#lets listen to
Here I am with a new review, and first part of October’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the latest work by the visual band Gotcharocka, the fourth album Polychrome, came out on 14th October 2020. This album, expected for the Summer but delayed because of the pandemic, is the first full release in three years and summarizes all the best “colors” of the band, musically speaking, showing off their best cards. And now… let’s review!
-Hyper Next World: the album starts with its lead-track, kicking off a pretty energetic sound and a quite decise rhythm; Jui’s voice is bright, moving pretty well between all the notes and keeping up the energy of the song; a brilliant opening track, helped by a distinctive guitar work. —> 9/10
-Asian Night: this song features folk notes, leading up to a relevant melody, driven by drums; the vocals are pretty seducing and a bit effected, keeping up in a pretty structured theme, especially in the catchy refrain; a “softer” track, but in line with the band’s style. —> 8.5/10
-Human Board Game: an electronic guitar starts the song, leading up to a steady and quite fast rhythm; the vocals are cheerful, accompained by a paced guitar, which draws the melody with an unique touch of energy. —> 8.5/10
-Creators: this song sees a stronger electronic component, with beats kicking off the whole thing, along with a funk-ish guitar, bringing the sound of the album in an upbeat direction; Jui’s voice is more electronic, but not so hard to follow, building up a clearer and nice track. —> 8/10
-Baccarat: taken from the second mini-album with the same name, this song is opened by Jui’s retrò vocals, featuring clear and melodious tones, but also energetic and paced touches, provided by the guitar; a pretty good track, empowered by the awesome guitar solo. —> 9/10
-Shiroi Dia (White Dia): seducing bass lines open this song, lighter than expected, but anyway featuring Jun’s energetic guitar; the vocals are soft, accompained by fresh guitar notes, keeping up the whole thing in a catchy approach; a good and enjoyable track. —> 8.5/10
-Monochrome: electronic notes open the song, along with cheerful vocals, leading up to a paced and pretty electronic theme; a quite structured song, which sees a good use of English by Jui and a distinctive bass work. —> 8.5/10
-Prayer: clearer notes kick off the song in a bright and paced rock theme; Jui’s vocals aim to a cheerful and vibrant interpretation, keeping up an upbeat and nice rock track, along with a good guitar work, making it even more flowing. —> 8.5/10
-Guerilla: taken from the fourth album with the same name, this song sees a relevant use of electronic, mixed up with a good rhythm and Jun’s distinctive guitar work; the vocals are balanced and pretty various, according to the many shades seen in the melody; an interesting song, with a top-notch guitar, as expected. —> 8.5/10
-Tenbin (Balance): this song is opened by a fast and energetic guitar, leading up to a steady rhythm; Jun’s voice is clear, accompained by electronic effects, bringing up a quite nice vocal interpretation, the best highlight of this good song. —> 8.5/10
-Out of Service: slower guitar notes introduce the song, with Jun’s intense and clear vocals leading up to an energetic song, conceived for being performed at a live stage; the vocals are versatile, helped by a catchy atmosphere and a compelling guitar, in a song which summarizes at best Gotcharocka’s musical world. —> 9/10
-Chirality: the lead-track of the ninth single is introduced by bright and paced notes, building up a quite flowing melody; Jun’s voice is soft and balanced, in a light song, without any big feat, but anyway characterized by the vocal interpretation and a quite good structure. —> 8.5/10
-Suddenly: this song starts with slow and vibrant notes open a song which appears quite different by the previous ones, especially in the structure; Jun’s soft vocals in a fleble rhythm open the theme, which builds up more and more thanks to an astonishing vocal interpretation, a compelling guitar and a not negligible folk vibe; a really good ballad. —> 9/10
-I ♡ JJTGR (Bonus track): the album ends with a song opened in a pretty peculiar way; before the proper song starts, there’s a sort of radio presentation of the band and the song, then it starts, featuring a catchy melody, which reprises such in a way the style offered in the album, offering a pretty simple but nice track. —> 8/10
Final Vote —> 8.5/10
Gotcharocka is a band which surely got a wide audience thanks to their line-up, made of musicians coming right from notable visual kei bands of the 00′s. During their career, the band became quite successful thanks to an addicting and refined rock sound, up to 2014, when their historical bassist Shingo left the band. Despite this key change in their formation, Gotcharocka never stopped delivering good works and Polychrome, first full work in three years, is a good summarization of their best styles. For sure there’s a major presence of electro-rock melodies, with some rhythms refined than the others, without forgetting the only ballad, probably the best song of the whole tracklist, and that’s a demonstration of how the band doesn’t want to get more complicated than usual, with the unique purpose of entertaining and making happy their audience at a maximum level. With this fourth album the band confirmed their own status in the scene, delivering a nice and addicting product, with melodies hard to forget. An album for who likes Gotcharocka’s catchy music and needs to get into it as soon as possible.
