Red Moon: Review
5
By Hyacinthë
You, the reader, may have come across this band or album for songs you’ve heard from the Black Butler series, such as Lacrimosa, or you may have just been casually looking through Japanese artists. I’m writing this review as a Kalafina (and Yuki Kajiura, their composer) fan of 8.5 years.
I first suggest that you stick with Kalafina’s music because the band is one of very very few, especially in English music, that produces a sound of classic and clear harmony. Audibly in Japan, be a man or a woman singing, the harmony is often (but not always) fairly high and very similar, in 2, maybe 3 parts. I don’t know how everyone works, but to me, this can get boring. Kalafina has much more variety in song, from solos to 4-part harmony in EVERY piece. And their vocal range might not seem important, but it’s something to note, and something that makes songs interesting in comparison to each other.
Also, even though this is a group of singers, I was surprised upon becoming interested in each member! Even in studio sound, these songs are made with 3 separate, NOTICEABLY distinctive voices. Hearing this, instead of such typical and processed sound, made me look up the band further.
Even more commendable variety comes in the genre, which you should already have noticed upon hearing every sample. You have your ballads, varying degrees of rock in different moods, high-energy songs, and other culturally influenced instruments, lyrics, and harmony. Don’t come blindly purchasing the album thinking “Well, it’s just another J-Pop/Anime thing”! 🤣
Of the 4 American-release albums (but not all their actual albums), Red Moon is a favorite of a large number of veteran fans. My personal favorite song from this album in indescribably Kyrie. I realize that may be a weird preference in comparison to others, but I love the chord progression which is descending and yet gives an impending feeling. Something I do with music myself is that I “listen from the bottom up”, as a fan of the low harmony in groups — and those in Kyrie are ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE. Lastly, I love the inclusion of the term, “Kyrie Eleison”, i.e. “Lord, have mercy on us”.
