Satsuki is the singer of the famous Japanese Visual Kei band Rentrer en Soi. He performed as a band or with his solo project across Japan, Europe and the US. Active also as vocalist of Kisaki Project feat. Satsuki and Moon Stream. Film, theater, variety show host, pianist, columnist, poet, and other productions, Satsuki is a talented and polyvalent artist.
His new album Epocalypse is divided in 2 pieces: Eclipse and Apocalypse. Eclipse is the past and the present of Satsuki. With Apocalypse, Satsuki will show us a new side of his personality, new approaches on his way of using his technical vocal skills. He worked for the first time with European producers (Enos Is Back) in order to give a new vibe to his songs and that particular progressive metal touch. This opus can be considered as a new era for Satsuki, the future.
So we start with the short EP Eclipse: 4 tracks! Sad thing is that the opening track Reincarnation is only a warming up track as I love the dramatic feel of the synth, guitars and drums. Before you know the real first track starts: Apocalypse! A heavy bass is leading, whilst a mysterious sound stays in the back. The vocals run from gently singing to screaming and grunting. It all has a very catchy sound. Burning Out also has a heavy bass, hammering drums and a slice of Red Hot Chili Peppers (in a metal mood). The vocals gives it something very catchy (but also sound very strong). The breakdown and the reliance halfway surprises me a bit, but in fact keeps it fresh and powerful! Revelation sounds a bit like Tool: I adore the fat sound in the beginning, but it changes pretty fast into a more commercial sound with a clean voice and some whispering but evolves into screaming and grunting before mixing it all and confusing me with the complex building up and lots of variety within the same song. It feels like 10 songs compressed into one song. It’s for sure not something I have heard before and that makes it very interesting!
Up to the bigger changes, let’s face the future!
Berserker is hard and heavy mixed with some typical J-Rock and some Naruto style of vocal fights between grunting/hip-hop and clean vocals. Music wise it could be some death metal, trash, speed metal, ska and hip-hop metal, simply mix it and you get this hard hitter as a result, pretty weird, right? It feels as if no 10 seconds are the same! Eclipse is sung in English with a symphonic feel and lots of different voices and influences in it. Once again it sounds like no 10 seconds are the same: heavy guitars, catchy vocals, rock, pop, metal … I like the tribal elements, the guitars and the positive feel. Crying even starts as a techno song, with some dub-step and industrial metal. The wide variety is a great thing and makes it sound like something really new and interesting. Artemis explodes from the start as a metal versus ska mix. When it slows down it gets a more poppy sound. A bit later it already sounds more like rock or even metal, but hey: I’m already getting used of these fast changes within the same song. Selene is more into melancholic with a polished sound and atypical J-Rock feel. Lily starts pretty aggressive with an industrial touch. The vocals go from screaming and grunting to clean vocals with a melancholic touch. I think this one could be the next opening track for the new Naruto series (or some similar TV-serie). It has something cool and catchy. Squall starts very jazzy and gets a poppy sound with a positive feel and a retro sound. Brave is a nice piano ballad, sung in English (some parts can be perfected but it will need a good English teacher). It has a hopeful feel and gets after 1.45 and outburst with synths and guitars before getting back to the piano and the symphonic sound. Towards the end a female voice takes over and gets the fade out. Diana is something totally different: disco versus The Pet Shop Boys. I even sense some techno influences. If you hear right after this one the first track you might ask yourself if this is still the same artist and yes it is! The high tones in the vocals and the computer vocals are a big change, just as the musical tone. A pretty funky end and a strange twist, but this is the sound of the future so get used to it or frack it!
It’s a very atypical sound and an atypical twist, making it a very special discovery! I might go see him on stage soon and check his live sound!
TOUR DATES:
March 19 : OshareCon, Utrecht – The Netherlands
March 20 : Comic Con, Brussels – Belgium
March 26 : MondoCon, Budapest – Hungary
March 29 : MTC, Cologne – Germany
March 31 : Hangar 49, Berlin – Germany
April 1 : VooDoo Club, Warsaw – Poland
April 2 : Chapeau Rouge, Prague – Czech Republic
April 3 : Garage Deluxe, Munich – Germany
April 9 : Muzikos Rusys, Vilnius – Lithuania
April 15 : RK club, Dnipropetrovsk – Ukraine
April 16 : Zima Project club, Zaporizhia – Ukraine
April 17 : MK Tykva, Kiev – Ukraine
April 22 : Backstage club, Saint-Petersburg – Russia
April 23 : Iskander bar, Perm – Russia
April 24 : OZZ club, Chelyabinsk – Russia
May 1 : Abracadabar, Paris – France
May 5 : Gloria, Helsinki – Finland
May 7 : Tuben, Stockholm – Sweden
May 8 : Expomanga, Madrid – Spain
May 14 : Otak'Est, Pontarlier – France
May 15 : Otak'Est, Pontarlier – France
May 16 : La Marquise, Lyon – France
