New single in August / OHP renewal

[jani_kun]

The guys have a totally new website, located at http://merryweb.jp/

Not only that, they have a new design with new profile pics and an announcement as well: they'll be releasing a brand-new single!!!

title: The Cry Against...
date: 2010 August 4

In the News section you can already see the PV preview of the song. I like it pretty much so far, seems nice

Comments

[gothicmaidchii]

except it isn't like merry at all.

It's a good song... for lynch... but this is not merry at all. I went to tonight's show and the general consensus from long term fans is a sense of loneliness that merry will change so drastically. On hearing the song, most people are just saying "Wow...isn't it like Diru!" We have enough Dir en Grey clones, and Merry if they decide to follow this tract will quickly lose what made them so special. The retrock... the jazz... the sound of songs like Hi no dechome, or of Bluesy Night, or the 'heavier' Merry like Atama ga zakuro.

They have made so many unnecessary changes too, like going from メリー　to MERRY... what is the point? The fans like the kana...a few are cynically speculating that it means a European tour is in the works.

From the flyer I received tonight, the picture of the band looks like a group trying to be something they are not. The live also lacked a lot of warmth suggesting that they aren't too happy about it either. The change between the new song, Unbalance Kinema and now is so huge I'm rather inclined to believe their new label is behind all of this. Their new label is Free Will which is not a good thing. At all. To be honest, Free Will are rather atrocious and to think Merry might have fallen into their clutches is almost too much to bear.

I can't honestly believe what has happened... my beloved band... I can accept change, I lived through Fuyu no castanet, the sudden lightness that came with Peep Show, the loss of Gara's calligraphy and Nero's glasses but this is just too much. Gara does not do deathvoice, he does not rap (considering this was a man who would only ever sing until a few years ago) and they don't dress like they stumbled out of the nearest rubbish bin.

Gara said tonight that they were going to become an even more amazing band but if by 'amazing' he means 'controlled by free will' it will be heartbreaking. I am heartbroken after 9 years... my friends who were with me tonight too... absolutely heartbroken

[jani_kun]

Wow, cool that you were able to go to the show!!! :D What was the Kinema song like?

I'm kind of ambiguous towards them nowadays...I mean the old stuff clicked with me instantly, but their music in the past 1-2 years grew on me very slowly (and there's some that didn't at all XD). I don't know in details about all this change and stuff but as long as they don't overwork themselves and have fresh/cool ideas, I'll totally be sticking with them. :)

[gothicmaidchii]

Unbalance Kinema is a lot of fun. The melody is catchy and it feels a little nostalgic, European almost. It is a very good example of the 'retrock' Merry aim(ed) for. :)

mmm, I think I am still in shock so if my words appeared aggressive it isn't aimed at you at all and rather my shock and disappointment at the band. Perhaps I am overreacting a little but it just wasn't what we were expecting. A nasty shock, to put it another way.

[jani_kun]

Unbalance Kinema sounds cool from what you wrote (I imagined that it's kind of "retrock"-y from the title)! :)

And no problem at all, opinions are opinions! For now, I like the sample and just thrilled that there's something new...whether I'll like the full thing or not, well, time will tell.

[sads666]

Hijacking this thread but as a long time fan of 9 years as well, I was shocked when I saw the preview; my 1st impression is '(present) Dir en grey'? No catchy melodies that Merry is known for; just noise and death growls. Even 'underworld' has a melody! And the random black and white images dispersed through the PV is similar to the style of alot of DEG's PVs. Their recent cover of the Blue hearts's '皆殺しのメロディー' sounds much more like a 'Merry' song than this travesty. I always thought "Unbalance Kinema" would be a new single, since they had 2 lives promoting it (kinda, since they did perform that song then and the title of the live is unbalanced "kinema as well") and now "the cry against..." came out of nowhere. This abrupt change might really have something to do with the change to Free Will. Any ideas on why they change? Victor seems to give them alot of freedom after all, with an album like 'Underworld' (and the cover) for a mainstream release. Tho '冬のカスタネット' sounds like a decision on Victor's part and the last 3 singles (from Victor) seems to be tacked onto the end of 'Underworld'; they don't fit into the album as a whole at all.

And the official merch for the 'Merry or Die' live I saw at the official site looks like a blatant cash grab; its just a black t-shirt with the words (in Times New Roman font I think) 'Merry or Die' in white. No graphics and no heart putted into the design of the merch at all. What is happening? And I have been suspecting that their fanbase is dwindling; their tour final for 'M.E.R.R.Y.' was at Yokohama Stadium but for 'Underworld'? Ebisu Liquid room, which is a fricking small venue. Looking back at 2003, they headlined Beautifool's fest with Mucc and now Mucc has played Nippon Budokan and Gazette overtook them and played stadiums and Yoyogi Gym, which is a huge venue. And the lack of official releases (via Victor) since 'Underworld' made me worry. As much as I love Merry and actually went to Japan just to watch their lives last year and the year before that, this new direction does not bode well for my enthusiasm for them.

