Teru's Symphonia - The Gate


Year of Release: 1999
Label: Musea Records
Catalog Number: FGBG 4302.AR
Format: CD
Total Time: 51:33:00

For years Japanese band Teru's Symphonia has been regarded as one of the better exponents of symphonic rock. However, for the sensitive "western" ears the Japanese singing is a real torture, which is also the case on the band's latest output The Gate. A pity because the arrangements sometimes sound heavenly, yet those weird Japanese sounds dampen the merry-making. Opening track "The Gate Of 21st Century" holds all of the contemporary ingredients to really make it, yet as already mentioned, the vocals spoil it. Nice eastern flavour all around "Humanizer" with, as always in this sort of music, a true highlight for keyboard player Shouichi Aoki. Very medieval is "Unknown Lives" which is a dead-ringer for the 'old' Italian symphonic rock school. In all of the songs, the mix between guitar, keyboards and drums is perfect, whilst the music remains fascinating, which often results in heavy AOR as in "End Of Millennium' which, as expected, has been written the wrong way! Teru's Symphonia really is at its best during the instrumental "In The Distance" where we find lush symphonic textures. Certainly this is not a bad band and in Japan they will surely be the leading band of the current army of progressive bands, but for us it remains difficult simply because of the Japanese language. If "sushi" and the likes is of no problem to you, then I'm sure The Gate is something to wet your appetite after all.


Tracklisting:
The Gate Of 21st Century (3:15) / Humanizer (Dream Of An Android) (6:45) / Entrance The Visions (3:16) / Eternal Sinner (8:17) / Unknown Lives (2:37) / Wish (4:58) / The Gypsy's Parade (3:25) / End Of Millenium (6:40) / In The Distance (4:06) / Exit For D.N.A. (6:18)

Musicians:
Megumi Tokuhisa - vocals
Terutsugu Hirayama - guitars
Jutaro Ohkubo - bass
Junichi Sato - drums
Shouichi Aoki - keyboards

Discography:
Teru's Symphonia (1985)
Egg The Universe (1988)
Human Race Party (1989)
Fable Of The Seven Pillows (1991)
Clockworked Earth (1993)
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Camel? (1997)
The Gate (1999)

Genre: Progressive Rock

Origin JP

Added: January 1st 2000
Reviewer: John "Bobo" Bollenberg

Hits: 2377
Language: english

  

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