The GazettE - Regret

Regret is the first batch of new songs fans have heard from The GazettE since February's album, Nil. After keeping fans waiting for so long, the question is- has the wait been worth it?

The title track, Regret, is a steady rock song; not particularly aggressive or fast but a far cry from a ballad. Ruki's voice is lovely and clear and Uruha and Aoi's guitar lines do a fine job of dancing and mixing beneath it, never overpowering him in the chorus. The play between the two guitar lines makes for an interesting listen but the real strength of this track is mostly contained in Ruki's vocal chords and the subtle drive from the rhythm section, provided by Kai and Reita. The bass line isn't as pronounced as it has been in their other, more recent releases but one can still hear it clearly beneath the guitar, in particular roughly at the 2:45 mark.

The track's biggest fault may be that it seems to play it awfully safe. It sounds a lot like The GazettE, which fans should appreciate, but it doesn't sound particularly new or exciting.

Track two, Psychedelic Heroine, is thankfully is a little different. There's just a touch of disco and dance in here, not enough to upset its rock and roll soul, but enough to get the listener's attention. Musically, the strengths in this track seem to be the opposite of Regret's; the real interest here lays in the bass line and Kai's drumming. The pace is quick and briefly threatens to fall apart into chaos during some of the tempo changes but manages to hold together thanks to the efforts of those two. The guitar here isn't bad but it seems to lack somewhat compared to the title track and Reita's subtle skill demonstrated in this track. Ruki's vocals are rather fun in this tune, playing with high pitches and rolling his Rs and seeming to invite the listener to join his crazy mood.

The last track, Worthless War, certainly starts off differently from either other song and seems quite promising. Unfortunately, and almost immediately, it starts to sound like something we've definitely heard before. Worthless War is certainly not a terrible song but it suffers something of the fate of the title track in that is doesn't sound very new or interesting and unlike Regret, one cannot even call this song catchy. It's definitely the weakest on the single and if a fan was torn between the Optical or the Auditory releases of this single, one would have to strongly consider getting the Optical and its included music video over getting this third track.

So was the wait worth it? Yes and no; if one is a dedicated fan and enjoyed Nil, one will probably at least not dislike this release. If one is more of a casual fan or new to the band, you may want to wait a bit longer and see if the next single, Filth in the Beauty, will better satisfy.