Ah, the long awaited return - at least among Discordance Axis fans - of Jon Chang the vocalist of the regrettably extinct grind outfit Discordance Axis. Hayaino Daisuki is one of two new groups (Gridlink being the other) for which Chang is providing vocals and words. And if these lyrics are anything like the sci-fi reference filled nerd out that Discordance Axis was, I will be a happy man. Hayaino Daisuki is aptly named -apparently meaning "I love speed" - as the group slams hyper speed bursts of songs at the listener without really giving room to breathe which is seemingly par for the course when it comes to grind records. However, this EP differs a great deal from Chang's previous outfit, as the songs are generally much longer in comparison, giving a different, more thrash dynamic to the music.
Consisting of just four tracks, Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire is a quick blast of, for lack of a better word, speed. The opening track, "Into the Throat of Berserk," shows that Hayaino Daisuki has more in common with Chang's former compatriot Dave Witte's band Municipal Waste than with their more grind past. Playing at blistering tempos, this track could beat out most other bands in terms of how fast the thrash sounding music is. "Hairo Ikotsu Gakidou" is more of the same only with a bit more melody (yes melody) in the guitar parts, particularly the lead parts; the dual vocal that shows up in parts sounds pretty crazy. There are some almost "rock" (I honestly cannot think of a better adjective) elements to "Horobi Monogatari." But seriously, this song is so fast it makes my head spin almost to the point of being dizzy; no, I am not joking. The last track, "Aka," just seems to go for all out speed while somehow not losing track of the fact that this is band; it sounds so tight that I am shocked that three people can make music this fast without tripping all over each other.
Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire is definitely not what I was expecting prior to hearing this debut from Haiyano Daisuki as there was definitely some anticipation on my part that I would get to hear more Discordance Axis style grind. Instead what this definitely makes more sense when thinking of how Jonathan Chang's other band, Gridlink, sounds. Why be in two bands that sound exactly the same? Hayaino Daisuki utilizes a more thrash style with much longer composition and structure than Chang's previous outfit manipulated. Taken on its own merits, I have to say that Hayaino Daisuki, besides being aptly named, give listeners quite a debut record in Headbanger's Karaoke Club Dangerous Fire, and although it did not meet my personal expectations, the EP provides a different sound that I find that I enjoy nonetheless.
