Born to Be Released - A Review of X Japan's Born to Be Free

Four and a half years after its previous single, Japanese visual kei legends X Japan have published another unreleased song from the vault. "Born to Be Free" is in the key of the band's more classical, melodious and progressive tunes from the mid-nineties. Its style should therefore please fans of old age but doesn't quite reach the excellent quality of the material released two decades earlier. It also fails to compete with excellent preceding single "Jade" that has found just the perfect balance between fast power metal and melodic pop music.

The new single starts with a soulful piano section supported by smooth elements of classical music. The transition to a modern rock song is a little bit sudden. The guitar work could have a little bit more urgency and the distorted solo fails to leave a deeper mark. The rhythm section around bass guitar and drums is enjoyably serviceable rather than being extravagant which is an unusual approach for a band in which the drummer is the undisputed songwriter and leader. The sorrowful chorus is quite catchy and the passionate lead vocals are supported by dreamy backing vocals. Just like several songs from the past, this new track also has a spoken-word section by a mysterious lady that adds some chilling atmopshere in the middle section. 

The production is lush and makes the orchestral sounds, piano melodies and melodic vocals shine but the track would have benefited even more from a rougher edge that would have accentuated the bass guitar, drums and percussion as well as electric guitars. This single clearly aims at commercial succes and radio play over a return to the band's roots between the mid-eighties and early nineties as well as a connection to its power metal stylistics. To use a simple metaphor, this song values heart over balls.

There are enough typical trademarks and little creative twists going on in five and a half minutes to keep this song interesting for seasoned fans while also giving potential new fans a good idea about the band's identity. It's a shame that the band has failed to built upon this very good release and has only released another new song a whopping eight years later. Even other bands that are slow to release new material such as Guns 'n' Roses can't compete with this band's sluggish release policy.

At the end of the day, X Japan's Born to Be Free is a very good song meandering between playful alternative rock and melodic hard rock which should appeal to wide audiences at home and abroad. It doesn't offer anything new to be honest but nevertheless offers a breeze of fresh air after four and a half years of silence. Fans of old date should download this song legally while occasional listeners might just continue to wait for another upcoming compilation or the release of a new studio album. One has been waiting for such a long time already, so a few more years, give or take, won't make much of a difference anymore at this point.

Final Rating: 75%