Anthos makes a stellar debut with a refreshing sound in the 2D music industry with “BIRTH”.
Hana-Doll* is an idol project created by movic (TSUKIPRO, VAZZROCK, Tsukiuta, etc) in 2019. 6 idols are part of Anthos, group signed to the fictional talent agency Amagiri Production.
Anthos is comprised of Daiki Hamano, Kento Ito, Wataru Komada, Toshiki Masuda, Shunichi Toki, and Seiichiro Yamashita.
Title: Hana Doll*1st season ～Flowering～ Volume 1 「Birth」 Label: Movic Release date: 21/06/2019 Genre: Electronica/R&B/Pop
Tracklist:
1：Project Archive1-1 2：Project Archive1-2 3：Project Archive1-3 4：Project Archive1-4 5：Project Archive1-5 6：BIRTH 7：Unknown
Track by track analysis:
6 – BIRTH
Dirty synths introduce us to a high-throttle dark dance tune. The instrumental lends elements from trap music, namely the orchestral hits and the slow hard-hitting beat that sets the tone for this tune.
The song progresses from those dark verses to a danceable and catchy chorus that will instantly take the listener to the dance floor.
The song flows so well from verses to choruses that it ends in a flash. Vocally, Anthos blend clean singing with rap parts – the last ones found in the outro -, matching the power and energy of the instrumental. Solid debut song.
7 – Unknown
An R&B beat and a dreamy piano melody make way for Unknown. The beat is minimalistic and slow-paced, leaving way for the vocals to dazzle the listener.
The fusion of R&B, electronica, and ballad elements makes this song stand out within the release. It is mysterious, it is alluring and it has a dangerous undertone.
On the vocal end, this song is perfect to showcase that this group is more than powerful mid-tones and fancy rappers.
Almost everyone in the group tackles high notes, adds skillful flourishes, and has some of the most consistent harmonies we have listened to in 2019. Top marks.
Final rating:
Anthos is a group in its own league. Their music and sound are entirely new among 2D units. It is hard-hitting, not afraid of being powerful while slow-paced, mixing R&B with electronica to create a fresh soundscape that is a breath of fresh air in the seiyuu/2D music industry.
BIRTH (the release, not the song) is, in our books, a unique release that showcases the group’s dual colors, exploring dreamy soundscapes at the same time that contrasting deep, dark music takes over. This dynamic is one of the group’s charms.
The other lies in the vocals. This is a team that includes some of the best singers currently active in the seiyuu industry.
Daiki Hamano, Shunichi Toki and Kento Ito are the members that stood out the most in Anthos‘ performances.
Daiki Hamano is a solid singer but when he raps, the air around him changes and he can really pack a lot of power in his performances. Shunichi Toki is, easily, the best singer in the group. Versatile and resourceful as a performer, he is often found tackling flourishes, high-notes, being the one responsible for adding a lot of flair to the group’s performances.
Kento Ito is the glue in Anthos. His skills as a singer make it possible for members with less experience and skill as singers – Wataru Komada and Seichiro Yamashita –to sound on par with the group’s powerful vocals.
Unfortunately, Toshiki Masuda goes a bit unnoticed in this release, often overwhelmed by more powerful or deeper vocals however, in the few parts that he tackled and was noticeable, he delivered consistent performances.
As a whole, BIRTH is an astounding debut release. A fantastic debut by a group that is doing something completely new in sonority, doing so with what we consider to be one of the best lineups there is currently in the anisong/seiyuu industry.
This release is available worldwide on Spotify.
華Doll*1st season ～Flowering～ Volume 1 「Birth」 is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
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