Best of 2007!

Okay, so this year wasn't so great for jrock. It really wasn't. But I'll do this anyway because it's December. Why do I say this? Well, most of the releases this year in jrock have been limp and disappointing. Hence the decline in jrock blogging lately! Ah well. So here's the best (and some of the worst) of the year.

Best album: Coaltar of the Deepers - Yukari Telepath. It has heavy moments, pretty moment, zone out moments, everything that a really good album should have. The vocals are absolutely amazing. From high pitched almost whispered singing, to midranged singing, to deep roars, they never bore me. Almost every song is very interesting to listen to, while others only sound dull due to the songs they're next to. There's so much going on here; there's no definate sound or set of rules this album at all. Every song has its own legs to stand on. Amazing.

Runners up: Dir en grey - Marrow of a Bone, LM.C - Glitter Loud Box, Screw - Fusion of the Core

Best single: MaveRick - Silent Death. I've never heard a VK single so solid. It has the somewhat melodic somewhat heavy main track, the weird heavy one, and the (quite tasty) softie. Kray's vocals have gotten so much better since their beginnings. The guitars don't sound like crap. All that kinda stuff. It's actually a single that if I bought it, I wouldn't feel ripped off. It's three really good songs. Which is pretty much what one gets out of a Gazette album. And people pay for that.

Runners up: Dir en grey - Dozing Green, Billy - Butterfly United, pretty much all of the singles xTripx released this year

Best Mini Album: The Piass - Dolei. I was hyped about it and it delivered. It took me a while to get used to, but I love it. I was expecting the new vocalist, Tatsuya to be either really good or really bad, but he's in the middle. A good medium. He has a nice scream, and can sing pretty well. That's all they really needed at the moment. I've never found myself being bored by this mini album. I just have to be in the mood for it, as always with this band. But nonetheless, they are one of my favorites. I'm pretty sure this sounds alot better live, too. Just like almost all of their music. And, as a side note, I actually like the sugary soft song on this. A first!

Runners up: Skull - Ugly Black Showcase, OZ - Six, the studs - studs

Jam of the Year: Koda Kumi - But. JUST KIDDING! Actually, it's xTripx - Room No. I wish I could list every xTripx song from this year here. They have such addictive music. This one sticks out in specific, though. It has those awesome parts that I just can't get enough of. I almost chose Fall to U or Cherry, but I didn't. Because this one is awesome.

Runners Up: Phantasmagoria - Kami Uta (That chorus type thing is ridiculous in an awesome way), Julius - Imitation Scars, Rentrer en Soi - Amongst Foolish Enemies

Artist of the Year: Dir en grey. This year they have grown so much. They've shown much more personality than they have since 2002. Kyo actually looks like he's really enjoying himself (he actually.. dances now), they're working so hard, and not giving in to the negative fan attention. Whether or not people think they're bad, think they're posers, or think they're too noisy, they kept on doing what they love most. Even after people thought they'd disband soon. In actuality, they've never been stronger. They're finally who they want to be, and are expressing themselves freely, no matter how bleak the fans' views, or how skeptic they became of their togetherness. Props to Dir en grey.

Fail: Alice Nine. 2006 was a bit bumpy, and now 2007 is a gravel road. Yuck. All of their music has become boring and personalityless, and the fans eat it up because they're good looking and amusing. After that... album that began with a Z, I stopped caring and just tried them in little taste tests. They may have an incredibly adorable guitarist, but that is not enough to make me want to like them. Miyavi can get away with a whole year (2006) of iffy releases-- however, Alice Nine, you are not Miyavi.

Runner up: Mana. He's stagnant and consistent to the point of staleness.

