An Album A Day Keeps The Doctor Away | 365 Album Challenge

[EzExZeRo7497]

Done.

June 2nd, 2014
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一撃 by Undead Corporation
I've been putting this off for a while now. Undead Corporation is a metalcore/melodic death metal band from Japan. 一撃 is nothing new from them, but I haven't listened to them before - other than Magus Night Fever.

As you might have guessed from the album cover, all of the tracks are Touhou arranges. It's one of the harshest sounding Touhou metal albums though. The instrumentation is nothing short of brutal. The vocals are incredibly raw-sounding, far too raw-sounding really. The instrumentation is actually quite good, but the vocals really ruin it. Tracks like The Silent World and Magus Night Fever become much less of an enjoyable experience. The vocals are too overpowering, doesn't help that they aren't that good either. In fact, they're probably some of the worst metalcore vocals I've heard in a long time. The World No Hope Remains is slightly better than the rest, mainly because the vocals aren't as harsh. The female vocals are a nice touch too - but nothing too special. It's definitely a breath of fresh air compared to the subpar screaming though. The main downside? The instrumentation isn't as catchy as the other tracks.

Tracks are not very varied, Put Curse On You has some black metal influences going on. Not the type of black metal that I'd like, unfortunately. The other tracks are generally the same, maybe with different emphasis on metalcore or melodeath. The melodies are different from each other, but it's nothing special. I wouldn't really count that as variation, since they are arranges of melodies that were made to start with.

Ugh... the vocals are just asinine. Every track could be so much better if they were merely instrumentals. Fortunately, the album does have instrumentals of the same tracks. I'm not sure if it's because they're aware that not everyone would like the vocals or not, but that's neat regardless.

As I mentioned before, the instrumentation is wonderful. It's inevitable that the instrumentals are better than their vocal counterparts. So much raw energy, so catchy, it just works. The Touhou melodies aren't quite as prominent as a couple of other arrange albums. This gives it a more original sound, which is always a plus. Tracks like The Silent World and Chain Heart Girl are far more hard-hitting, and the riffs are phenomenal. It's pretty much everything that makes metalcore and melodeath so engaging for me in one package. Catchy riffs, a VERY rough and raw atmosphere... amazing. Almost disappointed that there aren't any other instrumentals like this. They're usually too soft or just not very engaging. The only problem I have with the instrumentations is that they aren't very varied. Some tracks do get a little tiring after repeated listens, but the fact that I could listen to them multiple times is good enough. My question is though... why didn't they make the instrumentals the main tracks? The instrumentation is so much better than the vocals.

I would love to elaborate more on why I love the instrumentation. Unfortunately, I can't talk too much about metal. It's not a genre I'm quite experienced with. I have listened to a lot of metal albums in the past, but not to its technical aspects.

It would be unfair to rate the overall album with instrumentals in it. I'm pretty sure the instrumentals are only meant to be bonus tracks. I'm also rating the instrumentation in the tracks with vocals to begin with. So, I'm just going to split those two components. The tracks with vocals are not very good. The growls are too abrasive, too rough. The screaming is completely senseless, with no clear rhyme or rhythm. It just feels like someone screaming to metal Touhou covers. The instrumentals are fantastic, no reason to pass them up. If you're into metalcore/melodeath, this is probably one of the best Touhou metal albums you can get. Just scrap the first 9 tracks, they're not worth your time.

With Vocals
Album Highlights: The World No Hope Remains, Chain Heart Girl
Track Average Rating: 2.44/5
Overall Rating: 4/10

Instrumentals
Album Highlights: Magus Night Fever, Chain Heart Girl, The Silent World
Track Average Rating: 4.06/5
Overall Rating: 8/10