MALICE MIZER is a band that practically needs no introduction, even to visual kei fans who have just started to discover the scene. Their fame, however, is rightfully earned, as evidenced by their tight but infinitely creative discography.
This is one band where I could have easily picked any of their albums to highlight because their quality was just so consistent, but listening to my gut I had to go with "Voyage..." since it's the release I've spun the most on my stereo over the years (not coincidentally it was my first 'MIZER CD). Even though I first got to experience the band's music via their last (more gothic) era with singer Klaha and the legendary "Beast of Blood" music video, it was their material with Gackt that was more accessible to my ears. I'm not gonna lie, the kaleidoscopic nature of their style shifts was a bit of a challenge at first. Having come from a metalhead background, it took me a while to appreciate the more electronic and softer pop elements but once I tuned into their wavelength it was a rewarding journey.
It's clear from the get-go, especially on this album, that MALICE MIZER was not afraid to experiment and take risks with their sound. They took the more traditional melodic VK tropes of their past and turned them inside out, resulting in instances of elaborate guitar mini-symphonies, dramatic opera-like pieces, fluffy baroque pop and even industrial-tinged aggression. What's even more amazing is that all these are present on just this one album, and I didn't even list all the genre nods and homages they packed into these 45 minutes!
Each song presents its own magical world, and each song is distinct yet noticeably bearing the 'MIZER sound, thanks to the imaginative arrangements of guitarists Mana and Közi. Even though this record might sound like the embryonic and lower-budget brother of their major label "merveilles" period, what they lacked in production they made up for with overflowing creativity here (and a heavy dose of cheesiness, but that's to be expected). Also, despite the stylistic differences between the individual tracks, I somehow feel like this is a surprisingly cohesive album. Even when they come with something completely out of left field, it doesn't feel out of place when taking the experience as a whole.
I guess I should thank MALICE MIZER, and especially the "Voyage..." album for finding my ears at such an early stage on my road of discovering visual kei. It made me appreciate a much wider range of sounds than what I had been used to before, being a huge part of shaping my identity not just as a music listener but as a more accepting and open person (I know it sounds lame, but it's true! haha).
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