Lose: D'espairsRay. The Alice Nine of the elite folk. The people that can string together a proper sentence. Not very good, actually quite generic and monotonous, but still majorly popular because of who they are and the music they represent. While Alice Nine is on the prissy rock side, D'esRay is on the side of the generic hard rock. When I first turned on Mirror, I was getting into it until it did donuts. It may be a tiny bit amusing for cars, but in music, that's something I call "lack of creativity". So, in the end, all the people who bitch about how 'western' Dir en grey is... should try saying what is so 'Japanese' about these guys. Not that sounding 'western' is bad, but erm. HYPOCRISY!

Runner Up: Gazette. After all of 2006's awesome, they just did what they do every year. Make three good songs.

Hype for the good: Erm... Uh.. The stuff I actually enjoyed that was hyped even to a small degree was later STOMPED.

Hype for the bad: Abingdon Boys School. I'm sorry, but, when I hear something I never heard, I want to hear just that. Something I never heard. Not the same old crap I didn't like in the first place-- now delivered with zero passion or energy. A cover of a Buck-Tick song I can't stand doesn't help either.

THERE YOU HAVE IT. All the stuff this year everyone either hated or didn't even know existed. I mean-- the stuff I thought was awesome! Have a happy new year! 8D8D8D

The Indies Lineup #2

Waruiyatsu! (c/w old(er) photo from Cure) is a promising young band. It seems they'd be better live, but from what I heard, they're excellent. In a weird way, too. None of them are especially talented, but together they're great. They're basically your average VK band, but they do the average sound so well, it's good. I've been listening to their single, guaku since July, and I still like it. Can't wait to hear more from these guys. Approved!

Lucy seriously needs to release something. I stumbled across a live recording and it was absolutely stunning. Their bassist plays an upright, which is like, the coolest thing ever. The singer has a Mako-esque voice, except he can actually scream and growl (And really well, too!), the guitarists use dissonance in a way that doesn't sound like a cheap metalcore band, and the dark gloomy mood isn't overdone. Moar! Moar!

Chariots, the new project of Riku, the ex-singer of Phantasmagoria, still minion to Kisaki. I suspect there's a Pumpkin Head guitarist in this band. I can sense his style. But when it comes to these guys, three of them are very talented. The singer and the guitarists. The bassist and drummer are just.. there. Their single, Jade/Cold Pray is pretty interesting. It has something for all kinda of fans. Jade for the people who like hard VK (Like me!!!) Cold Pray for those symphonic-type-VK-people.. and Marvel for people who like boring vonus trucks (with bits of awesome!). Approved.. for now.

Dali fell WAY off of my radar a while ago, but they look super cool right now so I decided to at least poke at their new mini album, the world is mine. It came on and I wasn't really expecting anything special, but I was pleasantly suprised by it. They sound more.. slick and maybe a little badass right now. Except.. All of their awesome was concentrated into two songs, and the others are sub-par. But that's alot better than they've been before December 12th. Approved!

Suicide Ali, who doesn't have good pictures, and has really hard to get music hasn't impressed me with their recently surfaced single, Representa. It's not bad, but it's not really good either. It's just.. an average industrial-influenced rock song. But.. their re-recording of THIS NEW ORDER is absolutely horrible. The song was good in the first place, so why re-record it with ameteur mixing, bad vocals, and horribly recorded basslines? There's basically no point in that. So.. next.

I honestly expected Billy to suck. It didn't. Butterfly United is amazing. Their musicianship and cooperation is so nice. The notes they choose are very.. unusual. It's hard to predict where they're going with a song, which I like. Tons. The only actual complaint I have about them is one I've been thinking about many a time lately. Tsubuku, their bassist is not as prominent as he used to be anymore. This seems to apply to many bass heavy VK bands as of late. The sample that was on their site honestly had me worried. It was oshare-covered syrupy cheese. Which would taste pretty bad. But.. like Dozing Green, it had me fooled! It turned out to be really good. Nice job, Billy. Approved!R-15 a.k.a. R-18 a.k.a. Catheline a.k.a. make up your frickin' minds is an example of a band who makes no progress. Their mini album, Beautyful Sad Song is not only spelled wrong but not very good. Mamo can't sing in that voice. He should sing more naturally or.. not at all. He's good at the growly stuff with the singety sing chorus, but a whole song where he keeps trying to actually sing? no thanks. It worked on their single-type-thing, Nihil Party, but on this one, he isn't singing the right notes and it sounds just awful. It's not even the adorable kind of "he can't sing" like early GHOST recordings. Well, at least they look nice.

