Ry?? D?ji by Onmy?-Za

??? Onmy?-Za

???? Ry?? D?ji

King Records (JP) – Gan-Shin (EU)

? (Niji) (Instrumental)
?? (Ry?z?)
???? (H?? no Hitsugi)
?????? (?inaru Kappo)
???? (Ibaragi D?ji)
??? (Izasa?)
?? (Nurarihyon)
?? (Akashita)
????? (Gekka Ninp?ch?)
?? (Shiramine)
??? (Karura)
?? (Kakugo)
???? (Ry?men-Sukuna)
?????????? (Shizukokoronaku Hana No Chiruran)
?? (Shinki)

Onmy?-Za is a heavy metal band from Osaka Japan, with an active presence in the scene for circa twenty four years. Their name literally means the “Gathering of yin and yang”, the theme of opposites, and cosmic dual forces are prevalent in their lyrics, by the presence of male and female vocals and calm traditional Japanese instrumentation with hard metal and rock riffs. Their songs mainly deal with Japanese folklore, such as the Oni (demons, ogres), Y?kai (ghosts, specters), dragons and mystic ninja scrolls, that’s why a great part of the lyrics is written in ancient and feudal Japanese. After a five-year brake, they make a dynamic come back by releasing their seventeenth full length album entitled “Ry?? D?ji” (Legacy Of The Dragon King), that consists of fifteen tracks and has a running time of almost seventy two minutes.

The track that opens the album is “Niji” (rainbow), an instrumental prelude that transports us through time and space to an ancient Japanese land of myth and magic. Followed by “Ry?z?” (Dragon Funeral), the vocals of Κuroneko (front woman of the band) in the beginning of the track are a peculiar way for the band to begin a song after an intro, serves as an awakening from the previous one. Typical Onmy?-za style song, with fast tempo and melodic solo.

“H?? no Hitsugi” (Coffin Of The Fenix), has an Iron Maiden like intro and solo, maintaining the fast pace of the previous one. The echoing chorus and the lyrical interpretation of the story by Kuroneko accurately expresses the state of loss of the Fenix.

“?inaru Kappo” (Grate Strade) has a festival like rhythm, with brief rough riffs and a hard rock-based solo. It’s the only song where Matatabi’s vocals (Guitar/male vocals) prevail over the female ones, limiting them to the chorus. As the album goes on, we immerge into the darkness with the next handful of songs. “Ibaragi D?ji” (The Demons Offspring), a tale from the Heian period. It has been released as a single for the album. Hard and heavy with traditional elements and contrast with the melodic vocals of Kuroneko and the demonic screams of Matatabi which crate a horror like scenery, followed by a fierce solo. In my opinion, the best song of the album.

“Izasa?” (Boar Bamboo King); another terrifying story about a ghost boar with one leg that used to kill passengers in the land of Yoshino to avenge his death from a hunter. In the song the roar of the boar can be heard in the background. Fast paced track, where hard guitar riffs and the aggressive rhythm of the drums prevail. “Nurarihyon” (The Wondering Souls), the elements that render this song unique are haunting vocals, the nightmarish atmosphere and the King Diamond influenced solo.

“Akashita” (Red Tongue) treats about a ghost of the Edo period, that appears in the sky as a hairy severed head like a cloud with a red tongue. It’s a song where the parts of Matatabi and Koruneko interchange with each other, it has many traditional elements in the chorus and an Iron Maiden like solo. “Gekka Ninp?ch?”, a song that softens a bit the dark ambient, created from the previous songs. Lighter and fast tempo-ed, a song that, in my opinion, is an homage to the great X-Japan.

“Shiramine” (The Demon Emperor) is the tale of the emperor Shotoku, who raged war against his brother. The song with the longest runtime of the album, over eleven minutes, that is structured like a theatrical play. Slow and nostalgic at the beginning, the tempo changes, rough riffs and growling’s show the transformation of the emperor, who is driven to madness, making him behave like a demon and in the end it becomes slow as a ballad, showing his catharsis. “Karura” (Bubhist deity half man half bird that brings the messenger of salvation) is an atmospheric Mid-tempo ballad with elements borrowed from Omnium Gatherum. “Kakugo” (Resolution), a hair metal song with influences by the Swedish band Europe. Followed by “Ry?men-Sukuna” (a demon appeared in Hida during the reign of Emperor Nintoku). An epic song, melodic and rough in rhythm as do the vocals, those of Kuroneko soft and clean and growls from Matatabi, resemble the Beauty and the Beast.

“Shizukokoronaku Hana No Chiruran” (“Without A Calm Heart” is an anthropomorphic way of comparing falling cherry blossoms to human beings); it’s another song influenced by the greatest Japanese band of all time, X-Japan. Melodic, fast paced, with rapid rhythm changes, from fast to slow that resemble the fluctuations in life. “Shinki” (Heart Palpitations); a revised version of their greatest hit “Kouga Ninpou Chou”, of the early 2000’s. A lightweight song to end the journey through myths and legends of Japan.

“Ry?? D?ji”, in my opinion, is one of the best albums of the band, throughout their entire discography. It’s not that dark and heavy as its predecessor ???? “Had? My??”, it’s well-structured from begging to the end, and it’s not overwhelmed with traditional elements that confuse and tire the listeners, considering that its run time is over seventy minutes. In my opinion, it will be one of the best albums of 2023 and I strongly believe that Onmy?-za have much more to offer to the Japanese metal scene.