For a band named after vampires, you’d be forgiven for assuming VAMPS’s music has always erred on the darker side of rock spectrum, but this isn’t so. Formed in 2008 by L’Arc~en~Ciel frontman HYDE and Oblivion Dust guitarist K.A.Z, the duo’s past albums have covered such a diverse range of rock styles, the project has sometimes felt more like an extension of HYDE’s solo career.
With their new album UNDERWORLD set to be released in Japan and the USA in the same week, VAMPS seem to be making their biggest push yet for international attention. Question is, has this renewed global focus had a major impact on their sound?
For the answer to that question, one need look no further than the album’s first four tracks. Far removed from the constant shifts between alternative and hard rock that typified 2014’s BLOODSUCKERS, stuff like title track UNDERWORLD see VAMPS enter far heavier territory, and even flirting with elements of metalcore. In some cases, the synths even supersede K.A.Z’s guitar as lead instrument, which should make the upcoming tour a novel experience for JIN, the duo’s support keyboardist.
VAMPS’s global ambitions also reflected in HYDE’s lyrics, which are now totally bereft of Japanese. There’s also clearly been a conscious effort to make them as catchy as possible. They don’t quite go to the minimalist extremes of REVOLUTION, but songs like B.Y.O.B (BRING YOUR OWN BLOOD) and BREAK FREE – the latter of which features bass work by Kamikaze Boy of MAN WITH A MISSION – come pretty close.
Nowadays, it seems no artist looking to breakthrough can cut a record without involving a guest or two, and UNDERWORLD is no exception. That said, the contributions of Motionless in White singer Chris Motionless and Richard Z. Kruspe of Emigrate / Rammstein are both so slight, and HYDE’s English vocals so impeccable, were they not credited, you might not even know they were there.
It’s no fault on Chris Motionless, Richard Z. Kruspe of Emigrate / Rammstein or Kamikaze Boy’s part that the collaboration to make the biggest impression is SIN IN JUSTICE. Produced in cooperation with Apocalyptica, who’re arguably the hairiest trio of cellists Finland has ever produced, the song itself is the mellowest UNDERWORLD gets. Yet, even with a cello solo, it never risks straying into ballad territory, making this the first VAMPS album to lack such a song.
It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the gamble HYDE’s taken by committing so fully to this new heavier sound. While this is essentially another day at the office for K.A.Z, his bandmate risks deterring some of his admittedly huge fanbase who’ve turned to VAMPS in recent years to get their HYDE fix, what with L’Arc~en~Ciel’s activities becoming ever more sporadic. It’s just as well he’s so good at what he does – in the months ahead, the duo should only see their fanbase grow.
UNDERWORLD is now available for purchase in the USA on iTunes (here), Google Play (here) and Amazon (here). It is also available for streaming on Spotify (here).
