Review – Chariots – ablaze my sorrow

Chariots have long-since been admired by fans of Phantasmagoria and VKei in general. They were the closest link to Phantasmagoria and, fortunately for the fans, were just as talented music-wise. They provide both faster, heavier songs to slower, more melodic songs such as the band most of them were in before.

Phantasmagoria reformed earlier this year to the delight of fans and therefore Riku of Chariots may be quite busy with that. However, their music should still be appreciated.

1. Bane

This song starts out in a very discordant manner but soon becomes heavy but at the same time melodic and synched. The drumming and guitar work by Reiya(dr) and Akito(gu) and Tomo(gu) is wonderful and well-constructed. Bass by Loki is great and his replacement of Yuuri, who left in late 2008, means the band are just as amazing. Riku’s vocals are as inspiring as they ever were, even from the Phantasmagoria days and the chorus is beautiful.

7/10

2. ablaze my sorrow

This beautiful song is the second of the single, and is certainly my favourite. It’s instrument work is simply amazing and the song itself is both sad but inspiring. The PV of the song was well-made and certainly is worth a look. The band’s image can be seen within it and is certainly a great example of Visual Kei, and even a good look at the older VKei styles such as old Dir en grey.

9/10

3. steal

This final song is quite fast paced and has catchy vocals. It’s a good piece of work by the band and an enjoyable listen as well as a nice end to the single. The chorus is particularly nice and shows off the band’s skills well. A good ending to a good single.

8/10

Overall 8/10

A great single release from a well-known and well-loved band who hopefully will continue to release such great songs. I recommend looking into their works as well as checking out the new works from Phantasmagoria.

Just a request…

If any of you know people who enjoy Visual Kei music or WoW or other PC Games, then please let them know about this blog. It would really mean a lot to be to get more followers and to make it bigger, as well as having some comments to reply to!

Thanks in advance,

-Akumu

Review – ALSDEAD - Distrust

ALSDEAD (formerly DiceNJoker) are fairly new on the VKei scene but have been kicking it up for a year or so and have formed a large fan base. This new single from them is promising and has all the elements which make them a great band.

1. Distrust

This song starts off with maki’s unique vocals which are both melodic and raw. He has a truly unique sound, as well as the band do. Shin, on guitar; Reito, on bass and Setsua, on drums form a powerful combination in terms of the instrumental side to this song as well as the others on the single. This song had a PV which is very enjoyable to watch and I recommend it, as well as other songs by this band.

9/10

2. 傷 ~acoustic arrange~

Kizu has appeared on one of the bands singles, of the same name, but had a more metal sound. This rework of the song is more melodic and sad and is a very enjoyable listen. The fact the band can connect to their older songs, change them and make them equally as impressive as they were the first time round is a sign of their impressive quality and workmanship. A lovely song!

10/10

3. Vanity

This is the last song on this single but is just as impressive as all the other songs. It starts with vocals and a quiet instrumental but soon turns into a very metal song. The chorus is well-sung and the instruments are greatly timed. A nice listen and a good end to the single.

9/10

Overall 9/10

This is a wonderful release from ALSDEAD and I recommend listening to this single as well as all their other pieces of work, including the Eternal Insanity album when they were DiceNJoker. They’re a promising band who have a big future. Good luck to them, I’ll follow them all the way!

Sorry for the lack of activity

Sorry for not posting much in the past week, just been busy with other things. I’ve decided that I won’t level my DK up anymore, or at least not yet, and will wait for Cataclysm, start an undead hunter called Akumu and make him my main at 85. Should be fun!

Review from yesterday incoming and the next part of the perfect MMO should be incoming soon as well!

-Akumu

Review - 摩天楼オペラ - Gilia (Europe Edition)

Matenrou opera are a very well-known and loved band within the Visual Kei scene with their melodic metal tones and wonderful singing. Sono’s voice is very unique and enjoyable to listen to.

1. 瑠璃色で描く虹

Ruri iro de egaku niji appears on many different releases by the band and involves wonderful keyboard work from Ayame as well as powerful drumming from Yuu, bass from You and guitar work from Anzi. The singing by Sono is brilliant and the song itself has many powerful parts which make it a wonderful listen. It’s no wonder they use this song on many different releases.

8/10

2. Twilight Parade

This song has a really awesome introduction and the chorus is very brilliant, too. I don’t think there are any songs by Matenrou opera that I don’t enjoy listening to, and this certainly is an enjoyable track. It has everything in it that makes the band what they are.

8/10

3. Plastic Cell

This song starts off with keyboard and then a powerful drumming comes in with quite a metal-sounding riff. The keyboard stops and the metal riff, with all other instruments continues before Sono begins singing wonderfully. It has many tempo changes which keeps it interesting and Sono just makes it a wonderful song.

9/10

4. Alkaloid Showcase

This song has an amazing introduction, as well, and follows it up with wonderful singing and instrument work. The song even had it’s own PV which is an enjoyable watch and I recommend finding it to check it out! The chorus is magnificent and Sono showcases his own voice in it’s full glory.

9/10

5. Sara

This is a beautiful song, it’s very emotional and has quite a sad beginning which follows into melodic instruments which are harmonic and a wonder to listen to. The singing is quite melancholic and it’s as if Sono is thinking back whilst singing of past events. The ending is very beautiful, and sad as well.

10/10

6. Honey Drop

This song has great singing as it seems quite discordant but at the same time melodic and in-time. It’s a wonder to behold and definitely deserves a listen. The keyboard work is pretty epic in this song, as well. A thumbs up!

