It feels like a long time since we’ve had any substantial releases from four-piece rock unit Girugamesh, with their last album GO dropping two years ago. Since then, the band has been touring both Japan and the world, and just last year began releasing some new singles that indicated a change in direction. Keeping their recognisable grunge guitar sound, but putting more emphasis on the electronic, ‘dubstep’ additions (although they’ve seemed a bit late jumping on the bandwagon), their music has been undergoing a metamorphosis to bring them roaring back onto the scene on November 27th. Their new album MONSTER features twelve basic tracks offering an expansive range of emotional effect and ecstatic energy, and boasts earlier singles such as ‘Zecchou BANG!!’ and ‘Zantetsuken’.
The album comes with no structural surprises- an exciting, aptly titled ‘Intro’ sees us into the action with bouncy chords interspersed with screeching synths, and an acoustic-meets-electric power ballad, ‘ALONE’, sees us off at the end.
The main act champions the latest single, ‘INCOMPLETE’, which contrasts funky guitar and bass (and a great acoustic middle eight) with a typically beautiful chorus melody, and as mentioned it also revives the singles of last year, albeit in updated, MONSTER versions! Zecchou BANG!! is the more striking improvement, with an extra injection of the fun, unusual edge it had on release- here in the form of shiny new synths and smoother transitions.
‘Drain’ acts as the promotional track having appeared online a few weeks back, and is one of the best the album has to offer, featuring constantly shifting sections and accompanied by a surreal, dreamlike video that surrounds the band sometimes in ethereal clouds, sometimes in bizarre cubic frames. Deep.
As for the album-exclusive tracks, most follow the lead of ‘VOLTAGE’. Eerie introductions and exciting main riffs are offset against some achingly fast drumming and anthem-style choruses.
The rap and instrumental of ‘antlion pit’ are particularly brutal, while ‘BAD END DREAM’ has a more upbeat, cheery feeling bursting from its building bridge and sunny chorus (which seems ironic, considering the title). However, in spite of the contrast between metal and dance rock, by the time the only ballad comes around the songs end up merging together.
But amidst the blurring notes occasionally comes a real stand-out moment, and ‘Resolution’ is just one of these- the oddly calm, electro opening and soothing verses work beautifully with the gradually developing guitar and bass, and softer backing vocals using whispers give this track a very different atmosphere. The drama of the guitar solo and middle eight blew me away!
Sadly though, in terms of the conclusion, MONSTER has space for more than the single ballad we get, and being a fan of such moving numbers as ‘Freesia’ and ‘Crying Rain’ in the past, I couldn’t help feeling an additional track of this genre would have widened the expanses of the album and shown off better what Girugamesh can do.
On the other hand, for those who get their hands on the European version from Gan-Shin Records, it’s not even over yet! Two final songs round off the album, and although they are not the big ballads I’d hoped for, they are a stylistic ending note that will please fans who haven’t heard them before. (Some will recognise fist-pumper ‘LIMIT BREAK’ and the quirky rock-pop hybrid ‘takt’ as the B-side tracks from the INCOMPLETE single.)
As the first album in two years, and their sixth studio album overall, MONSTER tracks Girugamesh’s development into what could be a new signature flair. Undoubtedly the strongest tracks are Drain with its powerful breakdown, and the strikingly different Resolution, but taken as a whole, MONSTER is an unsurprising yet strong comeback for Girugamesh. It’s a shame that the other supporting tracks are not as strong as the singles and revamps, but the songs weave into each other almost seamlessly, boding well for coming releases!
Words by Lauren du Plessis