KOENJI HYAKKEI

ALMOST 4 stars

As with its debut KOENJI HYAKKEI continues the tribute to Magma's classic zeuhl style with the same bubbly martial rhythmic drive and stentorian choral effects only with all aspects turned up to metal mode with rampaging guitar riffing and frenetic drumming run amok similar to Yoshida's Ruins project as well as a thumping bass groove that firmly places the band in familiar territory. While the debut was brutal prog for the album's entirety, VIVA KOENJI! is a much more diverse affair with stronger composiitons shined into brutal prog perfection. The new lineup and an attention to stronger compositions allowed the band to focus on a more varied palette of tricks and trinkets that take the band's sound to the next level and beyond.

The album's run of just over 58 minutes is as frantic as ever but more controlled in how such tirades of energetic excess are divvied out. Along with a more cleverly means of distribution, the melodies are stronger, the musicianship is tighter and the level of virtuosity has been increased. While the debut was more like a trial run, VIVA KOENJI! sounds more epic in its range with more creatives uses of extreme time signatures, dynamics and tempo changes. While the harsh operatic male and female vocals are both still present, there is a lot more effort to varying vocal styles and trade offs as well as a much more crafty use of guitar riffing and intricate licks. Some sizzling metal solos even find their way into the mix although the main riffing is still very much rooted in the punkish noise rock of early Boredoms and other Japanese hardcore.

To call this music adventurous would be a serious understatement as KOENJI HYAKKEI this time around offers as many clever uses of silence, staccato keyboard stabs and minimalistic effects as it does with the barrage of aggressive outbursts that still dominate the band's overall sound. The music often borders on pure psychosis with tracks like "Sllina Vezom" sounding something like the theme music for the film "Psycho" only taken into the extremities of avant-garde metal and avant-prog punk! The keyboards and drumming also have been seriously upgraded on this second album and to top it off the tracks are all quite distinct from one another making this a mesmerizing if not exhausting near hour run's endeavor. The performances are top notch as the youthful irreverence and punkish delivery system is topped off with some of the most professional sophistication that the world of progressive rock can deliver thus propelling KOENJI HYAKKEI as one of the most acclaimed modern zeuhl bands in existence.

This album is simply as electrifying as it is elegant in all its excess. The perfect balance between the beautifully sublime and the grimy offensive all haunt your soul with this wild ride through the most extreme brutal sounds the world of progressive rock has to offer. By this time Yoshida had launched a million side projects but given the high praise that the world was heaping on KOENJI HYAKKEI for its innovative upgrade of the classic French zeuhl sounds into a brave new world of brutality and dissonance, this band seemed to become Yoshida's main baby and all the attention showered on every detail paid off significantly. One of the best zeuhl albums to emerge from the fertile renaissance that was occurring in Japan in the 1990s and truly one of the most innovative zeuhl albums of the modern age period. For the extremists only! This is truly proggy ping pong headache music that will eat you up and spit you out if you're not acclimated to the intensity :)

With a propensity of fortifying the classic Magma inspired sounds with the most brutal progressive rock accompaniments imaginable, HUNDRED SIGHTS OF KOENJI is a chaotic and wild ride through both the familiar stentorian vocal performances that all four members contribute to however it's the female charm of keyboardist Aki that gives the proper French connections. While the bubbling rhythms are clearly out of the classic zeuhl playbook as are the repetitive cyclical grooves, KOENJI HYAKKEI delivered a sliced of Japanese zeuhl that bombastically assaulted the senses with the energetic drive of a death metal band. A much more streamlined instrumental approach than many French zeuhl acts, KOENJI HYAKKEI featured only one guitar, one bass, one keyboard and the wild man drumming wizardry of Yoshida himself.

With song titles seemingly derived from the Kobaian lexicon, likewise it's unclear what the indecipherable lyrics rattling off a light speed mean or even what language they are. The guitar heft is as powerful as any alternative metal of the 90s but delivered more like an anarcho-punk band fully adrenalized which a freakishly stark contrast to the operatic vocal effects whizzing by simultaneously! Add to that touches of psychedelic organ runs as well as the occasional nod to Western classical artists such as J.S. Bach on the track "Zoltan." On top of delivering the zeuhl goods to the Japanese audiences, Yoshida is also considered the pioneer of what is now known as brutal prog, a style of prog that is incessantly over-the-top with super complex time signatures delivered at the fastest speeds possible and add to that the most abrasive distortion and contrasts that the human mind can muster up! Clearly a major departure from the sensual approach of the French scene.

