Here is the third edition to the DIX Marathon! I know this is going way out of order, but time is not on my side, so it is very likely we jump around the chronology. Nocturnal Opera is the second full album of Moi dix Mois. It was released on July 20th, 2004 in two types; limited and regular. The limited edition had a different jacket cover (featured below) from the regular edition. The album featured the previous released single "Shadow's Temple" with in it's 11 tracks. Mana continues the world he had envisioned in previous releases in this album, leading it with a more aristocratic feel. Let's take another flash back to the past with the last album featuring the first line-up of Moi dix Mois, shall we? (Don't worry, The "Reprise" review will come soon as I get it.)
 |
| (Regular Edition) |
Tracklist:
1) Invite to Immortality
2) Nocturnal Romance
3) monophobia
4) vestige
5) Vizard
6) Mephisto Waltz
7) MAD INGRAIN
8) the Prophet
9) Perish
10) Shadows Temple-x
11) silent omen
The artwork of the album features, the ever-present leader, Mana in both of his well known personas. His aristocrat is holding his lolita within the booklet (and on the front of the limited edition). A 2CD digipack and Jewel Case was also released in Europe. On the cover of the regular edition, he is holding a scythe in the middle of a dance floor as he is frame by stage curtain (above). The back features the official members of Moi dix Mois; Juka, Kazuno, Tohru, and himself presnting the three on a curtain (and, of course, Shadow X is no where to be seen!). Underneath the CD is a blue decagram with the credits for the album. Within the booklet, there are various page in different tints (yellow and blue). Some featuring the other members, and other featuring, of course, Mana. The tracklist is displayed on the image of a desk with a skull and a "playbook" with the signature decagram. In interviews prior and after this album's release, Mana had said that there were songs dedicated to Kami (the formr drummer and eternal member of MALICE MZER) who had died during the abnd's activity through out. Maybe we can point out just which ones those are.
 |
| Limited Edition |
The first track, as you know, is an instrumental. The song is merely 50 seconds long, but holds it's own emotion. It begins with some airy, fairly metallic sounds for a few seconds (reminding me, vaguely, of the slow introduction of Baroque by MALICE MIZER) then Juka enters for a moment, saying, "Welcome to the immortal night." The the trumpets play slowly, with a commanding tune. It's almost like a march for an occult as the rest of the ensemble enters on the cymbals. The chorus sings lightly, the drums roll a small beat and the song cuts off.
The organ plays the same tune over quickly, scaling up and down as the chorus re-enters the song (but this time with drums, guitar, and bass). The song quickens a bit and seems to take another route at 0:12, playing over again--thus beginning "Nocturnal Romance". The chorus sings, "To shut dream stage inside of you!", thus welcoming Juka into the song at 0:27. As he sings the melody, the guitars play a clear harmony underneath. The lyrics to the song describe a ball inwhich love was, obviously, found, but in secret, almost like a romance from Shakespeare being performed. It's not long before we are reintroduced to the continuous part of the organs--this is probably the best theme to recognize the song with! The song slows for a moment as the drums slow down. "Atsuki kuchizukete mezame maku wa ochiru (A passionate kiss wakes me up...)," Juka sings, quickly being followed by the playful tone of guitars as the previous tempo steadily returns (This line as well as the following ones are later sung in English). "Senritsu ga narahibiku...(A melody resounds and echoes...)," he sings as part of the climatic build to the main chorus. The choppiness of the song is more noticeable in the sharp contrast of the gracefulness of the previous harmony. It slowly smoothes out and is familiar (with only the guitars having a choppy flow) as Juka sings, "Saa, odore yo odore kurue futari no kage wa hakanaku... (So dance, dance madly. Your time in the shadows is fleeting...)," The tempo slows down dramatically until we are left with only the organ . The vocalist whispers words, not breaking the tranquility of the song as the chorus sings behind him. "Passion kiss wakes me up. The curtain falls Deep tearful sorrow of sacrifice. Baptismal scar..." Then the chorus breaks all serenity in the most graceful way as the organ regains speed, returning us to the previous hype of the song at 2:07. There are occasional breaks scattered throughout the song, from beginning to end, that are similar to the one at 2:21. The entire round is repeated, using the same harmony and melody. After the main chorus is sung, the song slowly heads for a close once Juka sings, "...Dakishime au tsumi to maboroshi. Haitoku no yoru ni. (...sin and illusion intertwine on this night of corruption)," As he repeats the two verses, the harmony slows down, slowly becoming silenced until it is only the organ, once again, as he cuts off the second verse to say, "Nocturnal Romance". The song picks back up, playing the same way it did in the very beginning with haste. The chorus is heard, singing "To shut dream stage inside of you!" before exiting on the cymbals of the drums.