Vidoll - Bastard

Vidoll is a band of ups and downs. And it's hard to appreciate their work on first listen. That's okay. Because it's always worth it. Here, I'm not sure. Here's why.

Bastard, the title track isn't how I.. expected it to be. It's just generic Vidoll. I was expecting a ballsy rocker with maybe a bit of shouties and growlies. Nope. None of that. It's just.. bleh bleh sugary melodies. It's not interesting in the least. Giru and Shun are good guitarists, but they can't save this song. Next.

At Age 13 reminds me of oldschool VK in many ways, even down the key it's in. The fast-disco-beat thing that EVERY visual band uses isn't even offensive here. The little screamy thing was pretty cool, but it makes the potentially cool chorus sound out of place. It's not a bad song, really, but nothing I'd go out of my way to put on. It sounds like it's almost there but.. not.

D.J. "HERO" is another title that fools me. I'd expect it to be better. And the lame rap thing is lame. Jui does not have the voice. Maybe he could do like in Pierrot's Window and have the kinda creepy voice thing.. but this isn't right. The scratching sound implanted. I can't bear to listen through it.

Innocent Teens still sucks.

Hatsuyuki has an ok chorus but it goes down generic street.

Cokeheads-under the society- was what I thought would be THE song. It starts out like it should be. The rapping thing is tolerable, because I said to myself "It'll get better" but it falls for what most of this album does. Lame chorus. Nothing catchy or creative. Doesn't even belong in this song. Another wasted cool title.

Lost Voice starts out so friggen cool. The unusual sounds of it make me want to keep listening. Then Jui starts singing. This song doesn't need him. I love Jui and have found myself admiring him both vocally and asthetically. But.. this isn't a song for him.

Neo Cindarella is irritating.

Sarah is.. Lolz. I love Rame and Tero's work in this song. The chorus is actually awesome. I like this one. It came on and I kinda.. was blown backwards by the VK cheese. But this is done right. Not trying to be anything except.. awesome! The solo sounds like it was mixed incorrectly, though. It was too loud and made the other guitar sound like cardboard rubbing against sandpaper. Actually... the right side guitarist was too loud for this whole song. Still good though.

Worst should be labelled the "Yes, we use ESP guitars" song. It just drips with ESP sound. Boring, though.

Tree is so bleh. It sounds like it should be a bit better but it does nothing I haven't heard before. The chorus is like "Hmm.. interesting..." but then I end up almost WAITING for it. And I don't like waiting for parts of songs to occur again. It's just.. missing that.. something.

OH DEAR NO. CLOUD IS HORRIBLE. Befbf8eif3nrg.

This album has alot of sore spots. It is definately no V.I.D. It's like a sweet scent. The kind the flows into your nostrils then you realize that it's cheap perfume and the person is wearing way too much of it. And my biggest complaint is...

RAME WHERE ARE YOU

VK Fashion #1

Screw, the perfect blend of just about every band out there! Their look for their album Fusion of the Core was funny because you could tell who plays what by just looking at them. Blonde vocalist, red haired guitarist, black haired bassist, brownish haired drummer. But now, there's a bit more going on, even if the vocalist does look like Ruki. Everyone else looks really boring and generic. This is one of those bands who obviously won't be visual for long. Pretty soon we're gonna see them in suits.


Sug is so adorable. Just look at them! It's just too bad their looks are all they have going for them. The outfits are pretty nice, especially Takeru (You know, the only member people care about, despite the fact they're all lookers). The vest is so cool. The hairstyles aren't so great, but they're made up for by everything else. If only I liked them...


wearing matching clothing-- a sign of suckage! Look what it did to Alice Nine. While before their visuals had me interested, and they had a certain aura, but now they look like.. some band. If it weren't for Tsubuku (green/pink/black hair) and Mi-ne (glasses), I wouldn't know this was Billy. Blegh.


