Monday 30 March 2015

Japanese rock duo: VAMPS - ZERO


Vamps (stylised as VAMPS) is a stylish and daring Japanese rock duo, formed in 2008 by "L'Arc-en-Ciel" member Hyde (vocalist, rhythm guitarist, lyricist and songwriter) and "Oblivion Dust" member K.A.Z (lead guitarist, backing vocalist and songwriter). The band also consists of Ju-ken (support bass, backing vocals) Arimatsu (support drums) and Jin (support keyboards), bringing the total number of band members to five.

Originally signed to Hyde's own record label "Vamprose!", the group is are now signed with "Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records" To date they have released 4 albums and 10 singles, with the album "BloodSuckers" released in October 2014 being their most recent output. Since forming, every release by VAMPS has so far reached the top ten on the Oricon music chart.


VAMPS - ZERO
From the album BloodSuckers


Sung entirely in English, "ZERO" is available in the bands latest album "BloodSuckers" and is set to become the new opening theme for the popular English-language Japanese music show, "J-MELO" on April 5th.  

The song opens slowly to the tuneful sounds of keyboard, warm drum beats and ethereal strings, setting the stage for Hyde's strong and expressive sounding vocals. The flowing, rhythmic sounds provided by the instrumentation offer up a powerful, driving beat that grabs ahold of you and carries you along for the ride. Whilst heartfelt ballads envelope in you in a wave of good vibes and soothing sounds.

The strong, melodic vocal track blends harmoniously with the powerful, alt-rock sounds provided by the varied accompaniment. With deep and interesting lyrics carrying with them passion and emotional weight., whilst diverse shifts in dynamic lend an additional engaging layer to the piece. The opening verse is both soothing and driving, whislt the passionate and exhilarating chorus offers up a powerful and emotionally moving sound. As the song comes to a close, the music fades out slowly along with the vocals, capping off the piece wonderfully. Digital sound effects, vocal layering and tuning techniques are used throughout to enhance the sound, but not enough to really take anything away from the song.

All in all, "ZERO" is a superb and thoroughly enjoyable piece, that more than lives up to the high standards many have come to expect from VAMPS. Whether you're a long time fan or new to the bands unique often daring sounds, ZERO" is sure to keep you coming back for more.

If you like you can check out the song for yourself in the link above. Enjoy!


Check out VAMPS website http://www.vampsxxx.com/
Follow them on Twitter @VAMPS_JPN
Follow them on Facebook facebook.com/VAMPS

No comments:

Post a Comment