I ****ing adore Koenji. A very faithful extension of my personal favorite band, Magma(and I think brings in well enough traits not to be considered a knock-off). Albeit, I'm not much for their American "remastered" albums.
I honestly believe it's a feat of musicianship. I mean, Tatsuya Yoshida is one of the most underrated musicians of our time. Not only a virtuoso drummer, but I think a masterful composer as well. What he did with such limited instrumentation in Ruins is brilliant, and Koenji is very much just the same concept except bigger. Such wonderfully dense layering of clean operatic type singing mixed with screams, yodels, grunts, and anything else. The same level of technicality, speed, and creativity as Ruins, except with just a little more in the way of what I consider quite skillful keyboard, and guitar work. Honestly, one of the most cream your pants worthy bands going today(if they're considering "still going" at the moment, hard to tell with a band that does appearances as selectively as they do.)
Personal favorite album is 2/Viva Koenji which I feel may be, from start to finish, one of the most beautifully composed chaotic albums I've ever heard. To me, it's like the orchestral equivalent of a rioting mob during the most chaotic times of humanity's apocalyptic downfall. It's hard in this day and age(or any really, but this one in particular) to find something that truly matches that level of grandiosity.
Not to say I don't like the more "mature" jazz based Angherr Shisspa, which is equally as brilliant. Just feel that Viva Koenji excels more in it's uniqueness. Then again, All four of their albums are absolute gems, and are essentially listening in my collection. Some of the finest music ever crafted, imo.
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