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Metal Chick of the Month – Akane Liv

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Sing with Akane Liv! Be brave! Free your soul!

Do you know what happens when the Land of the Rising Sun, the Land of the Morning Calm, the Land of Fields, and the Elongated Country are combined in the name of heavy music? Well, the result is our metal lady of the month of March, and I’m sure you’ll fall in love with her beautiful vocals, stunning looks and undeniable charisma after knowing more about a woman who perfectly unites Japan, South Korea, Poland and Sweden in her blood. Her real full name is Akane Okamoto-Kaminski, but everyone knows her by her stage name of Akane Liv, the multi-talented frontwoman of Japanese Symphonic Power Metal band Liv Moon, owner of a unique voice that will bring warmth to your soul during the last month of winter in the northern hemisphere without a shadow of a doubt.

Born on August 24, 1978 to a Polish-Swedish father and a Korean-Japanese mother in Gothenburg, a major city in Sweden situated off the Göta älv river on the country’s west coast, Akane Liv was actually raised and educated in the ultramodern yet traditional Japanese capital Tokyo. After graduating high school, she joined Takarazuka Revue, an elite Japanese all-female theatre troupe introduced to her by her aunt who was already a fan of the project (and she took Akane Liv there for the first time when she was still in elementary school), having performed with the company for six years before departing, enrolling at a small international college in Oxford, England. Whilst in England, Akane Liv took lessons in classical singing and performed at the 2004 edition of the Beckenham Music Festival, where she was named the Singer of the Year and, therefore, attracted a lot of attention worldwide. Despite being accepted to the prestigious Royal Academy of Music, she didn’t study there for long. Following a solo recital in Poland, she returned to Japan in 2005, where she continued to perform, graduating from Takarazuka Revue and meting producer Tatsuya Nishiwaki, leading to the founding of Liv Moon in 2009 while also releasing music under her own name, Akane Liv. Furthermore, when questioned about the main reasons why she left Takarazuka Revue the first time, Akane Liv mentioned that after seeing how musicals work in other parts of the world she felt that Takarazuka Revue was a dream world where she had to stay in character and wear makeup and costumes all the time, something very demanding for her.

Needless to say, there’s no Liv Moon without Akane Liv and vice-versa, with our metal lady being the heart and soul of the band since their inception in 2009. Currently formed of our diva Akane Liv together with Tatsuya Nishiwaki on keyboards, Masaki on bass, Kentaro on the guitars, Hideki Harasawa on drums, and Saori Hoshino on the violin, Liv Moon play beautiful Symphonic Power Metal dealing with topics such as tragedy, poetry, love and dark romanticism, having already released the full-length albums Double Moon (2009), Covers – Scream as a Woman (2010), Golden Moon (2011), Symphonic Moon (2012), The End of the Beginning (2012), and more recently Our Stories (2022), as well as a compilation called The Best of Liv Moon (2015), the EP R.E.D (2016), and a series of live albums and videos, those being Liv Moon Club Show Golden Moon (2011), Liv Moon Club Show 2012 “Symphonic Moon” – Black Night (2012), Liv Moon Club Show 2012 “Symphonic Moon” – White Night (2012), Liv Moon Club Show 2012 “Symphonic Moon” – White Night & Black Night (2012), and Liv Moon Live 2012 “The End of the Beginning” (2013). If you want to have a taste of the music by Liv Moon, you can enjoy the official videos for Escape, Never… and El Dorado on YouTube, or simply stream all of their releases on Spotify.

As aforementioned, our beloved diva also has her own solo project since 2013, simply named Akane Liv, having released her debut album titled Liv back in 2014. From that album, you can enjoy Akane Liv’s mesmerizing vocals in songs such as Night Parade, Summer Shadow, and Hikari, where you can easily see how she managed to blend international rock and pop music with Japanese pop. Apart from that, you can find Akane Liv as a guest vocalist in the songs Angel of Salvation, from the 2012 album by the same name by Japanese Neoclassical Power Metal act Galneryus; Incredible Bass Show, from the 2013 album Psycho Daze Bass by Japanese Heavy Metal/Shred project Masaki; Alone, from the 2010 album Crying Stars – Stand Proud!, and Chaotic Reality, from the 2019 album Vorvados, both by Japanese Neoclassical Power Metal project Syu; and Poison Eyes, from the 2013 album Devils in the Dark by Japanese Melodic Power Metal/Shred project Takayoshi Ohmura.

