DEATHGAZE were one of the hardest rocking bands out there. When one simply utters the phrase "hard rock," one of the only bands that comes to mind is DEATHGAZE. 2014 was sort of an interesting year for the band being that Enigma was their first full album release in over two years. In the interim, they released their best-of album Decade, featuring the killer title track which really got fans amped for a full album comeback the following year. Featuring three of the band's greatest singles and most innovative tracks, I give you Enigma!
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| 1. Enigma 2. Dead Blaze 3. Allure 4. Nightmare 5. Drain Away 6. Seventh Heaven 7. The Underworld 8. Breath 9. Sadistic Smile 10. Fear 11. Ready Go |
The second single follows the first on the track list. "Allure" is just about as close to a ballad as DEATHGAZE usually comes. There's less-than-usual screaming and a really powerful melody throughout the chorus and most verses. Otherwise there isn't much to say. Once you've heard the first two minutes, you've heard the last two minutes. After the mild-mannered "Allure," the band gives us "Nightmare," which features more intricate guitar work than on an average song. Around the two minute mark there's a very intricate guitar solo, other than that the song features some of the same vocal filters from "Enigma" over Ai's harsh vocals and a liberal amount of clean vocals. Overall, "Nightmare" is a song you really have to give a chance before you decide whether you like it or not. It isn't immediately gripping, but it will grow on you after enough plays.
"Drain Away" is possibly the catchiest song on the album and most easily marketable to a mainstream audience. It isn't heavy, even with it's screamed hook. The chorus is rather beautifully sung and the overall composition shows that there was a large amount of though put into how the piece would sound rather than just trying to make something heavy for something heavy's sake. "Seventh Heaven," I believe, was strategically placed after "Drain Away" because they were almost cut from the same cloth. Track number six is actually very different not only from every song on Enigma, but from every other song DEATHGAZE has ever done. The feel of the song is entirely pop/rock to the point where if someone like L'Arc~en~Ciel did it, it would be believable. What's decidedly unbelievable is how well DEATHGAZE manages to pull off a song like this. Ai sounds fantastic and there was a lot of really thoughtful guitar work on Takaki's part, the only negative thing about this song is that the drums take an obvious backseat. While most other songs on Enigma are heavily focused on rhythm, this song places the importance on melody and presentation.
Right after a very different-sounding song is another very different-sounding song. "The Underworld" was the third and final single released for Enigma (and had absolutely killer b-sides.) This song keeps the atmosphere dark, but the composition innovative. Ai's vocal performance, once again, is brilliant and doesn't over-vocalize even once. Where "Seventh Heaven" struggled with beat, "The Underworld" more than makes up. In all actuality, the use of synth in a DEATHGAZE song is relatively unheard of and to open the song with synth and have it in the background throughout is definitely something new. Additionally, the longest song on the album is found here. Even though six minutes and thirteen seconds may sound like a long song, they never once lose my interest.
"Breath" keeps the melancholy theme going for one more song. The clean vocals are often morose while also catchy enough to get stuck in your head. While the guitars keep the downtrodden air going, the addition of a sparse use of piano is the icing on the cake. Once again, the harsh vocals of the song are sent through the same filter as on "Enigma" and "Drain Away." One can't help but wonder if the screams would have had a more powerful effect unfiltered, but nonetheless they add the exact je ne sais quois to the song that makes it decidedly DEATHGAZE. Following up such a beautiful and melodic song is the probably-too-heavy "Sadistic Smile," which features a ratio of 95% harsh vocals to the 5% of clean vocals used exclusively in the chorus. The chorus is easily the best part of the song as it is the only part that isn't at least a little messy. Ai's clean vocals are always something I enjoy, so not getting to hear them that much on this song is somewhat a detriment. However, they decided not to filter the screams for "Sadistic Smile" so they don't lose any power. This must be a monster of a song to hear performed live.
The boys don't brake or let up at all after a song like "Sadistic Smile." There exists about four verses of harsh screaming leading up to the catchiest hook on the album: "I wish your dream, 眩しく輝く世界を君に" which, loosely translated, means "The brightly shining world to you." The song finishes out with a chorus sung in clean vocals and a final scream from Ai urging us all to "wake up." This glorious album ends with one of the most hopeful sounding songs in "Ready Go." Easily one of my favorites, the final track is almost entirely clean vocals with just a very small amount of harsh vocals for emphasis. The chorus reads as such in Japanese: "光りへ READY GO 明日へ READY GO
輝け READY GO 全てを連れて READY GO" which in English reads: "Into the light, Ready Go! Into tomorrow, Ready Go! Shine, Ready Go! And take it all, Ready Go!" which are some of my favorite visual rock lyrics to date. This is the perfect way to end an album for a number of reasons, but none more so than the fact that it may be quite some time until we hear new music and even if it takes another ten years before we hear from them again, we'll be here for them.
While my personal opinion may be the unpopular one, I stand by it. Bliss Out was my favorite DEATHGAZE album. I feel that Enigma stands as a formidable opponent to that opinion and would recommend long time fans check this out (but would still recommend Bliss Out as the first album for new fans... Or maybe Decade since it has all their best songs and the ever-stunning title track to boot.) It is my sincere hope that we will hear new music from them within the next few years, but even if we don't, Enigma was definitely the way to possibly go out: on top of your game.
Please support the band by purchasing the album from CDJapan.
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