No Longer Human was originally a novel by renowned Japanese author Dazai Osamu with strong autobiographical elements revolving around subjects such as depression, social alienation and ultimately suicide. Dazai Osamu took his own life by double suicide by drowning shortly after the novel's final part was published which is why No Longer Human is often interpreted as the author's will. Released all the way back in 1948, this tragedy is inspired by the author's tormented own life as well as the overwhelming feeling of defeat, loss and shame in Japan after the end of the Second World War. This novel, dealing with elements such as anti-heroism, existentialism and the meaning of life, is one of the most popular Japanese novels in the world and has sold millions of copies. It has been adapted into two movies, three anime series, one anime feature film and four manga. The most recent manga version has been created by legendary horror mangaka Ito Junji, known for genre classics such as Tomie and Uzumaki.

Ito Junji manages to combine the novel's gloomy content with haunting images that seem to come straight out of disturbing nightmares. Especially the paintings portrayed in the manga and the changing facial expressions portray a slow but steady descent into hell with no way out of terminal nothingness.

The story follows Oba Yozo's life, as he becomes the black sheep of a wealthy family due to his social anxiety as he tries to hide his consuming fears behind funny disguises and childish jokes. Anyone who spends time with the tormented young artist soon seems to be haunted and is pushed into anxiety, depression and ultimately death. As the protagonist himself spirals into a life of alcoholism, drug abuse and harlotry, his school friend, his married lover and his wife all transform from dynamic, profound and unique characters into hollow, lifeless and numb shells of their former selves whose only escape from such dreadful lives seems to be death. Oba Yozo himself is finally confined to an isolated mental institution, meandering between profound despair and lacklustre self-reflection. In an interesting twist of his own, Ito Junji makes Oba Yozo encounter Dazai Osamu at said sanitarium and also details the latter's double suicide as witnessed by the protagonist.

Certainly, this gloomy tragedy is nothing for faint-hearted people and shouldn't be read by anyone with destructive thoughts. From a distant perspective however, this highly atmospheric manga can be interpreted as a profound psychological drama that makes you appreciate your own life with all its complications, downsides and flaws so much more. While exploring consuming darkness, readers will find light of hope which can ultimately lead to a life-affirming conclusion of this bleak story. No Longer Human doesn't only feature one of the bleakest atmospheres ever described in the history of literature and a gripping story with many twists and turns involving diversified characters but also a philosophical depth that offers much food for debate, self-reflection and thought. Ito Junji's very own style blends in perfectly with the original novel by Dazai Osamu and makes for one of the very best manga ever published that you shouldn't miss out on if you don't mind dealing with pitch black subject matter for adults.

Final Rating: 90%

Let's get straight to the point: Lost Judgment is the best video game of the year 2021! It's the sequel to Judgment, released two years ago, which itself is a spin-off of the popular Yakuza video game series. This action adventure video game combines investigative techniques as a detective, intense martial arts combats and persuasive strategies used as a lawyer. The story follows Yagami Takayuki, a lawyer who has decided to become a detective after winning a trial with unexpected tragic consequences in the past. He is based in Kamurocho, a fictitious suburb of downtown Tokyo, but large parts of the story take place in Isezaki Ijincho, a fictitious suburb of downtown Yokohama. The charismatic protagonist in his late thirties investigates the case of a police officer accused of sexual battery who seems to be somehow connected to the brutal murder of a trainee teacher. Yagami Takayuki investigates among Kamurocho's criminal gangs but also at a school in Isezaki Ijincho to connect the two cases as he soon uncovers an incredible conspiracy of national dimension. He is supported by a set of interesting characters such as reserved lawyer Shirosaki Saori, quirky high school student Amasawa Kyoko and flashy former gangster Kaito Masaharu.

This game convinces on multiple levels. First of all, the atmosphere is authentic, gripping and variable as the game shifts from sinister stories of murder and suicide to funny and quirky side missions involving distracted elementary school students or clumsy doppelgänger.

