Search - Malice Mizer :: Merveilles

A Miracle J-Rock/Symphonic Art Rock Crossover

otaku_of_tomobiki | Baltimore, Maryland United States | 05/26/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Malice Mizer has the distinction of being the most successful Symphonic Art Rock band of the 1990?s, while at the same time being one of the least known bands in the Progressive Art Rock community. The reason for this anomaly is that they are a Japanese band with hardly any English songs. This gives them an accessibility problem wherever Japanese is not understood or appreciated. They have, however, caused a sensation among fans of Japanese pop culture and Gothic Rock all over the world.Malice Mizer, unlike their Progressive Rock contemporaries Ars Nova, did not seem highly influenced by any older Progressive Art Rock bands. They seem to have come up with the idea of combining classical music with rock on their own as a means of expressing their interest in the Gothic mystique. In doing this, they apparently reinvented Symphonic Art Rock from scratch. And they did it with as much style and originality as any Symphonic Rock band from the 70?sFor non-Japanese speaking listeners much study is required to fairly judge the band and their album concepts. Though it is not necessary to understand them to enjoy their music and performances. Even to the completely uninitiated, this band was a wonder to behold. I heartily recommend ?Merveilles? as a first album to try, and also the concert video ?Merveilles L?espace? for further study.Track 1, ?De Merveilles.? This short introductory track features the kind of electronic atmosphere and sound effects that might lead you to expect a Pink Floyd or Alan Parsons album. Indeed, this album bears much resemblance to an Alan Parsons production.Track 2, ?Syunikiss? (Second Mourning) takes over abruptly with sprightly violins, very much in a Philip Glass mode. These are quickly overwhelmed by a sudden tidal wave of symphonic orchestration that rages for a glorious half minute, then just as quickly subsides.The song continues though various ups and downs, rising and falling into soft delicate passages that punctuate this grandiose tune with hushed choirs, accordion, violin and church organ. The duet between electric guitar and violin, which follows a brief sound effects section in the middle of the song, is especially powerful. Indeed, this is an arrangement that could rival any opening statement in the history of Art Rock. This is also your introduction to Gackt ? charismatic front man of Malice Mizer during this period. Both visually and vocally he brings with him a sense of grand opera, while at the same time seeming as playful and approachable as Freddie Mercury. (A loveable vampire) His voice is one of the deepest and most expressive in rock history. And his costume for this part of the concert video is as grand as any ever seen in the operas of centuries past.Track 3, ?Bel Air,? opens with music box and ticking clocks. It then abruptly erupts into a fast classical melody played loudly on electric guitars. It is one of those moments where you just know you have heard someone do this before. Was it Jethro Tull, Rush, Deep Purple? But no direct comparison comes to mind. It is apparently something a lot of bands have done. But the unique personality of the Malice Mizer band puts something into it that staves off direct comparisons.Track 4, ?Illuminati,? in contrast to the guitar driven track that proceeded it, demonstrates that this band has an electronic side as well. Some inexperienced critics might call this a Techno oriented track. But it actually has less to do with modern Techno than it does with ideas common to Kraftwerk and Philip Glass, with just a touch of Synergy thrown in for good measure.Track 5, ?Brise,? brings again a sharp contrast to the track that preceded it. This is a happy, infectiously danceable tune. It?s use of the Hammond organ and 60?s psychedelic fuss base makes it sound like Procol Harum got a much-needed shot of Viagra.Track 6, ?Aegean (Together With The Wind Of The Past.)? - a beautiful, up-tempo song with a very romantic feel, some Marillion guitar rhythms and a short Spanish guitar interlude in the middle.Track 7, ?Au Revoir.? ? another up-tempo romantic song with a beautiful violin theme that repeats throughout. This is, incidentally, one of the hits off the album.Track 8, ?Ju Te Veux.? Another fast moving song featuring Synergy-like electronics and a carnival-like atmosphere. Track 9, ?S-Conscious.? - the most avant-garde song on the album. Its style will seem very familiar to anyone who has experienced Laurie Anderson?s ?Dance Of Electricity? and Philip Glass?s ?Einstein On The Beach.? This song is in English, but unless you have the words in front of you that won?t help much.Track 10, ?Le Ciel.? This song has Genesis written all over it, though the writing isn?t easy to see at a glance. It has a rhythm typical of Michael Rutherford. The bird-like cries from the guitar are very Steve Hackett. Gackt?s live performance of it is pure Peter Gabriel. The theme played on the oboe is very Tony Banks a-la ?Mad Man Moon.? And the main guitar theme seems to have been unknowingly borrowed from the last track of ?The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway.?Track 11, ?Gekka No Yasou Kyoku.? A great organ based keyboard tune ? very grand and classical with a fast tempo. It has a Spanish flavor that makes you want to shout ?OLE!?Track 12, ?Bois De Merveilles.? This is based on a classical waltz, possibly by Strauss or Mozart. I know I?ve heard it before but can?t place it. It is presented as an operatic soliloquy without rock embellishment.All in all an excellent album that should lay to rest anyone?s fears about the horror?s of Gothic Rock. If Malice Mizer set a standard that future Gothic Rock bands will strive for, the future of artistically crafted classical based rock seems bright indeed."

Malice Mizer's Best, For Sure.

Meinos | Maine. 'Tis cold here. | 08/19/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I say that Merveilles (Which is French for 'Wonders') is Malice Mizer's best album, without a doubt in my mind or even half a thought to the contrary. Any song that you think of when someone says, "Malice Mizer," is likely on this CD. Made in Malice Mizer's best days, still with Gackt and Kami, Merveilles is sure to please.



At this point, I must apologize. This review would be much better, but I don't know a flute from a violin, so I will refer to things very crudely. ("Some type of string instrument," for example.)



