lynch. - AVANTGARDE

On September 14th, Nagoya kei band lynch. released a new album titled AVANTGARDE, which means "new and experimental ideas and methods in art, music, or literature". With such a title, listeners are immediately met with high expectations of this being an interesting new take on lynch.'s metalcore roots and keeping true to those very roots. In this album lynch. show a new side to their impressive 12-year long portfolio and experiment with some electronic elements integrated into their predominantly heavy drum and bass sound.

The first track AVANT GARDE starts off with a droning and eerie build up reminiscent of background music used in horror movies before a climatic scene, the climax of this instrumental being a heavy bass and drum riff with sparse growls throughout, very much giving a taste of what is to come.

The second track EVIDENCE begins with a light electronic melody with a guttural scream, closely followed by Hazuki shouting "Are you fucking ready go!" This then gives way to an impressive bass riff on Akinori's part, the pre-chorus itself being an even higher build up of energy that is then in turn completely flipped on its head with the anti-climax for the chorus itself. The structure of this song is enjoyably unpredictable — just when you think it's going one way, Hazuki would bring it back with another intense scream.

PLEDGE begins with some melodic guitar and drums, and some simple bass riffs with electronic melodic sounds in the background. It is very subdued when compared to the previous track, but still enjoyable nonetheless. F.A.K.E, on the other hand, feeds off the energy of the previous song, starting off quite tame, only to quickly speed up into a very bass heavy song. Akinori's riffs in this song overall, as well as his short solo spot before the breakdown, should be applauded. The mix between Hazuki's singing during the slower sections and his screaming feel very well put together. All in all, this is a very structurally sound song.



DAMNED starts off with high speed heavy guitar and drums, where Hazuki switches his tone to a slightly lower and raspy one. The hook of this song being extremely catchy with the addition of the growling and screaming call-and-response section, it is easily imaginable for this track to be a crowd favourite.

UNELMA begins with a call-and-response type situation between a heavy guitar and bass, followed by the introduction of drums. The low, growling backing vocals throughout the pre-chorus lead to a very visual kei style chorus, quite mellow and theatrical sounding, followed by another guttural scream and an interesting call-and-response scream segment with another amazing but short guitar riff later on in the song.

Similar to some of the previous tracks, PHANTOM starts with an electronic melody. However, Hazuki takes us on more of a journey on this track. It is very much a ballad, evoking a lot of emotion and nostalgic memories from the listener. All the instruments are quite mellowed and subdued, the most impressive and notable part being the impressive guitar solo halfway through the song.

KILLING CULT begins with just the bass guitar before the drums and rhythm guitar jump in all at once, another bass heavy track that drives the song forward. The hook of the song is also without a doubt unbelievably catchy whether or not the listener understand the language. PRAYER starts off with intense high energy playing and a scream; this climax progressively slows down (with the exception of the heavy bass riff that is played the entirety of the song) until the breakdown segment where a series of guttural screams are heard, bringing back the high energy at the start.

When the listener first hears the intro of NEEDLEZ, he or she might think it is going to be a typical visual kei song until Hazuki unleashes an unholy, throaty growl. The structure of this song is very riveting in the way the band mixes the traditional visual kei style of singing with their more metalcore influences. Now onto THE OUTRAGE SEXUALITY. Just from its name, listeners can tell this is going to be a groundbreaking track — very dancey, very high energy. Also, being able to incorporate the heavier bass elements with the more dancey electronic sounds in the background shows how well the song is put together.

FAREWELL, the last track on the list, is another ballad, however with a lot less guitar and drums with the exception of some segments. It starts with a mellow melody that slowly builds and feels as if it surrounds the listener on all sides. The drum work on this track reminds listeners of a marching band which gives the song an almost militant atmosphere, very uplifting and hopeful.

Overall, AVANTGARDE proves to be exactly what its title means, a refreshing new take on lynch.'s metalcore style, incorporating some electronic elements as well as the traditional visual kei style of singing. All elements are beautifully woven together, nothing feeling too out of place or forced as can sometimes happen when bands try to include new sounds. This songwriting expertise is one listeners can only expect from the music masters of 12 years.

AVANTGARDE is available worldwide as a digital download (except for Asia) via Okami Records. The album is also available in physical CD format throughout Europe. As a special gift to fans within Europe, the European version of AVANTGARDE will include a lottery ticket. All buyers have the chance to find a winning ticket in their copy. With this ticket, buyers can win a signed ticket holder or another surprise.

Check out the digest video for AVANTGARDE below: