The greatest metal band you've never heard of - A review of Ningen-Isu's With Great Pomp And Circumstance: Ningen Isu Live!!

Ningen-Isu's latest live record entitled With Great Pomp And Circumstance: Ningen Isu Live!! is a release that will satisfy both fans of old date and occasional supporters alike. Released in its thirtieth year of existence, this package includes two discs featuring twenty-five different songs recorded during four shows at different locations in Japan throughout the year before this package saw the light of day. And you really get twenty-five different songs here and no instrumental solos, interludes or jam sessions. The band offers value for money, especially considering the fact that Japanese import versions are always quite pricey. The package also includes an entire show from one of the four locations consisting of eighteen tracks. This way, one gets both a selection of twenty-five different tunes and two and a half hours of music and one coherent two-hour headline show from start to finish. The amazing thing is that the live show on DVD or BluRay even includes songs that aren't even featured among the twenty-five tunes from the four different shows. Even rare tracks that were only included on compilations so far found their way onto the set lists. That's why this release can almost be seen as a quite representative greatest hits collection, including songs from the psychedelic hard rock debut album Ningen Shikkaku from the very early nineties up to the band's dynamic nineteenth studio album Kaidan Soshite Shi to Erosu released roughly a year before this astonishing live set.

Personally, I prefer the DVD or BluRay concert because its chemistry, flow and groove develop a nearly hypnotizing atmosphere. The bluesy and heavy guitar play complements the vivid bass guitar play perfectly while the drums provide an additional dose of tight energy. It wouldn't be exaggerated to compare Ningen-Isu's instrumental work as a mixture somewhere between Black Sabbath and Rush. The two vocalists aren't as skilled but perform with epic drama that adds a mysterious atmospheric touch to the tales of Japanese culture which often deal with supernatural elements, strange legends and horror literature. Lead singer and guitarist Wajima Shinji has a dramatic, enchanting and melodic voice recalling traditional hard rock and heavy metal stylistics while his childhood friend and bassist Suzuki Kenichi has a much lower and more sinister register with occasional spoken word passages that should please to any doom metal fan but also to those who like gothic metal. The band's entire performance is really fresh and unpretentious. The overture is a sample of one of their songs that lasts for two and a half minutes. The three musicians quietly step upon the stage, prepare and tune their instruments and start rocking out without any further ado. The three men are dressed in traditional Japanese clothes and bassist Suzuki Kenichi has his usual make-up that makes him look like a ghost but that's already everything the band needs. There are no unnecessary backdrops or show effects and the band very rarely interrupts its tight flow to address a few words to the crowd that enjoyed itself without exaggerating, I couldn't see one single person in the audience filming or taking pictures as everybody seemed to enjoy the present moments. Despite the band's tight performance, the trio managed to improvise a few passages of its songs with prolonged solo passages and quite unique sound effects from a theremin.

The two discs featuring songs from four different shows don't have the exact same vibe. Several songs are faded in at the very beginning or faded out at the very end. Interactions with the crowd are even scarcer than during a regular show. The instrumental improvisations sound somewhat stretched without the visual component, especially when the songs break the ten-minute mark. On the other hand, the band's talented musicianship is still fascinating and the direct, organic and raw production is as great as it gets for such a live package.

The set list is of course very complete and covers each important record of the three workaholics. A few of my favorite gems are missing such as the band's very first video single and danceable hard rock tune ''Ringo no Namida'' or the epic and melancholic tale ''Shinagawa Shinjuu'' which might be my favorite songs of the trio but the band could have played twice as many tracks as they actually did and there would still be some excellent tunes missing, simply because this band had released nineteen high-quality studio records back then and even twenty nowadays, without mentioning the numerous collaborations, compilations and singles with exclusive material. I could describe my personal highlights from the set lists but that would take too much time. Let me assure you that there are only killers and no fillers on here.

In its thirtieth year of existence, Ningen-Isu proves once more that it's one of the very best and yet most unknown rock and metal trios in the world. If you like hard rock, doom metal, heavy metal and occasional gothic, progressive and psychedelic influences, you can't get around this massive live package. Well, if you even remotely like heavy music which should be your case since you're reading this review, you should find something for your taste on this brilliant release. This set is worth its price, incredibly addicting and I just can't stop listening to and watching it since I received this wonderful package many weeks ago. The two live discs are worth ninety percent while the full concert deserves the perfect grade of one hundred percent which explains my final rating of ninety-five percent which obviously makes this record the best live album of the year.

Final rating: 95%