Released: July 10, 2019
Genres: Melodic Death Metal


GYZE is a Japanese metal band from Hokkaido. The band is inspired by acts such as DRAGONFORCE, CHILDREN OF BODOM, CARCASS and incorporates traditional Japanese music styles in their music.


1. Far Eastern Land 3:12
2. Asian Chaos 6:36
3. Eastern Spirits 5:50
4. King Kamuy 0:38
5. Dragon Calling 5:01
6. Camellia 4:00
7. Japanese Elegy 5:28
8. The Rising Dragon 4:05
9. White Territories 4:01
10. 1945 Hiroshima  5:16
11. Asian Chaos (Far Eastern Mix) 6:31
12. Kakumei (bonus track) 2:22


Line-up (members)

Ryoji : Vocals, Guitars, Keyboards
Aruta : Bass, Vocals
Shinkai : Guitars, Programming, Keyboards
Han-nya : Drums


Review:

Melodic death metal band, Gyze, has been around for quite some time now and has a reasonable following. It's not like they are huge overseas or anything, but they're signed by major label Victor and have put more effort than your average Japanese band to reach outside of their homeland. For me, I've long viewed Gyze as a band with a lot of potential, but they never really put all the pieces together. Their earliest days were marred by some really yucky metalcore influence. The second album, Black Bride, has literally one of the worst production jobs I've ever heard and is thus unlistenable. Things started to look up a bit with the third album, Northern Hell Song. The production issues were fixed, and the songs all seemed like solid melodeath tunes. My initial listens to it were pretty positive. Unfortunately, that album wore on me after enough time passed, and I concluded that it was too long and too repetitive. So here we are on their 4th album, Asian Chaos. After a very impressive MV, I bought the album, and I'm happy to say that the band finally did it. This is the first album of theirs I can enjoy from start to finish

The basic formula didn't change too much. They still play the neoclassical-influenced melodeath style that they played before. Gyze's take on melodeath is more lead-oriented than riff-oriented, so expect tons of sugary leads/solos with (relatively) little death metal bite. They're very, very strongly on the "melodic" part of the spectrum with only a slight step into death metal territory. If that part of it bothered you before, you'll still probably be bothered here. The biggest change here is very simple: the quality of the songwriting improved leaps and bounds.

I don't want to bash the band's older work too much, but let's be honest here. It was basically fairly standard 101 melodeath full of the usual Bodom aping and all that. This is different though. Gyze didn't suddenly go prog or anything (although there are some progressive elements at times, notably in the title track). The songs are simply significantly more original and fresh sounding. The leads are catchier and better thought-out. The riff work is much more varied and interesting. Instead of straight 4/4 rhythms all the way through, the band switches it up a lot, and there are even some time signature changes. It's just a much better artistic work to me. Another thing that should be pointed out, Gyze incorporates quite a lot of folk elements (traditional instruments and all that stuff) in the album. They fit in very well within every song and don't feel tacky or contrived. It's a welcome addition and something else that further enhances the originality of the album.

Naturally, the star of the show here is Ryoji on guitar and vocals (plus he writes all the songs). Even when the band wasn't at their best, you could still tell that this guy knew how to tear up his guitar. It's nice to finally hear him fully unleashed in songs that showcase his skill in the best possible context. There's a lot of insane lead and solo work that never fails to impress me everytime I hear it. The biggest standout to me is definitely the title track, Asian Chaos. It's probably Gyze's most dynamic and complicated song to date. There's even a very proggy middle section with some amazing soloing and excellent usage of clean vocals (from Ryoji's own with no less). Another track that catches my attention is Dragon Calling with its completely insane, furious lead work. It's also worth noting that The Rising Dragon features Marc Hudson from Dragonforce doing some vocals. I guess it's good PR, but honestly the song is merely only "good" and probably near the bottom of the pecking order for me. I'll admit that the chorus is super catchy though.

The old saying is "third time's a charm," but I guess it took Gyze four times to win me over. Regardless, this album greatly surpassed my initial expectations and is a very pleasant surprise. I was never sure if Gyze would ever step up their game and become a band I could regularly enjoy and put into my rotation. Finally with this album, they did it. Old fans will certainly be happy, but even people that are on the fence are likely to finally buy in. I think regardless of how you slice it, Asian Chaos is easily Gyze's most creative work to date. For me, it's also easily their best album, and I hope they can keep it up in the future. Count me in.