Unlucky Morpheus - Black Pentagram Reaction and Discussion

[@Socrates_1775]

So a little history on this band. They are independent and were founded by the singer Fuki and guitarist/harsh vocalist Shiren. They started as a few friends doing video game song covers. They added members and grew from there. Every member of this band has been in other bands. The only members without metal backgrounds are the violinist and bass player. The bass player was a jazz musician prior to joining Unlucky Morpheus. The drummer FUMIYA is a beast behind the kit and has been in the metal bands, Galneryus and Undead Corporation. The other guitarist, Jinya, has been and is still currently a member of Undead Corporation and a side project Carbonic Acid. The guitarist/harsh vocalist, Shiren is an original Kami Band member with Babymetal. He writes and composes their music. He suffered from a form of tendinitis that prevented him from playing for long periods of time or even holding a guitar. He switched to the lightest guitar he could play. Because of this, Jill would play his guitar solos on violin. The solo she played in this video was originally written for a guitar. In older videos, his guitar will sometimes be on a stand so he can play without holding up the guitar. His condition seems to be improving since he is now playing without a stand. The singer Fuki writes the lyrics for the songe. She has also fronted at least four different bands, Lightbringer, Doll$Boxx, Fuki Commune and Unlucky Morpheus. She has also collaborated with different artists. She even performed at a festival where she sang two separate 2hr sets with two different bands. Hopefully you guys keep bringing Unlucky Morpheus to your channel 🤘😊🤘

[@steveratcliffe2181]

Nice reaction. UnluckY Morpheus have a really cool Gothic look and feel. Try Cadaver next. Fuki the singer has really strong Vibrato which is not for everyone. Personally, I love it. The rest of the band are top notch musicians... And Fumiya is a beast behind the kit. Unlucky Morpheus would round out my top 4 of the Japanese bands. Band Maid, Lovebites and Nemophila being the other three. But then I think what about Hanabie. I love them too. Keep em coming gents!

[@ckiemnstr345]

Jill will step into the mix more near the end of shows to give the guitarist/harsh vocalist, Shiren, rest since he has tendon issues in an arm. Usually she doesn't get solos but she will from time to time especially live. Instead of needing to use synth backing tracks live Unlucky Morpheus has Jill and she is a master of adding depth to a metal song without taking the listener out of it. Fumiya is up there with Haruna for me for metal drummers since he can do relentless but in very interesting ways instead of the normal drumming patterns like Haruna does.

[@guygourley2411]

Unlucky Morpheus is a versatile band, and has excellent musicians. Jill, the violinist, has some individual compositions on YT, including her version of Van Halen's Eruption. This particular video was a bit higher in volume on her violin, she's normally more background but very well blended. Two songs I would recommend, one being Cadaver - Revadac kzbin.info/www/bejne/namxZH9on9ele6s and the other, with a ballad intro, being Dignity of Spirit kzbin.info/www/bejne/rmi6aneZirCMlbc. Both are live versions. Although a different context than Lovebites, the musicianship is equal if not slightly above in my opinion.

[@mmcpa]

Great musicianship, and as you said, just different than Lovebites. I wouldn't say they are better than Lovebites in musicianship though. Equal in their own rights IMO.

[@guygourley2411]

@@mmcpa Only reason I say that is I believe Jinya is a better guitarist than either M&M, but I really wouldn't want to try and break it all down, LOL

[@gham5586]

@@guygourley2411 As much as I love M&M, I also think Jinya and Shiren are great guitarists ! Their solos and riffs are clean!! Lovebites and Unlucky Morpheus are my favorite, with Nemophila right behind 🔥🤘

[@guygourley2411]

@@gham5586 I agree. I also think they have more melodic leads. Those three bands are also my tops, but I'm beginning to enjoy Lonesome_Blue a bit as well, just not as much the one song Secret Base.

[@PaleHorseShabuShabu]

I’ll never understand the need to compare and rank bands and musicians. There’s no objective metric. Just enjoy the music!

[@AngelLWJ]

Yes! Please more unlucky morpheus! I recommend《angreifer》live as the next!🤘🏻🔥

[@gham5586]

I second that!🔥🤘

[@CDMS_pt]

Another band from my top 3 Japanese bands : 1 - Lovebites 2 - Unlucky Morpheus 3 - Galneryus Awesome bands.

[@josumetaru0004]

I have seen some of your reactions and I found your opinions interesting. Unlucky Morpheus has a wide and varied catalog regarding metal subgenres. Other bands I recommend are Deviloof, Dexcore, Maximum the hormone and Babymetal (older songs that are heavier than the new ones).

[@metalheadsjourney]

Thank you for watching and for the recommendations!

