Album Review
Title:  Disorder
Artist:  the GazettE
Release date:  October 13, 2004
www.pscompany.co.jp/gazette/

     GazettE's Disorder is aptly named.  The albums mish-mosh of random noises and sometimes sweet, sometimes teeth gnashing vocals brings to mind a bad habit you can't get rid of or the car accident you slow down at to get a better look.
     The intro is an interesting bit of rap/talk that is only there to keep you from running away from the first track, "The $ocial Riot Machine$," whose transitions are messy, much like an actual protest that turns into a brawl in the streets.  I was about ready to riot after grinding my teeth through it when the next track, "Carry?," came on and beat me up with a quick one-two punch, switching between growling threats and a surprisingly sweet chorus.  After this violent first half of the album I was glad for a reprieve with "zakurogata no yuutsu," a fluffy bit of pop rock that is fast becoming a standard in a visual kei album.
     The second half of the album sounds like a different band entirely.  The songs become more melodic, the vocalist is mostly in tune, the tunes are catchy and even the screaming is good.  "Tokyo shinjuu" (Tokyo Double Suicide) had me doubling back to take a second listen.  "Anti pop" starts out with a neat bit of jazzy drums and guitar before ripping into a fast punk anthem to all things anti pop;  "SxDxR" is a down and dirty piece of rock that could be the album's most cohesive song, combining punchy vocals and a cool sound you want to call punk, but could be Gazette's own interpretation.
     Though the first half of Disorder was a rioting mess, the second half managed to organize and bring together those elements you thought you heard, but couldn't quite make out in the first several songs.  GazettE's potential shouts in their fast and punk-like sound that has joined the ranks of bands that taunts the police line of conventional visual kei music.