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Nemophila - Oiran & Raitei: dynamite gunpowder

 

Hello my dears. I am the Raven who speaks to you.

In today's “Melodiam Corvidae”, I will talk about “Nemophila”, an all-female japanese metal band. The name is not so strange for those who like flowers, after all the species is much more common in the american continent than in Japan, which is curious. But the name makes sense, given the five petals that the plant has (same number of band members, as is traditional in projects with twin guitars). The term “nemophila” is formed by the junction of two greek words: the first is nemus, which means grove. And the second, much easier to remember, is philos which means love or loving. It's a very girly thing to create a band named after a flower, right? But don't judge the girls before you hear them: their sound is powerful, in-your-face and full of attitude. Unlike many other japanese female bands that care too much about the looks, “Nemophila” doesn't want to know about any of that. Their thing is T-shirts, jeans and a sonic thump coming out of their amplifiers. They just want to have fun playing the most straight forward and traditional metal possible.

Although some of the faces are recognizable to heavy music listeners, after all some of them have long experience in the japanese scene, “Nemophila” is relatively new. The band was formed in mid-2019 by experienced guitarist Saki and vocalist Mayu. Being realistic, it is impossible to talk about “Nemophila” without talking a little more about Saki, in particular. Because without her the band would not be possible, in my opinion. It is Saki who really opens doors for having a more consolidated and respected name in the japanese music industry.

Let's go back a little to the past. In the mid-2000s, a female band called “Destrose” appeared in Japan and, it must be said, in a completely unfavorable scenario for them in terms of the market. These were girls with a strong passion for rock and metal, but who didn't necessarily have a niche or cultural segment in Japan that could embrace them. Both “Destrose” and the better known “Aldious”, in their early days, faced many difficulties before getting a little more media attention. “Aldious” is still active, as you may know. But “Destrose” had 10 years of productive work. Although they had a solid sound, one of the band's biggest problems was the excessive change of members. Lots of girls coming in and out of the band. The ones that were most successful in the market were undoubtedly those that endure for a long time. The recognition began to be proportional only in recent years, already in current projects, but it is undeniable that the years of “Destrose” certainly gave them a lot of credibility.

But what does this have to do with Saki, our focus? It has and a lot. Because if her and Destrose's fate hadn't crossed, many opportunities might not have arisen. It all started precisely in this constant exchange of members. In one of these opportunities, Saki ended up assuming the position of Destrose's solo guitarist between 2009 and 2010, which made her create friendship bonds with the band and also meet more people from the female rock circle (which in Japan, is almost like a little club; the country is very small, I remind you). “Destrose” only ended activities in 2015, when bassist Miho and drummer Haruna decided to follow their own path by forming one of the most relevant female bands in japanese metal today, “Lovebites” (which has already played in the main european festivals, including Wacken Open Air). But it wasn't the first time that “Destrose” gave birth to another band that would become bigger: there was also “Mary's Blood”, formed in 2009. Although Miho and Haruna have their names strongly associated with Destrose's history, they are actually part of of the second generation of the band. Vocalist Eye and drummer Mari were from the previous generation, as was guitarist Eri, who stayed with “Mary's Blood” until 2012 and then decided to quit. It was then that the others remembered Saki and invited her to be the band's permanent guitarist.

Saki is undoubtedly very talented in not only playing but also writing music. And it's no wonder that she gets involved with a lot of projects at the same time. Prior to the hiatus announcement (which could possibly be permanent), Saki was playing with “Mary's Blood” and “Nemophila” at the same time. But she still shared time in another project with the former bassist of the band DragonForce, called “Amahiru”. However, as Saki herself states in the past, with “Nemophila” she can have a little more freedom to do whatever she wants, because although she is one of the main composers of “Mary's Blood”, the fact that the band is older and more consolidated implies a specific type of sound and appeal, desired by its audience. Some invisible ties and other responsibilities that are very noticeable to the eye end up forming within a popular band, after all it is not just a group of musicians, but also a brand, a company.

Founding “Nemophila” with Mayu was like going back to garage days, to rehearsals after school. And that's exactly what “Nemophila” looks like and also sounds like. Just check the covers and other videos they publish on Youtube. Some years back these ladies expected to hit the road and promote their two singles a little more, called “Oiran” and “Raitei”. But with the pandemic scenario, their plans all went down the drain. The interesting thing is that even in the calamity, this did not take away from them any enthusiasm. In addition to the sound of the band being very good, what also attracted me was the amount of satisfaction they get when playing together. Whether at home, in the studio, at online concerts or with the participation of pioneers of heavy female music in Japan, like drummer Mittan from the band “Show Ya”, they always seem to be having the time of their lives.

