I have been looking for a Blood Stain Child live show for a long time. Being from Osaka and being famous in the west means that they don’t often come through to Tokyo, and the nature of the Metal industry in Japan means that When there are good lives they are not often at the most convenient times. When I found this event, I jumped on it.
It was one of those many band festival type events with BSC headlining. The downside was that BSC had a very short set, the upside is that i discovered 2 new bands.
full report after the jump.
Sever Black Paranoia.
The opening act of any live show is a bit of a toss up. Being first the crowd has no energy and therefore its hard to get them going, similarly the lack of crowd energy means the band generally never performs to any truly epic standard.
Sever Black Paranoia did spectacularly.
They were mindblowing. Absolutely brainspankingly brilliant!!!!!!
They take the Electro Metal sound that is rapidly developing in Japan these days to new directions, especially in the multimedia design department. They are not just a Metal band with electronic infusion. They are a multimedia act with Electronically infused Metal tying it together. It is not too easy adequately describe them, but basically You could call them the Daft Punk of metal. I don’t like the comparison too much mostly because I think Daft Punk sucks ass, but the future of SBP’s sound and act could potentially be that moving in the metal industry in Japan, possibly even overseas.
I spoke to a number of the band members after the show, but I spoke at length (and moshed with) the VJ, Shinji Akiyama. Amazing guy, and a great artist.
Yeah. These guys remind me of the first time I saw Ridarre av Koden (Elegy) back home. I knew immediately they would become huge, as I do with SBP. They can only get better and bigger and I want to see them develop as a band and as an act.
Truly awesome… and they were just the beginning.
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Amiliyah
Yah Yah Yah. After something as good as SBP I was brimming with anticipation for the next act Amiliyah. Two female vocalists harmonizing over rocking music. It sounded potentially brilliant. Sadly the reality couldn’t live up to it. Its not that they were a bad band. they were pretty good. But not brilliant. In addition their sound would go down better at a Tokyo Dark Castle not a metal gig. Its not so much a case of Goth VS Metal as much as the chemicals in ones brain induced by the two genres don’t mix. Especially the genki electrometal. After SBP, Amiliyah were as genki as a funeral. Gothloli rock just didn’t touch me on my studio.myspace
Dazzle Vision
With my energy levels approaching what they were at the start of the show, I was weary. Next up was a cute gyaru fronted band. I was not keen. But I paid for it so I was going to at least give them a go.
WOW! a complete turnaround from the depressing goths. The vocalist (Maiko)was tiny but brimming with confidence and positively overflowing with energy. She was a dynamo. With one of the most brutiful growls I have ever heard. Their sound reminded me a little of Decola Hopping but they were WAY more refined. They have released a whole lot more than Decopin and the experience shows. They had a lot of English in the lyrics as well which was a very nice surprise.
I stood there in awe. But As had been the case up till now, nobody looked like they could handle themselves in a mosh. Added to the fact that I don't know crap about the band, made me reluctant to chuck peeps around. In hindsight, I should have. It wasn't too bad though despite the lack of mosh. Maiko’s voice was thoroughly spellbinding so I got my fair share of fun out of their show.
I WILL definitely be seeing them again.
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Blood Stain Child
My reason for being here in the first place. The first truly awesome band that I found in Japan that didn’t rely on their image for record sales. They started out in the harder side of melodic death and progressively evolved their own unique sound through gradually adding electronic layers until they arrived somewhere nobody had ever been before.
Electro Metal or Electro Hardcore or Electremo or whatever the hell the genre is supposed to be called owes a lot of what it has become to the constant evolution in this band’s sound.
They had a big bad surprise for us. they picked up a new vocalist along the way on their European tour. it was her (YES, a WOMAN) first live. I was worried. How were they going to reconcile their beautiful brutality with clean female vocals. How would they be able to keep us stubborn metal types firmly entrenched in their pits?
They started off their set. It was powerful but the new vocalist seemed out of place. I got the mosh going with the help of a few likeminded souls, but it wasn't too sustainable. The new vocalist lacked the presence one expects from a quality act like BSC. 2nd song, same thing. They reworked a classic to suit clean female vocals and she didn't come to the party.
“(Sophia) provided
a clear counterpoint
to Ryo’s brutality.
It was perfect.”
I was starting to worry. But I was so stoked to see them live finally after the last 3 years of dreaming about it, I refused to let this kill it for me… Most of the fans felt the same. We showed our support. And it happened. Sophia came into her own. They played one of their new tracks which was written from scratch to cater to her voice. It made a world of difference, both to the balance of the sound but also her confidence. We took notice. And did we notice. The gig was transformed from a good time to one of those once in a lifetime events. Sophia’s first live in Japan. We were there, witnessing the making of a new legend.
When she loosened up, it was clear why BSC approached her. She had the minerals. She provided a clear counterpoint to Ryo’s brutality. It was perfect. I smashed my concerns in the ever expanding pit. The rest loses of the show its potency when converted to language. You have all been to a metal show that does that. so you know what I mean.
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One thing to note though… I SWEAR, Ryo is Cliff Crabb’s long lost Japanese Twin! They are the same right down to the crazy they do on stage. They may disagree on the beer though.
1 comment:
I've just become a Dazzle Vision fan...
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