For all of the chaotic good news surrounding the return of BiS to actual existence, the first major-label release of their official successor, BiSH, almost managed to fly under the radar. Hell, even the introduction (and subsequent Internet love-in) of Ayuni D seems to have gotten more hype. And the one-day bonus sale pre-release of KiLLER BiSH actually garnered complaints from people — I’ve seen everything from “it’s a cheap stunt” to “why are you such a rip-off, Watanabe?” — and warranted official replies from BiSH on Twitter.

I hope everybody has a chance to clear their heads and shut up for a second so they can listen to this album. (Also, the lyrics are available here if you can Japanese.)

It’s BiSH’s third full album release, all in a span of roughly 16 months (insane), which also includes the “OTNK” and “DEADMAN” singles, which is remarkable; considering that they tour pretty much constantly, it’s almost impossible in fact. For the sheer number of songs now in their discography, plus the schedule and move to a major label, one could be forgiven for thinking that they’d be toning it down. The same was expressed around “DEADMAN,” for which “toned down” is not something you’d use as a description. But this is an album, a major investment by a label that knows what it’s doing.

Basically, did KiLLER BiSH deliberately get a little lost in the shuffle? Or is it delivering on BiSH’s burgeoning promise?

GUESS YOU’LL JUST HAVE TO READ THE REVIEW!  Continue reading →