Sukekiyo - EROSIO (2023)

It took me so long to review this album because it's one of those albums where it's hard to say anything. You might wonder why I even bothered to write a review, and... well, it's because I wrote down some first impressions after the first time I listened to it, and I guess having a blog for album reviews is pointless if I'm not going to review what's probably the best album of the year.

01. Margaret
02. 訪問者X
03. 口に林檎
04. The Hole
05. 愛した心臓
06. MOAN
07. グロス
08. 論外な生き物として
09. 畏畏
10. 変わってくれませんでしょうか？
11. フレームアウトからの
12. 呼吸
(13. 愚問 (Demo Ver.))
(14. mysteryな (Demo Ver.))
(15. 触れさせる (live))
(16. 黝いヒステリア (live))
(17. 本能お断り (live))
(18. 猥雑 (live))

This is one of the most all-around beautiful albums I've ever heard. Already the first time I listened to it, I was immediately struck by how beautiful everything is. There are some really gnarly parts and it has a dark undercurrent throughout, but as a whole it's really beautiful in a way that's perfectly reflected on the album art. There has to be some obscure Latin word to describe that kind of beauty, but I don't know what it might be, so instead I'll just make up a word based on what it sounds like... "elegrosalious". Doesn't that word evoke some kind of elegant but grotesque beauty that's otherworldly and ethereal, yet also moist and perverse, and fizzing with electric tension and an eerie sense of timelessness? This whole album has more "elegrosality" than any other album I've ever listened to in my life. Come to think of it, Sukekiyo have been world-class "elegrosalists" since their first release. Anyway, you get the point: this album is beautiful and really unique, but can get intensely abrasive at the right times.

Margaret is a really beautiful song, to a degree where I feel like it's almost too beautiful as the first song... but it's still not the most beautiful per se. Since it's also the most "standard" song, as in the least "weird", that makes it a really fitting opener in that it kind of warms up for the weirdness.

訪問者X is probably the album's most interesting song. Yeah, that's pretty much all I can say about it... it's a great and fairly proggy song with a lot of different sounds throughout that all work perfectly together and blend really well, and at nine minutes long and a meandering vibe it's like a whole journey in itself.

The first time I listened to this album was like an emotional rollercoaster, I guess, but there was only one time I cried. That was sometime near the end of 口に林檎. It was kind of interesting because I was also bobbing my head and tapping my feet to that pulsating beat at the same time. Anyway, it has a cool guitar solo. Yeah, everything else about the song is great too, but in my opinion the guitar solo is kind of the highlight.

The Hole and 愛した心臓 are also really good songs, both have some of the album's catchiest individual little parts, but as a whole, neither of them is as memorable as most of the other songs for some reason. I'm not sure why, since the former is overall one of the most relistenable songs on its own, and the latter has one of the most memorable vocal parts (the repeating backing vocal thing that's almost annoying but not quite). I guess it's because the album is just so full of great, catchy and interesting songs, that simply being great, catchy and/or interesting isn't enough to make songs memorable in the context of the album. That goes to show how great the album as a whole is, so it's definitely not a bad thing.

MOAN is a can of earworms. It's the catchiest song on the album by far, impossible to not get it stuck in your head. I swear I've woken up and/or fallen asleep with the chorus and/or weird hook stuck in my head at least a dozen times since the first time I heard the song... and it's the poppiest on this album, but in a completely different way from Dorothy on INFINITUM (which I've grown to like a lot more than when I wrote the review of that album, by the way). The sparkly synths, upbeat drums and funky bass have a kinda 80s vibe (or in some ways maybe even 70s?), but it's also really modern-sounding at the same time. The vocals are one reason why it sounds modern, especially that weird hook part. There's a short shimmering guitar solo that also sounds oldschool-ish. This is one of those songs that just keeps getting better with every listen.

For now, the thing that stands out most to me about グロス is the guitar solo. The chorus is epic too, though... well, the entire song is epic, and it is pretty memorable and sounds great. I'm not sure why it doesn't stand out as one of the best songs in my opinion, but it could just be that being between MOAN and 論外な生き物として makes it "forgettable" since those two are some of the most memorable songs on the album. Either that, or because the transitions feel a bit underwhelming in a way that makes it feel like it never really builds up. Still, it's a great song... but again, all songs on this album are great.

