I have never properly reviewed albums before and I think I'll give it a try. The best way to review anything is to do research and interact with the item as much as possible. For music, I think it's important to record first impressions and then listen to the same song/album a multiple of times. It just makes the review more credible and more thorough. Today's I will be reviewing Versailles' self-titled album, Versailles. It was released on September 25, 2012 so it's been out for more than a year. I've obtained it in late 2013 and have been listening to it since. My first impression overall was that it didn't live up to my expectations. It did not have that same fervor in previous albums like Jubilee. Maybe it was a good idea to halt activities and let Versailles recharge themselves. As of now, they're still on hiatus and went separate ways. Kamijo is pursuing his solo activities and the rest of the band have formed another band called Jupiter. Versailles didn't leave a memorable impression and nothing stood out too much. It was very safe.
1. Prelude
They used the same Prelude from their previous album Noble, but it sounds like a remastered track. It plays with nostalgia as some listeners and reviewers had said. This is a prelude to a familiar sound, a familiar band.
2. Rose
A very Versailles-like song with symphonic metal elements, but it was a surprise that the Prelude led to this. The original Prelude led to Aristocrat's Symphony which had a powerful opening. Though not as powerful and a little repetitive in comparison, Rose was easy to listen to.
3. Rhapsody of the Darkness
This song opens with a church organ playing and the rest of the song doesn't use much of an orchestra. The melodies and harmonies are mostly done by guitar and a bit of harpsichord sprinkled in for that Versailles-feel. They're still going for that vampire feel.
4. Edge of the World
This is one of the more heavier songs on the album and most experimental. It reminded me of To the Chaos Inside from Noble. In Edge of the World, Kamijo doesn't use his screams like he did in To the Chaos Inside and Gekkakou. I thought he would so I guess it's fine like that. Some listeners didn't like this heaviness, but I was instantly attracted to it. It's very different from the rest of the songs on the album.
5. Illusion
This is another easy song to listen to. Nothing too different from before. This one is a ballad arrangement.
6. Ayakashi (妖 -ayakashi-)
Very different from before. This is the first time they've included eastern references, specifically Japanese, into their music. Someone mistakened it for an Arabian feel, but I'm pretty sure they went for a Japanese feel based on subject matter. Ayakashi uses some koto, fue, and some pseudo-shamisen sounds. The bass and rhythm deliberately goes for a typical wagaku sound and mixed in with some heavy guitar. I liked this combination very much. I think even if your band is based on the western vampire, it's ok to add in material from your own culture even if it stands out very differently.
7. Created Beauty
This song appears on my shuffle way too many times, but I like this one a lot. It is a lot like their ballads, very soothing and melodic. I have to remind you that it is a very long song. Sometimes I have to check whether it's a different song only to see that it's still the same one. There's a lot of repetition and I wished they treated it more like a classical piece with more variation.
8. Holy Grail~Amoroso
This track is purely instrumental. Versailles has done it before by including pure instrumentals on their albums. The violin in the opening was very beautiful to listen to. That trill was very pleasant. When the guitars come in, it's similar to the violin producing very smooth sounds with very little distortion. You can still hear the violin in the background, but it's very faint.
9. Brave
It feels a bit like their song Revenant Choir with the double bass on the drums. The overall arrangement reminds me of Revenant Choir, but not quite. It feel like a marching song braving through the rest of the album and it doesn't quite march into my heart.
10. Truth
It has some piano mixed in, but it's not a ballad. This one is representative of symphonic metal that Versailles plays.
11. Sympathia
For long time listeners of Versailles, you know that they've performed Sympathia on their debut EP, Lyrical Sympathy. Coincidentally it was also the last track on that EP, but this is probably intentional as one reviewer said. I agree, Versailles uses this song to end the album and their musical activities in full circle. This rerecording of Sympathia was very nice to listen to and it plays with familiarity of the track. It's like Versailles saying good bye to their fans.
Concept-wise if you pay attention to Versailles' album cover, they are seated in a variation of the fresco painting known as The Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci. While the album doesn't have religious undertones whatsoever, they are basically telling us that this is the last album they are creating. Whether or not this is the last album ever is a question. They've never said Versailles was disbanding, they've simply stated that they have halted their activities as Versailles. On each of their plate is a rose which they've used multiple times before. Versailles is the eternal rose that never wilts and forever preserves their identity as beautiful and passionate vampires.
I hope that they don't disband. I've enjoyed their albums Noble and Jubilee, I just wish they can create more with the same passion they had. Maybe they ran out of ideas and decided that if they keep riffing off this vampire concept, they're going to fail. I wouldn't mind at all if Versailles takes a 360 degree turn in their style. When Kamijo went solo, I tried out his works and I wasn't that interested honestly. It sounds a lot like Versailles when I expected something different. Something different like a taste of Kamijo, not Versailles compressed into one person. He's still playing with ideas of vampires, French aristocracy, and elegance. It's getting pretty annoying for my tastes. Kamijo is going to release a new mini album this year called Symphony of the Vampire (please ... even the name sounds so obvious). Here's the trailer released so far.
No comments:
Post a Comment