Apocalypse (ALBUM+DVD)(First Press Limited Edition)(Japan Version) DVD Region 2

While Luna Sea had a more live band-oriented, electric guitar-driven sound, Inoran integrates other musical elements in his solo works, and this album is no exception. The opening instrumental introduction, The beginning and the end (Track 1), includes heavy use of turntable scratching sound and electronic modification. That sound doesn't return again until the album's first interlude, Between eyes #1 (Track 7).

Until then, Apocalypse features heavy use of guitar-driven arrangements. Compared to his work in Luna Sea, the rock sound Inoran opts for is actually relatively subdued. This is most evident in the album's opening song Cheval's palace is here (Track 2). The arrangement and the composition offer a steady stream of brooding energy instead of delivering it in a heavy, blood-pumping dose. However, the weakest aspect throughout the album is Inoran's vocal performance, which is often too weak to reflect the energy of his music. In the particular case of Cheval's palace is here, Inoran sounds like a charisma-free version of Duran Duran vocalist Simon Le Bon. As a result, in what is perhaps a conscious choice, Inoran chooses to tone down the presence of his vocal, instead blending it along with the other musical elements.

The best aspect of the album is its unified sound throughout, creating a more coherent album. The energy established by Cheval's palace is taken to the next step with the following tracks I'll (Track 3) and Rightaway (Track 4). The compositions of these three songs lean heavily towards pop-rock with their catchy hooks and a generally lighter-than-expected atmosphere. However, only Cheval's palace truly stands out among the three, even though the use of various musical elements in I'll creates an intriguing sound rarely heard in his Luna Sea work.

Inoran's incorporation of various musical elements is the most interesting in the mid-tempo Hydrangea (Track 6). Not only do traditional Japanese instruments play a huge part in the arrangement, Inoran also throws in some strings during the bridge, making Hydrangea one of the more interesting hybrids of traditional instruments and contemporary music in recent Asian pop. However, Inoran's uninspiring composition and vocal performance drags down much of the enthusiasm the intro inspires.

Apocalypse is at its most intriguing during the songs that are not dominated by their compositions. This mainly applies to the album's four instrumental interlude tracks. In addition to the aforementioned instrumental first track, the other instrumental tracks - all named Between eyes with numberings - show Inoran's talent in composing instrumentals. Without any set composition or structure, the Between eyes interludes create a hypnotic effect with the mix of different instruments and effects. The result is far from rock, but they are also the most interesting set of music on Apocalypse.

One track does successfully blend both Inoran's rock side and experimental side together. Toki no Soretsu (Track 9) is a slow-tempo track that's also one of the very few tracks that features no guitar presence. With a powerful arrangement that slowly builds on intensity along the way, the song blends the hypnotic quality and the experimental techniques of the Between eyes trilogy with Inoran's dark composition. Toki no Soretsu is easily the best vocal track of the album.

With multiple interludes to carry the multiple changes in tone, Apocalypse is obviously meant to play as some kind of musical epic. However, Inoran's compositional style is too slight most of the time to land the intended impact of the album. What it does achieve, however, is blending various musical elements together to give it a consistent sound throughout. Inoran is mostly successful at setting himself apart from the established style of Luna Sea for a more unique, individual style. Apocalypse is a nice try at doing the right thing, but it hasn't gotten it quite right yet.

Recommended Tracks: The beginning and the end (Track 1), Cheval's palace is here(Track 2), Hydrangea (Track 6), Between eyes #1 (Track 7), Toki no Soretsu (Track 9), Between eyes #2 (Track 10), Between eyes #3 (Track 12)

by Kevin Ma