-OZ- - Wisteria

-OZ- is back with their first release in 2010 Wisteria. This five-piece from Tokyo has only recently popped up on the radar of most casual VK fans, a sign that their persistence is finally paying off. The band formed in 2004 and has been steadily garnering attention for their unique brand of metal.

I haven't really heard a band like -OZ- since I first heard SIX back in 2007. Whereas in SIX -OZ- was still looking for their defining sound -- back then they were experimenting with some strange influences, even dabbling a bit in jazz -- the -OZ- on Wisteria exhibits a band that has finally found itself.

Their songs are distinct, relying on drop-D tuning to keep the riffs heavy without wandering into thrash or death metal territory. The first track on Wisteria titled "Pressed Flower" gets the SP off to a rather shaky start; you can tell what the guitars are trying to do but they lack any punch. Once Natsuki's vocals kick in the song picks up. Natsuki defines this band, his sharp voice coupled with his rapid vibrato really pull their sound together. After a rather forgettable interlude we get to the chorus which is immediately catchy.

-OZ- aren't going to win any awards for musicianship; while their vocalist may be fantastic the lives I've seen showed me a so-so drummer and rather shoddy guitar work. The solo on Pressed Flower is forgettable.

The next track titled "Retrograde" opens up with the sound of a girl screaming played backwards and a synth track rewound. Solid drumming, a rather catchy riff. Rather standard -OZ-, for better or for worse.

The third and last track "Another Reign" is easily the best track on the album. The melody swings, the screaming is fantastic, and the chorus is great. Everything seems to come together on this track, the bass is suitably distorted and the guitars finally have the punch in the low-end that they've been searching for throughout this entire release. The drum work is great.

• Download: Mediafire

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DELUHI - Frontier

DELUHI is a band that I've just recently been introduced to, having sparked my interest when I heard their guitarist LEDA used to go by the name Yu-To, best known for being the bassist for power metal quintet Galneryus.

I assume it would be rather difficult to shine in a band fronted by Syu, thus the formation of DELUHI. Even so, Syu's shadow is large and LEDA's playing style seems to have been influenced by Syu in many ways; his love for bending and pinch harmonic stand out as being the most prominent examples.

Having heard their past outings -- I was greatly impressed by their mini-album Yggdalive -- I was fairly excited to hear that a new single was in the works. FRONTIER is distinctly DELUHI in that it carries on the band's knack for writing catchy interludes and drop-C heavy riffage. FRONTIER isn't exactly their heaviest track, JURI's screaming is top-notch but noticeably kept to a minimum in this track. Those that liked flow snow and Revolver Blast will love this track.

Catchy intro with some spectacular double pedal. Aggy's bass is perfectly distorted to fill in the empty spaces left by the lack of a rhythm guitar; a trick he may have learned from LEDA. JURI really showcases his vocal talent. I'm a huge fan of JURI's vocals, his screaming is excellent and his singing is almost pitch-perfect live (a rarity in Visual Kei) and he doesn't disappoint here. The interlude is rather generic, sung in passable Engrish but I found it even gets annoying after a while. Fortunately we only have to hear it twice before LEDA's shredding kicks in. The chorus in this track is DELUHI-catchy, maybe a bit NoGod-ish.

Of note is guitarist LEDA's solo. Clocking in at nearly one minute, LEDA's quick scale runs and catchy arpeggios are a fitting climax for the track, it also shows how he has matured as a guitarist. In the past his solos have been rather restricted and brief, but the level of fret "fapping" on this track is approaching Syu-like levels.

Fans hoping for a return to their thrash roots won't be impressed by this single, even in comparison to some of their "lighter" tracks FRONTIER doesn't particularly stand out but it's a solid track and certainly worth a listen.

• Download: Mediafire
  

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Versailles - Jubilee

Being a huge Versailles fan will of course get you more excited about this album, but if you're a fan of symphonic or power metal in general it's worth a listen.

A week's already passed since I first listened to this entire album in full, and though I've changed my mind about a few tracks, as a whole my feelings for their major debut haven't gone through any major revisions. GOD PALACE is still my favorite track in the album, I love the tempo and the timing of their musical switch ups, though I'm no longer as enthusiastic about it as I was. When the album first came out I was convinced that they'd managed to top NOBLE's "Aristocrat's Symphony", though now I'm not so sure. While GOD PALACE is epic in length and content, "Symphony" managed to condense the same amount of "epic" in a five minute package. One thing's certain, though, and that's that GOD PALACE is considerably more rewarding on repeated listens, and that's probably why it's been getting the full workout in my playlist.

Amorphous is a track that surprised me, being non-metal and almost certainly one of the most "un-Versailles" tracks in the album. It's beautifully arranged though, and the solo on it is fantastic. It may or may not be what Versailles' fans were worried would happen after signing to a major label, but this is the kind of evolution that Versailles needs. Similar to "Sympathia" in that it opens with an immediately memorable passage, though this time performed by a solo violinist in stead of HIZAKI's electric axe. Fantastically arranged, though the wave of new fans that it garners will probably spark another of those annoying "old fans versus new fans" debates that gets on everyone's nerves.

Rosen Schwert is still absolute garbage, though for many fans it became an instant favorite. I hate this will all my heart, and it's not as if I didn't try to love it. From the start it's such generic J-Rock vomit that I refuse to believe it wasn't somehow forced into the album by major label executives. Imagine my dismay when I discovered that KAMIJO had both written the music and penned the lyrics to the track. This is the same drivel that made Lareine's final album such a waste of time to me.

Serenade, god help me, has grown on me. While incredibly sappy -- KAMIJO's overacting in the recording studio again -- the arrangement is solid, the cello and violin are a nice touch as well. Quite similar to Episode in that it is a vocal heavy piece (everyone but KAMIJO is basically sitting on their asses for half the song), though Episode has a nicer melody, but sparser arrangement. I'm still unsure as to which I prefer.

I was a bit disappointed to find TERU had only written two tracks, his songwriting skills are better than HIZAKI's when it comes to balls-out speed/power/death/thrash tracks and as a soloist his guitar bits are usually more memorable than "Hime"'s. "aito Kanashimo Nocturne" is one of Versailles' greatest tracks EVER, just straightforward, pounding, driving speed/power metal with a great riff and even greater solos. "Reminiscence", the instrumental track, is catchy and easily whistleable (did I just make up a word?) though not as impressive as SILENT KNIGHT in composition and technicality.

An interesting note on production is that Versailles' rhythm section seems to have gotten a complete overhaul; whether this is related to Jasmine You's passing or not is up to speculation, but the bass and drums have never sounded better. In fact, YUKI outshines HIZAKI and TERU in many of the tracks. "Catharsis" and "aito Kanashimo Nocturne" being two of the clearest examples of this. In previous releases YUKI has been the under-appreciated backbone to the five-piece (now four-piece) but their newfound love for the rhythm section should foster a growth in his fanbase.

Better than NOBLE? Time will tell if any of the songs on Jubilee have the same staying power as Love for a Dead Orchestra or Red Carpet Day, but it's a welcome addition to the Versailles discography.

Like I said : certainly worth a listen for power/symphonic/speed metal fans and VK fans in general.

• Download: Mediafire
  

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