The first track, De Merveilles, serves as a creepy intro, setting the mood for the rest of the album.



Then, quite abrubtly, Syunikiss begins. Suddenly, some kind of string instrument is playing a tune that feels like a zig-zag. It continues throughout the song, along with wonderful guitar, something that sounds like a violin, and other good things. (^^;;) There is a quiet interlude which gives off a strong image of a peacful, sunny clearing, with possible impending doom.



Bel Air begins with the ticking of clocks, and a quiet music box tune. After about thirty seconds, the guitar starts, and it seems at first as if all Hell as broken loose. (Assuming that Hell is an eargasmic place in which an extremely sexy man with an extremely sexy voice sings.) The guitar in this song is out of this world.



The best way to describe the general feeling of Illuminati is, "Illuminati-ish." It's introed with a synthesizer, which continues throughout the song. This is very exciting -- and sexy, in its way.



Brise starts out with a very happy guitar, and continues to be a song which sounds quite pop-ish. It is cerianly the happiest sounding song on the CD, and feels very right on one of those rare days in Maine's late winter when the sky is blue, and you can feel the warmth of the impending spring.



Aegean is the calmest song on Merveilles. It begins with some kind of weird ticking-ish sound, and has very pretty guitar(right?). I tend to think of it as 'The one that gets stuck in your head without telling you.' "Beautiful," is a very good word to describe it. (Which sounds pretty stupid when I say it, but makes total sense to me...^^')



Au Revoir is another song whose name fits it more than perfectly. As you likely know, 'Au revoir,' does not hold quite the same connotation as 'Goodbye.' It feels much more like, "I *shall* see you again," than, "I/you will be gone very soon." And the song's mood is very like, "We're parting forever -- But I we shall meet again." And it is the second calmest song.



Spinny. . . Spinny. . . Spinny synthesiszer. *coughs* Sorry. Ju te Veux is, as I said, a very 'spinny' song, which is something I absolutely love. Probably the easiest song to dance to out of them all. Very fun. I am in love with the live video of it. The way the lights spin along with the spiraling sound of the synthesizer makes me very happy. As does Gackt's adorable outfit, and the cute dance he does. Ju te Veux is my favorite song on the album.



By far the freakiest song on Merveilles, S-Concious is in English, and has very strange lyrics. It reminds me of a bizzare love triangle (Man, I DO listen to too much New Order) driven to madness and mixed with a chaotic spy story. But it probably won't you remind you of the same thing, because I've got a strange way of thinking. The heavy breathing in the quiet part is interesting. S-Concious has a few especially strange linea. "Why are you symboling?" (The lyrics in the jewel-case insert say "Why are you ****ing.") "It's too funny of you?"



Le Ciel ties with Au Revoir for the second calmest song of Merveilles. It feels very much like the sky of the title, as well as the feather on the lyrics page. An absolutely gorgeous song, with very pretty piano played by Gackt.



The music of Gekka no Yasou Kyoku makes me think of a very cool, slightly scary circus act with people in very big pants that are an olden-looking red color. The tune of the song is infectious, and I absolutely adore it.



A perfect ending to a wondeful album, Bois de Merveilles feels so very much like the slow dance of demons and fairys and all sorts of elegantly clad mystical things. On a Halloween night, no less. Gackt's voice particularly impresses me in this song, for some reason.



Merveilles is (it sounds redundant now, since I just said something similar) an olden (for some reason) Halloween of magical creatures. That sounds a bit silly when I type it, though.



I would also like to comment on the pictures. Because they're wonderful. The cover art is very detailed, and *very* cool. Each band member gets two one-page pictures and six small black-and-white pictures. All of the pictures are very nicely arranged, and some are just amazing. (Kozi's first, for example.) There is also a picture on the track listing page of all the band members in winged costumes.



Merveilles is one of the best CDs I've ever heard, and, out of all the people who have heard it by being around me have loved it, even though they were not fans of Japanese music. This is absolutely a must-have for... Anyone, really."

Beautiful

... | Montreal | 04/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

""Merveilles" is the second Malice Mizer album to feature Gackt as the vocalist, and after a few spins it's easy to see why this is considered the pinnacle of their career (although to be fair, that's a pretty subjective statement... both "Voyage" and "Bara no Seidou" are excellent, if quite different). As has been noted before, this album offers their best balance between gothic grandiosity (a.k.a. Mana) and good old fashioned pop/rock (Gackt). It's a cohesive piece of music, best listened to in the album format (i.e. front to back), and even though the music is almost entirely in Japanese.... it's one of those albums where you don't need to understand the lyrics to be completely swept away by it (and if it bothers you that much, there are translations of unknown quality that can be found on fan sites).



Really, song for song this album is awesome, and my favorite seems to change almost every time I listen to it. "Au Revoir" and "Brise" (the most upbeat song on the disc) usually duke it out for number 1 spot, but strong arguments can be made for "Syunikiss" (love those violins), the dark and schizophrenic song "Illuminati", and the almost carousel-ish "Gekkanoyasokyuko". The only song that really grates is the English track (not that you can really tell) "S-Conscious", but after many listens... I have to think that it was done intentionally, and the beautiful closure to the song makes it all worthwhile.



All told, one of the single best imports I've ever purchased. Also highly worthy of note is the packaging: it's gorgeous. The CD comes in a book, with several pages of full color illustrations of bandmembers in full costume (Malice Mizer was a Visual Kei band, after all). This album stands out in every way. If you're looking for great music a little off the beaten path, have any interest at all in Jrock, and can keep an open mind, then you can't go wrong with Malice Mizer.



One of the few CD's I've ever said this about, but:



Worth every penny."