SHUGA DESU-- I mean, Sugar is lookin' fly with their elaborate costumes. I'm definately liking it. Everyone's outfits are so detailed and well-designed with nothing tacky or out of place. Koto actually has this really cool skirt thing going on but you can't see it here, unfortunately. Their official page, http://sugar-ant.com/ has full pictures of each member. I've always considered Sugar to be a very well dressed band.


Danger Gang is looking cool, too. Waka's hair is so cool. The colors work so well. Drummerlady is looking a bit awkward with the funny hair and odd makeup (which reduces her prettiness by like 50), but everyone else is looking cool, even if they are just.. their normal selves with bigger hair.


Siva has never looked cool until now. The guy on the far right who's name I won't bother learning has really really cool hair, and from what I can see, cool makeup too. Everyone else is.. everyone else, but they still look awesome. They look like they'd sound pretty good, but unfortunately they'll never top their first song, Beautiful Drug.


LM.C.. Maya is cute blah blah Aiji is old and wears tons of makeup and requires photoshopping.. their outfits are boring.. blah blah blah.


Unsraw is.. still Unsraw. The vocalist's hair finally doesn't look like crap, but otherwise, everyone else is just.. the same as they were before. Not that I'm tired of it. I'm actually quite fond of it, but they don't seem to change often. I wonder how long they'll wear those masks.

So! Now for our awards...

Most adorable: Sug
Best dressed: Sugar
Best hair: Siva
Best makeup: Siva
Worst dressed: Billy
Best all around: Sugar, Siva (It's a tie!!)

Dir en grey - Dozing Green

The title track had a sample that did nothing impressive, and that's because it was the lame chorus. The rest of the song is really nice; I really loved the parts where there were those gorgeous background vocals. Kyo's not really what I pay attention to for most of the song, though the shrieks at the end are really awesome. It's.. for once, Die. His playing was actually expressive this time around, and really fit the mood of the rest of the music. I'm not really impressed by Shinya or Toshiya here, but, with them all together it's great. I can't wait to see what they do when they remake it.

Hydra -666- is a strange.. 'remake'..thing. Kyo does some awesome vocals here (he sure does them growls and squeals), and Shinya does some extended double bassing which is cool. Die is his normal self here, though. I listen to the Kaoru parts more than the Die ones. Something generally just sounds rather.. VK about this song. The riffing, the timing, all that reminds me (ironically) of Diru copying bands. Not that this is a bad thing. I love it. It has a general atmosphere that will most likely be very much improved on.

The live recording of Agitated Screams of Maggots is pretty good. And by pretty good I mean 'The best I've heard Kyo sound on a CD'. He doesn't fail at the screaming or skip 1000 words, he actually pulls it off, and that's what's impressive. Bad thing is his and Toshiya's vocals are way too quiet. I guess it was just a little error with the sound crew. Definately impressive.

So I'd say that this is the best single Dir en grey has released since... Oh screw it. Ever. Most singles had one song, maybe a remix, and some live stuff. But usually the live stuff sucked. But here, it's good for all three tracks instead of just one. Definately a great release.

Stay tuned later this week or next week for VK Fashion, an unusually untreaded section where I express my opinion on bands' current visuals. See you next time!

Tribute To Phantasmagoria

A bunch of bands got paid to decided to pay tribute to Phantasmagoria! Now, Phantasmagoria is not the best band to be doing covers of, and these aren't the best bands to be doing them, but it doesn't matter since Kisaki is pretty much the current VK king/queen and has a contract of pwnage over them anyway. So, how did it go? Let's see...