It's best that I don't say what the intro of 論外な生き物として first reminded me of, just because it would be a really ridiculous comparison (even if it's not a negative comparison), but once the song gets going, it goes in an unexpected direction that works perfectly and flows like a river after a dam has broken. It's groovy with cool glitchy breaks, and a lot of variety in terms of vocals, Kyo at times sounding almost like he's coughing up hairballs like a demon-possessed cat but also epic clean singing and mumbling and much more; I mean, that could be said about most songs, but saying it about this song feels right. If グロス feels like it's not really building up, this is the opposite and the first atmospheric breakdown makes the buildup that follows and the epic churning after that hit really hard, and the second atmospheric breakdown is creepy and goes straight into headbang-inducing grooviness. All things considered, it's one of the best songs on the album; it's impossible for me to pick the best one, but it would probably be a tie between this, 訪問者X and 畏畏. Speaking of which...

畏畏 is where the album reaches its maximum intensity. It has hardcore punk energy wrapped under ten different layers of metal with an overheating industrial core. Unfortunately (but understandably), it's the shortest at just over two minutes. It's awesome, impossible to stay still when listening. The main riff is extremely simple but extremely effective, and it's accompanied by glidy and plucky synth leads. Also, if anyone for whatever reason thought Kyo has lost his touch with straightforward shouted vocals, this song proves them wrong.

So, like I already made clear, I'm the kind of guy who sometimes cries from stuff. You might expect that a guy who cries from 口に林檎 would also cry from 変わってくれませんでしょうか？, but I didn't because I was too busy trying to think of what the janky riff that first comes at 1:04 reminds me of... then I realised it reminded me of a riff in one of my own songs, and that the similarity is really vague (lol). After that kinda cringy realisation, I was able to focus again. Already on the first listen, I really enjoyed this song and was impressed by it, but even the remaining length wasn't enough to put me back into a purely emotional state of listening the first time. On later listens, I still haven't cried but it has been close a couple of times. It's just a really beautiful song, and the lyrics... I'm unfortunately far from fluent in Japanese (and have been slacking on keeping up learning recently), so obviously I didn't understand everything without reading the translation (which I didn't read until the third listen), but what I did understand already the first time around was heartwrenching. Usually, I don't even want to focus on listening to the lyrics in any language since good music is good music regardless of the lyrics, but in this song it's pretty hard not to focus on the lyrics at times. Anyway, even without understanding a single word, the vocals themselves would have a feeling of genuine despair at times, and just masterful singing and screaming and even a somehow fitting giggle thrown in at one part. The song also has a lot of interesting frilly melodies, little details sprinkled throughout, and the lush strings at the end drive home the melancholy but also have a strangely soothing atmosphere at the same time.

フレームアウトからの is really catchy and has some drum parts that sound like a boomer basement punk band's drummer momentarily possessed Mika (assuming he's not secretly a boomer basement punk band drummer himself), which is pretty awesome. I don't really listen to boomer basement punk and it might sound like an insult, but what other term could describe the style of drumming that's basically "D-beat and ayoub/tresillo in a blender" as iconically? To me, it sounds like boomer basement punk. In a song that otherwise sounds about as far from boomer basement punk as possible, it's really interesting how well it works. Yeah, I did really just write the words "boomer basement punk" more times than anyone should in their entire life. Anyway, the chorus is absolutely gorgeous and proves that Kyo's singing just keeps getting better with age. Not just that, the full-blown funky (and boomer basement punky) vibes throughout make it stand out from the other songs. It has some beautiful intricate bass parts that manage to sound as smooth as the simpler parts, if not even smoother; Yuchi is a very versatile bassist.

On one hand, 呼吸 is the perfect last song because it's the most ballad-like, reaches a peak of epicness, etc. but on the other hand it feels like it doesn't go far enough. That might sound like an insane thing to say, especially considering the monumental swells throughout and the guitar solo, but it winds down and ends kind of abruptly. In the last 15 seconds, it ironically feels like the song is not allowed to breathe, like it shouldn't cut from the climax to the bare-bones piano and soft vocals without some kind of transition... but maybe that's the point, although then I'd expect it to cut to silence, either ending abruptly or just having a gap for at least one beat or whatever; it's hard to say, and obviously I think it's a great song, so I'm not trying to sound negative about it. The end just feels "rushed" if it's supposed to be a wind-down, or "dragging" if it's actually supposed to be abrupt. If it wasn't the last song on the album, it wouldn't feel like that nearly as much (and doesn't when listening to just the song on its own), so I guess it's the effect of it being the last song that makes me feel that way about it.

