The wait is now truly over! Versailles' first offering, The Revenant Choir, was only available at lives in Japan, and with "Lyrical Sympathy", Versailles' music is available in Japan, Europe and the world via the internet. I should start by telling you, that I was a huge Kamijo fan from LAREINE. I only got into Hizaki last year, but I am a huge fan. You may call me biased if you wish, I'll be OK."Lyrical Sympathy" is everything I hoped for and more. The music is luscious and epic. The visuals are opulent and represent what Visual Kei is truly meant to be.
INTRO is very well titled. It is a perfect, yet always unnecessary, Visual Kei introduction. I feel like there is some Zelda influence in it. Can't go wrong with some Zelda-ishness. BAM! The Love from A Dead Orchestra is on! It starts out with roaringly epic guitars and then rolls into Kamijo's new buttery deep vocal style. The Love had everything... yes, everything. That doesn't always bode well for a song, but it works here. There middle of the track is rather choppy with its different parts which I at first listen thought to be a different song. However, on the second play through, I got a sense of what Versailles was trying to emote. The chorus is stunning, and I get goose-pimples listening to The Love. Shout & Bites is up next and it rocks with a very "The Vampire Lestat" feeling. Can't you see the sultry Kamijo (Lestat) on stage with his vampire movements, beckoning you to him? I actually get that feeling from the whole album.
Jasmine you (B), TERU (G), KAMIJO (V), YUKI (D), HIZAKI (G)
Beast of Desire, the first Hizaki composed track (the previous two where Kamijo's doing), has a much more metal feeling in the guitars. You can definately hear the Hizaki in it and the following track, Forbidden gate. This song as a romantic touch to it. The guitars come in strong, but Kamijo's vocals swoon and croon. It is quite nice. What I think may be my favorite track was written by TERU and comes up next. The Red Carpet Day is a guitar heavy rocker that begs to be listened to over and over. This is song I want to be front row for. This is the song I want to loose control in the crowd to. This is the song I want to scream and shout with the band and audience. This is the song that Lestat sings for his final song with full intention to upset the Vampire status quo infront of the murderous vampires in the crowd... at least in my mind's eye. It is that awesome. If you can see Versailles live, go just for the sake of this song in it live glory. I haven't yet seen the band live, but this song makes Versailles trump any other band that may be playing that day (OK... maybe not D). The final song is the sweet and beautiful rock-ballad, Sympathia. It is a song that I thought I would hear from the moment I first heard Kamijo's announcement of Versailles. A LAREINE-style ballad over top of Hizaki's crying guitar chords. It is the song that makes me see Kamijo as Louis or a newly dead Lestat. You may be tired of my Anne Rice references, but it is how I see Versailles. Vampires. When I read her vampire chronicles, I see Kamijo as Lestat. I don't think Kamijo would mind either.
Versailles has created a world of beauty. Lyrical Sympathy is the gateway to the decadence within. Versailles has just begun, and I waiting on the edge of my seat for the next chapter in the saga that is Versailles, the Visual Kei Rejuvenators.
KAMIJO ~ I had to add this picture. His powers of persuasion are far-reaching and all-powerful.Versailles
Lyrical Sympathy
SASCD-027 ~ ￥2,625
TRACKLIST: INTRO
The Love from A Dead Orchestra
Shout & Bites
Beast of Desire
Forbidden gate
The Red Carpet Day
Sympathia
CD Japan
minagoroshi //37564。
7 comments:
I love this album, too, and my main reaction to your post was "oh good, someone else has my Kamijo/Lestat blurring thing". It's as if he (Kamijo) has finally become what he was always half-getting to with Lareine, don't you think?
-exquisitedelusions@yahoo.com (no blogger or google account)
Man,thanks to you minagoroshi,for playing The Revenant Choir in your last podcast.I am totally hooked on this band!! I think Kamijo has truly progressed and the album is so like Hizaki..So both of them together with practically the rest of Hizaki Grace Project made a perfect sound together!! Every time I listen to the song Sympathia,I fall in love with this band all over again!!..Thanks again for all your awesome podcasts,and bringing me into the truly unique and wonderful world of J-Rock and Visual Kei!!!!!!
Minagoroshi, I'm making it my goal to popularize J-CAST/J-TYPE in Hawaii, my town at the least.
Also, I'd like to thank for the awesome music exposure. Due to lack of popularity in the town I live in, I've only ever heard of Dir en grey and, upon occasion, Malice Mizer, but because of J-CAST, expanding my J-rock horizons. lol. Cheesy.
Anyways, keep it up!
~Lina
Minagoroshi, I need your assistance.
Im a 10th grader in Hawaii, and Im doing a class project magazine all about Visual-Kei.
Now, I need opinions and whatnot for my project,
and who better to ask but you?
If you could, could you email me at xx_linachan@hotmail.com
Also, if anyone else could help me, that would be greatly appreciated.
Hi, you don't know me but i came across your j-type site yesterday and was pretty impressed at what you have done there.
Im emailing you to thank you for trying to help the jrock community grow around the world...i know its already grown quite a bit in the last couple of years seeing as though jrock artists are frequenting venues in america more and more these days. I actually was lucky enough to catch miyavi in may when he played at the house of blues in anaheim...and all sorts of good jrock bands are going to be playing this year on the west coast but ive just recently moved to hawaii so its pretty likely i wont be able to make them.
ok ok so im trailing off subject, just want to say thanks for helping the jrock community, i even tried subscribing to your podcast but it didnt work because of lack of donations :( sorry to hear...you should update your site though, says it hasnt been updated since the end of last year...thats a shame, i enjoyed it even though it was a bit outdated by the time i came across it.
btw, do you have msn messenger or are you on any social networking sites? (myspace, facebook, etc?)
please contact me at: bad_woof_bad@hotmail.com
Sincerely,
Lauren
I love this album, as well. I went to see them live, and The Love was the first song. I cried all night, it was so beautiful. The next day, there was a fan question-answer thing with the band, and someone asked Kamijo if he knew of the Vampire Chronicles. He said he does, and that he loves the books, so you keep right on referencing them!
Minagoroshi, where have you gone? It's 2009 and not a new podcast yet? I hope your motivation/work/school/life situation improves. I miss J-Cast!
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