Kibuya Honpo brings on their cover of Pixy false. It's.. okay. The vocal effects are actually fitting for the song and sound cool. But.. it sounds like the uninspired B-side of some pre-major-last-chance-to-hear-our-indies-sound single. That's okay, though, because the actual song wasn't too interesting in the first place.

Dali takes on Mikansei to GUILT and morphs it into their own style. It's interesting for the first bit. They actually appropriately Dali-ized the song, and it keeps chugging along at a nice pace, until their vocalist does that lame singing before the chorus. Then suddenly they get sloppy sounding. Now, I know everything is timed right, but something just sounds sloppy. It may be the production, but whatever it is just doesnt sound right. It's listenable, but not exactly awesome. And to think that this was actually one of Phantasmagoria's more awesome songs.

Hurts actually impressed me with unknow zero distance. They do some cool stuff. It has a modern VK attitude with an old VK style. I'm sure it will be a winner among the older VK fans. It's not dull or poorly executed, and the voice distortion actually isnt annoying. I like this one. I don't remember liking the original, so I guess that's a plus.

Bergerac likes corny synth. So of course they chose a song that could let them use it. So Actuate Eden was the song they picked. Their bassist not only can impress visually, but also with his skill. I don't care for their guitarists, drummer, or vocalist. All average. But.. the bass is coolest to hear. The song itself is average, too. It sounds like.. some late 90's Jrock song. The synth wasn't reverb'd at all which totally made the song feel cheap. Not to mention the horrible violin-esque sounds. This is forgivable, though. I didn't find myself wanting to skip to the next song.

Anjyu's version of Suicide Gemini leaves much to be desired. There's nothing special about it, even if the vocals are sorta interesting. Not much to say about it, other than.. NEXT!

Arc somehow pulls of Kyousoukyoku ~Cruel Crucible~ in a tolerable manner. Wait, no, above tolerable. More like... Gasp.. Good! It's worth at least a headbob. It rocks out, it stays interesting, and most of all.. it doesn't pale in comparison to the original! It's such a busy song, despite sounding simple at first glance. I don't know much about Arc, but it seems like they're the kind of band where the members are dull without eachother. Let's hope for no solo careers! They work well together, from what I can hear here.

For some reason VAGERKE didn't do Neo Ark, which would be really awesome, so instead they're covering NEVER REBELLION, which is really lame. This sucks. Moving on.

Hi, Nega! You're covering one of my favorites! Don't mess it uuuup~ Well, the beginning is nice. It goes smoothly up until...the bassist totally pulls a copout then the whole song turns into a 5 minute copout. No thank you.

AW, WHY DID SIVA GET TO DO NEO ARK?! That's a crime against humanity! There is nothing heavy about Siva. They totally ruin the whole screamfest part by just talking and growling. They ruin the awesome pre-chorus AND the awesome chorus with the stupid vibrato. Nice try there, Siva, but that won't cut it. You should've covered.. Nil Frontier or something.

Oh no. Doremidan doing Kami Uta. This is bound for failure. Oh never mind. This is good! It's not absolutely horrible, which I was not expecting. It's nothing that's worth writing something extensive on, but it's definately not something I'll never even think about listening to. The loud parts are awesome, I wouldn't expect them to actually do it better than Phantasmagoria themselves. Overall, this song is really good.

So, Kisaki, we now must say goodbye! Or not. Or we do. Or not. I don't know. All that matters is, you just figured out a way to sap more money by re-releasing your own music. You clever queen, you. See you next Cure!

The Indies Lineup #1

And now, it's time to do a lineup of current indies VK bands that have been on my radar lately. So, with no further delay, here goes.

RENTRER EN SOI has been on an up-down-up-down kind of release path. With their recent Diruisms, one would expect at least a pinch of awesome, but, even though they've been making good music, it's not really praiseworthy. Their latest album, THE BOTTOM OF CHAOS was a big letdown after all the hype that I had for it. I hate myself and want to... and Amongst Foolish Enemies were amazing singles, and I expected more awesome, and was met with horrible remakes, bland new songs, and overall horrible production. Also, bad PVs. I want to forgive them, but I don't see it getting better from here. Rejected.

