Vintage pop music fusions with symphonic metal and progressive ideas - A review of Schönberg's Baroque Gravity

Ambitious Japanese symphonic power metal trio Schönberg continues its mixture of epic songwriting concepts, liberating guitar riffs, vibrant rhythm section, versatile melodic keyboard sounds and soulful vocals varying from lower registers over pop melodies to high-pitched classical sections on its third full length effort Baroque Gravity.

There are two important changes between this output and its two predecessors. First of all, Baroque Gravity seems to have less severe conceptual songwriting restrictions and sounds overall more fluid and less structured than earlier material. Secondly, the band sounds much more playful and stylistically diverse as Baroque Gravity offers pop rock balladry, symphonic power metal and neoclassical progressive metal.

The great thing is that the trio excels in all these different genres. ''明日へ'' for instance is a smooth, simple and dreamy ballad carried by soft feminine vocals that one would rather expect on a Japanese pop album from the eighties or nineties than on a symphonic power metal release. The band however excels in its main genre as well, notably in the case of the fast-paced ''The Ghost Ship Basilica'' with its epic organ sounds, enthusiastic melodic riffs and dramatic high-pitched vocals. The group's more progressive side shines in the energetic album closer ''罪俗ノクターン'' with its superb neoclassical guitar play reminding of Scandinavian power metal bands of the nineties without blandly copying them thanks to a strong atmospheric note carried by excellent keyboard sounds and versatile vocals.

A hidden gem on this record is catchy pop rock epic ''Misty'' that sounds really addictive despite a running time approaching seven minutes. This style reminds of renowned Japanese singer Hamada Mari who fluidly combines melodic vocals and catchy choruses with rock and metal guitar riffs and ambitious songwriting. This combination might sound unfamiliar to Western audiences but has always been rather positively received in Japan.

If compared to the predecessors, Baroque Gravity's songwriting sounds even more refined. The melodic guitar work has become even more skillful. The keyboards take an even more important position in the songwriting than before. The lead vocals have become more diversified than ever before and seem to be able to adapt to almost any melodic music genre. This is why Baroque Gravity is Schönberg's finest release so far and should appeal to fans of symphonic metal and power metal but also to fans of Japanese pop music of the eighties and nineties.

Final rating: 87%