[@Socrates_1775]

@@metalheadsjourney Definitely some Deviloof! Either their song Newspeak or Torture 🤘😊🤘

[@Greg-om2hb]

Watch Jill play ERUPTION on her violin - kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4XFYYeHqbuHbM0 Experience the incomparable FUKI singing with the all-female band DOLL$BOXX (pr. “Dolls Box”) in TAKE MY CHANCE (the video is confusing, but it’s a send up of the IDOL scene) - kzbin.info/www/bejne/o6aVq2eLm56HncU

[@Socrates_1775]

Again, nice reaction guys! If you want to keep expanding your experience in J-Metal, try the band Ningen Isu. These guys have been around for a while. They are a 3 piece band and sometimes referred to as the Japanese Black Sabbath. Their song Heartless Scat is a great start for them 🤘😊🤘

[@Socrates_1775]

Nice reaction guys! I saw a few people recommending Jill's (the violinist) cover of Eddie Van Halen's Eruption solo. She doesn't do the full solo and only does a few minute version. I suggest you guys do the live version where following the solo, they go into their cover of the Dream Theater song Dance of Eternity 🤘😊🤘

[@Socrates_1775]

Here's a link to the live version 🤘😁🤘 kzbin.info/www/bejne/jnSVcmSel9p_o6s

[@GourangaPL]

that guitar you couldn't tell whether it was 7 or 8 strings, as far as my knowledge goes this is 7 strings custom version of ESP Horizon II

[@maximushaughton2404]

You'd be suprised how well the violin fits in, no matter the style of metal. Melodic death metal, yes they have done that [Official Video] Shiren from Unlucky Morpheus - 「want to LIVE」kzbin.info/www/bejne/p4mzhqOpo9ermaM which is off an album they were going to release last year, but it was not ready. I can understand the violin Schtick thing, but that is because Jill is so good and a violin not really seen in western bands it make stick out. I like to say that jill gives the band body. Everyone in the band is highly skilled at what they do, but Jill is a world class violinist and I am not just saying that, she maybe one of the top violinist in the world, it's just that she likes to play metal music that no one really knows about her. She finished top of her year at the Tokyo University of the Arts, one of the top arts universities in the world. Not all their songs have Shiren doing growls, it has increased more due to his injury (tenosynovitis), it's also the reason behind him using the headless guitar, less weight, and the odd shaped body, which lets him rest the guitar on his leg. The studio ver of this song has him doing the solo that was done on the violin, there is another song they do called Angreifer, which he used to play on guitar, but now jill plays his part on the violin. Jinya (the other guitarist) and Jill started to do more so that he does not have to put so much stress on his wrist. Normally at the start of a concert Shiren has his guitar on a stand, and also in a lot of MV's. He got the wrist injury from overworking, the year before he picked up the injury he put out 5 albums with different bands. Another for you [ Official Live Video ] Unlucky Morpheus - 「Angreifer」kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXiuiJqDaa6CncU

[@Vitericus1]

A nearly full Ankimo (the band's nickname) experience in two songs, OK technically three, "Cadaver/Revadac" and "Unending Sorceress." People seem to forget that one, despite being a complete banger.

[@oliphant2848]

Some North American reactors have an odd concept of "death metal". Not everything with speed and a bit of harsh vocals is death metal. Death metal is Death, Obituary, Morbid Angel, Boltthrower, heavy downtuned guitars, atonal riffs and solos, complex time signatures, deep growling. Unlucky Morpheus is more like symphonic/gothic power metal.

[@idatenidaten5548]

Unlucky Morpheus has so many great songs. They are such talented musicians. If you like fast pace song, why don’t you start with "Knight of Sword" next? There are many more to recommend

[@Unibear419]

Please react more Unlucky Morpheus live performance Their musicians are really insane

[@cius2112]

If you want to add another awesome band with and awesome vocalist check out SAISEIGA -- Jumble

[@johnpaul4784]

Yes, violin in metal! If you want to see Miyako play classical piano (Chopin and Rachmaninoff) react to Swan Song by Lovebites. Classical piano in metal will pleasantly surprise you. Finally, I And I couldn't advise you enough on the cover of Ingwie Malmstein Far beyond the sun by Unlucky Morpheus

[@pablomg9742]

The most craziest thing about Unlucky Morpheus is that they are a band without a record label. Everything is financed by themselves thanks to the sale of their cds and merch. Thanks to the popularity achieved on KZbin, they have been forced to move from small nightclub stages to larger venues. They have also recorded multiple DVDs showing how insane they are playing live.

[@browndavid6986]

Unlucky Morpheus music CD/DVD are selling/distribute by King records in Japan. King records is one of the biggest music company in japan, so my guess is UM is getting some help from them. For example my guess is their Live concerts DVDs are being filmed/mixed with some help from King Records.