Oh, and Jani Kun, the CORE members only portion of the website is open to the public till 20th June; you may want to do an update.

[jani_kun]

Updated with the CORE-info, thanks!

To me, the sample sounds like regular heavy Merry, actually (like if they mixed the group-growl part of Japanese Modernist with a song like Lost Generation).

[sads666]

Well, like I said, if you go thru all of Merry's 'heavy' songs, there is BOUND to be a melody or catchy sing-along chorus in it, just like "Japanese Modernist" and "Lost Generation" that you had cited; "The Cry against..." doesnt. And take in mind that the last release 'Identity' is melodious and catchy as hell so this new song is a 180 degree turn. Its just a preview, I know, but previews are supposed to showcase the best part of a song and most of the time, its the chorus. If that preview is the best part, I'll pass. And this is coming from someone who loved them enough to buy all their DVDs, even the mail order and FC (2nd from Closet Child) ones; I don't spend any $ on any other band. At all. Well, other than that Cali gari DVD boxset (that I posted in the cali gari community *winkwink*) that I am still trying to think of means and ways to get.

Sigh. (about the Merry's new direction, not not able to get cali gai's DVD XD )

[jani_kun]

Yeah, I guess you're right about the melodious part...well, it's just a preview, so we'll see! I still have hope. :)

(and yes, that cali gari boxset would be orgasmic to get, haha :D)

[mousoucarnival]

Just my two cents, but a name change like this is as often as not for legal reasons (like Kagrra, and their comma after they went major, etc.) so I'm currently wondering at their split from Victor, if they made the choice to leave, or just what all happened. Or maybe it's entirely arbitrary, who's to say? Sadly, based on what I know about how they do things in Japan, I'm not sure we'll ever know the full details there. (I just use the example of their pretty-much-dead label page since UNDERWORLD dropped last year...)

Again, to anyone reading this, I was not there, so this is pure educated speculation on my part.

ETA: Typing fail, apologies.

[gothicmaidchii]

To my knowledge they left Victor voluntarily. I was wondering but checked with some industry people I know and got told it was a voluntary thing...but they were using メリー　before Victor. Actually the logo they are dropping is the one from pre-Victor...and they used メリー　on Identity, which was released on their own label. Then again they are changing Jimusho from Frocks to Sun-krad so perhaps it is indeed for legal reasons if they are changing their whole management team. But also I think a mix of things are at play here such as Free Will wanting to make their clean break and perhaps breaking the foreign market.

[lazialef86]

I feel you. I've only been a fan of theirs a fraction of that time and I am utterly heart-broken as well. I figured they'd been dropped by Victor and back to being indies, but why Free Will? Has their fanbase dimished that much?

No wonder Yuu's been so silent lately, I'm sure he's the most heart-broken. That song? I can't even believe anyone in Merry would have written that. If that is what it takes to make it in the VK business these days then they might as well quit. Because it's all shit. I can't stand any current VK bands and now it seems Merry will be one of them. What the hell happened is what I'd like to know. They put out stuff that's nothing short of brilliant last year and what do they get in return? Nothing, except this shit. I hate the music business.

[gothicmaidchii]

I pretty much feel the same about the new music. I find it hard to believe it was written by anyone in Merry; it is so different from anything they have put out before. Or perhaps, written by them but with heavy direction from FW.

Their fanbase was actually strengthening after last year and I imagine that is what attracted FW to them. FW alas are just bad news. If you compare for example, old 12012 or old Rentrer en Soi to what they became under Free Will is rather shocking.

The labels have a depressing amount of control over image, sound and wotnot. One of my other bands is Ayabie, who went major last year. Their major sound was such a departure it could only be under strict label direction. They even introduced key changes to the final chorus of each of their three singles, which was something they had never used before in over 5 years. I fear for Merry I really do.

Oh and your comment, 'If that's what it takes to make it in the VK business these days'... well men who make money from music realised that what sells big is either the SID sound or the Gazette sound. It seems they are trying to squash this rather square sheep shaped peg into a Gazette shaped hole.

[lazialef86]

I just don't understand why they would sign with FW. They've released plenty of stuff on their own label, so why can't they keep doing that? Unless they themselves want to get bigger and think that's not possible without a bigger label. Or maybe it's the VK mafia telling them what to do because they want to profit from their success. It just sickens me... I can't even go back to the new OHP, because it makes me want to cry.

Merry was my one exception, when it came to VK, because they have actual talent and make great music that sounds like no one else out there, VK or otherwise. I love pretty much every song they've ever made and it's thanks to the quality of songwriting. Now it feels like we can kiss it all goodbye. I hope they can turn things around, because if they go down that path then I will lose respect for them as musicians.

[sianface]

I could be wrong but.... Sarah? XD

[gothicmaidchii]

hello :D

How did you know it was me? :D

[sianface]

I have secret magical psychic powers XDD