Monophobia, one of the songs said to be dedicated to the late Kami of MALICE MIZER, floats in with its graceful piano riff. Now, the word monophobia means "fear of one" or "the fear of being alone". If Mana had, in fact, written this song for Kami, I imagine he wrote this while grieving for him along with fond memories. At precisely 0:20, it is no longer as gentle as it once was, cutting off the piano with emotional violins and powerful energy. "I can't see... I can't hear..." Shadow X growls at 0:40. "I think you're close to me," Sings Juka, accompanying X in this call and response. the harmony is stagnant and sharp as X's growls, but smooth at Juka's response "I feel something... I feel you in the chaos!". "I think you're close to me!" The music slows down to the piano, drums, and bass as Juka sings in Japanese, making it feell almost as if youre floating with in your own thoughts. It's almost like searchiing helplessly in the dark. The build to the climax begins as he sings, screaming "nai" as a transition to the new tempo (at 1:12) and harmony before singing, "Share this world with you again in the whirlpool of delight and sense." Every third note is raised octave, singing an interesting scale that catches my attention and somehow makes me think of an open sky until it changes, making me think of falling in darkness, as he sings "Tomo ni butai wo..." The piano, through out, plays along side his vocals, accentuating some of his notes while contrasting the others. The violins are notably there, but fit so in easily with the rest of the ensemble, that you don't realize how heavily the song relies on them. They take the spotlight, once more, at 1:22, as Juka exhales heavily to re-introduce the band (possibly cleverly covering up a sloppy entry). At 1:40, it sounds as if Juka is accompanied by a feminine voice, singing a single verse, "Kono uta wa anata no tameni sasageru..." The piano plays the first harmony we heard, foating gently and consuming us as the dejavu it is. Of course, the song surprises you with a different melody this time as we hear Juka's verse, "Break a spell, now return to the sky. As time goes by, meet again by destiny." The harmony is flourished with a heavy chorus, violins, and etc. He inserts a line of Japanese before repeating the verses. This time, an organ is heard, and around this point I realize how much variety the song has! It is very well written, never becoming boring, and never being too repetitive. It's 5 minutes go by swiftly and leading you to the end of the song, and, despite the many builds and easy closures, the song is only about half way through with many more pleasant surprises scattered through out the song. "Now return to the sky. No phobia," he sings as we near the end of the song. It is like he is wishing his fear of loneliness to be gone forever. The chorus is repeated over until it finally cuts off to the piano alone. "The only way to get away from loneliness is to love it," Juka says,"I remember with beloved tune. The unfinished stage is still shining." (The former members of MALICE MIZER always said that Kami is never truely dead to them...)
