Bara no Seidou

Untitled

Bara no Seidou (薔薇の聖堂) is the fourth and final album by the Japanese visual kei rock band Malice Mizer, released on August 23, 2000. The title roughly translates as "Church of Roses" or "Sanctuary of Roses". In February 2007, Bara no Seidou was re-released, packaged in both jewel case and slipcase versions, both including an additional DVD, titled Cardinal. The disc contains music videos for the album's singles, as well as alternate versions of videos for the subsequent singles "Gardenia" and "Beast of Blood".

Track listing

All tracks are written by Mana, except tracks #4 and #7 by Közi

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake" (薔薇に彩られた悪意と悲劇の幕開け; A Prelude of Malice and Mizery, Painted by the Rose)	0:29
2.	"Seinaru Toki Eien no Inori" (聖なる刻　永遠の祈り; Holy Land, Eternal Prayer)	8:13
3.	"Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi" (虚無の中での遊戯; Amusement in Nihilism)	6:38
4.	"Kagami no Butou Genwaku no Yoru" (鏡の舞踏　幻惑の夜; Mirror Dance, Night of Bewitchment)	3:54
5.	"Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku" (真夜中に交わした約束; Promises Exchanged at Midnight)	6:01
6.	"Chinurareta Kajitsu" (血塗られた果実; Blood-stained Fruit)	4:39
7.	"Chikasuimyaku no Meiro" (地下水脈の迷路; Labyrinth of Underground Rivers)	5:28
8.	"Hakai no Hate" (破誡の果て; Edge of Destruction)	4:01
9.	"Shiroi Hada ni Kuruu ai to Kanashimi no Rondo" (白い肌に狂う愛と哀しみの輪舞; Rondo of Love and Sadness, Driven Mad by the White Skin)	5:40
10.	"Saikai no Chi to Bara" (再会の血と薔薇; The Blood and Rose of Reunion)	5:31

Influences

Bara no Seidou is a major change from Malice Mizer's previous albums with less of a focus on the twin guitar sound that was present in their previous discography, but retaining a chameleon trait like artists such as Genesis and Roxy Music. The band's sound switched from a normal art rock sound into a dark, gothic metal one; however, they still continued to use the violins, harpsichords and other instruments present in their older works and also added in a pipe organ and a choir for a haunting, melancholic, and religious feel to the album. For example, the song "Seinaru Toki Eien no Inori" is based around an organ and choir but still includes dual guitars and drums, which gives it a gothic metal feel. Fan favorite "Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi" is a track that uses an organ and harpsichord mixed with a synthesizer and drum machine for more of a dark wave element. This song is influenced by gothic rock/industrial music and features a different image in its video, but still retains the dark themes of the album.

After the death of Kami, it could be argued that the "funeral goth" element present in their attire is because of his death, and the song "Saikai no Chi to Bara" is a reference, and tribute, to him.

Live promotion

The band released the DVD Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake of their 2-day live at the Nippon Budokan. Like their previous tour, "Merveilles L'Espace", this tour was very theatrical, having a Gothic cathedral on the cover of the album as a stage prop and a moon that changed colors several times during the performance. However, unlike the previous tours, it did not completely consist of the members playing their instruments and relied more on the theatrics.

Personnel

• Mana – guitar on 2, 4, 8, and 9, synthesizer, vocals on 3 (distorted) and 10 (whispered); electronic drum programming on 3–7
• Közi – guitar on 2, 4, 8, and 9, synthesizer, vocals on 3 (distorted), 6 (backing and distorted) and 10 (whispered), electronic drum programming on 3–7
• Yu~ki – bass, vocals on 3 (distorted) and 10 (whispered), electronic drum programming on 3–7
• Shu – drums
• Klaha – vocals on 2, 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9
• Maki Okada – vocals on 2
• Youko Takai – vocals on 7
• Yuichiro Goto – strings on 2, violin on 4, 9 and 10
• Motohide Tanaka – director
• Masao Nakazato – mastering
• Teruhisa Abe – art direction, design
• Kenji Tsukagoshi – photography
• Taqueya Yamashita – cover art
• Yukie Itoh – executive producer
• Kami – "eternal blood relative"