UROBOROS - ANOTHER ARK

Fans of Kamiki Aya may remember how, between her departure from avex in 2011 and her pivot towards musical theatre, the singer-songwriter digitally released a couple of songs in which she indulged her passion for hard rock. Well, fans of those will be pleased to know UROBOROS, Kamiki’s first studio project in almost three years, finds her once more at the heavier end of the rock spectrum.

Far from being a vehicle to relaunch her recording career, UROBOROS is in fact a joint venture between Kamiki and Kurose Keisuke, the musical mastermind behind recently-disbanded gothic duo, Asriel. The line-up also includes ex-Plastic Tree drummer Sasabuchi Hiroshi, cune bassist Nakamura Taizo and – perhaps of particular interest to metalheads – guitarist Ohmura Takayoshi, one of the shredders in BABYMETAL’s Kami Band. The band’s debut mini-album, ANOTHER ARK, was released on September 9th, 2015 via PONY CANYON.

Unlike his previous project, Kurose seems to have been reluctant to commit to any one style for UROBOROS’s first release. There’s more than a whiff of Asriel’s brand of string-drenched gothic rock about Black Swallowtail and Luminous, though Kurose has drastically cut back on the violins. The other three songs see him exploring new – if not particularly original – musical territory. The best of these is the electro-tinged heavy metal number IGИIS, wherein Ohmura reels off the best of his many “neoclassical” solos that are one of ANOTHER ARK’s big selling points. Even during Jyuuniya -Twelfth Night-, the mini-album’s obligatory ballad, Kurose permits the guitarist to go to town on his fretboard, reaffirming his status as one of Japan’s finest metal musicians.

So, what of Kamiki’s contribution? The fact she turns in a quality vocal performance on every track can be taken for granted. However, in her role as lyricist, she set herself the challenge of singing three songs with primarily English lyrics – a challenge many won’t be surprised to learn she more than rises to. All in all, ANOTHER ARK is a remarkable comeback for this gifted songstress.