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Artist: MEJIBRAY Single: シアトリカル・ブルーブラック Score: Seriously?
I don't often listen to MEJIBRAY, but when I do it's a single because I can't take an entire album of this.

Listening to MEJIBRAY is like playing darts with a very skilled but drunk friend whose precision is impeccable but whose aim is off. Said friend would hit the bullseye more often than not if they took the time to aim before throwing. But in the spirit of keeping the game going as fast as possible, he tosses many darts at the board and hope that enough stick to get him the points he needs to win. The groupies watching who hype his skills overlook this fact. His fans are divided into two groups: one group that sees the potential and the other group which is concerned with the final result. One group hypes his abilities too much and the other underestimates them too much, and that leaves our friend MEJIBRAY in the no-man's land of slightly above average.

This friend knows that he has the talent to play much better - the company of expert-dart throwers he practices with is top-shelf - but he also knows that there is little incentive to play well, so he is satisfied with subpar performance because even if he doesn't win, he still "did well". It works out anyway, right?

No.

THEATRICAL BLUE BLACK is that type of performance that starts shaky and fizzles out before the end. Akin to watching a trainwreck in slo-mo, I can pinpoint the moment when the hype train goes off the side of a cliff. Inconsistency has always been MEJIBRAY's Achille's heel - except it's more like Achille's torso - and the only thing I can say in confidence about them is that they're consistently inconsistent. Even with the gigantic target on their chest that I can't resist taking shots at, MEJIBRAY is here to stay. So while they're still relevant and the Little Hype Train That Could struggles to stay on the track while moving at top speed, let's take a look at why it's good to know when to stop.

If you're interested as to when things get bad, the answer is before it begins. THEATRICAL BLUE BLACK is MEJIBRAY's current offering of a single. I've heard good things from many people about this single but I don't see it. I was expecting to be floored but instead I was bored. "Been here, done that" sums everything up. Yet another song with metalcore verses and a pop hook that by some arcane wizardry fits together better than it usually does, MEJIBRAY has covered no new ground. In my eyes, this is a regression of sorts! They've done better than this before.

Let's start with the tone of the guitars. They may be tuned low, but MiA left all the aggression and heaviness at home. These riffs sound djent-like brittle, neutered at the balls and leave no impact. They seem to be low because they have to maintain their cred as a metal band, but when the chorus is the more convincing musical effort the band isn't maintaining very well. The bass makes up makes up for the lack of low-end punch but it's not enough and often gets overpowered by the guitar. The biggest surprise is Tsuzuku, who has removed a lot of the vocal ticks that made him insufferable to listen to. It's evident in his vocal delivery early into the song - the way his singing morphs into an agitated outburst is the product of many hours of practice. His harsh vocals have not improved at the same rate. He is not at the level where he should attempt them, but no obvious pitch-shifting and the ability to maintain his pig squeals is a plus.

But what can I really say that's not me scraping for positive comments? Not much. Singles need X-Factors to draw me in. THEATRICAL BLUE BLACK doesn't have that. Yet another nameless, faceless single that I won't remember by next week, it could have been done by any other band with the same result. I fail to get a sense of what skills or inspirations MEJIBRAY possesses that separates them from their peers. If this is what they call a single, I'm not convinced the hype is warranted.

I'm even more convinced I'm right when I move onto the B-sides. BI"name"JIKA has an even more cryptic name and has it's own set of problems. First off, it sounds like two different tracks sandwiched together. The first part moves with a rhythm that sticks in your head like a harpoon but isn't catchy. An overreliance on electronic elements with barely any melody means MEJIBRAY is treading water until it switches gears halfway through. Once MEJIBRAY commits to the slow, building style of the chorus on the way out they start conjuring something that can keep my interest. But they don't sustain it for long and just when things get started the track begins to fade out. This irritates me, because the one time they stumble onto an idea not fully explored, it's treated as an afterthought.

HATE is MEJIBRAY's last attempt to get my attention, and they resorted to a two and a half minute number that isn't worth listening to. I have no positive comments about this song. Maybe this gets the crowds going when performing but it's a below-average track overall. I was bored faceless by this. Just needless screaming, a boring and simple set of riffs, and a lack of resolution coupled with no direction. They do this type of track now and again and every single time it just fails. I didn't even finish this song because once I knew where it was headed I knew I wouldn't like the destination.

Cut out all the fame and the hype G. Close any tabs that have a picture open of this band. Turn whatever you're listening to off. We're going to have a serious conversation.

I'll start with the fundamental question I want to pose: why?

