Track Listing
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Shuushuu
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Samayoi
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Ubugi
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Namasu
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Oni Kosae no Uta
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Gekkou
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Zakuro to Jubaku
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Kishibojin
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Urami no Hate
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Michi
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Kourui
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Kikoku
1. Shuushuu
A little introduction for the album kicks off Kishiboshin and I’m surprised by it quite frankly. I’m used to hearing Onmyo-za just rockin’ things out but this is a breezy intro with piano (and it sounds happy?). The band does come in at the 2/3 point of it and it sounds great from the guitarists! though there’s a little chuckle before it seamlessly moves into…
2. Samayoi
Samayoi which is the first vocal track…though if the chuckle wasn’t there I wouldn’t have noticed the track changing. Then again the furious guitars and pounding drums could also be a helping factor right? I love hearing the three singers together and have their own parts which is strong and I always love Kuroneko and Mabataki’s vocals together…melds well together. Good start!
3. Ubugi
The intro for Ubugi is quite pounding and has a lot of Maneki playing guitar. As dark as the song is, I think it worked for Kuroneko’s vocals since she’s leading the song for the most part. I’m not complaining about how slow the song is though since it’s been a while since I’ve heard one of these kind of songs from them.
4. Namasu
I didn’t really understand what was said in the beginning of Namasu but I guess I’ll just roll with it for right now. I will say this is more of their edgier songs in the first half of the song since there’s some growling and an evil glow coming from Mabataki and then all of sudden, Kuroneko’s higher vocals just kind of pop out of nowhere and moves the song forward. It’s kind of rigid of a song and while there’s a story to this album, musically it’s a bit rough on the edges.
5. Oni Kosae no Uta
I saw the word *oni* in the title and I kind of pictured we were going to get an eviler song than “Namasu”. This one starts with filtered chanting with a flute playing in the background. Kind of sound like a carnival really. This one is actually not as forboding or scary as I thought since the arrangement is ligher a bit more playful. Kuroneko also sounds like an enka artist as well which was an interesting twist to the song as well. I also like Mabataki’s parts and Maneki’s guitar solo. It was a song that I wasn’t expecting but it turned out quite nicely!
6. Gekkou
I didn’t think Gekkou’s opening had to be as long as it was before Kuroneko started to sing but this is actually a solo song for her and it’s pretty odd that most of the band members are absent in the song so we’re left with a little percussion from Atsushi…but otherwise the song is a twinkly, slow ballad. It’s different and I do like that about, but it’s a sore thumb because of the lack of the band.
7. Zakuro to Jubaku
Funny how that the first half of the album each track didn’t even reach the 5 minute mark while all of the second half is over 5 minutes…clever idea perhaps? We do start with the album’s longest song though with Zakuro to Jubaku at 7 minutes. Mabataki kicks things off singing pretty slowly with not a lot of stuff going on in the background. It’s a good intro and then the band comes and and Kuroneko starts to sing her parts. It’s not a heavy song and that’s pretty good to hear that to be honest. I’m enjoying this track!
8. Kishibojin
I guess this is considered the album’s title track since it’s similar to the title of the album. I love the opening orchestral piece since it had such a dark aura to it! I will say I’m kind of getting a little tired of these long intros but it seems like it takes forever to get to vocals. Once again, it’s really only Kuroneko singing the song and I found her better in this song since she has a great voice when she’s singing with the band playing along. So yes, this was pretty good as well.
9. Urami no Hate
I like how our next song kind of just slides into the headphones and I felt like this song sounds like an ending theme to a video game or a song you would literally hear in a Guilty Gear game. It’s got a consistent beat and melody and Mabataki reminds me of GACKT in this song funny enough. Otherwise, this is pretty straightfoward for them, but it’s a solid track nonetheless.
10. Michi
A guitar solo starts our next song and like “Urami no Hate”, this is also quite straightforward for the most part but it’s a little slower than said song. I will say that the heavier arrangement is a little more memorable than back in the previous track though. Both main singers really brought it this time and while this isn’t as quick-paced like “Aoki Dokugan”, this is close enough for me!
11. Kourui
Things slow down once again for Kourui and it’s different since I hear a little more strings than normal used here. It’s a bit like the other songs on here with a relaxed setting and Kuroneko leading once again. It’s dramatic and it shows in her vocals, but I’m just kind of forgetting the song overall.
12. Kikoku
Closing the album off is Kikoku which has that same bright piano melody that was found in “Shuushuu”. However this 4 times as long as the intro and is more hard-hitting that I would’ve expected but that good after all the mid-tempos. I admire hearing Kuroneko singing and this is her best place to hear epic vocals from her. It’s a good end to the album.
Tracks Recommended
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Michi
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Zakuro to Jubaku
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Oni Kosae no Uta
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Kikoku
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Kishibojin
Song of Avoidance
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Namasu
I knew coming into this album review, Kishiboshin is a story album and while I don’t understand what the might be, I can insinuate that it’s about life to death which is a cool thing to do right? Well since I can’t totally talk about that the music is what’s important and for the most part, this album triumphs over their last album, “Kongou Kyuubi”. I am curious to why there’s no “Konpeki no Soujin” but guessing it makes sense not having it because it probably be odd to the story. Still, great album from them and a good little Christmas gift to the fans ^_^
