Coldrain Envy Review

I remember hearing this band for the first time when I came across their song We're Not Alone.  I thought the song was pretty good and it caused me to listen to the band from time to time.  Little by little the band grew on me and I got more into them.  However, it wouldn't be until Envy that I really got into this band.

Right at the beginning, the song hooked me with the intro.  The guitar riff, the drums, and the energy at the beginning of the song is amazing.  Sugi starts the song off with that cool opening riff that carries the intro.  Then YKC plays a pretty awesome guitar solo half way through that leads to a heavy verse.  Here, the guitar work continues to be heavy and energetic and to match that energy, Masato busts out some heavy screaming vocals.  The chorus is pretty good as well, this is where the clean vocals take over and it carries the entire chorus.  The bridge is more slow and softer on the energy, but it does fit in to the song very well and doesn't feel out of place.  The ending of this song is a great way to end the song.  YKC busts out a good solo and Masato supports the him by adding some vocal work that operates more as background rather then the main focus.  This guitar solo isn't super technical or over the top, but it sounds good and it really works well with the tone of the music. When it comes to the music, this song is solid.  

The lyrics in the song are good to vent to if you are angry at someone and feel they have wronged you.  The lyrics are about someone who is in a feud with someone the person thought was a friend and then the person feels that the friend betrayed them and now they don't get along. The lyrics flow well I didn't feel like any lines were out of place or unneeded.  I also like this message because it is something that everyone can relate to.  Everyone feels that they have been betrayed by someone at one point in their life and they need someway to let that anger out.  I think this song is a healthy way to let the anger out without getting mad at the wrong person of picking the wrong battle to fight with the person who wronged you.  

Weather you are a metal head, a rocker, or angry and need some way to vent, this is a song you should check out.  With really good music that makes you want to head bang and lyrics that helps you vent your anger, this one solid song.  Coldrain was already gaining momentum in Japan and world wide, but this song gained them a lot of traction and rightfully so.  I give Envy a 4.5 out of 5.     

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Cinderella Shake Me Review

A lot of things happened for metal in the 80's. Many people have argued that it was when the genre was at it's peek in terms of popularity.  If you look at all the hits of the 80's you certainly can make a good case for that.  This genre would come to be known as Glam Metal or Hair Metal.  Since then, there has been a divide on how this genre is viewed.  Some people call these bands posers, pretty boys, sell outs, and basically a disgrace to metal.  However, others say that these bands put out some of the best musicians in metal history and if it wasn't for them, metal never would of expanded its audience.  I personally fall in the second category and one band that executed it pretty well was Cinderella with Shake Me.

The first thing I would like to point out is Tom Keifer's voice.  This guys reminds me of ACDC when he sings.  He has that same kind of voice as Brian Johnson, high pitch screeching and he pulls it off very well.  I personally think he would of been a better choice to replace Brian Johnson in ACDC then Axl Rose.  The other great thing about this song is the guitar playing.  Tom Keifer and Jeff Labar do some great lead soloing in this song.  Guitar playing like this is what I like this era of metal.  These bands played their hearts out musically and a lot of the best and most influential guitar playing came out of the 80's and this song show cases that amazingly. 

As far as the lyrics go, this is the one area I will agree with critics of this genre on.  A lot of the songs that came out hair metal were about having sex and partying from a lyrical stand point and this song  followed that trend.  The lyrics are very generic 80's rock lyrics and the message doesn't stand out at all from anyone else.  However, to the bands credit, the lyrics do flow well and they work well with the music that the band is playing.  

While the lyrics are very generic and don't stand out, the music is superb.  The band has great musicianship and they deliver some great guitar solos.  Overall, this song is a great example of what 80's hair metal had to offer.  If you are looking some good guitar work, this one song you should check out.  I give Shake Me a 3.5 out of 5.  

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Dadaroma Dendrobium Review

Dadaroma is a band that is making headway in the visual kei scene.  Forming in 2014, they have developed an image of a dark circus band over the years with songs and music videos like Risely Circus,  The Kinky, and their latest single, Dendrobium.  The singer portrays himself as a dark, scary looking clown and their music sounds like a combo metal and carnival music.  Giving them, one of the more unique styles in visual kei.

The main intro to this song is pretty cool, the guitar in the intro  is a great way to get you hooked into the song.  The verse takes a little more of a darker feel, with the mysterious sounding vocals coming in to play.  This leads into a heavy pre chorus that makes you think you in for a big chorus.  However, this is where the songs gets weak for me.  They have this big build up that makes you think your in for a loud, big chorus and instead they drop the energy in the chorus.  It doesn't sound bad, but the way the energy drops hurts the chorus for me.  I do like the way the bridge plays out though.  The vocals sound great in that section and the combination of eerie music and heavy guitar sounds pretty cool.  Overall, the music is solid, but not great, certainly not the best this band has done in my opinion.