Why are they at the forefront of the modern visual kei movement? This band is nothing special. Pardon my French, but this was bland as fuck. No immediate appeal, no lasting appeal, no noteworthy moments at all on this single. What was being hyped again, because I totally missed the train? Or rather, I should say the train missed the station. It never showed up!

Adamant on relying on the same bag of tricks that's been passed around the scene for the last few years, MEJIBRAY doesn't put their own spin on their influences. It's a direct copy-paste of the formula that never deviates from it's inspirations and this formula isn't a turn-key. If a successful product is the end goal, going through the motions isn't going to cut it. Bands can't just play metalcore riffs with pop choruses and come up with a hit single. Songs need soul! It's not only about composing the music, it's about feeling the music. Being the music, even! It's about putting your emotions, your heart, your everything into every track. Each track should communicate a message from artist to fan across language barriers the way only music can.

MEJIBRAY doesn't do this. MEJIBRAY is incapable of doing this. I've tried to get into them on multiple occasions and each time it leaves a worse taste in my mouth. I went back to their first single just to see if it's them or me and it's them. There were traces of promise on their first two singles that have been suppressed for a good while now. MEJIBRAY need to get back to their roots. DIE KUSSE was a step down from Karma & KILLING ME not only in terms of complexity, but delivery, energy, and passion. This is another step down from that. Where's the energy of the band? Everyone sounds so bored, like this has become a routine for them. The passion in the delivery of the choruses are so forced and unconvincing the songs never elevate. The thrill that only a great solo can instill in the listener; the type of solo to get your heart pumping and your feet tapping? It's not here.

At the beginning of the review, I said there were two groups: those that see potential and those that want results. I am in the latter group. Potential means jack shit if you can't deliver. Nobody will remember a band for their potential - only for what they delivered. As long as MEJIBRAY continues to not explore their potential and are content with substandard performances, they will never be deserving of all the hype or attention they get.

Yay! I'm really glad you liked it, Sai. That was a great review (and I really hope Zeus reviews it too!!) and now it's my turn!
 
I made it clear in the review for Jupiter's Arcadia that I am extremely biased. I try extraordinarily hard to be objective when writing reviews for these musicians because Versailles was and is my favorite rock band of all time. However, what everyone is saying is totally true: Kamijo was the (sorry about the pun...) Heart of the band. While the other members were all extremely talented, Kamijo brought the charisma and character to Versailles that if any other singer lead Versailles, it wouldn't have been the same. That being said, I knew I was going to end up liking Kamijo's solo project more than Jupiter's work (although, like I said in my Arcadia review, I do see Jupiter progressing in a huge way... Still doesn't touch Kamijo).
 
Again I will agree with Sai that Kamijo is a ridiculously amazing songwriter. While he wrote the lyrics to basically every song, the majority of Versailles's best songs were composed by Kamijo as well. This is where I'm going to start my review: With the best composed VK song that I have heard in recent years.
 
It's easy to see why the album was called Heart. Either Kamijo wrote the big epic song and then named his album after it or he wrote this song because he wanted the album's name to be Heart. Either way, the 8.5 minute epic is brilliantly composed and executed. Dare I say it's better than most Versailles compositions? The thing that I love about it is that it's this hard rock song that literally does use an orchestral arrangement interwoven with bits and pieces of heavy metal guitar. It's such an interesting composition that even if it were instrumental I'd be into it, but this is also where Kamijo's voice stands out the most on the album.
 
I'll continue on with the singles: Yamiyo no Lion was easily the best A-Side single released for Heart and I say this because it's the whole package and largely Versailles reminiscent. Again his voice stands out and the song has an excellent blend of serious composition and catchy chorus work. My second favorite single song on the album is Tsuioku no Mon Amour, given that Kamijo does sound excellent, but my favorite part of the song is the orchestral "breakdown" if you will about halfway through the song. However, I do wish that he had chosen a different B-side (Gensou Trianon, perhaps) to include on the final track list. While Louis and Moulin Rouge are both good songs, their place on this album is a little... Meh to me. Louis was released long enough ago that I've listened to it so many times that having it on an album is really not going to do much for me (plus I still cannot get over that terrible high note he hits at the end of the song. I was hoping he would change that for the album version, but alas. He did not). Additionally Moulin Rouge is the single least favorite song Kamijo released for his solo project so far.
 
My standout favorite of the other songs on the album is Katate ni Yume wo Motsu Shojo. Everything about this screams that it should've been a single. And the cheesy outro is what I've come to love about Kamijo.
 
