Ex-
LIGHT BRINGER guitarist
KAZU has become something of a musical nomad since leaving the band in 2011. His first move was to form melodic metal band
Art of Gradation along with fellow
LIGHT BRINGER alumni
Seiya and
Satoru. A year later, the trio went on to co-found pop-rock outfit
Scrambled Soul Circus with
TEARS OF TRAGEDY frontwoman
HARUKA, and when that group paused activities last summer,
KAZU began working with Japanese classical crossover acts like shakuhachist
Fukuhara Hyakutaku. He made his surprise solo debut on April 12th this year with the digital single
Life!!.
At first listen, the light and breezy piano solo
Life!! opens with, as played by
Octaviagrace keyboardist
Reanne, could easily be mistaken for the theme song to some syrupy NHK daytime serial. Mercifully,
KAZU is quick to staunch fears he's ditched rock for good when his guitar cuts in, swiftly followed by the shakuhachi of
Ooyama Kizen. By the end of the intro, it’s become quite clear this song won’t be in just one of the styles he’s experimented with over the last six years, but will be an amalgam of them all.
While
KAZU’s songwriting skills have never exactly been in doubt – his work with
LIGHT BRINGER speaks for itself – it has to be said that
Life!! flows impressively well. Despite the constant shifts between three different genres, his intricate arrangement ensures the song never once loses its way. The question now is, can
KAZU repeat the feat with his next release?
Assuming he doesn’t go and start another band in the meantime.
Life!! is available worldwide via
Amazon and
iTunes.
