ASUNOJOKEI - Island 2xLP (Colour In Colour Vinyl)

Label: Dog Knights

The Taito, Tokyo quartet are unique in that their influences are quite different from most other metal bands, the rich history of Tokyo's math rock and J-rock scene deeply embedded into the way they write progressions, how they employ upbeat grooves and bright melodic riffs into their music alongside the darker sides of post-hardcore and shoegaze.

Eschewing the usual turmoil of blackgaze for a sound more luminous and hopeful, Island thrives off its ability to harness the feistiness and fortitude of hardcore without succumbing to its traditional bitterness and pure aggression. There's all sorts of fun riffing between Kei Toriki's guitar and Takuya Seki's basslines, while Seiya Saito's groovy drum work weaves between bouncy rock rhythms and furious blast beats, Asunojokei able to place songs like the soaring Footprints right next to a lovely J-rock tune like Diva Under the Blue Sky without it feeling like an abrupt change in tone, all eleven of Island's tracks delivered with the same excitement even when they're working off different foundations.