girugämesh - "Destiny"

"Destiny" isn't brand new, as it came out at the beginning of January, but it is the newest of giru's latest singles. I was a little hesitant when I first added the single into iTunes and started the title track up. Electronic elements aren't new to the band's style of music (the easiest band to compare some of their songs to would be Linkin Park), but the beginning of "Destiny" was almost just a little too poppy. Thankfully, the guitars kicked in and Satoshi started singing before I could twitch too hard and make myself skip to another song.

This definitely isn't their best song (nothing, after all, can compare with "Kowareteyuku Sekai" or "ISHTAR"), but it isn't their worst either. However, I am a bit disappointed in the more "pop" direction they've been taking recently, since they started off as such a wonderful, dark metal band. Seriously... The emotion in "Kowareteyuku Sekai" alone can bring me to my knees. Thankfully, though, I'm the sort of person who is open to music of all varieties, with (surprisingly) hard rock and pop being my favorites. The two elements were mixed nicely in "Destiny," even though it's still just a bit too pop when compared to what I would have liked to see from giru for this single.

As disappointing as it was, the pop aspect wasn't wholly unexpected. The last really good single that giru put out on the more rock side of things was "Crying Rain" back in 2009. It's such a gorgeous and emotional song, and while "Inochi no Ki" (the last single before "Destiny") was really good when compared to "Color" (the single before that) the overall tone of the song puts it much farther into the pop category than "Crying Rain."

It really is unfortunate that the boys have strayed from their darker roots, but I have to admit that I don't plan on giving up on them any time soon. As long as Satoshi keeps singing and the band keeps putting out (good) music, I'll keep listening to them. And who's to say that they won't go back to the amazingly dark and emotional music they put out for their first few albums? It's hard telling, but I know that I'll definitely be there to bask in the glory.

Happy listening!