This is the weekend of Comiket 92, and, for those of us who can’t go, the beginning of a wait for albums that are released, but not yet within reach. I’m looking forward to XenonP’s IMMIGRATION, Utsu-P’s GALAPAGOS, and annyahoo’s DISORDER, which I would be more excited for if I thought I’d be able to get it any time soon. While I wait for the digital releases of these albums, however, I thought I’d sate my thirst for new Vocaloid metal with a release that piqued my interest earlier this year, Jibaku Nousatsu vol.1 -Psycho◯◯- (耳爆脳殺 vol.1-サイコ◯◯-).
Psycho is a small compilation album featuring a hand-full of lesser-known Vocaloid and non-Vocaloid metal producers. Two of these producers, SHEBA and annyahoo, are among my favorites to hear from in the genre, and it’s their names that drew me to this release. DIA and Vanilla are less prolific Vocaloid producers, and Nibame and Glorified Enthronement don’t make Vocaloid music. Since this is a small compilation and all of the songs a rather different, I’d like to give a bit more detail on the individual songs. If you’re not interested in that, here’s the overview:
Be aware that this compilation is only half Vocaloid, the rest of the songs are an instrumental and two human vocal tracks. This doesn’t really disappoint me, as I’m a fan of metal in general and one of those tracks is from a Vocaloid producer. At any rate, the variety of vocals is consistent with the album as a whole, as basically every song is a different genre or style. I’m not sure if there is supposed to be a unifying theme, but if there is I have no clue what it is. I can’t rag on the album for that too much, as I always welcome new music in this genre. You can even view it as a chance to see what you like and what you don’t like about the various styles.
The issue lies in the fact that since it is so short, if certain songs don’t appeal to the listener, it has a greater effect on the overall cohesiveness and value of the album. I think this is the main reason why I haven’t revisited this comp much over the past months since its release, despite really liking some of the songs. I don’t think any of the songs are exceptionally bad, but some are far more solid while the others had enjoyable moments, but are a bit outclassed. My favorites are “Origin,” “Boku no hassei,” and “Exploited By The Righteous Savior.” My least favorites are “Psychophobia” and “Psychohymn.”
Overall, I give this album either a 6 or 7/10 – it has a few good tracks and nice moments. They don’t exactly work together, but it’s helpful for getting interested in each artist’s other work. The album title calls it “Vol. 1,” so perhaps we’ll be getting more in the future. You can purchase the album on Booth and listen to the crossfade below. Continue reading for more rambling about the songs.
Track analysis:
1. “Psychohymn” – An instrumental intro track by Nibame, who does the illustrations for some of annyahoo’s work. A very chaotic song that throws together trumpets, electronics, piano, technical guitars, and some screaming. Overall, it’s not a standout track, and it runs a bit long for the style, but it makes for an interesting listen.
2. “Origin” – Annyahoo’s track featuring human vocalist Michizane. The deathcore/death metal style of this song deviates from annyahoo’s usual thrash metal influences and metal fusion sounds in his Vocaloid work, but he pulls it off very well. I was wondering what he would do when working with a human vocalist and higher-quality production, and I’m impressed with the result. The instrumentation is tight and blends the brutal and technical aspects of the song well, complemented by Michizane’s screams and growls. I certainly wouldn’t mind hearing more of this sound in his Vocaloid works.
3. “Psychophobia” – This track by DIA shifts to a very different style than the previous, featuring low but soft vocals by Hatsune Miku and a piano lead. While there are undoubtably some heavy parts of the song, it does shift away from the metal influence at times. I don’t think it necessarily weakens the song overall, and it is consistent with a certain style that seems prevalent in some Vocaloid rock artists, so I think some people will like it, but it’s not particularly interesting to me. I see that DIA has worked with the I DO Loud. circle and released a post-hardcore EP in the past, which seems to have that early Vocaloud/emo sound, so I’ll be checking that out.
4. “Boku no hassei” or “僕の発生” – SHEBA’s chuggy, thrashy track featuring Kasane Teto is probably slower and less brutal than most of his other metal songs, but it doesn’t disappoint. Teto’s already-strange voice mixed with the deadpan delivery and strange inflections in this song may be a turnoff to some, but I find that they work strangely well with the traditional metal sound. Even the somewhat oddly-timed shouts started to become pretty catchy after a few listens. As usual, I look forward to more from SHEBA.
5. “Psyche” – A rather long track (over 7 minutes) by Vanilla, who I’d not heard of before. The song is eclectic, kind of reminding me of Shimesaba Twisters’ metal works, with light synths sprinkled around and even a synth solo. I think the vocals are a bit weak; Maiko could be utilized better, but it’s nice to hear Namine Ritsu. The chorus is probably my least favorite part, but otherwise the song bounces between technical and melodic parts decently, and the guitar-synth dual shredding is pretty cool.
6. “Exploited By The Righteous Savior” – Finally, we have another song with human vocals by death metal solo project Glorified Enthronement. This track is up there with annyahoo’s for heaviest on the album, but with looser, messier instrumentation, which I think benefits the track. Instead of the technical/brutal death sound, this song sounds kind of djenty, sort of reminding me of a less-technical Vildhjarta. Based on this, I’ll definitely be trying to find some of Glorified Enthronement’s other material.
Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think or tell me what I should review next in the comments!
-TheImmortalHottentot