Reviewing Japan's overlooked rock veterans Ningen Isu - Fourth part: Rashoumon (1993)

Creative heavy rock anthems without any lengths

 One year and a half after the ambitious predecessor featuring eleven songs and a running time of sixty-seven minutes, Japanese trio Ningen-Isu went for a different direction on the vibrant, entertaining and dynamic Rashoumon. The band recruited a new drummer with Masuhiro Goto who has also been active in progressive rock bands Gerard and Kinzoku-Yebis. The songwriting has become much shorter with only nine songs and a running time of forty-two minutes. The band goes back to its debut album Ningen Shikakku with its hard and heavy rock style. However, this fourth studio record sounds more contemporary, heavy and organic, benefitting from an excellent production. The band has also become more experienced over time which reflects in the creative, imaginative and playful songwriting.

One such dynamic tune is ''Ningen-Isu Club'' which can be interpreted as a band anthem. The song is based upon sharp and gloomy riffs, vibrant and energetic bass sounds and dynamic drum patterns that will make you move along to the excellent song. The track comes around with a moody spoken-word passage while the guitarist's melodic vocals and the bassist's sinister vocals harmonize perfectly throughout the song. Despite all these promising ideas, the song sounds coherent, fluid and focused in four and a half efficient minutes and represents this record splendidly.

The band's outstanding musicianship shines most in ''Shitemushi no Uta'', a moody song carried by slow doom metal riffs and mournful vocals. The incredible middle section starts off with a bluesy guitar solo that gets progressively more chaotic as it recalls the nightmarish soundscapes of early King Crimson and Pink Floyd. This song oozes with atmosphere, creativity and skills.

The fast and upbeat ''Aomori Rock Daijin'' is a tribute to the band's hometown and a very playful rock tune with gripping riffs, energetic bass and dynamic drum patterns. The simple but efficient chorus should work very well in concert. The extended bluesy guitar solo in the middle section is once again out of this world. This song could also please fans of groups such as KISS and Mötley Crüe.

''Nanyadoyara'' is another unique song that mixes fast and aggressive heavy metal soundscapes with some minimal thrash influences and Japanese folk instrumentation. The middle section however is a nightmarish doom metal interlude that surprises at first but only underlines the band's will to experiment. The song is one of the shortest in the band's career and mostly instrumental but also one of the group's most overlooked and outstanding compositions.

The concluding title song ''Rashoumon'' ends the record on a high note as it combines Japanese folk sounds with heavy guitar riffs, sinister bass tones and tight drum techniques to an epic doom metal finale.

In the end, Ningen-Isu's Rashoumon combines the heavy rock style of the band first extended play and first full length effort with the more progressive parts of the two immediate predecessors. The new drummer is integrated perfectly and harmonizes very well with the dynamic duo on bass, guitar and vocals. The record convinces with shorter songs that are easier to digest and quicker to appreciate which makes this album a recommendable introduction to the band's early days. However, the closing epic doesn't only stand out due to its length but because of its creativity and can be considered this album's best song and one of the greatest tracks in Ningen-Isu's career.

Final rating: 87%