That’s all folks! See you with the second part of October’s themed week in “Throwback Thursday”!
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Here I am with a new review in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the first full album by the metal band Dexcore, named [Metempsychosis.] and released on 30th September 2020. This release is a really important one for them, as it is the first work with the new drummer Reizi, who joined the band during the year, replacing the historical member Naoki, and it represents a musical rebirth for them, with a refreshed sound and including new takes of some past song. And now… let’s review!
-[Metempsychosis.]: the album starts with the title-track, opened by chilling piano notes; Kagami kicks off the thing with a powerful screamo, leading up to an heavy and really paced metal theme, well articulated by the compelling guitar work; a great song for opening the album, emphasized by a fascinating vocal interpretation. —> 9/10
-Dragout.: the lead of the eighth single maintains the highly heavy sound, with a compelling rhythm leading up an adrenalinic theme, well underlined by the guitar; Kagami’s voice is aggressive and powerful, with a good alternance between screamos and clear notes, showing his remarkable versatility; an heavy metal song per definition, with a really astonishing finale. —> 9.5/10
-Replace our Souls: this song starts with a fast guitar, along with Kagami’s screamos and a pretty aggressive and freaking rhythm; the vocals are strong and well coordinated, thanks also to the song’s good structure; a really good track, with a distinctive guitar solo. —> 9/10
-Collapse -2020-: a new take of the lead-track of the seventh single sees Kagami’s screamed vocals opening the theme, leading up to a paced and dark sound, with dark notes underlined by chilling electronic effects; the vocals are dark and whispered, contrasting with the strong guitar notes, where the refrain has a major emphasis of the clear notes; a good track, with a unique technique, especially in the breakdown. —> 9/10
-Breath: this song starts with strong guitar notes alternated with some electronic beat, well fit in the melody; Kagami’s voice is softer and shaded, bringing also some piercing note in his performance, another hint of his incredible vocal versatility; the rhythm becomes stronger, accompained by a decise guitar which adds an heavy vibe into the song, including screamed vocals; a quite various and fascinating track. —> 9/10
-the Ground: the song is opened by Kagami’s powerful screamo, leading up to a paced and freaking theme, driven by strong guitar notes and pounding drums; the adrenaline and the technique are the key elements of the melody, pumping up the whole thing at a new level, without forgetting a more melodic shade, featured in the second part. —> 9/10
-Scribble: this song is introduced by dark notes, accompained by weird voices and a crescent melody, where the drums kick off the theme, heavy and highly paced; Kagami’s vocals are fast and efficient, alternating between heavy and light with great ease, bringing out once again his versatility. —> 9/10
-Two-Dimensional: an electronic intro kicks off the song in a quite fast way, leading up to a pretty paced rhythm, making the melody quite different than usual; the vocals are quite aggressive and piercing, for a catchy and enjoyable track. —> 8.5/10
-Don’t be Afraid -2020-: Kagami’s aggressive vocals open the new take of the title-track of the eighth single, leading up to a powerful rhythm, which makes the melody more animated and freaking, adding even some electronic shade; Kagami’s vocal interpretation in this song sees a major emphasis of clear notes, making the song more distinguishable, even thanks to its unpredictable structure. —> 9.5/10
-U.N.Know: this short track is opened by dark and heavy notes, along with Kagami’s screamo which drives a quite adrenalinic melody, with a nice technique and an angry vibe, seen also in the unregular breakdown towards the finale. —> 8.5/10
- 「T.c.b.t.s」 : in this interlude there’s a shift towards more chilling and scary notes, bringing up an horror atmosphere within the album.