Sadie is a good band, who also has their share of Diruisms, but, has been also a bit on the 'disappointment' side. Sorry to say it, but The Bullet Storm hasn't really lasted more than a few listens, and quite frankly, it doesn't have much of an effect on me anymore. A Holy Terrors was a stinker, and the following mini album didn't make up for it. Can't really keep trying to fully support their current direction. No thanks. Rejected.

The Piass is just under Dir en grey on my "List of bands who can do no wrong" list. Dolei is still settling in my ears, but, I know, once I'm used to it, I'll really love it. Takayuki is the coolest VKer ever, because he never sold out or toned down his music or visuals. While I'm most likely missing out on alot about them because I don't live in Japan, I still enjoy him them alot. And the new vocalist is awesome. ..Even though I prefer Takayuki's voice. I was actually expecting disappointment, but they really impressed me. I'm hoping that the chemistry with the new vocalist builds more so that they get a feel for eachother's styles and can write with them better. Approved!

Kaya is getting hard to like. With the freshness of both his voice and his gimmick wearing off, I find it hard to care about anything he does. His vocals have not changed a bit, his music is still Schwarz Stein-ey, and he has done the same thing forever. I'm waiting to see something besides drag queen dance music with drag queen clothing. I'd like to hear him do something more. Sure, die hard fans will eat up anything he does, but I'm sick of him singing to the same beat with the same voice. Sorry, Kaya. Rejected.

Skull is pretty good. They have lots and lots of potential (And this could go either way, with a VK band), and they have a good sense of rhythm. Their key changing and sudden happy choruses are pretty nice. Not much to say about them, since they're so new, but I'm eager to hear more from them. Approved.

Maverick is pure awesome. I can't even begin to explain how much I love their music. I wasn't expecting much out of SILENT DEATH, an, actually, I was expecting a dark rehash of previous songs. Of course, I was forgetting that even though Kray has an odd voice, he has a good sense of vocal harmony and melody. Everything is so.. together. They get the job done with just one guitarist (With a suprising lack of cheating!), and actually have an interesting bassist. Sure there are alot of young angry visual bands out there, but MaveRick stomps them all out. Approved.

Versailles is just another face in the VK crowd. Diddlediddle synth. Widdlumwiddlum guitars. Deep Engrishy vocals. we've heard this a million times. Next. Rejected.

VK battle! - Mana, Hizaki, and Kisaki

For some reason, Blogger keeps shoving the table to the bottom of the page. So. It's down there.

VK Battle!

Has played in various VK bands	Was in Malice Mizer	Has played in nearly every band in existence (Including Antifeminism and Dir en grey's first incarnation)
Has a solo project, is now in somewhat of a supergroup	Has a solo project	Has a solo project, leads another solo project band
Plays guitar, loves solos	Plays guitar, loves tremelo picking	Plays.. bass
Synth, synth, and more synth	Harpsichord, piano, and gothic soundscapes	..synth?
Power metal	Gothic metal	Visual kei
Is on.. some label	Owns a label, only he is active on it	Owns a label, steals people's money with it
Mad guitar skills	Fashion label, models it himself	Tax evasion
Is going places	Has been places	Is in places
Monotonous music	Uninspired music	Boring music

So, Hizaki's got the talent, Mana's got the brains, and Kisaki's got the money and connections. So, who wins? Mana. Mana has been in an amazing band, one of about 8 90's visual bands that people can name right off the top of their heads, started a craze of fangirls thinking he started the lolita fashion, dominates GLB, and while he's at it, swiftly earns the money of die hard fans across the globe. How does he do it? I don't know. Kisaki, however, I can understand why he's so rich and how he dominates Cure with a band that was supposed to be disbanded like a year ago.

