They've gotten this far - and they can still go further.
Following their first performance in U.S. at J-Rock Revolution in Los Angeles and the release of their mini-album Reason of crying, the young metal band girugamesh has taken great strides in 2007. Before the year was up, girugamesh also released their sophomore full-length album, self-titled Girugamesh, in December; the album was produced with the help of MUCC's guitarist Miya. The album came in two versions: a limited edition with ten songs and a DVD with PVs for Vermilion and Kowarete Iku Sekai (two of the tracks on the album), and a regular version with thirteen tracks. This is a review of the regular version, which features a rather ominous looking wall on its cover, leading us to ask: with their second album, did girugamesh finish 2007 by successfully leaping over that wall - or did they crash headlong into it?
The intro track - with foreboding, rhythmic drums accented by strategically placed guitar riffs - starts off the album. The dark tone set by the introductory track makes listeners wonder just what girugamesh has in store for them...leading them into the second track, patchwork, which immediately answers that question. patchwork is a dramatic, chilling ride that sounds a bit like a more sinister MUCC. The track seamlessly blends dangerously quiet verses, a mean chorus and powerful growly passages to convey a multitude of emotions that finally culminate in a resolute scream.
Along with patchwork, shining, Domino and "Shojo-A" stand out as the strongest tracks of the album. Like patchwork, Shining and Domino are emotional roller coasters that showcase some of the best vocals and compositions on Girugamesh. Shining is defiantly hopeful with a strong melody and catchy chorus - it's material that one would expect from a single. Domino is a beautifully rich and moving song, its only negative is the sudden transition into the bridge, which is integral in rising to the song’s climax.
"Shojo-A" lacks the weight of the three tracks mentioned previously and wisely chooses to be a completely different animal - and a sexy one, at that. The bass-heavy track has a certain unique finesse and is a stand-out track not just on this album, but in girugamesh's whole repertoire; it’s wonderfully refreshing and stylish. Now if only it were longer than its mere two-and-a-half-or so minutes...
The album’s closing track, Kowarete Iku Sekai, is not as exciting a track as the three mentioned above, but it must be mentioned for the sheer effort and ambition put into it. In this six-minute epic, girugamesh moves out of their comfort zone to produce a sentimental ballad that starts out whisperingly soft and explodes into a tragic ending.
Everything else in between is not disappointing, per se, but rather safe and lacking the kaleidoscopic emotional range of patchwork, shining and Domino, or the freshness of "Shojo-A". For the rest of the tracks on Girugamesh, they’re merely okay songs that feel like they were made according to a formula. Barricade and stupid are angry and shamelessly rough - great for head banging, but otherwise a mish-mash of screamy, growly vocals and raw instrumentals that fans have already heard from girugamesh. The seventh track, Shiroi Ashiato, is a plodding ballad that listeners might stumble over between the more upbeat rock tunes that girugamesh composed for this album: CRAZY-FLAG, ROCKER’S and DANCE ROCK NIGHT. The three tracks are fun, but it doesn’t take long for them to start sounding alike.
Overall, Girugamesh is neither disappointing nor awe-inspiring; it has its few outstanding moments, along with the rest. For the most part, the album is able to stand solidly on its feet. But just standing never got anyone anywhere, and the cover of the limited press version of Girugamesh more accurately describes the position the band is in: they haven't made the leap over that huge wall, but they haven't crashed into it, either. They’re only standing in front of it. With their successes in 2007, girugamesh has managed to get quite far. For this talented band, that wall is merely an obstacle to moving further - so if they take a few risks and find a way to get over it, they will surely be able to take their music to the next level.