-Demise: heavy tones kick off the song, in a track featuring a really steady rhythm and a piercing guitar; Kagami’s performance brings up an alternance between heavy and soft notes, tracing the style seen in most songs of this album. —> 8.5/10
-Truth=Betrayal: a dark and enigmatic guitar opens this short song, leading up to a beating rhythm, showing a relevant technique, along with freaking vocals; a nice song, which keeps interest high. —> 8.5/10
-Period: this song sees an electronic intro, along with Kagami’s screamo kicking off the theme, with a steady rhythm and a relevant guitar presence; Kagami’s vocal performance drives the whole thing, in an intense interpretation, melting and powerful at the same time. —> 9/10
-Cibus (ft.Ryo from Crystal Lake): the lead-track of the album starts with a raging guitar, leading up to an energetic melody, kept up by the duet between Kagami and Ryo, showing up their differences and clashing them in a really pleasant way, with a good tone variety; another outstanding and unpredictable song by Dexcore. —> 9.5/10
-Needle in the Dust: in this song there’s a style change, going towards a melancholic metal theme, empowered by a compelling guitar; the vocals are melting, building up a quite interesting interpretation for an unusual and pretty good song. —> 9/10
-Visitor: the album ends with a song introduced by slow and peculiar notes, bringing up a weird atmosphere within the melody; in a gradual approach, the theme goes on with an unique energy, where Kagami’s voice is mostly clear, well balanced with the guitar, which empowers the whole thing; a good track for ending the album, different but not far from the style offered. —> 9/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Dexcore is surely one of the most promising visual bands of recent times, which always delivered with their works without being repetitive. Since their debut, occurred on 2016, the band brought out a distinctive metal sound, alternating between heavy and melancholic tones even inside a single track, and their musical world has been put at the center in this first album. [Metempsychosis.] demonstrates how a band can be strong and competitive even if it’s a rookie one and with member changes behind, with seventeen tracks (a large amount for a first full album) made of what Dexcore does best, going from adrenalinic songs to more experimental ones and balancing past and future. The album worked also thanks to the members’ unique skills, on which Kagami stands out among all, thanks to an incredible vocal versatility, allowing to sing every kind of metal song with ease, an awesome thing for an emerging singer like him, without forgetting the other members, who are beginners and very talented, even for their status. If you are looking for a riveting act in the current visual kei scene, Dexcore is definitely your choice, a mixture of energy and talent, being only at the beginning of their path. An album for who is looking for a promising and compelling visual kei band, whose sound is energetic and intense.
That’s all folks! See you with a review in the past in “Throwback Thursday”!
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Here I am with the first post of this new season in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the latest effort by the Japanese rock band 9mm Parabellum Bullet, precisely the 15th single Byakuya no hibi(Days under the midnight sun), came out today. The concept of the single is strictly linked to the current global situation, since it is about a love relationship tested by the distance, and it is also a reference to the band’s tour Chaos in 100 Years, held on 2018. And now… let’s review!
