Momoiro Clover Z – Pledge of Z

Since 2010, idol quintet Momoiro Clover Z have had songs featured in no less than seven anime series, most notably “Pokémon Best Wishes!” and “Sailor Moon Crystal”. The band scored another coup in April this year when they released Z no chikai, the theme song of “Fukkatsu no F”, the 15th instalment in the “Dragonball Z” film series. Then, for the film’s American release in August, Momoclo recorded an English version of Z no chikai entitled Pledge of Z.

As the band’s collaborations with KISS and Hotei Tomoyasu attest, the women of Momoclo are no strangers to rocking things up. Even so, they’ve never gone quite as heavy as at the start of Pledge of Z. After a few bars of stereotypical “Oriental” synths, the song’s composer NARASAKI creates a sound with his guitar akin to a chainsaw firing up. This initial heaviness doesn’t last much beyond the first verse, as it’s soon diluted by synth work from VOCALOID maestro yuyoyuppe - the chorus in particular is pure idol pop. Kanako and the others do a respectable job of singing in English, but due to a combination of heavy accents and the sheer volume of the backing track, it’s not always easy to make out the lyrics.

If you were wondering how Pledge of Z differed from Z no chikai, besides the change of language, it doesn’t. Even so, owners of this single can hear for themselves as Z no chikai takes the place of Romance kongaragatteru as the first B-side. Also included is a cover of Kageyama Hironobu’s CHA LA HEAD CHA LA, the first ever opening theme of the “Dragonball Z” TV series. Despite being in new arrangement by everset guitarist tatsuo, the song is largely unchanged, retaining the unmistakable synth-laced ‘80s pop flavour of the 1989 original.

For Momoclo fans, enjoyment of Pledge of Z will hinge on your opinion of the band’s recent pivot towards pop-rock. If you still pine for the “classic” J-pop sound of the “pre-Z” era, you may be better off holding out for new albums AMARANTHUS and Hakkin no yoake. Then again, if you found Marty Friedman’s guitar solos a welcome addition to Mouretsu uchuu kokyoukyoku dainana ga kushou ‘mugen no ai’ and MOON PRIDE, or are just curious to hear these women singing an original song in English for the first time, Pledge of Z may well be worth your time (and money).

Pledge of Z was released on August 4th via Gan-Shin Records, and is available for purchase worldwide via iTunes. The music video for Z no chikai can be watched below.