Review by Jordan Cable

I first heard this album for the first time the month it came out. At first, I was quite disappointed because it sounded nothing like their previous works. However, after receiving this album as a gift five months later, I decided to give it another listen and I am very glad I did. It still has the shoegazing rock feel that they are known for however it has a lot of electronic and dreamy space-like feel. It doesn't have any metal feel like their earlier albums but, it truly is something else for all COTD fans. If you enjoyed their past albums like "No Thank You" and "newave", this album is right up your ally.

This is an amazing piece of work. For fans of older MUCC, this single will please you. It takes heavy elements from pre-"Zekuu", which is quite noticeable during the first 44 seconds of "Libra", the main track. Tatusurou has always been one of my favorite vocalists and this song shows how great of a vocalist he is. The verses are very unique, showing not much of a singing melody but rather just him speaking the verses. Eventually, the chorus kicks in. I will say right now, I have not been a good fan of MUCC and quit listening in 2005 after they released "Ame no Orchestra" but, this single is my personal comeback to them. It does not have the screaming I became fond of but the song itself is so strong and intense. They make you like the chorus the second round as the last half is almost apocalyptic. The strings, choir-like atmosphere, Tatsurou shouting. The song eventually just fades out. That's my only problem. I wish it had a more original ending but there's always hope for an album version. If their new album is as good as this, i'll most definitely consider buying it. Welcome back, MUCC.

I'll give D'espairsRay credit. It's a really good album but it doesn't surpass Coll:Set in my honest opinion. I fell in love with their first full-length album because it was very dark and more industrial. This album is a good follow up but it's not the same D'espairsRay I learned to love. This time, they have become more of a radio-friendly industrial pop sound (which you can see on their single before Squall and their new single Trickstar). That's not to say it's wrong. It must be hard to make a sophmore album. In fact, they still keep with their dark industrial elements, just not as fantastic as what we heard in Coll:Set. This album does reach better heights with Hizumi's vocals though. The intro track, Damned, is the most remarkable track on the album. Another honorable mention is Angeldust, which also highlights his wonderful vocals. The new album version of Screen really shows off their more technical side which is needed for this album. I am just very thankful they put Closer to Ideal on the album as the song is intense during the last half. Overall, it's still a very very good album. I've only listened to it a couple times and plan to listen more.