[Review] D–BIRTH

I was…excited…to say the least, when I finally got my hands on the new release by D. I’m a huge D fan but you probably knew that already… This release had me going back and listening to parts over again, as each song has something that makes it stand out.

Each song is totally D, but some of the songs bring a new facet to their already well developed sound.

The song BIRTH is the title track of this single, and it features some really interesting violin work in the opening 30 seconds or so. The bass line in this song is all over the place, in a good way, and Asagi’s vocals are beautiful. The guitars are the surprise for this song, as Hide-zou and Ruiza share part of the guitar solo, which is something that D doesn’t usually do. The guitar solo is followed by a short bass/drum solo, which almost takes away from the song. I kind of think of this song as the “Hey!! Look at me!!” song of the single. This song manages to show off each and every band member, which isn’t really a bad thing.

Next is the song Rebellion, from the B-Type version of the single. My first thought upon hearing it was “Omg…this totally doesn’t sound like D!” But after the vocals kicked in, I changed my mind. This song sounds like older D, it’s harder and faster, and contains the typical band growl, as well some of the shrieking vocals that Asagi has done in the past. It contains a short techno intermission, which makes me think that Asagi wrote it. The highlight of this song is still another shining moment for Hide-zou, as this song features another shared solo between he and Ruiza.

Solid Heart is on the Regular version of the single, and it sounds like the guitars are tuned down an octave from where they usually are. The song is deep, and has a seriously moving bass line that pretty much carries the track. The guitar work is pretty evident here, but not overdone. This is definitely D, but with a darker edge. The verses of this song are done with vocals that you don’t often hear from Asagi, drawn out smooth notes without a hint of his ever-present vibrato. There is a seriously kick ass bass solo in this song, along with a very Ruiza guitar solo.

Musou Hana reminded me in the very beginning of Tsumibatsu Egoist by NoGoD…until the vocals kicked in. This song reminds me of Dearest You or Sleeper, in it’s poppy bouncy sound. There is a fair smattering of english in this song, and some of it is quite understandable. Despite the fact that this song reminds me of Dearest You (a song that I don’t particularly like), I actually like this song quite a bit. Like every other song on this single, this one has a moving bass line.

My overall impression of this single is “Damn!! What’d they slip in Hide-zou’s drink?” Ordinarily you can hear him in the background keeping the rhythm of the songs, but thought out this whole single you can hear his part moving. I feel like they really, finally, are using ALL of their members to their fullest skill level. For their major debut, this single was a good choice.