Heavy metal V-Kei band NEGA have recently stormed to the front of the scene with the release of their latest album "Vanitas", released in two types. Type A shipping with a promotional video and type B with a bonus song.
Track List
1. Vanitas Vanitatum
2. Purgatory
3. Fable in the Cold Bed
4. Goodbye Human
5. 糜爛故に (biranyueni)
6. V-Rock Is Dead
7. 躊躇うことなく「 」を傷付けた指先は、途惑うことなく穢れた「 」を飾る (tamerau koto naku o kizutsuketa yubisaki wa, to madou koto naku kegareta o kazaru)
8. 虚しき「生」の寓意≒「死」の真意 (munashiki `nama' no guui ≒`shi' no shinni)
9. Will
10. 2012
11. Deluge
12. Hindsight
13. Omnia Vanitas
14. Reasonance (Type-B only)
NEGA(ネガ) from the English "negative" have always been about strong emotions coming through both musically and lyrically and this album is no exception. Stepping into a darker void than ever before, the band manage to deliver a very heavy album packed with familiar vocals and themes. This album is quite experimental in parts, however, with some jazz-like sounds and discordant piano and fans will be kept hooked from track one onwards. "Goodbye Human", a rather jazzy song has some Pierrot-eque sounds to it (yuuyami suicide) but with a NEGA slant on it.
Sweeter melodies are heard in Will and 2012 as the album calms down for a moment before blasting back into those heavier depths with Deluge. This album showcases the great range of sounds NEGA can produce and would be a great introduction to the band for those who have yet to listen. Veteran fans can expect to hear everything they love about the band throughout.
NEGA do not disappoint in this release, 2 years from their last album release, with an impressive 14 songs to keep listeners entertained with over an hour of music. The longest being track 8 at a staggering 12:14 which also came with a promotional video which we featured here.
Post-Deluge, this album becomes soft once again with the beautiful track "Hindsight", setting the mood for the end of the album and leaving the listener craving more. The bonus track happily delivers some final, epic NEGA with pounding instruments and Jin's unique and well-known screams.
Vanitas is an art-form of memento mori, in displaying mortality and remembering death will arive for all living things. This theme easily fits within NEGA's palate and musical style as aggressive sounds are present throughout with melancholic vocals and a lot of discordancy which connotes uncertainty.
It seems that NEGA have a bright future ahead of them with this release and we can likely look forward to some new singles from them in the future. The band have been very consistent in their music from their deubt back in 2004 and can be expected to continue this way.
This album is available on iTunes at an unusually high £15 (~$24/€19) and also from CDJapan here. The iTunes version of type-A does not seem to include the PV, strangely. Remember to support musical artists by purchasing their work if you like it.
-Akumu
Sources: Band Image, Album Artwork from iTunes store
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