The GazettE Part Seas with DIVISION

DIVISION truly is an apt name for The GazettE’s latest album, with the two disc Limited Edition offering two very distinct halves on each of the discs. The first disc of DIVISION shows The GazettE’s gentler side, with melodic vocal lines and soaring guitar solos. The second disc has the band showing their teeth; getting down and dirty with heavy bass, pounding drums and unearthly snarls. These parts are each book-ended by some stunning instrumental pieces, exploring post-rock ideas and electronic elements as befits the mood of the album at that point. As a whole it makes for an innovative, interesting album which may turn out to be one of the best of the year.

“[DEPTH]” is the beautiful post-rock influenced instrumental that opens DIVISION. The notes draw you in as bleeping effects and a sense of the grandiose permeate the track, enticing you to listen on. The calm gives way for a burst of energy with “Ibitsu” which continues through the first three songs with the soaring guitar sounds of “Kago no Sanagi” and the driving “Hedoro.” “Ibitsu” does at times threaten to sound like other The GazettE singles, particularly “Shiver” but there is enough here with the whirring guitars and an infectious drumbeat to make it stand out as a fine album opener.

“Hedoro” is an addictive piece. The unusual percussive elements propel forward a beat at double-quick time while the simple vocal melody varies very little from the minimalistic chords of the guitars. The lack of tricks serve to make “Hedoro” all the more fascinating.

After the rush of “Hedoro,” the first half of DIVISION concludes with two very different but gorgeous slow pieces that could rival Dir en Grey’s finest balladic songs for beauty. “Kagefumi” is the lighter of the two with Ruki’s vocals gentle and introspective. Aoi’s chugging rhythm guitar notes are matched by Uruha’s gentle alternate picking that build into a layered melody and a beautifully rising solo. “Yoin” is by contrast more sinister. The heavy drums and low guitar notes have a very Dir en Grey ambience and Ruki’s vocals are fittingly creepy. The GazettE resist any urge to include screaming in the composition and it is improved as a result; Ruki lilts between deep, dark and then lighter falsetto notes, adding further to the creeping atmosphere.

The mood created by “Yoin” fits with the transition in the album to disc two, where everything goes ominous and heavy. The airy notes that open “[DIPLOSOMNIA],” while light, have a feeling of foreboding to them. The music takes on a more aggressive electronic character to close disc one and to lead into the rush of “[XI].” A voiceover mutters “Break the convention” over and over as the cybernetic music becomes blaring sirens and welcome in the distorted and disorientating tuning effects that open “DERANGEMENT.” All guitars a-blazing with growling riffs, “DERANGEMENT” is a powerful reminder of The GazettE’s ability to rock, in case the gentleness of disc one gave cause for any doubt.

“DERANGEMENT” is followed by “REQUIRED MALFUNCTION” in which Ruki’s vocals are digitally enhanced with vocoder effects. Rather than taking away from the song, the computerised vocals add to an unusual composition that twists and turns from heavy metal to a sing-a-long chorus. Despite the title, “REQUIRED MALFUNCTION” is not a malfunction at all.

“ATTITUDE” and “GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS” later on bring the ferocity. The former is a piece of storming guitars, even if at times the use of variant elements causes the piece to become over-busy. “GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS” is darker, sludgier; it rattles along at a breakneck pace leaving little time to breathe.

The only major disappointment on the album comes with “DRIPPING INSANITY.” The attempt at another slow ballad style does not gel as well here and the instrumentals are dull compared with those of the earlier “Yoin” and “Kagefumi.”

Rather than reach for an epic closing song, the themes of the instrumentals that divide the album–“[DEPTH],” “[DIPLOSOMNIA]” and “[XI]”–are tied together with “[MELT].” While this last track sits on Disc 2, the two different sides of the DIVISION over the two discs merge into a piece of industrial ambience, floating notes colliding with grittier sounds and finally bring DIVISION to a neat close.

DIVISION works, both with the individual songs it contains and (as far as the limited edition is concerned) as an overall idea. The tracklist on the Regular Edition does have a jumbled sense to it, when compared to the neat ‘division’ concept of the limited edition. However, generally DIVISION feels more thought through, more considered than the previous album TOXIC. At no point does it feel as if The GazettE took their yearly singles and threw a few fillers in to paste over the gaps. Despite all their success over the years, DIVISION shows a band who have not become complacent. It is instead clear proof of why The GazettE are one of the biggest groups in visual kei today.

This review refers to the Limited Edition.

Limited Edition: 2 x 7 track CD + DVD

Track list

Disc One

1. [DEPTH]
2. Ibitsu
3. Kago No Sanagi
4. Hedoro
5. Kagefumi
6. Yoin
7. [DIPLOSOMNIA]

Disc Two

1. [XI]
2. DERANGEMENT
3. REQUIRED MALFUNCTION
4. DRIPPING INSANITY
5. ATTITUDE
6. GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS
7. [MELT]

Regular Edition: 12 track CD

Track list

1. [XI]
2. GABRIEL ON THE GALLOWS
3. DERANGEMENT
4. DRIPPING INSANITY
5. Yoin
6. Ibitsu
7. Kagefumi
8. Kago no Sanagi
9. Hedoro
10. ATTITUDE
11. REQUIRED MALFUNCTION
12. [Melt]