Catharsis
review by depart

Now, after Moi dix Mois, we finally get to hear the other half of Malice Mizer. Kozi-san has really come through with Catharsis. He totally plays, produces, and sings his heart out on this album. Compared to his subtle backing vocals in Malice, he really belts it out at times ..and he sounds good! His voice is like sweet butter or a dessert wine. Cute and fun yet bold, smooth, and sexy ^^;

The coolest thing about Catharsis is that, like M10M, you can really hear a lot of Malice Mizer in it. The programming, production, and melodies are very reminiscent of Merveilles and Bara no Seidou. That said, Catharsis is totally Kozi. It's the red pierrot we always loved - wacky and fun, yet dark and creepy. Think of ISM from his "KHAOS/KINEMA" singles mixed with Malice's "Je te Veux". This album makes me even more anxious to hear new music from Yu~ki. With M10M, we got to hear Mana's Malice Mizer and now with Catharsis, we get to hear Kozi's Malice Mizer.

"Kinema" is a short instrumental intro with tangled strings and noodling organ. It sounds like an orchestra warming up.

"Grottesca" is a fast and dancey track with a drum n' bass body and aggressive programming. Kozi's vocals are vocoded but still melodic. There are some neat guitar melodies but they're used more as accents than the base of the song.

In "Incoherents", one of the main melodies is actually from an instrumental bit Malice would play at the end of their shows during their indies days. If you've got Tetsu's last live on video, you'll recognize it as the swelling bitter-sweet organ bit during Yu~ki & Mana's closing vampire skit. This song is only slightly vampire-like though, it's really bouncy yet a little melancholy - Kozi's vocals are at their peak of buttery sex in this one, hehe.

"Nocturne" is very much in the Je te Veux style - the melody is actually almost the same - bouncy and totally goofy. Kozi's really doing his best Gackt impression in this song, vocally ^^;

"Dans Erebos" is a bit like Grottesca with hints of Bara no Seidou's more aggressive parts. This song reminds me of the Bara live's middle section where they really got into the whole Kyomu electro-bondage vibe. One of my less favorite songs on this though.

"Catharsis" is a short instrumental track that sounds like an outtake from Izayoi no Tsuki. It serves as a little intermission of sorts, right in the middle of the album.

I love "Promenade"! It's army-swaying & hold-up-your lighter ballad with fun and bouncy parts.. I'm using the phrase "fun and bouncy" a lot.. But it's the only description that seems to fit ^^; Kozi's ballad-y vocals are really cool here ^^

"Life Goes On" is another Grottesca / Dans Erebos style song but a little more slow and punchy at first.. and then it gets.. well.. really bouncy! Also, we finally get to hear a little more of Kozi's guitar playing. It's unfortunate that there isn't more than this.

It's Je te Veux again! ..No, actually it's "Crimson Star". This song is so funny, it's almost like children's music. The best lyrics of the entire album appear here: "Boom Bon Bopeep PEEK-A-BOO!" BAHAHAHAHA!! Kozi is such a dork ^^;; Super fun.

Next is "Cruel Arcadia", which is totally BRUTAL. Kozi really breaks out the violence on this this one. A lot of really sharp, cutting metal riffage and aggressive manipulated vocals. A total surprise after Crimson Star. It's a bit like Malice's "Gensou Rakuen" and Schwarz stein's "Bio Genesis" but much more punch-you-in-the-face. I absolutely LOVE this one. Total minagoroshi no metaru.

"Innermost" is probably the most well-produced and dynamic song on the album. Kozi's vocals are confident, smooth, and melodic. There are good guitar melodies, a legato synth body, some organ, piano, and the only appearance of live-sounding drums on the album. I could see Kozi singing this one on Pop Jam with a live band.

"Khaos" is a short and creepy instrumental outro track, a long section of silence, and then a hidden additional short outro.

So overall, it's a load of fun. Kozi is a total goofball yet he's a decent producer and has managed to make a good and basically well-rounded album. Is there anything bad about the album? Yes. It has the same problem that I feel Moi dix Mois does. Some of the songs sound the same and I really feel like it's only a tiny piece of Malice Mizer. Malice had the most incredible dynamic together. Away from each other, you can really hear distinctly what they contributed to the band.. and not much else. That's what creates the "droning" effect that M10M and Catharsis have at times.. they just seem to go on & on in the same direction, and while it's totally over-the-top and fun, it's almost overkill. Malice was made up of very strong personalities and they really evened each other out. Separated, they've sort of over-indulged and gone wild. But hey, is it still fun? YES! So while Malice Mizer is resting in peace, this is very cool to have.

Side-notes: Minako, the author of "Izayoi no Tsuki" is credited for writing the lyrics on "Nocturne", and Haruhiko Ash from Eve of Destiny is credited for writing the lyrics on "Life Goes On". The album art is very subtle. It's mostly black, with shadowy grey classical statues. Photos of Kozi do appear but they're so manipulated and photoshopped, at first glance, it doesn't look like a person ^^;