SEX VIRGIN KILLER - crimson red ep

SEX VIRGIN KILLER is a personal favorite band of both myself and all of us at A-To-J Connections as they have a look and sound that you don't see much in Japanese music today. With that said I'm pleased that today we're going to take a look at their 2013 twin single release "crimson red ep ♂" and "crimson red ep ♀". These two singles were produced by Atsuo from Boris and show a nice evolution of the band's old-school thrash metal sound. We'll start by looking at "crimson red ep ♀"

SEX VIRGIN KILLER is a band that formed in 2008 and released their first EP, "Sex or Die", that same year. It was followed up by their first single "O" the following year. Following a break of either hiatus or a reduction of activity, they resurfaced in 2013 and were not only active again, but released two two singles I'm reviewing here. Recently guitarist Masa recorded an album under the name "ASAM" titled "I". SEX VIRGIN KILLER has also been involved in a series of concerts titled "VISU DOL" that feature other artists including dark idol group NECRONOMIDOL.

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crimson red ep ♀

Track List:
1) Akuma no Uta -Devil Song-
2) To The Last Drop of My Blood (ver.fangsanalsatan)
3) Crimson Red ♀

"crimson red ep ♀" opens with the track "Akuma no Uta -Devil Song-" and we're hit immediately by a rousing chorus that quickly turns into the thrash sound that SEX fans are familiar with. The song continues in a similar fashion and is arguably the most commercial sounding song on this release. While it does carry more of a pop sound, it's still a hard rocking piece, and as we see in the video for the song, it is not one that is meant to be taken as lightly as the "Na na na" chorus initially leads us to believe. This track closes with a nice ambient instrumental bit that is quite unlike their style, but is an interesting touch.

We then move into the second track "To The Last Drop of My Blood (ver.fangsanalsatan)" I have not heard the original non-fanganalsatan version (fanganalsatan being Boris' independent label) but this song is very reminiscent of the SEX VIRGIN KILLER I remember from their EP "Sex or Die" Lots of speed, lots of thrash, vocals that do more then perfunctorily serve their purpose, and some great guitar work to bring it all together. The song is my personal favorite in this release and I feel it should have opened this single and perhaps have received a video of its own.

The final track "Crimson Red ♀" is an odd, somewhat out-of-place, ambient instrumental piece that features more noise than actual music. Whether this is owing to the Boris influence or not I am not sure, but it's definitely an odd way to close out this single. If you're a fan of noise bands though then this might be right up your alley.

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SEX VIRGIN KILLER - Akuma no Uta (Devil Song) MV

crimson red ep ♂

Track List:
1) Virgin Killer
2) Birth of Stars
3) Crimson Red ♂

"crimson red ep ♂" opens with the song "Virgin Killer" (not to be confused by the classic Scorpions song of the same name) and it too is a throwback to the tried and true thrash metal sound that is SEX VIRGIN KILLER. I like the presentation of the vocals on both the songs of the "crimson red ep ♂" and they actually shine here. With that in mind this is definitely the most melodic of the songs on this release and in that is a bit of a departure from their standard sound, but in a good way. It's my favorite song on this particular single and a close second to "To The Last Drop of My Blood" overall. It has just the right level of all their elements, melodic thrash with a hint of pop, to make it the most accessible track behind "Akuma no Uta".

This is followed up by "Birth of Stars" I hate to say it but this is my least favorite song on the release and probably in SEX VIRGIN KILLER's catalog. It isn't a bad song, but they just seem to have taken a step back from the other material in these releases. The mix of this song becomes muddy out of nowhere and everything just doesn't fit right. The vocals are well done here too, but they can't really save this song. There's some geat guitar work here as well, but we get that countered by drums that just don't sound or feel right. It also closes with a weird "Birth of Stars" a capella chorus that would sound haunting if only the rest of the track was as good as this part.

The final song on this single is "Crimson Red ♂", unlike the instrumental on the other single, this one sounds more like a song with a little less on the noise. I say just a little less as it sounds like outtakes of "Birth of Stars" in terms of its overall production. Still an odd way to close the single, but it works better here than in the "♀" version.

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SEX VIRGIN KILLER - Virgin Killer MV

There you have it, SEX VIRGIN KILLER's amazing crimson red ep which is only really held down by the odd instrumental tracks and the poor production choices in "Birth of Stars". While I understand this was supposed to be a dual single release, I can't help but feel that this would have been better suited as an actual EP (as the name oddly implies) with all the tracks on one release and the instrumental tracks providing bookend intro and outros. I have no idea why it was presented in this way, but if you are able to I still urge you to grab these singles as they are more than worth listening to! Keep an eye out for more SEX VIRGIN KILLER content from A-To-J Connections soon!

SEX VIRGIN KILLER Is:
masa: Vocal, Guitar
Tozie: Guitar
GAKI:  Bass
OsamxxxExtreme: Drums

For More Information:
Official Website: http://sexvirginkiller.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sexvirginkiller
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SexVK_staff

SEX VIRGIN KILLER - crimson red ep Trailer