Monsters (album)
| Monsters | ||||
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| Studio album by D'espairsRay | ||||
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Publication |
July 28, 2010 (JP) |
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| Label (s) | Delicious Deli Records (JP) | |||
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Format (s) |
CD + DVD (Limited Version) |
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Title (number) |
10 |
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running time |
39:47 |
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D'espairsRay |
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Monsters is the fourth studio album by the J-rock band D'espairsRay and their second under a major label . The release took place in Japan on July 28, 2010.
Emergence
During the PSYCHEDELIC PARADE tour for their last album Redeemer they worked on the new single Final Call . The songs for it were produced in hotels during the tour. The single was originally supposed to contain more heavy songs, but this was abandoned at the last moment, so that Final Call became the name of the CD. Although there were concerns, the song was released anyway because it seemed interesting to Hizumi and out of the ordinary. With Going on , the style development, which began with Horizon and contained hip-hop elements, should be completed, as these displeased the other band members. Initially only the first two stanzas were in Japanese and the rest of the song in English, but the lyrics were later kept in English throughout.
The single is D'espairsRays first major-label single and was produced by Toshiyuki Kishi of Abingdon Boys School . The publication took place on September 9, 2009, the 10th day D'espairsRay was founded. Instead of the usual two, it was offered in three different versions. On the same day there was also a free concert at Shibuya-AX, followed by their first one-man live in Shibuya CC Lemon Hall on October 1st.
After the release of the new single, work began on a new album. Meanwhile, the band performed on March 12, 2010 at the Mega Port Festival in Kaohsiung . This was her first appearance in the Republic of China (Taiwan) . The single Love is Dead followed on April 14th. Toshiyuki Kishi took on the role of producer again. The song Love is Dead reached first place in the ringtone charts of the day and second place in the weekly ranking. Then there were considerations to write the whole album in this style of music, but this was rejected.
The “Regular edition” of the album contains the music CD and an A2 promo poster . The “Limited version” comes with a DVD with the music video from Death Point and its making-of . Both the cover artwork and the booklet use the legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin as a motif .
trip
The accompanying "Human-clad Monsters" promotion tour began at the end of July with three gigs especially for the fan clubs in Osaka , Nagoya and Tokyo . Immediately afterwards the USA was toured, only on September 9th there was a live performance at the SHIBUYA-AX in Tokyo. This was followed by a European tour through Russia, Finland, Germany, Poland, Hungary, Italy and France. After the following appearances in Japan, two more concerts followed in Taiwan on November 27th and 28th. The last live performance of the "Human-Clad Monsters" tour took place on December 30, 2010 with a final concert at the Yokohama BLITZ before the band took an indefinite break. The concert DVD “Human-clad Monsters” FINAL was in Japanese stores from April 13, 2011.
style
The single Final Call has become pop-rock-heavy overall. As already mentioned above, Going on! the use of hip-hop elements such as spoken chanting in places should be completed.
The song Love is Dead from the single of the same name is similar to You Spin Me Round by Dead or Alive and uses a techno rhythm and corresponding synthesizers. According to Karyu, they went to a couple of nightclubs in Europe after their performances and he liked the atmosphere there so much that he wanted to convey it in a song. However, the similarities arose by chance, and he was only informed about them after the recordings were completed. Wedicine and Crossed Arrows are much more industrial rock than the B-Sides of the previous singles.
The album Monsters is darker, heavier and more electronic than Redeemer . According to the band, they were able to regain the feeling they had when they started playing ten years ago; look back and think: "This is what D'espairsRay is all about". There was no plan to make a radio-friendly album. The dense, gloomy atmosphere is maintained by the melodic singing and music parts in Human-clad monster , dope , falling and Progress , with occasional guttural singing . In dope to one was hip-hop - Bass Line with gospel similar music mixed. This atmosphere increases even more at 13 - The Shepherd - where a drum march is used. The band used drum computers here for the first time . Each drum part was recorded individually and put together on the computer, and the other instruments were placed on top. In addition, other noises were sampled , for example a metal ashtray was hit against a cupboard. The song, according to singer Hizumi, is about how they should carry on as a band, as opposed to what they were in the past or what others think they should be.
