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Rating: The Mind of Asian are four girls from Tokyo, creators of hardcore with strong crust/fastcore influences (and rare hints at traditional Japanese music). After a couple of appearances on compilations and the release, in 2003, of a short EP, they make their - relatively - long-distance debut with this "Chinmoku no kiri no naka", released in May 2006.
The ten tracks on the album essentially adhere to the genre's dictates, with an over-the-top and at times almost unruly singing style, consistently fast-paced rhythms, and powerful distorted guitars. However, the four Japanese women set themselves apart from other similar offerings by a marked preference for melody, though concealed by the characteristics just listed.
From the first listen, each piece thus exhibits a well-defined personality, making it easily memorable even to the distracted listener and avoiding the risk of appearing as a mere frantic outburst among others. This risk is indeed present, considering the average length of the songs (the album lasts less than 11 minutes in total) yet it is evident, on the part of the musicians, a successful effort in the construction of these pieces.
We find pieces like 'No Rain, no Rainbow' that manages to condense the traditional song form in just over a minute, complete with a hint of a solo (two seconds!), 'Seifumeigetsu' with its alternation of chorus and solo voice, or the remarkable 'I feel the Earth move' with unexpectedly intelligible vocals and an almost Melt Banana-like riff.
A commendation is also deserved for the choice, rare among Japanese groups, to use their native language, although this unfortunately means that most cannot perceive the peculiar contrast between the sonic violence of the music and the "naturalistic" delicacy, so typically Japanese, of some tracks ('Ame ni mo makezu', the aforementioned 'Seifumeigetsu', 'Aoi shima').
The production is simple but functional (close to the probable live sound of the group) and the graphics are pleasing even if Spartan, where we find the aforementioned contrast, this time in the juxtaposition of the soft colors of the cover illustration and the texts, written with an approximate and sometimes difficult to decipher handwriting.
The only evident flaw of the album is its length; more tracks would have been appreciated, without affecting the structure of the individual songs. Nevertheless, the work is enjoyable even outside the narrow circle of genre fans, an excellent example of how, contrary to what some believe, melody and sonic extremism are not always opposing concepts.
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