Customer Reviews

Beyond the Darkness

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Ok, in a nutshell, this band is basicly what would happen if the misfits came from Japan instead of here. These guys sound, look, and basicly are the japanese version of the misfits. While they do have a slight twinge in difference. (basicly they are more poppy) That is all balzac is. Now, that might sound like a bad thing, but I assure you it's not. As you might know already, this is balzac's first U.S. Album and it's a darn good one. Every song is quality horror punk material, not to mention the few live cuts at the end. From the dark and gloomy intro to catchy Silence of the century, all these songs have personality. A trait that many punk albums lack these days. Honestly, there aren't any throwaway songs here. Every one is original and fast hit you in the head tempo.

That's not to say that there aren't some flaws, even though they're minor ones. I'd have to say my biggest complaint is the vocals. Given, this guy has a great voice, and the chorus "whoah whoahs" are done very well. It's just that I can't inderstand a word he's saying!!! Clearly these guys need to go back to english school before they release another album, or at least give us some lyrics. I could also talk about how the CD gets just a bit repetitive around track 13, but it's not that big of a deal.

Oh, and of course the DVD! Well, what can I say? Four well done videos...and a decent "making of" short. That plus the CD is a good deal for the 8 bucks I laid down for it.

All in all, I'm very glad I bought this. It's a nice addition to my and any punk lover's collection. Heck, 20 above average misfits-esque songs and a DVD! I'd pay double what I paid for it.

balzac are of course compared to the misfits without question, but the band itself are amazingly talented artists with a unique sound all their own! if you don't have this or other balzac albums...what are you waiting for?

I had lost all hope in current music until I heard Balzac. Balzac is by far one of the best bands I have ever heard. My only problem is that I haven't seen a Balzac show yet!

Where as this album is not as good as "Out of the Grave and Into the Dark", it's still awesome.
"Out of the Blue II" has become one of my most favorite songs and it's interesting that they do different versions of various songs.
I'm pretty sure that this album precedes "Out of the Grave" and these are the original versions of their songs, so it's very interesting to see how they've progressed in the last few years.
I highly suggest this album.

First off, I'd like to say that before the release of the Misfits cover of 'Day The Earth Caught Fire' I had never so much as heard of Balzac. That being said, i'm going to jump right into why I think you should check out this album. The raw/aggressive sound. Balzac nails the horror core sound better than most others. It reminds me of several "DIFFERENT" bands. Including the Misfits and Ministry to name a couple. It's not all horror "PUNK" either. Traces of other genres are present within the Balzac sound. This influence isn't in every song, but it's noticable from time to time. I'm not going to say that everyone will love this album. In fact, i'm positive that many will not, and here's why. The "THICK" japanese accent in the vocals. But what do you expect? The guys are from Japan. To put it into simple terms, "if you wanna hear something different then check this album out." If you think the japanese accent will get on your nerves then "don't buy it." That's as simple as it gets...

Wow, I just found out that Balzac has actually released an album in the US through the Misfits record company! I haven't bought this yet (But I will!), but I am 110% sure this will be a top notch record. Anyone who is a Misfits fan should check these guys out. I have two burnt CD's full of thier songs because I was never able to purchase thier stuff in the US.

FINALLY, Balzac's time in the USA has come! Get this CD today!

not many knew of the band til misfits caught on to them. the few that did would already know that this album was already released and only now is offically distributed in the US with a new dvd. this album is good for a new fan. it has re-recorded material from the bands past and some for the best and few aren't as good as the originals. the dvd that comes with it is also worth the money, the studio look on the title track is somewhat humurous because it shows them [messing] up. the video for the song is interesting but the picture quality isn't that good, but thats no their fault...it's japan for exporting all the good quality cameras. in the end, worth the money if you have any interest in the asian fits

I am not much for words, except this album is AWESOME! Balzac is similar to Misfits in many ways, but it is quite different in many aspects, but it is its own entity. Super cool. Grab this album! And look foward to: Out of The Grave and Into The Dark! June 28th!

Music is cool but not diggin the guys voice. Would be nice if I could understand a word he was saying. Plus i have no respect for the remaining "Misfits" and Jerry Only. Because of this I give it only 2 stars. While the music is pretty good, I wouldnt recommend this album unless ur a fan of words that sound like jibberish