RAMI THE REQUIEM - Serial Killer (Review)

Rami has long since gotten rid of the “ex-Aldious” label. Still, five years of hard work were not in vain. But recently she is creating her third project. Such impermanence сauses no respect. Well, I'm primarily interested in the results.

My Rating: 81/100 Best song: Liar Lady

This is the second solo project - initially I would have found it strange. However, when I saw the cover, for some reason it seemed to me that it would be something similar to Raglaia. It looks funny that I, in fact, was not mistaken: this is a stylistically similar project - the genre I can define as Heavy / Thrash / Power Metal. Actually, now it becomes clear why the second solo project was created - the genre of the previous one can be defined as Symphonic / Power Metal.

In the new single, as before, you can see a big bet on emotions. However, the more successful composer's work is noticeable here. The single's structure is as follows. The first track is an abundance of "zeros" and scales combined with thrash metal drums and string synthesizer. The second track is something very fast with an abundance of pinch harmonics and the lower end of the vocalist's range. The third track is a very hooky rhythm section with an abundance of synthesizers. The last track I would call some kind of chaotic, as if it was inserted just for the amount - it's hard for me to highlight anything in it. In short, about the structure, I can say the following words: not a bad idea, although it could have been better.

The vocalist is great again. The vocalist's voice is a lyric soprano. I love high-pitched voices. Interestingly, the whole range is used here: both the top and the bottom. However, this is not just a range demonstration. Here is a quite successful attempt to convey the maximum amount of skill shades. I definitely like it. But she still seems to be losing her unique performing style that can be heard from the early days of Aldious. Perhaps this is not true and in fact the situation looks different. But in this regard, I feel some changes.

Now about the instrumental parts. It's noticeable that the composer had the task of betting on diversity. But the other side is not a very careful choice of methods for solving artistic tasks. One gets the impression that the leader gave roughly the following instructions: “First, something groovy, then something fast and powerful, and after - something”. However, it should be admitted that the composer's work is extremely successful: the instrumental parts sound impressive. The guitarist's sound is also impressive. There are a lot of triplets with "zeros" and scales at a medium tempo (1st track), as well as many "zeros", scales and pinch harmonics at high tempo (2nd track). In the third track, the guitar gets lost in the mix and is therefore difficult to describe in detail. Rhythm section also pleases the listener with its variety. In one song (2nd track) the rhythm section is very fast and powerful, and in the other (3rd track) it's very hooky. Now about additional instruments. Only in the third track can you find an abundance of synthesizers. In the first track, you can hear a small addition to the instrumental in the form of strings. I can't say more.

In terms of rebirth, it turned out even better than Mary's Blood with the Nemophila project. Rami continues to perfect his music, rather than just repeating a successful model. Yes, it should be noted that she still relies heavily on voice and lyrics - the instrumental parts receive less attention. But her behavior has changed and it's nice to know. Hope for more interesting releases in the future.

Crossfaith - SPECIES (Review)

My association with band Crossfaith is EP Zion (2012). All the rest of their work I don't like. Yes, I can mention several songs from album Xeno, for example, Raise Your Voice, Devil's Party and Paint it Black - I listened to them with pleasure. But you understood my main point.

My Rating: 75/100 Best song: Truth Of Insanity

Earlier, I wrote my opinion about album “Ex_Machina”: I noted too much emphasis on emotions, which had a bad effect on the methods of solving artistic tasks. And now I am ready to express my opinion on EP “Species”. While listening, it seemed that they heard this criticism. This is a pleasant fact. However, not all so simple.

In the new album you can hear technical riffs, a wide variety of synthesizers, extreme vocal techniques (some segments with recitative). At first glance, it looks simple, but when you hear it - emotions begin to pour over the edge. However, for some reason it seemed to me that all five songs grew out of one idea. That is, there was one idea that was implemented in five different ways. I don’t know if this is true or not, but such a feeling is present. However, this time there were no trash and it’s nice to know.

Now about the vocalist - he is good. Here you can hear both pure and extreme vocal techniques. Such a variety is a pleasant fact. However, something here can also be noticed. For example, clean vocals in the refrain of the 3rd track - I think that such a sound is not suitable for such a song (although, for example, in the 5th track it sounds cool). But overall, the vocalist is very cool.

Instrumental parts are impressive. I don’t think that I will be able to write a lot, as there is a big bet on the general idea. But something is possible to highlight. For example, guitars sound interesting. This album has very technical riffs in a very low tuning (if I'm not mistaken, Drop B). More precisely, the guitarist is trying to portray technicality: I immediately realized how this is played. However, there are also slam (4 track) riffs. The rhythm section is very powerful. Here you can hear very intense drum loops. Even at an middle tempo, you can hear the drummer holding a hurricane rhythm. But one cannot say that the rhythm section is overloaded - it's noticeable that the drummer knows his job. And I would like to say that the drummer is the best band member. But no: in my opinion, this title belongs to the keyboard player. Here again, a big bet on synthesizers is noticeable - their number exceeds all conceivable limits. But there is also no overloading feeling - this is exactly what you need.

