So what's new with this album? Not much, really. The band have really just expanded and continued from the last disc, Takasago Army, with the overall production being very similar in sound (the only notable difference here is that Dani Wang's kicks sound less like he's using round wooden beaters and more like he's using flat wooden beaters... If you're a drummer you'll get it). The band have even stated that this is the case, and it lends the album a great clarity. Nothing gets in the way, and everything is where it should be in the mix.
The concept on the record is 'an armed body and mind' - well, the disc certainly doesn't waste time in using said armaments to pummel you silly. We have a gentle intro and outro, betwixt which lay eight tracks of ferocious and melodic music. There's no dazzling technicality going on here, with each performer playing what the song needs and nothing more. To be fair, if anyone overplayed, it'd spoil things a little bit. So bravo on that front, chaps and chapette.
The standout tracks for me personally were 'Supreme Pain for the Tyrant', 'Sail into the Sunset's Fire', 'Rage of my Sword' and 'Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace'. The latter of these tracks builds up through one of the most powerful crescendos that I've heard in recent years. I can only imagine what this would be like to see live, which I hope to do at some stage.
Lyrically, I have no clue what's going on, though. I'll have to wait until the physical copy lands to comment, as darklyrics have the Taiwanese lyrics (which I obviously can't read) and all I've been able to find are the literal translations which make no sense whatsoever (I sincerely doubt that 'Sword chop chop corrupt official' is an intended translation) so we'll see. I'm expecting a lot of political dissent, though.
About the only criticism I can level against the disc is the outro 'Undying Rearmament' - whilst it's a nice piece, I kind of feel that using 'Defenders of Bú-Tik Palace' would have been a much stronger way to close the album off. It's a minor niggle, though, and not one that's put me off having the disc on repeat.
8/10
