Ex-Malice Mizer vocalist Gackt has certainly made a name for himself throughout Japan (and other parts of the world as well). He made a daring move by leaving the visual kei band Malice Mizer (which was basically a five member band that was a mixture of gothic rock, classical, heavy metal, glam, and a lot more. They pretty much released some beautiful, catchy, classic songs while opting for some eccentric clothing), which he had been part of for years, after the smash success of their album, Merveilles. Malice Mizer continued on without Gackt, who swiftly showed the world that he had what it took to be a solo artist. His first single, Mizerable, was beautiful, catchy, and brought him many new fans, as well as assuring Malice Mizer fans that Gackt’s solo career was going to go just fine.

Gackt is really a solo artist, yet he does have a sort of informal band known as “GacktJOB”. They play most of the instruments in Gackt’s songs (though not all; Gackt plays the piano and the guitar) and perform with him at his concerts, but Gackt still writes and sings all his songs by himself. You is on guitar and violin, Chachamaru on guitar, Toshi on drums, Ryuichi is also on drums, Igao on keyboards, and Ju-ken on bass. Ren and Masa were also with Gackt for some time, but Ren left in 2003 and Ju-ken in 2002.

After the release of his first full-length album, Mars, Gackt became even more popular. Mars included such singles as Vanilla, Oasis, and Mirror, which no one could resist. Gackt’s first solo effort had amazing variety, with fun, poppy songs, real rockers, and even just plain beautiful songs. His vocal range is also quite stunning; the only person I can think of who can compare is Kyo (of Dir en Grey). It was hard to imagine that Gackt could release anything nearly as great as this album, and it was almost 1 year (364 days, to be exact) before he finished work on his second, just as amazing album, Rebirth.

Gackt never fails to give his fans an interesting case to go with his albums, and Rebirth is no exception. Mars featured a separate hardcover book with lyrics and pictures, and Rebirth is sort of similar. When the hardback case is opened, the actual CD sits on the left, and there is a paper with all the lyrics on it (it’s all folded up). On the right, there are quite a few pages of lovely, lovely pictures that I could just stare at forever. The only album case that I liked more than this was The Sixth Day. Full of amazing treats, that thing could keep me entertained for hours. But Rebirth is still stunning.

I’m the first to admit, Gackt can be a pretty weird guy, which does cause him to make some strange music. But strange can be good. 4th… is an example of this, and it’s the opener to this album. It’s hard to describe this song; you have to actually hear it to believe it. There are some static-y sounds at the beginning, and then some garbled talking that really reminds me of Hitler trying to incite a crowd. Gackt’s singing during this one is pretty high and he probably could be mistaken for a woman (well, maybe). The music is all strange synthesizers and the static-y sounds continue, though not as loud as before. The first time I heard this (it was the second song of his I ever heard, I believe), I was confused and slightly appalled, but it grew on me, and it still manages to get caught in my head every so often.

Now, I feel the urge to talk about the fun songs on here. So, naturally I turn to Papa lapped a pap lopped. What was Gackt thinking when he came up with that title? Well, that’s unimportant, since the song is so awesome. It starts out with a scream, then some insane music starts up, that I can’t even begin to describe. There are punk-ish guitars, horns, and a ridiculously catchy chorus. Tell me you don’t want to start groovin when you hear this song. There’s also a part where it gets quieter and we hear some faint moans, then Gackt screams yet again. There are a few other screams thrown in throughout, and I just love it. I really wish it was a single because I’m sure the video would be very enjoyable. What a wild, sexy song. My favorite from the album, I can safely say. Another fun track is Marmalade. When I first heard this song, I was so surprised by Gackt’s singing! He just sounded so ridiculously happy, and that definitely adds to the appeal of the song. The music is bouncy and oh-so-very happy, as Gackt sings about meeting a love one fateful day as he rode up a hill on his cute bicycle (well, I did say this song was out of character. Gackt doesn’t usually mention his cute bicycles in songs). “It was sudden and almost a miracle/ My heart is leaping at this fateful encounter, I can’t hide it.”

Cute and happy also describes Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto, which was also a single, with an enjoyable video to go along with it. Twinkly, pretty, joyous. Yay. Gackt sings his little heart out during this one, which is about love, naturally. The title actually translates to “What I Can do for You”. It’s catchy and lovely, with touching lyrics as well. “Just the way you are, stay with me forever/ Ever since that moment I embraced you with my own arms/ I’ve realized this feeling in my heart.” There is a quiet music box that plays at the end, and all in all this makes a great track to end the album with.

