Alice Nine - Senkou

Visual band Alice Nine has teamed up with the game company behind the popular series "Sengoku Musou," better known as "Samurai Warriors" in the west, for their latest single. Released on the 25th of August, Senkou will be the theme for a pachinko spin-off based on the game series.

Two cymbal strikes are played simultaneously with deep guitar strumming to begin the title track, which resembles a lightning flash. This sets the tone for a pounding and impressionable opening. Saga's intricate bass line is prominent throughout, giving weight and a solid base for the others. Shou confidently delivers the empowering vocals, and only some peculiar English phrases with even stranger pronunciation in the chorus - "The time for walk with you, I loved" - detract from the overall effect slightly. Complete with a classic wailing guitar solo, it won't fail to get the listeners as fired up as intended.

Le Grand Bleu follows, and it is another rocking piece but more dominated by the rapid guitars. It is even faster than Senkou and oozes hot-blooded emotion. The chorus, at a register high enough for Shou to belt it out, packs a lot of punch and is actually more interesting than that of Senkou. In fact, this could easily have been chosen as the "Sengoku Musou" theme instead, as it has a similar passionate theme about overcoming adversity and is just as rousing as the previous song.

The final B-sides differ depending on the edition of the single. While Regular Edition B features live recordings of their previous singles RAINBOWS and Blue Planet, Regular Edition A has two new songs. The first is Solar Eclipse, another energetic track, although less imposing than the previous two. The rolling snare drum at the start gives it a military sound before it breaks out into a typical rock tune with some killer guitar work during the choruses. Lastly, the quieter Namida no aru basho finishes off the single gently. While it lacks the excitement of the first three tracks, it is a decent piece of soft rock and quite soothing in comparison to the rest of the single.

It appears that Alice Nine is taking their time with releases, as it was a year between this single and the last. However, if it allows them to produce more quality work such as this rather churn out songs for the sake of it, then they are better for it. Fans should hit their nearest pachinko parlour to appreciate their music in the meantime.