Last year saw the release of three Maxi singles from
Phantasmagoria, and in my opinion they were made out of some of the bands strongest material. Seeing how it is
Phantasmagoria we are talking about, each single was limited to around 1,000 pressings, so if you slept on them when they were released, good luck hunting them down now. However the band, being the entrepreneurs they are, have decided to re-release all three maxi singles on one disk, including their newest exclusive mini album track as a bonus.
The CD opens with
Shinsokyoku - Variant Jihad, which is the
Phantasmagoria we all know and love, yet something is different. The melodies are more present then past material, and the screeching is kept to a minimum. Also present is a more orchestral backing, which gives the listener a different vibe then what they got with older
Phantasmagoria material.
Next up is
Kyosokyoku - Cruel Crucible, which is more of the same as
Variant Jihad. Melodic guitars and vocals move the pace quickly. However,
Rukis vocals show little variation in this song, staying in one mode throughout the entire track (his infamous talk/sing combination). This really holds back what could have been a main attraction for the mini-album, and puts it as a semi-filler track.
Last of the re-released songs is
Gensou Kyoku -Eternal Silence-, which is the ballad that seems to have become mandatory for all visual kei bands. The band takes its time developing the mood in this song and the result is an extraordinary ballad (this coming from someone who usually skips over this kind of song).
The Mini-Album ends with the exclusive track
Glitter, and I quite frankly dont know what to make of this song. Its a completely new direction for
Phantasmagoria, not that thats a bad thing seeing as this isnt a bad song. The song shows a mix of all the sides of
Phantasmagoria: the heavy songs, the melodic tunes, the ballads and the trash tracks. If I had to pick a song to introduce someone to the world of
Phantasmagoria,
Glitter would be it.
OVERALL SCORE: 8.5/10. All in all,
Synthesis Songs is another solid collection from
Phantasmagoria. With the new track showing a possible new sound for the group, it will be interesting to see which direction this release takes them in. Hopefully, that direction is in the same area as a new full length album.
FREELANCE REVIEW BY:
Jay D-- ymscih666@hotmail.com
