Woots! My first purchase as an online shopper...
arrived last Friday! I bought the CD (Crying Starts stand Proud) from CDJapan and it actually arrived by EMS on Wednesday. Unfortunately I was not at home then and had to pick it up from the Pasir Panjang post office on Friday.
haha as requested, the scans of the CD Jacket are under the cut:
Haha lighting wise, I dunno why Syu's shots are so "olulu" XD I thought he was using his regular guitar as that dim lighting makes it hard to see that he is using the 7-string one >_<
As a whole, I is happie that I got the CD =)
Yoz ppl! here is my super long subjective/ objective review! My two cents is free!!
Syu's a guitarist who knows how to treat his bassists well ^_^ was pleasantly surprised that the bass parts feature strongly in every song, unlike in some cases where the bassist can hardly be heard until they play their solo (if any at all >_<) Also, am impressed by the "street cred" of the people involved in the album. Everyone's absolutely a genius at their respective instruments.
As a plus point for uniqueness, the bassists were all top-notch (good shredders, great usage of bass-wah etc..) and the singers (save for a bit of Japanese accent here and there), were able to sing in English very well (in fact IMHO, better than the originals in some songs).
Also the "foolproof" Syu-Junichi Satoh and Syu-Leda partnerships have never disappointed. After listening to this CD, I am beginning to really like Syu's playing chemistry with Taka as well.
Wells.. since this is after all, a guitarist's album... Firstly, the selection of songs in different styles neatly showcases why Syu is considered one of the top "Piro Piro" guitarists in Japan XD Great shredding speed, "back-of-the-hand" knowledge of how to manipulate different pedal effects, and very applicable solos. They are not repetitions of technical exercises but a showcase of how technical playing can be applied to rock-and-roll. Also straddling different fields seem to be no prob (from death metal to power metal and soft rock).
However, (this may be a bad or good thing) I feel a little that it gets too 'packed' at times. I was slightly reminded of the days when I was learning piano and my mum bought all those "model-playing" CDs for me to learn from LOL XD. In almost every song, there is a seamless stylistic change which, although refreshing, may make you want to go "dude, dude... okay I already know you rock" XD
Hmm.. so individual tracks wise... Listed a few tracks in particular and what I find good/ not so good =)
1. Street lethal - This is like speed drinking milkshake (er no bad images pls XD) Fast and smooth, Syu and Leda play their parts together as if they were one guitarist. And at one point, Syu, Leda and Masaki did a perfectly matched speed shred. (mans that was super tight!).
2. The Damnation game - Very rock-opera in style and very neo-classical in a good way =) Reminds me of Queen ^_^
3. Silverwing - Eh.. I am not a fan of Syu singing. Ok this is biased because its not that he is not a good singer. Its just that I can't imagine him singing XD Other than that this was also one of the songs I found too "packed".
5. We'll burn the sky - Starts with a chilling Santana-like melody =) I am beginning to like OHNO's voice on slower and softer songs.
6. Alone - Impressed by Akane Liv's pronunciation of English. But the "crash end" reminds me of a church band. Funny lol XD
8. Thoughts of a dying atheist - Syu doesn't sound too bad in this one. One of the songs that I can stand him singing lol XD But I dun like Yorimasa Histaka screaming in the chorus (er.. like drawing snake with legs =( But I love the way the song is "un-mused" and made more "spinalcord".
12. I REMEMBER YOU - ok this is in Caps because THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SONG I THINK! I had this on loop for so long!
Totally love the way Syu weaves the acoustic into this romantic soft-rock piece. I felt that the original guitar play was quite choppy but Syu's version is way smoother and much more easy to listen to. Oh no does a great job on the vocals as well. I don't know how to explain it but he makes the song "reach out" more than the original. I keep thinking Aerosmith meets Bryan Adams. Besides Syu's more gritty guitar tone and his country-feel bridging solos, Taka's bassing and Katsuji's drum rhythm, i feel, play important roles in retaining the song's American feel.