To call this quirky and manic would be a major understatement! This is a relentless wild ride through crazy roller coaster speed cruises through zeuhl laced King Crimsonian prog attacks like there's no tomorrow, you know the kind of music that will awaken Godzilla from his peaceful slumber and cause him to ravage Tokyo! While it's hard to quantify music like this as it's so wickedly wild that the extremes are what makes this unique, it is fair to say that despite being a fascinating journey into the depths of frenetic Japanese noise rock tamed only by the scaffolding of the zeuhl structure, the compositions aren't quite as sophisticated as they would become on the band's second album "弐 (Ni)" which took the stylistic approach laid down on this debut and refined to include more dynamic song structures. This is truly the kind of prog that only the most hardened extremists will seek and out and enjoy of which i am one. While not as perfectly constructed as future releases, this debut is nevertheless a compelling head banging journey outside the world of extreme metal and one you will either love or utterly loathe.

Dhorimviskha is the fifth album by the Japanese band Zeuhl, Koenjihyakkei one of several projects made by drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, Koenjihyakkei had a long hiatus of 13 years from 2005 after releasing Angherr Shisspa until 2018, Koenjihyakkei has a discography that I was always curious to hear , is probably Tatsuya's most popular band, and Zeuhl has always been a genre that fascinated me due to its mix of classical music with progressive rock created by Magma, so I finally went to listen to this album to try this band and man, its fantastic!

This is a Zeuhl album of the highest level, the melodies use a lot of dissonance to convey a very strange sensation, polyrhythm for all the songs and impressive techniques, despite Zeuhl being in a way, inaccessible, and just because of the names of the songs like ''Djebelaki Zomn'' and ''Flessttighas'' already convey the feeling that it's going to be an extremely complex and difficult... complex album? yes, and then there comes a point, Dhorimviskha ends up being, in my opinion, a great entry point for those who have never heard Zeuhl, but in no way does it lose its complexity, the adorable exaggeration that this album has, when I listening to it, I was smiling, because the songs are very fun and everything is very humorous, but even so, the musicians always attack with virtuosity, technique and emotion, a great balance in that sense which in my opinion elevates this album even more , I simply love Tatsuya drums and as is metallic and fast, but he is not the only one who stands out, everyone is very capable, Koganemaru Kei solos are very unique and visceral, Sakamoto Kengo bass is very good, and in general, no musician ends being less prominent, the vocals are an interesting part, the album has no lyrics! They are just random sounds that serve to give melody to the song, very characteristic of Zeuhl, and the vocals are really beautiful, captivating and substantial.

Dhorimviskha is a party of virtuous Japanese musicians who constantly exude creativity, fun and exaggeration, each song has something to offer, with a Zeuhl wonderful touches, chaotic but well controlled melodies, varied but consistent composition, beautiful vocals, and a perfect balance between complexity and fun and the 7 songs as a whole are all essential, with Dhorimviskha, Koenjihyakkei created one of the best albums of 2018 and Honestly, despite not having listened to their discography to compare, it's difficult for them to surpass this one Album anyway, listen , both for those who like Zeuhl and for those who have never heard or like Strange music, Dhorimviskha is super worth it and is easily one of the best albums I've heard this year.

10/10

What's always been most refreshing about Koenji Hyakkei is just how much more diverse they are (from their peers and from those who came before), combining what one would expect from a MAGMA release but with more classic Rock tropes (and classic Progressive Rock tropes---see "Levhorn", for instance, which could easily have been writ in part by Rod ARGENT), more Fusion elements than most (again, the keys, but also the bass like on "Djebelaki Zomin") as well as the freedoms that come with a larger ensemble: drums, bass, keyboards, reeds, guitars, with most all players present additionally providing those aforementioned, and excellently executed, group vocalizations.

Progressive Rock of the highest order, especially in this day and age. It does not disappoint. Tasty compositions, polyrhythmic mastery and exciting, virtuosic drama with the interplay between instrument and the musicians themselves.

1. "Vleztemtraiv" (10:18) though still aggressive and technically amazing, this song gives one the feel that the band is trying to move back closer to the Magma model of Zeuhl (except for the seventh minute, that is). I love Yoshida's use of the snare (a second snare?) with its snare wire disengaged. It's like he's playing the part of filling holes in the music. Incredibly tight vocal scatting to follow/mirror the blistering sax play. Amazing (and different) Hammond organ play in the final two minutes. Impressive song! True Zeuhl. A top three song for me. (19/20)

2. "Levhorm" (9:12) going deep into the South for some Muscle Shoals Bayou Blues. Now this is different. Singer (Koganemaru Kei?) even sounds like she's trained and singing in African-American English. And then she scats at Mahavishnu speed in tandem with the clarinet! Impressive though not my favorite. (18/20)

