[WORLD GROOVE] Currently listening to D’espairsRay - “Mirror”
- 13th March , 2008 by KNDY in WORLD GROOVE: MUSIC REVIEWS
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BAND: D’espairsRay
ALBUM: Mirror
LABEL: J-SHOCK
CATALOG #: ADM-101025
DURATION: 56:35
RELEASED IN THE USA ON MARCH 18, 2008 (Originally released in Japan on April 11, 2007)
- DAMNED
- TRICKSTeR
- MIRROR
- SIXty NINe
- Kogoeru Yoru ni Saita Hana
- SCREEN
- Lost Scene
- Hollow
- Closer to ideal
- Angeldust
- Squall
- Kaleidoscope
D’espairs Ray has become a fan favorite for J-rockers with live performances in Japan, North America and Europe and continuing to attract listeners to their music.
And thanks to Adrenaline Music Group (which distributes JSHOCK DD LLC music), D’espairsRay fans will now be able to get access to the music.
“Their music engages and pushes the cultural envelope and we are thrilled to bring their music to the U.S. market,” Bob Divney, General Manager of Adrenaline Music Group said.
D’espairsRay made their US debut with the release of their album “MIRROR” and their DVD “Spiral staircase #15 Final” (both released simultaneously on March 18, 2008).
But the history of D’espairsRay goes back to the year 1999 when the group first formed. The band consisting of HIZUMI (vocals), Karyu (guitar), ZERO (bass guitar) and TSUKASA (drums) have released a total of two albums, three EP’s and ten CD singles.
Although a lot of our writers are big fans of D’espairsRay, I haven’t listened to a lot of the band’s previous works and I must say that I was very pleased with this overall album.
I actually enjoyed every track on this album and it’s been on repeat on my CD player for many hours. “Mirror” really features a good blend of heavy hitting tracks with bulging chord progressions and serene guitar lines by Karyu, mind numbing bass playing by ZERO and awesome dynamic percussions by TSUKASA.
It’s one thing to say that I like the music for tracks such as “Closer to ideal”, “TRICKSTeR” and “Angeldust” but in truth, each track has something that I found enjoyable. The music is really well done on this album.
I also found HIZUMI’s vocals to be charismatic and agile and songs such as “SIXty NINe”, “Lost Scene”, “Hollow” and “Squall” showcase his infectious vocals.
Vocals and music work well in unison and again, all tracks are just well done, highly enjoyable and very rare to find an album where I didn’t find a single track that sucked.
The CD-insert/booklet features photos of each member of the group and production credits.
Unlike many the people on the J!-ENT staff who have seen D’espairsRay perform live and love their music, many of them asked me to review this album because of my unfamiliarity with them and I would have no bias towards their music or the overall genre.
So, basing my judgment on “Mirror” alone, I commend Adrenaline Music Group for choosing to release “Mirror” and also bringing D’espairsRay to the US for distribution.
It’s very rare for me to pick up an album and keep on listening to it for over a dozen times (especially with so many albums and CD singles that we have on our plate for review), but I can truly say that “Mirror” is one of those albums that I found habit form with each listen, refreshingly irresistible and overall, a well-produced album.
So, I guess you can say that my eyes are now wide open for D’espairsRay’s music and I join my fellow staff in acknowledging and respecting the awesome music from D’espairsRay.
“Mirror” is highly recommended and also with the announcement that the band will be appearing in the North American Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour, not only can you check out their album and DVD (available now) but also watch them live at a RTOC tour near you.
Tags: D'espairsRay, Mirror