Album review: "Evolution" by Kazha

A few years ago, Kazha played live at Abunai (NL). (To read our review of this concert, click here)
This year they've released a new album, Evolution, which we are also happy to be able to review for you.
Evolution came out a while ago, but life has been catching up with both of us, so a review hasn't happened until now.

It starts off like a groovy soft-rock sort of album, but quickly shows some of its true colors; life has its ups and downs, and so does the timbre of Kazha's music.

The second song, "You became the light" feels more pop-ish, with a heavy rock undertone. It comes across as a build-up to the next song, which changes the genre to metal. It reminds me of Nightwish's early work, but of course with Kazuha's characteristic voice.

The album seems to settle into the style from now on, switching up themes ranging from love to powerful moral messages and downright pep-talk. The newer, more pop-like elements certainly don't interfere with the style we've come to know and love Kazha for. They are additions, not replacements.

If you're a fan of Kazha's old style, you will enjoy this upgrade. And if you didn't know Kazha, please go have a look at their official pages:

http://www.kazuhaoda.com/index.html
http://www.facebook.com/kazha.official

We absolutely recommend Evolution to anyone who has some good old rock'n'roll in their bones, with a sense of modern pop-rock.

Track list:
1. Wake Up II (Wake Me Up)
2. You Became the Light
3. Breathe Again
4. Face Your Fears
5. Forever Yours
6. One Hundred Years
7. Frozen
8. Break Into Pieces
9. Tomorrow
10. Blend & Fly

Where to buy?
CDBABY
iTunes

Album Review: "Crossroad ~ history of fade" by fade

Band: fade

Album: Crossroad ~ history of fade
Release Date: 26/02/2014
Tracks: 16
JRB rating: ☀☀☀☀☼
Official Website
Buy: CDJapan (Regular and Limited)

YesAsia (Regular and Limited)

Fade's first major album release is a best of album. However, the CD contains three new songs in Japanese. First up is “Cross Road”. There is also an English version of this song, which was released on the “Crossroad” single on iTunes. Like in most of fade's songs, there is a strong message. There are many cross roads in our lives but we have to trust our hearts and follow our dreams before it is too late. The music itself is very fade-like. It has a steady pace but slowly builds up to “explode” right before the chorus.

The second new song is called “ユレノナカ” (Yure no Naka) and has a heavier atmosphere than “Cross Road”. It has a sadder tone and has a similar music style as “Pain Inside” from their 2012 album “天～TEN～”. It's not completely the same since the band keeps on experimenting. The diversity keeps their albums interesting.

The third song is “One Shot Dealer”. This song was produced by Akira Yamaoka, who is best known for creating the music in the Silent Hill series. “One Shot Dealer” sounds like it could be the soundtrack for a movie or game. It also has the heaviest sound of the three new songs.

After the new songs, the old ones are placed in the order they were released. We start with “Beautiful” and “She” from the 2005 album “Moment of Truth” and end with “Ever Free”, “Close To You (JP)” and “Ten” from album “天～TEN～”. Unless you have the Limited Edition, then you have fade's cover of “Livin' on a Prayer” as a bonus track.

I can recommend this album to people who already know and love fade, but also to those who don't know them yet. You will get to know fade's history. It shows how much they have grown as a band over the years. Their style is constantly evolving and it's exciting to hear what they come up with next.

Album Review: "Traumerei" by Dolly

Artist: Dolly
Single: Traumerei
Release Date: 10/10/2012
Tracks:14
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☼
Official Website
Buy: CDJapan (Type A and Type B)







More of what we're used to from Dolly, if perhaps a bit heavier than their previous albums. It's still what I would describe as "ambient rock", having electronic intros that make it sound like it's going to be goa music, or Drum 'n Bass. But then of course, they throw guitars and bass guitars and good vocals into the mix and the relaxation isn't all you're feeling any more. You want to bang your head, or at least tap your finger or foot to the rhythm.

The song titles themselves create an atmosphere of their own. "Paradise Lost" opens the album with bird sounds, like they weren't quite ready to leave summer behind just yet, even though it is October already. The whole song sounds rather summery, without vocals, so we are eased into the rest of the album.

Four songs in, and the heavy undertone starts trickling into your ears, without becoming actual hard rock, and if your finger is tapping along by now, I wouldn't worry. It's not going to tap out of the room just yet..

..but expect it to tap harder from now on, and let your foot join in if it wants to.

Compared to most J-Rock, this is probably the softest we've reviewed so far. But I feel the softness adds to the October feeling. Like you still want a bit of Summer in your ears before it's going to actually freeze, you know?

