ViViD - Take-off

Take-off, ViViD’s debut maxi-single, has already sold out despite being on sale for less than a month. Being signed to the Indie PSC label, and thus label mates of popular bands SuG and SCREW, they have received a lot of exposure, with high expectations mounting well before this release.

The title track contains everything that you would want to hear. Rollicking guitar riffs and smooth, pleasing vocals make this a very convincing song. The arrangement is very neat, the fast pace just managing to pull everything together; it’s intricately structured with many layers integrated. Take-off is pumped up, but there is the danger that the energized playing is overwhelming the vocals.

Like in the last track, the pitch of the drums in W.B.A is not optimal. However, Shin’s voice is more impressively demonstrated as the backing is simpler. The tone is moving whilst retaining the energy. The guitar solos are very striking; the patterns are played at lightning speed. The third song, J-guild, opens deceptively like a hip-hop track with the scratching, but then it bursts right into heavy riffs. Despite being the last song, it continues the momentum.

ViViD no doubt came out from the immense pressure cooker heads up; their strong debut release is not one to be brushed off. All three songs in Take-off are stamped with their recognizable style, making them an impressive newcomer to the world of visual kei.