-Byakuya no hibi: the title-track opens the single with a strong and paced rock sound, bringing up the song from the first seconds; the melody is well built by solid guitar lines, along with Takuro’s living and flowing vocals; a fresh and catchy rock tune. —> 8.5/10
-Road Movie: the first b-side sees more emphasized guitar notes, driving up a paced track, where melodious vocals give an interesting touch to the song; a simple but catchy song, which works mainly on the energy. —> 8.5/10
-Calm down: the single ends with an instrumental track featuring slow and melancholic notes, leading up to an articulated and emotional melody, but empowered by a good rhytmical component; a good song, made by energetic and passionate tones. —> 9/10
Final Vote —> 8.5/10
Even appearing as a common rock band, 9mm Parabellum Bullet has always brought freshness and energy within the Japanese scene, delivering nice and various themes in fifteen years. Following up the album Deep Blue, the band decided to step in a lighter side, concurrently with their 15th anniversary, releasing a simple but engaging single, which allows to remind how their style manages to entertain. Three tracks, with a light and decise sound, helped by a good rhythm, nice guitar lines and compelling vocals, and the third one, which is instrumental, shows how the band is compact and harmonious in musical terms. 9mm Parabellum Bullet is definitely a must listen if you love Japanese rock and this single is another good addition to their repertory, without forgetting that in the same day, it has been published a tribute album, Chaosmology, featuring several bands covering some of their hits, such as A flood of circle,The Back Horn,ArukaraandFox capture plan.A single for who never stopped loving 9mm Parabellum Bullet’s energetic music and wants to listen to light but engaging rock.
That’s all folks! See you with a new review in “Throwback Thursday”!
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Here I am with the first part of this month’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is one of the most awaited released of the Japanese summer, the latest effort of the pop artist Kenshi Yonezu, the fifth album Stray Sheep, came out today. The album’s concept comes straight from the title, a reference to the parable of the “stray sheep” told in the New Testament, used to describe the sense of confusion and disorientation brought by the current times. And now… let’s review!
-Campanella: the album opens with the first lead-track, featuring a pretty peculiar sound; soft beats accompain Kenshi’s flowing and natural vocals, in a light and upbeat pop melody; a nice opening song, with an interesting vocal interpretation. —> 9/10
-Flamingo: one of the leads from the tenth single sees a more decise sound, where Kenshi’s vocals move swiftly in the articulated melody, well underlined by the bass; a flowing and easy song, which keeps up the positive atmosphere of the album. —> 8.5/10
-Kanden (Electroshock): the second lead-track of the album, used as theme for the drama MIU404, is kicked off by pretty positive notes, surrounded by a pretty simple beat; the vocals are nice and pretty balanced, especially in the refrain, making it even catchier; a nice track, dyed by a jazzy vibe. —> 8.5/10
-Placebo (ft. Yojiro Noda): this song starts with soft notes, accompained by a pretty relevant beat; Kenshi’s voice is steady, keeping up the melody along with interesting guitar notes and a pretty efficient duet with the lead-singer of Radwimps, in another catchy and easy track. —> 8.5/10
-Paprika: the lead of the thirteenth single starts with slower and melancholic notes, disposed in a peculiar way; Kenshi’s vocals are pretty suggestive, driving an electronic and fascinating melody, made of a balance between positive and melancholic shades; a song which brings the album to a maturer side. —> 9/10
-Uma to shika (Horse and deer): natural vocals and nice guitar notes open the lead of the twelfth single, used as theme for the drama No Side Game; the rhythm builds up slowly, leading up to a pretty pleasant melody, with not so exaggerated electronic effects, greatly helped by a deep vocal interpretation; a distinctive track. —> 9/10
-Yasashii hito (Kind person): this song sees sweet vocals by Kenshi, accompained by warm guitar notes, leading up to a slow and melancholic ballad, where the vocal interpretation is the most remarkable highlight of the track; a track which shows Kenshi Yonezu’s emotional side at best. —> 9/10
-Lemon: the lead song of the ninth single, theme song of the drama Unnatural, starts with Kenshi’s deep vocals, accompained by a nice melody and a flowing beat, creating an intense atmosphere; the melody improves more thanks to a rock vibe, especially in the refrain, making this track even better, without forgetting the vocal interpretation, which improves more in the second part. —> 9.5/10
