I think KIRITO has always been an immensely talented vocalist, but his songwriting skills aren’t very creative. PIERROT has Aiji to balance this out, and created a lot of really memorable songs.
I’m only guessing here but maybe Angelo’s songwriting felt generic, even with Karyu, because KIRITO stifled his songwriting to fit with his vision of the band? That and the 1 album a year release schedule probably worked against them.
Regardless I’m liking the diversity of these latest tracks and am looking forward to the new album. I love hearing KIRITO’s voice even if his songs aren’t all that memorable.