cheap things with no artistic value). Or maybe they wanted it to sound like the Croatian word Pankić which is the pejorative version of the word punk (as a person). Any way, SuG continue their Candy-punk cataclysm with this H-bomb.

butterfly BoY actually has a pretty good combination of funk, nu-metal and oshare kei flashness wrapped with a catchy chorus wrapper. Nice for getting your sugar rushed oshare kicks without damaging your brain. But still though nicely packed butterfly BoY is simply bland. From what there is to like of these songs I somehow digged Rinne sentimental gang and Gaki sensou the most; basically because I like twisted riffs, background, rough group shouts and growls of any kind (though rather failing here, but still well...decent?). Gaki sensou (future loop song) gets points for being one of the most incredibly dumb songs I've heard recently, but I have a good sense for humor... so I'll consider it as a joke (or as a warning not to take drugs).

Then you have HYSTERiC HONEY which is no where near hysteric and the Last slim bullet which is a bad version of Ayabie's Hanageshi (though with nice riffs). Anyway you'll forget this songs before you reach the end of this sentence so...

I'm glad I'm not the only person around here who wishes to mobilize UN forces to lock up Takeru and ban him from singing FOREVER! He'll surely ruin any potentially good SuG song.... What else to say... SuG's Punkitsch is the best possible anti-drug and anti-oshare ad there is. 100% efficiancy guaranteed.

Revolver

Date released: 23.4.2008.

Track list
1. EDY [PV]
2. BLACK-TAIL
3. the surface
4. Moon Light Snow Rabbits
5. July VIIth

Even though I've had this single for at least a month (this is what you get when you have good intentions: your friend leaks your debut release on the internet a month before it's release), but out of fairness I have decided to review it after it's release. Vistlip is a young, talented Visual kei band who deserves better friends than the asses who leak their stuff.

Vistlip's debut mini-album Revolver is quite impressive (not mindblowing, but still pretty damn cool) and shows vistlip as a band with big potential. Edy rips off with fierce guitars and screaming that reminds on Aoi from Ayabie being insane. Surprisingly, the vocal Tomo sounds a lot like Sou from Lolita23q with his shivering, fragile and cute voice (can't help to notice that sometimes he is really quite and can't outloud the band). Vistlip are a Koteosa kei band of some sort with their songs which blend catchy melodies and pretty much hard riffs. Black-tail surprises with an epic instrumental, dramatic melody and overall strong tension with makes the song have depth. the surface is somewhat similar, but more rock'n'roll wise.

Although I am a fan of somewhat harder music, I couldn't resist the charms of Moon Light Snow Rabbits, which is my personal favorite on the single with it's emotional, gripping riffs, sparkling melody and a beautiful chorus which is a firework of emotions. Really this song got me at first listening. July VIIth unfortunately didn't, because it is the type of boring song bands make to end a live or optionally a mini-album with, stretched out and uninnovative.

vistlip is a band you should keep an eye on, because they've really got talent. Remember my words: they might be the next Koteosa big band.

Heaven's Call

Date released: 27.2.2008.

Track list
1. Lord’s Prayer [Listen] [PV]
2. final call [Listen]
3. Allure [Listen]
4. PUPPET SHOW [Listen]
5. 十二月の夜に (Juunigatsu no yoru ni) [Listen]

After finishing the Byakuya ni moyuru hana single trilogy with a quite unspectacular single, Dio has released their first mini-album titled Heaven's Call (Strange calling it a mini album, since Dio's singles hade up to 4 songs!)

Heaven's call shows Dio's new approach: darker, more atmospheric and definitely better composed and arranged.
Starting off with the dark and intense Lord's Prayer which is pure aggression in the verses, but with an intense and very expressive refrain which shows not just that Dio perfectly manages to express complex emotions in the songs but also the great vocal skills of their singer Mikaru. final call is a bit repetitive dark song but in a positive way and has got a very addicting refrain on UNDERSTANDABLE English. Listeners may notice the stunning similarity of Mikaru's voice to those of D'espairsRay's Hizumi (May I say: Better?). Allure bashes off with some heavy and twisted riffs and has got a pretty much regular refrain but which becomes better with every listening.
My personal favorite on the mini-album is definitely PUPPET SHOW that is aggressive and very dark on the verses but surprises with the relaxed and fascinating refrain. Juunigatsu no yoru ni is probably the only weak song on the album, mostly because we have heard the same thing in last dance and Yume wa gareki no naka de, thus has it's special spots in interesting refrains and excellent singing.

Dio's style might have changed a bit to a darker approach but the quality is here. It is no surprise that Dio are getting better with every new release and their songs are getting more complex. Heaven's fall shows again the undeniable talent of this young indie band and is more than worth your time and listening.

A more than an excellent release.

I SCREAM PARTY

Date released: 19.12.2007.

Track list
1. LOVE SCREAM PARTY [PV]
2. TOON DAILY LATESHOW
3. 幻燈 (Genjou)
4. 俺式 Continue (Oreshiki Continue)
5. プライマル (Primal)

Hey congratulations SuG on your first mini-album! You've honestly made me get migrene every time I played this immature, hyperactive sugar-trip called I SCREAM PARTY.

What is it with the jumpy surf-rockish LOVE SCREAM PARTY? Has Takeru suffered head trauma so he can't sing more than two coherent syllables? Or has he taken a high dose of LSD so everything stopped making sense to him?
And everything makes even more less sense on the twisted TOON DAILY LATESHOW what can be described as a mixture of sugar rushed candy punk.

