GPKISM - Illuminatum

Released on September 17, Illuminatum is the duo's first maxi-single, and to no surprise it has already been completely sold out. GPKISM's aim to synthesize classical baroque and electro music has definitely given them an undefined element that no band in the Japanese gothic scene has, and they continue to experiment with this and concepts of love, sacrifice and demise.

The first track and highlight, Illuminatum begins with a beautiful baroque introduction with strings and harpsichords, making the listener imagine a beautiful world. After a brief pause, Kiwamu's guitar and the thumping bass wipe out the classical introduction and GPK starts to sing in deep vocals, creating a beautiful contrast with the upbeat music. Though it's one of GPKISM's longest tracks, it isn't too repetitive.

The second track, Infernum, is possibly GPK's darkest song and begins very differently from his other songs, focusing completely on synthesizers and Kiwamu's guitar. The overall atmosphere created with the beginning is very brooding and hell-like, but also experimental. The tempo is much quicker than Illuminatum, and combined with the heavy guitar it sounds more like a song you could headbang to. GPK begins with the lyrics "sacrifice your paradise, let the angels burn tonight," and his voice very distorted to create this sense of unease. Overall, this song is a step in a different direction both atmospherically and lyrically, and it creates an interesting contrast to the other two tracks on the single. However, the similarity in drum beats to its predecessor adds an unfortunate repetition.

The final full-length track Ultimatus is the first composition with Kiwamu's input. He helps create a juxtaposition of beautiful music and saddening lyrics. Like Infernum, Ultimatus is a song that the listener can dance to, and it is less repetitive than some of their other works. GPK's voice is free from distortion, and he leaves an impression with the final lyrics "our moments will live forever," where his operatic vocals fade away into Kenosis.

Kenosis is the outro of the single, and its name means 'emptiness.' The very sharp strings help keep the theme of sadness alive until the very end. It's definitely not one of the highlights of the single, but it is still an interesting outro nonetheless.

So, does GPKISM successfully create a dramatic fusion of baroque and electronic music? Definitely. Continuing to experiment with different themes, lyrics and music, GPKISM shows their ability to keep their music fresh and very much alive, continuing to fulfill a lot of their potential. While the physical copy of this single has been sold out, it is still available for download on iTunes.