Single review: "Emily" by MEJIBRAY

Artist: MEJIBRAY
Single: Emily
Release Date: 05/10/2012
Tracks:3
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☼
Official Website
Buy: Yesasia (regular edition) and CDJapan (limited edition w Bonus DVD)




The title track is a ballad, a symphonic lovesong. Something we're not quite used to from MEJIBRAY. It's very delicate and shows a lot of fragile pain, rather than the angry fury pain we know MEJIBRAY for. It's a beautiful diversion and we're shown that they are not all roughness, toughness and growls that seem to come from the Earth's core. This is them being completely vulnerable in a song that brings about a balance between regret and strength.

Of course, after a carefully whispered "Emily, because I love you..", they return to giving us what we expect to hear from them. The second track "Thinker" breaks out into grunts, screams, growls and good old metal riffs. This is MEJIBRAY as we know and love them.

But "Thinker" is only a warm-up for the third and final track: "Apocalypse", with which they explode into the darkest metal we've heard from them so far. No more melodic vocals, this is purely made of sounds you'd expect from the pits of hell.

I'd say they found a beautiful nuance here in wanting to show their second dimension as well as give the fans what they expect, and then some. It's almost like they went "ok, guys, we needed to write a lovesong, so here it is. Don't worry though, we wrote some more heavy/death metal too.."

Single Review: "Musoushoku" by Glam Grammar

Artist: Glam Grammar
Single: Musoushoku - Release o Individuality
Release Date: 19/09/2012
Tracks:3
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☼☼
Official Website
Buy: CDJapan




This is Glam Grammar's first single, and after a first listen, my conclusion has to be that these guys have potential. They incorporate different kinds of rock, including hard rock elements with a dash of electronic nintendo-like beats and noises. This sounds like someone put SuG, DOG in the PWO and a little bit of Miyavi in a blender and poured the result onto a disk.

The songs are longer than usual, averaging at 4 minutes 30 seconds. This is what created the opportunity for the band members to put as much of their respective talents in this first release as possible. The music itself could perhaps be slightly better mixed, but overall it's a very nice start for Glam Grammar! There is a lot of emphasis on what's going on in the music and vocal lines, more so than the lyrics themselves. With every loop of these 3 songs, I keep hearing new melodies hidden within the main bass, guitar and drumm lines.

Album Review: "Dive Youth, Sonik Dive" by INORAN

Artist: INORAN
Album: Dive Youth, Sonik Dive
Release Date: 05/09/2012
Tracks: 10
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☼
Official European promotor: Bishi-Bishi
Buy: CDJapan




This is INORAN's ninth solo-album, and he doesn't let his fans down, delivering more of what they're used to from him. Although this one does sound a bit heavier than previous albums, as if he's trying to do a Muse-Nirvana-like mix with a generous dash of his own musical genius.

The album gives the impression of being an "era-ender" for INORAN, with some angry undertones below the general atmosphere of lightheartedness. Though it's still heavy rock music, Dive Youth, Sonik Dive has a playful mood, like he's looking back on a particular period of his life. As if  he's experiencing that "one day I'll look back on this and laugh" feeling, and this album is that one day.

It's very difficult to put one particular atmosphere on this album, it's heavy subjects sung in a playful way with both heavy and light music to accompany the words. There's beauty in it and ugliness, depending on which instrument is being put on the foreground. The music itself is mixed exceptionally well, and that's what's making it so hard to put my finger on why I like it so much.

Album Review: "Crush It" by Muddy Apes

Artist: Muddy Apes
Album: Crush It
Release Date: 05/09/2012
Tracks: 8
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☀
Official European promotor: Bishi-Bishi
Buy: HERE (regular edition) and HERE (+DVD, limited edition)





This new project by Taka Hirose (Feeder) and INORAN (Luna Sea) is as heavy as the cover is crazy. Of course, anyone who's ever heard songs by either bands knows that these guys don't shy away from hard work and good quality rock music.

This is a blend of oldskool hard rock and European metal, creating a heavy yet laid-back vibe that's as good a soundtrack as any to a rock fan's daily life. Then, halfway through the album, they suddenly give you their more sensitive side with "I see the light". It's a sway-away relaxing song that would send anyone off to peaceful sleep. But of course, this break doesn't last long, and this is still a rock band. So they then ease you back into their rather loud attitude from before "I see the light" for the rest of the album.

As both Taka and INORAN are seasoned musicians and performers, I had high expectations for this production and am happy to say they were met with glory. The instruments are well-mixed, loud but not too loud, and the voice matches the mood of the songs perfectly. Perhaps they would have done better with allowing the vocals to be just that tiny bit louder..