In terms of mixing and mastering, this album is almost perfect. It's just right for what the music is; everything is crystal clear and it's not brickwalled like most modern rock, metal and electronic pop even though it is all three. My only complaint is that it feels overall too quiet, too soft and too clinical even at the parts where it objectively gets really abrasive and wild, like the loudness and energy never get pushed by the way the music is mixed or mastered but only by the music itself. Not sure if that makes sense, I guess what I'm trying to say is that it almost sounds like it was mixed in a way classical music might be mixed and mastered in a way that oldschool rock might be mastered, which is very fitting for some parts of some songs but doesn't feel right for other parts. Obviously it's not a big deal, the album sounds great and it is better than sounding like a desperate attempt to win the loudness war would be. Sacrificing dynamics would make the album sound worse, but I do think the envelope could've been pushed a little bit.

There isn't much to say about the tracks on the second CD, since most are live recordings and obviously not that different from the studio versions, except, you know, live. The two demo tracks are demo tracks, so any impressions of them can't be conclusive. For demos, they sound amazing, though.

Enjoyability: 10/10
Relistenability: 9/10
Memorability: 8/10
Coherence: 7/10
Flow: 7/10
Originality: 8/10
Epicness: 7/10
Nutshell: Sukekiyo keep exploring a new frontier of music

Dir en grey - Phalaris (2022)

The second I heard the limited edition would have new versions of mazohyst of decadence and ain't afraid to die, I had to preorder it immediately... but anyway, 2022 is now certified a good year because a new Dir en grey album was released.

SITE

01. Schadenfreude
02. 朧
03. The Perfume of Sins
04. 13
05. 現、忘我を喰らう
06. 落ちた事のある空
07. 盲愛に処す
08. 響
09. Eddie
10. 御伽
11. カムイ
(12. mazohyst of decadence)
(13. ain't afraid to die)

The first time I listened to this album, I kept thinking "oh no, this is mixed and mastered even worse than The Insulated World!? How is that possible?!" and struggled to clearly hear anything other than the bass. Don't get me wrong, I love loud bass, but there comes a point where a balance is lost, and instead of making the music heavier, it makes it less heavy. I still feel like The Insulated World is toeing the line, and on Phalaris the line has clearly been crossed. After second listen, it became possible to focus on other things as well, and on every subsequent listen it has been less distracting. Of course, it has to be noted that Toshiya is a great bassist, but still...

The two songs that immediately stood out to me on first listen were The Perfume of Sins and 御伽.

Schadenfreude is a great song, with some really intense and heavy parts, a beautiful chorus, a lush guitar solo, atmospheric breaks... it almost feels like a culmination of their discography, and reaches heights of epicness that most bands can only dream of putting together. It's also a great opening track because it contains basically all the elements that later songs contain, but still leaves enough room for surprises. It's also ten minutes long, and manages to feel like only half that. It may be the overall best song on the album, all things considered. However, because it's the first and followed by 朧 and The Perfume of Sins, it's unfortunately forgettable within the context of the album.

朧 is a very memorable and beautiful song, but feels a little out of place on this album, especially between Schadenfreude and The Perfume of Sins. The first time I heard it, when it was released as a single, I had conflicted feelings about it; at first it just felt like a "Ranunculus №2" or a "2020s' 蛍火", in other words immediately enjoyable and goosebumps-inducing, but like something I'd heard a thousand times. The more I listened to it, the clearer it became that thinking of it that way is wrong. I mean, it's not wrong to note whatever similarities to those two songs, but thinking of it as "unoriginal" is expecting Dir en grey to be another band; they have their distinct sound, as varied as it is, and this kind of song is just a part of that sound.

The Perfume of Sins really showcases Shinya's drumming skills, having blast beats, interesting rhythms and delicious fills throughout. It's a very groovy song, with clenching and dredging riffs. It even has strings and might be accurate to call "symphonic metal", at least at parts, which shouldn't be unexpected since they've done symphonic versions of their songs before and have sometimes had strings in some songs since their early days, but it's definitely a nice touch that adds character to this song and at least I was caught off guard by it the first time. This song is like a train coming at you, but instead of getting out of the way, you want to get run over to experience the sheer power. That's what this song makes me think.

For some reason, 13 is the one song on this album that so far I've completely forgotten about every time I listen to the album. That's really weird because it has an epic chorus with Kyo singing like it's the last day, a guitar solo that's short and sweet, and I can't say anything negative about it. Maybe it's because it kinda sounds like a bunch of the songs from The Insulated World thrown in a blender? Well, in any case, it's a really good song. It should be a stand-out track, but maybe it following The Perfume of Sins and being followed by 現、忘我を喰らう is why it's forgettable. I'm sure that after enough listens of the album, and especially the songs by themselves, I won't forget about it anymore.

