A regular guest at anime conventions, Iruma Rioka is a singer-songwriter with a small but loyal following. She, along with guitarist Nemu and a teddy bear named Honey, have performed all over the world, from Mexico to Russia and a number of places in between. Having been this musically active since 2008, Iruma is no stranger to the ups and downs of artistic expression. Her songs are personal and packed with emotion, but as one grows more experienced, so too do their methods of expression. Well-crafted art is not defined through consistency of quality alone; rather, a skilled artist must be able to evolve their art along with their capabilities.
Having released an assortment of very dependably worthwhile music, Iruma and Nemu enlisted regular support member and Rose Noire violinist Jill to form a new group called Hollow Mellow in 2014. The trio puts a gothic spin on Iruma's past fairy tale motifs, seeking to blend her emotionally stirring voice with Nemu and Jill's intriguing instrumental work. To best show off their brand-new sound, the trio has decided on a self-cover album as their first release. Aptly titled Reincarnation, the album toys with Iruma's familiar sound in a way sure to fascinate both fans and new listeners alike.
The group's near-perfect synergy is on display from the beginning with the opening track, Spindle -Sleeping Beauty-. Iruma may not be the world's best singer, but her voice is bursting with emotion and very well-suited to the Jill and Nemu's unified instrumental backing.
Next is Eat Me -Little Red Riding Hood-, originally sung by Chii Sakurabi. Hollow Mellow's version tones down the guitars in favor of giving Jill more room to shine, a decision that heightens the tension of the piece considerably. One of the highlights of the original is an astoundingly vicious guitar solo, which here is replaced by an equally impressive blend of guitar and violin. As for Iruma's contribution, her voice is less refined than Sakurabi's, but her unique tone is vital to the success of this new version.
Things settle back down for Serenade -The Little Mermaid-, a ballad-style piece that mournfully plods along with Jill's movingly downtrodden violin work. Then comes Control Me -The Ugly Duckling-, another standout track. Jill and Iruma start the song off with a jaunty string melody and a healthy dose of quacking before Nemu swoops in, his guitar tuned to sound like a flock of particularly rhythmic ducks. Despite the blatant silliness, however, the song has a definite mean streak thanks to its frequently foreboding tone. The piece is equal parts somber, humorous, and adorable, and is a testament to the very special kind of magic Hollow Mellow can create.
Bad End -Snow White- furthers the album's variety by way of its unexpectedly jazzy composition interspersed with softer sections lead by harpsichord and violin. Jill is once more in top form with Just one more dance -Cinderella-, providing a spectacularly melancholy intro to a highly dramatic waltz-style track. Nemu's guitar takes the forefront in Endless Slave -Rapunzel-, another waltz-appropriate song with a tangibly dreamy edge.
The final two tracks are some of the darkest on the entire album. Forbidden Lover -The Blue Bird- proceeds slowly, but at its height sees Nemu at his most metal and Jill at her most manic dueling for attention amidst Iruma's often menacingly toned-down vocals. It is the most concretely "gothic" effort on the album, and yet another attestation to Hollow Mellow's artistry. The last song, Fall Away -Little Match Girl-, is based on an inordinately depressing fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen in which a little girl freezes to death on the street. Accordingly, the vocals are Iruma's most melodramatic yet. Topped off with Nemu's occasional bouts of wild shredding and Jill's eerie strains, Match Girl's emotional intensity is, for lack of a better word, unmatched by any of the members' previous efforts.
Reincarnation is just what it promises: a rebirth of Iruma's favored themes by way of a new, unique sound. Many of the songs are arranged a bit more sparsely than their original versions, but this actually works in their favor and gives them a lighter, much more atmospheric tone. Reincarnation is very much rooted in its dark, fairy tale themes, and the more subdued arrangements prove integral to their solidification in listeners' minds. The members of Hollow Mellow are all artists in the truest sense of the word, telling darkly fanciful stories exclusively through sound. When it comes to genre-subverting rock albums with a palpable classical edge, the world hasn't seen anything as skillfully executed as Reincarnation since Malice Mizer's late-90s glory days. Like much of that band's output, any musically-discerning gothic lolita would be proud to add Hollow Mellow's first release to their collection. Reincarnation is a fairy tale beginning for Iruma, Nemu, and Jill, one that's sure to lead to a long and captivating story.
