the GazettE - DISTRESS AND COMA -Auditory Impression-

author: Connie

Fans might argue that the GazettE's sound has become too "Westernized" since their Filth in the beauty single back in 2006, but music isn't supposed to have boundaries. So remove the cultural and ethnic labels and just call it "evolution" - and the evolution of the GazettE's sound has been nothing short of fantastic. Their freshly released single DISTRESS AND COMA is its newest form, and like their last few releases, the B-sides stand out as much as the title track while still keeping the single coherent and cohesive.

DISTRESS AND COMA starts out with creepy, staccato electronic notes set against distorted guitar feedback before Ruki - and the GazettE's now expected female back-ups - practically slam your head into the song. With Reita's dominant bass line supporting the song, DISTRESS AND COMA combines solemn and quiet moments, heavier emotional passages and a strong and orchestral chorus for a song that keeps the listener's interest. A little bit past the song's halfway point, the GazettE gives their listeners a resting point with a few emotional measures accompanied by softer violins before throwing them back into the fray of the chorus. Granted, the chorus is a little bit long and repeated once too often, but it does little to take away from this powerful piece.

DISTRESS AND COMA exemplifies organization and emotion, so Headache Man is a perfect foil with its a hodgepodge of musical styles and raw and unobstructed action. Somehow, it manages to work all together despite the variety of styles: a noise-influenced opening, measures of industrial metal thrash, a pure punk chorus and, interestingly enough, some rapping against random electronic noise. Headache Man is fun, pure and simple, and it won't be surprising to see some major mosh-pits form when this is played live.

After all of that action, the GazettE emotes a little more calmly with the beautiful ballad Without a Trace. The verses are simple and clean with only Aoi's gorgeous acoustic guitar work and Ruki's singing, and violins occasionally act as accompaniment. They build into the orchestra-heavy chorus without a hitch and also allow the song to rise to a deeply emotional finish. Ruki's last line, sung a cappella, ends the song with a flourish.

With Guren, LEECH and now DISTRESS AND COMA, the GazettE has shown that they have become more than capable in their genre-mixing tendencies and know how to make something incredible out of a variety of styles. DISTRESS AND COMA won't disappoint and is bound to raise anticipation and expectations for their upcoming studio album DIM.