The Japanese metal scene is absolutely fascinating at the moment. It’s arguably among the most inventive and fresh scenes in the world right now from the insanity of Maximum the Hormone, through the J-Pop/metal fusions of Babymetal and Ladybaby, right to the all-girl led movement consisting of groups like Band-Maid and Aldious which is disrupting metal’s image as a male-dominated genre. One of the latest acts to grab my attention is the Osaka based duo Azking, who in April dropped their new mini-album Higeki.
Azking have a clear idea of the sound they want to go for on this outing, blending power metal with melodeath all while adding symphonic elements along with elements which are undeniably products of the Japanese metal scene. Multi-instrumentalist Asukun is a talented songwriter and the title track is full of twists and turns from symphonic overindulgence to aggressive breakdowns and chainsaw tremolo riffs. The middle track, “Joshikoh”, is a real highlight of Asukun’s songwriting ability with some really impressive riffing and some nifty ideas which aren’t held back as much by the albums biggest problems, which we will touch on later.
However, in the second half of the album, things somewhat start to lose their momentum a bit. The opening to “Co Sen Kin Ju” is extremely messy, and the production issues don’t really help. Maybe with a cleaner tone and a slightly different approach it could have turned out better, because there are some good ideas in there, but it’s overpowered by a feel that this is something a high school band would have written for their first demo. Unfortunately, “Owaranai Tabizi” is very much the same, sounding like something written by some kids who wanted to write their own version of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica without quite being able to make the similarities so hard to notice. Penultimate track “Kyoren” does pick things up a bit again as Higeki reaches its end, but by this point Azking have lost the momentum that the early tracks gave them, and it’s a shame.
The biggest problem with Higeki, which we’ve already touched on, hits you in the face almost immediately, though, and that is the production. Having a somewhat raw sound can have its benefits in extreme metal, but the production makes Higeki sound like an unmixed demo. I assume it’s unmixed anyway, because the levels are all over the place. The keyboards can be extremely overpowering at times while the bass is non-existent, and the clean vocals of Mari are so low in the mix that you won’t even notice they were there is you weren’t actively trying to hear them. This is painfully obvious in tracks like “Kugutso no Sadame” where the guitars drown out virtually everything else. If Azking were able to sort out the mix, and bring in a producer that could create a tone more suited to the genre they were playing, then they could have something really good here. Instead, you’re left with a cacophonous mess where everything is either far too high in the mix, or far too low, and it can change mid-song.
I do think Azking have some good ideas and could make something good in the future. However, they are still far from the finished product and need to try to make something that really makes them stand out in a rapidly growing scene. If they can perhaps flesh out the band with a full lineup to diversify the songwriting process, and bring in a producer that can really push them in the right direction, then there is hope. Otherwise, with poor production and derivative ideas overshadowing the moments of promise, there’s not really that much more to say here.
Stream Higeki below via Azking's official Bandcamp. Follow the band on Facebook.
Azking have a clear idea of the sound they want to go for on this outing, blending power metal with melodeath all while adding symphonic elements along with elements which are undeniably products of the Japanese metal scene. Multi-instrumentalist Asukun is a talented songwriter and the title track is full of twists and turns from symphonic overindulgence to aggressive breakdowns and chainsaw tremolo riffs. The middle track, “Joshikoh”, is a real highlight of Asukun’s songwriting ability with some really impressive riffing and some nifty ideas which aren’t held back as much by the albums biggest problems, which we will touch on later.
However, in the second half of the album, things somewhat start to lose their momentum a bit. The opening to “Co Sen Kin Ju” is extremely messy, and the production issues don’t really help. Maybe with a cleaner tone and a slightly different approach it could have turned out better, because there are some good ideas in there, but it’s overpowered by a feel that this is something a high school band would have written for their first demo. Unfortunately, “Owaranai Tabizi” is very much the same, sounding like something written by some kids who wanted to write their own version of “Enter Sandman” by Metallica without quite being able to make the similarities so hard to notice. Penultimate track “Kyoren” does pick things up a bit again as Higeki reaches its end, but by this point Azking have lost the momentum that the early tracks gave them, and it’s a shame.
The biggest problem with Higeki, which we’ve already touched on, hits you in the face almost immediately, though, and that is the production. Having a somewhat raw sound can have its benefits in extreme metal, but the production makes Higeki sound like an unmixed demo. I assume it’s unmixed anyway, because the levels are all over the place. The keyboards can be extremely overpowering at times while the bass is non-existent, and the clean vocals of Mari are so low in the mix that you won’t even notice they were there is you weren’t actively trying to hear them. This is painfully obvious in tracks like “Kugutso no Sadame” where the guitars drown out virtually everything else. If Azking were able to sort out the mix, and bring in a producer that could create a tone more suited to the genre they were playing, then they could have something really good here. Instead, you’re left with a cacophonous mess where everything is either far too high in the mix, or far too low, and it can change mid-song.
I do think Azking have some good ideas and could make something good in the future. However, they are still far from the finished product and need to try to make something that really makes them stand out in a rapidly growing scene. If they can perhaps flesh out the band with a full lineup to diversify the songwriting process, and bring in a producer that can really push them in the right direction, then there is hope. Otherwise, with poor production and derivative ideas overshadowing the moments of promise, there’s not really that much more to say here.
Stream Higeki below via Azking's official Bandcamp. Follow the band on Facebook.