YOHIO is back with his latest project, and it's not quite what you would expect from the Swedish visual rock artist.. Consisting of YOHIO on vocals, Valentin on guitar, Tias on drums, and former Seremedy member JENZiiH on bass, DISREIGN is a visual metal band that fully embraces the darker, heavier side of the visual kei scene. The PV for the their first single, "UNTIL THE FADE", has already been revealed, and is a solid first step both musically and thematically for the band.
In terms of sound, "UNTIL THE FADE" is suprisingly heavy for a band fronted by YOHIO , whose solo career was achieved much success thanks to his catchy light rock songs and elegant power-pop ballads. However, DISREIGN's heavy sound is not an unwelcome surprise, and in "UNTIL THE FADE" the band members demonstrate their abilities to play powerful music with a dark theme.
The song features plenty of the tropes found in heavier visual kei songs: it opens with a finely-tuned breakdown, brief dubstep/EDM sounds are occasionally interspersed throughout the track, soothing female vocals play in the chorus's background, and there are a variety of ambient and orchestral sounds used to embellish the haunting feeling of the song. All of these elements have been done before, but that's because they work, and in DISREIGN's case they are done quite well. What makes this song stand out is its ability to smoothly transition between melodic and heavy metal sounds while maintaining a hauntingly elegant atmosphere the entire time. This is something that's very difficult to do without losing the listener. Many new visual metal bands struggle with keeping their songs varied and coherent, but DISREIGN is able to easily transition between heavy breakdowns, rapid melodies, and gentle moments with ease. The rhythm is solid, the guitarist's and bassist's parts are played well, the backing instruments and effects are well-produced, and YOHIO 's screaming (yes, he screams in this song) compliments his singing voice quite well,
The song features plenty of the tropes found in heavier visual kei songs: it opens with a finely-tuned breakdown, brief dubstep/EDM sounds are occasionally interspersed throughout the track, soothing female vocals play in the chorus's background, and there are a variety of ambient and orchestral sounds used to embellish the haunting feeling of the song. All of these elements have been done before, but that's because they work, and in DISREIGN's case they are done quite well. What makes this song stand out is its ability to smoothly transition between melodic and heavy metal sounds while maintaining a hauntingly elegant atmosphere the entire time. This is something that's very difficult to do without losing the listener. Many new visual metal bands struggle with keeping their songs varied and coherent, but DISREIGN is able to easily transition between heavy breakdowns, rapid melodies, and gentle moments with ease. The rhythm is solid, the guitarist's and bassist's parts are played well, the backing instruments and effects are well-produced, and YOHIO 's screaming (yes, he screams in this song) compliments his singing voice quite well,
The video for "UNTIL THE FADE" is stylish and dark, and demonstrates that DISREIGN is committed to the dark theme perpetuated in the song. The band members' costumes and makeup suit the theme of the video very well. YOHIO looks like something out of a nightmare, yet still retains a certain elegance that makes the look all the more interesting. My only (admittedly picky) critique is that I felt that the guitarist's mustache clashed intensely with the rest of his otherwise-excellent outfit. The story portrayed in the video seemed interesting, but I wasn't able to fully understand it. This is mainly because the exposition scenes are largely overshadowed by the myriad of shots of the band members performing. The story would have been easier to follow if there were a few more exposition scenes added in to allow the viewer more of a chance to process the story being portrayed. However, the shots of the band were very well-taken, and the video did a good job of consistently mixing them up so that I never got tired of watching.
Overall, "UNTIL THE FADE" is a great first effort by DISREIGN. The song sticks to a classic visual kei formula, but deviates just enough to establish a fairly unique sound and still keep the listener engaged. The video is crisp and stylish, if a little lacking in the exposition department. With this release, YOHIO has demonstrated that he's not limited by a particular genre or theme, and I look forward to seeing how he and the other members of DISREIGN evolve as artists as they continue on in this new musical direction.
Buy It on iTunes
Overall, "UNTIL THE FADE" is a great first effort by DISREIGN. The song sticks to a classic visual kei formula, but deviates just enough to establish a fairly unique sound and still keep the listener engaged. The video is crisp and stylish, if a little lacking in the exposition department. With this release, YOHIO has demonstrated that he's not limited by a particular genre or theme, and I look forward to seeing how he and the other members of DISREIGN evolve as artists as they continue on in this new musical direction.
Buy It on iTunes
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