[@pablomg9742]

@@browndavid6986 yep. But only some local distribution. Is not an official artist from the label. Studio Prisoner mix all the UM releases

[@TheCornellJunkie]

My favourite Band in the current era. Closely followed by Band Maid, Lovebites, Destrose etc

[@gigihprihatmanto]

Destrose personel after disband they make or join to other band : Aldous, Mary's Blood, Bridear, Unlucky Morpheus, Lovebites, Nemophila....

[@mrjameshuang1]

Nice reaction! I was at this concert (10/01/21) and this was the last encore song! Everyone was all pumped up to the end! I have seen them 4 times now at LIVE and they killed it every time!!

[@gham5586]

Since you’re on this journey into J-Metal, check out another band, Mardelas, “Apocalypse “, official music video. I can’t understand why this band isn’t more popular 🤷🏼

[@oliphant2848]

I do like Apocalypse, but that is about their only song that I unreservedly like. Marina is a good, strong singer, the musicianship is very good as usual in Japan, but their songwriting feels, to me at least, rather bland, formulaic, commercial.

[@hiawatha.g]

Congrats on finding Unlucky Morpheus-one of the best, most creative bands in the world today. They remain independent by choice, in order to retain complete artistic freedom. They started off in 2008, focused on making soundtracks to video games and anime. They went through a lot of different stylistic phases, but the big transformation was when they brought Jill (violin) on board. Like many Japanese bands, they sound incredibly clean and tight live. My top suggestion for a live clip: “Angreifer” kzbin.info/www/bejne/nXiuiJqDaa6CncU Meanwhile, amid the (justified) excitement over the Japanese all-female metal bands, we forget there are plenty of guys who throw down. Shiren, founder and one of the guitarists, also does the growls. Fumiya (Drums) is, as you saw, insane and inexhaustible-one of the best rock drummers in the world. Jinya (G) and Ogawa (B) are top-notch as well. Basically, this band is a technical monster. Fumiya and Ogawa also have interesting, “beast” personae which contrast with the “beauty” of Fuki and Jill. That contrast is a deliberate trope, similar to the “Beauty and the Beast” imagery of many European symphonic metal bands. Fuki (lead singer) is a legend in Japan, and one of the busiest artists anywhere. She is also lead singer for UM, Doll$boxx, Lightbringer and her own ongoing project, Fuki Commune. Her style is very much out of the Japanese classical tradition, with the oversold vibrato and intense high notes. She collaborates with a lot of the top musical talents in Japan. Jill (violin) also has a busy dance card, including collaborations with Fuki and others outside of UM. Jill is actually my favorite member of Unlucky Morpheus. I consider her the best rock/jazz/metal violinist in the world today, and probably the best since Jean-Luc Ponty. After Shiren (founder, original lead guitarist) started suffering from an injury that limits his playing, they rewrote a lot of his solos for Jill. Hard to come up with another violinist who could pull that off. Here are links to instrumentals featuring her in UM’s instrumental project Quadratum: Cover of van Halen "Eruption" kzbin.info/www/bejne/m4XFYYeHqbuHbM0 Cover of Malmsteen "Far Beyond the Sun" kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2PLi3ewf9VshsU Cover of Dream Theater, played blindfolded: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bpa9h4mqlrR1gc0 I saw UM live in London in 2019, when they headlined Metal Matsuri. Great show, and the chemistry between Fuki and Jill was electric.

[@pinoypower69]

👽LOVEBITESRULES👽

[@r1ckNz]

It's hard to find anything better than Unlucky Morpheus, you know. This is their most famous song, but it's far from my favorite... CADAVER/REVADAC, Angreifer, Takiyasha Hime, Knight of Sword, Dignity of Spirit... There is so many killer songs...

[@mechanicat23]

I personally prefer the official mv for this song

[@johnbedinghaus2390]

I don't understand why anyone would start with a live video of a song if you've never heard it before. You can't guarantee that the sound will be even, clear, or good enough to hear everything in the mix. Plus, live performances can sometimes be lacking or off because of the compromise with showmanship. Or someone just having an off night. And live doesn't always give you a good overview of what the band/producer has as the intentions of the song. I personally prefer to hear the studio cut of a song first to get all that information, and then I can go search for live performances to catch other things about it.

[@metalheadsjourney]

Well this is the video that was recommended to us so that’s really the only answer. But as for this video and performance I think it did it’s job, which is to make us excited to hear more from the band. In general I agree that studio performances are preferred but we go where the recommendations lead us.

[@tackle47]

Why is a violin a Schtick? Metal has deep roots to classical music. While uncommon it makes since as your ears agreed.

[@Lemon_Force]

Yeah seriously, does that make pianos or keyboards schtick too? lol

[@hazwanhashimhjibrahim4500]

Thank u

[@r01dtox15]

🤘😁🤘