THE GATE

The secret to the artistic success of "The Gate" is in its deft merging of the bombast and the melodically simple, the whine and the croon, the tender passage and the hard rocking segment. As such, vocalist Megumi Tokuhisa is simply yet another vehicle for the band's aims, and she acquits herself wondrously for the most part.

"The Gate Of 21st Century" is an opening overture for what is to come. "Eternal Sinner" is one of the best cuts, boasting all the elements that the band synthesizes over the course of the album - a chorus with an irresistible hook, duelling synthesizers and lead guitar to imaginative beats, and some potent riffing on rhythm guitar, even some styles that sound more middle eastern than far eastern, but it's all good. It is separated from the infectious rocker "Wish", which could have you out on the dance floor, by the stately instrumental "Unknown Lives", featuring flute-type sounds as well as acoustic guitar, underscoring the band's versatility and unwillingness to stick to a simplistic formula.

Another favourite is "End of the Millenium", appropriate for the year of release, 1999. Several fine tunes are rolled into its 7 minutes. Teru's Symphonia knows how to cultivate the hook and, guilty pleasure or not, the accent is on pleasure. Nothing groundbreaking here, but it is also not to be trivialized.

While not everything here is strong, this is a good place to start your Japanese symphonic prog collection. Open the gate and enter the land of Teru's Symphonia.