lynch. released their latest album to date on the 14th of September, ‘AVANTGARDE’, becoming their first release after a year. As their singer, Hazuki, commented in an interview, the keywords they used for this album were “punk” and “hardcore”. The title is a word created by a French soldier who fought in the front line. Therefore, this is what the band wants to be with this album right now.
Track list:
1. AVANT GARDE
2. EVIDENCE
3. PLEDGE
4. F.A.K.E.
5. DAMNED
6. UNELMA
7. PHANTOM
8. KILLING CULT
9. PRAYER
10. NEEDLEZ
11. THE OUTRAGE SEXUALITY
12. FAREWELL
After the introduction (named after the album) comes ‘EVIDENCE’. This is a song that they set aside for about a year, but later they decided to place it after this album’s intro. The result of that is a very catchy and metalcore tune.
‘PLEDGE’ has a very catchy sound. Perfect to listen to on any occasion with the potential to attract new fans. The instruments added in the background help a lot to complete the melody. Highly recommended.
‘F.A.K.E.’ This is the song that first introduces us to the album since it was previously released as a PV. The most impressive part of the song is in the middle with Akinori’s bass line perfectly followed by Hazuki’s death voice.
The core and heart of this album is the track 5, ‘DAMNED’, which was the first one they composed. The band was aiming for something powerful for their fans but at the same time without complicated riffs or solos, they aimed for a sound similar to Slipknot’s first album.
‘UNELMA’ sounds very different from their previous releases, making it one of the most interesting tracks for old fans of the band. I would definitely recommend it to old-school visual-kei listeners.
The release continues with a very eerie ballad, ‘PHANTOM’. The lyrics aren’t hard to remember and very intense: ‘If love, if memories disappears, what would be left of me?’ can easily reach anyone’s deepest feelings. The guitar solos are impressive and you don’t even need to listen to rock to appreciate how beautiful this is.
‘KILLING CULT’ brings you back to their darkest songs full of screams and hard-rock and distorted guitars. Made for the live performance and for fans to sing along to with all their passion, which will encourage the audience to headbang like crazy.
The thrash increases with ‘PRAYER’ and ‘NEEDLEZ’ —which are sadly very similar and excessive in the album. And, in my opinion, they would fit much better in a single or as a b-track.
Another typical in their musical repertory. ‘THE OUTRAGE SEXUALITY’ reminds me a lot to ‘EVIDENCE’ so it feels like I’m coming back to the beginning of the album. Anyhow, I don’t know if this was the band’s intention or not but it is still a good song, with the perfect (and short) length that won’t get you bored, also you can fully enjoy Hazuki’s register which is noteworthy.
The last moment for relaxing is ‘FAREWELL’. The atmosphere is different to the rest of the album and
you can feel like it adds a lot of color to the whole piece.
In general, ‘AVANTGARDE’ maintains the band’s music style, which can result in: 1) a deception for the listeners who wanted to hear something really fresh and different. Or 2), this album becoming one of their favorite’s albums since they keep a solid background and they stand their own ground.
Rating: 84/100
