Review: Perestroika- PAINZ

Tracklist:

1. ВВЕДЕНИЕ

2. F.O.P

3. VIRGIN PAIN

4. UNBLESSED LOVE

5. WEIGHT OF THE LIFE

6. NEGATIVISION



ВВЕДЕНИЕ- Oh, intro songs.........the speech threw me off but the whole instrumental/chant scream/synth in itself is actually pretty bad ass......but it ends so abruptly......it will be my deathbed wish for Perestroika (or even Nega for that matter) to make this an entire song.

F.O.P- Ehhh....I really thought the intro song was setting me up for something awesome and truthfully at first I was slightly disappointed in this song. I think the screaming is almost overdone, especially during the intro. and while I'm not really in like with this song, at the same time, unknown to me until this very moment, I apparently find it ridiculously intriguing because I've listened to it about eight times just since I started writing this. I like the chorus and that the screaming was kept here as an undertone. I also enjoy the spoken vocals and I'm actually beginning to warm up to the screaming itself. And while I acknowledge the decent synth, guitar squeals, and hard drumline, I think the intstrumentals here could be better, there isn't anything really that special about them. I do like the "extro" though.....nice guitar feedback.

VIRGIN PAIN- I like this introduction very much though I do think the vocal quality here is a bit sub par. Definitely a step up on the instrumentals however, compared to the previous song. The main guitar/synth riff here is, for lack of a better word at the moment, extremely catchy [ex: 0:17 to 0:32]. I also really enjoy the dual (singing and spoken) vocals during the verses and chorus. The piano introduced guitar solo is magnificent!!!  In fact the guitar playing in general is lovely. And keeping the piano as an only lightly audible background instrumental from 3:26 to 3:45 is a very nice touch, I also think there is a little violin towards the end. The only thing I don't like about this song is the conclusion. It just kind of......fades.....out.......

UNBLESSED LOVE- This has a terrific intro! I really like the whispered and dual screaming vocals during the first verse. The synth is decent, not a huge fan, however one effect I do enjoy is the ascending/ descending drumlike beat (ex: 1:48 to 2:04 and is also present during the introduction). There is again some piano parts here, underneath the chorus vocals, that are nicely done. Truthfully, I think this song is just okay, I like it enough to play it multiple times but I can't say that I'm excited about it.
My favorite part: The, what I believe is, "I want to prove that I'm still human" chanting from 2:45 to 3:10.  There is again the dual vocals here and I enjoy the almost "dance beat" this is played on.


WEIGHT OF THE LIFE- I like the piano that this song is opened with and the drumline mixed with the synthesizer beat after this play well together. And this chorus is really catchy. My favorite part: 2:04 to 2:30 the instrumentals here are great. The guitar squeal and riff draw you in and the drumline is probably the best (and clearest) I've heard so far on this mini-album. This is honestly the best part of this song. I do have a second favorite part however, and kudos to this drummer! Check out: 2:41 to 2:55, and I very much enjoy the enhancing beat that this lies on.

NEGATIVISION- Well, I was expecting something a bit harder, but this might very well be the best song on PAINZ. I like that the song begins with a fingered guitar and then is again played in on piano, in fact I enjoy those aspects in general, as they are shown throughout the song, as well as the drum beat with in this. The intrumentals in themselves are exquisite. From beginning to end the guitar is extremely well done, as well as the bass and drums. Not gonna lie I'm pretty impressed with this entire song. Best guitar: is obviously from 2:50 to 3:09. Wahhh! So awesome! I also really enjoy 1:42 to 1:57, as this sits really well with the bass line. Best bass: 1:06 to 1:20, I wish the bass were more apparent during the rest of Perestroika's songs. Best drums: 0:28 to 0:32 and 3:42 to 3:50, the drummer should have a solo. I'm very pleased with the chorus, I'm a big fan of Jin's or "Haruto's" voice and NEGATIVISION also has the best synth on PAINZ. No doubt my personal favorite.

My Grade: B+, 4/5