Vestige begins with the sound of a fairly low chorus. comes in slowly. The chorus and orchestra gradually growing louder until the violins replace the chorus at 0:39. Eventually, the slow song has a bit of a skip as it attempt to speed up, adding the entire band. It is very slow and easy to follow. The organ plays gently around the vocalist and Juka serenades us with a low, almost whispered voice. With the lyrics, generally, it's like he is reminiscing with a sad and thoughtful tone. The melody is catchy and the harmony is simple when torn apart and complex when put together, making it practically impossible to stop me from singing along. "Hikari sasu madobe ni yurameku kage ga maru de..." The light shining in my window is like a flickering shadow. The beat Tohru plays matches up perfectly in speed and heavines with the rest of the song. Again, the violin is hardly noticed until it reached sharper notes and defining itself against the chorus and guitar. The chorus is of the song is introduced by a steady build from the changing tempo and the steady growth of the full ensemble under Juka's vocals as he sings "Naze konna ni setsuna no unmei." Why is time fated to be so short? That translation makes me think that this, too, is a song dedicated to the late Kami. The song, as a whole, talks about a erson in ones dreams. Someone dear to them who is now gone. At 1:43 Juka sings, "Aa, yume ni saita shiroi hana wa anata no omokage. Kegarenai tsubomi no mitsu no naka de sotto." Ah... the white flower that bloomed in my dreams was your face. In the nectar of a flower's bud, softly. It is here, though, when the violin is revealed. Once Juka disappears, the chorus is better heard in the background of the piano. He returns with the same beat a before, only more power is in his voice (which I can't quite describe...) "Anata wa semari-kuru unmei no hi o kanjiteta." I felt your day of destiny drawing near. In my mind, i think "destiny" meant "death" or something similarly heavy. Most especially when the next verse he sings translates to this (2:23);
I offered up words of prayer that disappeared into the heavens.Kazuno manages to be heard through out the song as he plays his own low pitched harmony. The song is very well ut together with a consistent arrangement that isn't too confusing. Juka is joined by a feminine voice as his sings the second chorus. The lyrics don't completely repeat themselves as the song slows down at 3:12. "Sakimidareru shiroi hana ni tsutsumare." Enveloped in a blooming white flower. The song heads for a close as Juka is left with the violin at 3:22, singing "Madobe de kirameku yuri no hana ni sotto hoho yosete." At my window, a sparkling lily gently recalls your face. For the remaining time, all but Juka play until slowly dying off with the chorus singing in the background, leaving me the image of a lily sitting on an open window and fading away into the sky.
Though you didn't understand them, you smiled innocently
Vizard plays with a very different feel. The knocking breaks the serenity created by Vestige, pulling us further toward it's demonic sound with heavy, lengthy guitar riffs adn an organ in the background. I would call this piece an instrumental, but there are a few lines of lyrics that are growled by Shadow X. the song is repetitive and can be a bit annoying if you hear it too many times in one day, but despite that, it's very easy to learn the words and start moving to it's slow, choppy beats. At 0:44 a small orchestra joines, changing the song and introducing the organ with their duo-tones. At 1:25 Shadow X enters, singing over himself about three time over--creating an illusion of insanity to the person listening.
vice in vice Vizard
wale on desolate gale
the sorrow bring forth you
deep wail and cry of true heart and soul.
X repeats these lines in different orders, creating a pattern that can't quite be followed until you realize what he is saying. The stringed instruments of this song pay a key part to keeping the compositiong interesting. If it weren't for their scales, dual-tones and changing tempos, then we would be left with the moderate beats of the drums
Mephisto Waltz is not only a song by Moi dix Mois, but also an American horror movie that was released in 1971. The way how the lyrics are written vaguely follow the idea to the movie's "occult murder mystery". Along side that, it is also a four part music-piece by composer Franz Liszt in the mid-late 1800's--again, the song follows his concept of piano duets as well as a full orchestra (I won't give you a whole lesson about this, so you can check out the information on here.) It begins, entering with a simple piano. This is, again, a ballad that shows the more neo-classical side of this symphonic metal band. The drums play a gentle beat with the guitar and bass playing the other parts of the harmony. "Hibiku ashioto ga amai yume genwaku no (Footsteps echo in my sweet, bewitching dream)," Juka sings, his voice silencing the piano with his entrance at 0:59. His voice echoes like those footsteps within a dream. It's almost like hearing him sing within an eaily echoing room a you hear it. The piano is only heard when he is't singing, making it easy to pick out the slow, steady rhythm of the rest of the ensemble. The melody changes slightly with every other line Juka sings, forcing the harmony to be altered a well (or rather, the piano/organ). In my opinion, this song i like a continuation of the story created in Nocturnal Romance. As before, it described finding a mysterious being and falling in love while dancing in the shadows, this describes the "tragedy" even further in our "Shakespeare-like" lyrics. I am especially convinced at this as Juka sings, "Mahou no kuchizuke yume mita jounetsu no butai e (I saw a magical kiss on the pasionate stage of my dream)." It's a sadness and reluctance to return to reality and to have to say "farewell" to a wonderful, mysterious dream of a dance.
