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/: :\
/:: Artist :: Ryujin ::\
:: Album :: Ryujin ::
:: Year :: 2024 ::
:: __ _ _ __ ::
-:--\\-----------------------------------------------------------------//--:-
:: \ / ::
:: . Genre :: Metal Source :: CD . ::
:: Label :: Shinigami Records R.date :: 2024-04-01 ::
_::__ Cat.nr. :: 3E532 S.date :: 2024-01-12 __::_
::// \\::
::/---------------------------------------------------------------------\::
:: ::
/: Encoder :: LAME 3.100 -V0 :\
..: Bitrate :: avg. 278kbps :..
. Quality :: 44.1 kHz/Joint Stereo .
. Size :: 120.51MB .
. .
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ tracklist /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: 1. Hajimari 0:40 ::
:: 2. Gekokujo 4:47 ::
:: 3. Dragon, Fly Free 4:22 ::
:: 4. Raijin and Fujin 6:09 ::
:: 5. The Rainbow Song 4:01 ::
:: 6. Kunnecup 5:35 ::
:: 7. Scream of the Dragon 3:56 ::
:: 8. Gekirin 4:04 ::
:: 9. Saigo no Hoshi 5:20 ::
:: 10. Ryujin 7:39 ::
:: 11. Guren no Yumiya 5:23 ::
:: 12. Saigo no Hoshi (feat. Matthew K. Heafy) 5:24 ::
:: ::
:: ::
:: ------- ::
.. >> 57:20 ..
__ __ _ . : _ ____ _ _ ____ _ : . _ __ __
.\\\\------- : | ---\ /---------------------\ /--- | : -------////.
+/ -\------- | | ----\ release notes /---- | | -------/- \+
/: . : : . :\
/:: ::\
:: ::
:: Like all good New Year's resolutions, I've broken another ::
:: before we're two weeks into 2024. I said to myself that I d not ::
:: review any album that is only available as a stream, because ::
:: it's so difficult to give it the time and attention that it ::
:: deserves, as I'm severely hindered by a hectic life. A ::
:: full-time job, children, a dog, family, friends, and the ::
:: never-ending search for my 'Mrs Of Much Metal' (don't ask!) ::
:: means that I have precious little time to be chained to my WiFi ::
:: listening to a streamed promo, especially as I don't have the ::
:: luxury of unlimited data on my devices. I need the flexibility ::
:: of listening in the car, whilst walking the dog, or on my ::
:: bicycle once away from the main roads. ::
:: ::
:: I really wish Napalm Records would reassess their decision and ::
:: offer downloads, but that's probably about as unlikely as a ::
:: Spurs trophy, so in order to avoid cutting my nose off to spite ::
:: my face, I've reluctantly put my proposed boycott to one side. ::
:: The upshot is that I am here putting my thoughts in writing ::
:: about an album that was only available in a stream format, ::
:: namely the self-titled debut album from Ryujin. ::
:: ::
:: A debut album 'Ryujin' may well be, but the clientele involved ::
:: are no strangers to the music world. Anyone familiar with the ::
:: name Gyze will recognise the names of Ryoji and Shuji ::
:: Shinamoto, the brothers responsible for Gyze's creation in 2011 ::
:: and before that, in 2009, the formation of Suicide Heaven. In ::
:: 2024, the siblings return alongside bassist Aruta Watanabe to ::
:: offer the metal world a new self-titled debut under the moniker ::
:: of Ryujin, the name inspired by the Japanese Dragon God of the ::
:: sea. ::
:: ::
:: Being unfamiliar with all three names until now, I approached ::
:: this record with an open mind. I cannot begin to imagine what s ::
:: meant by Samurai metal as stated in the press release, but I ::
:: do know a little more about death metal. And, what I do know ::
:: leads me to question the genre description for Ryujin. Yes, ::
:: there are elements of death metal and extreme metal overall ::
:: within their sound. However, for large parts of Ryujin and ::
:: the twelve tracks of which it is comprised, there is so much ::
:: more to the band than that. ::
:: ::
:: After a very short intro piece that is strongly seasoned with ::
:: the sounds of battle and Eastern-influenced instrumentation, ::
:: we re confronted with what is undoubtedly a brisk and ::
:: thunderous slab of extreme metal in the form of Gekokujo . ::
:: Again, the Eastern influences can be heard within the music, ::
:: but they play second fiddle to the main thrust of the music, ::
:: more as an embellishment and a creator of atmosphere. The ::
:: driving force is the metallic bombast comprised of bruising ::
:: drumming and fast, sharp riffing, alongside some gruff screams ::
:: and growls, and tasty lead guitar accents both courtesy of ::
:: Ryoji Shinamoto. ::