3. "Zjindhaiq" (7:32) opens in militaristic march form, slowly speeding up till the end of the first minute when it restarts, settling into a fairly sedate (for Koenji Hyakkei) and straightforward pattern and cadence. Then the third minute throws us a polyrhythmic curve before settling back into the more linear groove. Interesting space synth and male soprano vocal thrown into the fourth minute--it's almost pretty! Sax and tenor male take over at the end of the fourth with piano and drums providing a steady accompaniment. The fifth minute remains harmonically pleasing despite some complex craziness added by the guitar and Terry Jones female voices. A little more Ork-like aggressive at the end of the sixth minute before returning to a more straightforward female opera singer-led finale- -a finale of disintegration. I actually really like this one--for both its humor, beauty, and "contained anarchy"! My second top three song. (What a show!) (14/15)

4. "Phlessttighas" (6:22) more syncopated, stoccato in form, there is a very familiar American jazz feel to this one, despite it's lurching jerkinesss. Like 1970s Chick Corea. There are even some repetitive motifs that could turn into "sing-a-long" ear worms! Doesn't quite climb to the heights or craziness of the previous songs, but still great. (8.75/10)

5. "Djebelaki Zomn" (9:49) full band weave with choral vocals and lead female vocals more buried in the mix than on previous songs, panning guitars and pounding piano chords with more straightforward rock-style drumming and lead clarinet and synths tell me this one is going to impress. A little harder to engage with--there is so much going on!--I am trying to pay attention to so many individual and machine gun delivered elements! In the fifth minute we shift gears into Autobahn speeds while Yoshido's hollow snare bangs away beneath searing rock electric guitar solo. After a little bridge, we are delivered into a classic jazz piano solo--complete with jazz bass walks and stylish jazz drum play! Then, in the seventh minute, we turn a corner onto a side street in order to regale at the large window dressings of the shops there. Everything seems to slow down into slow motion here though soprano sax and female vocalese continue scat-soloing above. Electric guitar and sax join up to blister away a solo section as the car turns back onto the highway to play chicken with the cars driving the wrong way (or are we?) until the lights go out. (We must be dead.) Cool song. (18.5/20)

6. "Palbeth Tissilaq" (6:09) with harpsichord-sounding guitar built into a slow, French-sounding weave, we are treated to Ah's controlled and beautiful operatic singing. Piano jazz solo follows as rolling bass, percussion hits, and strummed acoustic "harpsichord" guitar accompany. This is pretty jazz lulling us into hypnotic ease, until we are suddenly jarred to awakeness in the fourth minute by a full-on rock assault--Hammond organ in the lead. I loved the "soft" lulling parts but feel that the rock assault in the final two minutes does nothing special--sounds too much like KH just trying to be abrasive (for no reason). (8.75/10)

7. "Dhorimviskha" (11:47) For the first time I feel that female vocalese and sax are not on the same page. Piano- guitar chord play at foundation are a bit rudimentary for KH standards--as is the crazy-but nothing-special guitar solo in the third minute. The new motif established at the end of the third minute works well--has a very Russian- Magma feel to it--even if it is more simplistic rock than some of the earlier songs. These radio-friendly themes continue to the mark to the six minute mark. Then drummer and pianist take a turn into time signature oddity before letting the music strip down and "fall apart" (unravel) into kind of free jazz. Yoshida really gets to show off in this section. Don Pullen-like piano play in the eighth and ninth minutes is reacting to the odd time sigs and syncopation hits as the singers vocalize their parts with extreme melodrama as if acting in some ancient Greek tragedy. Music gradually and insidiously slows down as if the thespians are enacting a nightfall scene--but then they rally for one last burst for the final 15 seconds. I love it! My final top three song. (22.25/25)

Total Time 61:09

It becomes obvious to me that I favor the longer, more complex and diverse songs of this album. They also seem much more theatric, which, apparently, I like. There's a Monty Python-like humor and intelligence in this music that I really connect with and admire.

A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of jazz-rock-infused high energy Zeuhl.

