After the departure of guitarist Yutori last year, visual kei quintet MeteoroiD shed their upbeat sound and somewhat futuristic, bright image in favour of a much darker and heavier sound, adopting a classic visual kei image reminiscent of bands from the 90s and early 2000s.
From the time the band released their first single under their new name, their image and sound have become progressively darker with each offering, culminating in a mass of black in Tori kago no sarasoju wa shika no hana. Released on September 2nd, their fourth single is available in two editions. The limited edition comes with the title track and its music video, whereas the regular edition contains the title track and a B-side, Myaku tokei.
Tori kago no sarasoju wa shika no hana, as its title suggests, is not a happy song. The ponderous drum beat, coupled with rhythmic guitar playing, creates a heavy and oppressive sound that pulls the listener into the story woven by the band. Bare, basic and without frills, the music video for Tori kago no sarasoju wa shika no hana might have the markings of a low-budget shoot. However, it manages to capture the sombre mood of the song perfectly with its dull, monochromatic colour palette. If there is anything negative to say about this track, it would be vocalist GENKI's use of falsetto for a significant portion of the song. While falsetto can make for a refreshing auditory experience in a hard rock song, GENKI simply does not excel when singing in this register, turning what could have been a plus point into a weakness.
The ticking of a clock against a faint, gentle synth melody signals the start of Myaku tokei. This goes on for a good 25 seconds, building suspense and tension as the listener wonders which direction the song will take. Would it be a slow ballad as the piano suggests, or something different? MeteoroiD affirms that it will be the latter when electric guitars, bass and drums cut in hard and fast, shattering the quietness with aggressive rock. Myaku tokei is not all harshness though, as the soft synth melody returns twice. If GENKI missed the mark in Tori kago no sarasoju wa shika no hana, he redeems himself here by singing in the range he's best at, throwing in some whispers and rap as well. The high point of Myaku tokei is perhaps the instrumental break, where the guitarists go all-out in a round of intense shredding, making their instruments wail.
With only nine minutes worth of material to listen to, Tori kago no sarasoju wa shika no hana might feel a tad bit short to some. Taking the single's weighty sound into consideration, however, nine minutes is perhaps the perfect dose of darkness to stomach. All in all, MeteoroiD's fourth single is a precise embodiment of the band's revised image and sound.
