Actually tomorrow night there will be a good event at Urga with bands like Nicht and (drool) Destruct System. Hmm, maybe I will have the energy to go there.

When: June 13 (Sat)
Where: Urga Shinjuku
Address: Address: B1, 2-42-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo :: 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町２－４２－１６　B1F
Tel: 03-5287-3390
Live: Gregor Samsa, Nazoo, Queen of Wand, The Royal Dead, Vanished Empire, Himemanik, Vukanian Medium, CyberDeath.
DJ’s: NAR, JOTA, CHIHIRO, MANIK, dB
Open: 17:00 Start: 17:30
Price: Adv 2000 yen :: @ Door 2400 yen

機械魔術 :: Machinery Magic Vol.3
When: March 20 (Thursday)
Where: Urga Shinjuku
Address: Address: B1, 2-42-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo :: 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町２－４２－１６　B1F :: Google Map
Tel: 03-5287-3390
Live: Psydoll, 2Bullet, Yuko, Shredni and more
Open: ???? :: Start: ????
Price: 1,500 yen adv. :: 1,800 yen @ door.

Incidentally, if you have not done so already, 2Bullet has released its new EP, Anarchism, for free download online, just Go here to hear their latest material – it rocks.

Machinery Heaven Vol.2
When: February 9 (Saturday)
Where: Urga Shinjuku
Address: Address: B1, 2-42-16, Kabuki-cho, Shinjuku, Tokyo :: 東京都新宿区歌舞伎町２－４２－１６　B1F :: Google Map
Tel: 03-5287-3390
Live: Psydoll, 2Bullet, Sawdust in Me, Gregor Samsa and Re:Del
Open: 16:00 :: Start: 17:00
Price: 2,000 yen adv. :: 2,500 yen @ door

The first three songs, Define, Envy, My Way Out start out as straight dance floor tracks before the vocals kick in. Once the screaming begins the songs take on a more serious mien. As the two vocalists play off each other’s voice ranges, the songs become quite a deep listening experience without losing their pop-appeal. Thirteenth starts the heavy EBM beat and kicks in some radio-voiced vocals.

Substitute knocks you like a tsunami with evil bitch screams crashing down over the sound. Clever mixing of the music and vocals makes this a quite unique industrial track – almost, but not quite – as heavy as Despair. This is probably my favorite track of this EP.

The final track, Heaven, is the instrumental sign-off track featuring slow, heavy Gothic keyboards with glitch beats thrown in for added effect.

Overall, I find this CD to be a really accessible dance CD with the twin vocalists giving it a real kick as a unique piece of work, although I would have liked a couple more extended tracks going over four minutes. It is definitely worth checking out.

Mortification Made Me :: Track List
01. Define (3.00) – Sample
02. Envy (3.36) – Sample
03. My Way Out (3.03)
04. Thirteenth (3.28) – Sample
05. Substitute (2.47)
06. Heaven (2.49)
Total Time: 18 minutes
Price: ¥1000 / Euro 7.00

You can find distribution on the DeathWatch Asia distribution list or simply buy direct from Music Non Stop internationally.

Baal has an infectious, indeed virulent industrial sound. This review covers the first EP (CD-R alas) from the band, Territory of B.A.A.L. that has been built up by reworking earlier singles and new material. Their blend of industrial programming and guitar from Mikito, percussion from Chihiro and voice from U-Tarou has resulted in a kind of cybernetic industrial rock that plays hard, fast and is very, very addictive to see on stage. This CD manages to capture the live sound very closely, giving you a glimpse into the heady world of Japanese underground rock.

The CD contains six songs, all running at a frenetic pace. The first song, Bloody Logic Communication (re-mastered), speedballs along with the heavily warped digital sounds and powerful percussion giving a sense of urgency. U-tarou’s powerful voice plays over the instruments.

Wreckage (re-mastered) plays like an industrial anthem for the underclass with U-tarou exploding through the chorus and carries it through the verses.

Vermin (new track) is hard and powerful from the start with vocals exploding seconds into the track and driving through the violent beat of the track.

Myrrha (new track) is more a smashed-up rhythm created by real industrial sounds with samples steam hammers and chains. It is a slower track by this album’s standards.

On the Surface (2006 neo brutal version) starts slow, but builds up to very heavy (and yes it is brutal) sound, with a fast tempo and stacks of power.

The final track, Collapse of Rusty Kingdom (New) would be a moonlit ballad by Baal’s standards, with a slower tempo with steam hammers and the like forming the sound. It is a slow(er) instrumental track which makes a perfect finish to this adrenalin-pumping EP.

The only downside to this is the price – 2,000 yen – 12 Euros – $16 – which seems a bit expensive for an EP. Of course, for a fan, or appreciator of good hard industrial sounds, the price would not be an issue.

