Japanese Progressive Rock presented by DamoX

Hi, every jazz rock / Japanese progressive rock freak!

One of Japanese jazz rock prides NEXT ORDER's 7th live album "Chronosystem", compiled with material via a 6-day gig at Kobe Big Apple in 2013, will be out upon November 22, 2014!


Chronosystem (2014) - NEXT ORDER

The album has got available only on their Japan tour from October, 2014.

Authentic, there are pros and cons around them though. This "Chronosystem" is released as Next Order’s 7th "live" album (as everyone knows, they’ve recorded and released only live albums because the atmosphere between the audience and the players on stage is pretty important for them) via their stages "for six successive days" at Kobe Big Apple. Sounds like their stages would be quite enthusiastic for the audience, even with their mental / physical tiredness beyond expression. And we fans have got very proud of their "enthusiasm" coming out soon. I’ve checked a "rough mix" through the courtesy of the frontman Yuji (guitars) and felt their gemmy, prospective texture enough. ... And the time has come. Finally the official "glass-pressed CD album" has been released. Anyway, on the current progressive rock scene where lots of artists tend to play "self-assertive / self-satisfactory" music that cannot be thought as enjoyable ones for the audience, Next Order is one of artists who can let us enjoy their music gems, let me say. Very surprising their "rhythmic axis" never get blurred ... due to their splendid rhythm section - Hiroshi (drums, percussion) and Atsutomo (bass) - I imagine. The first track "Geppetto", a mixture of loudness and calmness along with their rockin’ soul, is suitable for the opening number in this album. The soul of jazzy quietness amongst some explosive heavy parts reminds us of cool cool water. On the contrary, the next ones "Desert Yellow" and "Silver Tortoise" show something like experimental simulated experiences to us. Via their orthodox formation, how can they launch such a paradoxical sound like them? Interesting indeed. Oh one of their live masterpieces "Killer Hornet", that I’ve reviewed as a deathcore like Napalm Death or Kyuss previously, is very cool as well. Much shorter than another (only 4-minute) but I guess this song would have very intensive power for their stage always. "SIMM55" looks like another standard of theirs (already released in their 4th album), where two brilliant guitarists Yuji and Takumi exert magnificent battles on each other, with smooth but impressive guitar trails. "Dragon" ... like a dancing King. What I want to say is that this complex but funky, pleasant track reminds me of a cute Dragon - a cure bassist (sorry) dancing to the music. The atmosphere of this song is not typical for the title Dragon but lol. The last "Beside" can be heard as a dramatic suite along with their 10-year lively existence. Ups and downs, rises and falls there were, but they’ve always played good music with their strong intention for the audience. Good call. Would like to say it’s quite difficult for us to continue producing sounds as we like. Suggest we would get immersed in their professional (but heartwarming) plays although everyone says they are professional. Ahem, forgive my personal humble opinion.

Please visit their Facebook Page if you want to know more info.


Thank you for reading this blog.

Now I have Stromatolite by Outer Limits. I have only listened to it twice through but it sounds really good. I will review it a little later after I have digested the music more. Thanks for this post. It led me to discover the music of another great band!

Me too. What does it mean ? I'm not sure to understand. 

Yeah thanks Alex and Pierre, now I'm too pressed with my real work to work enough for PA as an Admin ... now taking days-off (maybe) for a while.

DamoXt7942 wrote: Yeah thanks Alex and Pierre, now I'm too pressed with my real work to work enough for PA as an Admin ... now taking days-off (maybe) for a while.

You certainly are deserving of a break from the occasional insanity here. Relax with some jams and choice drink when you get the opportunity

Hi, PA mates!

Forgive my loooong hibernation but I'm alive (and a tad pressed with my real work ... today I've attended lectures for industrial physicians in Tokyo and now staying at a hotel, with a glass of beer!) and come back!


A phantastyk present's come to me!

A week before I've enjoyed a regular concert by a local symphonic orchestra and found a fantastic flutist (and actually my FB mate) Noriko MIYAO. She's recommended her "Irish trad folk" project named Leap Rick for me ... finally I've grabbed their debut album, and completed my review yeah!


LEAP RICK ... (from left to right) Noriko MIYAO (Irish flute), Yumi KIRIYAMA (fiddle), and Natsue MORIMOTO (percussion)

Sorry for my mediocre expression but faithfully pastoral atmosphere they launch.


Croí An Cheoil (2014) - LEAP RICK

The project LEAP RICK was formed as a Japanese "Irish trad folk" trio in 2012. With a strong intention to come up with "faithful Irish flavour and texture", they've launched the debut album "Croí An Cheoil" in late 2014 through lots of gigs around Okayama, Japan.



Not familiar with Irish trad folk but happily Leapers would have let me grasp the point of soundscape, I suggest. It's kinda tough call for artists to show ethnicity (whether they live there or not). Guess they've visited Ireland and felt the air, temperature, flavour, or human nature, and now shoot them precisely via their terrific musical technique. And playing with much pleasure is important too. Can feel their smile and hearty warmness via this creation, let me say. Yumi's fiddle sounds of delicate sensitivities but simultaneously of swift, sharp-edged activities. Natsue's tribal percussion lets us feel strongly heartbeats through her rhythmic, fantastic knocking-the-heaven-door. And wow what a flexible Fantasia the timbre of an Irish flute is. Would you feel not only playing technique but also unification with her instrument as one of her music friends, around Noriko? And the three Japanese-Irish giants sometimes chase each other complexly, sometimes get merged with, and finally create a big fairytale.



All trad songs are filled with simple phrases, each of which be drenched in mysterious North Euro coolness and brief tribal madness, both of that loop the loop and kick us into trance. Yup just as if we would fly promptly for Ireland and enjoy the cool and green air, exactly because of this madness ... that cannot be realized in their composition ("Eternal" and "Cyclists Of Inishmore"). On the other hand, these two stuffs have another appearance. They've squeezed their straight longing for Ireland, Irish trad, and the heartwarming atmosphere, maybe without themselves. No suspicion they play their original Irish folk, though. In other words, pure pleasure, pure happiness get crystallized in these two. Can enjoy with relaxation, can't we?

Very glad this album can make you want to take a trip to Ireland, and let me say thanks to Noriko for suggesting such a phantastyk creation. Yay!


Thank to Leapers for your superb creation!


Thank you for reading this blog.

Welcome back DAMO !

Wow! I'll bet that was an enjoyable event! :)

And I've got another gemmy album at Rooster North Side ... LE SILO's third (and the newest) album "Kesamino" (in Japanese Drinking Alcoholic Beverage) ... for a long while we fans have waited for this one!

^ Wow, Pierre! Many thanks for your notification!