And why, oh why, did the mentally challenged Takeru had to screw the potentially great Scheat like song Genjou with his immature singing. I put my hand in fire that this guy was high when he sang this cause he sounds like he can't restrain himself from laughing. Oreshiki continue takes a step higher and turns into a moshing like candy punk. This guys sure hold onto their motto "Heavy positive rock" (add immature in between). And again, Oreshiki continue is another potentially great song ruined by the retard vocalist Takeru.

Primal is the kind of songs like GazettE's LINDA which generally suck, but are good as a closing song for a concert. In a way reminds on Candy Lowpop, just this song is worser.

Fuck! SuG comepletely screwed up a potentially great mini-album. Pardon, TAKERU screwed up a potentially great mini-album with his kindergarten leveled singing. All this songs are instrumentally great songs and I bet they are even more fun to play, but with vocals they suck majorly. I really like SuG, I liked their first two singles, but this is soo raw and immature that it makes me fear for the future of this band.

This mini-album can be recommended to only hardcore Oshare kei fans, sugar rushed kids and heavy SuG fangirls cause that are probably the only people that will find this album enjoying. Or crazy lunatics on some LSD driven candy filled party....

Reason of crying

Date released: 18.7.2007.

Tracklist
1. Real my place
2. crime-罪- (crime-tsumi-)
3. smash!!
4. Melody
5. フリージア (fressia)
6. お前に捧げる醜い声 (Omae ni sasageru minikui koe)

Girugämesh was one of the bands that I was surprised by when I listened to them for the first time. They really sound different than the most Visual kei bands, and that unique sound is on of the strong points of this talented band.

Real my place is an energetic nu-metal song with a very interesting blend of piano and heavy guitar riffs, gentle singing and growling. In a way this song reminded me of the song THE LAST EMPIRE by alice nine. because of the light movement in the song and gradually increasing energy.

crime-tsumi- reminds a lot on the recent GazettE track such as AGONY, BURIAL APPLICANT and CIRCLE OF SWINDLER. Even if the song has a gentle almost pop intro that repeats on several places in the song it still remains a hardcore song with it's hard riffs, interesting rapping and refrain all sang perfectly by the vocal Satoshi.

I think the title of the song smash!! says a lot about it. A lot of growling, fast, upbeat, headbanging goodness that mostly reminds on the song Mouja no Koushin from the album 13's reborn.

Melody that follows is a solid ballad and pretty melodic but not especially original and reminds a lot on the melancholic songs from the 13's reborn album.

Fressia is also a ballad, but quite an interesting one. Satoshi manages to add a lot of emotion in the song with his singing, whispering and almost near crying. The song has got a nice balance between calm and strong and as such counts to one of the highlights of the mini-album.

The additional song Omae ni sasageru minikui koe is an average hard'n'heavy Girugämesh song with a lot of growling, yelling, aggressive sound, distorted guitar and deep bass. Not very catchy but good enough to please any Girugämesh fan.

So overall this is a great release. Girugämesh fans and fans of hardcore and nu-metal sound will be pleased, but my greatest complaint to the album is the lack of originality. All the songs are pretty similar to former Girugämesh releases and the sound range is pretty much limited. They band has got talent and I think they should experiment more.
In any case this is a release worth listening.

studs

Date released: 13.6.2007.

Tracklist
1. false the skin
2. disclosure
3. rain drop
4. spread from sister
5. thursday [PV]
6. tonight is the night

studs is the first release overall by the band the studs.

When I first heard about the studs being formed I was really interested! The band consists of ex-deadman members aie (gt.) and Yukino (bs.) with the drummer Hibiki and the ex-Kagerou vocalist Daisuke.

I said: "Kagerou and deadman? This must sound pretty interesting!" I was hoping to hear some new and original songs. I've heard new songs alright, but not original. the studs sound like deadman with a bad Kagerou vocalist.

The two opening songs false the skin and disclosure are somewhat original tracks but you can clearly hear the deadman influence already in them. false the skin is an energetic but yet down-to-the-ground song while disclosure is a bit aggressive song that confuses with typical screaming heard in Kagerou combined with softly chanting heard in some deadman songs.

rain drop is a song where the deadman part of the album starts. A bit gloomy and melancholic this song reminds on some average deadman song, although it may be the strongest track on the mini-album. spread from sister is a song similar to rain drop gloomy, washed out,deadmanish uncatchy track.

The only song that really stands out and sounds somewhat original is the song thursday. It is a fast,  funky, catchy rock'n'roll song that is partially spoiled with Daisuke's singing pardon screaming. The song however does not manage to capture the listeners attention too much because it is over before the listener even gets the chance to catch the strings to the song.

Tonight is the night is very similar to the song false the skin and features some really characteristic deadman guitar parts and probably the best singing you will hear from Daisuke.

The two biggest problems with the studs are that you constantly expect ex-deadman vocalist Mako to start singing and except that you hear the quite irritating and heavy tolerable Daisuke's singing (Mako's voice was a lot better and tolerable) and the fact that most of the songs sound like some recycled deadman songs.

studs is a mini-album deadman fans will appreciate while Kagerou fans will be partially disappointed. If you also like some gloomier 12012 songs you might check this out. It comes as a good break from some aggressive head bashing Visual kei bands or the happy-go-lucky pop-like Oshare kei bands.