Search - Balzac :: Beyond the Darkness

Jap Horror punk.... How ammusing!

Bando | 10/11/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, in a nutshell, this band is basicly what would happen if the misfits came from Japan instead of here. These guys sound, look, and basicly are the japanese version of the misfits. While they do have a slight twinge in difference. (basicly they are more poppy) That is all balzac is. Now, that might sound like a bad thing, but I assure you it's not. As you might know already, this is balzac's first U.S. Album and it's a darn good one. Every song is quality horror punk material, not to mention the few live cuts at the end. From the dark and gloomy intro to catchy Silence of the century, all these songs have personality. A trait that many punk albums lack these days. Honestly, there aren't any throwaway songs here. Every one is original and fast hit you in the head tempo.



That's not to say that there aren't some flaws, even though they're minor ones. I'd have to say my biggest complaint is the vocals. Given, this guy has a great voice, and the chorus "whoah whoahs" are done very well. It's just that I can't inderstand a word he's saying!!! Clearly these guys need to go back to english school before they release another album, or at least give us some lyrics. I could also talk about how the CD gets just a bit repetitive around track 13, but it's not that big of a deal.



Oh, and of course the DVD! Well, what can I say? Four well done videos...and a decent "making of" short. That plus the CD is a good deal for the 8 bucks I laid down for it.



All in all, I'm very glad I bought this. It's a nice addition to my and any punk lover's collection. Heck, 20 above average misfits-esque songs and a DVD! I'd pay double what I paid for it."