-Machigai sagashi (Look for a mistake) -Masaki Sudacover-: the song starts with twittering birds, bringing back the naturalist touch seen in Kenshi Yonezu’s music, where the vocals become sombre and mature, accompaining a crystalline fascinating melody; a song which looks back to this artist’s origins, exalted by the vocals and a good use of electronic notes. —> 9.5/10
-Himawari (Sunflower): this song brings back the positive vibe in the album, with soft notes opening the song, whose rhythm is pretty fast and the melody is upbeat; the vocals are living, accompained by a fresh guitar, in a pleasant and catchy song, featuring a sort of exotic vibe. —> 9/10
-Mayoeru Hitsuji (Stray sheep): the title-track starts with a pretty steady melody, featuring decise and dark-ish tones; Kenshi’s voice is intriguing, bringing out a really peculiar vocal interpretation; a good song, built by a various and fresh melody, improved by a nice piano work. —> 9/10
-Décolleté: this song sees a retrò vibe, where the enigmatic notes mix up with a balanced beat for a quite paced melody, driven by Kenshi’s simple vocals; the song is pretty good, where the best feature is a curious mix of R'n'B and folk sound. —> 9/10
-Teenage Riot: the second lead of the tenth single starts with interesting guitar notes and a fast beat; the vocals are pretty steady, but fitting with the unpredictable approach of the song, whose melody evolves even thanks to a balanced drum work; another great track, exalting once again Kenshi’s singing skills. —> 9/10
-Umi no yuurei (Spirits of the sea): the lead of the eleventh single, used as theme for the movie Kaiju no kodomo, is kicked off by Kenshi’s clear vocals, accompained by a nice piano, where the rhythm is made by a slow and articulated beat, where the vocal interpretation is filled by nostalgical shades; a quite compelling track, where the melody evolves with suggestive electronic notes. —> 9/10
-Canary: the album ends with a quite long song, staying in the nostalgical side; Kenshi’s voice is intense, accompained by clear piano notes, driving up a slow and melodious theme, making the song even more compelling than expected; the vocal interpretation reaches high peaks, especially in clearer notes, where the violin gives an extra touch to an already awesome song. —> 9.5/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Kenshi Yonezu is definitely an unique artist within the Japanese pop scene and a confirmation of how in music surprises never end. In ten years of career he always brought something new and refreshing, reinventing his concept through his suggestive art and melodies touching each emotion possible. Stray Sheep represents a fundamental step forward in his path, since it extended his sound to a wider audience, even outside Japan, bringing upbeat melodies, melancholic notes, compelling and various vocals, and a touch of nostalgia and nature, reprised by Kenshi’s early style, showing how pop music is able to bring in unexpected directions and to further horizons. This album is a breath of fresh air, needed in troubled times like these, whose influence is felt even inside each track, and a good companion for everyday life, making it more pleasant and flowing, without any doubt. If you are looking for an intense pop artist, whose sound goes out of schemes, Kenshi Yonezu is your answer, especially with this fifth album. An album for who already knows Kenshi’s unique world and for who needs to get into his music, made of positivity, nostalgia and feelings.
That’s all folks! See you with the second part of this month’s themed week in “Throwback Thursday”!
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Here I am with the second part of July’s themed week in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the latest release by the Japanese metal band Unlucky Morpheus, precisely the 18th albumUnfinished, came out today (it is the fifth full release of their original series). The album’s concept comes right from the title, which has two meanings: the first one is related to their music, defined as an experience made by the album and the live performances, making the disc the first part of it, while the second one is related to the famous 8th SymphonybyFranz Schubert(an inspiration for many Japanese metal bands), which is famous for being, indeed, “unfinished”. And now… let’s review!
-Unfinished: the album starts with the title-track, a short SE where the melody is slowly built by each instrument, joining the theme gradually in a fascinating composition, throwing the listener into the right atmosphere.
