Dramatic and somber, EROSION’s “Firemind” arrives to take the spot as the band’s best song while CREHA’s solo track “Nobara” opens the doors to an eclectic set of releases.
Brief introduction
CARNELIAN BLOOD is a mixed media – voice comics, music, etc – project created by Rejet. EROSION stems from the franchise as its representative group, a rock band with 5 vocals.
EROSION‘s lineup includes Shoya Chiba, leader Ryota Suzuki, Arthur Lounsbery, Toshiyuki Toyonaga, and Yuya Hirose.
Review
Title: EROSION with YOU from CARNELIAN BLOOD Vol.1 CREHA Release date: 22/12/2021 Label: Rejet Genre: Rock / Electro-Rock
Tracklist:
1 - FIREMIND (EROSION song) 2 - 野薔薇 (CREHA solo track) 3 - He was troubled with his captive rabbit. 4 - Humming settled deep in his mind 5 - 日本の漫画でよく見た展開 6 - CHASER 7 - 好きとかよくわかんないけど
Track by track analysis:
1 – FIREMIND
A dramatic piano melody and intense strings open the curtains to “Firemind”, a song that will impress you with how emotional it is without needing anything flashy on the vocal end.
The verses are somber, with staccato strings and guitars playing on top of slow-paced bassy drums. It’s easily noticeable that you’re in for a sort of power ballad by the talented 5-vocal rock band.
“Firemind” has a powerful chorus that brings to the spotlight some really cool ideas you couldn’t previously find in their music.
First off, the semi-orchestral sound is a novelty for the band, then on the vocal end, there are canons more so than unison parts. By replacing the unisons – that can get a bit boring after a couple of listens – with canons (and even split backing vocals with different lines), all members get to shine individually while positively contributing to the final result.
The chorus in “Firemind” is, easily, the best the band has performed to date. It carries the right amounts of drama and melancholy at its core without being overwhelming and having, at the same time, care for making everyone shine on the vocal end.
In the bridge, the strings swell and further enhance the drama in this track, with Shoya Chiba, Ryota Suzuki, Arthur Lounsbery, Yuya Hirose, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga screaming their lungs out with a lot of emotion.
Outstanding song, easily the band’s best to date.
2 – 野薔薇
“Nobara” brings funky guitar riffs and electronica to the spotlight. Both elements arrive as a big surprise within this franchise that, up until now, was all about its rock sound.
However, since this is a solo track, it is expected that there will be some level of flexibility in the sound each member has for their songs. In this case, CREHA (CV: Toshiyuki Toyonaga) has a danceable sound at the core of “Nobara”.
The verses have a bouncy bassline and clear influences of Latin percussion, as funky guitar riffs add another layer of fun to this track.
As you arrive at the chorus, there is an explosion of color with guitars shredding their way through the song and the beat intensifying its danceable sound.
On top, trap-inspired orchestral hits add some drama to the song or, should I say, an edge made this song more than just an electro-rock tune with Latin music influences.
Toshiyuki Toyonaga goes for an effortlessly stylish performance in what is a song with several tricky, fast-paced sections – namely in the chorus – leaving little to no room for error.
Of course, as expected, Toyonaga nailed the performance and even went the extra mile by adding a lot of vibrato, and going for those big open vowels in his singing to add a grandiose twist to his performance.
Final considerations
EROSION continues to mature and their sound showcases that.
The 5-vocal rock band this time around decided to tackle a rock ballad – almost like a power ballad – with a lot of emotion and a dramatic instrumental.
Orchestral elements made their way into “Firemind”, breathing life into it, making it resonate with the listener, leaving a mark as those dramatic strings find their way through the song, contrasting with the melancholic vocals by the band members. And the chorus in this song is the protagonist of one of the most impressive moments within EROSION’s music.
It’s been long overdue that the band performs with less frequency in unison.
While it may sound “edgy” at times or even showcase how in “sync” the members are, I’ve always felt that with the talent that this group has in its lineup, it was a waste to have everyone stepping on each other and, ultimately, only Shoya Chiba, Arthur Lounsbery, and Toshiyuki Toyonaga would be standing out in the chorus.
While that’s all good and everything, giving the spotlight to everyone and making it so that you can easily pick up every member in the chorus, each of them performing different parts within it but all working together to shape up the chorus, is something that changes dynamics, making the band sound even more powerful and technical than ever before.
And that, ultimately, made “Firemind” stand out. Additionally, the emotions in the vocals leave a deep mark, with all members delivering powerful performances.
As far as solo songs go, CREHA (CV: Toshiyuki Toyonaga) surprised me with “Nobara”.
Honestly, I was expecting rock music not danceable, Latin-inspired electro-rock. This goes to show that, perhaps, the solo tracks in the EROSION with YOU from CARNELIAN BLOOD CD series may end up exploring completely different music genres – connected or not to rock music – which may lead to interesting performances.
While entertaining, “Nobara” stands more for Toyonaga’s performance than for its instrumental, sounding a tad bit generic in its sound than expected from this franchise.
All in all, EROSION’s “Firemind” is an outstanding song, taking the seat as the band’s best song released to date whereas CREHA’s “Nobara” opens the curtains to what can be an eclectic series of solo releases.
EROSION with YOU from CARNELIAN BLOOD Vol.1 CREHA is available for purchase at CDJAPAN.
“EROSION with YOU from CARNELIAN BLOOD Vol.1 CREHA” is available for streaming on Spotify.
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