Siva - Homura

Undercode Productions band Siva is comprised of Kairi on vocals, guitarists Iori and Yuuichi, new drummer Kiri and the often masked bassist Cell. Homura is the band’s first release of 2007 and contains two tracks.

The opening track, Youen, begins with a distorted guitar that is sure to promise a hard, heavy song. However, as the intro gives way to the verse, it becomes obvious that this is not the case. The song actually has a slow, calm sound, though there is certainly too much going on in the background. One almost always expects the chorus of such a tune to be the redeeming point, though in Youen, it is only slightly better than the verse and unfortunately, a bit mediocre. Overall, each instrument seems to be working independently, creating a busy sound that clashes with the mood of the song.

New born=kills newly, the second and final track, is a much needed addition to this single. It starts off with an electronically-influenced sound and almost immediately flows better than the first song, though it’s a bit sketchy at the beginning. Cell demonstrates his skill through the use of a slap-bass technique that works with the high-pitched distortion in the background to give the song a very unique feel. With the addition of eerie effects and a surprising but somehow fitting acoustic guitar, New born=kills newly is a much better example of Siva‘s artistic style.

Compared to Siva‘s previous releases, Homura seems like a step backwards. The two songs featured on this single would do much better on an album where other tracks could serve as padding, instead of being released on a two-song, no-DVD single. Siva‘s usual releases are powerful, stylish, and showcase a great variety of talent, so those just now getting a taste of the band with Homura should probably look elsewhere to hear what this band is really capable of.