ROYAL STRAIGHT MAGIC, the newest mini-album from exist†trace, gives fans an impressive and enjoyable twenty five minutes to indulge themselves in the most recent material from the all-girl rock group.
Psychedelic Night opens with Mally's powerful rhythm on the drums, followed by the guitars that give an edgy flavour to the melody that is intriguing, grabbing your attention fully in that first minute. Jyou's vocals sound a little hasty in the beginning verses but as the chorus comes in there's this upbeat, melodic and entrancing section of the song, broken into two parts, that gets your head bopping in time to the first part and then dancing for the second part. There is no wanting for energy; Psychedelic Night is certainly looking to have the winning hand already.
ROYAL STRAIGHT MAGIC, the title track, does not fail to linger either as this too packs a punch with the fast pace of the drums, eloquent guitar work and no stinting on the electronics. The vocals are on point with plenty of melody to add to the mix, Jyou backed brilliantly by the softer and higher range from miko's own vocals that gives ROYAL STRAIGHT MAGIC a touch of pop-rock.
Yoake no hikari slows the rhythm down slightly but there are at least two things that are more noticeable. The first is the prominence of Naoto's basslines and the second is the vocals. You can really pick out the backing vocals more in this track. However, GET BACK really takes the prize in the vocal category as listeners have not yet heard on this album, until this point, miko taking a bigger role in the singing. Both miko and Jyou share the vocals, with of course Jyou taking the lead, but the guitarist has a decent amount of lyrics to blast out herself. The electronic effects used are sharper, and lead guitarist Omi's solo through the instrumental is most effective in comparison to the instrumental of Yoake no hikari, the combinations giving a more wholesome feel to this song.
Kimi to ame to himitsu is another that will win the hearts of many fans of exist†trace. This is a ballad and it sticks to a simpler style — no fancy effects, just a very honest and beautiful sound. You really get the feeling that everyone gets a bit of spotlight as there are no other special additions like the electronic elements that can disguise or drown out the main instruments.
ROYAL STRAIGHT MAGIC wraps up with final song SKY. SKY ends the album in the same way it began, full to bursting with energy from the unrelenting drumming, bountiful guitar melodies, bass rhythms and melodic vocals. This song too will be received greatly at live shows as the final chorus offers the chance for fans to sing back, which everyone always loves, giving everyone the opportunity to feel that little bit more connected.
ROYAL STRAIGHT MAGIC can be purchased from the following online stores:
