Release date: 6th of November, 2013
Track list:
1. X-encounter
2. unchain.
3. X-encounter (Instrumental)
4. unchain. (Instrumental)
Moira: Regular
Austin: Georgia
1. X-encounter
A layer of pulsating synths and distorted guitars open the track, and before long, are joined by a powerful digital beat to welcome Maon’s filtered vocals. Hooray for muffled vocals! (In a good way) Filtering the vocals to make it sound distorted goes hand in hand with the arrangement of the song, which is filled to the brim with synths and dubstep-like beats. The arrangement is heavily electronic with rock influences; it sounds like what you would get if you mixed Minori Chihara’s Usotsuki ParADox with any Maon rock song, especially something from H.O.T.D.. The chorus is the sharp part of the song, with Maon’s strong and clear vocals paired up with that piano and the techno rhythm creates an engaging and powerful set-up. What I really liked about this song was that everything seemed to go well with each other. The heavy, trance-inducing synths are the main rhythm, while the guitars are the instrumental backbone that complimented the vocals. At the same time, the electronic beat pushes the song along, and piano is used sparingly for some variety as well. I’m pretty sure I can say that we both like X-encounter quite a lot.
2. unchain.
An explosion of electric guitars, synths, drums, and bass guitars creates the opening here. Already present in the beginning of the song are some edgy lead guitar lines, which makes you wonder what else this song has in store. The verses are fairly plain but satisfactory, mostly just there to serve as a build-up to the chorus instead of being anything that special. Maon retains the same register with her vocals throughout the song. Just like the verses, the chorus is quite plain. It feels as if her voice is riding on the coetails of the instruments to get through the chorus and verses, but there are times where she stands out by bringing on a high note. The whole sound of the song is something I’m sure Maon fans have grown accustomed to, especially since it’s quite reminiscent of previous songs like Sen no Homura and Distrigger. This fact is even evident in her vocal register, as she uses her head voice and hits a number of high notes like in the aforementioned songs. Everything considered, this song is still quite enjoyable because… It’s what Maon fans would expect from her, a song that is similar to previous tracks that uses her headstrong vocals.
This single offered us an excellent electronic-styled anime opening, as well as an up-to-standard, rock-based B-side. Both are entertaining, however X-encounter was the stronger track overall. Moira summed it up pretty well there… Fans of Maon should be definitely happy with this single, just like how we are.
Rating: 4/5
Just Another Heaven 