Up next, the challenge level is quite diversified as the game has different degrees of difficulty that can be modified quite fluidly to help you not being stuck with overtly powerful opponents for an extended period of time.

The controls are fluid as it's easier to move around in this game than in its immediate predecessor since Yagami Takayuki can now use a skateboard to navigate through the two cities.

The game flow is excellent as I have played the main story and most of the side stories for a total of seventy-three hours in just a few weeks since the game is incredibly immersive and filled with stunning details.

The graphics are outstanding as the different characters all have unique facial features and the buildings vary from clean apartments to shady casinos hidden under public toilets.

The game's length offers lots of value for money. Even if you strictly focus on playing the main plot, it will offer you thirty to forty hours of excellent entertainment. If you want to play all the side stories, you might be in for about one hundred hours of entertainment and that still doesn't stop you from revisiting the game to play virtual reality games, motorcycle races or drone challenges.

The long-term fun factor associated to the game is quite elevated for these very same reasons. However, some players have complained to be stuck at certain points which can lead to some frustration. Especially the side story about the Robotics Club can be quite challenging but is also very rewarding. For each completed side quest, you can earn badges, money and skills.

The game's sound is intense and realistic without being too flashy or memorable. The excellent voice actors need to be pointed out however. I have played the game in its original Japanese version with German subtitles and would certainly recommend other players to choose the original voice acting over the English one that sounds a little bit stiff at times.

The soundtrack is decent with a few pop songs that can also be used for dance choreographies in the Dance Club side story but the tunes aren't quite memorable on their own.

The story is obviously the heart piece of this video game. The main story is an intriguing conspiracy with many twists and turns but overall maybe a little bit too similar to the first game. The numerous quirky side stories are however there to save the day. Especially the ten different school stories are very intriguing, from rivalries between overtly competitive esports groups over an enthusiastic but naive photographer admiring her former club leader to skateboard groups with artistic and territorial conflicts.

As you can see, Lost Judgment truly offers something for every taste and even though it is slightly less impressive than its immediate predecessor Judgment was two years ago, it easily outperforms the strong releases of the main series Yakuza that share several plots, locations and characters. This game, this series and this whole video game universe deserve much more attention than they have gotten so far. If you have never played any of these video games, start right now and you will have months or even years of splendid entertainment, no matter if you are a newcomer, an occasional player or video game expert.

Detailed rating:

Atmosphere: 9 /10 

Challenge level: 8 /10

Controls: 9 /10

Game flow: 10 /10

Graphics: 9 /10

Length: 10 /10

Long-term fun factor: 9 /10  

Sound: 8 /10

Soundtrack: 7 /10

Story: 9 /10

Total score: 88 / 100

The Sound of Chaos - A Review of Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû's Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû

Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû might be one of the worst band names in the history of music, the end of its preceding outfit Absu was quite controversial to say the least and the previous studio album in this trilogy was released a whopping ten years ago, making the new self-titled output something of an extreme metal version of Guns N' Roses Chinese Democracy. But just as the latter turned out to be a decent album without  being able to compete with the classics from the early years, Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû is a very good release that should please genre fans as it provides an aggressive dose of blackened thrash metal about mythological topics.

A first look at the product proves that the band has only changed its name but certainly not its style. This starts with the beautifully detailed, epic and gloomy cover artwork, continues with the challengingly overloaded track titles and concludes with the twelve new songs on display. The production is firmly rooted in the underground as it's loud and organic but not too underproduced or unstable as the eerie atmospheric layers and remarkable individual musicianship manage to stand out here and there. The guitar riffs are cold and fierce, bringing images of desolation and misery to mind. The rhythm section with drums and bass is ferocious but at times lacking outstanding moments. Acoustic guitars, flutes, keyboards and mellotron are employed to provide some occasional brief atmospheric transitions but make no mistake; since this isn't a folk or a symphonic metal album but simply a creative blackened thrash metal band staying true to its unique identity. The timeless vocals deserve much praise as well as they sound as if they had just been recorded moments after the preceding output ten years ago. Gritty snarls meet high-pitched screams and offer much atmospheric entertainment. The chemistry among the different new and old band members is excellent and might indicate a bright future if they are able to keep things going without derailing the train like they did on multiple occasions throughout the past decade.

