Kadenzza - The Second Renaissance (2005)

This is such a good album. I've had it for a while now and I probably should have reviewed it before this point. So, here's a bit of an overview of what exactly Kadenzza is, for those that don't know.

Kadenzza is a one man band, spearheaded by You Oshima from Japan. He calls it "Grand Orchestral Kamikaze Metal". I guess this is an interesting way to go about categorizing this band, as it's a little bit difficult to specifically pinpoint what exactly Oshima does with this band. If I really had to categorize Kadenzza, I would probably go with something along the lines of symphonic avant garde / black metal.

Part of the appeal of this album is the astounding idea that it was created by one guy. He's not only proficient in guitar, vocals, and synthesizers, but also at programming and apparently, the theremin. The theremin just might be the most awesome instrument ever, so that alone gains You Oshima a million bonus points. I would also like to know what the hell kind of drum machine Oshima used for this album, because it sounds like a damn studio drummer. It might be the most lifelike drum machine I've heard. I'm actually going to try to score an interview with him. From what I hear, though, he's not too great at speaking English. And, I'm not too great at speaking Japanese, so hopes shan't be gotten up. No sir, they shan't.

Anyway, this album is eerie. The lyrics Oshima chooses are extremely cryptic. He follows the story of Little Red Riding Hood throughout the course of the album, putting his own spins on it. He doesn't omit the true details of the story, like the wolf killing an dismembering the little girl's mother. After the wolf accomplishes this, he tricks the girl into eating her own mother's flesh and drinking her blood. Afterward, we are to understand the wolf also kills and picks apart the little girl, as he finishes the album with two voices conversing, claiming the girl is to "enter the dark woods" and that "her grandmother was waiting". The narratives are told from the voice of a little girl. Another strangely prevalent sound effect Oshima uses on a few songs are the faint sounds of young children laughing and the almost inaudible sound of a cradle lullaby. Through the use of these things, Oshima really creates psychologically disturbing songs that are only strengthened by his outlandish vocals.

Oshima's harsh vocals are unlike any I've ever heard. As far as I can tell, he overdubbed them at different frequencies like, a million times in order to make his voice sound stressfully demonic. He starts some songs with brooding organ pieces, most notably Utaka. The feel of this album is unbelievably dark, and almost insane.

Most of the drum programs Oshima uses are blast beats. They're tasteful, however. Thank God for that. Shitty blast beats can entirely ruin a song. That is, he only uses blast beats when necessary. Ghost In the Shell, The Abyss Stares Back at You, and The Embers of Reverie are the most prevalent tracks featuring blast beats, as they are the only ones with consistent heavy guitar. Most of the other tracks have instrumental piano discourses in order to further the plot of the story or to confuse the listener with strange, haunting singing.

I think the high point of this album is most definitely at the end. Utaka through Redemption are completely mind blowing. I don't mean to sound like a rabid fanboy, but these tracks are basically perfect. There wasn't much Oshima could have done to make them better. The best song on the album, in my opinion, would be The Wolfoid. It chronicles the wolf's transition from killing the girl's mother to impersonating her. I think the basic point behind Oshima's making of this album was to make a Little Red Riding Hood story that didn't have a happy ending; one that wasn't a fairy tale. As he explicitly states in The Wolfoid, "remember, only the hunter kills the wolf. But that's only in fairy tales...".

I love this album. Anybody that doesn't like shitty music would, also. Get it. Immediately.

9/10