Fact

Album Review

In its basic form, the Japanese band Fact can be described as heavy metal, with its slabs of riff-heavy guitar playing and thick, driving rhythm section, often topped by howled lead vocals. But that turns out only to be the start on the group's self-titled album. Fact has a demonstrated theatrical flair indicated by the bandmembers' use of single names (Takahiro on guitar and vocals; Tomohiro on bass and vocals; Eiji on drums and vocals; Hiro on lead vocals; and Kazuki on guitar and vocals), and their wearing of traditional Japanese masks (like the one on the cover) when they play in concert. That theatricality extends to their music, which expands from metal into aspects of pop-punk and electronic pop. Their tempos tend toward the breakneck, sometimes broken up by slower speeds for melodic passages, as in "A Fact of Life," even as the vocals gear down to earnest tenor singing. They even turn to a folk-pop ballad on "45 Days," while "1-2" has a loopy electronic arrangement. The varying styles are all the better to express the emotional content of the English lyrics, sung in light Japanese accents. Despite the metal style that is at the root of the band's music, Fact lack the anger and aggression of most metal; instead, they are energetic and ingratiating, giving their music an unusually light touch while fulfilling the demands of hard rock.