98: image TYPE.A & image TYPE.B

[inartistic]

I received this little package today~ It's image TYPE.A, an omnibus distributed by Matina. I already had TYPE.B and the giant Matina 1999 IMAGE pamphlet that came with it, so the A type was all I needed. And I was lucky enough to find someone selling it alone!

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These are two omnibus CDs that were freely distributed by Matina. grass thread says they were released on 2000-04-25, and general consensus is that they were coupled with the Matina 1999 IMAGE pamphlet, but I'm honestly not sure. Why would Matina release a 1999 pamphlet in April of 2000? Too bad there are no fans around to tell me! Anyway, the CDs mostly contain old songs, but there are a few ~new versions~.



image TYPE.A
2000-04-25; Ma†ina; MP-001

In terms of packaging, there's really nothing to say! It's just a bare disc in a sleeve. And the CD itself doesn't have much information at all! There's no release date, and even the songs are left to you to figure out. (On the plus side, it does say “not for sale,” so we can at least be sure that it was distributed for free.) In fact, I'm not even entirely sure of the title of the MIRAGE song; according to grass thread, it's “Fear Nalsis,” but that song wasn't released anywhere else, so I'll never know!

1. Madeth gray'll - MOTHER COMPLEX
   I really like the bass-driven opening and some of the guitar effects, but the rest of the song is just messy to me. There's not much to latch onto in terms of melody, and I think that's when Madeth sounds the weakest. So~ ★☆☆ (okay)
2. AZALEA - 神隠しの夜 (Kamikakushi no Yoru)
   The main riff is kind of fast, distorted, crunchy, and I like that. But, even though this one has a more defined tune, I'm not really loving it. Their Fetish releases were much better for me! ★☆☆ (okay)
3. EzeːquL - 回想 (ver.s) (Kaisou (ver.s))
   This song is on both versions for some reason, so automatic deduction! Anyway, it's a slow song featuring just piano, synth effects, and the vocalist. But the melody is really strong, and that keeps it from being boring. As for the “(ver.s)” part: it's a short remake of Kaisou, which was released on their coupling tape with LAYBIAL. I prefer this version! ★★☆ (good)
4. MIRAGE - Fear Nalsis (Live)
   This is a live version of some song called Fear Nalsis. As far as I know, that song was never released on anything else, so I'll just have to take grass thread's word on it! At any rate, it's just a typical rush song--same section, different screams--but at least the main riff is cool. And I guess it should get points for being unique(?) to this disc. ★☆☆ (okay)

Download (My rip; 320 KBPS) | Scans (My scans)

image TYPE.B
2000-04-25; Ma†ina; MP-002

Same “packaging,” but this time it's black-on-white instead of white-on-black. Still no real tracklisting given, boo!

1. DAS:VASSER - 輪廻転生 (Rinnetenshou)
   DAS:VASSER was really cool, just for the sheer number of styles they tried! This one is almost OTO-ONI -esque; it's driven more by sound effects than instrumentation. But that's a good thing in this case!. It really succeeds at painting one emotion, which is one of the most important things as far as I'm concerned. ★★☆ (good)
2. EzeːquL - 回想 (ver.s) (Kaisou (ver.s))
   Same song as on the A type! ★★☆ (good)
3. Distray - 鏡の中で××× (Kagami no Naka de ×××)
   It starts out with an unassuming sound effect, but quickly launches into a fast rock tune. There's lots of distortion and filtered shouting, but it's arranged very smartly, and there are more melodic sections to tie it all together. Seriously, if you haven't yet, give Distray a shot! ★★★ (great)
4. MIRAGE - ESCAPE (Live)
   An actual song this time! It's more or less one of those middle ground not-too-soft, not-too-heavy songs that were the staple of MIRAGE's diet, so to speak. L'arc-esque crooning, acoustic guitar breakdown, but speedy drumming and some good guitar riffing--you understand. That late 90s sound isn't my favorite, but I would by lying if I said it was a bad song. ★★☆ (good)

Download (My rip; 320 KBPS) | Scans (My scans)

So I guess I would have to say that I like TYPE.B more! But both will hold some merit for any Matina fan, and, regardless, I'm pretty happy to have completed the image collection.

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By the way, this is why you should never trust automatic song tagging ;)

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P.S., LiveJournal's new rich text editor sucks donkey balls. It can barely figure out how to work an LJ cut, let alone such complicated things as bolding within a list element. LiveJournal: always lowering the bar!