The lyrics in this song kinda play out like a love song. It seems like the message is about love being more of a necessity of life rather then a feeling.  This would make sense, because the title of the song, Dendrobium, is a flower that is attached to trees and needs trees to survive and when they bloom it is beautiful.  I have heard some people say that the song is actually about wanting sex but no relationship.  Given some of the bands other songs, I can see why people would interpret that but I don't think that is the case with this song.  The lyrics do flow pretty well but they are repetitive at times.  For example, the entire bridge is just one line being repeated, "She's a girl who wants real love song".  It is sung differently so it doesn't sound overly repetitive but I would of added one more line to the bridge.  Overall though, the lyrics work well.

The intro and verses to the song are great but the lower energy chorus hurts the song a little bit.  The lyrics are a little repetitive, but the flow is good and message is very interesting.  While I don't think it is this band's best song, I do enjoy listening to it and recommend checking it out.   I give Dendrobium a 3.5 out of 5.  

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Top 5 Queensryche Songs

5.  Take Hold of The Flame

I remember when my Dad got me the Warning album as a kid and how awesome it was.  I loved every song off that record and I consider it one of my first introductions to rock and metal music.  While I love all the songs on that record, the one that always stood out to me most was Take Hold Of The Flame. The soft opening makes you think your getting into a ballad and then the heavy intro comes in and the combined power of Geoff Tate's vocals and guitars blew me away.  The guitar riffs in the intro hooked me and I couldn't stop listening from then on.  The chorus is very cool in this song as well.  The combination of Geoff Tates vocals and the back up vocals of the rest of the band makes a very memorable chorus you can't help but to sing along with.

4.  I Don't Believe In Love

The guitar work really carries this song for me.  The combined guitar playing of Chris Degarmo and Michael Wilton is sounds awesome throughout the entire song.  They are able to bring a style of emotional and mystery that makes this song for me.  The mystery feel shows in the verses and then they bust out emotion in their guitar solos.  The two guitarists really brought their a game to this song.  Eddie Jackson's bass playing in this song is pretty superb as well. The notes are simple, but the way he plays them really works well with the mystery feel to the song.

3.  Jet City Woman

 

Geoff Tate's does a great job show casing his softer side in this song.  His vocals give a great emotional vibe that sounds and feels sincere.  Eddie Jackson delivers some great bass work in this song as well.  His bass intro at the beginning is really catchy and is a good build for the song.  The best part of this song, for me though, is the guitar playing of Chris Degarmo.  His melodic playing really caries this song through and his solo is very solid and superb in this song.

2.  Eyes of A Stranger

This song was a great way to wrap up to the Operation Mindcrime album.  The dual guitar playing in the intro and guitar solos in this song sounds really cool and has a dark feel that really sets up the rest of the song.  The depression in the verse and then the anger of the chorus and second verse works together very well and does a great job letting you know the fate of the protagonist in the albums story.  The structure of the song is very well executed and creates one of the most memorable songs of the album. 

1.  Queen Of The Reich

 

The opening for this song amazing and  it lead to a very cool guitar riff in the main intro.  The main intro is a great metal opening riff and leads into a heavy verse and a powerful chorus.  Geoff Tate sounds really cool in the songs chorus when he hits that long note at the end.  This then leads into a cool dual solo that then goes into one of  Chris Degarmo's best solo's, in my opinion.  The combination of speed and melodic playing is awesome and is very memorable.  Making this one of the best debut songs for a metal band.  

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Therion Birth of Venus Illegitima Review

Therion is a band that has had many changes in their long career.  Having gone through over 20 members and putting out 16 albums they have done a lot over time.  When a band has so many changes, it can lead to a lot of debate over which era is the best.  For a lot of people thought, this band started to really reach their full potential with Birth of Venus Illegitima.

This isn't one of the heaviest songs I have ever heard, but the mysterious tone of the song does catch my interest and keeps me listening to the song all the way through.  The vocals in this song are very impressive.  The male backgrounds vocals sound great and add a real chilling feel to the song that I think works very well.  Martina Astner did a great job on lead vocals for this song.  Her opera style vocals sounds great  and really helps to carry the song.  The the music is simple but it does work well with the song.  The musicians knew not to go to crazy musically otherwise it would hurt the feel they were going for.  The guitar solo continues with the simplicity and like the rest of the music, it doesn't try to hard and in this song, that is a good thing.  Overall, this song has a very mysterious feel to it that I enjoy.