SPECIAL: Dir en grey's Strange, Strange Career

Dir en grey's career has been to some, a long up, then a quick nosedive. To others, a low point followed by a skyrocket. Maybe even a big zigzag. But, statements such as these come loaded with bias, as the crowd Dir en grey now attracts has nothing to do with their previous crowd, and their music isn't so much for teenage girls as it used to be. In actuality, their career goes "Alright mini album, okay album, good album, great album, repeat" so far. It's happened twice, and, the question is: Will it happen again? Most likely, no. They're too far into their career to release a mini album. But.. would it be awesome? Yes. Now of course, we see the Gauze fangirls and the VULGAR fangirls just like we see the couple of people who like MACABRE as well as the couple of people who like Withering to death. And also, the people who praise Kisou to no end, and, in the future when the 'newness' fades, there will most likely be people going nuts over Marrow of a Bone as well. Here's my observation on this strange occurance:

Missa/six Ugly: Both were undeveloped prototypes of the sound they would soon introduce. In Missa's case, it was jangly alternative rock and by-the-book VK thrash metal, with a sprinkle of that oldschool Diru flavor. For six Ugly, it was a mixture of hardcore punk, and nu metal. Both of which they even have indirectly said have influenced them heavily. On Missa, Kyo learned how to sing in his signature style. On six Ugly, Kyo learned how to scream in his signature style.

Gauze/VULGAR: Both are the most commercially accpetable of both, and have the easiest sound, and are true to the genre that they are lumped in. Also, both are the most visual out of the two threesomes of albums. They had their strongest ashetic as these points, having memorable costumes, and their most memorable PVs as well.

MACABRE/Withering to death.: Both are special to people for the same reason: An important stage in their lives. The experimental nature of the albums can turn off listeners on either side, but either way, both albums have both the strangest and most catchy songs from the trilogies. It's so easy to get a song like [KR] Cube or Machiavellism stuck in your head, or get totally weirded out by Hydra or GARBAGE. Also, on both albums, the themes were just inbetween those of the previous and the following.

Kisou/THE MARROW OF A BONE: Both have Kyo's most 'offensive' lyrics, his strangest vocals, and most of all, the heaviest and most coherent music. Both albums, on first listen, cause an uncomfortable atmosphere, with a couple 'normal' songs dotted around the album. During both of these albums they didn't appear in magazines very often, but their stage act was the most memorable and important part. Both are an incredible showcase of talent, and are the peaks of the periods. Strangest thing is: The singles are in the same place on both albums.

So, what's next? Who knows. If they do release a mini album, I will be pleasantly suprised, and if they do not, I will be unsuprised. It basically means, if they do, that they are still exploring, but if they don't, it means they are very comfortable with their career. So, only time will tell what will happen next for them.

Sadie - The Bullet Storm

The Sadie guys finally come out with their new mini album. After the stinker that was A Holy Terrors, I wasn't expecting much. But.. I was actually suprised. I knew something at least sort of interesting was going to happen by the first track, obvious ballade. It's a sort of bland song. Not much actually happens here, except for the normal stuff. The verses are quiet and sung with a low voice, with the chanting and whispering and whatnot. Nothing really special. The chorus is predictable. But.. Sadie has a habit of making the first song on a mini album really generic. But, this boredom ends when Deadly Masquerade comes on. This song will be so fun live! It's definately a song made for jumping and bouncing and shouting. The chorus isn't boring, either. It's something that is actually new for them. Very impressed. However, Silent Eve was probably made to keep the fangirls from running away. I hate the generic soft song. It doesn't work for Sadie. Mao sounds like he's struggling with the notes. Can't listen the whole way through the song. ..So, I skipped to waver in darkness. I can hear the Engrish. It's so thick that I could slice it. This song isn't really my type. It doesn't go anywhere. I can't move to it. It just sits. Bye, song. Blue irony starts out like it's about to do something cool. But.. it seems like the band stopped being awesome to slow down for Mao. Sometimes I think he's not really made for the kind of music they're doing now. He can't sing in any voice other than "If Kyo was VK right now". Kinda sad. So.. this song's skipped too. ..Oops, album's over.

