Draft:The Fallen Crimson
| The Fallen Crimson | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 7 February 2020 | |||
| Recorded | Summer 2019 | |||
| Studios |
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| Length | 54:27 | |||
| Labels | Temporary Residence Limited Pelagic Records Sonzai Records | |||
| Envy chronology | ||||
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| Singles from The Fallen Crimson | ||||
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The Fallen Crimson is the seventh studio album by Japanese screamo band Envy, released on 7 February 2020.
Background and release
[edit]Envy released their sixth studio album, Atheist's Cornea, in 2015. On 1 April the following year, vocalist Tetsuya Fukagawa, who had been with the band since their inception, announced his departure from the band for unspecified reasons.[1][2] Their guitarist Masahiro Tobita departed the band shortly thereafter, as did drummer Dairoku Seki. The remaining members—guitarist Nobukata Kawai and bassist Manabu Nakagawa—chose to continue as Envy. They recruited three new members: guitarists Yoshimitsu Taki and yOshi; and drummer Hiroki Watanabe. However, they nearly disbanded as they cycled through numerous vocalists. During a show on 1 April 2018 – the two-year anniversary of Fukagawa's departure, and the first day of the Japanese fiscal year – Fukagawa unexpectedly joined the band on stage.[3] The band followed this by releasing an extended play (EP), Alnair in August, on 2 November, with Fukagawa having officially rejoined the band. The EP contained two songs: "Marginalized Thread" and "Dawn and Gaze".[4]
Envy began working on their seventh studio album in early 2019. According to Kawai, the band wrote songs in as little as "two or three hours".[3] The band and their crew traveled to the northeastern United States to complete the album. During the summer, Daisuke Yamashita engineered and mixed the album at Ultra Vibe in Powerhouse Studio in East Hanover, New Jersey. Josh Bonati mastered the album at Bonati Mastering in New York City.[5] On November 1, Envy announced that The Fallen Crimson would be released on 7 February 2020. They simultaneously unveiled the album's tracklist, which contained both "Marginalized Thread" and "Dawn and Gaze" as the fifth and ninth tracks out of 11. They also released a trailer for the album, which itself featured teaser for its third track, "A Faint New World".[6] The band released the album's closer, "A Step in the Morning Glow", as its lead single on 14 November 2019.[7] "A Faint New World" followed as the album's second single on 17 January 2020; the band released an accompanying music video six days later.[8][9]
Reception
[edit]| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Distorted Sound Magazine | 8/10[10] |
| Kerrang! | 4/5[11] |
| Punknews |   [12] |
The Fallen Crimson received positive reviews from music critics. Writing for Stereogum, which selected it as their "Album of the Week", Tom Breihan praised it for its simultaneously pristine and intense qualities; its command of tension and release; and Fukagawa's diverse vocals. He further considered the album to be an immersive listening experience and accessible to anyone who had not yet listened to Envy. Additionally, he commented that it could lend poignance and catharsis to "the dumbest show on TV ... and that show would magically transform into a raw and bruising emotional experience for anyone watching."[13] Punknews gave the album four stars out of five and called it one of the band's most accessible and best albums. The reviewer highlighted the tracks "Marginalized Thread" and "Hikari" as filmic and unpredictable, and remarked that the emotional impact of the lyrics transcended the language barrier. They also complimented "Rhythm" as a highly successful experiment in including a woman's vocals, "worth its weight in gold".[12] In a review for Kerrang!, Olly Thomas rated The Fallen Crimson four out of five and hailed it as "a potent reminder that Envy were successfully blending cataclysmic heaviness and seductive beauty long before anyone had coined the term blackgaze."[11] Invisible Oranges writer Alex Brown praised the album as "cinematic" and an "emotional powerhouse" and lauded the incorporation of vocals by woman guest singer Achico in "Rhythm" and "Dawn and Gaze" – however, he also criticized the spoken word passages as monotonous.[14] Daniel Fella in a review for Distorted Sound Magazine praised the album for fusing hardcore punk and post-rock in an unorthodox yet effective manner; Fella rated the album eight out of ten.[10]
Reviewers frequently highlighted "Statement of Freedom". Breihan and Fella praised the song as a forceful opener to The Fallen Crimson, while also lauding the song for incorporating melody and spoken word as it progressed.[10][13] Punknews wrote that it embodied the "political edges" of the album, and complimented its personal lyricism.[12] Thomas considered it to be a relatively straightforward song on an album which blended several contradictory elements.[11]
Punknews.org
- seems to conflict with Stereogum re. comparison to previous sound - "back to help create a wall of sound unlike anything out there"
- quality is as "powerful" as their earlier works in the 90s and aughties
- best album to date
- also compliment for their use of tension and release
- compliment for their musical range; they can be soft and melodic to rowdy and "chaotic"
- also "most accessible" - seems to be similar with "great album to start w discography" comment ?
