ANTHEM - Live Unbroken at Club Citta Kawasaki Japan 2013.07.27 blue-ray disc

(Allow me to talk cock in Malay language first, before I review this Anthem latest release in English below.)
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Mula2 aku nak borak sikit, Rock Jepun ni memang susah giler nak tahu dari segala perkembangannya, berita2 mutakhir nya, gossip/khabar angin dan segala sangkut paut nya. Apa tah lagi nak dengar lagu2 terbaru atau kurang terbaru dorang atau nak tengok video2 rakaman persembahan live dorang atas pentas. Kalau nasib baik, ada la sikit2 keluar kat Youtube, dikongsi peminat2 satu dunia yang minat Rock Jepun ni yang dapat access kat rakaman2 tersebut.

Antara band aku minat Rock Jepun ni, contoh macam OUTRAGE. OUTRAGE ni pada aku masih setia condong ke arah Thrash Metal style dorang sampai sekarang, walau kadang2 tu tetiba satu lagu dorang slow down abis, memang tangkap. Pada aku zaman ini OUTRAGE lagi METALLICA dari Metallica dan pada aku penyanyi OUTRAGE lebih JAMES HETFIELD 80's dari JAMES "yeahhh baby..!! Metallica gives you heavy baby" HETFIELD sekarang. GELI siot. 
Lagi satu contoh macam Minoru Nihara nya side band X.Y.Z-A yang pada aku kalau korang minat LOUDNESS 80's dan zaman Mike Vescera, ni sesuai sangat. LOUDNESS sekarang aku kureng, walau masa Spritual Canoe dorang keluar dulu semua anggota asal bergabung kembali memang syok album tu bila ada kawan aku giler Loudness pinjamkan kat aku dan aku memang terkejut suka la pertama kali dengar Spiritual Canoe. Biosphere pun aku suka, sedap lagu2 kat album ni. Tapi sekarang punya LOUDNESS aku tak minat tak tahu apasal.... well...

Stand Up For The Anthem - (with guest drummer)

Nak berbual kons pasal band2 rock Jepun dan lagu2 dorang ni memang syok tapi nanti terus hilang apa aku nak cerita kali ni. Penyebab aku nak tulis blog kali ni ialah ANTHEM. ANTHEM yang tersangat konsisten quality dorang, pada aku sebuah band Rock Jepun yang maintain main Heavy Metal laju2 dan sangat "thrill", - rhythm section dipenuhi drums dan bass dahsyat2 -, nyanyi pekik2 high pitch walau 95% lirik semua cakap Jepun yang aku tak reti apa kebenda cuma selalu korus je lirik Inggeris -, dan paling asyik dan melopong mulut - penuh dengan banyak gitar solo gila-gila nye dalam setiap lagu -, sesuai la untuk selera telinga aku benda2 gini.

Tak tahu apasal tapi sampai sekarang, semakin setiap album sentiasa hebat dan dorang konsisten MAINTAIN ngan style dorang, itu yang buat aku makin minat, makin minat, makin minat giler...pasal tahun demi tahun dorang sentiasa melebihi jangkaan aku setiap kali dorang buat lagu baru.

(Funny the sticker has a "not for sale" on it)


Anthem ni dari 80an gitu saing Loudness gitu. Tahun 90an kumpulan ni dibekukan oleh kepala dorang pemain bass Naoto Shibata. Rasanya pasal tu jam dunia muzik rock berubah sangat.

Dorang dalam sejarah ada dua penyanyi suara sedap giler, zaman dari tahun 2000 gitu sampai skarang dan jugak penyanyi asli dorang awal 80an Eizo Sakamoto. Lagi satu penyanyi tu Yukio Morikawa gitu. Rainbow nye penyanyi Graham Bonnet pun pernah nyanyi ngan dorang. Gitaris Anthem semua dahsyat2 nye skarang Akio Shimizu yang sama ngan dorang dari zaman awal 90an. Kalau baca dari pendapat2 peminat2 kat internet, Akio Shimizu memang digemari.
Drummer dorang lak, cedera kemalangan kereta, jadi rasanya buat masa ni dorang pakai drummer jemputan aje - Isamu Tamaru. Masih tunggu drummer dorang sembuh dari eksiden tu kot sebab tu taruk "Guest Drummer". Tapi studio dektu main aku rasa, live je Isamu Tamaru ni main, relax je si Isamu Tamru ni ketuk ketuk drum.

