Out of Rejet’s newest project “Forbidden Star” are Epicurean, unit consisting of Yuto Suzuki (Marginal#4, My Milky Way), Toshiki Masuda (Marginal #4, Wonder Corona!), Nobunaga Shimazaki (Style Five) and Takuya Eguchi (SolidS, rêve parfait, Yutaku, Trignal). Dressed in a pop rock fashion thanks to R.O.N‘s distinctive guitar playing, this unit starts off with the right foot.
Single: Check it Love! Label: Rejet Release date: 22/06/2016 Genre: J-Pop/Rock
Tracklist:
01. Check it Love!
02. CROSSLINK
03. ミニドラマ「Dawn of Epicurean!」 - MINI DRAMA
Track by track analysis:
01. Check it Love!
Epicurean present us a rocking tune with a pinch of pop addictiveness. Mid tempo splashy drums, minimal bass and the main point on this track – the punk rock-ish guitar (that will really bring you back to OLDCODEX’s old sound), complete this simple instrumental piece. So with a pop-punk/ pop-rock instrumental what can we expect of this track as a whole? Taking into account that this lineup that counts with Masuda and Eguchi, that lately have been on a roll in their respective units outside of Epicurean, as well as Suzuki and Nobunaga that have stable mid tones as well as higher notes if demanded, the vocal consistency within this group turns out to feel right. No one is forcing their tone, it’s a raw performance, without any ad-libs or resorting to other vocal techniques. Simple as an instrumental as well as the vocal performance. As a whole this is certainly a performance that will stand out naturally. 4.5/5
02. CROSSLINK
With aggressive guitar riffs and a groovy melody in the verses, CROSSLINK really grabs our attention with its edge and crudeness. With a powerful, mid-tempo instrumental in which guitars resort to power chords and licks, the drums are snary – a lot heavier than usual for a Rejet release – and the bass comes in to tie everything together into a complete experience. The vocal performance was just as energetic and exciting as the instrumental track with everyone standing at a level in which is difficult to really ascertain who was the best or the worst. Total synchronization between members. 4.5/5
Final rating: 
Epicurean brings together two Marginal #4 members – Yuto Suzuki and Toshiki Masuda – with Shimazaki Nobunaga and Takuya Eguchi in what is a nice collaboration. It’s been a while since Nobunaga has been in the scene – last time was with Style Five – but it’s nice to have him back on board for this project, turning out to be a safe addition to this unit with his mid-tones.
With R.O.N (former OLDCODEX and member of Stereo Dive Foundation) on the helm lending his trademark powerful guitar riffs to this release, it’s safe to say that this is first time in a while that Rejet has a release with this much edge and power. With incredibly hyped choruses and melodic verses, each instrumental is a headbanging experience for the listener. Putting it together with the synched vocal performances in which no one is forced to sound “cute” or “tough”, we get a solid release that will surprise a lot of skeptics.
“Check it Love!” is available for purchase on CDJAPAN for all overseas fans.