- the language barrier doesn't matter because the poetic lyricism leaves a lasting impact
- Also noted "Statement of Freedom" for its hardcore sound and its "themes of death" that give the album its "political edges"
Kerrang
- Also noted "Statement of Freedom"
- Also complimented it for the tension and release, or rather the blending of soft and loud sounds ("cataclysmic heaviness and seductive beauty")
- Citation: "Even the ferocity of Marginalized Thread is marked by a euphoric tone"
- 4/5
Invisible Oranges
- disagreement once again - "grown more post-rock than ever"
- "extra atmosphere with more minimalist performances"
- balances the more intense sounds with some melodic, emotional ones
- Praise for Achico's vocals, which worked well with Fukugawa's on "Dawn and Gaze" and highlighted the song's "massive, gorgeous climax"
- Praise for Fukugawa's raspy voice as well: "his gritty yells are always a treat to hear regardless of the track’s tone"
- Praise for the new drummer
- Criticized the spoken-word stuff, feeling it diluted the impact of the album's intense soundscape
- in contrast the reviewer thinks it may not be up to par with their previous works, but it is still good
Distorted Sound
- "they were defibrillated and a new found vigour surged through the ranks." - they were revitalized by Fukagawa's return
- "will earworm it’s way deeper than anything they’ve ever written before." - their catchiest album
- Also highlights "Statement of Freedom"
- "It can be difficult to pinpoint exactly what ENVY are at any given time ... they have played this game long enough to know where the puzzle pieces fit" - eclectic yet coherent
- Frequent shifts in tone; genres (such as post-rock and hardcore) are blended in an unorthodox yet effective manner
- States that fans of old will be the people in the best position to judge this album's quality relative to the rest of Envy's discography
Track listing
[edit]| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Statement of Freedom" | 3:49 |
| 2. | "Swaying Leaves and Scattering Breath" | 4:13 |
| 3. | "A Faint New World" | 5:28 |
| 4. | "Rhythm" | 6:21 |
| 5. | "Marginalized Thread" | 3:34 |
| 6. | "HIKARI" | 5:36 |
| 7. | "Eternal Memories and Reincarnation" | 3:09 |
| 8. | "Fingerprint Mark" | 3:05 |
| 9. | "Dawn and Gaze" | 6:44 |
| 10. | "Memories and the Limit" | 5:09 |
| 11. | "A Step in the Morning Glow" | 7:14 |
| Total length: | 54:27 | |
Personnel
[edit]Credits are adapted from the liner notes.[5]
- Envy – performance
- Tetsuya Fukagawa
- Nobukata Kawai
- Manabu Nakagawa
- Yoshimitsu Taki
- Hiroki Watanabe
- yOshi
- Achiko – vocals (4)
- Josh Bonati – mastering
- David V. D'Andrea – artwork
- Hayato Minesaki – English translations
- Taku Nakai – design
- TOWA – insert painting
- Osami Yabuta – photography
- Daisuke Yamashita – engineering, mixing
- yOshi – English translations
References
[edit]- ↑ Sacher, Andrew (6 April 2016). "Envy vocalist leaves band". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
- ↑ Adams, Gregory (5 April 2016). "Envy singer Tetsuya Fukagawa leaves band". Exclaim!. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
- 1 2 Stewart-Panko, Kevin (22 January 2020). "Inside the unexpected return of Japanese post-hardcore heroes Envy". Bandcamp Daily. Retrieved 3 April 2024.
- ↑ Sacher, Andrew (2 November 2018). "Envy return with first release in three years, 'Alnair in August' (listen)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 27 August 2026.
- 1 2 Envy (2020). The Fallen Crimson (liner notes [CD]). Temporary Residence Limited. TRR341CD.
- ↑ Pearis, Bill (1 November 2019). "Envy announce first album in five years, 'The Fallen Crimson' (watch the trailer)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
- ↑ Hughes, Josiah (14 November 2019). "Envy share new single from forthcoming album 'The Fallen Crimson'". Exclaim!. Retrieved 28 August 2026.
- ↑ Sacher, Andrew (17 January 2020). "Envy share new song; guitarist yOshi lists his 2019 faves". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- ↑ Weaver, James (23 January 2020). "envy release new music video for 'A Faint New World'". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
- 1 2 3 Fella, Daniel (7 February 2020). "ALBUM REVIEW: The Fallen Crimson – envy". Distorted Sound Magazine. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- 1 2 3 Thomas, Olly (6 February 2020). "Album Review: Envy – The Fallen Crimson". Kerrang!. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
- 1 2 3 "Envy - The Fallen Crimson (2020)". Punknews.org. 23 March 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- 1 2 Breihan, Tom (4 February 2020). "Album Of The Week: Envy The Fallen Crimson". Stereogum. Retrieved 20 December 2021.
- ↑ Brown, Alex (19 February 2020). "Surging After the Fall: Envy's "The Fallen Crimson" is an Atmospheric Rush". Invisible Oranges. Retrieved 23 December 2021.