So, yes, this album is as I expected during the first track. Sort of interesting. It's not solid like The Suicide Machine or The Trend Killer. It's just.. there. Deadly Masquerade is good, but it isn't as cool when the other songs nearby are made of unspecified grey matter. So.. better luck next time, Sadie.

Gazette - STACKED RUBBISH

Stacked rubbish is JUST what this album is! All the songs fit together with uninspired riffs, uninspired vocals, and monotonous choruses. I am not impressed a bit. I expected to bob my head and maybe even thrash around a little bit how the singles showed me. There' s a couple great moments, but other than that, it sounds like Gazette except not the awesome street punk style and more of a pop-punk sound and that grinds me gears to no end.

However, the intro is awesome. And so is AGONY. I thought I was in for some awesome when I heard it. The singles are awesome as usual, even Hyena sounds fresher after being attacked by staleness. BURIAL APPLICANT is alright. It has cool parts but it's not very exciting.

I had high hopes for this band, and I was excited to hear their new album. I mean, I was EXCITED. But this failed to really make me move. At all. I just.. sat there. Plus, Gazette has committed the act which they have been wrongfully accused of for YEARS but never actually did. ...Sounding like Dir en grey in the song MOB 136 BARS. I love it, but it's kinda funny. It's actually a good song, but I was reminded of Dir en grey here and there.

I think this album is gonna be another DISORDER for me. A bunch of snoozers and a couple gems. I don't mind though, since this happens alot with this band. I only like a handful of songs per album anyway. But.. I was expecting more, since the singles, all except one delivered the awesome in bulk.

Keepers (other than the singles): AGONY, BURIAL APPLICANT, MOB 136 BARS
On the fence: CIRCLE OF SWINDLER

Well, Gazette, there's always next time. Don't worry, I still love ya! I'll just be skipping alot more of your next DVD!

12012 - Cyclone/Vidoll - Innocent Teens

Alright, folks, here comes a new one. Both of these Undercode tax payin', graduatin', stylin', and profilin' bands have come out with new singles to satisfy the aural cravings of many, many Japanese girls. Here's what they decided to make.

12012 - Cyclone

We start with Cyclone, which I was excited about the day it was announced on their website. It begins with some EQ'd jangling, then some Ruki-esque line repetition. Then more line repetition. Then more line repetition. But! It sounds good, and actually kind of pretty. The chorus is kind of average, and just sits there to balance out the song, but it doesn't make it flop. There's nothing really unique about it though. I love it, but it's rather bland. It sounds like the average "We're going major and we're on a big indie label!" song that bands like Gazette and Alice Nine tend to crank out.

After that is ambience. This song is pretty good. The vocals echo, and guitars are smooth, the bass is.. the bass, the drums are.. the drums. Yeah, nothing special here. It's good to just.. hear, even at the chorus that raises the rock meter by about 5. It's not terrible, but it won't hurt to skip it.

Next up is one of the two types' vonus trucks, Butterfly. The generic softie. Skip'd.

Survival rocks out a little. It's no Cyclone, just like the other two songs. That's the bad thing. These songs SOUND like B-sides. At least Gazette has Chizuru and Rich Excrement.

Vidoll - Innocent Teens

Erm. I was excited about this. Really excited. I was ready to hear a song that was up to par with (if rockin') nevaeH/Roid-Chang or (if not rockin') SinAI or Nectar (Though I still do slightly dislike the latter). But no. This is some generic bouncy happy song. It might be some people's style, but I wasn't feelin' it. No pretty vocals, no nice little riffs or solos or anything. Just.. blandness. NEXT.

NEVERMIND. Red Cube is gross too. I can't even say much about it.. there's not much to it. And now my hopes for the next single are none instead of little.

So there you have it! Undercode's babies grow up to be 'fine' young ladies men! ::wipes tear:: So.. let's hope after the mainstream peers at them they finally learn how to make something interesting!