In some ways 現、忘我を喰らう and 盲愛に処す are reminiscent of the band's early stuff, but I'm not entirely sure why I get that feeling. The riffs are catchy, borderline funky at parts, and both have some interesting vocals. There's a sense of frenzy and urgency in both songs, with erratic pulsation, like electric shocks or something. The fact that 落ちた事のある空 is between them does help them not blend together, but I'll admit these two songs still get mixed up in my head.

When it was released as a single, 落ちた事のある空 was the first Dir en grey release that was truly underwhelming to me; it is a good song with a great chorus, but it feels a bit formulaic. Clearly that isn't the case, as demonstrated by the rest of this album, but that's why it feels even more formulaic in the context of this album. It did grow on me as a single, but the album version is mixed differently... much worse. It's by far the most muffled, ironically because it even has a break made to sound like an old radio (if old radios were 100% bass instead of 100% treble); that would be a very effective buildup, if only the entire song wasn't so muffled... and on the single version, it is effective. The ending hits like a brick. On the album version, well... it doesn't.

On one hand 響 is a very dreamy song, but on the other hand it sounds triumphant. It's reminiscent of some of their previous lush songs like 濤声, Behind a Vacant Image and 赫, and also reminds me of Bottom of the Death Valley a little.

Eddie is fast and aggressive, with more than hints of punk encrusted in groovy metal. I'll probably commit heresy by saying this, but I unironically think a full-blown metalcore breakdown could've fit this song. I know that's not something Dir en grey do, but... I almost expected it the first time I heard this song. It sounds like a fistfight to the death in a back alley.

御伽 is breathtaking. It pushes on with the slow-burning force of a thousand suns, and has a truly gorgeous chorus. If it was any more epic, it would send every listener into a coma.

カムイ sounds like floating across the sky, falling down into the ocean, then floating again, and so on, until at some indeterminate point the floating turns into full-fledged flight. That's just as much because of its structure as some abstract "vibe", since it almost sounds like disjointed pieces put together with a very dry-sounding string motif thrown in to make it feel more coherent and unified, which get more unified as it progresses. On first listen, it was just confusing (and I guess it still is), but with each listen it gets more enjoyable; it might still be confusing, but it's the good kind of confusing.

Now, getting to the second CD of the limited edition...

I daydreamed about a heavier version of mazohyst of decadence for years, and was really excited when I found out they actually recorded one. It's one of those songs that always sends chills down my spine, right from the first note... or the original version does, at least. Maybe it's the added reverb, but the intro doesn't hit the same way. While I wish they had gone the route of "mazohyst of decadence given the full 蜜と唾 treatment", this is more like an abridged re-recording with some added heaviness, and that's not a bad thing. I can imagine it could actually detract from the impact of the song to make it sound too brutal, but I'll admit I almost expected "the full 蜜と唾 treatment" because of how this album sounds.

This version of ain't afraid to die is practically just a re-recording, without any major changes to the song. Imagine if they had done to this song what they did to 蜜と唾, 業, etc. That would've been hilarious! But I'm pretty sure it's a good thing they didn't, lol. I'm not entirely sure what the point of re-recording it is, but it's a great song, so... yeah. It does feel a bit empty without the choral backing vocals, though.

Enjoyability: 8/10
Relistenability: 9/10
Memorability: 8/10
Coherence: 8/10
Flow: 7/10
Originality: 7/10
Epicness: 8/10
Nutshell: Dir en grey remain at the top, even if this album suffers from being too bottom-heavy.

Inspired By Illusions - INITIO (2021)

That album cover kinda makes me think of the film The Giver... and I really like that film, no matter how much people shit on it.

BANDCAMP

01. Solar Eclipse
02. Mesosphere: Home Of The Shooting Stars
03. A Glance Upon The Red Sky
04. When Cloud-Castles Emerge
05. Nebulæ
06. Illudium Q-36

This album is reminiscent of a journey through space. It starts off slow and predictable, honestly in a way that could be called somewhat uneventful and even uninteresting (although I wouldn't call it that), but soon picks up as you drift past the boundaries of the solar system and enter unexplored territory. Maybe that's not a good analogy since even the "uneventful" first two songs are still cool and interesting even if they sound like one big post-rock déjà vu, and it never gets off-the-wall experimental or anything, but the album has a space theme and it does sound like space travel music, and I do think the comparison works well enough.

The first "wow" moment comes at the end of the third track. The epicness gets so intense that I'm sure even a roomful of sweaty space sailors would say it's OK to cry. I mean, I didn't cry the first time I heard the song and I haven't cried on subsequent listens, but... I would understand if I had cried the first time I heard it, or if I will one day cry when I listen to that song.

