Kiryuu - Tsuki no hime

Kiryuu, a visual kei band boasting a traditional Japanese concept which was created roughly a year and a half ago by two former members of Kurara Zeroshiki, does not manage to impress with their new single nearly as much as they did with some of their previous CDs. Tsuki no hime unfortunately fails to reach the level the band did with Akakuchiru boku no ao, which was outstandingly inspiring and unquestionably successful.

So, what’s wrong with the three tracks on Tsuki no hime? First of all, there is the poor, messy Undercode-esque production. It seems like they tried too hard to sound like Clearveil or some other band of the same genre. Second, a few objections ought to be mentioned concerning the construction of the songs; their structures are too simplistic and predictable, thus instantly reminding of dozens and dozens of existing bands. It is quite a shame, since one of the most notable elements of “old” Kiryuu was the way in which they did to not conform to the standard verse-chorus pattern. Finally, the overall catchiness of the songs aren’t exactly convincing: while in the past only bits could be actually called catchy, this time, on the contrary, it is quite easy to assimilate the given songs as a whole. The only "classic" Kiryuu highlight is the delicious solo towards the end of track two, Kogarashi, as well as the intriguing vocal performance during this particular song. However, one shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that Tsuki no hime is an utter failure. The issue is that this release sounds more like a watered-down version of their previous efforts rather than the compelling musical statement which expected from them.

Concerning the music video, which was made for the title song, it’s no more or less than a mix between Ayabie’s Japanese Low-res Carameltown and Aicle’s Neko no kiza mairi with a dash of "Ringu"-like darkness and spookiness. Though it is surely aesthetically pleasing, calling it memorable would be questionable.

Tsuki no hime is a reasonably interesting release for aficionados of standard visual kei, but unfortunately, it is insufficient for those who are expecting something more unique. Therefore, given that the band is planning to release their first album on January 27, Tsuki no hime is hardly reassuring. Many aspects of this release hint that Kiryuu is likely to become just another "decent" band - which, in their case, would be doing injustice to their remarkable talent.