First thing’s first. Overall, I find this record to be very enjoyable. Of course, that probably has to do with the fact that I found the records that these songs made their original appearance on to be rather enjoyable. I’m sure there are people who are disappointed that this album lacks any decidedly new material, but they were aiming for an international release and they put together a collection that I think has the breadth to reach an international audience.
Noticeable almost instantly is the re-engineering of all of the tracks. Gone are the slightly unpolished indie guitars that swallow the vocals. Instead, we are met with an even guitar sound across the audio plane and a lead vocal track that can be heard and understood over the wall of sound. Speaking of understanding vocals, it is almost immediately apparent that vocalist Hyde spent painstaking hours not only correcting his accent, but re-writing the melodic rhythm so that the lyrics are much more understandable.
The engineering on the album is overall a well-rounded sound, but at times the use of electronic drum pads is overwhelming and distracting. This is especially apparent in 'Hunting II' as drummer Arimatsu’s skilled fills and powerful kick are almost completely over-dubbed by the robotic and almost dull drum machine. I also find that the compression on the bass track is overdone at points, such as in ‘The Past’ where the bass goes from a rich and deep support to almost unnoticeable at parts. As far as the re-recorded vocals, at times they are a little loud, especially in trade-offs between the new lead vocals and the backing vocals that were kept from the original recordings, which causes the continuity of the vocals to feel broken upon first listen. Fortunately, it’s a minor issue that I think most listeners could overlook.
Despite my overly technical nit-picks, I think this album is a great start for VAMPS on Universal International Records, and if they can get the advertising right, it could stand a chance in international markets.
Also, I just really love the Sex, Blood Rock’n Roll remix and I couldn’t even tell you why at this point.
TL;DR takeaway:
Album Low Point: Love Addict. The guitars lost their punch in the re-engineering and the lyrics are a little bit clunky in their new rhythmic pattern.
Album High Point: Redrum. The guitars are beautifully mixed, the drums are full and panned to perfection, the bass supports the sound and the vocals are gorgeously re-recorded.
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