-Unending Sorceress: the lead-track sees a fast rhythm and a steady guitar work, along with compelling violin notes; the vocal duet between Fuki and Shiren is really efficient, in a great contrast between soft and harsh notes, where the violin wraps the melody along with them; the refrain sees Fuki’s unique charisma, improving the song even more, along with the guitar and the violin solos. —> 9.5/10
-Near The End: Fuki starts the song with living vocals, leading up to a nice melody, built up by the guitars and the violin, with Shiren’s voice bringing up a bit of aggressivity; a great and energetic track, maintaining the vibe of the previous one, along with an exotic touch. —> 9/10
-Kago no tori (Bird in cage): this song is opened by an obscure intro, with dark notes leading up to a gothic melody, driven by a strong rhythm and Jill’s fascinating violin; the vocals are compelling and various, especially Fuki, whose charisma dominate all over the rest; a melodious and energetic track, where the violin and the guitars improve the melody even more. —> 9/10
-Salomè: a fast violin kicks off the song, well fit with the drums, energetic guitar notes and Shiren’s vocals, dominating for half the song, along with Fuki, engaging and powerful as few, especially in the refrain, the best part of the song; a catchy but magnificient track, worth of the band’s skills. —> 9.5/10
-Make Your Choice: electronic vocals start the most experimental song of the album, with unusual beats building up a strong and dynamic rhythm; Fuki’s voice is lighter, influenced by the electronic component of the song, accompained by Shiren’s aggressive presence; an unusual but really nice song. —> 9/10
-Top of the “M”: this song starts with high-sounding guitar notes, leading up to a fast and steady rhythm, in a melody driven by the duet between Fuki and Shiren, balancing and keeping up the whole thing; a catchy and well paced song, with the violin bringing an unique touch of it. —> 9/10
-Dogura Magura: Jill’s violin and epic vocals open the song, with a steady rhythm, driven mainly by the violin; Fuki and Shiren bring out strong notes together, along with a really nice guitar work; a quite powerful song, where the highlights are Fuki’s charisma and the guitar solo at the middle. —> 9/10
-Carry on Singing to the Sky: the album ends with a song featuring lyrics entirely in English (choice made as an homage to Andre Matos, the famous singer of Angrawho passed away last year); the violin opens the song, where the rhyhtm goes on fast, accompaining Fuki’s energetic and awesome vocals and a compelling guitar work; a powerful ending track, where Fuki’s presence is the best feature, along with the sound of a cheering audience, linked to one of the sides of this album’s concept. —> 9.5/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Unlucky Morpheus is one of the most interesting acts of the Japanese metal scene for several reasons. First of all is the composition of their repertory, which alternates between touhou music and original works, closer to power metal, then the line-up, made of distinctive names of the scene, bringing up a remarkable musical background and above all the unique concepts they bring into each release. With Unfinished the band goes on with their original works, unleashing all their potency, without sticking to a single style, delivering compelling tracks, made with virtuosism, energy and fascination, where each element fits perfectly, from the guitars, to the violin, up to the dual vocal performances, clashing but beautiful at the same time. Even if this album can appear shorter than expected, the final result is really good and brings Unlucky Morpheus more under the spotlight and they definitely deserve to be more recognized. So, turn up the volume and enjoy this great experience of metal, mystery and charisma altogether! An album for who is addicted to Unlucky Morpheus’ energetic sound and/or needs to get into them as fast as possible.
That’s all folks! See you with the third part of July’s themed week in “Throwback Thursday”!
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Here I am with a new review in “Let’s Listen to”! Today’s subject is the latest release by the noise rock band per definition Boris, precisely the 25th album No, came out today, exclusively on Bandcamp. In this album the band decided to go back to their hardcore roots, not fearing to bring in some experimentation, where the concept is strictly linked to the current worldwide situation, in particular to the feelings and the pulses coming out from these troubled times. And now… let’s review!