Overall, while I have enjoyed Baal’s previous work, I see this as a much more mature piece of work. The re-mastered tracks and the new additions have helped deliver a balanced EP from a band that has risen quickly in the ranks of the Japanese Goth scene.

Territory of “B.A.A.L.” :: Track List
1. Blood_Logic_Communication (re-mastered) – 4:40
2. Wreckage (re-mastered) – 5:40
3. Vermin (new) – 4:06 – Sample
4. Myrrha (new) – 2:15
5. On the Surface (2006 neo brutal version) – 6:24 – Sample
6. Collapse of Rusty Kingdom (New) – 3:22
Total: 27:21

Note, there are more samples throughout their regular site and via their MySpace site.

You can buy the CD through PayPal. To get there, just click the link marked “Sound” on the left-hand side of the page and you should see the EP in the resulting page.

Location: Tokyo, Japan – Genre: Metal, Hardcore, Industrial

Gizenrou/Earth of Hypocrisy is a hot dark metal album I picked up from Agent Murder back in March 2006 and at the time decided to write a review of it on the old site. However, it still has the crisp hardness it did when I first reviewed it, so I decided to redo the review for the new JGoth.com site.

Earth of Hypocrisy plays hard and fast with instrumentals loud and crisp and lead singer Awi’s eerie vocals come out nice and strong. This release takes you to the core of Agent Murder and is one of the most satisfying recordings I’ve picked up in the Goth/underground scene.

Right from the start your mind is assaulted by the thrash anthem Imaginary Number “N”. If you like your metal fast and dark, or your Goth hard and fierce, or just something that freaking rocks your ears off then give this album a try. The album consists of seven tracks along with four remixes to give you a good balance of the Agent Murder’s true metal sound and remixed electronic versions.

I liked their first album, a lot, but the new release is a quantum leap – the sounds are more mature, more balanced and focus on the essence of the band. It is just a fantastic piece of dark metallic work.

Production quality is high with everything coming through crisply and having Awi’s voice right at the forefront of the songs gives them a lot more power. The drums, guitar and bass are played with fury and to perfection. The members know where to let rip and when to lay off the rage holding all the songs together well. The move towards more Japanese vocals than seems to have freed Awi up to focus on impaling the lyrics the way they were intended adding more powers to the tracks.

There has been no skimping on the recording, the disc production printed matter and case are all professionally mad. It looks and feels like a bought CD should be. For 2,000 yen Gizenrou is very good value with both production and creative quality kept very high and a sound that has popular appeal.

Igor’s final call: Agent Murder have been the dark princes of the Goth scene for a long time, but this time they have thrown down the gauntlet and emerged as one of the true lords of the realm. Whether you buy the album or not, keep an eye on this band, because with the new sound and focus Agent Murder is looking hot.

But don’t take my word for it. I wouldn’t trust a gaijin as far as I could throw one! Have a listen to a couple of tracks yourself on the Agent Murder Myspace site (Agent of Murder and Lucy’s Blue Birdcage are from the new album).

[Editorial note: due to illness of one of the band members Agent Murder has been out of circulation for a while, but are due to be back and around in November. Their main site is down at the time of writing, but you can hear some of their work through their MySpace account.

偽善楼/Gizenrou/Earth of Hypocrisy Track List
1. nと云う虚数 :: Imaginary Number “N”
2. 姦淫 :: Adultery
3. Lucyの青い籠 :: Lucy’s Blue Birdcage *
4. 卵の殻をつけた愚者の踊り :: Ballet of the Unhatched Fools
5. 身代 ~ :: Agent of Murder *
6. 無言の石 :: At the Edge of Your Death
7. 幻想即興罪 :: My Fantasie Impromptu
= Bonus Remix Trax:
8. 偽善楼 :: Earth of Hypocrisy (Original remix)
9. 姦淫 ~ :: Adultery (2 Bullet remix)
10. nと云う虚数 :: Imaginary Number “N” (Original remix)
11. 幻想即興罪 ~ :: My Fantasie Impromptu (Original remix)

MySpace samples are marked by a * above. There are also two sample from their earlier album

Unlike most releases from Japan’s underground, Agent Murder has got local and overseas mainstream distribution through Amazon in the US and Japan.

Amazon.com

Amazon.co.jp

A special thanks to the band for giving me the okay to show this little viddy!

Want more? Check out Baal’s official site or Baal on MySpace for the real Baal experience!

There are a few other videos on my YouTube space, but beware… I didn’t know about the volume control for those.

