RUBIA Leopard’s signature heavy and groovy style shines in “RESISTANCE”, all led by Makoto Furukawa’s charismatic vocals.
What is DIG-ROCK?
DIG-ROCK is a 2D rock music franchise created by TEAM Entertainment in 2019. The franchise branches out from the drama CD series, MintLip. This is a mixed media project that incorporates music with drama CDs.
DIG-ROCK counts with 3 rock bands of different backgrounds and sound: RUBIA Leopard (Makoto Furukawa on vocals), Impish Crow (Yuma Uchida on vocals), and HOUND ROAR (Toshiyuki Toyonaga on vocals).
Go more in-depth about DIG-ROCK in our exclusive feature (written and video) about it.
Review
Title: RESISTANCE Label: TEAM Entertainment Inc. Release date: 26/07/2023 Genre: Rock
Tracklist:
1 – RESISTANCE
RUBIA Leopard is back after a couple of months without music releases.
Making their entrance in the “Signal” CD series, the hard rock band fronted by AKANE (CV: Makoto Furukawa) is set to remind you why they are the most consistent 2D rock band out there.
“RESISTANCE” kicks off slowly and groovily, leading the way with a punchy, deep bassline as the song slowly picks up its pace, bringing to the spotlight slow paced, snare-driven drums.
The tone is intimidating but intimate at the same time, keeping a unique allure to it, presenting itself as quite rough and aggressive.
The chorus doesn’t go too crazy, keeping everything close to the listener. The drums change the dynamics a bit, adding a bit more notes into the comfortable tempo (giving the impression of the song’s tempo changing), splashing its way through into the verse.
The guitars are dirty and low for the most and may go unnoticed for the most part but they are an integral part of the overall intense vibe you are experiencing throughout “RESISTANCE”.
When it comes to the performance, Makoto Furukawa continues to be a force to be reckoned with. His deep voice provides this song with a unique intensity to this song but it is exactly his deep voice and the little details he adds to it that make most – if not all – performances by RUBIA Leopard sound slightly alluring.
At the same time, there are neat details going on in his performance. Furukawa is adding more drama than ever to his performance, bringing those resounding open vowels to the spotlight. Those give a dramatic touch to his performance, something that paired up with his deep voice and vibrato (used with a lot of care this time around), making this performance quite an interesting listen.
There are small details in the composition that leverage the vocals – and, in this case, Makoto Furukawa’s technique – in the best way. Midway through the song, Furukawa adds vibrato to the ending of a phrase and, at the same time, the guitar brings vibrato to complement the performance.
It is something so small that may go unnoticed but this song has plenty of these cool details going on in the composition.
RUBIA Leopard continues to be a reference when it comes to 2D rock bands when it comes to being heavy and groovy, presenting a confident brand or rock to fans, all led by an insanely charismatic singer.
“RESISTNACE” may sound a bit different from the band’s previous releases but it certainly feels like the right path for the band to trail as they mature with each release.
This is a must listen to fans of rock music, RUBIA Leopard, and yes, Makoto Furukawa as well.
“RESISTANCE” is an exclusive digital single. At the time of writing this review, the song is not available on streaming platforms.