With outstretched hands... tears and a farewell. As the melody of sorrow plays, light sparkles on the stage in my dream of despair.The organ plays on two sides, bringing out the feeling of being alone before introducing those word with an entire ensemble. "Shiroku habataku sora e... egaku mirai e akaku somari-yuku sora e sangeki no hohoemi." It is rather grandeur and leaves Juka with only the drums as the piano returns, yet again. During this part, he whispers gently, "I must get it, even if I ruin myself, for this stage which I dreamed." In a mental fight to when over fantasy, we return to the prior melody he had sung to us in the beginning. At this time, there is a small silence before he re-enters with the main chorus in the great entrance, leading us closer to the end as we are now at 3:54.It is repeated, over and over, Having Juka exit on words the describe a blissful death as the piano plays us out to the end.
MAD INGRAIN, the only other official instrumental that actually has no words whatsoever. The vocals in the background are merely various shouts/grunts from the chorus as the baritone plays alone-side the drums. The emotion in this song is more angry--more similar to what Vizard is like than Mephisto Waltz, but is definitely a good way to wake up the listener with the surprising sound! It fades in slowly, getting louder and gain power as the guitars enter. More sounds are heard and it seems never to stop growth until, suddenly, everything stops.
I raise a tragic smile to the sky taking on a crimson castpure white wings flutter to the sky, foreshadowing the futureI raise a tragic smile to the sky taking on a crimson cast
the Prophet fits in easily from the previous track,
Why, o heretical goddess of darkness, was I abandoned, never to see that which I envisioned?He says (those are translations to his words, however). He continues with his rayer for his vision to return. As you read the lyrics, it explains the life of a blind man--or rather what his world is like. They continuously talk about sight and memories, and how the Gods (or rather, this goddess) have punished him by taking away his sight. The love is forbidden.
I seek an eternal world for the two of us alone. Why is this endless love hidden within a labyrinth? (3:36)Prior to the above line, the music had taken an abrupt ritardando. The woman accompanying Juka's voice sings a wordless harmony with the ensemble as he sings "Shiseru koibito wa torawareta Pandora ni. Hakanai unmei no Scenario." A perishing lover imprisoned in Pandora's box. An emphemeral, fateful scenario.
A blind man, who will never reach the light of his hopes in the midst of forbidden time...After the song has, basically, mirrored itself, everything becomes heavier. Louder, even. The guitars are more noticeable and the feminine voice more prominent. Soon, we are left with Juka's echoing words and the violins fading in...
A perishing lover in Pandora's box continues to dance...
Perish comes in with a metallic sound. Not too loud, as the drums begin playing a moderate beats that later introduces the rest of the band. It is slow and gloomy, clouding my mind with black images of destruction and night. The scratch and whine of the guitars and the strumming of the bass fit together perfectly, creating an illusion of horror when, in fact, the song is a bit more sentimental than most think. It is about a man, dying in the middle of an open field. He was betrayed, and in love. During this point of the story, he is remembering his living days as he watches the shadows and the moon. The anger of the betrayal is prominent in some of the lyrics as the other hold merely despair. Juka's words echo, as if thoughts in his own mind.
A dying man bids a sorrowful farewell to the vision suspended along the indigo streaked sky.The drums, here, holds the most emotion. The ever-changing beats and lightness are the majority of the harmony. the bass and guitar accentuate it greatly, as well as the cellos in the background. They song, as slow as it is, is very, very heavy--but not in a "metal" sense. It's a fairly vague song with only two different harmonies and two different melodies that work together withing the timing of the track. As we enter the main chorus, after the spoken words, we hear "Horobi sare yo" Fallen into ruin. He sings of hi past and present at this point, having suffered through much and to only be left here to die. Th guitar fades in and out, being the highest pitch against the rest of the band. It is like a rolling hill, only we are approachin a small valley.
