Arlequin (アルルカン) are serving us a quite delightful spring portion of visual kei with their single exist which hit the shelves on the 21st of March. The title track under the same name is a bold combination of everything we might call visual kei now, in this day and year. It starts off with some electronic elements and we kinda mentally prepare for a song that is not-so-metal. Quickly, we are proven wrong by a heavy guitar riff that makes me quite happy. The vocals are on point and with great joy, I can say that the trend of too much falsetto among visual kei singers might be dying out. Right when I thought the song might be getting predictable, we stumble upon some heavy vocals which are a bit out of place. We never hear them again, they are just kinda... there. That might be the only minus of the song. |
The title song is accompanied by a PV (which you can find at the bottom of the review). It does not have a huge budget or a super elaborate plot. Shots of the musicians, dominantly dark atmosphere in tune with the sound of the song, as well as tasteful splatters of blood (teased by the new images of the group too). Overall, compliments the song and the mood well but isn't anything that can keep me glued to the monitor.
The single comes in several versions with small differences but overall you could find these titles on the backs of the CDs:
1.exist
2.Antidote.
3.NEGA ABILITY
4.exist -instrumental-
Take a quick look at the visuals they pull for the new single. I may be delusional but I find that Arlequin has settled down a bit - both musically and visually. We see a more mature and polished group. Of course, the very iconic symbols of the genre can be found - the haircuts, the almost industrial style but everything without excess. Black and red are dominant, to match the main color nuances of the music video.
The single comes in several versions with small differences but overall you could find these titles on the backs of the CDs:
1.exist
2.Antidote.
3.NEGA ABILITY
4.exist -instrumental-
Take a quick look at the visuals they pull for the new single. I may be delusional but I find that Arlequin has settled down a bit - both musically and visually. We see a more mature and polished group. Of course, the very iconic symbols of the genre can be found - the haircuts, the almost industrial style but everything without excess. Black and red are dominant, to match the main color nuances of the music video.
Arlequin are on the visual kei stage since 2013 and they have behind them 2 full-lenght albums and 13 singles. More about the boys from Arlequin you can find down in the following links:
Official website of the group
Youtube channel of GOEMON Records
Official Twitter
Българският вариант на статията - тук.
Official website of the group
Youtube channel of GOEMON Records
Official Twitter
Българският вариант на статията - тук.
Author: Lilia Bozhinova