Aiolin is a Visual Kei band based in Tokyo that started earlier this year on February 6th. And as their name already suggests, they’ve mixed Violin into Visual Kei, making for a surprisingly pleasant combination. Even though it’s not a new concept, they’ve managed to create a sound of their own with it. They describe themselves as “A newcomer band with unique style rock sounds, featuring a Violin with heavy rock sound.”
Aiolin (アイオリン)
The band has been founded by the Vocalist, Guitarist, and Violinist Hikarito, together with the other members: Guitarist You, Bassist Reis, and Drummer Seiya. Hikarito, also known as Hiroto Muraki, is a multi-talented musician who graduated from Tokyo Art University. Not only can he sing very well, he’s also a highly skilled violinist. On top of that, he can play guitar, bass guitar, and piano. He composes all the music, writes all the lyrics, and does the arrangements. He shows all of his qualities in their first album Tear In The Rain.
Tracklist:
1. Crystal Night
2. Ark Night
3. Starlight Road
4. Tear In The Rain
5. Error World
6. Remember The Name
7. AsteR
8. Faded
The album starts off with Crystal Night. It’s a short, instrumental intro where Hikarito leads the listener into the sounds of his Violin mixed with an electronic melody. It’s a rather calm track that gets more upbeat towards the ending, preparing the listener for the next track.
Ark Night starts off as calm as the intro, however, catches up to the upbeat tempo where the previous track left off, followed by the introduction of the Visual Kei element through adding heavy guitars and drums. Throughout the track, the violin plays a supporting role in the background adding a beautiful melody. Hikarito shows his diversity well, switching between powerful and sweet both in music as well as the vocals. His soft smooth voice matches the sweet tones of the violin perfectly during the calm part, then he switches to a powerful refrain, and adds grunts in between the second verse. The track has a lot of ups and downs, keeping the listener interested until the very end.
The third track of the album, Starlight Road, is a sweet and upbeat song that starts off with a piano intro, giving the listener a nice rest from the intense guitars and violin from the previous track. Hikarito uses his smooth voice to create a warm feeling and supports that by a sweet and cheerful violin melody. Add to this a nice rhythm by the guitars and drums and you’ll be filled with warmth and delight.
Next up is the title track Tear In the Rain. It starts with a soft combination of piano and violin and Hikarito singing softly. But the track isn’t a calm one at all. Not seconds later the guitars kick in with the drums to create a harder rock sound. Throughout the couplet and refrain the smooth violin sounds support the whole. Halfway through there is a nice and gentle guitar solo followed by a break. The track goes upbeat once more, only to close it off as gentle as it started.
Error Wold, goes on where Tear In the Rain left off. A sweet piano tune combined with the violin start off the track only to turn into an upbeat track in a matter of seconds. Hikarito his voice sounds gentle, giving the track a pleasant feeling. Three-quarters in there is a small breakdown letting the listener think a heavy solo is coming up. But instead, they’re surprised by the sweetest violin solo that is backed up by a soft, smooth piano melody. The track closes with the upbeat refrain. This one is definitely a track where I can imagine the crowd dance with the music.
Remember The Name is one of the heavier tracks on the album. It starts off with a bang, guitars and violins jump into play creating a heavy sound with a nice melody in the background. Hikarito tunes in softly with smooth vocals to create a moment of rest. The break isn’t long however and distorted guitars slam their way back in. The refrain is upbeat and is followed up by a rough breakdown with Hikarito grunting in the back. After the second refrain has ended there is another breakdown that leads to the solo we’ve been missing in Error World. It’s fast paced with a feeling of excitement. The track wouldn’t be complete without a violin solo, and Hikarito made sure it was the perfect calmness before the rough, sudden ending using his smooth vocals in the best way possible.
Almost at the end of the album, there is a beautiful power ballad that shows all of Hikarito’s talents, AsteR. It starts softly with tender vocals and the main focus of the track are the soothing violin tunes sounding through the song combined with a clean acoustic guitar. Through the refrains, he switches to powerful distorted guitars and even puts in a solo. The track feels sweet yet a little sad and the powerful refrains really add up to is. This track is one where a crowd would stay silent and just listen.
After the beautiful ending of AsteR, the final track leads in. Faded is a beautiful ending to a great album full of variations. It’s completely acoustic and through his tender vocals he leaves the listener with a warm and calm feeling.
The album as a whole feels like it’s put together with great skill and has the feeling of a roller coaster ride. The listener is put through both heavy and calmer sweet tracks, leaving no room for getting bored. The musical skills of Hikarito take it all to a whole other level and you can definitely hear his academic background.
Tear In the Rain is available on Itunes for € 7,99.
Rating: 95/100
