MARDELAS - JAPAN

MARDELAS - MARDELAS I - NEXUS/KING  
There is some expectation regarding Mardelas given singer Marina's former membership in Destrose and her strong vocals' showcase in that group. Mardelas is a new group built around her and excludes other women from the mix.
Eclipse is a headbanging song. Marina's vibrato is stronger than ever, which based on her performance at the end of the song Phantasia is something of which she is aware. Here Marina is both aggressive screamo and melodic. The only comparison to Marina's tone that comes to mind is the old Mell Rose singer. The album's cover artwork, in the meantime, represents the song. The first impression is good, albeit the sound is thin, especially given the presence of one guitar, and the bass is not compensating. The band presumably has worked on a low budget despite being on a major label. D.D.C. (Doomed Dream City?) suffers again from a sound that should have been thicker and, worse, the keyboards creep into an obviously weaker track. The vocals remain the star of the show even if the drummer and the guitarist's soloing are undeniably superlative. The song Daybreak was a single prior to this debut album and appears here again. Marina does very well with her vocals. The weak-kneed keyboards get me though. The guitar leads provide some balance for the keyboards. Waves is a bona fide pop song albeit with soaring guitar work. Marina can always take refuge in Jpop if Mardelas doesn't work out in its current form. Speaking of which, Amnesia is a ballad, which is pretty okay as far as these things go, but it is a purely pop slow song. Scapegoat is a cool closer where everyone pitches in, although Marina, the drumming and the song's main riff do the heavy lifting. It harbours an amazing riffing, but the synthesizers and sound do the band no favours whatsoever. A capable producer would have made something much more of this. The band also needs a manager to tell them the keyboards are a washout and need to go. The song, tempo and guitars are a hit, as are Marina's incredible vocals and sense of melody, but the band has made a couple of wrong choices here. Newcomer guitarist Kikyo can conjure up an impressive solo at will. There is enough goodness and promise here to keep an eye on this band, but the definitive verdict will rest with subsequent works. Final note: in a quirk of Japanese convention the song titles are in English, but the lyrics are Japanese. - Ali "The Metallian"

MARDELAS - II - NEXUS/KING  
The first Mardelas album was issued in 2015 and had a runtime of 47 minutes. The second record is over 50 minutes long, giving buyers more value in terms of quantity. Let's examine the quality then. The first song is titled 神風 ('Kamikaze'), which makes sense because, while the titles are split between English and Japanese, the lyrics are in Japanese despite the frontwoman being English-capable. Paradoxically, many Japanese bands sing in English without the singer knowing much more than a word or two of the language. The debut song's solo is rock-oriented.

