Last Stardust

Just as I suspected, Blood Stain Child has decided to continue writing in the unabashedly mainstream vein introduced in earnest on εpsilon. The biggest concern was the departure of Sophia and her subsequent replacement by virtual unknown Kiki. Sophia's deep, emotive tenor was the single most important element that helped propel εpsilon into the melodic stratosphere. Her absence is felt here on Last Stardust, but that isn't to shortchange Kiki, who is still an appealing vocalist in her own right.

The digital single I received has a decent amount of material to chew on, so kudos for Blood Stain Child in that regard. The band intends for the biggest appeal to be the title track: "Last Stardust". It embodies an amalgam of elements borrowed from both Mozaíq and εpsilon, which is a decision I suspect most fans won't have many qualms with. As with most modern Blood Stain Child material, Aki's programmed synth backings constitute the backbone of the song both rhythmically and melodically. The atmosphere is more somber than it is uplifting, which immediately sets this song apart from most of the last album - even if it falls in line with songs like "Forever Free" from a compositional standpoint. Kiki's inflection is saccharine and harmless, but she lacks the deep, resonating appeal that made Sophia such a treat to listen to. Kiki sounds like any other Jane Doe singer thrust in front of the rest of the band and demanded to perform with conviction. Once all of the smoke clears, it may become evident that she was not the best possible choice, but rather an impulsive decision.

The other new song is actually the more impressive of the two. "Over the Galaxy" features more of the rousing, numinous melodies that are often associated with Blood Stain Child, along with more trade-off vocal aesthetics featuring Ryo's dessicated bark. It is hardly amazing, but it would hold it's own on εpsilon all the same. "Stargazer -X-" gives Kiki a fair shake at performing the catchiest track off of εpsilon all on her own. There are some minor differences in the composition like some pitch-shifted and altogether new keyboard lines. I'll be honest, much of this one falls flat. Kiki enunciates some of the words very strangely, ironically during the chorus more than anything. Nearly all of the supplemented keyboards come off as unnecessary distractions after the rest of the performances are taken into account. The two new songs are also included without vocals, amusingly tagged as "off vocal" variants. I'm failing to fully see the appeal here either, since Kiki's intonation makes for such easy listening to begin with. I suppose that if you are really that interested in experiencing Aki's ersatz soundscapes without the vocals distracting your narrow attention span, these will pass muster.

What concerns me more than the vocals is Ryu's continued descent into obscurity. His spirited riffwork is so buried that virgin ears would repeatedly misidentify Last Stardust as pop music if not for the still-spectacular leads. Even εpsilon still had enough of a fire lit under it's ass to deliver some meodeath passages, even if it was nothing more than a necessary nod to the band's heavier origins. As it stands, Last Stardust clarifies Blood Stain Child's approach going forward, which will hopefully deliver us another gem like εpsilon or at the very least something approaching that level of quality. Just don't forget the riffs, guys!