2 more singles from this album include Secret Garden and ~Seki-ray~. Secret Garden begins very quietly, but soon gets a bit louder. It’s a very beautiful song, especially the chorus, which I can’t get enough of. “The image of the world, spreading in my dream, it’s the last secret garden, last secret garden/ It will soon vanish inside of your heart, but don’t forget/ Please never forget my name.” After the first chorus, Gackt’s singing sounds muffled and distorted, and there is a pause with no music or singing, in which we hear someone whisper “Kill me.” After the second chorus, there is a nice, twinkly part with some faint drumming in the background, which is, I think, my favorite part of the song (probably because of the way Gackt approaches the camera and sings so earnestly in the video). ~Seki-ray~ actually came out a little before the release of Mars, but it wasn’t included on that album and was instead placed on this one. It is slightly different from the single version, with a very quiet, dramatic intro, with an occasional hollow drumbeat, piano keys being softly hit, and a bit of violin. Gackt’s singing is very, very quiet, as the music builds a little, then seems to fade out. Instead, Gackt starts singing with such emotion and really gets into it. The music gets louder too, with the piano keys being hit more often, louder drums, and a guitar solo before things get a bit quieter. However, Gackt lets loose again, and I just adore this song because it really allows him to display his vocal range. Classic Gackt song, definitely.

Speaking of classic, I guess this is the perfect time to talk about Sayonara. Such a sad, yet beautiful song. Gackt plays the piano quietly and gently throughout, and during the chorus, the piano gets louder and Gackt sings quite emotionally while still maintaining the quiet, reflective mood of the song. About 2:25 through the song, You comes in on the violin, and there is an instrumental break with just the piano and violin going at it. It is gorgeous, I’ve gotta say. Everything gets quiet again as Gackt sings some more, and there is a brief pause before the violin returns. The violin solo goes on till the end of the song, which is a bit over a full minute. Gackt and You really do a lovely job on this one, and I can find no faults with it. This is my second favorite song off the album, and my absolute favorite slow song that Gackt has ever offered.

The four remaining tracks on this album are pretty much all rock numbers. Maria starts out with some catchy, grungy guitar playing, and the drums also stand out during this one. I love the way Gackt sings the chorus, and the music is louder as well. This song is actually about the Virgin Mary, which is kind of strange, and I don’t even know if Gackt is Christian, but this is still an awesome song you can’t help but enjoy. Uncontrol follows immediately, and the guitars are yet again grungy and there are some metallic, mechanical sounds. Gackt’s vocals also sound kind of mechanical and distorted, but he is much clearer during the chorus, while still sounding slightly distorted. There are some static-y sounds and the metallic clanging sounds continue. The insanity and distortion are kind of fitting when you look at the lyrics: “Everyone compares you to this fleeting dizziness…/ Where do you go when you leave me here, lonely? This dizziness calls me within a dream…making my voice heard/ To vanish like this is unforgivable.”

Kalmia is pretty interesting, and once Gackt starts singing louder and gets more into it, I begin to enjoy it more. The music heavily relies on guitars, but there is some persistent drumming in there, especially during the parts when Gackt isn’t singing. There is also a part where Gackt sounds as though he is very far away, and it is kind of eerie to be honest. You can hear as he sounds like he’s getting closer, and then he goes off into the nice emotional singing that I enjoy so much. Seven is one of the songs that I enjoy the most on here. The guitar work is excellent, and the drums are just so catchy. Gackt delivers all his lines wonderfully, and his quiet vocals that build up to the very, very catchy chorus makes this a treat to listen to every time it comes on. The more I listen to it, the more I like it, and I think it would’ve made a good single. The lyrics are also great, as can only be expected from Gackt, and the last line is a pleading “Don’t let me go…” I would never let Gackt go, let me tell you.

This is definitely an amazing album to own. Gackt shows us yet again that it was the right decision for him to pursue a solo career. His work in Malice Mizer was still fantastic and I adore it to this day, but the band wanted to stop making music for awhile and Gackt wanted to continue on, and I’m glad that he made the decision to go solo. It allows him to try out many different musical styles and test his own abilities, and everything he produces seems to be excellent.

There are absolutely no tracks on Rebirth that I don’t enjoy listening to, and sometimes I find myself wanting to listen to the entire album again after it has ended. As with every musical album Gackt has ever been a part of, whether solo or with Malice Mizer, there is definitely variety around every corner, from the craziness of Papa lapped a pap lopped to the quiet beauty of Sayonara. I can’t say I like this album better than Mars; I appreciate them both equally. This is a great introduction to Gackt, though Mars might be better for new fans of the J-pop/J-rock genre. You might even have to listen to Rebirth a few times before you realize just how amazing it is, but believe me, it’s definitely worth it. You’ll surely treasure it as an integral part of your CD collection, as I do.


Malice Mizer's Merveilles
Gackt's Mars

~Lyric translations from: Sawasdee Gackt at http://ca.geocities.com/juggajun/index.html~

Thanks to Shelly for adding this to the Epinions database!

Recommended: Yes