1. "Nivraym" (5:40) I'm sorry, but as virtuosic as these instrumentalists/vocalists may be, I cannot hear this song without thinking that their whole Zeuhl shtick is mostly tongue-in-cheek. Crazy but how can you not appreciate the skills and confidence involved in creating and performing this music? (9.5/10)

2. "Becttem Pollt" (5:21) powerful and dramatic if a little too uniform and one-dimensional. (8.75/10)

3. "Lussesoggi Zomn" (10:26) I think they hired NINA HAGEN for this one! Simple sparse notes from piano and bass with Nami going crazy. The band coalesces into a fast-driving heavy rock ensemble for the second and third minutes as Japanese versions of Kobaia take on a variety of crazed and crazy forms. Definitely Zeuhlish. I wonder what Christian Vander thinks. Guitar solo is more rock-like than Zeuhl, but it is short-lived as band slips into several different Zeuhl motifs before we have a chance to integrate what we've just heard. Incredible confidence to practice, perfect, and record this piece of complex music. (Though it is not perfect: there are performance flaws. But, what do you expect for a band's first effort with this lineup--three new members?) Several sections are over-extended a bit, but, otherwise, this is mind-boggling stuff. Nami Sagara is a force! (17.75/20)

4. "Vissqaguell" (5:31) several tracks are very heavy on the distortion (I think intentionally), and the pace of this one is amazing. It makes Christian V. & Co. really seem slow and old! There are so many incredible exploits here: vocally, keyboards, drums and bass, guitars. How does one write such material? (8.75/10)

5. "Mederro Passquirr" (6:23) a little more grounded in Western styles (drumming, synth sound choices, electric guitar work, straightforward bass), this one still shocks and surprises. What a keyboard player! At 1:20 things settle into an almost Broadway choral piece--with simple piano chords providing the main direction for the elaborate choral performances. This is more MAGMA-like familiar Zeuhl. I like it but it's not as exciting or innovative as the previous songs. Highly intricate vocal demands from the fifth minute on--almost Leonard Bernstein-like. (8.75/10)

6. "Axall Hasck" (6:34) synths and Mellotron leading this one as more straightforward (though wickedly fast) bass, guitar, drums, voice, and sax try to keep up. It's like a race to catch the keyboard rabbit. Only the off-trail sax has a chance, veering in and out of the weave, until the half way point when everybody downshifts from overdrive to 5th gear--and then at 3:30 when there is another downshift into a kind of Latin rhythm while Nami solos. The keyboards' solos that follow are more human--though the bass, sax, and drums now begin to go off on their own crazed frenetic path--which only incites the synth to take the lead back across the finish line. (8.75/10)

7. "Maschtervoz" (4:10) are they tiring? Slower and more spacious--only the sax is in the usual zone of amphetamine. Nami and Jin and Kenichi are fairly subdued compared to their previous selves. It sure does showcase Keiko's sax, though. (8.25/10)

8. "Gassttrumm (9:24) again, the reins are on as the band proceeds in a much more controlled, humanly pace--though still incredibly intricately constructed and performed. At the two minute mark there is a slight shift for searing synth solo before a shift into space Zeuhl with some wild drumming beneath the synth and vocal melody line. It's like a conversation between the synth and the drummer with the rest of the band providing support and context. Very cool! Now at the end of the fourth minute the bass gets a turn to let loose with the drummer. Another synth turn, bass and drums, synth, etc. all the while the vocalists At 5:20 there is a sudden right turn into macho Western man territory while bass, guitar riff, and drums support the soloing synthesizer player--this time with a much more familiar prog-like solo ripping up the soundwaves. Man this guy can play! With 90 seconds to play we shift back into a more breakneck straight ahead speed before another oddly computer-like epithet and then an unexpectedly cohesive finish. Amazing song. (18.5/20)

9. "Vallczeremdoss" (4:49) more controlled whole band weave opens this one--until the second minute when the choral vocals enter--then things go time wonky--nothing staying the same for more than a measure or two. How do they do it? How does a whole band stay on course with this kind of intricacy? And then what follows--the voices trying to keep up with the instruments--is simply unbelievable! (9.75/10)

Total Time: 58:18

B+/4.5 stars; an absolutely astonishing display of compositional brilliance with nearly as astonishing performances. In fact, that would be my only criticism of the music on this album: sometimes it just seems too much of a stretch for any human to perform to perfection! Still, an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection. Just be prepared: you're heart- and breathing rates will be elevated for quite a while during and after listening to this album!

They use multi-rhythmic phrases in a repetitive manner, based upon critical drumming, seasoned fantastically with Ah's high-tone voices, Keiko's funkadelic wind instrument plays, Kengo's deep, deeper bass tones, Kei's speedy guitar storm, and Taku's sincere jazzy keyboard shower. Their serious, positive, delightful play is crazy great indeed, even in a incredibly sound bizarre, and the frontman Tatsuya YOSHIDA should be crazy nasty at the drumming or percussion without doubt ... yes without any doubt. Wondering how they launch a novelty different from previous material, and for me sounds more of technique or strength, and less of creativity nor potentiality.

Of course, their performance upon stage drives you mad. I'm looking forward to their gig along with this magnificent album ... yikes.