Earlier this year in January, visual kei quintet Matenrou Opera put out a new album titled Chikyu. It comes two years after the release of their previous album, and is their fourth one to date. With a title that means "Earth" in Japanese, how does the 12-track Regular Edition of the album fare?
Chikyu gets off to a solid start with bass-heavy new song PANDORA. Although it is regrettably short at only slightly over two minutes, the song is nevertheless a worthy opener and sets the mood for what is to come. Vocalist sono delivers a stellar performance here, working just the right amount of gentleness into his strong voice to produce powerful yet not overbearing vocals against thunderous drumming. Guitarist anzi does not let himself be overshadowed, chipping in an outstanding guitar solo that comes in around halfway through the song.
BURNING SOUL comes next. Released in October last year as Matenrou Opera's ninth single, the song is aptly titled, being fiery, intense and speedy. The band powers through the entire track; the searing passion in sono's voice is palpable as he borders on yelling at some points. After some frenetic guitar shredding and chants of "Carry on, carry on! Keep on burning soul!", the track goes out with a bang with a full-blown yell by sono.
2014 single Chimeishou and new song YOU & I pretty much follow in the same fashion as BURNING SOUL. There is not much variation in music styles, and sono pretty much recycles the vocal techniques from before.
The next three songs, Kimi to miru kaze no yukue, Good Bye My World and Aoku toumeina kono shimpi no umie, carry folk elements in varying degrees. Of particular note is new song Good Bye My World. Jaunty electro folk tunes, jazzy verses and hard rock are rolled into one in this track, presenting a delightful fusion of music styles. Eight-minute long behemoth Aoku toumeina kono shimpi no umie may be a little too lengthy for some listeners, but seeing how sono gets to display the full glory of his vocal prowess here, the lengthiness is more of a boon than a bane.
Next up is FANTASIA. While it may not be the best instrumental piece out there, FANTASIA makes for a pretty epic listening experience. The track unfolds in different acts like a play. The starting theme gets off to a slow burn with prominent guitar riffs over an underlying gentle synth beat before modulating into a driving one, then powering up even further through guitar shredding. A well-placed drop halfway through the song heralds a change of scenes and mood, giving way to a quiet solo by keyboardist ayame that adds an interesting facet to the piece. The play then concludes with a rousing final act, giving listeners the satisfaction that comes with completing a long yet worthwhile journey.
While the last notes of FANTASIA are still fresh in the mind, SILENT SCREAM bursts right onto the scene with a dramatic intro. Right from the get-go, an ultra speedy drum beat keeps listeners on the edge of their seats all the way till the end. ether then eases in with a light and bouncy synth intro. Before long, however, the band returns to pumping out the music with their usual ardour. Fans of ayame may find themselves taking a shine to ether as the keyboard features quite prominently in the arrangement.
Penultimate track Tataeyou hahanaru chi de was released as a digital single in August last year. A brilliant a capella intro by a youth's choir immediately captures the listener's attention simply by virtue of being unique, but the song truly begins to shine when sono joins in. sono's strong vocals and the gentle singing of the choristers complement each other perfectly like pieces of a jigsaw, and the music woven by the other band members carries the song along smoothly. Together, choir and band offer up a sweet and uplifting anthem about Mother Earth. Although Tataeyou hahanaru chi de deviates significantly from Matenrou Opera's usual fare of heavy tunes, it is a beautiful song that is certainly worth a listen.
Bringing the album to a close is title track Chikyu. While it is by no means a failure, the placement of this ballad as the final song is perhaps not the best choice. Its slow and repetitive nature saps away whatever energy had been built up by the eleven other tracks. Instead of giving the album a satisfying finish, it leaves much to be desired, trudging on in a weary manner right till the end. Perhaps, Tataeyou hahanaru chi de would have been better suited as the finale.
All in all, Chikyu is an album with great flow and songs that carry a distinctive Matenrou Opera flavour. For longtime fans of the band, however, this album may sound a tad bit uninteresting as there is nothing groundbreaking to discover—even the new songs sound largely similar to past works.
