April Music Picks (Metal Packed Madness)

Even though I should probably be working hard on my branding project and illustration final project right now, I think I'll take some time to share some music recommendations. If you know me, my music is mostly Japanese metal. I came across some new bands to listen to and some old bands to rediscover. This year and the end of last year, I was pleased to rediscover Dir en grey in my music library. Even though I have been listening to them for four to five years, I didn't see the entire beauty in their music years before. Their music is so complex that it takes some time to intake the composition and the experience from listening to it. Some bands like Dir en grey are hard to describe in one word. They have a trademark style, but it's hard to pinpoint it since it's fluid. Half-assed music are all the same because we see the artist(s) pumping out the same thing with no soul in it. You don't remember a single song from a crappy musician because it becomes background noise in the end. There was nothing memorable to stick in head and you eventually get bored of it never wanting to listen to it ever again. It is also important for a piece of music to grab your attention at first. It's okay to discover more when you listen to a song, but there's gotta be something that grabs you first. I think the following music picks have their own quirks to grab their audience. Some of them are from last year, but I think they are still relevant.

 

Nocturnal Bloodlust "Omega" and "Strike in fact"

Omega is the first mini album that introduced me to Nocturnal Bloodlust. To be more accurate, it was the song V.I.P. on the mini album along with the PV. Nocturnal Bloodlust specializes in metalcore. They have this symphonic-like and cyber-like sound.  Nocturnal Bloodlust's music is a nice combination of the metalcore and orchestral like sound. Certainly a visual kei band, but it's not all just glam and no talent. Hiro's vocals are pretty good in my opinion and I like the way he screams his verses. They're more on the mid-high tone as opposed to low growling types of screams.

Released: October 30, 2013 / Label:IRIS & CRISIS

1. Zoey - As an opening track, it is very powerful, but melodic. The pairing of piano with percussion builds up tension and the orchestral track playing in the background sets up a kind of grand mood though not over the top.

2. Venom - This is my favorite track next to V.I.P. It is so angry and exciting to hear. I mean Hiro screams in the beginning, "You get the fuck out!" A trademark of Nocturnal Bloodlust is their double bass pedaling and changing up of that rhythm from time to time. I like the layering of vocals. It's never pure growl, pure scream, or pure melody. The sounds of the cocking of a gun and the tinkling of the bullet shells was a remarkable addition.

3. Puppet Creature - The beginning few seconds reminded me of the GazettE, but once the low sounding distortion of guitars drops, you can tell it's Nocturnal Bloodlust. It's a lighter song in terms of melody, but not short of metalcore screams. The tempo slows down in the song like a swing dance and later speeds up.

4. V.I.P. - I'm not sure how to describe Hiro's in this song, but playful might be a good word. It's like his voice is toying with the listener just like how you would taunt someone in a sing-songy fashion. There's a nice guitar solo after the bridge which then quietly transitions to the final chorus.

5. Defect in Perfection - This is a typical metalcore song that you can find in similar bands. It is a relatively fast song. I like the drums a lot in this song and the guitars that create the main melody. The vocals in this song do not provide what you would say a typical melody because it is almost all screaming and no singing.

6. Fate - The closing song of the mini album is the probably lightest sounding out of all the tracks. I'm not too sure what the technique is, but I'm guessing it's called "picking". During the middle of the song, there was some nice picking going on with some light piano notes. The English being sung sounds like English and not Engrish.

Released: March 26, 2014 / Label: IRIS & CRISIS

1. naked - Like Zoey, it is a pure instrumental track with a Beethoven-like piano and elements of electronic. The ominous sounding keyboard generated strings, static, and obscured vocals add to this creepy atmosphere. Very much like you're being naked and alone in an unknown environment.

2. Strike in fact - There is a rapid drumming in the beginning with a lot of cymbal crashing throughout the song. It may be hard to pick up, but there is a string orchestral sound that seems to weave in and out of the metal at times.

3. Beautiful Craze - This one starts out with static and this high pitched wail. Think whales. I don't know how that sound was made, but it sounds cool to me. It's a lot of typical Nocturnal Bloodlust. Didn't particularly stand out to me.

Babymetal "Megitsune"

Released: June 19, 2013 / Label: BMG Fox Records

Oddly enough, metal and girl pop works well in this song. The main vocalist has a really nice voice and she's only 16 at the moment. I can only hope she won't fall into decadence from the entertainment industry.  Megitsune means female fox and traditionally in Japanese folklore, foxes are deceptive and seductive in addition of being able to transform into a human. The song is basically singing about how girls becoming the ideal woman are like a transforming fox, hiding your true nature. The second track, Akatsuki, of this single didn't have the same power as Megitsune, but may a

Vocaloud 01 Breakin of the Emotion

Release date: March 12th, 2014 / Label: YAMAHA MUSIC COMMUNICATIONS, Inc.

