Dazzle Vision is one of the few rock bands out there with a female vocalist, and they seem to rock all the more for it. Their latest album,
to the next, will be released in the US just in time to help celebrate their United States debut as
Dazzle Vision will be performing at Sakura-Con 2010.
The album begins with the title track, a bright, quick song that sets the mood.
Maiko’s low vocals sound almost as though she were purring – and then she switches dramatically to her death voice after the chorus. This combination is a trick that serves the band well throughout the album. The next track,
VISION, has a jarring, buzzing intro and opens up straight into death vocals. The pounding beat transitions nicely into an open, soaring chorus. Reminiscent of American post-hardcore band
Finch’s earlier work, the mix of melodic singing and harsh screaming works extremely well, and
VISION is probably the most anthemic song of the album. The abrupt ending serves only to highlight the entire track.
IN A MOMENT shows a slightly different side of the band with its pretty, keyboard based melody. For most of the song
Maiko sounds more like she’s talking than singing, which is a little distracting, but it becomes less noticeable as the song progresses. Slowing things down further is
Boku ga boku de aru tame ni. With an eerie intro and background echoes of wind blowing, this moody piece sees
Maiko changing her singing style to become more nasal and childish. To cap it all off, it’s followed by
Wonderland, which – true to its name – is full of a child-like wonder. The vocals are digitalized through a filter, and the picked strings give the entire song a fragile, dainty feeling.
Picking up the pace is
Miss.Cinderella, which starts with a low, jazz bass beat and continues as a mix of jazz and swing.
Maiko’s voice seems slightly off-key at first, but it smoothes out quickly, and she also does some impressive death voice. Overall, it’s a fun, fast paced song that is easy to dance and thrash to. Then, everything changes again with
cold. Set in minor key and full of filtered echoes, the song is stark and creepy, like something from a horror movie soundtrack.
Maiko sings the chorus in a haunting wail, and the entire track is powerful and compelling.
The last song on the album is
Hirui, which closes out the album with a bang. It starts right off with filtered, angry growling, reminding a bit of
lynch.’s sound, before dissolving into more melodic singing. The beautiful chorus gives the track a rolling, endless quality, and it leaves you feeling extremely satisfied.
Dazzle Vision is a band that should be very impressive in concert, and any of the songs off this album would be well received by a live audience. Their music is full of fun, energy and passion, so don’t hesitate to check them out!
This review was made possible by JapanFiles, and the album is available for pre-order in the United States at their website.
