While Osaka horror punks BALZAC celebrated their twentieth anniversary last year, they don’t seem prepared to rest on their laurels anytime soon. The last ten years saw the band master integrating elements of digital hardcore and metal into their sound, and if their latest album, Blackout, is any indication of where their music is headed, the next ten look even more promising.
The first song, The Black is a quick intro that helps the listener ease into the album, making the frantic opening seconds of Fragile less jarring—and they certainly would be without it, as the song consists mainly of a barrage of harsh, alarm-like noises and rough, unintelligible shouts. It is worth mentioning that the majority of the lyrics on this album are in English and, while HIROSUKE’s pronunciation can be quite muddled at times, you can still usually catch enough of the words to sing along. Besides, with songs this good, you won’t care when you can’t.
BLOOD GLOWS COLD is filled with powerful screams and its fast, screeching solo makes it feel like a train sliding off the rails. Clocking in at under two minutes long, it leaves you fired up, with your fist in the air. And it will stay up for Hell Rising, which gallops by just as quickly, with addictive shouts of “HELL FIRE!” that are sure to go over well live, as well as a blazing solo. It’s followed by The Bleeding Black, which is definitely one of the highlights of the album. Screams of “Blackout!” urge you to sing along, digital hardcore influences poke their heads in, and a quote from Charles Manson provides a chilling breather before the band comes together to shout “BLEEDING BLACK!” for an impressive climax. There may be no messiah for BALZAC, but the band’s future certainly looks bright if this song is a hint of what’s to come.
As HIROSUKE shouts at the end of the previous song, we go “from Bleeding to Blackout,” and, while it features fast, pounding drums, the title track is surprisingly bouncy and gentle by comparison. When HIROSUKE sings “Time after time / Over and over / Will I ever see you again?” it almost feels like a love song. However, just as soon as the album begins to feel upbeat, the ominous Hold Your Breath slows things back down. Unfortunately, while it’s quite beautiful, it gets somewhat lost amongst the faster tracks.
The mood picks back up again with the incredibly catchy I See Nothing, Hear Nothing, which will have you itching to sing along with the rising “whoa-oh-oh-oh” chorus, no matter how hard you try to resist. It is worth noting that this version is slightly different from the one featured on the Deranged EP and in the PV, though. It has a less polished feel, which is most noticeable in HIROSUKE’s vocals and the gong-like ending, which sees TAKAYUKI hit the drums hard, followed by a ringing note from ATSUSHI, like a series of exclamation points on the end of the song.
The next song, Rise, will feel very familiar if you’ve listened to Hell Rising, almost like a companion song. While it is longer and slower, a blistering solo from ATSUSHI and AKIO’s shouts of “GOOOOO!” keep the song feeling fresh and alive from start to finish. Yes, All Is Dark, on the other hand, goes the farthest in the digital hardcore direction; it’s noisy and brutal with a futuristic feel. If you like your BALZAC loud and angry, this is the track for you. But then they bounce right back to catchy, satisfying, “Whoa-oh”-chorus-filled punk on 26.
Everlasting is the closest the album gets to cheerful. It’s a straightforward, bouncy rock song, and, despite the despair in lines, such as “I can see my limitations / The end is near / I can’t gaze into your eyes”, there is also a hint of hope and sweetness to it that echoes the title track. However, just when their soft side seems to be coming out, Deranged hits like a battering ram, filled with deep, guttural screams. Yet, while the verse vocals are hysterical and incoherent, when they scream “D.E.R.A.N.G.E.D.” it urges you to shout along, and when you do, there’s a powerful feeling of unity that BALZAC have truly mastered the formula for over their long career. Very few bands can make darkness this inviting. During the last quarter, the song lightens slightly, and it almost morphs back into catchy punk rock again. The transition is so smooth that you barely even notice that you’ve stopped headbanging and started bouncing along instead, and when it slowly fades out, it feels like the perfect ending.
But then a hidden track blindsides you, and, just as soon as you start to nod along, it really is over. And it leaves you wanting more.
In short, this album has something for everyone. It’s fresh, yet it has the same timeless punk appeal of their earlier work. It’s dark and heavy in places, yet also incredibly catchy. Highly recommended for any BALZAC fan, and especially for people not familiar with them that like to throw their fists up and sing along to some quality horror punk.
The videos for The Bleeding Black, and I See Nothing, Hear Nothing can be viewed below. Check out BALZAC’s official Youtube channel for full PVs for 26, Hell Rising and Deranged.
