Towards the end of last year, many Dir en Grey fans were
unsettled - rumors, and eventually confirmation of a new project of vocalist
Kyo came about. Whereas Die’s side-project has produced no tangible material
and failed to make the front page at websites, Kyo’s was from the start a more
ambitious affair. Worries of a Dir en Grey hiatus, or loss of material from Dir en Grey to sukekiyo were abound.
However, by
all means, sukekiyo seems to have served as an outlet for Kyo’s ever-creative
self and re-invigorated him, with Dir en Grey re-embracing a visual style, and re-visiting older material. Sukekiyo also leans far more to the visual side of
visual rock than we have seen Kyo in years, and creates a tapestry of sound
that is more ambitious than near any Visual-kei band’s albums this year. The
album is an exercise in experimentation that has not been seen in quite
sometime, and showcases Kyo and company’s supreme craftsmanship.
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Track List
1. elisabeth addict
2. destrudo
3. latour
4. nine melted fiction
5. zephyr
6. hidden one
7. aftermath
8. 烏有の空
9. the daemon’s cutlery
10. scars like velvet
11. mama
12. vandal
13. hemimetabolism
14. 鵠
15. 斑人間
16. in all weathers
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Deep discussion of each of the tracks contained within IMMORTALIS
is an impossible task for this length of review. The album is beautiful from
start to finish, with a multiplicity of instruments and vocalizations that
stun. Kyo’s assembled team of 匠
(guitar; ex. RENTRER EN SOI), UTA (guitar, ex. 9GOATS BLACK OUT), Yuchi (bass,
kannivalism and WING WORKS support), and 未架 (drums, ex. RENTRER EN
SOI) are all experts at their instruments, and on this album, one can find them
experimenting as much as Kyo.
On this album, Kyo is at his best as a vocalist. The album at once calls to mind the growls and screams of Marrow of a Bone, the diverse range of singing from songs like “Ain’t Afraid to Die”, and the haunting and ephemeral vocals on tracks like “狂骨の鳴り”. His range is showcased on this album, and matches the instrumentation perfectly. In truly superb musicianship and composition, the album obscures any conception of whether or not the instruments are following Kyo’s voice, or his voice the instruments; this is quite a feat given the power of his voice, and how the compositions make such expert usage of his voice.
Instrumentation by the other members of sukekiyo is also amazing. Each instrument stands out on their own; yet, they mesh together in a way that is sublime. The band traverses much territory in this album, ranging from the deliberate, soft sound of “aftermath” to the aggressive “the daemon’s cutlery”. Tracks such as “aftermath” are truly remarkable on this album, as each band member’s instrument is remarkably pronounced, yet simultaneously becomes a part of the larger soundscape.
The album is difficult to describe, as throughout, a unity is maintained and a distinct style achieved, yet, each track is incredibly distinct. This inability to describe the flow I would argue speaks to how brilliant a piece of work this album is. The album maintains a flow throughout, characterized by the haunting, spacey instrumentation backing Kyo’s vocals, much a la 9GOATS BLACK OUT, deadman, STEREO.C.K, and even cali≠gari. The unity is at times maintained in fact by strident discord between sounds, or what the listener is expecting; the album will move into three-minute soundscapes with only a single instrument keeping the composition from sliding into atonal.
Much like the bands I have mentioned above, this album seems very clearly associated with the ero guro sub-genre of Visual-kei, but also in a league of its own. Anyone who has looked at the promotional images for sukekiyo will be able to discern what I mean; dark and incomprehensible, blurred and fleeting, this album embraces the darkness and unpredictability of the ero guro style, yet with introducing a style of sukekiyo’s own. The album is at times far more, in a word, abstract, that other ero guro bands, or bands with similar images, and to a degree sounds, such as 9GOATS BLACK OUT, attempted.
The tapestry of sound sukekiyo weaves on this album is so varied, it was difficult for me to write this, as recalling specifics became challenging, given how varied this record is. Sukekiyo is set in a league of their own with this record, one that does not stay in the same place musically for more than a second. The band members’ talents are manifested in beautiful ways, and instantly place sukekiyo at the forefront of the Visual-kei scene. This album comes highly recommended.
Review materials courtesy of Gan-Shin Promotions. (Thanks, Gan-Shin!) Be sure to purchase the album from the following links...
Vendors:
Neo Tokyo:
CDJapan:
ameagari no yuushi Tour Dates:
- sukekiyo - IMMORTALIS
- sukekiyo - IMMORTALIS (JP)
- sukekiyo - IMMORTALIS Online Store Limited Edition
- sukekiyo - IMMORTALIS Online Store Limited Deluxe Edition
CDJapan:
ameagari no yuushi Tour Dates:
- 13.09.2014 – PIPL Club – Moscow
- 15.09.2014 – Nosturi – Helsinki
- 17.09.2014 – Divan du Monde - Paris
- 18.09.2014 – O2 Academy Islington - London
- 20.09.2014 – C-Club – Berlin
- 21.09.2014 – Zeche Bochum – Bochum
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