Album review: AWAKING from -Independent "MAZE"- by LIN-the end of corruption world-

Artist: LIN/ LIN-the end of corruption world-
Album: "AWAKING from -Independent "MAZE"
Release Date: 05/09/2012
Tracks: 14
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☼☼
Official Website: ??
Buy: CDJAPAN 

LIN's latest starts out like you'd expect an album by Dream Theater would, if they were Japanese. Its first track, Cold Sabbat, is very dramatic, melodic and symphonic. It almost sounds Moi-dix-Mois-ish, minus the depressive undertone and it has more metal-grunting and screaming.

This trend is continued throughout the album, with a more melodic vocal line coming through every once in a while. Though the voice is still overpowered by the bombastic music, even when it's just an organ playing. This creates a deserted atmosphere to the music, and fits the general theme of “MAZE”; getting lost, feeling abandoned and finding strength to overcome these issues.

There appears to be a lot more emphasis on the bass line than in previous albums, which makes the whole story more dramatic and slightly overwhelming at times.

Album Review: "ARUBAMU" by BULL ZEICHEN 88

Artist: BULL ZEICHEN 88
Album: "Album"
Release Date: 08/08/2012
Tracks: 10
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☼
Official Website
Buy: CDJAPAN 

Bull Zeichen 88's hard rock image continues with this album release, although they have "softened" it a bit.

ALBUM contains more ballad-type songs than you'd expect from their looks.

Album Review: "HANGYAKU SEIMEI" by Trill-Dan

Artist: TRILL-DAN
Album: HANGYAKU-SEIMEI
Release Date: 
Tracks: 13
JRB rating:  ☀☀☀☀☼
Official Website

This is Japanese punk rock at its best, combining classic hard rock elements with what we know as punk.

With 13 tracks, they give your ears something to work with, and even after listening to this album over and over I'm still having trouble making up my mind about it.

Single Review: "Setsugekka" by 1 6 8 - One Sixty Eight

Artist: 1 6 8 - One Sixty Eight
Title: Setsugekka
Release date: 08/08/2012
Tracks: 4
Official Website

1 6 8 - One Sixty Eight is the latest project by Aoi, and this is its first single to come out.

It has four tracks, the title track Setsugekka and SCANDAL, and their instrumental versions.

Setsugekka means something like "the beauty of four seasons", aptly-named since there are four tracks on the single. I don't know if this was intended to embody the actual seasons, but it could.

REVIEW: "A Beginning from the End" by THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S (Album)

THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S are relatively new to the J-music scene, and this is their first album.

On first listen, it sounds pretty generic, but that's only a facade. The music has more depth upon listening more carefully the second time. They took great care in varying the levels of "heavy" from quite soft to very heavy indeed.

The titlesong is the first track and immediately throws you into their idea of a lovesong, which is quite different from the preview you get on their website. It starts out gently and almost delicately, only to then explode into rock music and strong vocals.

They continue this unique use of multiple vocals throughout the album and the listener is never left thinking "Pff, heard it..". These guys know how to keep you entertained and it wouldn't surprise me at all if they become very big very fast!

The album is on sale here:
Regular edition: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=DAKDEVR-2
Limited edition (with DVD): SOLD OUT (and out of print)

Official website: http://www.themicrohead4ns.com/pc/top.html#
Official Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/THEMICROHEAD4NSofficial

REVIEW: "SUMMER" by Lost Ash (single)

Lost Ash's new single "SUMMER" has hit the stores, so I thought I'd review it for you guys.

The titlesong Summer is the first of three tracks on this single. It's a happy summery rock song with rapped parts that remind one of Linkin Park, while still maintaining the standard we've come to expect of them. It's the kind of song that makes you want to rock out right where you are if it comes up on your mp3 player. It could easily be a song you'd play at the beach, while enjoying the sun and ice cream and probably an alcoholic beverage too..

The other two tracks, Twilight and Avalanche still have a light-hearted mood to them, although they clearly aren't about having fun in the sun.

Twilight is a love ballad in Lost Ash style, and could be the total opposite of Summer, with a slightly sad undertone. Avalanche, then, gives us grunts and raw vocals and equally heavy handling of the instruments.

This is almost an evolution in 3 songs: Summer with its happy-go-lucky feeling, Twilight with its more romantic atmosphere and Avalanche when it all comes smashing down into reality again.

Lost Ash's "Summer" single can be bought here: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=LEMO-2B
Lost Ash's "Summer" single + DVD can be bought here: http://www.cdjapan.co.jp/detailview.html?KEY=LEMO-2A

Lost Ash's official website: http://lostash.com/pc/index.php

Review by Marjan Van Esbroeck for J-Rock Belgium