[Album Review] Terra Rosa - (1987) The Endless Basis - 10/10

[Painkiller]

Artist: Terra Rosa
Release: The Endless Basis (1987)
Rating: 10/10

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Simply put, a perfect album for this style of metal. The whole production itself is very atmospheric, with a mesmerizing set of hooks throughout. The original Mandrake Root Records version sounds a bit different from the reissue that I own, but I've heard both versions, and the differences aren't that apparent, for the album was only partially remixed. Either way, on with the review.

What I really like about Terra Rosa is their blending of different elements on the album. It's technically heavy metal in nature, albeit with elements that are commonly found in power metal, progressive metal, and even hard rock. You've got the straight-forward, balls-to-the-wall metal a la Chastain that often wanders in neoclassical territory. The opener, "Vision of the Lake Bottom", and the instrumental "Fatima" make that quite apparent, and they're just done so well. It almost seems like I'm listening to the continuation of The 7th of Never, which is my personal favorite Chastain album, too. The great doses of melody coming from the vocals of Kazue Akao, guitarist Yosuke Mitake's riffs, and Masashi Okagaki's adventurous style of playing the keyboards. All three of these members create multiple layers of musical harmony, as evidenced by "Friday's Free Fair", "Petrouchka", and "As Long as Our Lives". The aforementioned songs boast very reminiscent Deep Purple and Rainbow vibes.

All of the aforementioned songs just work so well together, with my personal favorites being "Petrouchka" and "Vision of the Lake Bottom". I'm also a huge fan of the closer, which is nearly ten minutes of epic stuff. That's where much of the suspense enters the album. I love that it's quite progressive for a non-progressive metal song. It reminds me a little bit of a few classic progressive rock bands, albeit more satisfying in that being more Terra Rosa's style than any other band's.

The Endless Basis is personally one of the best metal albums of all time, and released by one of the very best female-fronted Japanese metal bands that I've had the opportunity to check out. Girlschool, Hellion, Acid, and Warlock are all still pretty cool, but Terra Rosa is on another level of quality for me. The whole of the album just feels like a surreal trip, and one that I could always take when the mood strikes. More than typical of a band that was initially signed to Mandrake Root Records, as even this album edges out Hellen, Precious, and the like. That's not to say that those bands aren't worth the time of day, because they are. It's just that I've gotten way more enjoyment out of Terra Rosa's discography, and that even includes their early demos. In fact, it would've been interesting to hear a classic such as "A Hell Ray" getting the remake on this album. On the other hand, there's a leftover song that was released along with the album in 1987, and it was a flexi disc. The song itself is "Do Work", which isn't too shabby.