オルガスム

This is where X finally found their sound. The sound they'd become known for up until 1993, speed metal! This is without a doubt their best pre-hide/Pata/Taiji (not counting when Taiji had his brief stint in '85) release. The guitarist they have here, going by the name 'Jun', shows very good skill and passion in his playing. And after hearing his work on various X bootlegs, I'd say he's tied with Pata as the most talented guitarist the band has had. And then of course we have the ever awesome Toshi, still sporting that Kai Hansen like voice, though I think it may have gotten slightly raspier since "I'll Kill You". And once again, his voice gets REALLY high, especially on the last track (which I'll get into in a bit). Yoshiki seems to have lowered the volume on his drums this time. Which is great as it allows me to appreciate how well he's playing as opposed to being distracted by how loud those bass kicks are.

The title track is a thrashy, mini epic that says "You want heavy? We'll give you heavy!". It sounds almost like a Raven or Motorhead song, what with the obvious punk influences and the distorted guitar work. Yoshiki's drumming...my god, it's like he's a machine! Those bass kicks (as I said, not too loud this time) sound like their being hit a thousand times a second. This guy was truly a monster back in the day. "Time Trip Loving" sounds a bit like an early Ozzy Osbourne track. Heavy, but definitely something you could play at a party to get people pumped up. Jun's guitar work on this track is very reminiscent of that of Randy Rhoads.

My favourite track on here has to be "X". Everything about this song is just awesome. Toshi's vocals (He even does an Ian Gillan scream "Highway Star" style at the beginning) Yoshiki's drumming, Jun's absolutely awesome guitar work and Hikaru's cool bass line. This is the highest I've heard Toshi go in his career, it seems he was putting everything he had into this one song. If this song is indeed the successor to "We Are X", then I'd say it was the best one they could've chosen. Unlike that song, this isn't a heavily Maiden influenced, early power metal track, it's pure Japanese speed metal!

It's a shame this line-up didn't exist very long, because they really did play well together. Hikaru sadly hasn't been heard from since 1999, but Jun, now going by his real name, seems have been able to have a pretty decent career since his X days, so at least one member from back in the indie days managed to avoid fading into obscurity (Except Eddie van Koide, but he was only in the band for about an hour). So yeah, pick up this EP! It's definitely the best early X has to offer. And you can have a few giggles at the cover too! They kinda look like an all blonde, Japanese version of W.A.S.P.