Gosh, this album is such a snooze fest. I understand why people love them, but not my cup of tea.
Literally generic Virge songs. I don’t hear anything composion-wise that Ashmaze guys bring to the table in this band. It could have been just a Ryo solo project.
Which is sad, I loved the instrumental parts of Ashmaze songs.
Since I’m hyperfixating on the band and the album anyway, I also can start the thread for the album, I guess.
First of all, I really love how the album’s title is a line from 灰色の海を泳ぐホタル.
I’ve been listening to the album the first time with the lyrics in front of me. It’s not like I can easily read/understand them but I get more out of that than without any that’s why I went for this.
I already loved the three singles, 灰色の海を泳ぐホタル, Hysteria and 獄詩.
The intro track not being few seconds or a minute long but over three is something I don’t come across too often and I really like it. Especially with one instrument after another joining. And the heartbeat that returns in 心音.
I still need to listen to the album more often, the few times aren’t enough to settle for everything, to have come across all the details. And I’m very curious what I’ll find, if first impressions change and by that which songs I love.
However, I already started getting lyrics into romaji, which’s part of my reading practice for songs/albums I love (wonder, if I can make it through the album tonight).
For now and already with the first listen I right away was into TATTOO, 擬態, 秒針に沈めて, 星灯り、滴る虚夢 and 心音.
And with that first listen and the parts of the lyrics I caught, 秒針に沈めて, 星灯り、滴る虚夢 and 心音 got me to tears right away. Especially for 星灯り、滴る虚夢 I barely had looked at the lyrics and responded to the music even though I can’t pinpoint what exactly triggered this. Despite me being full of emotions when it comes to music, I don’t experience this often. Usually it takes a few listens before the emotions kick in like that. So this was surprising and also very special.
I would say this is the strongest release from Ryo yet. but I can not help but kinda grieve about what has been lost. Azavana is now basically just Virge but with a few more often guitar arpegios with echos. I am definitely happy that this album exists but I kinda can’t process even still that Ashmaze is not anymore.
Erica, Tattoo, mist, Gitai and Byoshin ni shizumente are tracks which make the experience of listening to the album worthwile and are definitely the strongest songs of this group altogether with the only songs still better being Aien and Ueta Kyutai. yet there is still too much akward filler tracks in between (also the previous singles included because they were pretty weak) which just could have been so much better filled by letting the other bandmembers compose more.
7 from 10 with a bonus of negative two because the pathetic AI usage on the cover.
It sounds exactly like Virge to me except with (very slightly) worse songwriting. And sure Virge also had a lot of boring songs but their highs were really really good, and for me, 灰色の海を泳ぐホタル is the only song that reaches those highs (it’s really really good) with Erica getting close.
Overall 4/10 for me, similar to most of Virge’s albums and mini albums which I would put at 5/10.
And honestly I’m still a bit salty they made worse versions of Virge’s excellent later output.
Just tried this band out for the first time and give the album a spin last night. I was pleasantly surprised! Reminded me off a softer kizu. I’ll definitely be coming back to it again.
I have listened to this a few times and I think it’s a good Virge album. There are a few less interesting songs in there, but it’s mostly good ones. Even the singles too, which I didn’t really realize before - I wasn’t paying too much attention to them back then since the rumors of Ashmaze kicking out Souma left a bad taste in my mouth, but now that I listened to them, I think they’re good. Although my favorite song from the album is probably Tattoo.
The only thing I feel conflicted about is that it’s just not as interesting musically as Ashmaze was. It’s fine for a Ryo project, but feels like something was lost in the transition. Makes me glad they rebranded tbh. Releasing this under Ashmaze would’ve been weird.
I agree with you that Tattoo is very great.