Even though Pink Floyd never went anywhere close to as metal as these guys go at the very core of their sound, there are some Pink Floyd-esque vibes sprinkled throughout this album. It's not just that the album cover looks vaguely like The Dark Side of the Moon, why I think that, I promise... unless I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

Another band I have to mention as a comparison is Keoma, particularly their EP Otvot's Orbit. This is a lot beefier (because of how it's mixed and mastered; the mixing and mastering on most of Keoma's stuff is frankly dry ass in my opinion, which is a shame because they kicked a ton of ass; I mean, they probably still do, but they're not the same without Jasse; I will give their more recent stuff a proper chance later, but this review of an entirely different band isn't the place to ramble about that), but there's a lot of shared soundscape in terms of riffage and vibes. Like, if you had a mood board (whatever that even is) for albums, you'd likely put this album and Keoma's Otvot's Orbit on the same one. And maybe some Pink Floyd album, or maybe not. I don't know, I'm not a professional music reviewer or mood board enthusiast.

The last song, Illudium Q-36, might be the best, although it's hard to say because all the songs are really good. However, that song is overall the proggiest, and has the most beautiful melodies, so it really drives home that these guys didn't just want to make a good album and leave it at that but that they wanted to make it impressive. If you're a prog fan of the wank nerd variety, you're likely to say I'm easily impressed, but this isn't wank nerd prog. This is stuff that prioritises the atmosphere, with additional focus on being groovy and heavy. If you want wank nerd prog, go listen to Protest the Hero or something. (And as a disclaimer for the hordes of wank nerds about to zig-zag tapdance in 13/16 my way, I have nothing against Protest the Hero or that kind of stuff in general, in fact I like it, but if that's what you expect to hear every time you listen to anything mentioned as being even remotely prog-adjacent, you're just making life less enjoyable for yourself.)

Overall, this is a very enjoyable album and it's exciting to hear what Inspired By Illusions do in the future, but in my opinion only the third and sixth songs really stand out as altogether great songs on their own. The fact that it's all instrumental doesn't detract from it at all, but I could imagine vocals adding that final cherry on top at times; that's not to say I hope they'll get a vocalist, though, because vocals could easily also detract from the instrumental goodness and the percentage of time on this album where I think about the possibility of how it would sound with some hypothetical vocals is probably only around 10% or so.

Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 7/10
Memorability: 6/10
Coherence: 9/10
Flow: 8/10
Originality: 5/10
Epicness: 8/10
Nutshell: If these guys are inspired by illusions, I hope they get more illusions in the future.

IA - Golden King Of The Forest (2020)

Apparently it's been seven years since the last IA release...? Well, these guys might take their time, but you can count on them to deliver absolute quality!

BANDCAMP

I'll be honest, the first time I heard IA was at the Roihuvuori town festival... I'll even admit I wasn't actually at the festival, but rather on my balcony. Roihuvuori is pretty small. Point is, immediately when I heard their music, I had to make sure I'd remember their name for years to come because they just blew me away.

With this song, they continue what they've been doing: shamanic metal. It might sound like a gimmicky non-genre "subgenre" of folk metal, but you'd be dead wrong to make that assumption because this isn't folk metal. It might have some influences from folk music, at least thematically if not so much musically (although it does, especially in the intro), but at their heart IA's music has a shamanistic spirit that most folk metal bands could never even dream of... so, they're better folk metal than actual folk metal bands.

Now, the question has to be asked: are they actually bringing anything new to the table? It'd be ignorant to claim that IA has reinvented the wheel, but what they've done is build on the existing wheel of progressive metal in a way that's their own while also remaining firmly grounded within the genre's expectations. Yet, it would feel somehow wrong to compare them to other bands. I mean, I could make the usual comparisons, but what's the point when IA could well stand on their own alongside those bands?

As for this single itself, it's extremely solid. It doesn't have any particular highlights, or rather it has so many highlights that none of them really shine through. There's one interesting psychedelic little bit in the middle that's extremely memorable, but I'd hardly call it the highlight of the song; I'd say the entire song is its own highlight and structured perfectly in such a way that it flows effortlessly, almost like a river, and looping it over and over again only makes it even better with each listen. That's rare enough to be remarkable!

However, with this comes the problem: even on first listen it became clear that in its entirety, this is not a very memorable song. There are riffs that are probably going to pop up in my head from time to time, but I'm not sure I'll remember that they're from this song. Not that I'd remember where half of the riffs I randomly remember are from, but that's beside the point.