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A huge fan of Queen and Bon Jovi, playing songs such as Livin’ On A Prayer to cheer herself up, our diva mentioned in one of her interviews that she opened her eyes and ears to Symphonic Metal after listening to The Phantom of the Opera on the radio in a taxi while she was studying in England. She said that everyone in that musical showcased a powerful voice, saying she was moved by that, and also mentioning that The Phantom of the Opera has a strong rock vibe even among musicals, with its bass and drums sounding truly heavy. She also said that she doesn’t think Symphonic Metal and Takarazuka Revue are too different, because when she sings Symphonic Metal she also play various characters, sometimes even a different one every four or five minutes when a new song comes up (as opposed to Takarazuka Revue, where she used to play only one character for one hour or two), as Symphonic Metal has a stronger theatrical element than most metal styles. For instance, she mentioned that the role of Madame Red in Black Butler is a character that she couldn’t have created if she hadn’t invested in a darker and heavier world with Liv Moon, as that was a character full of jealousy, passion, affection and all kinds of emotions that are common to most women, whereas on the Liv Moon side, she wants her fans to have a very theatrical experience as if they were watching a theater group like Takarazuka Revue.

Having played a male role during a considerable amount of time with Takarazuka Revue, Akane Liv believes that the project’s appeal is that it expresses men and women of all ages as one single gender, with all of its gorgeous costumes making the whole experience of watching it even more compelling. Perhaps the only “issue” she had during her time with Takarazuka Revue was that she often sang only low notes despite being a good soprano, albeit that also helped her build her own layers when singing with Liv Moon. Lastly, despite being an accomplished singer and performer, Akane Liv said she still feels a little shy when she has to speak in front of an audience instead of singing, which by the way happens to several amazing artists out there, as after all is said and done, we’re all humans and we all have our fears, weaknesses and flaws, right? And being not just a great vocalist and artist, but above all that, an amazing person, is what turned Akane Liv into one of the most interesting names of the current Japanese music scene, as well as into our beloved metal lady this month.

Akane Liv’s Official Instagram
Akane Liv’s Official Twitter
Liv Moon’s Official Facebook page
Liv Moon’s Official YouTube channel

Album Review – Barkasth / Decaying (2018)

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A new formation on the landscape of the Ukrainian Black Metal scene reveals the dark side of idolatry on human life and demonstrates the result of this pernicious influence in their debut full-length opus.

It’s time to get devilish, heavy and blasphemous with the interesting fusion of classic Black Metal with Melodic Black Metal and Blackened Doom blasted by a four-piece act hailing from Ukraine comprised of Arkhonth on guitars and vocals, Goreon also on guitars and vocals, Hagalth on bass and Malet on drums, collectively known as Barkasth. Formed in 2015 in Kharkiv, the second largest city in Ukraine located in the northeast part of the country, Barkasth are spreading darkness not only in their homeland but everywhere else in the world with their debut full-length album, simply titled Decaying.

A new formation on the landscape of the Ukrainian Black Metal scene, Barkasth’s source of inspiration is a radically negative attitude towards religion, in any of its manifestations, as the main cause of obscurantism and distorted perception of reality – the main indicator for the level of ignorance of a contemporary man. Throughout the seven unrelenting tracks in Decaying, this Stygian horde reveals the dark side of idolatry on human life and demonstrates the result of this pernicious influence. In other words, the music by Barkasth presents no artificial elements nor any other type of shenanigans added to it, going straight to the point and showing the world Black Metal is still one of the most effective weapons against all forms of religion.

And the opening track Begging By Freaks comes crushing with a classic and epic beginning that beautifully evolves into a mid-tempo, blackened sonority where harsh and demonic growls are supported by the scorching riffs by  Arkhonth and Goreon. Put differently, this is a sulfurous and austere display of Melodic Black Metal infused with elements from Blackened Doom and traditional Doom Metal that will please all fans of the genre, whereas an even darker atmosphere serves as the background for the hellish Alone, with Malet delivering rhythmic but at the same time fierce beats while the harsh vocals by Arkhonth exhale blasphemy and hatred, all enfolded by a mesmerizing vibe. And in Blood & Flesh the band accelerates their pace, therefore reaching a more traditional Black Metal sonority with Malet delivering sheer darkness through his blast beast while Arkhonth growls like a true Black Metal veteran, turning it into one of the top moments of the album without any doubt, also showcasing cutting riffs that will pierce through your ears in a violent manner.

Soul Away gets back to a more introspective and obscure hybrid of Black Metal and Blackened Doom, with Arkhonth and Goreon, together with bassist Hagalth, shredding their strings mercilessly, while all the growling and roaring gets as deep, reverberating and demonic as possible; but it’s when they focus on their darkest and most aggressive Black Metal side that they truly thrive, and the title-track Decaying is the perfect depiction of that, with the entire band sounding flammable and infernal, in special Malet with his always demolishing and melodic beats. Then their disturbing and demonic vein arises once again in the visceral hymn Shepherd, with the sound of guitars penetrating deep inside your flesh amidst a feast of desperate and deep roars, not to mention how vile the whole ambience feels. Lastly, as the icing on the cake we have another cryptic, low-tuned aria of darkness entitled …Where Was The Son Of God, where the Doom Metal-inspired beats by Malet are flawlessly complemented by the guitar duo’s anguished lines, resulting in a captivating and very harmonious ending to the album.