A few songs manage to stand out right away such as the uncompromising, sudden and intense opener ''Amenta: Accelerando: Azyn Including Hierophantasmal Expounder'' that takes no prisoners and sounds like the musical equivalent to a blistering snow storm on a pitch black winter night. ''Caliginous Whorl'' is perhaps the most accessible track, bringing the band's charismatic blackened thrash metal to the point in three and a half concise minutes without any distractions. The closing ''Every Watchtower Within Is the Axis of a Watchtower Without Including Totemic Thresholds'' is the exact opposite, meandering from pitiless extreme metal sections to laid-back acoustic breaks and back again without properly developing the transitions and leaving listeners back scratching their heads.

These three examples show the at time meandering songwriting qualities on this output. Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû certainly needs a lot more time to grow that its two excellent predecessors. While this new output convinces with gritty intensity and the band's charismatic trademarks, the different songs often fail to stand out right away and end up sounding chaotic and repetitive. This might have been the attempted effect contemplated by the band but the two predecessors were more accessible, focused and memorable in my book.

At the end of the day, fans of the band and its preceding outfit should nonetheless listen to and purchase this output that will certainly find its way onto many lists for best record of the year. In my opinion, Proscriptor McGovern's Apsû is very good but not as brilliant as Abzu and Absu that are essential additions to collections of any extreme metal fan.

Final Rating: 75%

Birth of the Heavy Metal Queen - A review of Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll〜暗殺警告

Hamada Mari is a pioneer who has paved the way for numerous female singers in the rock and metal genres in Japan, from Show-Ya over Band-Maid to Lovebites. No other country has such an impressive variety of female performers in said genres as Japan. Hamada Mari's impressive solo career started at the tender age of twenty, after having already performed in all-female rock band Misty Cats, punk rock band Mari Band and as backing vocalist in Hamachan. On her debut record which translates to Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning, the talented singer from Nishi-Shinjuku gets supported by an excellent backing band, consisting of Loudness drummer Higuchi Munetaka, Make-Up guitarist Matsuzawa Hiroaki, session bassist Nagasawa Hiro who would later on work with 44 Magnum, guitarist Kitajima Kenji who played in numerous bands such as Fence of Defense, Pearl and TM Network, guitarist Yuasa Shin who had a short but impressive career with glam rock and heavy metal band X-Ray from Osaka and keyboarder Nakajima Yuki who played in multiple early heavy metal bands such as Eastern Orbit and Heavy Metal Army. While this backing band reads like a who's who of the early Japanese heavy metal scene, lead singer Hamada Mari is the shining star on this output.

Hamada Mari certainly deserves the status as Heavy Metal Queen of Japan as she is often called. She had been playing in numerous bands in her childhood and teenage years, accumulating much experience in the process. She is a hard-working artist who doesn't only practise different vocal styles but who has also provided lyrics for her songs since her debut album. Her consistent career has been going on for nearly four decades, underlining an impressive flexibility, longevity and stamina that only few other artists have ever achieved. Hamada Mari's stage presence is incredibly energetic as she runs around and cheers with her fans without reducing the incredible quality of her vocals. Her stylish looks have always been on the pulse of time without looking forced since they only underline her stunning diversity. While other rock stars have been living in the moment without truly taking care of themselves, Hamada Mari has always kept a passionate but professional attitude and her impressive vocal range as she is nearly sixty years old now and her mesmerizing beauty that makes her look better today than many other singers who are half her age underline her dedication to her career. If you thought Warlock's Doro Pesch has been the most important female heavy metal singer of the eighties, you might be about to rightfully change your mind by listening to Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning.

The opening ''Noah'' hits you in the face without any warning. Aggressive drum play, angry bumblebee bass guitar sounds, fierce guitar riffs flirting with speed and thrash metal genres and Hamada Mari's immediately unique, skillful, passionate, high-pitched and energetic vocals take you on a wild rollercoaster ride that simply makes you want to listen to this track over and over again.

