Through Clarity

Through Clarity is the second EP by Japanese rock band Coldrain, released in Japan on July 4, 2012, and in Europe on January 27, 2014.[2]

Through Clarity
EP by
Coldrain
ReleasedJuly 4, 2012 (2012-07-04)
StudioHouse of Loud (Elmwood Park, New Jersey)
Genre
Length21:25
LabelVAP
ProducerDavid Bendeth
Coldrain chronology
Three Days of Adrenaline
(2011)		 Through Clarity
(2012)		 The Revelation
(2013)
Singles from Through Clarity
  1. "No Escape"
    Released: May 2, 2012[1]
  2. "Six Feet Under"
    Released: June 27, 2012
  3. "Inside of Me"
    Released: November 15, 2012

The lead single, "No Escape", is featured in the official Japanese trailer for Resident Evil: Raccoon City.[3]

Critical reception
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Rock Sound8/10 [4]
Contact Music [5]
Dead Press!7/10 [6]
Hit The Floor6/10 [7]

The EP received mostly positive reviews from critics.

Greg Spencer of Dead Press! praised the opener, "No Escape", for its pacing and energy. "Through Clarity begins with "No Escape", which is a rip roaring beast of a track. Its frenetic pacing and unstoppable energy combined with a catchy chorus make for a fantastic beginning to the EP. It isn't the heaviest of songs, but that actually works in the band's favour as frontman Masato has a really melodic presence as a vocalist and he carries the track forward with his vocals which range from heavy screams to Jason Butler style softer intonations." He criticised the following two tracks, "Persona" and "The Future". "The next two tracks, "Persona" and "The Future", unfortunately dredge the band into a more corny and slightly lackadaisical phase of the EP. Both tracks just feel slightly forced, the latter especially feels ultra fatuous and lacks any real emotion or genuine spark. Instead, it actually seems like one of the most generic songs you could possibly hear on a rock album."[6]

These criticisms are shot down by Nathan Mack of Contact Music, who labelled all of the tracks as 'outstanding'. He wrote, "A personal favourite on this mini-album would be "Never Look Away". Beginning with delicate vocals and a soft intricate riff, it lulls us into a false feeling that we're soon to be given a break from with the subsequent torrential onslaught. Yet, the track rises in volume and intensity before reaching a crescendo with the first chorus, retaining momentum until the very end."[5]

While generally praised by Rock Sound, it slammed the lyrics of frontman Masato Hayakawa. Leading it as the main problem with Through Clarity. "Sure, the lyrics are a bit crap (such is the problem with language barriers in heavy music), but if you can overlook that, Coldrain have enough ideas and intricacies on Through Clarity to really start something big."[4]

Matt Borucki of Hit the Floor, compared the sound on the EP to that of a metalcore titanic band. "From the moment "No Escape" kicks in, it screams of early Bullet for My Valentine. In fact, so does much of the album."[7]

Track listing

All lyrics are written by Masato Hayakawa; all music is composed by Masato Hayakwa and Ryo Yokochi,[8] except where noted

No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."No Escape" 3:08
2."Persona"Masato Hayakawa3:21
3."The Future"
  • Hayakawa
  • Kazuya Sugiyama
3:30
4."Six Feet Under" 3:39
5."Never Look Away" 3:41
6."Inside of Me"
  • Hayakawa
  • Sugiyama
4:06
Total length:21:25

Personnel

Charts
Chart (2012) Peak
positions
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[9] 14
Japanese Albums (Billboard)[10] 13

Release history
Region Date Format Label
Japan July 4, 2012 CD, digital download VAP
Europe January 27, 2014

References
  1. "No Escape BIOHAZARD OPERATION RACCOON CITY TRAILER VERSION - Single". Apple Music. Retrieved April 11, 2022.
  2. "Coldrain announce mini album and debut UK shows". Themidlandsrocks.com. 19 January 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2014.
  3. "Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City's Coldrain Promo Streamed". AnimeNewsNetwork. April 20, 2012. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  4. "Coldrain – Through Clarity". Rock Sound. 22 February 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  5. Mack, Nathan (28 January 2014). "Coldrain - Through Clarity Mini-album Review". ContactMusic. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
  6. Spencer, Greg (27 January 2014). "EP: coldrain - Through Clarity". DeadPress. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  7. Borucki, Matt (3 February 2014). "Review: Coldrain - THROUGH CLARITY (EP)". HitTheFloor. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  8. "Coldrain – Through Clarity" (in Japanese). Tower Records Japan. 4 July 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2020.
  9. "Coldrain – Through Clarity" (in Japanese). Oricon. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  10. "Top Album Sales [ 2012/07/16 付け ]" (in Japanese). Billboard. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 1 April 2020.
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