BAND-MAID - Epic Narratives - Review
Band Maid one of the hardest working bands are back with Epic Narratives.
Band-Maid the hard rock band are back with their eighth studio album – Epic Narratives. This was one of my anticipated albums of the year, read on to discover if it lived up to the hype.
Magie kicks things off with bombastic guitars and a killer bassline. You can hear how much they are enjoying themselves with this track. The chorus is huge but not catchy and compared to other chorus’ through the album forgettable. His then leads into the heavy Shambles, a Band-Maid classic, incredible solos, huge bass and Saiki’s vocals a true powerhouse.
Protect You follows and is a favorite of mine. An energetic catchy bop with stunning drumming from Akane. There is an aura of stadium rock here, designed for the live shows and that continues on the fantastic Show Them, which features the equally fantastic The Warning. The duel instrumentals are brilliant with fantastic lyrics. This track was a statement, and I hope it propels them further into people’s consciousness.
After going full throttle for five tracks, they switch things up on Forbidden tale. A slow track that quickly shifts gears with thumping drums and a shredding guitar. Bestie is the truly first slow song and the only slight misstep on the album. Lyrically the song is phenomenal, but the track is overproduced masking Saki’s vocals hampering the track.
Brightest Star is a track fans have heard live, but I am hearing it for the first time here, Miku takes centre stage and brings her pop ting of Cluppo with her. The track features heavy guitars and thumping drums, but like many bands with side projects that sound seeps in. However, like those other bands it doesn’t stop the end product from being phenomenal.
Letter to You is a straight up rock track, with big guitars, drums and vocal dominance. While The One reminds me of he power ballads of the 80s. Saiki gets to show off her incredible vocal range here.
Memorable is another slow song and one designed for the fans. I love the instrumentals and the lyrics are powerful. The pace does prevent it from being a repeat listen track. The following track Go Easy doesn’t have that problem. This is an adrenaline fuelled rock track.
Toi et moi takes things to eleven with dirty guitars, a face-melting solo and Miku ‘screaming.’ They are experimenting and it’s paying off. This can also be said for the final lyrical track TAMAYA! Featuring nice harmonies and a fantastically long solo. Kanami is unleashed.
Epic Narratives finishes with a three-minute instrumental as Get to the top showcases the band’s phenomenal talent. They sound like a band having fun in the studio. This is a band that works hard and is constantly improving with each album. This may be my favorite Band-Maid album.