07-10-2016, 12:31 AM
A Mean, Modern Murasaki - 85%
Following prog/hard rock band Murasaki's disbandment in 1978, George Murasaki began to explore new musical horizons, beginning with the band Mariner, which featured a man on vocals by the name of Hiroto Arasaki, also known as JJ Patterson. Make no mistake, George adores Jon Lord and Richie Blackmore, as evidenced by George Higa going as far as legally changing his surname to Murasaki (meaning purple). When this duo of George and JJ joined forces in George Murasaki and Mariner, the project understandably drew plenty of influence from Blackmore bands, but unlike Murasaki's heavy Deep Purple influence, Mariner drew strongly from Rainbow's sound, throwing in a few metal songs on their two rock albums before the project parted ways. Fast forward nearly thirty years and George Murasaki was ready to turn his attention back to his most successful band, and in need of a new vocalist, he brought in none other than his old friend JJ and the new lineup released the band's third album, Purplessence in 2010.
Over the years, JJ had a noticeable interest in heavy metal, having fronted the band Heavy Metal Army, as well as having worked as a guest with Munetaka Higuchi and 5X among others, and upon joining Murasaki, the band's music was infused with an aggression and heaviness foreign to anything they had done previously, similar in style to the Mariner project, but with clean, streamlined modern production. Along with the new additions JJ and bassist Chris Teruya, returning to the band were classic members Kiyomasa Higa and GG Shimoji on guitars, as well as Eiichi Miyanaga on drums.
Purplessence is primarily a mixture of Deep Purple/Rainbow influenced heavy metal and hard rock with a bunch of proggy elements all over. For older gentlemen in their sixties, these guys rock, and they rock with a youthful fury. Eiichi Miyanaga remains brilliant and highly capable drummer, Kiyomasa and GG combine to form a very worthy duo on guitar with exciting riffs in addition to crafty, energetic twin guitar solos, and George's beautiful keyboard and piano playing with a large prominence in every track. Unlike the old incarnation of Murasaki, the focus is primarily set on JJ's immense vocal abilities, whose raw power, pleasant soothing voice, wide range and absolutely perfect English is far superior to original vocalist Masao Shiroma.
There's a solid variety of songs on Purplessence with an explosive heavy metal song opening the album in Celestial Purplessence/Into the Sun, spanning an epic 9 minutes in length and sits easily among the strongest material the band has ever made with an aggression and attitude that feels like the band telling the entirety of Okinawa "we're back and better than ever". Among the other metallic songs are I'm on Fire, the progressive 58, Kaleidoscope of Love and the super heavy No Monsters which features fuzzy heavily distorted guitars and is actually a surprisingly dark track for Murasaki. The band also included two hard rock songs in Find Your Way and Why Do You Lie? along with a couple of sorrowful, soulful love ballads in All Our Dreams and On the Edge both of which are superb.
For a band that hadn't put out fresh material in thirty-five years, Murasaki certainly didn't squander the opportunity they had, as this beats out their early stuff quite easily. If you're a fan of classic Murasaki, this album will be a thrill. This might also be something the average Deep Purple fan can find enjoyment in, especially given the lack of a language barrier whatsoever. Purplessence is a lively, highly enjoyable ride, and as a comeback album, it's a definite winner.
Written by TadakatsuH0nda, December 2015, re-posted from the Metal Archives.
Following prog/hard rock band Murasaki's disbandment in 1978, George Murasaki began to explore new musical horizons, beginning with the band Mariner, which featured a man on vocals by the name of Hiroto Arasaki, also known as JJ Patterson. Make no mistake, George adores Jon Lord and Richie Blackmore, as evidenced by George Higa going as far as legally changing his surname to Murasaki (meaning purple). When this duo of George and JJ joined forces in George Murasaki and Mariner, the project understandably drew plenty of influence from Blackmore bands, but unlike Murasaki's heavy Deep Purple influence, Mariner drew strongly from Rainbow's sound, throwing in a few metal songs on their two rock albums before the project parted ways. Fast forward nearly thirty years and George Murasaki was ready to turn his attention back to his most successful band, and in need of a new vocalist, he brought in none other than his old friend JJ and the new lineup released the band's third album, Purplessence in 2010.
Over the years, JJ had a noticeable interest in heavy metal, having fronted the band Heavy Metal Army, as well as having worked as a guest with Munetaka Higuchi and 5X among others, and upon joining Murasaki, the band's music was infused with an aggression and heaviness foreign to anything they had done previously, similar in style to the Mariner project, but with clean, streamlined modern production. Along with the new additions JJ and bassist Chris Teruya, returning to the band were classic members Kiyomasa Higa and GG Shimoji on guitars, as well as Eiichi Miyanaga on drums.
Purplessence is primarily a mixture of Deep Purple/Rainbow influenced heavy metal and hard rock with a bunch of proggy elements all over. For older gentlemen in their sixties, these guys rock, and they rock with a youthful fury. Eiichi Miyanaga remains brilliant and highly capable drummer, Kiyomasa and GG combine to form a very worthy duo on guitar with exciting riffs in addition to crafty, energetic twin guitar solos, and George's beautiful keyboard and piano playing with a large prominence in every track. Unlike the old incarnation of Murasaki, the focus is primarily set on JJ's immense vocal abilities, whose raw power, pleasant soothing voice, wide range and absolutely perfect English is far superior to original vocalist Masao Shiroma.
There's a solid variety of songs on Purplessence with an explosive heavy metal song opening the album in Celestial Purplessence/Into the Sun, spanning an epic 9 minutes in length and sits easily among the strongest material the band has ever made with an aggression and attitude that feels like the band telling the entirety of Okinawa "we're back and better than ever". Among the other metallic songs are I'm on Fire, the progressive 58, Kaleidoscope of Love and the super heavy No Monsters which features fuzzy heavily distorted guitars and is actually a surprisingly dark track for Murasaki. The band also included two hard rock songs in Find Your Way and Why Do You Lie? along with a couple of sorrowful, soulful love ballads in All Our Dreams and On the Edge both of which are superb.
For a band that hadn't put out fresh material in thirty-five years, Murasaki certainly didn't squander the opportunity they had, as this beats out their early stuff quite easily. If you're a fan of classic Murasaki, this album will be a thrill. This might also be something the average Deep Purple fan can find enjoyment in, especially given the lack of a language barrier whatsoever. Purplessence is a lively, highly enjoyable ride, and as a comeback album, it's a definite winner.
Written by TadakatsuH0nda, December 2015, re-posted from the Metal Archives.
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Looking to add to your collection? Read up on a few sellers to trust or avoid. I'd also be happy to help you out with Obscure Band Research/Questions.
Looking to add to your collection? Read up on a few sellers to trust or avoid. I'd also be happy to help you out with Obscure Band Research/Questions.