Exams are not fun =)

I won’t make a review this week and possibly not next week either due to exams and all that, which kinda sucks but I’m sure it’ll be okay in the long-run.

-Akumu

Review – Nightmare – Killer Show

Nightmare are one of the most well-known and influential Visual Kei bands out there in the modern VKei scene. They have countlessly pushed out great singles, albums and PV’s and this album certainly does not disappoint. 

1. パンドラ

Pandora is an introduction song to the album but in itself is a very wonderful song by this great band. Yomi’s wonderful singing combined with Ruka’s drumming, Hitsugi and Sakito’s guitar work and Ni~Ya’s bass playing makes this a great introduction song to the band’s fifth studio album. I am a great fan of this album and when it was released it was an important date for me.

8/10

2. Dirty

This song had it’s own PV which was a great watch and should be checked out. The song itself is quite fast with a great chorus and wonderful instrument work. The talent of this band is unmistakeable and cannot be challenged. It is showcased throughout every song on this album in many different styles and the fact that they can pull of heavier songs and lighter songs proves their range and ability.

9/10

3. the LAST SHOW

This song was written by Sakito which can be heard in the Jazz elements as his interest in it is well-known by fans. The vocals are lovely and the song is well-composed. It’s very catchy and easy to sing along to and just another example of the talent of this wonderful band who were just as popular in their indie days as they are today.

9/10

4. TrickSTAR

This song has a nice build-up at the beginning with Ruka’s drumming going from quiet to loud before the other instruments join in. The verses are sung quickly but just as wonderfully as always and the chorus is wonderful. Plus, the song has a Yomi-scream in it which is always a bonus to any song. Another wonderful title on this wonderful album.

9/10

5. メビウスの憂鬱

Mebius no Yuutsu has a very catchy start to it with the instrument work, and sounds like Sakito put his influence into this song, too. Yomi sing’s much slower at the start and as the song builds up he quickens his wording. I imagine this song would be lovely to watch live and the members would be dancing around the stage, especially Hitsugi!

8/10

6. このは

Konoha is one of my favourite songs on the album. It has a PV, also, and that was a very nice video to watch. The song is quite sad starting, and has softer vocals. However, the instruments don’t sound too sad during some parts of the song, but more uplifting. This truly does showcase Nightmare’s ability with softer songs quite well, though I think other songs such as Star:[K]night and Wasurena Kusa showcase that even better, especially the live versions.

10/10

7. レゾンデートル

Raison d’être is yet another brilliant song on this album and had it’s own PV which was well-directed. It also featured as the theme song for the anime Claymore. The singing and instrumental work is, as ever, beautiful and amazingly done. Nightmare just continue to grow in how much they amaze me, and they’ll always be one of the closest, if not the closest, Visual Kei band’s to my heart.

10/10

8. Worst

This song is faster-paced than the previous two and Yomi has a great singing style on this song. He sings quickly, and much lower than usual. This adds a great change for the song and showcases his range as a singer and the band’s range. The chorus is also wonderful, and the quick lack of instruments in the middle of the song add a small break before continuing with the epic chorus.

9/10

9. ジャイアニズム罰

Gianism Hachi is a song which means a lot to the fans of Nightmare, as they will know they release many songs named Gianism X. This theme is based upon a character from the manga and anime series Doraemon. This song is one of my favourite Gianism songs but all of them are very different and good in their own ways.

9/10

10. ジェネラル

General is the tenth track on the album and starts moving the tone down as the album draws to a close. It’s still fairly fast-paced but the singing is slower than before. I believe Yomi may use a megaphone for some parts of the song, like he did for Яaven Loud Speeeaker. Truly, the singing before the chorus in this song is beautiful, as well as the chorus itself. A really great song!

10/10

11. White Room

This song brings the tempo down even further, and involves Hitsugi singing in the beginning. This is a great thing to happen as it’s lovely when other member’s sing, as well as the main vocalist. The song itself is simply beautiful, the singing is incredible and hard to describe. Yomi truly is talented.

10/10

12. Cloudy dayz

This song becomes much softer and beautiful, Yomi sings quieter in some parts which shows the emotion which goes into this song. As with most Nightmare songs, the chorus is truly amazing, beautiful and well-made. This song is no exception, and delivers on every promise Nightmare seem to make us. They only deliver quality songs, one after the other.

10/10

13. 夜想曲

Yasou Kyoku is the final song on the album but this does not mean it is any less than the other songs. In fact, the opposite may be true as this is yet another lovely song by Nightmare. Yomi’s soft vocals are truly beautiful, the guitar work is amazing, the bass and drumming working together. The whole band becomes one and creates yet another brilliant song. And a brilliant end to this album.

10/10

Overall 10/10

This is simply a wonderful album from an amazing band who continue to release amazing music. Their future is very bright and I am looking forward to a possible new album in the near future after the release of majestical parade and the Gianism anniversary albums.

Welcome to July

First of all, I hope last month was a good one for you all and that the coming weeks will be just as good, if not better. July means we’re finally getting into Summer which will mean lovely weather for most of you (maybe even me, even though England isn’t famed for it’s good weather!).

I’d like to apologize for not putting up a review last week, I just had other things to think about and couldn’t get it done, so I’ll try to do a bigger one this week. I would also like to apologize for a lack of image for the Chariots review, and if I can find a way to correct this I will.

What does July hold for us all, then?

Firstly, for the Visual Kei scene there will be new releases from bands such as Deluhi (with Frontier on the 16th); Kagrra,(with Tsuki ni Murakumo Hana ni Ame on the 16th); MUCC (with Yakusoku on the 9th); Phantasmagoria (with actuality on the 16th); SID (with RAIN which was released on the 2nd); Rin (with As if forever exists. which was released on the 2nd) and Kiryu (with Manazakura on the 23rd).

A very promising month with releases from some great artists, most notably Phantasmagoria who I have been watching since they reformed quite closely.

For the gaming scene, there is sadly little coming out this month that I’m too interested in. It seems next month will be better with Starcraft II being released.

What are you all looking forward to this summer?

-Akumu