Review: Girugamesh- Go

Tracklist:

1. Opening

2. Destiny

3. EXIT

4. COLOR

5. MISSION CODE

6. 見えない距離

7. 13 days

8. 再会

9. Never ending story

10. Calling

11. イノチノキ

Opening- Well it's a much more electronic opening than I was expecting but I honestly really like it. The lyrics and the beat have a great flow together. If a techno song is what they were going for, than nicely done!

Destiny- Again, definitely not what I'm used to hearing from Girugamesh, and to be honest I thought I wouldn't like this song at all. The chorus is actually the only part of this song that I dislike. I just......I don't like hearing Girugamesh this pop-oriented. However, the rest of this is really very good. It has a very electronic-pop/rock sound and is a lot heavier during the verses, which is the opposite of what most songs go for. Destiny is extremely catchy and I quite enjoy the instrumental break from 3:14 to 3:37. I especially favor the drum-line, it's very heavy and apparent.

EXIT- I'm not really sure how I feel about this song, I enjoy the instrumental and synth. parts of it, especially the high-pitch notes in the background and the drums. Other than that this song doesn't really stand out for me, and though it does have a decent catch to it, EXIT is almost too generic.

COLOR- I enjoy the intro to this song I really do and then the hard guitar beat that jumps off that, while seeming almost completely out of place, is probably the best part of this song. With the way that the verses sound I feel like I'm listening to a continuation of the previous song, only during the verses mind you, the instrumentals and main riff are very different. I really, really enjoy the instrumentals/electronics to this song. And instrumentally this my favorite song so far, more than anything I'm really diggin' 3:43 to 4:04, for this type of song that's some exceptional guitar.

MISSION CODE- I hate that techno beat in the first few seconds, however WOW!! This is the third time I've said this but definitely not what I was expecting!! Ummmm.......this is great!......I mean for a dance-rock song it's well done (akin to D'espairsRay's Love is Dead), I like that Girugamesh kept this a heavy rock/dance song even while singing "shake it, shake it down". I honestly quite enjoy this song. Also, I love the experimental changes in guitar and bass sounds from 1:44 to 2:22, and the play out is wonderful.

見えない距離-  I love the beginning beat/riff that starts at 15 seconds in, though I feel like I've heard this somewhere before, some pop song perhaps? I like that the feeling and tone of music change about three or four times during this song, the play from one to the next is done with surprisingly nice flow. [Examples: 1:00(heavy metal guitar), 1:15 (electronic dance beat and main catchy guitar riff), a slight slow break at 2 minutes, back to the heavy guitar at 2:31 and so forth]. I also have to mention that the guitar solo from 2:46 to 3:14 is devine. Ok......so I lied earlier, instrumentally this is my favorite song! And maybe all around too.

13 Days- Bass intro, yes! I've been hearing this a lot lately, and I approve! Bass players should get more credit. Also, the guitar riff to this song.....I love it, I love it, I love it!!! I like that the sound is catchy but also original. OH MY GOD!!!! Listen to 2:41 to 2:56 right now! This is one the best guitar solos that I've heard since I stopped listening to classic rock on a regular basis. Truly amazing!

再会- And this is a decent slowish song, no where near the best one I've heard from Girugamesh, and it just kind of makes me want to skip to the next song. There isn't really anything special here for me, except of course the guitar from 2:50 to 3:15 and I like the climaxing vocals that flow right off that, I also enjoy the soft piano that are underlying to the heavier parts. And I just kind of contradicted myself by naming so many things that I like about it, this song gets increasingly better the longer I listen to it. But still all I really have to say is that it is a nice song that plays well.

Never ending story- I sort of wish this song would end........it is probably my least favorite on the entire GO album. Let's see, the bass-line is nice........yeah that is about all I like about this song. It just doesn't do anything at all for me.

Calling- I can't quite make out what is being said during the intro to this song, I'm really curious, anyone know? This is almost a rock/dance-like song as well, though not quite as good as MISSION CODE, I think. Still the guitar is heavy with an electronic undertone while still being relatively catchy. The guitar solo is nice, though not the best I've heard on this album, what does stand out for me is the drum and bass lines from 2:16 to 2:45 along with the vocals that lie on top of this.

イノチノキ- I really like the introduction to this song, so I'm really intrigued right off, but I'm surprised when the first verse starts because I was expecting something slightly heavier and this is more in the way of slower poppish song. I feel a bit let down, this guitar riff is better than the song they put it in, so yeah just get rid of everything but the main guitar riff.......

You know I actually put off listening to this album for a long time because I was carrying a bias and I thought I wasn't going to like it. But I was really surprised, putting aside for the moment that this is Girugamesh and that I also prefer their older stuff, I actually really enjoy this album. It is a change of pace and sound but I think for what they did with the music, GO is, for the most part minus the last couple songs, really well done.

My Grade: B+, 4/5