The lyrics in this song are a bit of a mix bag for me.  They flow very well and a executed with great excellence by the vocals, but they are also very repetitive and don't go anywhere.  I get that they are singing about the Goddess Aphrodite (AKA Venus) but because both verses are exactly the same and there isn't really a bridge to help add on to the lyrics, it kind of falls short of an overall story or message.  I get the sense that the music and tone of the song was a bigger priority than than the lyrics.  

Overall, this song delivers some good music and great vocals.  The vocals really carry this song well and I got plenty of enjoyment listening to them.  The guitar solo was good in it's simplicity and kept to the songs tone well.  However, the lyrics didn't do much for me and as a result hurt the song a little for me.  Having said that, if you are looking for a mysterious sounding song, I recommend giving this song a listen to.  I give Birth of Venus Illegitima a 3.5 out of 5.  

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Alia Hide and Seek Review

Alia a new band to the JRock scene, debuting back in July 2018, this band is a little less then a year old.  However, they are gaining traction and are starting to get more global attention then most bands this young do.  This is partly due to some well placed advertising. They put out an add to promote themselves on Instagram and that surprisingly got them a decent amount of attention on a global scale.  However, their single, Hide and Seek, is also a pretty good song.

One thing I really like about this song is how well all the instruments blend well together in this song.  You got guitar, violin, and keyboards all doing their own tricks and lead lines through out the song, yet nothing is overpowering everything else and the instruments all work well together. This is mainly due to Okamua Eren who handled the composition for this song.  He clearly did a great job and paid great attention to detail.  I like the melodic violin playing of Rina in the intro of this song.  It has nice melodic feel to it that really works well with the keyboarding of TKT.  His playing in the intro and verses is constant and flows very well.  He's playing a lot of notes but it's not over the top and works very well with the tone of the song.  I also like the guitar solo that is played by Okamura Eren.  It isn't the most technical solos I have ever heard, but his execution is well done and his playing is very solid.  The vocal work of Ayame is very impressive.  Her melodic, yet energetic voice is perfect for this kind of music.  Her singing works hand in hand with the music to a degree I haven't heard that often in a lot of my favorite music. It is really interesting to me how much is going on and nothing sounds out of place, very impressive.

  The lyrics are uplifting and about finding yourself and not being ashamed of it.  The lyrics flow very well and really do a good job of getting it's message across.  This is mainly due to TKT, who wrote the lyrics for this song.  He clearly put a lot of work into how these lyrics would sound and play out, even to a point that Ayame could execute these lyrics very well.  I get a sense that he spent a lot of time making sure that these lyrics fit well with her singing ability and that isn't easy to pull off.  

Alia is off to a great start with this song.  They are clearly very talented and have a great chemistry as a band.  If they keep this up, I can see them having a very successful career.  Hide and Seek has great music, great vocals, and great lyrics.  I give Hide and Seek a 5 out of 5.  

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The Winking Owl Try Review

I consider The Winking Owl as a band of constant improvement.  While not the biggest band in the JRock scene, they are one of the most solid.  Their music gets better with with each album and you can tell that they put a lot of work into their music.  They continue to show that with one of their latest singles, Try.

If there is one parts of this song I really like, it is the intro.  I really like the melodic lead guitar playing combined with the heavier rhythm guitar.  Yoma continues to display great guitar work in his playing.  He isn't one of the fastest guitar players I have ever listened to, but his melodic style works very well and delivers guitar solos with a lot of emotion behind them. He is a musician driven more by feeling rather then displaying technique.  The drumming in this song is also very good. Kent keeps a good beat and is very energetic.  Luiza continues to display some great singing in this song.  Her melodic voice is great and works very well with the inspiration feel this song is going for. 

As far as the lyrics go, The Winking Owl continues their uplifting style.  The song is basically about realizing your full potential and pushing to achieve it.  The flow of the lyrics works very well and they communicate their message very effectively.  Some people criticize them for not singing in English more like they did with Open Up My Heart.  I do think that  Luiza sounds good singing in English, but I'm not picky about language as long as it sounds good and is set for a good delivery, vocally.  The lyrics in this songs do just that and it makes the feel of the message really stand out.    

This song is very uplifting and has a good energy to it.  If you are feeling down and need something to lift you up, or you want to feel inspired, then this is a song you need to check out.  It has a good message and the melodic feel will put you  in a good mood.  If The Winking Owl continues to make songs like this, I see a great future for them.  I give Try a 4.5 out of 5.  

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