Well well, PassCode, I see that you went ahead and made a truthful Maniac of me: The most-PassCode stuff on VIRTUAL appears to not be what they put out in MVs, but a little deeper in the playlist.

Mm … so PassCode …

There is a very small number of PassCode songs that I like more than this, to be honest. “Now I Know” might be the closest in terms of overall sound, but that very metalcore riff and the way it never quite gets around to a full-on breakdown and then “激動プログレッシブ”s its way into a very pretty and clean chorus? This is fantastic stuff; nobody gets more mileage out of making chiptune heavy and crunchy synths melodic than PassCode at their best.

My only criticism is the song’s distinct lack of Yuna screaming a hole in my face. You know she’s in there with cleans, though, and maybe that’s just fine if that root digital hardcore sound is preserved; I was concerned that management wanted to back off too much, but this is not a song that’s backing off. Continue reading →