Will I listen to this album in the future? Perhaps yes - in general, the album is cool. This is a worthy work of professionals. Yeah, I can say that hiding flaws with help of emotions is a bad idea. And usually after such words I list a few bands that made such a bet and whose results were dubious. However, the level of training is felt even through similar methods. However, it's still noticeable that some of their methods have already been established and are not subject to revision. “Special, unique style” - a similar characteristic, although it's respected, but most often it's doubtful. Does this inspire respect in this case - everyone will decide for himself. In the meantime, I can say that the guys did a good job.

Miyu - Metaloid (Review)

The modern, ever-changing world dictates very peculiar conditions. In them, ranks and achievements go far from the forefront. Me, being a very liberal person, have been doing this for a long time: I pay attention to past merits in the last turn.

My Rating: 67/100 Best song: Sailing

Why did I remember my principles, you ask? Before me is an album in which two teachers from MI Japan take part. In addition to the author, the following persons also take part in the album: Takayoshi Ohmura, Rami (ex-Aldious, Raglaia, solo project), Ibuki (ex-Destrose, ex-Disqualia) - this is not a complete list, but epic is already felt by these names. In the album you can see a severe fusion of heavy riffs, melodic guitar improvisation, insane bass lines, and in some segments you can notice the “industrial” synthesizer in the spirit of Korg Wavestation. This idea is a good one. But there is a feeling of something crumpled, which tried hard to align on one line. Each song is hard to listen to for longer than one minute.

You can also notice that in the general concept, acquires symbolism rather than skill. Well, everyone has their own methods. However, this idea is too complicated to understand. And if, for example, it’s clear why Rami performs a song "Alive", then what about the rest? I did not see the answer.

Vocalists are good. Several (three or more) vocalists take part in the album. After listening, the feeling remains that the vocalists were given a clear instruction to adhere to a certain framework. For example, this is noticeable in the fact that vocalists rarely use the upper part of their range. Also, the vocalists are very similar to each other - only the last track is an exception. I consider this a negative point, as it kills individuality and diversity. However, in track 4 the parties are still diverse. It should also be noted the weak originality of the lyrics. I have a special allergy to phrase “kono sekai” (“this world”) - after it I instantly turn off the song. In a cursory review of the lyrics, I found this phrase three times. Nuff said.

Instrumental parts ... How could I put it more precisely ... The guitarist sounds quite confident. Here, a big bet on the guitar is made in one track (5th). The rest is just an element of the overall structure. This is another point that I consider negative - it's best when you having fun and not just be an system element. Bass is well heard in the mix. The bass parts are emotional and diverse. Sometimes you can hear melodic improvisation and this is a nice detail. Drummer is also impressive. Here are very diverse drum loops. The only inconvenient moment: pop patterns (I don’t remember which track) - it's unpleasant to hear. Otherwise, the drummer sounds cool. Additional instruments should also be noted. Synthesizers appear only at song intro, thus adding emotions. However, in the middle (verse or chorus) they are not heard. I wouldn’t do that, because it looks illogical.

In the end, I can say that this review was one of the most difficult. This is the work of a typical high achiever: it looks good in appearance, but with careful analysis, you just want to refuse the listening. Yes, this is really serious work. But it seems that the main idea lacks some kind of insanity, if you like. The desire to fit certain elements into a certain framework has turned from a good release into “something that you can just listen to.” Such a sound is absolutely not suitable for such a high level. That's all I wanted to say.

Trivium - What The Dead Men Say (Review)

As you can remember, I rarely listen to music from USA. However, I recently received a newsletter on my email with a proposal to listen to Trivium new album. Also in some of my recommendations on Youtube there were several covers for songs from this album. Well, this means that today we will have very cool guys from America.

My Rating: 84/100 Best song: Bending the Arc to Fear

Service Yandex Music determined that the song Sickness Unto You is similar to Open the Hell's Gate (EACH OF THE DAYS) - that’s all you need to know about how such algorithms work.

And then we will act. I read a lot of articles on art and culture. And often I notice one point among the authors: a magnificent train of thought, but the emphasis is ugly. Something like this can be said about this album. Obviously, the guys wanted to make a very technical and very complex album, but at the same time still make something attractive to average listener. And just then, with such a desire, some uncomfortable feeling begins. For example, this is noticeable in the album structure: an increasing intro, then three very powerful tracks, and then the 5th track, which seemed to me too difficult to understand. On track 6, I wanted to turn off this album. A pleasant surprise was that the 7th, 8th and 9th tracks were the best in the album. And the last track seemed to have been made just to somehow end the album. In general, the impressions of the album are positive. There is no sense of incompleteness that I usually have after such albums.

