Rentrer en Soi - PROTOPLASM [2006]

Definitely a different start to this disk. I'm only 50 seconds in and it already feels better than the previous album. Though, I'm not a fan of the Heavy verse sections of "PROTOPLASM"... they sound too stock and too much like something a rap/pop artist would do. However, the heavy chorus sections are very catchy and much more to my liking. Things drop to the more orchestrated and goodly "太陽の届かない場所〜棺から絲　光を手にしもう一度還る深海〜"... it's pretty effective overall, but it doesn't much stick in my head. "月で涙 (Inorganic Sanctuary MIX)" doesn't much do anything for me. The only cool part is the middle where everything gets all electronic. Overall, it's a good effort, better than Klein, but not as good as I was hoping.

Rating: 7.25

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Rentrer en Soi - Keinの棺 [2005.08.24]

Another serene introduction track. Much more punchy production. Continues from Astre, but "太陽の届かない場所" doesn't really do anything for me... feels a bit too stock. "浮遊追想", back to spastic Metal with screaming... quite odd for ReS. "空夢見る水中花" starts to feel more like they're hitting their stride... though, it's a bit late in the album. This album really doesn't enthrall me at all and I can't really explain why. It just doesn't feel as strong and creative as some of their previous efforts.

Rating: 7

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Rentrer en Soi - Astreの絲 [2005.08.24]

Atmospheric/industrial intro track. "星屑の螺旋" is extremely catchy, but without being cliché or rehashed. "廃墟と化した箱庭" is a very strong foray into metal with a pinch of noise for additional chaos. "月で涙" is much more benevolent with post-rock-styled echoing clean guitars surrounding me like the morning mist. Seeing as how this is one of the first Japanese bands and albums that I listened to, I can see that I was clearly spoiled by the songwriting. It's not a very active album after the first two tracks... it really calms down quite a bit. So, it's not great all the way through, but it's still pretty damn good.

Rating: 8

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Rentrer en Soi - 水夢見る蝶々 [2005.05.25]

More interesting stuff here. They're really pushing out of the J-Rock mold now. Lots of progressive drumming and more experimental sections within songs. Very strong song writing. There's much more confidence and conviction. Through all of this, they've still managed to make a catchy album. Production is slowly getting better (mostly notably regarding the drums). Atmospheric, progressive, hard rock, post rock, and even new age at times.

Rating: 8.25

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Rentrer en Soi - 全景色腐り果てる今、唯一… [2005.02.27]

Interesting song, no other way to put it. Pretty catchy with a large blend of styles.

Rating: 7.75

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Rentrer en Soi - Sphire-Croid [2005.01.26]

Post-Rock beginning to the first song. It's an interesting enough album. Definitely can tell that they were trying to stray from their established style. This culminates in "Eyes of forest" which has a charming Gothic bell section, driving drum beat, and interesting keys strewn throughout. It's odd because it's a very driving song that feels strong enough to move a glacier, yet it's very soft as well. Then, without warning, "Last word [ ]" starts off with pure acoustic folk... very nicely done. "Iconclasm" explodes from nowhere! Sure, it's another J-band ripping off a riff from the 007 theme, but it works and so much has been added that it feels fairly fresh. wow, I didn't realize that the secret scars song from Unending Sanctuary was based on the one from this album. I think I prefer this one. "Full Moon" starts mostly like a more typical Japanese Rock song, but some interesting effects and nifty break in the middle do the song well to not sound like everyone else. The first bit of the album didn't do a whole lot to capture my attention, but it's all pretty good in the end... certainly better than most, and the effort for breaking the mold is very much present.

Rating: 7.5

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Rentrer en Soi - wither [2004.10.27]

"wither" starts off much like "The flow of time -in a cradle-" in the vein of Electronic, but switches to a tranquil ballad. "season" is leaning more towards the stock Japanese Pop-Rock side of things. Unfortunately, the only actually interesting song is "からっぽの箱" and it still manages to drag its feet a bit. This is definitely a disappointing album coming from ゆりかご.

Rating: 6

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Rentrer en Soi - ゆりかご [2004.03.30]

Wow, "The flow of time -in a cradle-" was not what I was expecting at all. It's very electronic and New Age-like. "Sincerely" is where the band-aspect of ReS comes in with all of its tried and true Japanese Rock inspiration. "Re-birth" takes on an electronic hybrid attitude with some Metal qualities. This album is great. The variation makes my heart sing. The songwriting is better than some of the most veteran artists out there. But most of all, the album has its own identity thanks to the interesting blend of styles and structure. Even so, some of the material is pretty contrived and the production definitely can use an upgrade.

Rating: 7.5

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