Hummingbird - s/t 3.5/5
Reviewed: 8-1-10
Tracklist:
1. Introduction
2. Hummingbird
3. Yesterday once more
4. Shine
5. Silent symphony
6. End of lightning
7. Surrender
8. Silent war
9. Power
10. Thunder
11. Splash
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Hummingbird is a new Japanese band, which is basically the solo project of vocalist/guitarist Yasuo Yamazaki. To my knowledge, he's not part of any other well-known Japanese band, but he definitely has experience and his skills (both as a guitarist and a vocalist) are of high quality. He grabbed a few members of the heavy/progressive metal band Vigilante (which I'm not familiar with) for the drums and bass on this debut, and I must admit that the CD sounds like it's from a complete and cohesive band. So Yasuo has all of the pieces in place and for a debut, he's done a really great job.
As for the CD's style, we get fantastic and sometimes flashy guitar work (that's not too much in the neo-classical realm) with strong rhythms, sweet solos, and an overall upbeat and fast pace. There's certainly plenty of speed and labeling the CD as power metal is easy, though there are some nice slow moments that stand out. Yasuo's accented and clear vocals are really good, and he definitely succeeds as both a guitarist and vocalist. Most of the lyrics are sung in Japanese, but there are some segments sung in English.
As a whole, Hummingbird is both comparable and competitive with many other Japanese power metal bands, including Seven Seas, Galneryus, Double Dealer, Black Masquerade, Concerto Moon, Azrael, Gravity, Versailles, Atomic Tornado and Prophesia. Because this CD is mostly from one guy, I'm also reminded of Killing Frost, but no matter how you look at this CD, the truth is that it's well done in all areas and is recommended to fans of Japanese power metal.
CLINT
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