 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. 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. 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. 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  I personally haven't listened to MIYAVI since his 2010 album "What's My Name?", though he's been active since then with a handful of albums, singles, and even his international acting debut in Angelina Jolie's "Unbroken". To be honest, the reason this review is almost a month late is because this single flew under my radar as well. I only gave it a listen after the "Afraid to be cool" MV dropped, and the neon caught my eye. It's a great video, too, check it out! This song singlehandedly reinvigorated my interest in MIYAVI. It's just... so catchy! I love MIYAVI's signature funky guitar slap style, and the chorus on this song...? There's nothing here to possibly dislike. Not for me, anyway. The melody here is actually very K-pop in its composition as well. Everything about it is very commercial and upbeat, which probably owes a bit to MIYAVI's current residence in Los Angeles. The lyrics are in English as well. The second song on this double A-side single is "Raise me up". I... actually don't like this one much, to be honest. It's an electronic dance piece, bassy and repetitive. It's got that unmistakable MIYAVI guitar slap again, but that's about the only personality that can be pulled from it. I will admit the chorus is catchy. I don't HATE the song, but I wish this chorus had been put to better use. The verses are just a bit boring and generic.  The other tracks on here are remixes, they sound about the way you expect remixes to sound. I don't hate them or particularly like them. Overall, I'm disappointed in this release as a whole. "Afraid to be cool" is AMAZING, I absolutely love this song with a white hot passion. "Raise me up" is just ultimately forgettable, and I could care less about remixes. I'll probably give MIYAVI's upcoming album a listen, but no promises there. If nothing else, I do recommend you listen to "Afraid to be cool". I really love it. I want to like MIYAVI again, so here's hoping his output keeps up that level of quality. I can sit through as many bad songs as it takes for a gem like that! -Justin MIYAVI Self Help Fest 2016 – This year’s punk-rock/heavy metal festival was held on Saturday March 19th at the National Orange Show (NOS) Event Center in San Bernardino, California. The infamous Japanese rock band, ONE OK ROCK, was set to start the musical festivities at 1:35 PM with doors opening at 1:30 PM. Despite the temperature hitting 82 °F, the non-VIP fans ran as fast as they could to the stage. Given the band’s recent popularity in the U.S., it was no surprise that there was already a large audience standing in front of the outdoor stage waiting for the band to play. At first glance, it might appear that the fans were just there to stake out a good spot for the next show but once ONE OK ROCK stepped onto the stage, the overwhelming screams and cheers from the fans proved that theory wrong. The first band member to walk out onto the stage was Tomoya (drummer) wearing a loose-fitting solid black tank top with black shorts with his brown hair just touching his shoulders. He was shortly followed by Ryota (bassist) who was sporting a similarly laid-back outfit of a black and white T-shirt that had a collage of writing and pictures that created a newspaper effect. The two of them started playing the introduction song off their new album “3xxxv5” as Toru (leader and guitarist) took to the stage and the first visibly energetic cheer erupted from the crowd. He was wearing a solid black tank top, gold chain necklace, and black pants with long washed-out aqua blue hair. Finally, Taka (singer) walked calmly out onto the stage where he was instantly greeted with a cascade of screams, cries, and cheers. The beloved singer was wearing a black Metallica tank top and black ripped up pants and his hair was short, brown and slightly permed on top. With all four band members on stage, ONE OK ROCK launched into their first song “Take me to the Top”. Despite the sweltering heat, Taka wasted no time in pouring his energy into the song by head banging and getting the crowd involved by having them sing the “O”s in the chorus. Halfway through the song Taka shouted, “Are you fucking ready for this?” which rallied a resounding “Yes!” from the audience. Once the song had finished and the cheers died down, Taka took the chance to talk to the crowd by saying “We only have a short time so let’s make a good one. Are you guys ready? This next one is called “Cry Out”. This song was a little slower and more melodic than the previous one so for the first time that day it was possible to hear the crowd singing the lyrics. The most surprising part of this punk-rock track was hearing Ryota live backup vocals for the lyrics “Voices all around, we’re going down” since it was even more rough than on the album. The third song of the set was “Decisions” that featured Tyler Carter on the “3xxxv5” album but the track managed to sound fantastic without him live. Taking advantage of the song’s catchy and rather slow verses and chorus, Taka opened his hands wide, an emotional display of embracing the cheering crowd. And in return, the crowd could be heard singing along with Taka for the majority of the song, especially during the chorus where sentiment was at an all-time high. Not skipping a beat, Toru took to the center of the stage and continued to head bang despite sweat running down his face and his long hair that was getting wet as a consequence. It was almost as if he was reciprocating the support that the fans were giving him by singing along. It was around this time that the heat was starting to become unbearable and Ryota took off his shirt. His multitude of tattoos glistened in the mixture of sunlight and sweat to the admiration of his fans.
“Suddenly” was the fourth song and it was at this point that the pit in front had become noticeably bigger with an incoming swell of festival members attracted by the punk rock sound emitting from the speakers. It was the slowest song of the day and yet despite the increased viewers, the audience was not singing along, fist pumping or jumping around. Picking up on this energy slump, Taka asked the crowd “Are you guys having a good time?” and the crowd’s responding scream voiced their happiness. Without delay, Taka replied with “Me too. We only have two songs left so l want to feel more energy from you guys”. He then began to prompt the crowd to lift up their hands and clap and shouting “Make some noise everybody!” This was just the rally that the crowded needed and almost everyone in the first four rows clapped during the entire duration of the introduction of their next song, “Stuck in the Middle”. Keeping up with the renewed vivacity, Ryota and Toru swapped sides of the stages to which the crowds on either side went wild. Similar to “Crying Out”, Toru provided backup vocals that were rough, almost as if he was screaming. Without any prompting from the band, the audience clapped during Taka solo in an exhibit of encouragement for the band they all so dearly adore. “Mighty Long Fall” received the loudest response yet just within seconds of the opening notes. In order to cherish the last song of the day, almost everyone in the crowd was either jumping up and down or bobbing their heads in time to the music. It truly felt that the fans had taken a “Mighty Long Fall” that day – they had fallen into love with the diverse and memorable ONE OK ROCK’s album“3xxxv5”. From the end of the song and until the band walked off, the crowd screamed the entire time in happiness and in protest that they were only able to enjoy the Japanese rock band for a matter of 30 plus minutes. Once the ONE OK ROCK fans were absolutely sure that there was to be no encore, they quickly pushed their way out of the pit that had morphed into a massive blob of hot and sweaty bodies and rushed to the band’s table. The extended version of “3xxxv5” was being sold for $10, “3xxxv5” zip-up hoodies for $40, “3xxxv5” T-shirts for $25, and “3xxxv5” wristbands for $5. Regrettably only those fans who bought the ~$200+ limited VIP passes were able to do the meet and greet and pictures with ONE OK ROCK. But for the other fans that had gathered at the merchandise table, they all seemed content to chat and relive their favorite moments together.  |
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