Somewhere in between the almost incomprehensible progressive zeuhl sound of Koenjihyakkei and the straight up classic metal of Onmyo-za lies Gonin-ish. While they are more classically metal then the very arty former, they also crank things up more than a few notches from the latter.
Their origins and the thoughtfulness of their material is no less than complex than the material itself. First off, their name is a combination of "five people" and "one poem," meaning their singular work is the result of five people working closely together. They also choose to sing in an old version of Japanese that even most modern-day Japanese don't understand. The band actually directs listeners to simply close their eyes and imagine what the songs are about for themselves. They are also dedicated to producing everything themselves, from music to lyrics and recording, it's all done "in-house," so to speak. Perhaps most refreshing is their lack of over-the-top death metal styles, both aural and visual. The instead adopt a more traditional, albeit dark, style of dress and makup. Much like Onmyo-za or Inugami Circus Dan, they bring a very Japanese sensibility to their unique musical style.
This retention of all creative decisions leads to some very dense and challenging music, but they never let it get too far out. Again, they do manage to pull in the reigns more often than not, letting the songs breathe by breaking down into slower passages that are more like classic gloom and doom metal. Singer, front woman and guitarist Anoji sings in both a "normal" voice and the typical guttural metal growls, another tool to keep the songs in constant flux. Just when you start to think that there might be a bit too much Cookie Monster voice going on, she'll break into a naturally shrill but liquid register. They are first and foremost progressive, not death or black metal. Sure, they are pretty loud and have guitars tuned down to the center of the Earth, but they also have a lot of much lighter fare, allowing the listener to come up for air, before being buried under the next wave of metal mayhem.
Live
Official Site
Members:
Masashi Momota - Piano, Synth
Anoji - Vocals, Guitar
Gaku - Drums
Fu-min Takahashi - Lead Guitar
Oyama - Bass
Albums:
Gonin-ish - 2000
Naishikyo-Sekai - 2005
Naishikyo-Sekai promo
1 comment:
Awesome!
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