-Genesis: the album starts with a pretty long song, where the guitar goes on with a powerful and jarring melody, along with a deep drum work, building up the theme slowly, but with a great potency and a distinctive technique; the melody is mainly developed by two elements, which work perfectly, building up an intense and strong instrumental track. —> 9.5/10
-Anti-Gone: this shorter song is opened by a strong drum work, surrounding all the melody, with the theme becoming faster and more paced, along with Takeshi’s heavy vocals, for a nice final result. —> 8.5/10
-Non Blood Lore: this song starts with strong and intense notes, following up with fast and pretty adrenalinic vocals, featuring even clearer shades; the melody is well built by the guitars and the drums, keeping high the intensity which has characterized the album. —> 9/10
-Temple of Hatred: another short track, where the guitar introduces a steady theme, driven by rapid vocals and a freaking drum work surrounding the melody, harsh and heavy, empowered by guitars and electronic effects. —> 8.5/10
-Kagami -Zerkalo- (Mirror): this song is opened by a dark and articulated guitar, building up the theme with piercing notes; Takeshi’s voice is guttural and aggressive since the beginning, wrapped by a beating and slow rhythm; a track which is mainly moved by the pure aggressivity and a compelling technique, making it more fascinating than expected. —> 9/10
-HxCxHxC -Perforation Line-: clear notes start the song, another short track of the album (a new take of a short track featured in the 18th album Praparat); the drums go fast, along with strong vocals driving up the melody, which appears upbeat-ish compared to the rest; a nice song. —> 8.5/10
-Kiki no ue (Top of crisis): this song, a re-arranged version of an unreleased track dated 1999, sees a fast and energetic drum work, accompained by a piercing guitar and adrenalinic vocals, with a punk vibe surrounding the whole thing; a track which goes on easily and manages to keep up the intensity of the sound heard so far. —> 9/10
-Lust: confusing noises open this instrumental track, characterized by a fast guitar and well managed electronic effects; the rhythm is quite paced and kept up by Atsuo’s compelling work, in a song with a great technique, showing the skills of all the members in a single hit. —> 9/10
-Fundamental Error (Gudoncover): this track is a cover by a song from the Japanese punk rock band Gudon, whose style quite fits what Boris is bringing in into this album; a pounding drum work starts the song, along with an unpredictable guitar and aggressive vocals; a really good track, which honours Gudon’s work. —> 9/10
-Loveless: the lead-track of the album is opened by strong guitar notes and drums which build up a pretty articulated rhythm; the initial movement sees heavier sonorities, leading up to the second part, where the rhythm becomes faster and animated; Takeshi’s vocals are piercing and bring a psychedelic vibe to the song, keeping up the whole thing along with an energetic and dynamic guitar work; a complex and compelling song, which only a band like Boris would have done. —> 9.5/10
-Interlude: the album ends with a really peculiar song, featuring a melody built with gradual and dim notes, along with Atsuo’s ethereal voice, which gives an ambient vibe, in a really enigmatic ending for the release. —> 8/10
Final Vote —> 9/10
Boris have always questioned the canons of rock music, bringing into each release elements of novelty and experimentation which gave an unique experience each time. No represents a sort of return to the roots for them, as the disc brings the concept of hardcore at a maximum level, distributing it in all the tracks, between heavy melodies, great technical depth, aggressive vocals and a continuous energy flowing through the whole album second per second. The band has never stopped being subversive and provoking with their sound and this album is a confirmation of their incredible unpredictability and extraordinary depth, a thing which few bands are able to carry on, especially after 26 years of career. If you are anxious to hear more of them, don’t worry; the final track of ths release is entitled Interlude as the band confirmed that another album is in works, surely a sequel of this one, so get ready for new music by the most compelling and adrenalinic band of noise rock scene! An album for who loves Boris’ music and in particular their heaviest works, made of an unique and unpredictable energy.
That’s all folks! See you with a new review with “Throwback Thursday”!
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