This album is a rock and metal of original and cover Vocaloid songs. I'm not a big fan of Vocaloid like many people, but I can appreciate the work behind it. Taking a computer software to mimic a human singing voice is hard enough. In a couple of the songs, the vocals at times did feel like a real voice. Luka's voice in particular has a nice range when sung in mid-high vox.

1. スカイクラッドの観測者 (Skyclad no Kansokusha / Skyclad Observer)
This was a good hard rock song that is kind of touching the metal genre. It had a nice atmosphere to it.

2. 咆哮≒Emotion (Houkou≒Emotion / Roar≒Emotion)A light sounding and upbeat rock song. Probably best highlights Miku's voice.

3. ムーンライト伝説 (Moonlight Densetsu / Moonlight Legend)
The last time I heard someone cover Sailor Moon's theme in metal was Animetal. This one has a different arrangement, but still well done.

4. MY-DESTIИATION
This was a nice not so fast song. If someone could do a vocal cover, I would like to hear it. It has the metal double pedal bass, but also incorporates some electronic and slips in pure acoustic in a bit.

5. アンインストール (Uninstall)
The original song was sung by Ishikawa Chiaki who has this unique singing voice. Using Luka for the vocals was a good choice because I like how she sings this continuous string of notes in the beginning. She continues to repeat it throughout the song.

6. 地獄ポップス (Jigoku Pops / Hell Pop)
Vocaloid doesn't really work well in this song. The parts that were intended for screaming just sound too mechanical due to the nature of the software.

7. only my railgun
The original song was more electronic oriented, but the arrangement in this one works fine.The use of a high pass filter on the drum was pretty cool.

8. Regret
This one is an orchestral rock ballad.

9. 撲殺天使ドクロちゃん (Bokusatsu Tenshi Dokuro-chan / Bludgeoning Angel Dokuro-chan
Sounds like a cutesy pop song made into a metal song.

10. 665
Music box mashed with a gothic rock ballad.

11. 東京テディベア (Tokyo Teddy Bear)
I heard the original on Nico Nico Douga when watching a Gintama MMD video. It's not that different from the original because they used Kagamine Rin as well. Again the parts reserved for screams just sounded like mechanical distortions.

12. 唯心論 (Yuishinron/Mentalism)
A metal ballad coupled with some piano.

Dir en grey "Sustain the Untruth"

Release date: January 22, 2014 / Label: Firewall Div.

Many of us Dir en grey were waiting for new material since the EP "The Unraveling" was last released. "Sustain the untruth" is very different from previous releases, but still feels Dir en grey. It feels like the Dum Spiro Spero phase is transforming to another phase in which we will see by the end of this year when they release an album. I like how Kyo sings those high notes. They included an acoustic version of Ruten no Tou which sounds absolutely beautiful. The guitars' melody was very calming to listen to and this is just about the most relaxing song I've heard Kyo sing. Then tension builds up towards the end when Kyo uses this hard whisper and softer growl to sing as opposed to hard metal screams. The live version of "Gaika, chinmoku ga nemuri koro" was ok. Nothing too special, but it wasn't bad.

sukekiyo "The Daemon's Cutlery"

Released: January 1, 2014 / Label: sun-krad

This EP was only distributed at the venue that sukekiyo performed in. I don't think they're selling it anymore because both tracks "Aftermath" and "The Daemon's Cutlery" are in their upcoming album, Immortalis. In sukekiyo, Kyo shows another side of his music. It's way more relaxed, but that doesn't mean it isn't full of definition and impact. "Aftermath" is eerie, sad, and soothing all at once. I don't how to describe it. The PV wasn't graphic or anything, but the subject matter isn't exactly comforting. I'm only wondering when some translations to the lyrics are going to be released. The second track "The Daemon's Cutlery" is a little reminiscent of old Dir en grey. It's chaotic with the percussion and instrumentals. Kyo's vocals I would say are avant-garde because it's unpredictable.

Linkin Park "Guilty All The Same"

After Hybrid Theory and Meteora, I stopped listening to Linkin Park because it didn't appeal to me anymore. "Guilty All The Same" is revisiting the styles from Hybrid Theory and Meteora. I don't expect it to be exactly the same since that is the worst decision to make for any artist out there. I'm hoping in their upcoming album will revisit old style and pack in some new twists.  I am praying for some hard edged songs, but I might just be praying to no one.

DAIGO "Butterfly"

Released: March 3, 2014 / Label: Being Inc.

This is the only song that I really like on DAIGO's album, Daigold. I feel that a lot of songs were in there were sloppy or there just for filler material. "Butterfly" is a typical electronic genre song, but it feels very DAIGO while the other songs can easily be imitations of existing material. This album is celebrating his new solo debut as DAIGO rather than DAIGO STARDUST. I think "Butterfly" is his new rebirth as an artist, but I'm not too optimistic.