Detailed Reviews [Kinzokuebisu - 2003 - "Hakaotoko"]

Prolusion. "Hakaotoko" is the debut album by the Japanese band KINZOKUEBISU.

Synopsis. Although the arsenal of keyboards used on the album is large and consists predominantly of such 'classic' instruments as Mellotron, Wurlitzer, Mini-Moog, and Hammond, the music here is neither the so-called keyboard Prog nor a vintage Art-Rock in the spirit of the seventies. I would define the basic style that the band plays in as something average between Classic and >Modern Symphonic Progressive, though the level of complexity and attractiveness of music on each track, starting with the seventh, is much higher than that of the first three songs: Hakai, Hakoniwa, and Karabako I (2, 3, & 5). In pure form, a fusion of Classic and Modern Symphonic Art-Rock is presented on precisely half of the tracks here (3, 5, 7, 9, 11, 13, & 14), one of which, Karabako II (7), doesn't feature vocals. The music is notable for the frequent alternation of intensive and mild arrangements, most of which, though, are distinctly dramatic in character, as well as the parts of vocals done by the band's main man Daichi Takagi. Makiko Kusunoki has a warm, almost angelic voice, but her vocals appear on the album only episodically, and the only song she performed alone is Douke-no I (9). The music on Introduction, Hakai, Yami-ni, Bannen, Douke-no II, and Misshiri (1, 2, 4, 8, 10, & 12), two of which (1 & 4) are also instrumental pieces, represents a blend of Symphonic Art-Rock and Prog-Metal with a very original approach to mixing light and heavy musical textures. By the way, all four of the short tracks here (1, 4, 10, & 13) are truly excellent compositions despite their brevity. As for the best tracks on the album, these are Karabako: parts II & III, Bannen, Douke-no I, and Misshiri (7, 11, 8, 9, & 12 respectively). Finally, about the piece that deprived the album of the whole rating star. Kyouki (6) is completely out of the overall musical picture of the album, and not only. There is nothing but synthesizer effects and some spontaneously abstract solos of piano and bass, so the fact of the inclusion of it in the album (in the middle of the album!) evokes nothing but great perplexity.

Conclusion. On its website, Poseidon Records presents Kinzokuebisu as an outfit performing a theatrical Symphonic Progressive in the style of Genesis, which doesn't correspond to reality almost at all. The band plays an original music, which might satisfy all kinds of the lovers of Classic Symphonic Art-Rock without exception.

VM: January 2, 2004