9/10

7. 忘却セルロイド

Boukyaku celluloid is a great song. The introduction is very discordant and fast with what sounds like violins playing quickly and an emergent drumbeat. The singing is really enjoyable, especially during the chorus and the drumming is wonderful throughout. This is another great song as the album draws to an end.

9/10

8. 虚空からの手紙

Koku kara no tegami is a great ending song for the mini-album. It sounds quite happy but has a good farewell-sound to it. All the band pull together to deliver a wonderful ending track and leave you wanting more Matenrou opera!

8/10

Overall 9/10

This is a great release from the band and I feel it is only bettered by their Anomie release. Both should be checked out as well as their singles. This album can be purchased on the iTunes store in Europe. Image taken from Google images.

-Akumu

I’m going to postpone the review

This will be until tomorrow, as the computer I use to transfer pictures from my phone to my memory stick has been taken downstairs for other usage I need to either find another method of getting images or finding one online and reviewing something I have not got a physical CD of.

-Akumu

Guildless

Sadly, my guild decided, around last week, to move to another server which is very sad as I’d began to enjoy raiding with them a lot. Unfortunately, I could not move there with them because I know some people in real life on my server and it feels like home.

So, if anyone guilds are recruiting send a whisper or mail to Eldroth on the Outland(EU) server! Otherwise, I may start my own guild in the summer and level up my other characters in my spare time.

-Akumu

Review – Deathgaze – The Continuation

Deathgaze have had a few changes since their formation in 2003 with many members coming and going. Their current line-up has been going strongly as of late and this album was to show the band are still powerful even after many initial members had left.

1. 闇に雨 腐敗した世界

The album starts off nicely with this powerful, fast-paced song. It has great drumming and vocal work, ranging from Ai’s deep singing to growling. The chorus is great, moving into a more melodic singing which fits nicely into the song. This is a wonderful start to the album and the band’s workmanship is shown greatly.

8/10

2. genocide and mass murder

This is a very angry song with growling vocals throughout and a heavy beat. The ability of the band member’s is great for the whole song, however, and Takaki’s guitar work, Kosuke’s bass and Naoki’s drumming add an amazing atmosphere to this song. Even the song’s title is aggressive to match the content.

8/10

3. abyss

This is a very well-written song which has a dark atmosphere to it and has a growled verse with melodic chorus. The band’s skills are shown greatly here with it’s heavy metal tones and riffs. This is one of my favourite songs on the album and the PV of this song is very nicely made. The band are shown in a good way which is reflective of their style.

9/10

4. 死桜

Shi sakura is a good song, though for me it sometimes fades into the album and becomes less prominent. That being said, as a song it’s very well-composed and has all the elements of Deathgaze within it. It has a heavy, metal instrumental background with growling vocals from Ai as well as singing which could be described as melancholic.

7/10

5. メメント モリ

Memento Mori has a brilliant start to it. It’s very heavy and fits the band nicely. The singing is wonderful, as always and moves slowly into growls. The chorus is beautifully sung and the instruments become a bit softer and less discordant. This is swept away with the powerful, heavy riff of the beginning. Overall this song is a great piece of work by Deathgaze and deserves a listen.

8/10

6. ディエス イレ

Dies ire is a more melodic song which begins the transition into the sadder section of the album. The great thing about The Continuation is that it’s a story, in a way, and moves greatly between songs. It slowly progresses to more hopeless songs which have more despair within them. It is a work of art; a musical novel. And this song is as important as all the rest.

810

7. 死臭

This is another song which feels like despair is setting into the narrator. The instruments become a lot calmer, especially during the verses and sound contemplative. The end of the song is very powerful, too, as Ai repeats many lines to emphasise them. This song is greatly sung, especially when the vocals are a mix between singing and a throaty growl.

8/10

8. ラブソング

Love song is very aptly named and is a nicely-written song. The guitar is melodic and the drumming softer than previous songs. The chorus is very well-flowing and nicely sung and well-played from all members. The bass comes in better in the chorus, too, which is a plus. This song certainly drops the mood down to a more melancholy tone. Plus the sustained note at the end is amazing!

8/10

9. 「294036224052」

This seemingly random string of numbers signals a very fast paced metal song. The singing is growled and shouted and all the instruments are insanely fast and angry. The song is short, however, and is a break from the sadness of previous songs.

6/10

10. リヒトゾイレ

This is a fairly short metallic song which starts the mood shift back down to sadness. It’s still energetic and heavy but it starts moving back down to the sadder tones. The album is very bipolar throughout and this is the beginning of my favourite section of the album.

7/10

11. insult kiss me

This is also quite a heavy and fast-paced song. However, the singing has elements in it of sadness and becomes much more despaired later on. The chorus is nicely sung and the instrument work is brilliant, as is the norm with Deathgaze.

8/10

12. DEAREST

This song is beautiful. Simply, it’s the first of the two greatest songs on the album, in my opinion. The instruments are soft, melodic and well-timed. The vocals are harmonic and beautiful. This song is just a wonderfully made story, which seems to be about love and loss. I could easily listen to this song in any mood, but it’s very easy to relate to if you’re feeling down.

9/10

13. amends (piano version)

This is, in my opinion, the greatest song on this album. It’s simply beautiful and very powerful and moving. It is a long track, including very good piano work and touching vocals and lyrics. A masterpiece, and the ending of a very great album; a great work of art.

10/10

Overall 9/10

This is a perfect sample of how amazing Deathgaze are at being musicians and poets. It showcases everything good about them and leaves nothing out. It leaves you wanting more, and to discover other works by them. Wonderful.

-Akumu

Apologies for the lack of review yesterday!

I went to a mate’s 18th party so didn’t have time to write a review. So, what I’ll do is pick a CD and write one today for it =) So keep tuned for that!

-Akumu