Bit late to this party due to international shipping. Here’s my knee-jerk reaction after one listen.
Yurameki sounds wonderful at the beginning. I love the piano so much… then the full band comes in, and this is where the problems start.
Actually, they start before that. Kyo’s vocals over this whole single are crushed and boxy. So overly compressed. Weirdly, Kyo is absolutely drowned in Zan. He’s mixed too low. Crushed yet quiet. Compare the start of Yurameki to when he starts singing in Zan. Doesn’t sound great. I miss the unrestrained insanity of the original.
Akuro no Oka is better. The strings are nice. It suffers from the same issues as the rest. I always adored this song, so have a bit of a soft spot for it.
To get to the point, the real issue is Shinya. He sucks. Not even sorry; he’s objectively bad here. He does seem to actually play some of the fills and so on, but the main body of it is all programmed, which sticks out tremendously alongside the rest of the live instruments. I do like programmed electronic music… however, in this setting, it’s so lifeless when the songs crave vitality. Also: WHY? A good drummer can perform a take in the same time-frame as the song itself. But programming drums takes bloody hours, and it never sounds as good. So why the heck he wants to go this route, who the hell knows. Maybe… maybe he’s just bad? But I’ve seen them live a few times, and he’s fine there. I don’t understand this decision at all.
The rest of the band sounds okay. A bit sloppy in places, and the guitar tones are kinda blah, but it’s all right.
Here’s the other main issue. It feels very much like each part was recorded in isolation. Even though each band member has energy (except Shinya), they don’t quite gel together. I’ve been saying this for ages now: they need to start recording their albums live. Practice a ton, get the songs how they want them, bang them out in the studio, select the best takes, and clean them up in post. A great example of this is X.Y.U. by Smashing Pumpkins. That song was recorded live in studio, and it shows. Full of vitriol, piss, and vinegar. I’ve heard that song hundreds of times and it still puts me on the edge of my seat. Goosebumps and all. This sterile precious prissy crap DEG is putting out nowadays has none of that. It’s not dangerous, it’s not exciting, and goddamn it, even if the songs are great, they’re neutered by the band’s terrible recording practices; they’re simply not allowed to spread their wings. Case in point: the live performances of TIW compared to the studio versions. Night and day.
Overall: Yeah, this was disappointing. DEG needs a new producer; someone who isn’t afraid to say “no”, someone who not only understands the band but also can drag them kicking and screaming out of this little box they built. They need to trust someone other than themselves. I hope very much that this was just them clocking in for the 25th. At least they did something.
I have a feeling the best of this single is on the Blu-ray… gotta find time to watch that.