I love this piece also because it showcases a uniquely Galneryus touch while keeping the original "American rock" feel. Ok i can so totally imagine a 1980s American couple riding their Harley Davidson and sharing coca cola and kisses on a highway stopover XD
Final word: I could totally listen to this while having a mudpie in Hard Rock Cafe. Speaking of which... I miss their mudpie T_T
haha as requested, the scans of the CD Jacket are under the cut:
Haha lighting wise, I dunno why Syu's shots are so "olulu" XD I thought he was using his regular guitar as that dim lighting makes it hard to see that he is using the 7-string one >_<
As a whole, I is happie that I got the CD =)
Yoz ppl! here is my super long subjective/ objective review! My two cents is free!!
Syu's a guitarist who knows how to treat his bassists well ^_^ was pleasantly surprised that the bass parts feature strongly in every song, unlike in some cases where the bassist can hardly be heard until they play their solo (if any at all >_<) Also, am impressed by the "street cred" of the people involved in the album. Everyone's absolutely a genius at their respective instruments.
As a plus point for uniqueness, the bassists were all top-notch (good shredders, great usage of bass-wah etc..) and the singers (save for a bit of Japanese accent here and there), were able to sing in English very well (in fact IMHO, better than the originals in some songs).
Also the "foolproof" Syu-Junichi Satoh and Syu-Leda partnerships have never disappointed. After listening to this CD, I am beginning to really like Syu's playing chemistry with Taka as well.
Wells.. since this is after all, a guitarist's album... Firstly, the selection of songs in different styles neatly showcases why Syu is considered one of the top "Piro Piro" guitarists in Japan XD Great shredding speed, "back-of-the-hand" knowledge of how to manipulate different pedal effects, and very applicable solos. They are not repetitions of technical exercises but a showcase of how technical playing can be applied to rock-and-roll. Also straddling different fields seem to be no prob (from death metal to power metal and soft rock).
However, (this may be a bad or good thing) I feel a little that it gets too 'packed' at times. I was slightly reminded of the days when I was learning piano and my mum bought all those "model-playing" CDs for me to learn from LOL XD. In almost every song, there is a seamless stylistic change which, although refreshing, may make you want to go "dude, dude... okay I already know you rock" XD
Hmm.. so individual tracks wise... Listed a few tracks in particular and what I find good/ not so good =)
1. Street lethal - This is like speed drinking milkshake (er no bad images pls XD) Fast and smooth, Syu and Leda play their parts together as if they were one guitarist. And at one point, Syu, Leda and Masaki did a perfectly matched speed shred. (mans that was super tight!).
2. The Damnation game - Very rock-opera in style and very neo-classical in a good way =) Reminds me of Queen ^_^
3. Silverwing - Eh.. I am not a fan of Syu singing. Ok this is biased because its not that he is not a good singer. Its just that I can't imagine him singing XD Other than that this was also one of the songs I found too "packed".
5. We'll burn the sky - Starts with a chilling Santana-like melody =) I am beginning to like OHNO's voice on slower and softer songs.
6. Alone - Impressed by Akane Liv's pronunciation of English. But the "crash end" reminds me of a church band. Funny lol XD
8. Thoughts of a dying atheist - Syu doesn't sound too bad in this one. One of the songs that I can stand him singing lol XD But I dun like Yorimasa Histaka screaming in the chorus (er.. like drawing snake with legs =( But I love the way the song is "un-mused" and made more "spinalcord".
12. I REMEMBER YOU - ok this is in Caps because THIS IS MY FAVOURITE SONG I THINK! I had this on loop for so long!
Totally love the way Syu weaves the acoustic into this romantic soft-rock piece. I felt that the original guitar play was quite choppy but Syu's version is way smoother and much more easy to listen to. Oh no does a great job on the vocals as well. I don't know how to explain it but he makes the song "reach out" more than the original. I keep thinking Aerosmith meets Bryan Adams. Besides Syu's more gritty guitar tone and his country-feel bridging solos, Taka's bassing and Katsuji's drum rhythm, i feel, play important roles in retaining the song's American feel.
I love this piece also because it showcases a uniquely Galneryus touch while keeping the original "American rock" feel. Ok i can so totally imagine a 1980s American couple riding their Harley Davidson and sharing coca cola and kisses on a highway stopover XD
Final word: I could totally listen to this while having a mudpie in Hard Rock Cafe. Speaking of which... I miss their mudpie T_T