About the Band:
Nocturnal Bloodlust is one of those genre-bending bands that can
sometimes be difficult to categorize.
The best way I’ve found to describe them is Visual Melodic
Metal-core. The lineup consists of Hiro
on vocals, Cazqui and Daichi on guitars, Masa on bass and Natsu on drums. Since their inception in 2009, they’ve
released 6 singles, one mini-album, and two full-length albums and show no sign
of slowing down. Gears of Omega,
released on 3/19/2014, marks their first DVD release.
Packaging: Nocturnal
Bloodlust is known to have amazing jacket artwork and this is no
exception. An ornate mix of steampunk
and gothic elements, it features a monstrous horned skull and a metal-winged
butterfly. Inside is a simple card
decorated in a similar steampunk style displaying the tracklist and production
credits. The show itself comes on two
discs, the first with the main set and the second with the encore.
The show: All I can say is, if they are this good on DVD, I can only imagine what it must be like to witness it in person. From start to finish, the energy is high, kicking off with Rebellion and sliding right into Disaster, UNBREAKABLE and Obligation. Hiro’s voice is nearly flawless, making jumping from death-metal growls to melodic singing in a heartbeat look easy. Cazqui bounces around the stage like a hyperactive moth while ripping through Van Halen-esque solos, complimented beautifully by Daichi’s rhythm. Masa and Natsu lay down a back beat that will rattle your bones, Natsu’s relentless double bass hitting like a kick to the gut.
We get a little release of tension around the midpoint of
the show and are treated to a beautiful drum solo from Natsu. In the interest of full disclosure, I have to
admit that I am quite the drummer fangirl, but this solo left me breathless. While most drum solos consist of a drummer
wailing away on his kit and making as much noise as possible, Natsu’s solo has
a sort of gentleness and beauty to it while still displaying his impressive
skills. The band then rejoins him for
FATE, one of my personal favorites, and the performance gave me chills. From here, the pace picks back up to
heart-pounding levels and they finish strong with Bullet of Skyline.
Overall, the show is amazing and will leave you gasping. There is, however, some questionable editing
and post-production sound problems that create a few syncing issues that can be
a bit distracting. But, that aside, this
DVD is a must-have for any Nocturnal Bloodlust fan (I watched it twice in the first weekend I
had it!). I can promise you, it won’t
disappoint.
By Kort Maguire
By Kort Maguire
Available at Amazon.com!
Purchase at CDJapan!
