VELVET THUNDER

Fancy a little bit of post-melodic nu-metal? Well, if you’re quietly wondering what that means then you are not alone because it was beyond me to fathom it out. OK, nu-metal we all understand, and nu-metal can be melodic (at times), but what does post-melodic mean? Anyway, post-melodic nu-metal might be how the band position themselves, but suffice to say that in general terms this is an album for metal fans. However, it’s also metal is tempered by a strong use of synths, some very catchy hook lines, and vocals that are always clean. In other words, it’s aimed at those metal fans that like a good riff but without growling vocals or the perceived excesses of thrash or extreme metal bands.  

Zilgy is probably a new name to most readers, but it is something of a supergroup, at least in Japanese circles. Guitarist Toki was previously a member of the power metal band Aldious, while Mino was bassist with the internationally known Lovebites. Both of those were all-female bands, and that configuration continues here with the Zilqy line-up completed by Anna on vocals and Kano on drums. It never ceases to amaze me how slender Japanese female drummers can sound as aggressive as John Bonham, but Kano is yet another example.    

Perhaps the song that sums up the band best is the quite brilliant Run. Blasts of ferocious heavily down-tuned guitars are interspersed with some breathless vocals before a bridge section leads to an earworm of a chorus, and we’ve seamlessly migrated from a nu-metal sound to an almost pure J-Pop world.  There’s a brief return of that heavy guitar sound prior to the last chorus as if to remind us that Zilqy are not just another pop band. It’s a delicate balancing act to mix the two elements but here Zilqy pull if off perfectly and it’s a thrilling ride.

Along with Run, there were two other promo releases. World’s End follows a similar trajectory to Run, even if the chorus isn’t quite as catchy, while Caveat is much more of a pure metal track driven along by some powerful drumming.  The changes of pace in the track and difficult to discern song structure reminded me very much of Hanabie. Perhaps the other candidate for a promo release would have been Misfit Toys which rushes along in a bit of an indie style but there’s no denying that the chorus is another earworm (you’ll be singing ‘hello, hello’ whether you want to or not!).

Caught In The Web is another highlight. Here Zilqy shed most of the nu-metal elements and it’s more like a straightforward symphonic metal track. You could imagine bands like Beyond The Black or Ad Infinitum writing something like this. It’s very classy.

Excluding the brief instrumental opener, Birth Of Riot consists of nine tracks, none of which reach four-minutes in duration. There’s definitely no fluff here at all, and little more than half an hour passes by the time the brilliant Crimson closes proceedings with yet more aggressive guitars and another anthemic chorus. A brief journey yes, but certainly a very entertaining one, and the focus on short sharp songs really works well.

The Japanese elements in their music make Zilqy difficult to compare to western bands. Even amongst Japanese bands, you could point out similarities to Babymetal or Hanabie but the similarities are not that strong. Those two bands are Japanese groups that have grown beyond their Japanese roots and have broken out into the world market. In contrast, Zilqy describe themselves as a ‘Global All-Female Metal Band from Japan’ (‘global’ being the key word), and the fact that Anna sings almost exclusively in (perfect) English further hints that Zilqy have set out their stalls to appeal to European and American audiences. It’s a bold step but you sense Zilqy have the quality to succeed.