There is almost nothing negative about “Nemophila” in terms of entertainment and sound quality for lovers of the genre. When Mayu started working with Saki, she was looking for work opportunities. Mayu has a very distinctive timbre, which I think is essential in a vocalist. She likes dirty vocals, but also sings cleanly and in tune. Her vocal spectrum is limited and doesn't reach such high notes. However, her style is very characteristic and certainly different from what we are used to hearing in the scene. Her timbre is serious, but curiously smooth at the same time. The dirty vocals, arising from her taste for metalcore, lack tone, but at the same time are very particular to her. If you hear Mayu talking or singing, you'll automatically know it's her without having to see her. “Smooth dirty vocals” is the expression I can think of to describe the way she sings. She's not Angela Gossow, Alissa White-Gluz or Tatiana Shmailyuk: her growls don't have as much strength and aggression. But that's exactly what's interesting about Mayu's vocals, this softening that is quite unusual. In terms of clean vocals, in addition to the bass that characterizes her voice, Mayu works very well with intonation: she attacks syllables, puts punch, strength in singing. Vocally, she is a hybrid between punk and metalcore.

Accompanying Saki on guitars, we also have Hazuki as a soloist. And like Saki, this girl plays a lot, see? Particularly, I didn't know her very well, but in recent years she appeared on the net accompanying the band of the little prodigy Lisa-X, who I have followed since she was a little girl and already published videos playing songs by virtuosos like Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci on Youtube. To play with Lisa, you need to have absurd guitar skills and Hazuki does not disappoint. When I realized she was a member of “Nemophila”, I was pretty sure that was something I'd want to hear. Just like Saki, Hazuki likes powerful riffs, bold and melodic solos, as the good old metal book of the eighties dictates. The two together are gunpowder for dynamite.

Bassist Haraguchi is a relative newcomer among these veterans, but her intensity and enthusiasm on the four strings is simply a delight. Haraguchi is not the type of bass player to hide, but one who joins the party, filling the loud guitars with screeching metallic strums. Drummer Murata Tamu is the most discreet of the five ladies, but certainly one of the best heard. And largely because of the fact that she is a multi-instrumentalist (having a broader musical vision and a perspective that goes beyond percussion). The fact that she acts more as a drummer puts her in the role of leading the rest of the band, which she does in a precise way and dosing the energy and speed of the others in the right measure. Instrumentally, Murata Tamu has very good taste and it's not a mere coincidence that her musical preferences are for bands like “Dream Theater” and “Opeth”. “Nemophila” really works on a group contribution and everyone helps write the compositions, which leaves Saki in a much more comfortable and less burdened position. But of all the members, Murata Tamu is perhaps the musician with the most autonomy to fill in the contributions provided. As “Nemophila” is far from having the progressive sound that the drummer likes the most, it is through her small touches that metallic compositions come out of the common sense. Although the songs are very traditional in terms of heavy metal, there is always some surprise in the course of the tracks presented in the singles “Oiran” and “Raitei”, in instrumental terms.

I hope “Nemophila” lasts a long time. They really enjoy being together and, as a result of this, at the interpersonal level, of relationships, the prognosis is very good. It remains to be seen whether the japanese market will allow many of these interesting bands that have emerged in the country to survive. Personally, I hope so. The freshness and enthusiasm of japanese metal is always a welcome and necessary counterbalance to the infertile and stuck sound of western bands. It is important for sporadically breathing new life into the genre and presenting other perspectives that honor the past, while still looking to the future. It was no wonder that the legendary Marty Friedman left “Megadeth” for a musical life in Japan. From a financial point of view, a much more modest decision, but from an artistic point of view... I can understand it perfectly.

Corvid greetings!

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[English Version] Nemophila - Oiran & Raitei: dynamite gunpowder

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Band-Maid - Unseen World: instrumental maturation

 

Hello my dears. I am the Raven who speaks to you.

To listeners who have never heard me talk about Band-Maid, I clarify that I do not base my evaluations on the appreciation I have for a band. Unlike fandoms, I've never been willing to uncritically accept everything artists do. My tone is normally demanding on what I think needs some criticism. However, I don't like to criticize just for the sake of criticizing. And it was with a lot of demand that I listened to “Unseen World” from the first stanza of the opening song, called “Warning”, to the closing of “Black Hole”. I was determined to listen to much more than what Band-Maid has traditionally offered in previous years and I wouldn't be generous with them if I found exactly the same standard of quality as the previous album, called "Conqueror".

