is an
EP by Japanese rock band
Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer (stylized as MALICE MIZER) was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by guitarists Mana and Közi, their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical in ...
, released on February 1, 2000. It is dedicated to the band's former drummer
Kami
are the deities, divinities, spirits, phenomena or "holy powers", that are venerated in the Shinto religion. They can be elements of the landscape, forces of nature, or beings and the qualities that these beings express; they can also be the sp ...
, who died the previous year and composed two of its songs.
Overview
Kami had been wanting to start composing songs for a while, he would practice guitar and bought a synthesizer for that purpose.
When he died in June 1999, rather than hold a public memorial service for him, the remaining members chose to finish and release two of his songs that they felt best conveyed the drummer's feelings.
They waited to release it on February 1 of the following year, which is Kami's birthday.
Kami first showed the band the songs in April 1999, the first time he had ever shown them his compositions.
They were already titled.
Mana
According to Melanesian and Polynesian mythology, ''mana'' is a supernatural force that permeates the universe. Anyone or anything can have ''mana''. They believed it to be a cultivation or possession of energy and power, rather than being a ...
described the two tracks as polar opposites. The guitarist described "Unmei no Deai", which Kami said had a French-like image, as having a "gentleness" that Malice Mizer had never done before.
It was the most difficult song on the EP, and undertook a significant change while they arranged it.
Mana felt that "Mori no Naka no Tenshi" was brighter and said it has a "fun feeling."
Wanting to keep that happy and energetic feeling, the band did not want a tightly arranged guitar part.
It also marks the first time that Mana and
Közi
Közi is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter and DJ. He is best known as one of the guitarists for the 1990s visual kei rock band Malice Mizer. After they went on indefinite hiatus in 2001, he formed the industrial rock duo Eve of Destiny an ...
had played/recorded guitar in a while.
The remaining members composed the opening track "Saikai" to show their feelings for Kami.
In the album booklet, the two songs have French "image lyrics". Malice Mizer wrote these based on the titles that Kami gave the songs. However, only "Unmei no Deai" has an audible vocal track. Kami is credited as "Eternal Blood Relative", and would continue to be on all of Malice Mizer's subsequent releases. The cover illustration is of a
blue morpho, as Kami was known for his love of butterflies. ''Shinwa'' is a box set, with a VHS containing video footage from some of their concerts set to the songs contained on the EP.
Track listing
Personnel
* Malice Mizer
* Kami – eternal blood relative
* Hitoshi Konno – violin
* Motohide Tanaka – director
* Nobuhiko Nakayama – synthesizer programming and sound design
* Yoichiro Kano – recording and mixing
* Masao Nakazato – mastering
Charts
References
{{Authority control
Malice Mizer albums
2000 EPs
EPs published posthumously
Japanese-language EPs