Death Point also seems very aggressive due to the growls and the constant repetition of the title. The song was chosen for the music video because it is the heaviest on the album, so the video was shot in a rather monochrome style and in the style of a live performance. According to Hizumi, the underlying thought is a battle cry and the guiding principle of the band. The phrase Death Point is taken from the Bushidō , according to which there is a point at which a samurai is ready to die for his masters or convictions.
"[...] in other words, you come here and achieve your goal or you die trying. That's the way it is for us, our music is our everything. We are willing to die for our music. It's a very Japanese motif, and singing it in English makes it more interesting. "
Devil's Parade has a psychedelic and disturbing effect, there are growls and dynamic raps to bright xylophone sounds . The song is the title motif of the album, as it contains an allusion to the saga of the Pied Piper of Hameln . For this song there is an official English interpretation of the text in the Australian ASKEW magazine , which was created by Hizumi with the band's translator. Monsters does not contain a ballad like previous albums . The last song abyss is slower and has a thoughtful, sad and dreamy atmosphere. It is to explore the current state and the current situation of the band.
reception
Jame-World annoys the short running time of the CD a little, but the songs are varied and worth listening to. D'espairsRay had energetic, dark songs in their repertoire, but all would be spiced with a certain melody, there would be no pure headbanger on the album. From a musical point of view, the single Final Call is the usual mix of metal combined with other stylistic elements, which is catchy and not boring.
Track list
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Track list CD:
- Human-clad Monster - 4:55 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Death Point - 3:25 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- 13-Thirteen - 3:08 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Love is Dead - 4:01 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Devil's Parade - 4:08 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Dope - 3:47 (Music: Karyu / Text: Karyu)
- Falling - 4:09 (Music: Karyu / Text: Karyu)
- Progress - 4:09 (Music: Tsukasa / Text: Hizumi)
- Final Call - 3:57 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Abyss - 4:03 (Music: Tsukasa / Text: Hizumi)
Title list DVD (only in the limited version):
- Death Point PV
- The Making Of Death Point
Singles
Final call
Final Call was released on September 9, 2009, on the 10th day the band was founded. The booklets are presented differently, each version contains different images and the cover artwork is different. While the regular version has a third song waiting on the disc, the “Limited version A” contains a few pictures of the band members and on the DVD a compilation of live performances, trips and interviews from the PSYCHEDELIC PARADE tour in Europe, which took place after the release of the Album Redeemer was performed. The B version contains the music video for Final Call and a special "10th Anniversary Booklet". The special booklet contains all tours, releases and a few selected one-man concerts in chronological order. The list is rounded off by the selection of some band images from the respective creative periods of the band.
Track list CD:
- Final Call - 3:58 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- Going on! - 3:46 (Music: Tsukasa / Text: Hizumi)
- Ark in the Storm - 4:15 (regular version only)
Title list DVD (only in Limited Version A):
- [PSYCHEDELIC PARADE in EUROPE] 2009.7 EU Tour Document eizou
Title list DVD (only in Limited Version B):
- FINAL CALL (PV)
Love is Dead
The single Love Is Dead was from April 14, 2010 in Japanese record stores. The regular version contains a third song as usual, while the limited version comes with the DVD of the music video. Instead of the trading card, each CD version comes with an A2 promotional poster.
Track list CD:
- Love Is Dead - 4:00 (Music: Karyu / Text: Hizumi)
- WEDICIИE - 3:58 (Music: Tsukasa / Text: Hizumi)
- Crossed Arrows - 4:10 (regular version only)
Title list DVD (only in the limited version):
- LOVE IS DEAD (PV)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Zy Magazin number 48, English translation of a blog
- ↑ a b Zy Magazin number 53, English translation of a blog
- ↑ a b c d e f g Askew Magazine - Special Tour Edition / D'espairsRay Human-Clad Monsters, side photos of the magazine on a blog
- ↑ Askew Magazine - Special Tour Edition / D'espairsRay Human-Clad Monsters, image of the page
- ↑ D'espairsRay - MONSTERS: On the trail of the Pied Piper of Hamelin
- ↑ D'espairsRay - FINAL CALL (triple feature)
- ↑ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/315739/products/music/832656/1/
- ↑ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/315739/products/music/860582/1/
- ↑ http://www.oricon.co.jp/prof/artist/315739/products/music/875802/1/
