Maximum the Hormone - Bu-ikikaesu (2007)

For those of you who haven't heard of Maximum the Hormone, they are a 4 piece Metalcore/Nu Metal band from Hachiōji, Japan. They consist of Daisuke "Daisuke-han" Tsuda (Vocals), Ryo "Maximum the Ryo-kun" Kawakita (Guitar & Vocals), Futoshi Uehara (Bass & Backing Vocals), and Nao Kawakita (Drums & Vocals). Daisuke and Nao are the original members, Ryo was suggested to replace Sugi by his sister Nao, and Futoshi joined soon after replacing Key. They are currently signed to VAP Records. And now for the review thingy.

Maximum the Hormone's sixth full-length release, Bu-ikikaesu, reached #5 on the Oricon album charts and is certified Gold in Japan. The album consists of 13 tracks which include "Bu-ikikaesu!!", "Zetsubō Billy", "Kuso Breakin Nō Breakin Lily", "Louisiana Bob", "Policeman Benz", "Black Yen Power G-Men Spy", "Akagi", "Kyoukatsu", "Bikini Sports Ponchin", "What's Up, People?!", "Chu Chu Lovely Muni Muni Mura Mura Purin Purin Boron Nurururerorero", "Shimi", and "Koi no Mega Lover". If you're a fan of the anime "Death Note", you'll recognize "What's Up, People?!" and "Zetsubō Billy" as it's opening and closing themes for the second season. Also, if you're a fan of the anime "Akagi", the song "Akagi" is featured in that series as well. This album was one of the more unique listening experiences I've had in a while. It's a mixture of Ryo singing cleanly and really fastly, Daisuke either doing screams or scream-rapping, and the occasional occurence of Nao singing as well. Futoshi rarely sings, but can be heard in the group vocals for some of the tracks. It's brutal at points, and upbeat and happy at others. In some songs, it kind of sounds ska/reggae like with the guitars, while Nao sings peacefully, and then out of nowhere Daisuke comes in with a brutal scream at first which leads into a scream-rap. Ryo wrote and composed all of the songs for the album, and it sounds kick ass from start to finish.

Overall, the album was really good. Check them out if you're into Dir en Grey, Distrubed, System of a Down, Korn, The Fall of Troy, or even old school Slipknot. The album was released on March 14, 2007 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

Overall Rating: 4.7 out of 5.0

Buy the Album
Maximum the Hormone's Website