Phantasmagoria

 

Hello everyone! I hope your vk journey is going great! ^^ Let's take 5 minutes out for an amazing band, yes? ^^

Band- Phantasmagoria
Years- 2004-2008
Type- Kote-Kote Kei
Members- (left to right)
Matoi/Drummer
Jun/Guitarist
Riku/Vocalist
Kisaki/Bassist
Iori/Guitarist

MUSIC- Their music is very good, can not say that the band focuses on any one instrument alone and uses full potential of all instruments with various other kind of sounds. The mixture that is produced does not diminish the sounds of the main instruments unlike in many bands nowadays where the guitar sometimes is so less audible while bass is only sometimes audible! The music then is a smoothly finished balance of all the sounds making itself unique.

VOCALS- The vocals are really good, from melodious singing to ringing screams. The way he pronounces the words handling them in the cradle of emotions and with the intensity he sings- the control of tone and range- makes him a wonderful vocalist. His English pronunciation is good too!

THEME- The theme of the lyrics focus on the Individual with a capital I or let's extend it to Human with a capital H. Lyrics are neither totally based on daily life nor are totally based on abstract themes, are in between. In songs like “Kami Uta" and “Neo Ark" for example, Riku-san uses invocation style which is directed towards the audience but since it's an invocation it feels spiritual. The name of the band- Phantasmagoria- is justified because the songs (music + singing + lyrics) absorb all your attention and put you in a trans-like state where you fall trap in the constantly shifting world of emotions.

TRIVIA- Rame, bassist of band Vidoll, teased the band by calling them “Mago" (meaning grandchildren) and since then the band is also called as Mago by their fans~ After a month of releasing their first single “Material Pain" (a must listen) they were featured in Cure magazine making history of fastest-rising-in-popularity band.

To find unique sounding band with different theme in the post 90s phase of vk is rare so this band is a MUST LISTEN for all true vk fans, especially kote-kote kei fans.

I believe that perfection never lives in living but perfection lives in the frozen. Take my word that all their songs are good, of course one better than the other, but not one song is bad! They did disband but left a frozen beauty of PERFECTION as Phantasmagoria.