NEXT ORDER

— First review of this album —

Authentic, there are pros and cons around them though.

This "Chronosystem" is released as Next Order's 7th "live" album (as everyone knows, they've recorded and released only live albums because the atmosphere between the audience and the players on stage is pretty important for them) via their stages "for six successive days" at Kobe Big Apple. Sounds like their stages would be quite enthusiastic for the audience, even with their mental / physical tiredness beyond expression. And we fans have got very proud of their "enthusiasm" coming out soon. I've checked a "rough mix" through the courtesy of the frontman Yuji (guitars) and felt their gemmy, prospective texture enough. ... And the time has come. Finally the official "glass-pressed CD album" has been released.

Anyway, on the current progressive rock scene where lots of artists tend to play "self-assertive / self-satisfactory" music that cannot be thought as enjoyable ones for the audience, Next Order is one of artists who can let us enjoy their music gems, let me say. Very surprising their "rhythmic axis" never get blurred ... due to their splendid rhythm section - Hiroshi (drums, percussion) and Atsutomo (bass) - I imagine. The first track "Geppetto", a mixture of loudness and calmness along with their rockin' soul, is suitable for the opening number in this album. The soul of jazzy quietness amongst some explosive heavy parts reminds us of cool cool water. On the contrary, the next ones "Desert Yellow" and "Silver Tortoise" show something like experimental simulated experiences to us. Via their orthodox formation, how can they launch such a paradoxical sound like them? Interesting indeed.

Oh one of their live masterpieces "Killer Hornet", that I've reviewed as a deathcore like Napalm Death or Kyuss previously, is very cool as well. Much shorter than another (only 4-minute) but I guess this song would have very intensive power for their stage always. "SIMM55" looks like another standard of theirs (already released in their 4th album), where two brilliant guitarists Yuji and Takumi exert magnificent battles on each other, with smooth but impressive guitar trails. "Dragon" ... like a dancing King. What I want to say is that this complex but funky, pleasant track reminds me of a cute Dragon - a cure bassist (sorry) dancing to the music. The atmosphere of this song is not typical for the title Dragon but lol. The last "Beside" can be heard as a dramatic suite along with their 10-year lively existence. Ups and downs, rises and falls there were, but they've always played good music with their strong intention for the audience. Good call.

Would like to say it's quite difficult for us to continue producing sounds as we like. Suggest we would get immersed in their professional (but heartwarming) plays although everyone says they are professional. Ahem, forgive my personal humble opinion.

"The End Of The Beginning" is NEXT ORDER's sixth 'live-recorded' album. In this creation, their playstyle and soundscape have got more deeper, more kaleidoscopic, and more crystallized, let me say.

The first track "Beyond The West Side Hill" ... what an impressive shot Gori's first drumming be, that is followed by mellow jazz rock scape spreading out based upon Atsutomo's deeper bass swamp. One of different manners from their previous work is that they could stir up dreamy, psychedelic guitar sounds and strict, rigid and heavy, deep rhythm riffs, without separating them into several components. Such a mixture like a renowned bottle of blended whisky can get much appreciated by lots of jazz rock fans, methinks. Also "The Beginning" has two opposite sides of stories - stillness and movement are well harmonized, amazingly. Down tempo in this stuff cannot let us down because of such an altered states of appearance.

The opening of "Killer Hornet-2" reminds me something stoner like recent Napalm Death or Kyuss. Although splendid improvised drumming by Gori passes through in the middle part, basically three guitarists (especially Yuji?) play aggressively and violently here and there. Cannot help feeling their appearance as mad scientists, very cool indeed. Anyway, Let's relax our muscles in the shoulders in the following track "Unknown Seed", featuring Takumi's spoken guitar. Comfortable structures can be felt amongst sharp-edged jazz-rock-ish strokes. No difficult thought needed in this one, please leave yourself into the seed garden. 'Kaleidosoundscape' can be heard as the previous album "Live-Intensified" ... guess it's their characteristic upon playing.

