Overdrive Hell 23 -Hizumi Heaven I Am a Witch-
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Album Title: Overdrive Hell 23 -Hizumi Heaven I Am a Witch- |
| Record Label: Troubadour Record |
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| Catalog No.: HZMT-0023 |
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| Release Date: December 31, 2016 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
overdrive hell 23 -Hizumi Heaven I Am a Witch- is the twenty third iteration in a series of hardcore and experimental electronic EPs featuring Ayako Saso and Shinji Hosoe. While not for everyone, it does feature some interesting music for those fans of this style of electronic music. In addition, this album features returning vocals by DeathmotoDie-s K a.k.a MMDS and a guest contribution from Masashi Yano, under the alias MSS Yano. How does this album compare to the previous entries in the ongoing series?
Body
The album opens up with “Lesson.104 I am a witch-man,” a hard techno tune that incorporates both the sound effects and theme song from the classic TV series, Bewitched. While the end result is somewhat enjoyable and blends decently with the harsher techno sounds, the vocals certainly leave a bit to be desired. Likewise, “Lesson.105 A secret of Acco-chan” also features a hard techno sound and certainly features a nice melody in the background that complements the heavier sound overall. But like before, the vocals, while more fitting compared to the previous tune, serve as more of a distraction. One of the more interesting tunes is “Lesson.106 Delicate dedicate,” which features a high energy, spacey sound with some really interesting rhythms. The piece overall is quite intriguing and the softer accompaniment serves as a nice contrast while the vocals are a bit more subdued to match the tune itself, which serves in its favor.
“Lesson.107 Moonnight legend” ups the hard techno sound and while the vocals fit the style, they can certainly be offputting at times. The melodies and the synth that lead them in the background are quite interesting and really add a nice contrast to the rest of the piece. Overall, it’s more successful than some of the others on the album that attempt the more hardcore sound. Lastly, “Lesson.108 T.P.P.C (Tow people pretty cure)” continues with the hard techno sound. There is a bit of an industrial sound and some softer synths in the background but the end result is fairly uninteresting and the vocals leave a bit to be desired.
Summary
The end result for overdrive hell 23 -Hizumi Heaven I Am a Witch- is one that I feel would be much better without the vocal collaborations. The music behind them is interesting for the most part, but heavy-handed nature of the vocals, as with previous albums, distracts from them. Perhaps one day, they’ll move past the current format, but that is uncertain at this time. Those looking to get into the series would best look towards earlier entries in the series.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
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Posted on April 3, 2017 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on April 3, 2017.
About the Author
Don Kotowski Currently residing in Philadelphia. I spend my days working in vaccine characterization and dedicate some of my spare time in the evening to the vast world of video game music, both reviewing soundtracks as well as maintaining relationships with composers overseas in Europe and in Japan.
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