Reviewing Japan's overlooked rock veterans Ningen Isu - Fourteenth part: Manatsu Yoru no Yume / A Midsummer Night's Dream (2007)

Challenging Progressive and Psychedelic Sounds with an Ominous Tone

Less than a year and a half after the release of its predecessor, Japanese psychedelic rock, progressive rock, heavy metal, hard rock and doom metal trio Ningen Isu has released its fourteenth studio record. The album title Manatsu Yoru No Yume roughly translates to A Midsummer Night's Dream and references the band's dreamy, psychedelic and progressive soundscapes as well as its mythological, mystical and religious lyrical topics that can be found throughout this effort. It's the band's third record in its new and still current line-up and further builds the group's very own chemistry, diversity and identity. This is also one of the band's most generous outputs with twelve songs and a running time of seventy-six minutes that truly offers value for money.

Opening epic ''Yoru Ga Naku'' summarizes everything Ningen Isu stands for. Progressive song structures with quite a few changes, ideas and twists meet focused, gripping and tight musicianship based upon rhythmic guitar riffs, dominant bass guitar sounds and playful drum patterns as well as melodic lead vocals that contrast the complex structures with catchy sections. The song might be a little bit too long for its own good with almost eight minutes however which is also the main issue of this record that has a few unnecessary lengths here and there.

Up next comes ''Tenraku no Gakuten'' that features raw lead vocals by the bassist who dominates this song with gripping bass guitar play. This track's pace is overall more energetic, fast and fluid and will please fans of traditional hard rock and heavy metal soundscapes very much.

The drummer has his opportunity to shine in ''Saru no Sendan'' that opens with a short but poignant drum solo. The song then shifts towards dystopian progressive rock guitar sounds reminding of numerous British genre bands of the late sixties and early seventies. This intellectual approach is then contrasted by simple, fast and energetic rhythms provided by tight drum play, powerful bass patterns and energetic guitar riffs. The drummer provides the vocals here as well and his gritty but melodic approach reminding of classic hard rock bands fits right in between the guitarist's epic and melodic style and the bassist's atmospheric and rough grunts. The other band members support their drummer with highly efficient backing vocals in form of sing-along passages that make for one of the record's catchiest tunes.

Another noteworthy highlight on this release is psychedelic rock ballad ''Hakujitsumu'' that offers wonderful guitar sound effects with an overall slow, dreamy and quite danceable pace that are complemented by the guitarist's soothing vocals that make for a most inspiring lullaby. This track offers a break from the numerous challenging, energetic and extensive tunes on this album and should especially please progressive rock fans.

''Sekai Ni Hanataba Wo'' clocks in at almost nine minutes and needs multiple spins to grow. It however fascinates right away with mysterious chants intertwining with dynamic narrative sections that get progressively faster. The former passages are supported by mid-to up-tempo guitar riffs and playful rhythm section while the latter passages are underlined by slow, mournful and distorted guitar riffs while the rhythm section keeps it simple but dynamic. This ambitious, cinematic and epic tune offers the greatest replay value on this output and could be considered this release's best track as well.

The record closes with heavy, raw and thunderous doom metal tune ''Dotto Harai'' that unfolds an ominous atmosphere through seven highly entertaining minutes. The melodic vocals by the guitarist have a desperate, dramatic and menacing tone that is underlined by simple but powerful drum patterns, organic bass guitar sounds and aggressive guitar riffs. The simple but catchy chorus offers a welcome change in that regard as the rest of the song might need a few spins to open up to listeners. The playful middle section offers more variety and recalls progressive rock references in the key of King Crimson. The song's instrumental closure is quite playful and leaves the listener on a brutal, gloomy and thunderous note that could also be found on a classic Black Sabbath output.

At the end of the day, Manatsu Yoru No Yume is one of Ningen Isu's more challenging outputs. The songwriting is diversified, intellectual and progressive and numerous songs might need multiple spins to grow on listeners. I have listened to the album half a dozen times and several tracks still fail to stay on my mind and leave a deeper impression while the aforementioned highlights have kept getting more memorable with each and every spin. This is the kind of album that rewards patient listeners who are willing to spend some time to let twelve songs with a total running time of seventy-six minutes grow on them. This is why this release is most recommended to fans of psychedelic and progressive rock while those who prefer traditional hard rock and heavy metal might have some difficulty appreciating this output to its fullest. Doom metal fans might be situated right in between as they could certainly appreciate the record's overall dreamy, gloomy and menacing atmosphere while not appreciating the high degree of diversity as the band certainly lets its creativity flow on this output. My verdict is that this release is recommended to more experienced, experimental and faithful fans of the band while newcomers might instead opt for this album's predecessor that is certainly more accessible and still represents the band's current style very well.

Final Rating: 82%