Decaying, which is available for a full (and darkened) listen on YouTube and for purchase from the band’s own BandCamp page or from the Svarga Music mailorder, might be far from being a masterpiece or a reference in Black Metal, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an extremely well-crafted and solid album by this hardworking quartet, positioning Barkasth as one of the most promising new acts from the Ukrainian scene and definitely a band to keep an eye on in the coming years. Especially if, just like Barkasth’s band members, you also believe religion is one of the main factors in the imminent and inevitable downfall of our rotten society.

Best moments of the album: Blood & Flesh and Decaying.

Worst moments of the album: None.

Released in 2018 Svarga Music

Track listing
1. Begging By Freaks 6:15
2. Alone 7:16
3. Blood & Flesh 5:53
4. Soul Away 5:17
5. Decaying 5:08
6. Shepherd 6:02
7. …Where Was The Son Of God 6:36

Band members
Arkhonth – guitars, vocals
Goreon – guitars, vocals
Hagalth – bass
Malet – drums

The Walking Dead Review – Episode 413: Alone

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Bob is not alone anymore, and that’s more than enough to make him happy even in the middle of the apocalypse.

***WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS***

If you haven’t seen Alone yet, I suggest you scroll down to the end of this post first and watch the entire episode before reading the rest of the text.

twd413_01Would you rather be alone or surrounded by other people in a zombie apocalypse? What if you choose to be with others, then you learn to like them, love them and live for them, just to learn that one day you’ll lose them and things are going to be even worse than when you’re completely by yourself? In my opinion, those were the biggest questions The Walking Dead wanted to left to the fans after last night’s episode. There were no answers to other important things, like where Rick, Carl and Michonne are, what Terminus really is or what happened to Glenn, Tara and Sergeant Abraham, though.

This episode was almost totally focused on the relationship between Bob and Sasha, with the inclusion of Maggie as the “desperate wife looking for her husband”, and more stupid scenes with Daryl and Beth “trying” really hard to screw up everything. By the way, it looks like one of the fan-favorite characters is becoming more and more like a rebel teenager, instead of growing up and becoming a man like Carl is. Again, are the writers trying to get more attention from the young female audience that’s afraid of zombies, and just want to watch the show because of Daryl? That’s not a wise choice of what to do with a good character, not at all.

But let’s go back to Bob, our main character in “Alone”. We finally got to know something about his past: poor Bob was just another lonely soul in a post-apocalyptical world, totally by himself, hopeless, wandering through the woods and facing at the same time his issues with alcohol and lots of flesh-eating zombies. We all have to admit that situation would be among the worst ones for any person with a heart and a soul, right? That’s exactly what Bob acknowledged after the attack at the prison that almost left each survivor on his own. Bob knows he’s the only person inside the prison that didn’t lose a loved one during or after the battle, and now for the first time in his post-apocalyptical life he’s not alone. He said there was some kind of “curse” on him, that he’s always the only survivor of his group, but fortunately it seems his fate has changed after being accepted at the prison (the third group in his life). In the end, that’s a very good reason for him to keep smiling even amidst so much destruction and death, and even after almost being bitten by a walker he looked relaxed! Well, Bob knows loneliness can be a lot more painful than any zombie bite, no doubt about it.

On the other hand, it takes some time for Sasha and Maggie to realize that, and therefore we see them struggling with their hopes and fears for too much time, not sure where to go and what to do. Sasha is more like that type of survivor that just wants to find a place to sleep and rest for some time, and she doesn’t want to think about Tyreese’s fate not even for a second, so strong is her fear of having lost him forever, while Maggie is just worried about finding Glenn no matter what (and that includes using zombie guts to create signs for Glenn!). One thing that I cannot stop thinking about is: what happened to Maggie’s southern accent? She sounds a lot more British now, has anyone noticed that too? Anyway, by the end of the episode, and after killing a bunch of zombies in very gruesome ways, they are ready to head to Terminus and finally find out if their loved ones are there too.

twd413_02Last but not least, I truly didn’t want to talk about Daryl and Beth anymore after last week’s episode, but as the writers are focusing on that new “romantic duo” there’s nothing we can do about it. While they were at that mansion/morgue pretending life was normal and eating junk food even surrounded by dead corpses with weird makeup, I was wondering how that scene would have been with Merle instead of Beth. The “Dixon Brothers” would never have been so sloppy or reckless like that. Daryl has officially put his guard down after losing his big brother, and guess what? They were ambushed by a mysterious psycho, who kidnapped Beth while Daryl had to fight against dozens of zombies attracted to the house by that eerie person. That was extremely predictable, and making Daryl look like a “crying boy without his new girlfriend” after that didn’t work well. At least now Beth will face some real danger and maybe stop being so childish, and let’s hope Daryl turns all his despair and desolation into anger, gets back to the old days, and uses his famous crossbow to kill those mercenaries, especially the one who seems to be their leader. His name, by the way, is Joe.

Alone (FULL EPISODE)