Review by trohorse

Honestly after sampling the tracks through their main site, I thought this album was going to be just another average album release so I bought this album with a tinge of skepticism. Even the PV sample didn't sound very impressive. However I was suprised by the songs in the album. In fact mre than half of the 10 track album sounded great. The main track for the album, Sakura Zukiyo was in fact great. It has such a yearning feel to it. After Shizuku, I thought the band was getting a little shaky with their album release. Core made that thought even more real but this album renewed my confidence in their album release. Lets be honest here. Core wasn't a great release at all though it still had that flavour to it. Shu though has exceeded my expectations. It sounds great from start to finish. I'm regretting a little not getting the limited edition one because I thought it wouldn't be worth it. With the tracks released on the singles aside, many of the songs stand out pretty well. Songs like Paraizo, Ren and Towani. With so many albums and singles being released by so many bands in these recent months, this album is a definite must buy. If you never liked neo-japanesque stuff though just stay away.

I had high expectations for their album release since Mirror was so fantastic. Luckily I wasn't let down. The album starts of very well. However the last 3 songs were very bizarre. Old fans of D'espairsRay will definitely be confounded by the change in melody after Masquerade. Horizon was already tough in enough for most fans to stomach though I personally found it pretty nice but Yozora really takes the cake in most displaced song in the album. Though I don't really mind bands making changes in their musical direction, such a poppy sounding composition really is a tad extreme. However with that aside, the start to the middle of the album sounded fantastic. Kohaku is a real gem. Overall its still a very good album.

For fans who loved the old 12012 with all its darkness and gloom, you will be totally disappointed. This album and the previous one have marked the musical direction the band is probably heading towards. From the looks of it they probably won't be returning to those visual-kei days. That aside, this album is pretty decent. The 1st track was a complete shocker because it was very unexpected. It just doesn't feel right to hear such a party-styled song in a 12012 album even with the music direction they are headed. However, the next track gave me assurance that the band has not totally lost its mind. Sadly, besides the songs previously released as single, there aren't any strong trademark A-Side songs in the album to hold it up. I was a little disappointed in that. The other new tracks are pretty alright but aren't good enough to make an A-Side single. The extra track in this album was way better than the bonus track in Diamond. So I reckon this a better buy than the limited edition since the bonus MV is a re-made version of an older song(Aitai Kara). This is a decent release from the band but I hope they could come out with an even better album in future. They have not lived up to the potential they possess for this album.

I expected more from the album. Though some songs are pretty nice, I think the album is only slightly above average at best. The song lacks a nice ballad.

Very Lively atmosphere. I'm impressed by Hizumi's singing during LIVE concerts. Most singers cannot hold their pitch well during concerts but Hizumi manages to pull of alot of his singing very well and he manages to pump the crowd up as well. The instruments also do a great job of moving the crowd. More importantly, the band plays tight and showcases their songs really well.

I was actually quite hyped up by the prospects of dio releasing a new album. However the album didn't really live up to my expectations. First of all there are too few songs on the album. Furthermore many of the songs are remakes of previously released songs. No doubt the older releases were good but most of the retakes on such songs just don't feel very spectacular. The newer songs on the album also feel abit rushed out. I think they could have been better though some of the songs were pretty nice. However, one song that caught my attention was the album rendition of last dance. I prefered this edition to the original one. It was given a big makeover and I thought it was a brilliant remake.

I was a little disappointed by the release. I thought as a final release, RES would have nailed this down. However only the first 2 tracks were to my liking. The remainig tracks just didn't make the cut. If you felt that Last Scene was the only good song then getting Ain Soph Aur would be a better idea since its also included in that Best Of album. I had high hopes for this mini-album but with the exception of Last Scene and Crusade, the other songs just ddn't make the grade.

This album pretty up sums up the entire band. It is a chronical of how the band has shifted in its musical direction. If theres one album you have to get from RES, its this best of album. The 2 new songs on the album also sound great. However I'm a little disappointed that Unending Sanctuary and Anima Mundi were not included in this album but the other songs more than made up for it.

Its a hide release. And you can't go too far wrong with a hide release. While Yoshiki is a great composer, often times, hide is overshadowed by him in X and his own compositions never really shine through. Hide's songs have a unique feel to them and in this album, he experiments and pulls off many great tracks along the way. This album showcases hide's composition talent very well and many of the songs sound great. Whether you're a fan or not, I would highly recommend getting this album for the sheer listening pleasure the album gives.

Great looking. Love it. Stylish. Feels great to be seen with it. Sexpot Revenge rocks. I'll continue with my support.

Great looking. Love it. Stylish. Feels great to be seen with it. Sexpot Revenge rocks. I'll continue with my support.

Great looking. Love it. Stylish. Feels great to be seen with it. Sexpot Revenge rocks. I'll continue with my support.

Great looking. Love it. Stylish. Feels great to be seen with it. Sexpot Revenge rocks. I'll continue with my support.

Great looking. Love it. Stylish. Feels great to be seen with it. Sexpot Revenge rocks. I'll continue with my support.

The first few songs to the album were pretty good. However, I thought some of the songs towards the end of the album could have been slightly better. The inclusion of a trademark ballad would have made this a stronger release from the band and I would have given this a 4 instead. However, the song came short in the 'slow song' department.

Versailles have constantly impressed through their intricate compositions and technical skills. The album ranges from fast, shredding songs to mellow ballads. The album is pretty well balanced in this aspect and thus doesn't sound overly heavy. Its a pretty solid symphonic metal release. While I like the album, I have worries that the band's sound is beginning to sound too 'monotonous'. The songs are beginning to feel similar hence the 4 instead of 5 stars. Hopefully with future releases, the grandiose sound would still be there albeit with a more different feel to it.

This is definitely a big leap from their previous album release(Marrow of a Bone). While many would still flame them for producing weird/thrashy/noisy songs, I like the direction they are heading. Unlike many albums released these days which are reliant on the A-Side songs, the B-side songs for this album hold up very well. Inconvenient Ideal and Doukoku to Sarinu are just a couple of the B-side songs I liked. While this album would have its share of critics, I would still highly rate this album as one of the best JRock release for 2008.

I got this album after hearing Ouka and Schwarzchild. It was abit of a gamble and I wasn't too disappointed. The songs on this album aren't mainstream enough for the common listener to love. However it would provides a good listen for most JRock lovers. Amidst the melodious works, the band showcases plenty of individual skills. The only minus is how some of the songs just sound weird to me. I would say some of their works are more an acquired taste.

Lets face it. Merry's LIVE are never short of boring. In fact, they are one of the few bands out there who can REALLY perform LIVE. Gara's stage antics always spice the show up and he can do all that while singing without going off pitch. Few bands can sing well during LIVEs now and Merry's one of the few. Their instrumentalists are fantastic too. Though their music isn't very mainstream, their stage acts are very professionally done.

As compared to their previous album, Alpha is a much stronger album. However it could have done better with stronger side-tracks though this time round the side-tracks are alot better. The instrumental at the end also sounded great. Overall, it can be seen that alice nine is getting better with their music. Hopefully they don't just stagnate at this point...