I think will be a superfluous to reminder of who these serious guys from the north of Japan. However, previous full-length album did not make a very clear impression on me. Although it would seem that professionals of this level do everything and are always great. But recently guys released new album. And now I will tell you what's interesting here.
My Rating: 85/100 Best Song: Asian Chaos
First you need to clarify that the versions for different markets are different. I listened to "World Edition" from German label Out of Line, which was released on July 12, and now I am writing a review on it.
The first thing that can be said about this album is that it turned out to be quite racy. Composer had a task to make an oriental sound - and it turned out excellent. Composer's work is incredibly difficult. It's noticeable that the composer performed an impressive amount of work. Although, it would seem, here not all the material is new. Nevertheless, it should be noted that a lot of work and ideas were invested in the composition. Although I don’t like the whole album. First thing I don’t like about the composer’s work is contrast between 2 (11) and the rest tracks, which is strongly felt. Because of this, it seems that the bulk of attention was directed to 2 (11) track. I also don't quite understand what this instrumental for track 4 is for and what it is for. Otherwise, composer's work is excellent. Even a cover at the end of album does not look superfluous.
Now, about vocalist. Extreme techniques sound cool. Although it is noticeable that this is not the best side of the leader. Also worth mentioning is the presence of other participants. This is Mark Hudson (Dragonforce) in track 8 and some female voice, performing several lines in Russian in track 2 (11) (not included in line-up).
Instrumental parts sound great. Good sound at high speed is a separate topic, as high speed effectively hides some flaws. However, there is a high skill level. First thing that causes these feelings is guitar. More precisely, guitars - two guitarists can be felt. The rest is not possible to describe, since the level of skill is too high for my knowledge. I can only say that guitar parts are good both in terms of technic and in terms of emotions. Bassist is also good, though not everywhere. Bassist has several interesting segments, for example, in main riff (6 track), but the rest is not worth attention. However, another part of rhythm section - drums - sounds much better. Here is a very high speed and very high intensity. Drum patterns are hardly interesting, however, it can be said that the drummer did a good job. There are also additional instruments. In track 2 (11) there are a lot of traditional Japanese instruments. Also, track 4 consists entirely of a piano and flute. But in the rest of the tracks, additional instruments are not enough - a synthesizer in track 5, a piano in track 7, as well as a flute and shamisen in track 10.
After the ambiguous album, this guys still released a really decent work. I can say that album will take not the last place among best works of this year. Yes, this album is not ideal everywhere: it's felt that in some segments they sacrificed intellectual value for the sake of production speed. Well, the masters of such a high level don't have to be clear to everyone. The result is an album that is difficult to discuss - such work is better just to listen.