Brief thoughts on other songs:
Rose Croix, Death Parade, and Sanctuary are all pretty good rock songs that I think if they had been on a Versailles album they would've been a bit more polished, but otherwise these versions are pretty good. Catchy and big where they need to be.
Vive le Roi was a great intro, but I do think there could've been just a smidge more done with this.
Presto Acoustic was brilliant. I don't know why I had it in my head that it was going to be done with acoustic guitar, but I'm glad it was piano.
Romantique and Dakishimerarenagara were probably two of my other favorite songs. I think Romantique was an excellent throwback to Lareine and Dakishimerarenagara gets stuck in my head easily. In fact, I didn't like it the first time I heard it, but had to add it to my phone because of how badly it gets stuck in my head.
 
Overall, the album is easily 4.5-5/5 stars for me. In considering my list of the best albums of the year (that I publish on my tumblr between the last week of the year and the first week of the following year *shameless promotion* ShanethVarosa.Tumblr.com) last night, I found that thus far, Kamijo's releases together (SoV and Heart) make my second favorite rock releases of the year and my #1 favorite VK release so far. They probably won't be beat unless Dir en grey pulls a great album out of their ass for Arche. 

Artist: KAMIJO
Album: Heart
Score:
 
The best Versailles album since Jubilee.
 
I basically stopped caring for Versailles after the mediocre album that was Holy Grail. Their next few releases weren't too impressive either and thus I found it no surprise they called it quits about a year later. While the other four moved on, recruited Zin and started Jupiter, Kamijo announced that he would be starting a solo project. My only thought at this time was "this solo project is going to be a fucking disaster". How wrong I was. I truly, really missed the musical efforts of "Japanese man pretending to be 16th century vampire from France singing in English". Actually, I'm daring to be as bold as to say that this is VK's best release so far this year.
 
Now before I go into the actual album review let's make clear what this album has that Jupiter sincerely lacks. It's character and charisma. Despite how ridiculous everything is, from the costumes to the incredibly bad PV intros, Kamijo knows how over the top it is but the best part of this is that it still brilliantly works. This was Versailles' charm before they started taking themselves seriously and I'm glad Kamijo never lost this touch for drama, it's what makes him stand out.
 
Kamijo was always my favourite Versailles member, mostly because all of my favourite Versailles songs were penned by him. Not to mention he wrote Versailles' best effort to date (God Palace -Method of Inheritance-). It's very clear Kamijo is a good songwriter, yet I was slightly worried how he would work out this solo without working together with say, Hizaki and Teru. Heart shows Kamijo does fine enough on his own.
 
Despite the fact that Kamijo chose to keep dabbling in power and symphonic metal, the songwriting on this album is far from stale. There are different influences in play here, both new ones and ones that can be recognized from his Lareine days. The synth use isn't always perfect, but it's done tastefully and moderately. Despite that it's clearly audible it isn't Versailles backing him up (though the lead guitar recordings were actually done by Hizaki!), their influence is still there. Death Parade is a song I can imagine that Teru could write.
 
The album switches up quite often, but never gets stale or boring. Despite it being a song not really fitting the rest of the album, Moulin Rouge is brilliantly placed after two more mellow songs and is the start of the album picking up pace again. Transitions are smooth despite all the different influences. There are a few filler tracks on the album that I had difficulty getting into, but in general almost each track offered something different, something that Versailles desperately lacked at the end. I wish some of the songs would've been more similar to stuff he did with SYMPHONY OF THE VAMPIRE, but it's quite possible that mini was so different because it consisted of stuff he had meant to write for Versailles.
 
For how shit he sounded at the end of Versailles, he really seems to have found a way to work his deep voice the best at this point. Tracks like Heart showcase a huge improval from Versailles' last releases, he hits the right notes at just the right time and it's just a huge pleasure to listen to.
 
At this moment I don't really know what else I could name. I mean of course I'm going to make you want to try this album when I say even Zeus enjoyed it. We have officially boarded the Kamijo hype train.
 
Never change Kamijo, never change. Stay classy.
 

 
Final score: and two big middle fingers towards jupiter, probably. good luck beating this hizaki, you're going to need it.

"Old-school/90's VK wasn't really much better" With so many people parading around old-school superiority, I'd say I'm in the minority with this opinion. As someone who has been in VK for ~10 years and collects tons of old-school stuff, I can certainly say without a bit of doubt that there were a TON of really shitty bands back then. Anyone who would say otherwise is looking through some pretty rose-tinted glasses. That being said, I certainly do miss some of sub-scenes in VK that no longer exist(soft visual/white-kei/proto-oshare) and don't exactly like all of the "sounds" that bands tend to get grouped into nowadays, but I definitely can't say that one era was better or worse than the other as they all have their ups and downs.

I know those prices are high, but with the original price for the LoF, and the condition the box set is still in,  I think they are justified.