On the debut, singer Hebiishi Marina showcased her incredible voice and that is the first thing that strikes the listener here as well. The song is rocking. Marina's voice impresses again, vibrating and shimmering and the guitarist is somehow both flashy and melodic. Marina can't help but drift into pop melodicism mid-point however. The drum sound, and overall production, is better than its predecessor if only a little in the former's case. 千羽鶴 -Thousand Cranes- is heavy metal and both syncopated and Classical! Is that a slap bass? It is the guitar soloing that is off the charts however. There are shades of Malmsteen here. It is fluid, smooth and inventive. This man Kikyo can go find his own way in case Mardelas does not pan out. Pop elements, ready for the mainstream, are sadly never far from the centre of Mardelas however. Loner offers an odd start - it is almost an oriental melody - but the guitar and funky bass are fun listens. Marina deploys her seemingly abundant energy and unique voice. Classic metal solo on this essentially rock song. Marina loves her snakes and there is one on the cover. 蛇に牡丹 -Snake & Peony- is up next. Band, and its frontwoman, are possibly auditioning for NHK's New Year's eve variety programs with this one. Heck, even the keyboards gently drift in atop the rock & roll guitar rhythm and the monotonous drumming. Sure Marina is both talented and original with those vocals, but as a metal fan the power, energy and roughness is missing. 4 Dice later in the album is another soft, cuddly plush slow tune. Cheers started like a song an underachieving seductress belts out at a cheap lounge with barely an audience. And, yes, the guitarist can play. The band, incidentally, would go on to employ a similar rhythm on the song World Vs Honor.
Crossroads is obviously influenced by some staple Jrock or the other. Problem with this album is that as tight a unit as the group is, and as adept the individual performances in the vocal and guitar are (the drummer may or may not be good, but given the sound it would be anybody's guess), there are nondescript songs that are not hard and heavy enough. Marina and team could be proud of their performances. Metal fans specifically would be less enthused. Regardless, Crossroads has an impressively smooth solo and some handy vibrato. The background synthesizer is a nuisance however. Ha☆Na☆Bi is cringe time. Marina raps. Is she sending a message to the denizens and courtiers of Metallian Towers? Pretty sure, the answer is in the affirmative. The song's title may be spelt like this because Sexmachineguns also used the title on its 1998 album. In fact, Mrdelas is soon borrowing members from Sexmachineguns. Mere months later, Mary's Blood had a song by the name in 2016 as well. The bass gets an outing here. Moonlight Mirage has potential and the band leader hits a few higher pitches as the bassman, er, pitches in. The track 4 Dice reminds one how ineffectual the drum sound is as it rattles with as much power as a LDP voter has brains. Thank goodness the guitarist swerves in with a controlled, but extended, solo. It is one of the better songs of the album, a scream, some pace, some metal riffing and energy are the constituent ingredients. A Little Star is pretty what you'd expect from such a title. Best for last? That is heck of a solo, rhythm and vocal performance on D.G.L. Why not do this more if you are capable of it? This track ends like the ending to X's Silent Jealousy incidentally.
Marina does more regular singing and less of her vibrato screams on II than I. Not exactly a genre morph, but the Mardelas four have it in them to play snakes & ladders with their music and its various styles and modes. - Ali "The Metallian"

