PureVolume

JROCK REVIEW #1 - EXIST TRACE "Vanguard - of the muses -" mini album

www.myspace.com/existxtrace

If you are new to the band, then this album may not where you want to start off. I recommend getting Recreation Eve, thier first full album which basically is a collection of thier best songs remastered. This is thier newest works. I was eageredly waiting for this as I've been following they haven't released anything new since..I think 2007? So let's hop into it:

"VANGUARD" - 9.5/10 - This song is by far the most catchiest. The best part of the song is the second verse when the band stops playing and Jyo is just singing alone and then the band comes back in. The chorus is epic sounding with hard hitting thumping drums.

"ROUGE" - 6.5/10 - This song is kind of bland to me. The main riff is "eh" at best. The part after before the third verse where they just stop playing and allowing their guitars to ring out does little to help the song. When the outro hits, this is when the song really takes off. Too bad it's like only a minute...

"Hana No Sakanai Machi" -10/10. Way to pick it up again! The intro just start off bizarre sounding like  when aliens appear on screen. Then there is a slight let up before the verse comes in to give the song even more power. The breakdown of this song is perfect maintaing interest and edge to the song. Then, the chorus! SIMPLY BEAUTIFUL! FLAWLESS! ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC! The only problem I had with the song is the outro. I felt they should have ended hard like they came in, but it's not enough to drop it a point.

"Requiem" - 7/10 - I like this song b/c it feels like something I would play for my works.lol.It has this wierd distorted circus sounding guitar part echoing in the background of the verses. Brilliant.  The chorus is very heartfelt, but not as catchy. This song however, feels like its all on the same level. I don't feel more excited or at ease during any distinct part. 

Orleans-no-shoujo - 9.5/10 LOVE the intro. This made me think Jyo was going to scream, but I love it also when jrockers seem to throw up on the mic instead. It's actualy kind of cool. lol The pre chorus is really awesome with the drum pattern. Jyo has really been working hard at singing b/c it shows a lot in this song. It has a great groove seeming very bouncy, but still continuing to be heavy sound. The chorus still not as catchy as others on this album, but is definitely distinct and memorable.

Lost In Helix - 6.5/10 Great vocals, but it just wasn't that strong compared to the other songs. It kind of bored me a little after the first minute and 1/2. The chorus is probably the weakest to me on the album. But still a well constructed and emotional song. It just feels like it is missing something and I can't seem to put my finger on it.

Overall, 8.1/10. I like the mini album and changes but I'm sad they traded in their hard sound. I miss screams and sure there are some in here, but I was expecting at least one really hardcore screaming song. Nonetheless, the band has come back strong with this mini album and I hope they continue down this path but incoporate some of the screams and harder sounds they had in the past. These songs definitely sound more refined then their older works so kudos.

Pros

+ Strong vocals

+ Catchy songs

Cons

- for the fans of thier older work, you may miss the screams (they were really good)

- Some of the guitar riffs are bland

[Tell me what you think of my reviews. I review an album every week]

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