Review Summary: Clean, unfiltered, and unrelenting, Far From A Precipice is melodic punk mastery.
(note: all historical and member-related information about the band discussed in this review was gathered from http://skatepunkers.wikia.com/wiki/Sunsgrind and is not in any way confirmed, however it is all I could gather from the limited amount of English information on the now defunct Japanese band. I hope you enjoy the review.)
Sunsgrind was a melodic punk band from Japan that existed from 2001-2007, and then again for a brief 2010 reunion. Their music was relatively complex compared to most of the genre, very clean sounding, and almost always played at a blazing fast pace.
They were masters at what they did.
Their 2005 album, "Far From A Precipice" was the only full length they recorded with original vocalist, Ryo Kazama.However, the album’s quality emanates from multiple sources. It is a commendable combination of musical force - the guitars, drums, bass, and vocals all combine to form a whirlwind of punk intensity, soaring through the airwaves for 9 songs straight.
The record kicks off with lead single, "A Ray of Light'. After a short guitar intro, you're introduced to everything all at once - a harbinger for things to come. Kazama's high-pitched and powerful scream, Jun, Osamu, and Yasuke's wonderfully sporadic guitars, and Naoya's energizing drums all hit you before you even realize it. As the album progresses, it's easy to see that Sunsgrind is a band that likely had little trouble standing out in the eyes of fans during their prime. Kazama's clean vocals strike a unique tone, somehow filling the emotional gap left by the broken English lyrics with ease. Whether it’s during the quick verses of “Unchanged Longing” or the soaring chorus of “Be Sad”, fans of the straight tone vocalists that have filled the role of the frontman in melodic punk bands since the 90s will likely be moved by his vocals. His passion for this band transcends every song, and after listening to the proclamation made in "Second Meaning" (where the lyrics are just grammatically correct enough to get across the idea that 'Sunsgrind is a band about the music'), it is easy to view his voice as simply another instrument as it blends with the band behind him - and what an amazing instrument it is.
It is crucial then, that the rest of the band is just as good – and thankfully, they certainly are.
To begin, the rhythm section is exceptional. Naoka uses his drums to innovate within the genre, using unique fills and cymbal patterns to dance around traditional punk patterns in order to implement them only where they fit perfectly. By doing so, he avoids the stagnation punk drumming has been stuck in for years and hopefully inspired a few drummers to get creative and experiment even at extremely high speeds. Meanwhile, Osamu provides a solid and consistent performance, effectively underlining every guitar riff and accentuating the band’s sound in a respectable and commendable way.
And then we get the guitars themselves…Man, the guitars! Parts shift from one catchy riff to another, and then to powerful chords, to two-hand tapping, then land on another riff that is unbelievably and vividly different from the one that started off this pattern in whatever particular song the listener is currently on. This cycle of virtuosity leads me to believe that Jun and Yasuke had access to some sort of divine source full of guitar ideas – rest assured, the guitars on this record stay fresh, novel, and inspiring throughout its entirety and may very well be the highlight of the entire band.
Lastly, a big part of what makes this album so special is how it begs to be replayed. By the time the final note of album closer, “My Last Implantation” flies by, a listener will probably know if they like Sunsgrind or not. If so, they have the option to happily answer that aforementioned call the album gives out to be replayed. Because so many different parts are scorching by so quickly, it can be difficult to remember each song after the first listen or two. But, after giving it a few more spins the listener can find the intricacies of each track and really understand their composition. Like the intro to “A Ray of Light”? Why not focus in on how the song progresses afterwards, and discover the amazing build that makes up the track’s second half. In other words, there is enough depth to the musicianship here to satiate each bit of curiosity created during the initial listens – the sign of quality in any music that can be considered technical in my opinion.
In the end, I guess I wrote this review because no one else would. To me, Sunsgrind is a bygone band of a bygone era that existed across the world. But they are also a rare example of creativity being mixed beautifully with speed and also of fantastic musicianship.
And so, I thought it would be worth giving them some recognition. I encourage fans of punk to forget about the grammatical errors, kick back, and enjoy the genre done right.