MARDELAS - III - NEXUS  
The snake, which has now become something of a band mascot, is on the CD's cover and now appears on a bottle of alcohol with 'III' stylishly suspended inside the bottle. There are bullets strewn around.
The album's intro (there is also a hard and heavy Epilogue that leaves most guitarists drowning their sorrow in 70-proof alcohol) sounds like a crime drama or krimi with a touch of 1970s' action serial. The intro floats into the song World Vs Honor after a minute and a half where the same rhythm repeats itself. The album is a story with singer Marina in the role of a widow plotting revenge for her assassinated husband in Tokyo's sexy Kabukicho district and, just like a movie, Marina plays a hostess or guest with her posse flanking her as each is introduced. Seems inspired by Kill Bill, which itself ripped off Japanese aesthetics. Marina's kimono looks like a snake-pattern one. Musically, so far, it's been all pretty easygoing. Otherwise, bassist Hibiki is gone and focused on Saber Tiger. The band has a new member who is pretty inconspicuous. Motoishi Hisayuki, like guitarist Kikyo, comes from Screaming Symphony. In the aforementioned video clip for the title track, the ramen place does not seem appetizing at all. Perhaps, that is on purpose, but the food and chef seem pretty sketchy. The ramen looks quite mediocre in fact. Anyway mid-track the song transitions into metal and ends up being a good song. It is tight,energetic and catchy. The solo smokes. Marina's vocals need no introduction. She is special, although it is disconcerting that she is as audible with the microphone in front of her or away from her in the video! This video clip basically tells the whole story in one song.
Bullseye is a modern groove-bash metal song. There is an underlying melody, backing vocals, breathless singing and impressive soloing. Deception is again good.. One could say that if there is to be any criticism, so far, it is that the songs meld into one another, but their quality is on an upward trajectory and this one goes at it hard and fast. Breathless vocals rush into breathless soloing crash into breathless rhythm back into breathless vocals again (a pattern also heard on the later song Symbiosis) and the listener is left gasping for air. Rock On! is tight and cohesive and, yup, the guitarist and singer are credits to the band. Worth mentioning is the chorus switch to English, but despite the energy, this song is not a favourite at Metallian Towers. Marina sings of drinking and the night, but where does such a title fit into the album's theme? Whatever the answer, the song is tight and the bass man holds a tight rhythm. On The Lam is not terribly exciting because it is somewhat repetitive. It almost picks up from where World Vs. Honor left off. There goes pop singer Marina performing in the nightclub in her head (or is that a NHK variety show?) and rocking with her backing band. No One - whose backing vocals are a curious "no oooone!!" - is not helped by the keyboards. Still, III does not have any tracks like Mardelas I's Moonstone where the whole affair sounded like a drum machine and MIDI synthesizer offending one's metal sensibility. The blistering solo is nifty, but the mid-paced song is not cutting it for me. Marina speaks English, but the pronunciation of 'mirror' sounds off. The tune is catchy admittedly. Symbiosis is a guitarist's song. The vocals are intense. The drums come alive and have a good oomph to them. Having said that, the soft pop backing vocals need to go. The second half of the track fits right into the overall concept. The next track begins with a synthesizer, which is aaarrrggghh, but Marina's larynx and Kikyo's guitar are forces of nature. What an excellent solo. This one abandons the keys to become a true power metal song. Easily a favourite. Helloween would be glad to adopt those harmonies any day. The variety marches on. Urban Twilight is aptly acoustic and a waste of time. It is as if Mardelas is attempting modern enka, but the lyrics and heartfelt harmony sound like a fit for that theme of theirs. The song ends with squealing guitars that are well worth hearing. Epilogue closes the record and was mentioned earlier in this review, but is that really Marina screaming at the song's start?
As impressive and unique as Marina's vocals are, they are toned down on The Third and more subservient to the song, which is saying something because Marina is incredible and shines. III is the best Mardelas album so far and recommended in this order: played loudly, heard on headphones, for aspiring vocalists, for budding metal guitarists and for anyone looking for original heavy metal. - Ali "The Metallian"

MARDELAS - GROUND ZERO - NEXUS  
There is a gray snake on the cover. It is Mardelas then even if the logo has changed. Ground Zero is an EP with five songs and an instrumental to kick it off. The intro is composed by the band's guest keyboardist, which means that, yes, there is a new member and Mao (Lovebites, Light Bringer, etc.) is not on any instrument that a metal fan would appreciate.
What has not changed is Marina's throaty vocals, Kikyo's superior guitar leads and the overall viability of it all that straddles realms mainstream and metal.
Apocalypse is the star at Ground Zero and is one of the better songs the band has put on disc. It is speedy, has gangbuster vocals, amazing guitars and pounding drums. The keyboards do inflict (un)heavy damage though. The band has a belligerent video for the track that is worth catching anyway. Other tracks include Cleopatra, with its Oriental vibe, where Kikyo pulls at his whammy bar; Outsider, which picks up the pace, and its annoying keyboards, which the guitarist does his best to drown, Redline and the closing cut Coma, which is a pop song through and through. This last track has a grandeur to it and a guitar tone reminiscent of '80s' Los Angeles.
The band remains largely original and quite capable. Marina and her band-mates, of course, should always satisfy their artistic inclinations and be true to themselves. Yet, they are not delivering the impact or impression that Mardelas both deserves and is capable of. One keyboard solo is one too many, but when each song crams one then it is detrimental all around. Hard rock and heavy metal songs aside, Congratulations to Mardelas for being able to pen ear pleasing mainstream songs. They are not for me or people like me however. Ground Zero contains a very good song, a couple of good songs and one waste-of-time track at the end. They are all ruined by the keyboards. The talents of the singer and the guitarist are plain for all to hear regardless and counteract the negative. - Ali "The Metallian"