Reviewing Japan's overlooked rock veterans Ningen Isu - Ninth part: Kaijin Nijuu Mensou / The Mystery Man of Twenty Faces (2000)

Progressive doom metal about horror stories

Ningen-Isu's ninth studio album is entitled Kaijin Nijuu Mensou which translates to The Mystery Man of Twenty Faces. This is a conceptual album about the works of Japanese horror author Edogawa Ranpo whose short story The Human Chair had inspired Ningen-Isu's band name in the eighties. The colourful cover artwork was created by renowned manga artist Kotaro Ogoshi. The booklet includes more beautiful artworks referencing manga culture and horror stories. Those two guidelines can also be observed in the quirky music video for the title track. This release generously offers twelve songs with a running time of sixty-eight minutes. This is quite astonishing since this album only comes fifteen months after the brilliant predecessor based upon topics related to funerals.

This release is best categorized as doom metal with occasional hard rock elements and at times progressive songwriting, The sluggish, relaxed and cool ''Hiruta Hakase No Hatsumei'' that translates to ''Doctor Hiruta's Invention'' works well in that regard with playful drum patterns, droning bass guitar and distorted guitar sounds that find their climax in the nightmarish middle section with nervous background laughter.

''Ashinagagumo'' which can be translated to ''Tetragnatha Praedonia'' has a quite similar approach and goes back to the heavy rock and doom metal stylistics of the late sixties and early seventies while the vocals are a little bit more melodic and the guitars a notch cleaner this time around.

The short, dynamic and aggressive ''Jigoku Fuukei'' which translates to ''Hell Scenery'' offers a nice change since it's quite fast in the rhythm and riff department while the throaty vocals add some welcome grit.

Playful closer ''Daidanen'' appropriately translates to ''Denouement'' and mixes psychedelic rock elements with doom metal stylistics that evoke a bleak gothic atmosphere that is carried through an ambitious running time of eight minutes thanks to some changes, dynamics and ideas in the songwriting department.

While several fans describe this album as one of the very best in Ningen-Isu's career, I have to disagree. The songwriting is at times plodding as the songs are too long for their own good. The trio included a few too many progressive elements and sometimes valued atmosphere over flow. This is especially the case in ''Yaneura No Neputa Matsuri'' that translates to ''Loft Neputa Matsuri'' that includes a sluggish middle section that drags on for much too long without progressing the songwriting.

Even the acclaimed ''Imomushi'' which translates to ''The Caterpillar'' suffers from similar issues as the introduction loses itself in psychedelic soundscapes and the verses are performed in slow-motion without much creative development. The experimental guitar solos sound like a jam and overstay their welcome as well. With a length of nearly nine minutes, the song is at time hard to sit through.

In the end, Ningen-Isu's ninth studio album is a decent progressive doom metal album with an interesting lyrical concept. The shorter, heavier and faster tracks sound refreshing. The organic production sounds absolutely timeless and manages to make each instrument shine. However, several of the longer tunes suffer from plodding songwriting and missing guidelines. In the end, this record is only of average quality in Ningen-Isu's vast discography. I would only recommend experienced collectors and fans to pick this release up as it takes some time to grow.

Final rating: 80%