Conqueror (Band-Maid album)
2019 studio album by Band-Maid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Conqueror is the sixth studio album by the Japanese all-female rock band Band-Maid. It was released digitally on December 4, 2019, with physical formats released one week later.[2] It debuted at number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart[3] and debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly Rock Album ranking.[4] The album was preceded by the singles "Glory" and "Bubble", both released in January 2019.[5] The international version from JPU Records includes English lyric translations and Romaji lyric transliterations.[6]
| Conqueror | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
"Normal" cover featuring guitarist/singer Miku Kobato | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | December 4, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–2019 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 55:27 | |||
| Language |
| |||
| Label | Revolver (Japan), JPU Records (International) | |||
| Band-Maid chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Conqueror | ||||
| Alternative cover | ||||
 "Type B" cover featuring singer Saiki Atsumi | ||||
| Music videos | ||||
| "Glory" on YouTube | ||||
| "Endless Story" on YouTube | ||||
| "Bubble" on YouTube | ||||
| "The Dragon Cries" on YouTube | ||||
| "Blooming" on YouTube | ||||
| "Reincarnation" on YouTube | ||||
"Glory" was used as the second ending theme for the second season of the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS.[5] "Bubble" was used as the theme song for the Japanese drama series Perfect Crime.[5] The song "Blooming" was used in the Netflix action thriller film Kate.[7]
Background and recording
Production for the album started around August 2018.[8] The album includes a lot of mid-tempo songs, because they felt that their fans were exhausted from their live shows and that they needed to rest.[9] The working title was Future Conqueror.[10]
Composition and lyrics
Summarize
Perspective
The drums for "Page" are a mix of live and electronic sounds.[11][12] Lead guitarist Kanami Tōno wrote it with the image of a song that would be played at weddings.[13] The lyrics are about cosmetics.[12][13] "Glory" was inspired by the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS and describes a world where AI and humans coexist.[14] Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Miku Kobato stated that the English lyrics in the song were made intentionally easy to sing, as they found that many kids watched the show.[14]
"Endless Story" was the first song written for the album.[12] It was written with the image of being played at Yokohama Arena.[12] "At the Drop of a Hat" was written the day the Reiwa era was announced. The original title was "Reiwa".[13] The drums are a mix of live and electronic sounds[11][12] Tōno wrote the music for "Azure" after she learned of the passing of manga artist Momoko Sakura.[15]
"Dilemma" was the last song written for the album, as they felt they needed one more intense song.[16] The B-side "Screaming" was originally going to be included on the album, but they opted to record a new song instead.[16] It was written and recorded two weeks prior to the release of the album.[16]
"Bubble" was inspired by the manga Perfect Crime.[14] Kobato wrote the lyrics to be "good enough so that those who read the original would appreciate it".[17] They were originally going to use one of their unreleased songs for the show, but Tōno "realized that the demo I just happened to be working on at the time was a better fit for the drama."[18]
During the recording of the album, Band-Maid was contacted by producer Tony Visconti, who had learned about the band from songwriter Tom Kenney.[19] Visconti invited band members Saiki Atsumi and Kobato to travel to a studio in New York City, where he produced the vocal tracks for the song "The Dragon Cries".[20] Tōno sent Visconti a demo of the song's musical backing, expecting him to want to rework it, but he declared that it needed no alterations.[10][11]
"Flying High" was mixed to sound similar to "The Dragon Cries".[21] All of the members wrote a part of the chorus of "Blooming". Bassist Misa wrote the intro.[21][11][22] "Rinne" was originally going to be included on their previous album, World Domination, but they decided it was not quite right.[22] They stated it initially sounded closer to "Blooming", that it was not as dark and that the BPM was 190.[22]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| TuttoRock | 7.5/10[1] |
Outright Geekery gave the album five out five stars, stating that it is Band-Maid's best album to date, and concluding that "This is an album with versatility, passion, and killer hit after killer hit."[23] JRock News also praised the album, noting growth in the band's lyrics, variety in the songwriting, and a duality between the harder and softer aspects of the band's sound.[24]
Accolades
Commercial performance
Conqueror debuted at number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart,[3] selling 11,195 copies in its first week.[29] The album debuted at number 19 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart,[30] selling 560 copies in its first week.[31]
Track listing
All lyrics written by Miku Kobato, except track 11 by Tom Kenney; all music written and arranged by Band-Maid; all music produced by Band-Maid, except track 11 by Tony Visconti.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Page" | 4:17 |
| 2. | "Glory" | 3:39 |
| 3. | "Liberal" | 3:14 |
| 4. | "Endless Story" | 3:44 |
| 5. | "Mirage" | 3:57 |
| 6. | "At the Drop of a Hat" | 4:19 |
| 7. | "Wonderland" | 3:55 |
| 8. | "Azure" | 2:49 |
| 9. | "Dilemma" | 3:36 |
| 10. | "Bubble" | 3:46 |
| 11. | "The Dragon Cries" | 3:55 |
| 12. | "Flying High" | 3:42 |
| 13. | "Catharsis" (カタルシス) | 3:18 |
| 14. | "Blooming" | 3:49 |
| 15. | "Reincarnation" (Rinne, 輪廻) | 3:27 |
| Total length: | 55:27 | |
DVD/Blu-ray (Limited Edition)
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Domination" (Instrumental video) | |
| 2. | "Dice" (Instrumental video) | |
| 3. | "Onset" (Instrumental video) |
Personnel
- Saiki Atsumi – lead vocals
- Miku Kobato – rhythm guitar, vocals
- Kanami Tōno – lead guitar
- Misa – bass
- Akane Hirose – drums
Charts
| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japan Top Album Sales (Billboard)[29] | 9 |
| Japanese Albums (Oricon)[3] | 9 |
| Japanese Rock Albums (Oricon)[33] | 1 |
| UK Independent Albums (OCC)[34] | 29 |
| UK Independent Breakers Albums (OCC)[35] | 4 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums (OCC)[36] | 11 |
| US Heatseekers Albums (Billboard)[30] | 19 |
| US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)[30] | 25 |
| US World Albums (Billboard)[30] | 11 |
References
External links
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