''Tokio Makin' Love'' is a song that put Hamada Mari on the map right from the start and the playful heavy metal anthem sounds absolutely timeless. The playful guitar riffs, the powerful bass guitar tones and especially the vivid drum play including a short solo section prepare the stage for Hamada Mari's diversified vocals that vary from charming lower registers over passionate natural tones to high-pitched screams recalling Judas Priest's Rob Halford in his greatest years. This is a party anthem for the ages and if you don't feel like joining the ride by now, then it simply can't be helped.

However, Hamada Mari has always been a versatile singer and she already proves this quite impressively on her debut record. ''All Night Party'' goes away from the heavy metal genre of the relentless opening duo and enters mid-paced hard rock territory. Hamada Mari's register is more natural here and she even explores some atmospheric lower registers. The instrumental section has slowed down a little bit but is performed with a tightly swaggering groove where especially the drum play shines once again. This song is the perfect single candidate since it's catchy, danceable and joyful.

This album even features a wonderful power ballad with melodic guitar play and soothing vocals that makes you want to invite someone for a romantic dance. The song in question is ''Runaway from Yesterday'' and already foreshadows Hamada Mari's successful later career shift towards adult-oriented rock and pop rock genres in the nineties. As it would later turn out, Hamada Mari isn't only the Japanese Queen of Heavy Metal but also the Japanese Queen of Pop Music. In the context of the debut album, this atmospheric, dreamy and heartfelt ballad offers a welcome break from the heavy metal frenzy.

Her opening record remains versatile even when Hamada Mari is not performing herself as can be witnessed in two short, inspired and atmospheric instrumentals called ''Love Maker'' and ''Mistress'' that provide some breaks between the record's genre shifts and give listeners some time to digest the passionate material on display.

Hamada Mari's Lunatic Doll - Assassination Warning is a convincing debut for the Japanese Heavy Metal Queen and convinces with energetic heavy, thrash and speed metal material, danceable hard rock tunes, dreamy rock ballads and even two smooth instrumental tracks. This potpourri might sound slightly confusing on paper but Japanese musicians have often combined different genres on one single record and sometimes even in one single song. This approach presented here would once again inspire future generations of Japanese metal, rock and pop singers and musicians to combine different genres, open their minds and walk off the beaten path. This album has certainly stood the test of time and still sounds relentlessly passionate today while also providing a portrait of Japan's free-spirited rock and metal scene of the early eighties. Anyone who likes the aforementioned genres should check out Hamada Mari's groundbreaking debut record. In my opinion, Hamada Mari is one of the greatest female rock and metal singers I have ever come across and it's time for people outside Japan to finally discover this remarkable artist.

Final Rating: 80%

Aggression, Atmosphere and Intellectualism on the Pulse of Time - A Review of E-Force's Mindbender

Darkestrah is a pagan metal band inspired by Central Asian shamanism that originally hailed from Kyrgyzstan. Today, the band is based in Germany, its label is Canadian and the musicians performing on this output hail from Iceland, Iran, Kyrgyzstan and Russia. The band has been going through quite some line-up changes in recent years but now seems to be set and ready to strike.

This wonderful extended play entitled Chong Aryk is published digitally and physically and will also see a vinyl release later on. It features three tracks with a generous total running time of twenty-one minutes.

''Gift of Mud and Venom'' has been released as a single last year but has been reworked a little bit for this output. It's by far the best song on this extended play. It opens with mysterious folk sounds performed by instruments such as long-necked lute azeri tar, string instrument cuatro, long-necked lute divan, long-necked lute tanbur, jaw's harp temir komuz as well as the shamanic drum and some atmospheric keyboard layers. This folkloristic overture suddenly evolves into a thunderous epic black metal song with cold guitar riffs and speedy rhythm section. Çaruk Revan's vocals are quite outstanding as her unchained growls are as intense as her bleak howling while her clean vocals are also surprisingly hypnotizing and deserve to be used even more in the future. Despite a challenging running time of ten and a half minutes, this song never gets boring and deserves to be explored over and over again due to its intriguing details.

