SHIKI

It's rare that I find an album so agitating that I can barely find it within myself to write a song-by-song review, but this is one of those albums. But, my interest was provoked by recent glowing reviews (Dapper~Blueberries and JohnProg), so I decided to check it out.

My first two attempts were aborted because of lack of uninterrupted/undisrupted time, but I distinctly remember thinking, both times, "I'm nowhere near in the mood to take this on." Today I've carved out the time I need to devote to doing my review.

The drumming and percussion work is wonderful. The keyboard work is interesting and well spread out among a multitude of instruments and sounds though the use of "old" keyboards (old sound samples providing the programmable sounds) is always disappointing to me. The guitar work is pretty standard--especially in terms of sounds and styles used. But it is the vocals (as diverse as they are) that I find laughable and, frankly, unenjoyable--even despite the talented theatricities. As my immediate predecessor, JohnProg, noted, there are many enjoyable melodies and dynamic and stylistic shifts (e.g., in the more instrumental "Mayonaka no Kaii"), within many of the songs (with great drum play throughout), but, at the same time, there are so many sounds that feel borrowed and recycled (from other bands/songs). I do not feel as if this album or music has brought anything new or exciting to the world of Progressive Metal music; on the contrary, it may, in fact, be more "retro" than forward thinking.

For those who love the "classic" sounds and riffs of the historical line of metal music, this might be an excellent grab. For those who are looking for boundary pushing music within the Prog Metal subgenres, this may not be up to your hopes and/or expectations. For those of you who are not really metal lovers, this probably won't be your cup of tea--this despite the usual Japanese skill and energy that it contains. I wholly respect the artistry and effort that went into putting this album together, which is why I would never consider rating this any lower than three stars: they are, after all, professionals; I know that there are many artists out there that could never do better.