The vocalist is flawless. There is a weak variety of vocal techniques - it's noticeable that the idea prevails here, and not the vocalist's skill's shades. However, the voice is very strong, which, coupled with sharp lyrics, gives a tangible effect. However, there is one interesting point. It consists approximately of the following: from the point of view of instrumental parts, it's extreme metal, but there are few extreme vocal techniques. It might look strange, but it looks interesting here.

Instrumental parts: this situation is twofold. On the one side, riffs are very hooky and very groovy. For example, I liked the main riff from Catastrophist so much that I immediately wanted to tune my guitar on Standard A# and play it. It can also be noted that riffs have a very high technical complexity: I didn't immediately understand how this is played and this is a pleasant fact. On the other side, in some segments you can hear stroking the power chords using the simplest alternate picking technique. I think this is a negative point - I didn't expect this from these guys. Now about the rhythm section. Bass has a pronounced upper part of tone. Because of this, the bass is clearly audible in the mix - this is a nice detail, especially when you listen through cheap headphones. However, the bassist doesn't have a lot of interesting parts - I can’t single out one thing. Drums - everything is pretty predictable here. Here you can hear very intense drum loops. However, it's not possible to tell too much about drums - the composer's attention on guitars is noticeably too much.

Usually mainstream rock bands completely disappoint me. Yes, this can be understood: in the modern world, popularity requires far from what experts say. But these guys are one of the very few exceptions. They have such a high skill level that their flaws can only be felt. Specifically, in this album, a big bet on the general idea and on guitars is noticeable: sharp lyrics and difficult riffs. Whether this bet has played or not - perhaps everyone will decide for himself. But I can say that this album is cool.

Black Rain - Gekka Bijin (Review)

I often pay attention to projects that have recently begun their creative activity. I like to analyze the results of their creative work and monitor their professional growth. Today I decided to write a review of the first single of the new band Black Rain - apparently this is a reference to the song of the same name by Mari Hamada.

My Rating: 60/100

Source: tunecore.co.jp

Be that as it may, I still click on “Play” button and started listening. There is only one track, but there is something to tell about. Here you can hear patterns characteristic of heavy metal and power metal with a female voice. It's noticeable that the guys lack imagination, creativity. This is noticeable by the project name, by the release name, by the general concept, by the lyrics.

There is such a stereotype that the vocalist is somewhat opposite from the rest band members. Unfortunately, this project is a confirmation of this regularity. It seems that the vocalist, lyricist and creative director is one person, and the composer is another. I don't want to say that this is bad, but it significantly affects the shades in the methods of solving artistic tasks. For example, this is noticeable in the fact that the voice is too pronounced in the mix, that is, the volume of the instruments is too low.

Let's talk about the vocalist. I can say that the vocalist is good. Here you can hear interesting tricks in the spirit of Steven Slate. However, her vocal style is somewhat peculiar: some problems with the articulating apparatus are noticeable. More precisely, the vocalist’s sound “S” sounds very crooked, - I guess this is a problem with orthognathy. And also the performance of vocal parts seemed too cautious to me - perhaps the vocalist knows about own flaws. And you can also notice that the track with the voice has minimal processing. I respect such honesty: significant processing saves many musicians with weak singing abilities (for example, Rino Nikaido, ex-Aldious). But overall, the vocalist did an excellent job.

I consider the high volume of a voice track is unfortunate decision. Because the instrumental parts sound much more interesting. Perhaps the general structure of instrumental parts is their main strength. This is noticeable by the tempo change and key change. This is noticeable in each member of the rhythm group. Guitar parts are very diverse. This is not just a combination of power chords, it's quite a serious job. But the melodies seemed too familiar to me, somewhere I had heard them before (I can’t remember exactly where). However, the rhythm section also does not lag behind - there is also a great variety. It's noticeable that the drummer did not just learn several loops, he really understands what he is doing (although the timings might be more interesting). I would also like to note additional instruments. But, after listening to the song again, I realized that they were not there. What a pity. With such a concept, a Hammond organ or strings would look good. But the composer decided that it would be better without them.

The first work is not always good: it's a given that must be accepted and continued to be created. With regards to this project, it was no exception. But it’s worth noting that there is definitely potential here. This release made it clear that this guys went on stage to create and daze. But the lack of creativity, as well as some of the vocalist flaws, somewhat influenced the final result. Well, this is only the beginning and I hope for growth in the future.