人間椅子

Japan's metal scene has always had this mystic, surreal aura surrounding it. It probably has a lot to do with just how different Japanese culture is from western society, but it's not just embodied in customs and the strange foods. There has always been something strangely enchanting about Japan's musical offerings to the metal scene: from excess of the visual kei scene to the morbid brutality of its death metal scene to the pristine polish of the surging neoclassical power metal scene; everything seems to have this flamboyant flash or strange mystical vibe bringing to light just how different things are. Although the advent of the internet has really begun to bridge Japan with the rest of the world in recent years, Japan's music and art still sounds extremely foreign and mystical to most western ears.

Ningen-Isu, dubbed the Japanese Black Sabbath, are one of Japan's longest running metal bands, having formed in 1987 in the northern area of the Aomori Prefecture, an area renown for its beautiful landscapes and scenery. While they aren't quite as eccentric as most of Japan's exported music, they still boast a sound that is quite magical and mysterious, which, honestly, is mostly because of the of the Japanese vocal melodies that the band employs. Ningen-Isu has weathered twenty-eight years of trends and scenes, bringing one of the most consistent and tightest discographies on earth. Thanks to the core duo of Shinji Wajima (guitars/vocals) and Kenichi Suzuki (bass/vocals), Ningen-Isu has blessed the world with eighteen full length albums thus far. Despite such a large discography, Ningen-Isu's albums are top quality slabs of heavy metal, borrowing from traditional, doom and heavy metal as well as classic and progressive rock.

Ningen-Isu, the band's eponymously titled debut EP, was released in 1989, apparently in connection with some kind of TBS television special. Featuring seven tracks, three of which were later released on the band's debut full length in 1990, Ningen-Isu shows the humble beginnings of this legendary, yet largely under-appreciated band. As the band's latest albums, Mandoro (2013) and Burai Houjou (2014), can attest, Ningen-Isu's sound has only gotten tighter and more potent over the years, so it's really interesting to hear the band's first publicly available output.

The music on Ningen-Isu resides in groovy, rollicking psychadelia with some doomy riffing and constantly meandering bass lines. The percussion isn't really anything to write home about, offering a steady backbone of rock beats without getting overly fancy. It's not a big deal though, because the main focus is the interplay between guitar and bass, as, even at this stage in the game, Shinji and Kenichi show their intrinsic ability to constantly complement each others playing abilities. Shinji is a riff wizard, bringing a nonstop supply of hard rocking progressions, though a lot of the movements sound more rooted in straight up classic rock, like the swaggering chorus of “Shinkeishou I Love You” and the John Fogerty styled lead guitar theatrics during “Ringo No Namida”. But it's tracks like “Ningen Shikkaku” and “Injuu” that bring the heavy metal riffs, playing doom-laden jaunts with just a dash of Japanese guitar melody, and really give a true glimpse into the band's future.

The dual vocals are one of the band's hallmarks and, while they're present here, they're not clearly as refined as later in the band's career. Shinji seems to take most of the vocal leads here, with his clear, mid-range tone leading the way. Kenichi still offers solid backing vocals and a few verses, but the interplay between his and Shinji's vocals doesn't sound fluid. Regardless, the two show that even at this early point in their career, they were one of the tightest duos on the planet. Ningen-Isu serves as the rather humble starting point for one of Japan's strongest metal acts, if not the strongest.