I know I bluster. I w00t! with an abandon that could shame Molly Meldrum (nah, he ain’t got no shame), but hells bells, there’s some stuff out there that takes all my hyperbola and beats it to death against the amps, and Junk Children is just such an event. This event lived up to my expectations and more and I think all who turned up that night will agree it kicked ass with army boots.

Tight Focus
Anyone who has met the main players of the night know that they are all focused on building the total package. It’s an exceptional attribute in Japan’s underground live scene, where compromising with a general act or splitting the night between underground and general indy is tempting for getting the numbers. BSL went balls out to bring a total dark industrial night to the people and they won with an incredible show and quite a big turnout. In a nutshell, BSL went for gold and they got it.

Marz
Marz is a great little split-level space and nicely placed in Shinjuku area. Anyone over six feet should take care at the back of the bottom level, but otherwise there’s good space. Capacity-wise, I guess it could squeeze in around 100, so it worked nicely with the approx 80 people who joined in. The top level is kind of cute offering a full view of the floor below where most of the craziness takes place. The bar ran on tokens, which was a bit of an inconvenience for those of us who didn’t think to bring change for the token machine, but overall it worked pretty well. The deadly drinks were fun-tasting little concoctions, but I lacked the horse-kick I was hoping for. It’s a small quibble, but next time I hope the bar tender is a bit more generous with the shots.

Scene
The industrialists and the Goths were out in force. These guys and gals were dressed in line with Tokyo Dark Castle standards. From the dark lords and ladies to the goth-loli swooping across the dance floor it was pure eye-candy. There were a few street-cloven people tonight, but they were in the minority (yes, yes, Igor’s in the minority, but I’m a state-of-mind dreg).

Bands

Scorpions Death Rock
I saw these guys back in 2004 and they had an awesome power-metal performance with amps going up to eleven (report here). It was brutality incarnate with some of the hardest stuff I have ever heard in Japan, and it was great! This time they had totally changed to an incredibly sexy rock-industrial set in perfect sync with the night’s vibe. There is no mistaking it, these guys know how to deliver exactly what the crowd want. The lead vocalist had total control at the front had the crowd eating out of his hand. Great songs and great delivery, these guys are quality. Definitely a band worth checking at any event.

Demonoid 13
The Nagoyan live component showed that hard Goth rock is alive in central Japan. It was also fucking loud! Doom Spider has a powerful, guttural voice and took the central role onstage. The straight Goth-rock direction of the set was a bit different from the other acts during the night, but Doom Spider’s aggressive delivery and energy got most of the punters jumping. It would have been nice to see more of the other players getting into the fray at the front, but it was not a bad set at all and showed that the Nagoyan Goths have a lot of madness to deliver.

BAAL :: Baal on MySpace.com
What can I say – great delivery of some fantastic new hard industrial-rock sounds. Baal doesn’t hold back its performance and all the players know the craft well, making them a band you want to catch over and over again. U-Tarou’s femme vocals are powerful, splitting the anger with the sorrow and seeing her tear through the set is a sight to behold. Mikito’s calmly focused throughout the set with his axe and mixing the synth deck to pull the sound-scape together. Then there’s Chihiro on the drums (YES!), who’s got controlled madness in getting the percussion heard. It’s a grand mix of talents pulling off an aural attack that will excite anyone who likes industrial or tripping the darker side of rock.

Despair :: Despair on MySpace.com
Utter madness with an industrial sound assault delivered with the precision of a master craftsmen. Every time I see this band on stage (or off), I see a leading force in Tokyo’s industrial scene. The band is raw energy with Seiji on ax-synth tearing apart the air with an orgy of sound, and Rieu and Ana fighting back with vocalizations that will raise the dead. The sound drills right through you and the visuals are just as exciting with all three members getting lots of front time. Totally mind-blowing, totally exhausting, totally… just freakin’ TOTALLY!

DJs
A special mention goes to the DJs for mixing some great stuff. DJs Doom Spider (Stigmatic in Nagoya), 666Fox, Undermine (Despair’s Rieu), all kept the spirit of the night going between sets with their different flavors of sound.

Conclusion
Totally kicking. It knocked me out. It will know you out. Despair, Baal & company have pulled together a fine night of hot-core industrial event and rest-assured the Brain Scan Laboratory promotion is here to stay. Welcome to the start of the next-age…

Baal and Despair will both be appearing in October 29th’s Halloween edition of Tokyo Dark Castle.

Links to more information:

Event:
Brain Scan Laboratory

Bands:
Despair’s site
Despair on MySpace.com (samples!)

Baal’s site
Baal on MySpace.com (samples!)

Demonoid 13

Scorpion’s Death Rock (HELP! I can’t find them!!)

DJs
Stigmatic (DJ Doom Spider’s event in Nagoya)