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.


I personally consider that a good thing for a band, because it does make you return to it time after time. I think it's the vocals I can't work out, as they are very unique within the J-rock genre. The vocalist has a very distinct rawness yet.. ..not. Perhaps it's the nasal sound that most Japanese people have, that's keeping it from being roar-like raw? I'm also not 100% sure if the singing is always exactly in-key, but even that has its charm, considering it *is* still punk music.


The first track, Hangyaku Zenya, immediately throws you into the musical way to give you a piece of their mind. It's rough, it's tough and it's making your head bang whether you want it to or not.

They continue this "You *will* dance!" attitude throughout the album, and by the time you hit the 4th track, DANGER, you'll find it hard to sit still. This is definitely not one of your generic rock bands, one look and listen can tell you that.

Then at track 5, Ai-sin ju, you can relax again, as it's a bit slower and probably their idea of a ballad. It gives you some time to breathe and remember that they're deeper than the punk-rock image they have and are very proud of. Even punks need to rest and think things over.

It's this variation of toughness and fragility that makes you not want to turn this album off, and what makes Trill-Dan so good.

They don't give you very long to rest, though. Trill-Dan explode into tough rock when you least expect it, and that keeps it exciting!