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Artist: MARLEE
Album: Virtual Sex
Year: 2008
Japanese electro metal band Marlee is already out there for quite a few years. Beeing born in 2001 as a duo, and having released their first EP 'Drainage' four years later, the band played several live shows all over Japan and as well in Korea. Currently the band operates as a trio, with an ex-Cold+Sleep member recently added to their line-up. 'Virtual Sex' is their currently latest release, containing twelve songs.
The release opens with 'Independence Day'. It's a catchy, very electronic driven track with powerful programming and heavy distorted riffing. The chorus includes some wicked sampling. 'Twister' is a bit more gentle and accessable. As well, it's mostly electronic driven, and it includes some welladded riffing - but overall the song is a bit more metal based and modernly built. 'Moopie Game' is the best track on the release if you ask me. It includes gentle and dark electronic works, very tight and powerful riffing and wellfitting programming. The song has a very outgoing and heavy sounding chorus. 'Chrono Trigger' is probably the most uptempo track of the release. It contains fast and wicked programming works, harsh riffing and recogniseable vocal lines - all resulting in an accessable though extreme up to some point track. 'New Type Aspirin' comes up next. Despite the slow intro, it's a pretty uptempo track mixing EBM and future pop with electro rock and modern cyber metal. It's one of the tracks that the metal people will be more appreciating. 'Circulation' basically is the sensitive ballad of this album, build on piano works and heavy programming brought together with emotional vocal lines and heavy riffing at the chorus. 'Shi Ra Nui' comes up next. This song, featuring Andro from Japanese band Gothika, hides strong influences from drum'n'bass and electro, mixed with whispering vocal works. 'FAKE' is very metal based, with excellent heavy riffing and ditto programming brought with a modern and accessable approach. The slightly added future pop synthlines and sampling give the track a more open and industrial sound. This song also includes a surprisingly cool sounding guitar solo. 'Coma Baby' sounds surprisingly old school. It mixes influences from bands such as Killing Joke and Depeche Mode with a modern metal approach, resulting in a variative and surprisingly cool track. 'Infinity' is another cool track, musically similar to 'Moopie Game' but with more electronic sampling experiments. Overall it's an accessable track, with a sticky chorus, and nicely heavy riffing. Next up comes some kind of "forbidden mix" for a track called 'Apatheia'. It's a rather wicked and spastic mix, very electronic based, with recogniseable vocal lines and uptempo programming. Hidden in the track we also find some wicked sampling, and nicely added riffing. The album ends with the downtempo and sensitive 'Red Pain', which mixes ambient influences with modern electro metal.
As you see, I mentioned many different elements and influences within this release. Nearly automatically this stands for more than enough variation, which is an exceptional thing to remember. As well a thing to definitely remember are the vocals. Sachiko's vocal lines are sometimes sensitive, sometimes outgoing, sometimes more introvert, but always very accessable - perfectly fitting to the music.
When we compare 'Virtual Sex' with Marlee's debut EP 'Drainage', we see many improvements as well. First of all, 'Virtual Sex' is blessed with a more straight to the point production, which turns out to be a blessing. Next to this, the song writing became much more mature - and the level of variation was dramatically increased. Referring to the review for the 'Drainage' EP - in which I mentioned that Marlee had more potential than that it was showing at that time - they didn't waste any time developing their potential to an even higher level.
Marlee proves that they can compete with other electro metal bands such as Helalyn Flowers (female fronted as well!), Dope Stars Inc., Latexxx Teens and Freak XXI with ease. Fans of these and/or similar sounding bands should definitely try to get hold of this album, and although it's probably going to have to be imported - it's definitely worth a little longer wait.
Vote: 95 / 100
Review by: Gerardo
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1. Independence Day
2. Twister
3. Moopiee Game
4. Chrono Trigger [V.S.Edition]
5. New Type Aspirin
6. Circulation
7. Shi Ra Nui [feat.Andro (from GOTHIKA)]
8. FAKE [V.S.Edition]
9. Coma Baby
10. Infinity [V.S.Edition]
11. Apatheia [403 Forbidden Mix]
12. Red Pain
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