The vocals are epic, at times achieving a vibe almost like ancient invocations. The guitars, bass and drums are all top-notch as well. Really, the only negative things I can say about this aren't even negative but rather it being less awesome than it could be if it was a different song; that is to say, this song considered purely by itself is damn near perfect and only when thought of in the context of progressive metal in general do its "flaws" become noticeable.

Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 9/10
Memorability: 6/10
Coherence: 8/10
Flow: 10/10
Originality: 7/10
Epicness: 8/10
Nutshell: IA churn on like a river, like a volcanic eruption, like a meteor, like a stampede of wild animals... they're unstoppable.

Deathspell Omega - The Synarchy of Molten Bones (2016)

Is this an album or an EP? That's an irrelevant question, but one that I can't help but wonder anyway. It's long enough to be a short album but also short enough to count as an EP...

BANDCAMP

01. The Synarchy of Molten Bones
02. Famished for Breath
03. Onward Where Most with Ravin I May Meet
04. Internecine Iatrogenesis

Believe it or not, I hadn't listened to this album/EP before today. Shame on me, right? Well, the reason was as simple as hyping it up internally until the desire to listen to it would reach an irresistible peak, and somehow in the process I eventually completely forgot about it. Only when The Furnaces of Palingenesia was released, I remembered "oh, right, they put out an EP in 2016 that I haven't listened to yet". Because I prefer to listen to releases in a chronological order, that meant not allowing myself to listen to the new album until I first listened to this one... that's the usual process I go through with releases I'm excited about, with very few bands/artists being exceptions.

Anyway, now that that confession is out of the way, onto actually review this. Is it a good album? Absolutely. Is it a great album? I mean, it's Deathspell Omega... can they come up with anything that isn't great?

The title track begins with some pretty tense orchestral stuff, which sets the mood perfectly for what's about to come. What comes is, as usual, some of the most dizzying black metal ever made. Using the word "virtuosic" about black metal might be odd, but this is undeniably technical and the sheer attention to detail on every riff and little flourish is simply insane.

Reviewing this one track-by-track wouldn't really work, as is common with Deathspell Omega releases. They create albums that really have to be considered as a whole, and there isn't necessarily anything that stands out from the individual songs... well, there is, but the uniformity and linearity always leads to a situation where, if considered individually, the songs are less impressive than when they are if considered in the context of the album. The songs complement and complete each other, in a way, and this album is no exception. The difference is that while all of Deathspell Omega's previous albums have also been best listened to as wholes, they've all had at least one song that immediately comes across as a song that works perfectly on its own as well. None of these four do, in my opinion, but they don't not work on their own either... they're just not as memorable by themselves.

There isn't a single moment on this album that feels boring, though, and it's in large part thanks to the drums. Sure, the guitars and bass are the primary "force" behind the music, but without drums that are as complex, there wouldn't be the same impact.

As for the vocals, obviously Aspa is one of the best metal vocalists alive. Some of the most disgusting noises ever recorded come out of his mouth, but he's also quite versatile. Without him, Deathspell Omega just wouldn't be the same. I used to be above making the obligatory comment about what a fucknut he is, but because everyone was shitting on the entire band because of his bullshit a while back, I feel like I have to say that while it's true that the vocalist is a Neo-Nazi, in my opinion that has zero weight on the music; the lyrics aren't about Aspa's puppy love for Hitler, about how butthurt he gets over the very existence of Jews or about how he wants Finland to be a part of Sweden again. He doesn't even write the lyrics. Besides, giving up on a band because of one member is blowing shit way out of proportion regardless of what that one member said or did.

Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 7/10
Memorability: 7/10
Coherence: 8/10
Flow: 9/10
Originality: 7/10
Epicness: 7/10
Nutshell: Don't let Aspa give you ass pain, just enjoy the music.

DIR EN GREY - The World of Mercy (2019)

The cover art is really aesthetic.

OFFICIAL SITE
FACEBOOK

01. The World of Mercy
02. DOZING GREEN (acoustic ver.)
03. GRIEF (live)

The World of Mercy starts off with some blompy electronic bass/kick with a bell and guitars sprinkled on top. Although I love electronic elements in metal when they complement the other instruments, in my opinion that electronic bass sticks out too much; it's just too loud in the mix, especially when it reappears later on. The same can be said of the plucky almost gamelan-esque synth that pops up in the latter half of the song, too, which for a note or two sounds like it's literally clipping. I'm pretty sure that wasn't intentional...?

I mean, sure, the people who did the mixing and mastering are probably more to blame than the band members themselves (especially since this song suffers from the same problem their latest full-length had, as in everything being squashed by the low end), but still. When the acoustic second track could be argued to have more punch, that might suggest something being wrong...