"Precise Rewind" ... interesting title really. Suppose they played precisely as the tape into reverse. Actually not difficult to listen to like the title, but very smooth, precious, and atmospheric one. Their precise, well-calculated production and play should make us feel so, I guess. And as the title says, "Paradigm Shift" notifies us their drastic alteration into heavily guitar-based hard progressive rock (sometimes swift, and sometimes stoner). Their stage with colourful gems called soundscape can be enjoyed fully, we can understand via their theatrical development.The following "Pound For Pound" is in the same vein and they might squeeze lots of heavy / metal rock elements into this shortest track ... the latest speed 'kick' might have knocked the audience out obviously I imagine (yeah Gorieeee!). The last "Frogs And Hay", completely upon the opposite ground to the previous two, can be suitable for a stable ending of strongly intentional jazz rock / fusion by them, with some tips of hard shuffles of guitars / drums.

Some reverberatory images and overtones all around should notify us we can but attend their 'real' gig.

— First review of this album —

A Japanese heavy jazz rock combo NEXT ORDER were founded as a twin-guitar-oriented quartet in August 2002, by two Nagoya-based musicians - Yuji MUTO (guitar), Atsutomo ISHIGAKI (bass) - and two Osaka-based ones - Takumi SEINO (guitar), Hiroshi 'Gori' MATSUDA (drums). They've gigged with lots of progressive artists like Uz Jsme Doma or Gongzilla since their early days, whilst they signed a formal contract with Lolo Records in 2004 for releasing their material all around the world. Through their borderless musical style amongst heavy rock, jazz, fusion, avantgarde, progressive rock, etc. etc., they've launched their original soundscape toward the audience upon stage. Evidently they've placed emphasis upon a close bond between the audience and themselves, and upon live material, so that all of their creations are live-recorded ones (of course this album "Live -Intensified" too).

The first track "NDE?" (dunno what the tile means though ... "So What?" in English maybe). A heavy tip from the beginning has knocked us definitely. Atsutomo's bass explosion is a killer. The guitar sound combination by Yuji and Takumi is very kaleidoscopic and delicious. Gori's square drumming completely supports their whole play ... even though the guitar duo plays aggressively and violently. Sounds like the guitar duo should be the heroes, but their fantastic play cannot exist without the hard / strict / steady turf created by the bassist and the drummer. This stuff alerts us such a matter. Contrary to the heavy start, the following one "Bearclaw", in spite of the title, gives us something of quiet motivation via a contrast between Takumi's gentle guitar crying and Yuji's hardcore shot. Guess the audience should get immersed in their cool, chilling play down their spine. "L. C. M." is a heavy, complex, jazz-based improvisational institution, featuring deeply rhythmic riffs (by enthusiastic Gori and steady Atsutomo). Full of comfort indeed. "Unbirthday Gift", with meaningful touch in its title, has two appearances - one is fluent sound vision launched with smooth guitar streams, and another rigid footsteps based upon drums and bass steadiness. In "Shimauma", in English "Zebra", obvious gales or speedy flows can be felt around me, as if a zebra runs around upon being chased by flesh-eaters, but amazing at something cool along with their excellent play. Traditional colourful mid-tempo sound space can be heard in "Brother Heat" (but not hot but cool!) ... guess we can enjoy improvised calmness after aggressive explosive stuffs really. But wait, don't be deceived. They're still aggressive ... "Overdriven" reminds me that our brain can be overdriven by their massive attack. Yuji and Takumi squeeze their guitar passion play into our braincore and let us bind ourselves strictly. Enthusiasm rules. And the last "Old Red Chair On The Porch" is a compilation of their soundscape, let me say ... sometimes extemporaneous, sometimes floating, sometimes passionate, sometimes chilling, and sometimes delightful. They'd been kicking us away gradually into the sky overthere, okay?

Full of passion, full of comfort, full of sensitivity, and full of innovative deluge via their stage and live-recorded album. Recommended.