X Japan released this rarity in succession with their third full-length, Jealousy. For the time, it was rather unheard of for metal bands to produce orchestral instrumental albums such as this, so consider it an innovation. Symphonic Blue Blood is exactly what you think it is: several selections from X Japan's 1989 sophomore release given the full orchestra treatment. What you might not expect is how amazingly it all comes together. This is a painstakingly performed symphony of beautiful stature. It's not a simply a carbon copy of the source material, as several parts have been refined, added, or cut entirely, but it is also a not a great departure from the music the band itself wrote. Therefore, there are enough similarities to connect to and enough new things to notice. I honestly wasn't bored once while listening to it.
Some of these versions best their official counterparts. "Rose of Pain," the opener this time around, shows the most improvement. It's been cut from eleven minutes down to nine, a wise move the band should have taken in the first place. There's this feeling of massive scale the entire time, drawing you into it's epic passages that both haunt and excite for the full duration. The verses of "Eternal Rain No. 1" are strangely ominous, but the chorus is so well-executed, who could care? "Eternal Rain No. 2" plays it closer to the original mood of the song. I'm not sure how, but they made some of the heaviest outings (such as "Orgasm" and "X") sound like the ideal companions to a romantic film. That may seem like an insult to some fans, but I can't get over how great it sounds. Then there's some tracks like "Easy Fight Rambling" where you'd have no idea it came from an X Japan song unless you'd just heard it. "Kurenai" is barely recognisable beyond that familiar rhythm. "Unfinished" is given its third different incarnation here, and the tune still doesn't sound used up. Of all of them, "Blue Blood" is most reminiscent of it's source song.
If I have one disappointment about Symphonic Blue Blood, it's the snubbing of "Week End," my favorite song from the original album; but considering the quality of the material given and the other great choices, that doesn't seem like too big of a deal. I guaruntee that you could let someone listen to this who has never heard X Japan and they would reasonably believe this is an original piece of classical music, or at least a modern movie soundtrack. Obviously, you must understand what it is to properly enjoy it. This is strictly for (open-minded) fans of X Japan, fans of orchestral/classical compositions, and lovers of instrumental music. No one else would get it. I belong only to the first camp and was surprised by how much I got out of it. This is truly worthy of the X Japan brand.
Overall: 7.5/10 (Cool, But Be Wary)
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