XodiacK have always been a mysterious but powerful band. They appeared on the VKei scene quite a long time ago with some powerful and impressive tracks. However, they became very silent for anyone outside of Japan as they spent many months doing live concerts with no word on any new music.
Then, in late 2009 they announced they would release a full album in 2010. This was to be named Shinra Bansho –Setsuri-. It sadly, didn’t contain many new tracks (3 new ones) but had remastered versions of their previous works, plus two filler tracks (introduction and outro)
1. 侵羅万象-冒涜-
This is a short introduction track to get the listener in the mood for some wonderful XodiacK. As far as intro songs go it’s fairly average but adds to the space theme well with alarms going off with an epic background sound. A good introduction to this Galaxy Metal band.
5/10
2. 黒い太陽
Kuroi Taiyou was one of the bands first songs from when they first formed. It features death metal vocals from Eros with powerful guitar, bass and drum work from Chiru, Agito, Hizuki and Yahiro. The song features some singing as well, which showcases Eros’ range which is quite an impressive one. His singing is very powerful and pitches nicely.
8/10
3. 君に降る絶望の雨
Kimi ni furu zetsubou no ame was another one of the bands original songs and features less in the way of death metal vocals. It is still a fast-paced song and features some nice guitar-work. Eros’ voice is still as powerful as before ranging from deeper singing to higher wailing which provides a great atmosphere. This is a very well-written song. The album came with a bonus DVD which featured the band’s first PV which was of this song. The PV featured many visual effects and was a wonderful experience to watch.
7/10
4. 君悲ノ鳴声
Kimi no koe is the final of the bands three old songs which feature on the album. This song is a bit slower than the others and features some very nice singing. This song features some good singing from Eros as well as shouting later on. The emotion within the song is fairly deep but sometimes feels like it could be a bit deeper.
6/10
5. MasK
This is the first of the new full song on the album and therefore provides an exciting leap into the unknown. It was fun to discover how XodiacK had progressed since their first works and what new ideas they had come up with. The song itself features singing and growls and is well-written. It’s fairly heavy which is nice and has a nice level of discord which is part of XodiacK and what they seem to like to do. The chorus has some nicely sung lyrics which have a lot of emotion behind them. It sounds like desperation, perhaps.
7.5/10
6. HELLRAISER
This is my favourite of the new songs and perhaps my favourite on the entire album. It has a depth of melancholy in the wailed vocals and some nice instrument work. It also has a level of discord and some quite harrowing additions. I also think Eros sings “Eins, Zwei, Drei, Vier” within which reminds me of schwein no isu by Dir en grey. The emotion of this song is powerful and it’s a great listen.
8.5/10
7. Vorte-X-
This is the final of the three new songs and the last full song on the album. It has some nice guitar and drum work within it and features some nice vocals. It is medium-paced and well-timed. It has a few growls later on in the track and after these the singing becomes really wonderful. This easily could become my favourite track if I listen to it a few more times!
8.5/10
8. 真羅万象-再生-
This is the final track on the album and is simply an outro to end the album. It features some beautiful piano and is quite a sad end to the album. However, it is only short and then changes into the epic music from the start of the album. It is quite a nice end.
6/10
OVERALL 8/10
This is a great album release. Sadly, since it’s release XodiacK have split up and only Eros is left. He is, however, looking for members to continue working on XodiacK to fulfil his dream. If you are a good musician, think about applying =) Good luck to him!
-Akumu
No comments:
Post a Comment