Girugamesh: MONSTER – New Album Out Now!

It took its sweet time coming, but Girugamesh‘s sixth album has now been released in the UK and Europe courtesy of Gan Shin Records. It follows in the questionable footsteps of the band’s 2011 effort GO. Sure, single COLOR had its moments, but for the most part the whole album went the way of INOCHI NO KI and stripped the power and aggression that powered some of Girugamesh’s greats over the years. If you were looking for something to rival Break Down, Owari to Mirai and our personal favourite volcano, you’d probably GO [ahem] right off this album… thankfully, MONSTER redeems all the wrongs of recent years and brings the electro-metal quartet right back to their former glory.

The album starts in standard Girugamesh style (like most of Danger Crew’s releases for that matter) with an upbeat electronic track that leads directly the first proper song. The transition is perfect and Drain sets the pace for the rest of the record, as well as Girugamesh’s progression. It’s clear they’ve been listening to a bit of Skrillex recently, but that’s no bad thing. MONSTER’s electronic elements are their most mature, proper sounding efforts to date. If you felt some of their previous efforts fell flat, MONSTER’s electronic parts have found that much needed oomph. Similarly, production this time round is perhaps at the band’s most solid. The double kick pedal gives the kind of thick, deep thud that very few Japanese bands seems to achieve, while the lower end riffs on guitar and bass feel powerful yet clean. In a nutshell; this is the Girugamesh album we’ve all been waiting for for years. Let’s hope it persuades them to return to the UK for another live show soon.
Our top 3 tracks: takt, Live is Life, Drain.

MONSTER Tracklist:
1. Intro
2. Drain (Music Video)
3. VOLTAGE
4. INCOMPLETE (Music Video)
5. Zantetsuken -MONSTER ver.- (Music Video)
6. antlion pit (Live Video)
7. Resolution
8. BAD END DREAM
9. Live is Life
10. Zecchou BANG!! -MONSTER ver.- (Music Video)
11. Another way
12. ALONE
13. Limit Break (European Bonus Track)
14. takt (European Bonus Track)

Buy from Amazon: European Special Edition, Digital Edition, Japanese Limited Edition.

Summary: MONSTER is a great album. If we had to compare it to anything, we’d say it falls somewhere between the GazettE and Crossfaith, while sounding nothing like either. Essentially it’s party metal with substance. 7/10