Excalibur

Nil, led by Malice Mizer's first and most underappreciated vocalist, Tetsu, is a band whose music is easily classified as rock - not punk rock, goth rock, or alternative rock - just plain, simple rock. That's a rarity nowadays, and this album is a continuation of nil's strict musical formula. You'll find little else on these songs besides a minimalistic guitar-bass-drums ensemble. Tetsu's voice seems both polished and raw, controlled and unrestrained. It's a huge difference from his work in Malice Mizer, where he was simply raw and unrestrained. There's no showing-off or virtuosity here, but the melodies are tuneful, and Tetsu has a unique charisma about him. My only complaint is that the songs all carry a medium-paced tempo rather than spilling out the fast, rhythmic rock nil is so good at, but overall, this album is satisfying.