Review Summary: Whether it’s the thrashing riffs on “Gate 222” and “Demolition” or the ballad-esque chorus in “Fallen Down” there is not a second in this album that doesn’t have a catchy guitar part going on.
Crow’s Claw, Japanese guitar based instrumental band that focuses on playing video game music. They play mainly Final Fantasy songs in their earlier catalog and then Touhou games songs. “Blacker than the Blackest Black” is one of the few original outings they have. That’s not to say they lose their VGM flare here, quite the contrary, this might as well be a soundtrack for a video game.
Crow’s Claw tend to structure their songs pretty much the same, crunchy riffs for intros and bridges; and catchy guitar leads for verses and choruses. Sounds really simple but it’s actually executed flawlessly throughout the album. It’s one of those albums that puts absolutely nothing new on the table but everything it does, it does well and even great at times.
Whether it’s the thrashing riffs on “Gate 222” and “Demolition” or the ballad-esque chorus in “Fallen Down” there is not a second in this album that doesn’t have a catchy guitar part going on. That’s not to say that the other instruments are bad by any means. The drums are actually very varied throughout the songs and the bass is quite audible most of the time. They are just not as out front, as the guitar performance shown here.
The production is actually praise worthy. The guitars sound really crunchy and have that modern sound that goes really well with a clean production. The drums are even, clear and not too loud, which is a plus. The bass sounds heavy and pulls out his job of filling the songs greatly. All in all it’s really slick and an upgrade from the band’s other works.
The album is not without it’s flaws though, some songs are clearly better than others. Not that there is a bad song here,it’s just that the title track and “Follow the Tracks” are a bit forgettable compared to other songs. Still, the albums flows greatly and it’s really enjoyable to listen in one sitting.
Recommended Tracks:
Gate 222
Fallen Down
Noble Hatred
Disposable Respect
