“Break” and “Peace” are two words that don’t go together well in my mind. But there they are, forming the title (and opening line of the oft-repeated chorus) of the song that serves as the ending theme for Production I.G’s new Sengoku Basara TV anime, based on the videogame series by Capcom.
Read our brief review of the single from Sony Music Entertainment Japan after the jump.
The band performing this single, DUSTZ, are of the same sort of “cool guy” J-Rock as Abingdon Boys School (who just so happened to write the opening theme for Sengoku Basara). The guitar parts are powerful, but they are not always center-stage. Sometimes distortion is applied, and sometimes it’s a clean sound. Sometimes it’s soft, sometimes it’s intentionally grainy (via post-production mixing), but sometimes it’s in-your-face wailing akin to fantasy power-rock bands (like, you know, Dragon Force).
The vocal performance on this single is great! There’s a lot of layered harmony here; not to the same extent as, say, JAM Project, but still pretty significant. And while the four minute track never wavers from a set-in-stone tempo, the dynamic variation tricks the untrained listener into thinking the song might “speed up” and “slow down.” All in all, it’s a great single.
Now, if you buy the actual CD single from Sony Music (catalog number ESCL-3204), you’ll also be treated with the B-side “Void.” It’s the slower of the two tracks, but not by much. This isn’t a crappy “ballad B-side,” my friends. The guitars are still rockin’, and the vocal performance is still strong. I don’t know much about this artist, DUSTZ, but after listening to this single, I think I might want to hear more.
So, what do you guys think? Is 2009’s Sengoku Basara TV anime worthy of any praise for its ending (or opening) singles, or are there better TV anime opening/ending singles from the past year that we’re totally missing? Let us know!
Tags: Anime, Basara, Capcom, DUSTZ, Funimation, Music Reviews, Reviews, Sengoku Basara, Singles
I’d never heard of the anime or the game. That video looks pretty awesome though. And the “let’s party!” is great.
The anime is amazing and the games are a blast. My daughter and i watch over and over and own the games. The music for this was perfection. The songs match with them so well im actually amazed. Ive never seen anything compliment each other so well.