:: ::
:: There is a strong thread of melody that comes through, despite ::
:: the intense death metal battery, that reminds me a little of ::
:: Children Of Bodom. And this reference point comes to mind ::
:: thanks to the way that the music is both heavy and catchy, with ::
:: plenty of deliciously flamboyant guitar histrionics courtesy of ::
:: Ryoji. As the song develops, the folk influences come more to ::
:: the fore, especially within a couple of the more jaunty, upbeat ::
:: melodies. It s a powerful and exhilarating start, one that led ::
:: me eagerly into the album for a greater exploration. ::
:: ::
:: The traditional Eastern instrumentation makes an early ::
:: impression within the utterly beguiling Dragon, Fly Free . The ::
:: flute sounds embellish the central melody that s really catchy ::
:: and thoroughly addictive, especially above the In Flames-like ::
:: driving rhythms and riffs. This is a seriously cool song, one ::
:: that just gets better with repeated spins. ::
:: ::
:: Another string to the bow of Ryujin is the way in which they ::
:: have managed to enlist the assistance of Trivium s Matthew ::
:: Kiichi Heafy and it s with his introduction on Raijin & Fujin ::
:: that this album takes a turn to the left, leaving the melodeath ::
:: and thrash trappings of the early stages in favour of a much ::
:: more pronounced power metal approach. Heafy provides clean ::
:: vocals on this track and the immediate follow-up, The Rainbow ::
:: Song . The former still features gruff vocals, but there s no ::
:: mistaking the galloping rhythms and light-hearted melodies that ::
:: scream power metal. The chorus once again explores more of a ::
:: folk feel, which really works well and ensures that the song, ::
:: complete with a killer groovy riff, symphonics, and blistering ::
:: lead breaks, is a properly belting composition. The Rainbow ::
:: Song however, is pure and simple mid-tempo melodic power metal ::
:: fodder. The gruff vocals are all but abandoned in favour of a ::
:: sing-along stomper, but again, despite the fluffier feel, it is ::
:: a winner thanks to the 100% commitment and the superb guitar ::
:: work, not to mention strong melodic sensibilities. ::
:: ::
:: That said, if you really want to delve into fluffy ballad ::
:: territory, then look no further than Saigo No Hoshi which ::
:: emerges after the likes of Scream The Dragon that ::
:: reintroduces the melodeath trappings with aplomb, albeit ::
:: alongside a soaring, saccharine melodic metal chorus. Saigo No ::
:: Hoshi is the unashamed radio-friendly ballad that would ::
:: normally send me running for the hills but for two reasons. ::
:: Firstly, I quite like ballads. Secondly, this particular one is ::
:: exceptional. Yes, the chorus might sound as if it was lifted ::
:: from a Eurovision entry, but who cares? When it s this ::
:: memorable and hook-laden, it s time to just let your cynicism ::
:: go and embrace the beauty that the song provides. The fact that ::
:: there are two versions of the song on the record might test the ::
:: patience of some, but when the second version, an English ::
:: language version, that sees out the record again features the ::
:: talents of Matthew Heafy, it s hard to argue with its ::
:: duplicated presence. ::
:: ::
:: For many reasons, I can do nothing but recommend Ryujin . It ::
:: may flit from idea to idea, thus robbing the band of a single, ::
:: distinct identity, but each of the various sides of Ryojin are ::
:: delivered with such style, panache, and full-on commitment, ::
:: that it is difficult to argue with the final product. So, you ::
:: know what? I won t argue. I ll just sit back and enjoy the ::
:: final product. Are Ryujin melodic death metal trio? Are they a ::
:: power metal band? Are they an extreme folk metal outfit? I have ::
:: no idea. But more importantly, I really don t care. The bottom ::
:: line is that Ryujin is a fun, enjoyable, slick, and well ::
:: produced ride that has entertained me far more than I ever ::
:: thought it might when I pressed play that first time a couple ::
:: of weeks ago. If you re looking for something to put a big fat ::
:: smile on your face and air guitar with abandon, this might just ::
:: be the record for you. ::
:: ::
:: . _ _ . ::
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