The Side Effects
Studio album by
Coldrain
ReleasedAugust 28, 2019 (2019-08-28)
RecordedJanuary 30, 2019 – February 28, 2019[1][2]
StudioStudio Barbarosa (Orlando, Florida, US)[3]
Genre
Length46:24
LabelWarner Music Japan
ProducerMichael Baskette
Coldrain chronology
20180206 Live at Budokan
(2018)		 The Side Effects
(2019)		 Live & Backstage at Blare Fest. 2020
(2020)
Singles from The Side Effects
  1. "Revolution"
    Released: December 12, 2018
  2. "Coexist"
    Released: July 4, 2019
  3. "January 1st"
    Released: August 8, 2019
  4. "The Side Effects"
    Released: August 27, 2019
  5. "Mayday"
    Released: November 2, 2019
  6. "See You"
    Released: January 17, 2020
  7. "Speak"
    Released: March 21, 2020

The Side Effects (stylised in all caps) is the sixth studio album by Japanese rock band Coldrain. Recorded at Studio Barbarosa in Orlando, Florida with producer Michael 'Elvis' Baskette (who previously produced the band's 2017 predecessor Fateless), it was released on August 28, 2019 by Warner Music Japan.[4][5]

The Side Effects is the second Coldrain album to be released by Warner Music Japan, the first being Fateless. This would be the follow-up to 2017's Fateless and the last album by the band to be released in the 2010s. It would be their lowest charted album on the Oricon Albums Chart since the release of The Enemy Inside, which debuted and peaked at number 21, for which The Side Effects would just barely scrape into the top ten at number 10. The Revelation, Vena and Fateless fairing much better at number 7, 9 and 8 respectively. However, The Side Effects would fare much better on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, as it would debut and peak at number 8, selling over 8,600 copies in its first week.

The album would produce seven singles, four of which were released before the release of The Side Effects. "Revolution" being the only one to be released the year prior to the release of The Side Effects, which first got showcased in September 2018 as the main theme for Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs 2, but not being released as a single until December 2018.[6] "Coexist", "January 1st" and the title track "The Side Effects" all being released in 2019 and before the release date of The Side Effects. "Coexist" would be unveiled in July 2019, with both "January 1st" and "The Side Effects" being released the following month in August, the title track being released the day before the release of the album. The Side Effects currently has three singles released since the release of the album. "Mayday" on November 2, the last single to be released by the band in the 2010s. The track would feature Ryo Kinoshita from Japanese metalcore band Crystal Lake, of which would also be featured as the second opening theme for the popular anime, Fire Force.[7] "See You" and "Speak" would be released during the new decade. "See You" was released on January 17, while "Speak", the final single from the record, which was released on March 21, 2020.

The Side Effects features a more experimental sound which incorporates vocal elements of rapping and electronica backgrounds, which is heard in songs like "Revolution", "The Side Effects", "Speak" and "Coexist" of which is typically heard in the metal subgenre nu metal.

Background and promotion

Teasers for the album dated all the way back to September 29, 2018, where Coldrain announced a new song to be the theme song for Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs 2, which was titled "Revolution".[8] The song was later released as a single on December 12. This included a music video to complement its release the following month.[9]

A few days after, Masato Hayakawa announced on his Instagram that he was entering the studio with the rest of the band to record new material which would be released later on in the year.[1] Circulation quickly spread hype and buzz among fans and critics alike, to where the silence was broken with multiple photos and videos being shared on the band members social media accounts of them in the studio. They finished recording at the end of February, and announced a new one man tour a few weeks later, as well as the title for the new album to be named "The Side Effects".[10] Another teaser video used the second lead single "Coexist", which was released on July 4 on digital formats and as a music video, garnering over 370,000 views within the first month on YouTube.[11]

They would go on to tour Europe in June to continue to promote the upcoming record by playing various festivals such as Download, Pinkpop, Rock am Ring and Rock im Park. Three of which, Coldrain previously played in 2014 upon making their worldwide debut with The Revelation.[12] Alongside this, they would play several headline shows in small venues around the UK and France.[13]

With the album release impending, the band released two more music videos, "January 1st" and "The Side Effects", on August 8 and 27, respectively.[14][15]

Composition and musical style

Before the recording process, demos were sent to the producer Michael Baskette similarly to what the band did in advance for their 2017 predecessor Fateless. This time, the demos were noted to be much more detailed and near-production standard to give Baskette a good idea as to what direction the band wanted to take with The Side Effects as they were a lot more organised, which made the recording process a lot easier to record, and it took just over a month to record overall. Baskette talked about the primary songwriter and the band's lead guitarist, Ryo Yokochi, saying that his songwriting is what really elevated the LP to new levels.[16]

The Side Effects has been sonically described by critics as post-hardcore,[17][18] metalcore,[19] alternative metal,[20] alternative rock,[21][22] nu metal,[23] and hard rock.[24]

Commercial performance and sales

The album debuted at No. 10 on the Oricon Albums Chart, where it would stay on the charts for the following 7 weeks.[25] The album also charted on the Billboard Japan Hot Albums chart, where it peaked at No. 8, selling over 8,600 physical copies in its first week nationwide. It would drop to No. 43 the following week by a whopping 35 positions, but still selling over 1,200 copies in that timeframe.[26]

Track listing

All lyrics written by Masato Hayakawa, all music composed by Masato Hayakawa and Ryo Yokochi.

