I know I'm never on time with this kind of thing, but I wish everyone who chances upon this lazy quarter of the internet a happy New Year. I'm certain that this year is going to be quite exciting with many things to look forward to. So don't stop taking it easy just yet.
Amazingly enough it's already been 3 years since the last time that the G5 Project had done anything together, and no doubt many have been eagerly anticipating a new album for a long time. I personally didn't feel like it's really been that long since G5 2010, mostly because Godspeed had put out G.O.D. and Growl in the meantime. It's difficult to describe the feeling I had when I found out that a new G5 album was slated for release at the Winter Comiket, but I wasn't too thrilled about it. Indeed, it was with some skepticism that I bought the album, because the era when crossfades could be trusted had long since gone. Yet at the same time I was aching to hear the evolution of some of my favourite guitarists' music. My life is truly blessed with ambivalence.
Even if I tried my hardest, it would have been difficult not to compare G5 2013 with the previous albums. In my opinion, G5 2013 is like a totally different beast than what the G5 Project had offered so far. It's aspiring, spontaneous and experimental. There was never a dull moment on the album for me, but on the other hand high points were far and few between. A wild beast, ready to surprise the world with its majestic roar, but has yet to break free of the chains that have been binding it for far too long. That's pretty much how I feel about the album. In that sense I guess one could even say that G5 2013 has more in common with G.O.D. than the other G5 releases.
