HYDE – HYDE [Inside] (Album Review)

The legendary Japanese rock artist enthrals and entrances with an equally savage and stylish full-length effort.

Most known for his position as vocalist in Visual Kei rock sensation ‘L’ Arc en Ciel’, ferocious rock duo Vamps and collaborative project The Last Rockstars, HYDE’s career in music since 1988 has been greatly varied and incredibly successful. Finding not just national popularity with his bold personality, powerful vocals and eclectic music but also widespread international appeal, HYDE continues to thrill new audiences and long-time listeners alike no matter what projects he turns his attention to.

Having released his first solo material back in 2001, HYDE has spent over 20 years dedicating himself to writing music that continually shows new sides to his vocal talents and remarkable prowess in songwriting. The artist does exactly this and more on his new full-length album ‘HYDE [Inside]’ where his sultry vocal performances mesmerisingly permeate the singer’s signature hard-rock sound.

The lullaby-like album opener ‘Inside Head’ delicately lulls listeners with its gentle piano melody and somnolent tempo, which perfectly sets listeners up for a case of major whiplash once the growling guitar intro to ‘Let It Out’ bursts into action. “Wake it up, get it started now” purrs the singer in his unmistakable rasp, as he wastes no time in getting to business and delivering delicious rock jams to his legion of awaiting fans. From this point on, audiences can only surrender themselves to the barrage of noise that builds expertly through the track and flawlessly sets the tone for the rest of this explosive album.

The feverish pounding of the drum intro to ‘Pandora’ soon greets listeners’ ears, along with the song’s rousing guitar-powered sound. Speaking of a deep inner struggle that the song compares to the temptation to open Pandora’s box to relieve oneself from the fear of the unknown, HYDE’s emotionally driven vocals perfectly give voice to this struggle and lend the track both poignancy and rock appeal. The adaptability of the singer’s voice is also used to its best ability in ‘Taking Them Down’ as HYDE snarls his way through the song’s verses which speak of being taunted by others’ negativity (“They love to put me down…Haunting me inside, I can feel them all”). The extremely hummable chorus however is soberly powerful; the vocalist cruising his way through a stirring melody while hailing the confidence that allows him to emerge victorious against naysayers.

HYDE showcases his love of high-energy rock music on ‘Defeat’ and ‘6or9’ with the singer sounding completely at home amongst the fierce guitar riffs and upbeat tempo of ‘Defeat’, and unearthing his playful side on the stimulating ‘6or9′, which is sure to have audiences on their feet and chanting along to the chorus’ hook “Life is a comedy (whoa whoa), unsweet my candy (whoa whoa)”.

The album also includes a heavier ‘Album Version’ of ‘Interplay’, which was previously released as a single along with several of the album’s other tracks. The novelty of ‘Interplay’ and other pre-release tracks such as ‘On My Own’ and ‘Believing In Myself’ is not lost, but rather given a new lease of life when they are interwoven with the album’s new tracks. There is also the timelessness of HYDE’s voice, which ensures that each of his tracks, old or new, remain fondly in each listener’s memory for the years to come. In addition to this, the vocalist’s occasionally delightfully campy lyrics, including ‘On My Own’s tongue-in-cheek reference to HYDE’s band Vamps (“The more you’re sinless, the more I wanna bite, I’m lost inside of the night”), keep tracks sounding fresh and ever repeatable.

New tracks ‘Bleeding’ and ‘I Got 666’ will effortlessly win over audiences with their aggressive sounds and instantly addictive choruses. Bolstered by mighty walls of guitar noise and powered by a break-neck tempo, ‘Bleeding’ is topped off with an enthralling chorus where HYDE delivers hardcore vocals that perfectly complement the song’s bold sound. The firecracker of the song ‘I Got 666′ sums up everything that makes HYDE’s music so satisfying: pulsing drums, growling guitars and charismatic vocals. Indeed, the track pleasingly exposes the operatic side to HYDE’s voice which can be linked to his long career with Visual Kei headliners L’ Arc en Ciel; a detail that many long-time fans will gush over.

Final tracks ‘Social Virus’ and ‘Last Song’ are a perfect example of the singer’s revered versatility both in genre and in vocal performance; the former a fast-paced fist-pumping anthem about rising up against social injustice (“I’m changing this story, won’t give in anymore”), and the latter a delicate piano ballad that swells with the emotional depth that HYDE’s vocals expertly exude. Even the most hard-boiled listeners will not be able to deny the awe-struck feeling inspired by this duality; something that reveals the long years that HYDE has spent as one of J-Rock’s most admired treasures.

Score/Outstanding: You can only ever go into a HYDE record expecting to be thoroughly entertained, and ‘HYDE [Inside]’ will not disappoint. Even after decades in the music industry, the allure of HYDE’s music will never dissipate but only grow stronger.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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