Rating: 8/10
Release: 12 January 2024
Label: Napalm Records

Ryujin, a Japanese band formed in 2011, will release their debut album via Napalm Records on January 12, 2024. Over the years, after releasing four albums and participating in several festivals around the world, Ryujin have created their sound, expressing through various elements such as traditional Japanese instruments (i.e., Shamisen, Dragon Flute, Erhu, Taiko) and the extraordinary abilities of lead guitarist and singer Ryoji Shinomoto, capable of a phenomenal shredding and a fantastic vocal ability. In this new album fast and powerful riffs blend perfectly with traditional Japanese instruments, creating a sound that is influenced by the Gagaku style (for those who doesn’t know, Gagaku is a type of Japanese classical music that was historically used for imperial court music and dances, it was developed as court music of the Kyoto Imperial Palace, and its near-current form was established in the Heian period around the 10th century. Today, it is performed by the Board of Ceremonies in the Tokyo Imperial Palace), but also by the modern abbreviations of anime and everything around.

“Ryujin” consists of 12 songs, four of which in collaboration with Mattew Kiichi Heafy (Trivium) and one in collaboration with Mukai Wataru, cellist of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra. The texts are in both Japanese and English and the titles are inspired by the words of the Ainu people of Hokkaido and both famous paintings and Japanese idioms. Among the tracks that make up the album certainly stand out “Gekokujo”, a track with thrash/death metal riffs that coexist with passages inspired by folk; “Raijin & Fujin”, the first of 4 songs in collaboration with Matthew Kiichi Heafy of Trivium, which is an epic power metal storm; “Kunnecup”, with the collaboration of Mukai Wataru, cellist of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra, which is an invitation to sing together with Ryujin; “Ryujin”, the longest track of the album, that with its melody recalls the ocean waves, being Ryujin the dragon god of the sea in Japanese mythology. Honorable mention for the cover of “Guren No Yumiya”, originally by Linked Horizon, known for being the opening theme of the anime Attack on Titan.

In conclusion, “Ryujin” is a good debut album, a good mix between trash/death metal and traditional Japanese music, all performed with excellent technique both in the vocal part and in the instrumental part, transporting the listener into extravagant adventures.

Tracklist

1. Hajimari
2. Gekokujo
3. Dragon, Fly Free
4. Raijin & Fujin (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
5. The Rainbow Song (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
6. Kunnecup (Feat. Mukai Wataru)
7. Scream of the Dragon
8. Gekirin
9. Saigo No Hoshi
10. Ryujin
11. Guren No Yumiya (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)
12. Saigo No Hoshi (Feat. Matthew K. Heafy)