“Conqueror” was not an album that convinced me for a number of reasons. The japanese are culturally workaholics and in many situations, for their art to become more refined and for them to be able to extrapolate the standard of quality they usually set, it is necessary to stop a little. Reflect and review some concepts, update yourself and go back to studying. Band-Maid, in the years leading up to "Unseen World", didn't have time for that. The band was busy between shows and interviews, marketing the brand tirelessly as much out of necessity as it was demand. After all, they were signed to the Nippon Crown label and its subsidiaries, who also made demands in terms of publicity. Kanami Tono, the band's guitarist and songwriter, wrote the songs for “Conqueror” in her rare spare time. And this lack of time to work intensely on the compositions contributed to the fact that the album, although of an average level and with some good compositions, was lacking in a central concept. What definitely doesn't happen here, with “Unseen World”: now we really have an ALBUM and not just a bunch of random produced songs. "Unseen World" has a completely enlightened musical direction, with the band aware of what they want for themselves musically. Here we have an album in the literal sense of the word, and not a tangle of tracks like we had in “Conqueror”. “Unseen World” is a planned, thoughtful album, with a defined musical direction and that requires a considerable effort from all band members to execute it. And the fact that Band-Maid was on the sidelines for the entire year of 2020, with absolutely nothing to do but work on writing new music, certainly helped a lot in this regard. “Unseen World”, in addition to being mature, is musically intelligent, technically challenging and very savvy about its own intensity. In my opinion, this album could easily be called “Band-Maid”, but the title “Unseen World” points to the desire to visit places that they haven't been able to. And I say that because this album is a charter of what Band-Maid is and what they do best, something that Nippon Crown and its subsidiary, Revolver Records, were corrupting and endangering.

When I previously heard the single called “Different”, I also mentioned how much Kanami Tono was overly hidden in the mix made by Revolver Records. And also how the latest compositions were flirting excessively with j-pop, being forced into the mainstream, when in fact Band-Maid didn't even need it. Their songs have always been accessible, one way or another. The label's demands were turning Band-Maid into an overly fancy band, far removed from Miku's original concept and Kanami's musical preferences. I strongly criticized the sound production, the sound engineering of “Conqueror” and also of “Different” - the record company should get on track and stop blowing up the band’s songs, because the compositions were good, but were underused due to weak mixing and forced into the mainstream.

When I heard the first two tracks of “Unseen World”, I was immediately blown away. I thought: “wait... this is too good. Misa and Akane are on point, as loud as ever, but now Kanami's guitar sound is as powerful as theirs. They finally brought it to the front of the mix, exactly how I wanted it. The sound is impeccable. This cannot be the work of Revolver Records. It can not be." So I checked to see if the band was in fact still with Revolver and found out that the album was produced by another company, Pony Records. Mystery solved! And I thank heaven for that! Nippon Crown is pretty big in Japan, much bigger than Pony Records. Band-Maid, by the way, when joining the latter, becomes one of the main names of the company. But, thankfully, the band took a step back. “Unseen World” was absurdly well produced; the hard rock we hear explores and makes sonically transparent what each instrumentalist in the band has to offer. And best of all: Band-Maid is back to doing what they should never have put aside; to be a band where the main thing, above all, is musicality. Band-Maid is formed by a monstrous drummer (that's Akane). Misa is not far behind and Kanami is an excellent songwriter. The talk here is music, even if image is an element of the band's concept as well, given Miku's interest in Maids culture. But what really matters here is music and Band-Maid is a hard rock band, first and foremost. That's what they excels at and that's exactly what “Unseen World” offers again: the compositions are daring, in-your-face, with several challenging moments.

Miku gave some interviews revealing the band's desire to go back to the roots and, at the same time, go one step further in musical terms. And “Unseen World” proves that they were very serious about this. I imagine that all of them, especially Kanami, Akane and Misa, were certainly very uncomfortable with the musical direction that Nippon Crown was forcing them to take. “World Domination” was an excellent album, very cohesive and that revealed to the west an extremely promising japanese hard rock band. But soon after, just as the band became more popular than it had ever been, landing festivals and even venues across the US, Nippon Crown wanted to capitalize on their success by demanding a “bubble gum pop” approach for a wider audience, who is not so familiar with rock n' roll. And thus “Conqueror” was born. With “Unseen World”, Miku and Kanami gave the message, they made the situation very transparent. And the message is: “hello old fans and new listeners… we are Band-Maid and we are a rock band. Like it or not, that's who we are. We believe in what brought us here and we will remain loyal to that. We want to improve instrumentally, challenge ourselves technically, rescue the powerful riffs we had, but making the structure of the songs even bolder. We are musicians and not merely advertising dolls.” And the result is here. It’s called “Unseen World”, a great Band-Maid album.

I've been critical of Band-Maid in years past, disappointed with the change in direction after the great "World Domination". And I have to praise with equal emphasis when the band decides not to sit down in a contract and tries to surpass the album that was the most respectable in the discography. With “Unseen World”, we are left with three shelves in the Band-Maid discography: the third is constituted by promotional releases from the beginning of their career, where the band was still searching for a musical identity and was in development; the second is formed by the four albums considered great (from "Brand New Maid" to "Conqueror", which mark their entry into a major label); and finally the first shelf, which is the “Unseen World” album. It is instrumentally and musically superior to anything Band-Maid has released before. Kanami, Misa and Akane went back to school during this period and dedicated themselves to improving technically. If you already thought that Akane was a fantastic drummer, on this album she surpasses herself: the speed, intensity and tempo changes are incredible, and without losing that groove and musicality that makes her style remind of classic drummers like John Bonham of Led Zeppelin, for example. And the most interesting thing about the band is that having Akane as a drummer forces the rest of the group to work hard, otherwise nobody can keep up with her. Especially Misa. For those who admire Paz Lenchantin's work so much, Misa has great possibilities to create bass lines as intelligent as hers. Misa is very skilled, but at the time she was dissatisfied with her current status, making a heavy self-criticism. And that has made her grow a lot as an instrumentalist. Misa had a desire to compose as well, to help Kanami in the creative process. The songs on “Unseen World” are very instrumentally challenging and surprised the band's most accommodating listeners.

Finally, I couldn't stop talking about Kanami. Her guitar is loud in the mix. But the delight does not stop there. Now with more freedom and without the imposition of writing only commercial material, with “Unseen World” it is possible to hear two very remarkable things happening: first, it is the fact that Kanami is reconnecting with the melodic influences that she had and that have been somewhat suppressed in recent years, given the kind of dull sound imposed on her. For a japanese girl who received musical education on the piano and curiously was inspired by the mexican guitarist Carlos Santana, Kanami would naturally know how to work very well with harmonies and melodies. And what I really liked about “Unseen World” was the fact that, in some moments, Kanami knew how to recognize that a fast solo, at the speed of light, is not always the most suitable. In many moments, what makes the difference in lead guitar is how much it allows the listener to feel and taste note by note. This, by the way, is one of the best lessons that Carlos Santana offers in his work and that Kanami once again pays attention to. I can safely say that she opened her toolbox and returned to give clear examples of her versatility, as she manages to move very well between shred and melodic style.

And that favored Saiki a lot. Kanami's melodic approach and concomitant exploration of different tempos and pitches allowed Saiki to sing in ways she wasn't as used to with the band. I've always thought Saiki's voice was very good, but I've also always been critical of Band-Maid in the sense that they wrote songs that didn't give Saiki greater challenges. I'm not saying that singing Band-Maid's songs is an easy task, it definitely isn't: what I'm saying is that Kanami has never offered Saiki as much of a challenge as she does now. In “Unseen World”, she is not only required to sing in different tempos, but in different pitches than she normally sings. That could have intimidated Saiki, because like it or not, she had been in her comfort zone for a long time. But, in addition to not being intimidated, she accepts the challenge very well and honestly even surprised me. I keep thinking about Saiki's career before Band-Maid, when she was singing in bars and in styles other than rock; she definitely has a much wider vocal spectrum than what we are used to hearing and Kanami has done really well to explore that. Saiki is an excellent singer, with good vocal health. And I hope that Kanami continues to explore her abilities while she is young and can perform her singing with tone and quality. A great band has musical variety. Which, consequently, ends up demanding vocal variation as well. Saiki has plenty of capacity for this and, with Miku on backing vocals and even returning to interpret a song alone (in the singing maid style), “Unseen World” has great vocal harmonies. With Saiki, they tend to lean toward refinement, while with Miku, they're looking for something more accessible to the mainstream audience.

Returning to Kanami, the second aspect that most caught my attention in her compositions was the aggressiveness of the riffs. They have never sounded so strong, deep and intense. At times, the listener will even wonder if Kanami has been listening to metal lately. Because at various points on this album, Kanami is playing absurdly heavy. The rhythm section made by Miku, who obviously always has the function of creating solidity and giving consistency to the riffs, helps to put these songs even more in the listener's face. The most dedicated pop fans, the freshest of the band, will get hit by a train. As a lover of rock and metal, I personally couldn't be more pleased: Band-Maid, with "Unseen World", turned into the band I always hoped they would turn into, as it was evident to me the ability they had to reach this level and attract not only the appreciation of casual rock listeners, but also good instrumentalists. Following this direction, I have no doubt that the respect for them in Japan and abroad will only increase. As much as Miku's choice for Maid's clothes tends to generate a certain prejudice with the band, coming from people who don't even really give the sound a chance, when someone strives to raise their level so much and really succeeds, there comes a time when it's practically impossible to ignore the artist. In japanese rock and metal, Hizaki is an excellent example of what I mean. In the end, the music speaks for itself and becomes bigger than any prejudice. And “Unseen World” is a good example that Band-Maid can achieve its goal, if it maintains such an evident interest in musical improvement.

And that's all. Corvid greetings!

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[English Version] Band-Maid - Unseen World: instrumental maturation