NAI-HA

Once again, the Japanese noise metal act Zeni Geva develops their sound into something closer to what I would ideally like them to be. Thus far in my experience with them, I have seen them develop from an unforgivably sloppy thrash act to a band that is taking their unique sound and dabbling with some interesting new things. 'Nai-Ha' is the band's fourth album, and its arguably the biggest change they have made in their sound since starting out. The earliest of this band could be compared to the punkish antics of Swans, but now, it is clear that Zeni Geva is really coming onto its own as an artistic element. True enough, this band had a pretty interesting sound going for them with their previous three albums, and on the third, it sounded like they were finally getting some use out of their originality even. 'Nai-Ha' is not necessarily much more enjoyable than 'Total Castration' was, but it shows them taking a much more ambitious approach to their music, including a much greater focus on their noise aspects.

On the version of the album that I am reviewing, the first two tracks, and last two tracks are combined into two longer pieces. Zeni Geva has had a history with longer tracks, but these would always result in monotonous repetitions of one or two riffs, ultimately leading me to frustration and boredom. Instead, here the songs here use longer periods to dabble in noise, instead of keeping their music focused on the riffs. Most of the sound here is created through the use of a guitar, be it the sludgy riffs, or the thundering feedback that composes much of the noise heard on 'Nai-Ha'. One of the things here that really surprised me however was the addition of something I never predicted Zeni Geva to have in their music; harmonious 'mellow' sections. Clean electric guitars picking arrangements that could even be considered 'pretty' was certainly not something I was expecting to hear from a band who I generally associate with an ugly sound,

I cannot say that the noise of this band is something that I really enjoy, although for the sake of appreciating textures in music, it can give a fleeting engagement. The compositions here are arguably the most complex that the band had done to date, although some of the fun on 'Total Castration' seems to have been lost in their translation to a more serious act.

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