Gackt Setsugekka ( The End Of Silence Review)

Gackt is without a doubt one of the most popular celebrities in Japan.  He is a famed actor and a great singer in Japan and has developed a cult following all over the world.  I personally, have come to be a fan of most of his music.  He has a lot of good rock songs as well as some good ballads.  One my favorite songs from him is the rock ballad, (Setsugekka- The End of Silence).  

The first thing I really like about this song is the build up intro.  The intro starts off real soft and subtle with the piano and then when the drums come in, it really sets up the rest of the song well.  Sometimes, these kind of intro's can drag out and make the listener board, but this is intro has just the right amount of time to it.  Gackt does an amazing job singing on this song.  He is really good at projecting the songs mood through singing and in this song he demonstrates that very well.  Another thing I like about this song is the chorus in it.  It is heavy, yet very powerful, and really captures the sorrowful mood of the song.  The violin in this song is a great and is a unique twist musically.  In music today, it is usually the guitar that is the lead instrument in rock and metal.  While that is certainly not a bad thing at all, it is still cool hear a different instrument become the lead every once in a while.  This violin solo that shows up after the second chorus is great, it sounds great and matches the music perfectly.  This is one of my favorite songs that uses violin in it.  

Lyrically, this is a great sorrowful song. It is about losing someone you love deeply and missing that person.  The way the message is conveyed is done very well and feels very personal.  Gackt typically does a great job with writing his lyrics and this song is no exception.  The Phrases really work well with the melody and that really helps to make the message stand out.   Some people don't know how important phrases are, but without good phrases, the songs message can get lost and as a result your audience can get confused on what your message is.  For this song though, there is no such thing,  the phrases are good and you completely understand what message Gackt is trying to get across. 

This is without a doubt one of, if not, my favorite Gackt songs.  The music is fantastic, a nice combination of heavy and melodic melodies that really work well together.  The violin gives a unique take that isn't common in metal, but is well executed.  The lyrics are well composed and people can easily relate to them if they have lost a loved one.  I give (Setsugekka) a 5 out of 5.