ZIZZ BEST Part 1-Toshimichi Isoe Compilation-
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Album Title: ZIZZ BEST Part 1 -Toshimichi Isoe Compilation- |
| Record Label: ZIZZ STUDIO |
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| Catalog No.: ZSCM-15332 |
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| Release Date: August 5, 2015 |
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| Purchase: Buy at Sweep Record |
Overview
The ZIZZ Best -Part 1- Toshimichi Isoe Compilation is an album featuring Toshimichi Isoe’s best vocal themes ranging from opening and ending themes to other in-game vocals from various visual novels to which ZIZZ STUDIO has contributed the music. Featuring a plethora of styles, both by male and female singers, is this an album worth picking up for fans of ZIZZ STUDIO’s vocal works?
Body
The album opens up with the opening “I Bless Thy Life,” from Angelic Armos, an extremely strong pop/rock vocal with a beautiful melody and an extremely catchy chorus. The softer sections with backing vocals are also quite beautiful helping to cement the fantastic start to the album. Following that, “Memento Vivere,” from Gekkou no Carnavale, features a more rock oriented tone. The melody is pretty decent and features a nice, upbeat chorus, but the vocal work here isn’t my favorite. “Fractal Sign,” from Classic Dungeon X2, is another strong entry to the album. The ethereal synth tones mixed with the soft pop tones and vocals make for an exquisite listen with an equally engaging melody. Another rock theme, “LIDDELL.,” from Are You Alice? follows, although it doesn’t really stand out as much, coming off a bit like generic J-rock, although there are some interesting guitar rhythms featured at times.
“Afterglow -Album Version-,” from Jingai Makyo, blends rock, soft electronic elements, and saxophone to create an extremely touching rock ballad with a fantastic vocal performance, particularly in the chorus of the song, that makes it a highlight on the album. Two songs from Kishin Houkou Demonbane are featured. The first, “Shadow in the dark,” blends rock and trip-hop beats to create an effective and beautiful vocal while “An Eternity of Providence” utilizes choir and drum hits to create a simple, almost angelic, vocal theme. Similarly, two songs from Full Metal Demon Muramasa are also featured. The first, “MURAMASA,” blends rock and traditional Japanese instruments to create a nice fusion sound, with the softer Japanese instrumentation sections standing above the rock elements, in my opinion. The second, “The Call,” is a rock oriented piece with some great solos while also offering some slightly softer sections that blend beautiful vocals, grungier rock tones, and some electronic elements to help give it a bit more of an edge. It is enjoyable, although not my favorite on the album.
CHAOS;HEAD also receives the two song treatment on the album. The first, “Desire Blue Sky,” opens with ethereal synth and vocals before moving into a more upbeat electronic dance style piece with some rock elements mixed in. The other song, “Cry,” is a more ballad approach featuring soft vocals, piano, atmospheric accompaniment, and backing vocals. It’s quite beautiful and another highlight of this compilation album. “Hikaru’s Song,” from Jaaku Sengen Soukou Akki Muramasa is another ballad that blends a bit of country twang with a touch of jazz and blues. The rock elements are nice, and while the melody is extremely beautiful, the vocal work isn’t necessarily my cup of tea, although it does fit the song quite well. Lastly, “HOLY WORLD,” from Zanma Taisei Demonbane, ends the album with a rock piece with some orchestral touches. Unlike the opening song on the album, I wouldn’t necessarily say it ends on a good note, as the piece comes off a bit boring to me, with decent vocal work and melody, but it isn’t a terrible song by any means either.
Summary
In the end, this compilation album features a blend of styles, primarily rock, pop, and electronic, with various other genres mixed in as well. While the music, on the whole, is pretty good, the vocals, at times, can be a bit hard to swallow. For fans of ZIZZ STUDIO, this album might be worth picking up, especially if you are a fan of Toshimichi Isoe’s work, however, if you aren’t a fan of vocal albums, this one might not be for you.
Do you agree with the review and score? Let us know in the comments below!
3.5
Posted on November 13, 2015 by Don Kotowski. Last modified on January 19, 2016.
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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