It's tough for me to gather the words needed to write this review. This album has a special place in my heart, and is bar none my favorite album out of all of the CDs I own. I suppose I should begin by giving a brief history of
X-Japan, as no doubt many of you have never even heard of this brilliant band.
Originally know simply as X (later renamed
X-Japan as to avoid confusion with the American punk band X), this Japanese group was formed by band leader Yoshiki. He wrote most of the band's music, played piano, and most importantly was the band's drummer. Most people who know of
X-Japan consider Yoshiki to be one of the best Metal drummers in history, and if you've seen him play live you will most likely hail him as
the best drummer in Metal. Yoshiki is insane - he puts every ounce of energy, and his whole body, into his drum playing and is truly a sight to behold (during some of his last concerts he had to wear a neck brace while playing to prevent him from breaking his neck; he came close a couple of times).
The vocalist, Toshi, has a very distinct, often mellifluous voice that takes each song to new heights. He has no problem hitting the high notes for the speedy Melodic Metal tracks, and gives the ballads a flowing, almost silken quality. I've honestly been brought to tears by some of
X-Japan's ballads (and hey - this is coming from a guy who listened to 3
Dimmu Borgir albums in a row last night :)). Guitarists Hide and Pata are extraordinarily talented individuals, and are complete opposites in every way. Pata is very reserved on stage, and through his playing, while Hide is a complete maniac. Hide (pronounced HEE-day) is one of the most colorful characters you will ever come across; from his brilliantly eccentric brand of songwriting to his brighter-than-the-sun outfits during concerts - he's the very definition of the word "original". Taiji, bassist, never blew me away like the other members did, but he was an integral part of the band nonetheless.
X-Japan began their career playing Melodic Thrash Metal that was mildly influenced by classical music (due to the classical piano training of Yoshiki).
Jealousy was the band's third album; moving almost completely away from their Thrash beginnings, they incorporated even more classical influences, including orchestral passages and a more prominent role of the piano on several tracks. Yoshiki was the chief songwriter for the first two albums (
Vanishing Vision and
Blue Blood), and while he did provide some absolutely brilliant tracks for
Jealousy, this album marked the first true collaboration between all 5 members. This album was as ecclectic as
X-Japan ever got, and the end result is an album that conveys every possible emotion one could experience. (Note:
X-Japan sings in both English and Japanese, so not everyone will understand all of the lyrics. This in no way detracts from the enjoyment of this band's music).
The first track is a short piano piece that begins with a light, melancholy melody. After a few moments the mood is broken like a fist through glass as Yoshiki begins to bang the keys fiercely and randomly for 3-4 seconds, followed by silence. It's a perfect musical interpretation of Yoshiki's inner thoughts at the time; introspective sadness, followed sharply by blinding rage, all expressed musically.
The second track,
Silent Jealousy, is simply my single favorite song, ever. This means that out of the 10,000 or so songs that I own on CD, not to mention the hundreds of others I've heard over the years, this one is my favorite. If I had to guess, I've heard it 250-300 times, and it honestly gets better with each listen. It begins with a piano playing the chorus melody to set the mood, then the twin guitar attack bursts forth and treats the listener to sheer Metal beauty. It's a fairly straightforward Melodic Speed Metal track as it begins, with a gorgeous chorus melody and exciting guitar playing. After the first VERSE-CHORUS-VERSE-CHORUS section, we get a break that is simply breathtaking. It slows down slightly and the piano comes to the forefront as the guitars back off a little. A lovely string section is added to the piano, and after a few moments of tranquility all of the instruments increase in volume and tempo and everything is swept up into the absolute best guitar soloing I've ever heard. I honestly get chills
every time I hear this section. The melodies are indescribably beautiful, and you can actually feel the heartache and insanity that Yoshiki is trying to convey through each and every note.
Miscast is a fun, speedy Metal track with the signature Hide rocking touch.
Desperate Angel is the first track to depart from the Metal style and gives us a solid Hard Rock song with a great riff.
White Wind From Mr. Martin is a short acoustic guitar instrumental from Pata that is a
perfect break from the previous rocking. The video for this track is nothing more than Pata laying on a couch with his guitar, drinking Jack Daniels straight out of the bottle; that is exactly what this song sounds like. :)
Voiceless Screaming is a wonderfully somber ballad with nothing more than acoustic guitars and strings to accompany the vocals. This song is exquisite - Toshi sounds as if he's on the verge of tears throughout this track. It's a very simple piece in comparison to the rest of the album, but it's a necessary departure from the Metal and Hard Rock tracks.
Voiceless Screaming tends to put me in sort of a trance while I listen to it; the world around me disappears and I get lost in its beauty.
Stab Me in the Back is a violent, roaring Speed Metal track that is by far the heaviest and least melodic piece of music on
Jealousy. It's also the only song on this album with a major Thrash influence that reminds me of their earlier work. Despite its heaviness and violent flavor, it's also undeniably fun. I can't help but smile when all 5 band members scream out, "STAB ME IN THE BACK!" during the chorus.
Love Replica is all Hide. This is an experimental, trippy instrumental that is completely different from the rest of the tracks, yet it fits perfectly somehow. This is the only way I can describe it: it's like a jester is playing a medieval sounding, happy melody on an electric guitar for his king, with a circus-y drumbeat and swirling, moody synths in the background, and everyone is on acid. :) Knowing Hide, that's most likely how he wanted it to sound too!
Joker comes next and is a fast paced 80's style Hard Rock tune that would not seem out of place on a
Poison or
Motley Crue album (except for the fact that much of the song is in Japanese). The lyrics of this track make it painfully obvious that English is
not X-Japan's native language (to this day I have no idea what a "laser tuxedo" is!)
The last song,
Say Anything, is the Yoshiki power ballad of
Jealousy. Yoshiki ballads all sound very similar to each other, and are beautiful beyond words.
Say Anything sets a foundation with an orchestra and piano, and the 2nd verse is where the drums and electric guitars come in. The chorus for this track has one of the best, most gorgeous melodies I've ever heard, and the guitar solos during the middle of the song are fabulous. Apart from
Silent Jealousy this is my other favorite song on the album.
I can't praise this album, and
X-Japan in general, enough. They've released 5 real albums, and all of them have their strengths. Sadly, Hide commited suicide 6 or 7 years ago, and
X-Japan is no more. Some of their CDs can be tough to find, but eBay is usually a good place to start if you want to buy
X-Japan stuff. CD Japan is another great (albeit expensive) online place to buy X CDs. But hey - half the fun in discovering new music is the hunt, right?
I would very,
very rarely award a score of 10/10 to an album, but in this case they deserve every last point. Anyone who enjoys Melodic Metal would have a blast with
Jealousy, and I really, I would recommend it to every music lover out there.
Written by
Matthew Monday, May 24, 2004
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