Okay, enough about how it could've been mixed/mastered better. I don't want people to start thinking that this is a negative review.

When the vocals first come in, it immediately starts to develop an atmosphere. Once the entire band kicks in, pounding drums and heavy riffs galore as usual, and the song takes several turns towards the epic. Their longest songs tend to be their most epic, and this one really does reach epic proportions with absolutely smashing riffs, lush leads and a choir as a cherry on top at just the right parts.

One thing that's missing is an epic guitar solo. Seriously. If this song had an epic guitar solo, that would make it an absolute masterpiece, but it doesn't have one. There's a lead bit that serves to boost the epicness of the song, but it's not a full-fledged solo and that's kind of disappointing, even if it's not like every epic song has to have one. It's just slightly unexpected that there isn't one in this one.

Anyway, what really crowns this song in my opinion is that part around 8:40 with the deep growls and a somehow heavier variant of the riff with a more powerful drum beat. That part, and everthing that comes after, take this song from being a really good song to being a great song. It's such a sudden change, yet so natural that even on the first listen it becomes clear that the song wouldn't feel right without it.

As for the acoustic version of DOZING GREEN, it's exactly that. Nothing more, nothing less. While I've always liked the song, this acoustic version just isn't as interesting as I expected beforehand. It is beautiful, of course, and I'm glad they made it, but it especially ends really abruptly.

The live recording of GRIEF is pretty self-explanatory, nothing to remark on that but I have to rant some more about mixing: this is mixed better than The World of Mercy itself, which is pretty weird. Just sounds crunchier, and most importantly the low end doesn't squeeze everything else down. Oh well.

If, instead of DOZING GREEN and GRIEF, they'd included an acoustic version of maybe 鴉 and a live recording of Lotus or something as the B's, this single would've been the most epic single ever. I'm aware that saying "X could be better if it was Y instead" is annoying, but I'm just saying that because The World of Mercy is such an epic song, epic B's would have made this single as a whole more epic.

What I really want to hear is an acoustic version of Macabre, or a new and heavy version of 蒼い月 and/or Mazohyst of Decadence, or just any kind of re-recording of GARDEN or 予感 for nostalgia's sake. But we all know that they're never going to make any of those, because they don't want their fans to have a thousand simultaneous heart attacks.

...oops, sorry, got a little carried away with fantasies there. Time to sum up the review with a rating:

Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 9/10
Memorability: 9/10
Coherence: 8/10
Flow: 7/10
Originality: 6/10
Epicness: 9/10
Nutshell: If this is representative of what their next album is going to sound like, I can't wait!

Sukekiyo - INFINITUM (2019)

The statement "Sukekiyo is the band you listen to until the next Dir en grey album is released" may have held some water in the past, but this album puts it to the ultimate test, and to its grave. If ADORATIO wasn't enough, this album shows to even the most cynical sceptics that Sukekiyo isn't just Dir en grey 2.0.

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01. 偶像モラトリアム
02. 猥雑
03. 沙羅螺
04. kisses
05. dorothy
06. アナタヨリウエ
07. 君は剥き出し
08. 本能お断り
09. こうも違うモノなのか、要するに
10. 濡羽色
11. ただ、まだ、私。
12. 憂染
13. 漂白フレーバー

On first listen, I kept thinking throughout the opening track that this was going to be one weird album. Since I tend to like weird albums, naturally I was excited; in particular, I was hoping for a lot of variety... and there is a lot of variety, but the album is also a fairly coherent "whole". While that's a good thing, the side effect is that there are only a few truly standout tracks (猥雑, 沙羅螺, 濡羽色 and ただ、まだ、私。) while the majority of the album isn't that memorable.

...although, speaking of memorable songs, dorothy really takes the cake. It's not a good song by any means (unless the point of comparison is Friday by Rebecca Black, but nothing should be compared to that), but when an album that up until then has been some interesting fairly avant-garde stuff is suddenly interrupted by a "TOP 10 RADIO HITS OF 2010!!!"-type track, you know you're going to be scarred for life. It's not actually a bad song, either, considered on its own; it's actually a pretty fun song, but on this album it just feels too out of place... but who am I to complain about that? In fact, they probably wanted people to be weirded the fuck out by that track, in which case they pulled off a WTF better than any band I've ever heard do in a long time!

The weirdest song, 猥雑, is really weird. I fucking love it! Kyo makes a lot of weird ass moans in it, and one of the things I love most in the world is Kyo's weird ass moans. The riffs are also great and catchy (and the tones are heavy), and the glitchy stuff is really cool since it's not overdone.