Up next comes ''The Warrior Poet'' which is a pagan black metal song without too many experiments. The guitar riffs are even more brutal and the rhythm section quite pitiless while the vocals focus on desperate howling reminding of cold wind racing through forlorn steppes. The song might lack some variety throughout its seven minutes but will be hailed by genre purists for its bleak energy.

Closing song ''Broken Wheel'' is more melodic and playful and shows the band's versatility best. However, the song rather feels like a teaser for greater things to come since it already ends after three minutes and a half. Perhaps the band could develop this promising tune into a conceptual epic on a future release.

At the end of the day, Darkestrah's new line-up seems creative, energetic and versatile and this extended play should please any fan of pagan black metal. Especially the epic opener is an instant masterpiece while the other two tunes are good but could have been fleshed out a little bit further. I'm curious to see what will come from this line-up on a possible full length effort in the future as the group seems to be on track to release some stunning material in this formation.

Final Rating: 75%

Haunting Atmosphere, Relentless Energy and Intriguing Lyrics - A Review of Ossuaire's Triumvirat

Ossuaire is a black metal quartet from Montreal that has released two full lengths efforts and two extended plays since its inception five years ago. Triumvirat is inspired by historical topics and offers five epic tracks with a generous running time of thirty minutes. This release was presented in time for legendary black metal festival Messe des Morts.

The band's sound is underproduced, raw and cold. The drum sound is a chaotic blur as the snares can barely be heard. The guitar sound is cranked up to the maximum and goes straight into your face. The vocals sound a little bit distant as they howl with desperate passion. The bass guitar play is a highlight since it can be heard quite distinctively and adds dynamic layers to the band sound. While this type of production should certainly please genre fans, it might have been even more beneficial to have a more distinctive drum sound and the vocals a little bit more dominant in the mixing process as it's almost impossible to distinguish any lyrics.

Ossuaire convinces most when it takes us on epic journeys with strong atmospheric vibes. This is enhanced by little experiments such as the use of bell sounds and chorals in the haunting instrumental opener ''À l'aube de l'impur'', the brief clean vocal passages in relentless title track ''Triumvirat'' and the melodious sacral sounds in atmospheric closer ''Cénotaphe'' that slows things down to end the record on a majestic note.

It's no secret that Quebec's black metal scene is one of the greatest in the world as it has been proven over and over again throughout the past two decades. Ossuaire is currently one of its most prolific bands and finds a perfect balance between haunting atmosphere, relentless energy and intriguing lyrics. Once the pandemic, that will certainly inspire even more genre-appropriate lyrics, will be over, I'm looking forward to attending one of the band's energetic concerts and hope that the quartet will continue to cement its place as one of the province's greatest bands to be around.

Final Rating: 79%

Straight Into Your Face without any Compromises - A Review of Hämatom's Die Liebe ist tot

German groove metal quartet Hämatom had finally shown off its true potential earlier this year, when releasing Berlin (Ein akustischer Tanz auf dem Vulkan), an acoustic record inspired country, folk, jazz and swing sounds of the twenties and thirties in the key of television soundtracks of Babylon Berlin. Die Liebe ist tot goes back to the band's more common style in form of aggressive groove metal with angry vocals and harsh lyrics with explicit messages. This album mostly deals with issues on the pulse of time varying from anger management issues to the bleak coldness of our contemporary society.

Hämatom still manages to walk off the beaten path as the ten tunes with a running time of thirty-four minutes offer more creativity than three other outputs by similar bands such as Die Krupps, KMFDM and Ministry combined. The main issue is that these experiments are extremely unstable in terms of quality.

Epic opener ''Dagegen'' focuses on atmosphere over anger and comes around with haunting melodies and a children's choir that is used without stereotypical pathos. ''Ihr wisst gar nichts über mich'' is a catchy, energetic and rhythmic tune with a positive message spreading self-confidence while facing clueless naysayers.

