LAMP IN TERREN - Fantasia Album Thoughts(J-rock)

    Finally getting around to writing a post about indie band turned major label band, LAMP IN TERREN. The band has released five albums in totally. Two are indies albums and the other three were released under A-sketch. Most Japanese music rock lovers should know that A-sketch is home to some of the biggest best selling rock bands in Japan right now, like One OK Rock and Flumpool. even though this band's releases have been meet with lukewarm sales, they still manage to chart on the Oricon charts. Fantasia is their third album to date.

CD Tracklist

1. Caravan (キャラバン)
2. 地球儀(Globe)
3. 涙星群の夜(Night of the Lantern Star Group)
4. heartbeat
5. innocence
6. at (liberty)
7. pellucid
8. Off Course (オフコース)
9. 不死身と七不思議(Immortality and Seven Wonders)
10. eve

  First thing first. I love this band to shreds. When I found them for the first time, I said that they are going to be huge given the right songs and promotion strategy. They continued to impress me with their music release after release. They're not too popular yet so I have to keep a close eye on their activities to know when new music is going to be released. LAMP IN TERREN's music is an alternative rock sound that has guitars slamming hard. They can take a song, start it out calm as a spring morning them build up like a rolling storm just came in out of nowhere to interrupt the calm of that morning. The instrumentals in Fantasia as well as their other albums contain a bare nakedness that oozes the feel of a band that hasn't been touched by the mainstream market or a band that is focusing solely on selling a lot of units. I've talked about artist in my past posts who sometimes find that middle ground of creating music that meets the masses but also was made with the same artistry that got them to their place of fame. This has kind of began with LAMP IN TERREN'S music. Some producer has started giving his input about their music choices as could be seen with a few of the track selections for Fantasia. Pop rock doesn't fit their lead singer's voice…. The mixture of his powerful raspy voice isn't meant to be accompanied by a pop sound. I listened to it and noticed right away that it didn't balance itself out well. The vocals are too unfiltered to be used in that way to sell more albums. It scares me because I don't want this band to sell their soul to the mainstream devil. Artists need to sell but don't become a robot in the process. Too many artists have been eaten alive by that idea of being mainstream. These artists probably listen to their own songs and don't even recognize their own music anymore. Fantasia does manage to snap back in time to save the album before it falls over the edge. These guys are clearly experimenting with new sounds while leaving what their fanbase loves about their music. Heartbeat was a single that was only available at their live shows, making it hard for most people to get their hands on the song until Fantasia hit stores. Its a good track that mixes alternative rock with a hint of keyboard pop. Innocence was the major single for this album that left no disappointment from me. Its a normal garage rock song that normally comes from this band. They do show that they are growing with every single though. From the middle of the album to the end are the biggest highlights if your a fan of LAMP IN TERREN previously. Fantasia's opening track also gets the blood flowing too.

   Hiroshi is one of the best frontmen that a band could ask for. He's good at guitar and that VOICE! That voice can shake a whole stage when unleashed at full power. this guy can belt some seriously strong notes. Not only can he do this but he can also hold them for a long time. Also when he really gets into singing, his voice has this growl to it that adds more rawness to LAMP IN TERREN'S music.

  My biggest fault with Fantasia was that I hated the covers and concept photos. Hiroshi in that scarf wrap hoodie makes me think I'm looking at a poster for a live action film based on a manga. I just can't take it seriously… Using some kind of artwork with the WHOLE band would have been a better  cover to me.