Bassist/Ketua Anthem ni awal 2013 ada laporan kena penyakit barah. Tu pasal kat dalam disc ni ada bahagian dokumentari tentang perkembangan kumpulan Anthem seluruh tahun 2013, awal nye ialah temubual ngan seorang doktor. Korang tengok Jepun nye band buat dvd/blueray konsert dorang, siap taruk rencana temubual ngan doktor. Rasanya tengah cerita pasal barah yang dialami Naoto Shibata ni. Cakap Jepun dah la takde subtitles. Aku macam paham je mendangok depan tv padahal apa dorang berbual interview tu aku bukan reti pun. Tapi bahagian rencana tu bila tunjuk2 jalan2 suasana2 Jepun tu yang paling aku suka tengok haha.

Anyway... dah tahap MENGGIGIL punya pasal, tak tahu mana sumber aku nak carik nak tengok style Anthem main live berapa tahun kebelakangan ni......so aku pun sambar Blue-Ray disc terbaru Anthem main live. Baru keluar bulan 12 lepas. Order dari cdjapan website. Apa nak buat mana lagi aku nak dapat benda haramjadah ni. Nak dvd sebenarnya tapi tambah berapa ketul je pun dapat blue-ray, so aku sebat je la blue-ray disc.

So THIS IS HOW THE BLUE-RAY DISC PACKAGING LOOKS LIKE OF THE VERY LATEST LIVE RELEASE FROM ANTHEM - ONE OF THE BEST AND FAMOUS JAPANESE HEAVY METAL BAND. (irregardless of their line-ups).

Anthem - Live Unbroken
Live at Club Citta 2013 July 27. Its in Kawasaki and the tour is called "Official Return Tour"
21 SONGS !!!!! very worth it... overture, on and on, black empire, go, drum solo, struggle action, venom strike, bass solo, blast, guitar solo, heat of the night, double helix, unbroken sign, evil one, immortal bind, bound to break, the sign, wild anthem, empty eyes, show must go on, onslaught and a bonus interview Documentary of Anthem 2013.

OF COURSE YOU GOT THE OLD SONGS!!

AND...

YET EVEN BETTER STILL, NEW FANTASTIC STUPENDOUS AMAZING SONGS FROM THE PAST FEW ALBUMS SINCE THEY GOT BACK TOGETHER. 

The bass solo is breathtaking...,
the guitar solo is so sweet..,
and I guess it shows for the quality of Anthem songs and what transpires in each song that they play live on this concert that even though they have a drum solo, a bass solo and a guitar solo, but its just short ones.

- The instrumental for this show is Double Helix, 
- They slow down a bit for GHOST IN THE FLAMES, and for the length of this song which is about 8 minutes, they turn down all the lights, the stage was dim, and just enough red lights to give this nice ambience which match the song. I LOVE IT!!!!!

- The audience, I think I read somewhere that in the West, a band like Anthem will have front rows of men but in Japan, Anthem's front row of fans are ladies, some mature, some young, all PUNCHING THE AIR, and there was another of their live concert videos, which seems all the girls in the front rows looks like Models.

- I have never been to Japan, but it seems Japanese music fans dont wear their Metal outside, dont have to show and talk that they are Metal, but they have Metal in their hearts. Thats how I like it. Its hard for me to explain but maybe next time? haha. 

The live concert video is about 100mins.

Next, The Documentary is about 40-50mins long..
- the interviews are in Japanese, so I have no idea whats being discussed, 
so you have the Sound Engineer, the support staff, and there is a doctor in the first part of the documentary, so I guess it relates to some problems the bassist is having regarding his health. 
I did saw the calendar behind the bassist on that portion and its February.

Then show Anthem in the studios, Anthem rehearsing, shows them travelling, shows the different shows locations like Nagoya , Osaka, etc, so its nice really for me who have no idea about how most of these places looks like from outside..

Shows footages from other shows, shows preparations, soundchecks, backstage, shows the drummer combing his hair...

But the best was the short footage of OUTRAGE singer, drummer, and guitarist joining them on stage.

This is a good buy if you like Anthem, or if you want to discover Anthem, or if you enjoy Japanese Rock Music.

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I did a bastard thing,
while watching, I took out my handphone and record some itsy bitsy teeny weeny snippets and upload it into youtube.
Very very poor quality, just a few minutes but gives you an idea..

this is Blast followed by Akio Shimizu short and sweet guitar solo, and Heat Of The Night up to after Akio Shimizu solo again.. 



and this is I took again, a minute of the documentary when Outrage joins Anthem on stage.




the first one is very bad, the second one is nonsensically bad, hahaa..

Let me tell you, the actual quality watching it on just a normal tv is pristine and of superb quality, and colourful, I dont know, maybe the angle of my handphone, or the quality of my handphone, gives this outcome.
But its just more to give an idea of Anthem in 2013.