Other tracks however are plain horrible in my book. The rap passages by 257ers in ''Ficken unsren Kopf'' remember stereotypical German gangster rap of the early years of the millennium in the worst possible way. ''Zahltag'' is a chaotic, discordant and unorganized failure that essentially consists of the singer yelling his brain out while delivering death threats.

Some songs are mixed bags on their own such as closing ballad ''Zeit zu gehen''. It's an intense and raw tune mixing aggressive guitar riffs and energetic rhythm section with epic atmosphere and haunting melodies. This combination makes you feel like an old and weathered captain emerging from a brutal storm in the middle of the ocean to head for new and unknown destinations. However, the over-performing vocals are extremely nerve-firing here and might induce headaches rather than inspire any kind of creativity as they destroy what might have been a very decent track with a more variable vocal approach in form of an emotional storytelling.

At the end of the day, Hämatom's Die Liebe ist tot is quite a mixed bag. Some tunes offer unexpected genre combinations, beautiful melodies and interesting lyrics while other songs represent dreadfully failed experiments with dumbly-stupidly nasty lyrics, one-dimensional musicianship and vocals and completely mismatched sound collages. Other tracks even drastically shift in quality from start to finish which makes for most unpleasant auditive rollercoaster rides. Since this record is quite short in the first place, I would suggest to listen to the album and download your favourite tunes since the shifts in quality on this output are quite drastic to say the least. My recommendation for the band would be to tone down the anger, negativity and shock value and focus on musical creativity, positive messages and melodic musicianship in the future.

Final Rating: 50%

When Nostalgia and Genius Unite - A Review of Dream Theater's Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream and Day Reunite (Live)

Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream and Day Reunite (Live) is the fifth release of Dream Theater's Lost Not Forgotten Archives. It was previously released by YtseJam Records in 2005. The album contains the second set of a show in Los Angeles in 2004 where the band performed its entire debut album When Dream and Day Unite to celebrate its fifteenth anniversary. The most interesting element about this release is the encore, featuring former singer Charlie Dominici on two songs and former keyboarder Derek Sherinian on one of the two songs.

The band was in excellent shape when playing this show as this release is even more exciting than the already very good debut album. James LaBrie's variable, skilled and recognizable vocals push the material onto a higher level. Jordan Rudess' skills on the keyboard make the material sound more dynamic, playful and progressive. The other members are simply true to themselves. John Myung is the solid backbone of the band with his precise and collaborative style on the bass guitar. John Petrucci delivers heavy riffs and beautiful solos with incredible diversity, flexibility and fluidity. Mike Portnoy's drum play is adventurous, dominant and powerful at all times. The invited musicians also do excellent jobs. Charles Dominici might not be as talented as James LaBrie but he manages to hit some high notes surprisingly well and compensates his minor technical flaws with addictive passion as he is clearly enjoying the spotlight. Derek Sherinian's performance isn't as versatile as Jordan Rudess' keyboard chops but his more atmospheric style adds a lot of depth to the song he is playing on that never gets boring despite a challenging running time of more than fourteen minutes.

The two encores are true gems for any fan of the band. ''To Live Forever'' is an obscure track from the early years that has only very rarely been played but its melodious quality would make other progressive metal bands go green with envy as this hidden masterpiece deserves more attention. The adventurous, improvised and playful version of ''Metropolis Part 1: (The Miracle and the Sleeper)'' is one of many intriguing versions of what might be the band's very best song and this rendition here convinces with its extended atmospheric instrumental section that justifies multiple spins to discover its numerous details over and over again.

At the end of the day, it's great that Dream Theater's Lost Not Forgotten Archives: When Dream and Day Reunite (Live) sees the light of day in a revamped version sixteen years after its original release and seventeen years after its recording. This live album doesn't only feature the under-appreciated debut album in its entirety but also convinces with improved musicianship and vocals and two stunning bonus tracks, including one eternal classic and one overlooked hidden gem, featuring two guest musicians connected to Dream Theater's illustrious past. Any fan of the band should pick this release up and even newcomers might start their discovery here with the debut album in its best possible form.

Final Rating: 93%