As a thrash / melodeath band from Japan, for whom a lot of their work is directly centered around their nation’s folklore and mythology, you’d be more surprised if Matt Heafy weren’t somehow involved in this. The Trivium frontman—and purveyor of similar feudal weebery in his Ibaraki project, don’t forget—is as good as an extra limb for Ryujin, not only featuring on three tracks on this album (four if you count one of the bonuses), but also serving as manager and producer for an act that can clearly strive to benefit from more eyes on them. They’ve actually been around since 2009, but this is their first release under the Ryujin name, an opportunity that’s clearly presented some expediency that’s being grabbed with every free hand available.
The audience is there, after all. If Trivium themselves weren’t proof of that, how about the ample quantities of metal bands who’ve scales tremendous heights through anchoring themselves to tales of war and classical fables? It’s not an insignificant overlap, nor is it that difficult to leverage with the right means. Even for Ryujin themselves, though their specified area of cultural study is by no means exclusive to them, they accomplish everything that’s required. Metal’s love of a good niche has Ryujin hyperfocused on embodying theirs as fully and deeply as possible, to where it really is difficult to complain that much.
It can be a lot like power-metal in that sense—entirely, wholeheartedly sure of what it is, and willing to exercise that certainty with a penchant for extravagance that burns white-hot in its field. What’s even more like power-metal is how Ryujin’s take on that ethos lands, and how slotting in shamisens or dragon flutes whenever possible feeds into a space that’s cogent of both its thematic and stylistic footings. It absolutely is the most obvious angle in the world—traditional Japanese sounds on an album intrinsically built from traditional Japanese culture? Who’d’ve thought?!—but when it works, it works.
There’s also the other touchstone of Ryujin’s homeland that plays its part, namely the influence of anime that’s more peripheral at most, but not unnoticeable. That’s probably a better way to be though, seeing as it mitigates some of the more…undesirable elements that can often bring. It’s mainly just a workaround for describing the certain emphasis on scope (at least outside of a straight-up cover of the Attack On Titan theme Guren No Yumiya). The Rainbow Song is doused in glitter to give an already imperious hook a little extra juice; elsewhere, Saigo No Hoshi just goes the whole hog on bombastic, cinematic opulence, at times reminiscent of countrymen X Japan’s power-ballads in form and deviation from the norm. There’s also an English-language reworking with Matt Heafy as the album’s bonus track, and it speaks to an inherent strength that it’s basically just as good a second time round.
Speaking of Heafy, his influence on Ryujin is pretty stark throughout. Not that that’s a bad thing; it’s just worth mentioning when it’s this blatant, down to his and vocalist Ryoji Shinomoto’s techniques and tones being borderline identical. The behind-the-scenes nous he brings is more impressive, beefing up Ryujin considerably to where songs like Dragon, Fly Free and Scream Of The Dragon strike an acute balance between glorious excess and something more directly thrash-y. Production-wise, there are very few complaints as far as what needs to be done goes, or rather, what Ryujin simply can’t get away with. The vocals themselves, then, are a bit of a weak link, in both mixing and general technique. You’ll get some of the cluttered line deliveries and indiscernible pronunciations, a blend of par-for-the-course language-learning with a particularly unforgiven job deigned upon it. And that’s all on top of a lyrical set itself that ranges from impressively self-important in its flowery grandeur, to unmistakably bizarre at very severe and sporadic junctures that makes them leap out all the more. Believe it or not, there is actually mythological context from Raijin And Fujin’s line “Don’t make me angry / I’m gonna take your belly button,” but it doesn’t make it less jarring to crowbar into place.
That said, on a song about the gods of thunder and wind locked in fierce combat, expecting anything to be played that straight is rather foolish. That just isn’t what you come to a band like Ryujin for, is it? No, it’s all about the bluster and the oversized, overpowered approach to metal that lives and dies on how well the shtick is sold. In Ryujin’s case, there’s enough about them to suggest they’re selling theirs pretty well indeed, especially with some added star power in their corner to boost what’s not all that dim in the first place. Should this get the right push, Ryujin could make quite a bit of headway, at least in the realms of metal’s acts defined by their own certain themes or aesthetics. It’d be nice to get another good one of those.
For fans of: Trivium, DragonForce, Sabaton
‘Ryujin’ by Ryujin is released on 12th January on Napalm Records.
Words by Luke Nuttall