Ah... the moon being covered in shadows shrouded my tears in fluttering darkness.This song is when the bass is best heard, playing along side the drums (ie, 2:15). Now, honestly, I cannot tell if this is just the band playing of if they have assistance from another low-tones stringed instrument, the guitars play extremely smoothly. It is a bit hard to exlain the song because it is vague and complex at the same time. Each instrument fills in the spaces for another, playing around eachother or playing under one another in the attempt to keep the interest of the listener.
My reality crumbles under the pale, rolling sky. My betrayer bids me a smiling farewell.
This song, too, is repetitive. The lyrics after the last "your lie... Perish and die," are below. They are repeated over, the lyrics only changing slightly, with a whining guitar and higher amps as it closes.
Kageri-yuku tsuki wa anata no sugata o. Kirameku yami ni utsushite
The moon being covered in shadow projects. Your sparkling silhouette in the darkness.
Aa karisome no koi wa tsuki ni shihai sare. Yurameku kage ni odorasare.
Ah... our ephemeral love, led on by the moon. We are made to dance in the flickering shadows.
For this next track, an airiness is heard as violins play the round slowly. "Shadow's dream of truth and false," Juka sings to introduce us to the world of "Shadows Temple-x".Shadows Temple-x is, indeed, and interesting song of it's own--and was definitely worthy of being a single. it describes coveting a person's being and making them into a puppet (or something of the like) with in their own world. It is like the other side of this album, Nocturnal Opera. The violation of one's spirit and the thoughts of the violator create the image of a very dark abyss just as well as it does a stage. The violins and organ contrast themselves from the metal band, creating their personal elegance within the bubble of symphony. It's a very beautiful song and very dark with a mystery of it's own. "You were selected to be on this stage by a stroke of fate," X growls. "Naze eranda watashi o kono sekai ni. (why you were selected in this world of mine)," sings Juka. "This stage is just like the illusions you made." "Naze koroshita tozasareta kono sekai de. (why you were killed, locked away in this world). The song leans toward a schizophrenic ideal as the lyrics lay out the scenario.
...dyed in scarlet I embrace you with these hands...
Juka's voice sails over the drums at the main chorus, Shadow X's voice being intimidating as he responds to every other line. The violins and organ play around each other, Shadow X only speaking with the organ playing, as the song slows down to my favorite part of the song. It reveals the chorus singing in the background--their ritual being stopped suddenly as X growls, "Cut off the whole thing." Juka's voice sounds almost apologetic as he sings,"Negareru chi ni... (in flowing blood...)." Then his voice turns pleading when saying "Kuchizuke shite (kiss me)." Follow instincts. The two words that set off the main chorus of the song. Shadow Temple-x is far different from it's original, however. After the second play of the main chorus, it slows quickly until we are back to the airiness from the very beginning at 2:43, listening to Shadow X whisper sweet nothings in our ear over the slowly growing violins. His voice distorts more and more as the song goes along, approaching the return of the ensemble.
Such a thought inspires me...The ensemble returns to its hype, playing emotionally and heavily. The violins are keen and melodic as the drums play quickly, making up for the currently absent organ, as the guitars run ahead. It continues, repeating the chorus as Juka sings to the slow beat,"Tsukiyo ni terasare anata to kono mama tokeai... (illuminated by moonlight, thus we melt together)."
...until the night's end...The scenerio of the insane coveting the innocent and vulnerable is left unending as we end the same way we began--following an almost never ending cycle.
Shadow's dream of truth and false
silent omen is the shortest song on the album. It has no words and is less than a minute long. It begins as a ladder of piano keys, later joined by a deeper tone. More, and more things join in as the song creates the illusion of becoming louder because of it's constant growth and repetitiveness--leaving us with the silent scream of Shadow X.
The entire album is like a play. It begins with a night of romance, a dream of the fear of being alone and the wish for it to last forever and it ends with betrayal, punishment, and insanity. Each song had it's own reason of being written, following it's previous track perfectly in terms of storyline--hence the "Nocturnal Opera". It was a show and a tale for the mind if you managed to follow it carefully. It is one of my favorie albums by Moi dix Mois for this fact. You can order it below.
cdJapan - NOCTURNAL OPERA/Moi dix Mois
Sources: -scape-
Next review: Dix Infernal
0 comments:
Post a Comment