The Side Effects track listing
No.TitleLength
1."Mayday" (featuring Ryo Kinoshita of Crystal Lake)3:47
2."Coexist"3:41
3."See You"3:49
4."Speak"3:13
5."The Side Effects"3:44
6."January 1st"4:39
7."Insomnia"4:22
8."Answer/Sickness"3:44
9."Breathe"4:13
10."Stay the Course"4:09
11."Revolution"3:45
12."Li(e)fe"3:18
Total length:46:24
Deluxe edition[27]
No.TitleLength
1."Making The Side Effects"58:30

Personnel

Credits retrieved from album's liner notes.[28]

Charts

Chart performance for The Side Effects
Chart (2019) Peak
position
Japanese Albums (Oricon)[25] 10
Japan Hot Albums (Billboard)[26] 8

References

  1. 1 2 "Masato David Hayakawa on Instagram: "DAY1🇺🇸 📸 @yamada_mphoto"". Retrieved 29 August 2019 – via Instagram.
  2. ↑ "Masato David Hayakawa on Instagram: "久々風呂に浸かった🛁幸せ #backhome"". Archived from the original on 2021-12-26. Retrieved 29 August 2019 – via Instagram.
  3. ↑ "Studio Barbarosa". Discogs. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  4. ↑ "THE SIDE EFFECTS by coldrain". Music.apple.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  5. ↑ "Coldrain, new album "THE SIDE EFFECTS" released in August new song "COEXIST" released". Billboard Japan. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "coldrain、新曲「REVOLUTION」がアーケード・ゲーム"機動戦士ガンダム エクストリームバーサス２"タイアップ曲に決定！楽曲流れるOP映像公開も！". Gekirock.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  7. ↑ "Fire Force Announces Second Theme Song". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  8. ↑ "coldrain×ガンダムEXVS2タイアップ曲リリース、3月に企画ツアーを5都市で". Natalie.mu. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  9. ↑ "Coldrain - REVOLUTION". Popnable.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  10. ↑ "NEW FULL ALBUM - "THE SIDE EFFECTS"". Twitter.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  11. ↑ "Coldrain - COEXIST Insights". Popnable.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  12. ↑ "Coldrain Ready to Storm the World with Debut Album – Out Now!". Japanunderground.wordpress.com. 24 June 2014. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  13. ↑ "Coldrain LIVE in UK, Europe". Twitter.com. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  14. ↑ "COLDRAIN release their THIRD single "January 1st" from their album "THE SIDE EFFECTS"". okmusic.jp. 9 August 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  15. ↑ "Coldrain share their latest music video "THE SIDE EFFECTS"". morecore.de. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  16. ↑ Making The Side Effects (documentary). Warner Music. 2019.
  17. ↑ "THE SIDE EFFECTS - COLDRAIN". Radio Active Magazine. 16 September 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  18. ↑ "THE SIDE EFFECTS". Spirit-of-Metal. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Coldrain - The Side Effects - CD+DVD+T-Shirt (Size XL) Limited Edition". DiscsJapan. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "THE SIDE EFFECTS - REVIEW". LiveJapanMusic.com. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "The Side Effects - Coldrain". Herb Music.net. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  22. ↑ "COLDRAIN - THE SIDE EFFECTS (2019)". Nebulacore. 28 August 2019. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Coldrain Break Out Some Nu Metal Hardcore in "Speak" Music Video [Japan]". Metal Has No Borders. 1 April 2020. Retrieved 26 July 2020.
  24. ↑ "Coldrain "THE SIDE EFFECTS" A masterpiece that pushes the hevy and melodious character and opens up new ground". Mikki. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  25. 1 2 "coldrain" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  26. 1 2 "coldrain" (in Japanese). Billboard. Retrieved 2019-09-04.
  27. ↑ "【NEW ALBUM】12曲入りの新作"ザ・サイドエフェックス"8月28日発売！！INNI VISION監督作アルバムメイキング映像DVD付き初回限定盤や初のTシャツ、キーホルダー、シューレース付き限定BOXもあり！（各デザイン近日発表）9/22にZEPP NAGOYAからスタートするワンマンツアーもチケット一般発売中！！pic.twitter.com/KVruyHZz54". Twitter.com. July 20, 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2019.
  28. ↑ The Side Effects (booklet). Warner Music. 2019.
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