Blazing Bronze - Death Collection (Limited Edition)



(Track listing in Japanese) 1. Track 1 (1:36) 2. Track 2 (1:49) 3. Track 3 (0:44). 4. Track 4 (2:54) 5. Track 5 (1:24) 6. Track 6 (2:05) 7. Track 7 (1:09) 8. Track 8 (4:01) 9. Track 9 (2:14) 10. Track 10 (3:13) 11. Track 11 (2:15) 12. Track 12 (1:07) 13. Track 13 (1:13) 14. Track 14 (4:00) 15. Track 15 (0:54) 16. Track (2:28) 17. Track 17 (1:13) 18. Track 18 (6:11) 19. Track 19 (1:02) 20. Track 20 (3:01) 21. Track 21 (1:27) 22. Track 22 (2:59) 23. Track 23 (0:23) 24. Track 24 (3:43) 25. Track 25 (2:03) 26.Track 26 (2:53) 27. Track 27 (0:52) 28. Track 28 (1:04) 29. Track 29 (1:31) 30. Track 30 (1:50) 31. Track 31 (1:36) 32. Track 32 (2:13) 33. Track 33 (0:35) 34. Track 34 (2:09)

Total Running Time: 69:25



Ok, if I've written anything about ominous musical passages, threatening atmospheres, and intimidating records in the past few months, it's only because I didn't have a clue that it could actually get worse. If you're my age, mix memories of playing Doom II at midnight with all the lights out and your first childhood impressions of watching shock horror films such as Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street, take the resulting fright through the musty darkness and psychological madness of Silence of the Lambs and Seven, and magnify it in a darkly twisted mind. Give it all a soundtrack, and voila! You have Blazing Bronze's second effort, Death Collection.

Much like its predecessor Dominion of the East, the instrumental segments of this record are surrounded by an oppressive atmosphere of evil that unleashes nightmarish melodies and harmonies at every single step, with barely a moment of truce in line for the frayed nerves of the listener. Occasional electronic drums conjure the dark and dusty dungeons of a clever psychopath, keyboards glide above like menacing crows or dive in with ripping melodies, a weird acoustic guitar out of tune will conjure the twisted mental labyrinth of death, and an undeniably catchy bass will suddenly grant a background of alluring darkness to the whole. Except the instruments are not alone this time around…

No sir, this time around, these Japanese purveyors of darkness have created an entire horror story complete with screams, maniacal laughter, the sound of chains scurrying across the floor at midnight, and demented special effects. A record of theatrical proportions, much like the soundtrack to hidden secrets that should have never been discovered, Death Collection is a record that further exploits the avant-gardism of this extremely promising Japanese act by exploring the hidden confines of the occult. It is thus that after an intense foray into the instrumental menace of Blazing Bronze, the listener will be exposed to tracks that consist only of weird noises, female cries, unnerving moans, and Lord knows what else. Talk about on the edge.

Unfortunately for the average Western listener that doesn't speak a word of Japanese (kind of like me), the entire track listing is in that language and thus it's hard to really have a clue of what's going on image-wise as the record progresses. It's certainly frightening though. Musically, meanwhile, there is more than enough to keep the listener's interest in what this band is going to come up with in the future, as the instrumentals scattered across Death Collection are extremely interesting in their inherent darkness influenced by jazz, classical music, electronic instruments, and sense of space. Track twenty-four is just brilliant, for instance, and leaves the listener breathless after its grandeur passes by. Really recommended for all those that seek something wildly different.

-by Marcelo Silveyra

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