However, in my opinion, the best song on the album by far is 沙羅螺. Not only is it the most memorable, I love that it has vaguely Middle Eastern and Indian-sounding stuff and an interesting noisy middle part, and the chorus is absolutely great and the catchiest on the album. The guitar solo is also epic. It's also cool that it has what sounds like church organ in the outro.

Oh, and I have to mention this because it makes me grin every time: in ただ、まだ、私。 the first "綺麗な嘘" sounds like "綺麗な糞". I wonder if Kyo intentionally pronounced it in such a way for some reason? And don't try to tell me I'm imagining it, because there definitely is something like /k/ that first time! Right?! I can't be the only one who hears it...? I swear, the only way I could be convinced that it's not intentional would be if Kyo himself said so... 😂

Although 漂白フレーバー doesn't feel like a closer to me (at least compared to the preceding 憂染), it is a very interesting song that draws in attention and has cool "chaotic" stuff, especially the lo-fi piano. It also has a similar effect on the vocals as the opener, so maybe it is fitting as it kind of wraps things up... hmm.

Overall, this album is great. Individual songs may not be very memorable and don't always go together very well (as in the order of the songs is far from ideal imho), but as an album it is very memorable.

Enjoyability: 9/10
Relistenability: 8/10
Memorability: 9/10
Coherence: 7/10
Flow: 6/10
Originality: 9/10
Epicness: 6/10
Nutshell: Beautiful shit, no lie.

DIR EN GREY - The Insulated World (2018)

In my mind, there has never been any question about the fact that this is the best band in the world, as well as one of the most versatile and unique. Maybe saying "every year Dir en grey release a new album is a good year" sounds cringy and fanboyish, but 2018 was a good year... and so was 2014... and 2011... and 2008... and... well, let's just say that every year is good due to nostalgia, but the point is that whenever Dir en grey release a new album, it makes a year significantly better.

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01. 軽蔑と始まり
02. Devote My Life
03. 人間を被る
04. Celebrate Empty Howls
05. 詩踏み
06. Rubbish Heap
07. 赫
08. Values of Madness
09. Followers
10. 谿壑の欲
11. 絶縁体
12. Ranunculus

The first time I listened to this album, I'll have to admit, I couldn't get past the fact that it's mixed and mastered to sound extremely muffled and "booming". However, on second listen, as I got past the initial reaction, it became clear that this may in fact be the best way this album could be mixed and mastered; the songs might not work as well otherwise. That said, I do think a less muffled version of this album would be interesting to hear...

As for the songs themselves, they're amazing. I'd go as far as saying that 詩踏み, 赫 and 谿壑の欲 are some of the best Dir en grey songs ever. Actually, Celebrate Empty Howls, Followers and 絶縁体 are great as well, and let's not forget Ranunculus even if I can't help but feel like it ends a little abruptly... you know what, there isn't a bad or even mediocre song on this album. It's an album filled to the brim with great songs.

While I personally prefer the single versions of 人間を被る and 詩踏み, I think they did the best thing they could by making them a little different (and rawer) on the album, because the single versions would sound out of place together with the rest of the songs.

Rubbish Heap contains the funniest thing ever to be found in any Dir en grey song: Kyo going "whee". Yes, yes, I know the lyrics say "fist" and not "whee", but let's be honest... nobody could ever hear anything other than "whee" in the first half of the song even if later on in the song he clearly yells "fist".

赫 is so beautiful and lush that it almost sounds like a song that was meant to be on Arche and accidentally ended up on this album, but it's really one of the highlights.

Speaking of beautiful, the choruses on this album are insanely beautiful. Of course, they've always had beautiful choruses in songs on every album, but here they stand out in stark contrast to how overall the songs are so heavy and muddy. And yes, the entirety of the closer Ranunculus is possibly the most beautiful moment on the album... it's like an anthem for finding the meaning of life. If only it was a little bit longer, with an epic finale... oh well.

Now, does this album do anything totally new either for the band or music in general? Well, not really, but it does combine metal subgenres in ways that are still relatively new and has experimental sounds; for example, did they use NoiizFilter in 谿壑の欲? Probably not, but as that kind of "squelches" are one of the first things that happen if you start experimenting with that plugin, I wonder... well, regardless of how the experimental electronic sounds on this album were made, they don't sound at all out of place and this album wouldn't be the same without them.

Enjoyability: 8/10
Relistenability: 10/10
Coherence: 8/10
Flow: 8/10
Originality: 7/10
Epicness: 9/10
Nutshell: If this is what insulation does to the world, more insulation please???