When High Rise II was recorded in 1986, the power trio still reflected bassist/singer Ahahito Nanjo's and guitarist Munehiro Nirita's enthusiasm for punk rock.
They loved the energy and attitude of punk, as well as the heaviness of Cream, Blue Cheer and Jimi Hendrix.
On High Rise II, the overall result is an unorthodox, noisy, dissonant and very inspired fusion of punk, psychedelic rock and late 1960s heavy metal/hard rock.
It might be hard to imagine combining the hyper, slam-pit recklessness of the Ramones or the Buzzcocks with the heaviness of psychedelic hard rock, but that's exactly what happens on "Monster a Go Go," "Cycle Goddess" and other in-your-face selections.
Thankfully, High Rise's risk-taking pays off, and the album's combination of influences are united in a cohesive whole.
Another thing that's unusual about High Rise is its production style: Nanjo's vocals are purposefully placed so far down in the mix that Nirita's screaming electric guitar drowns them out.
Not a typical way to produce, but oddly enough, it works.
When High Rise II first came out in Japan in 1986, it was hard to find in either the U.S.
or Europe; however, the album finally came out in the U.S.
when Squealer reissued it in late 1998.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cycle Goddess | High Rise | Play | 00:54 | 2 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Turn You Cry | High Rise | Play | 03:05 | 7 MB | 21 MB |
| 3 | Cotton Top | High Rise | Play | 04:18 | 9 MB | 27 MB |
| 4 | Last Rights | High Rise | Play | 02:49 | 6 MB | 19 MB |
| 5 | Wipe Out | High Rise | Play | 05:13 | 11 MB | 36 MB |
| 6 | Pop Sicle | High Rise | Play | 13:09 | 30 MB | 90 MB |
| 7 | Monster a Go Go | High Rise | Play | 05:22 | 12 MB | 34 MB |
| 8 | Induced Depression | High Rise | Play | 03:58 | 9 MB | 24 MB |
| 38 mins | 89 MB | |||||
| 37 mins | 255 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | High Rise | Primary Artist |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |