Like clockwork, Ningen Isu releases another album just over two years after their last one. For many bands, a release schedule like that would inevitably lead to running on auto-pilot after a while. But even though Ningen Isu has a sound that is immediately identifiable, the Japanese power trio somehow always manages to find an angle that makes their albums sound fresh. In this particular case, ‘Mahoroba’ is notably heavier than 2023’s ‘Shikisokuzekū‘, though it retains too much of the playful, jammy character of that album’s sound to unequivocally refer to ‘Mahoroba’ as something a doom metal band could have made.

In terms of compositions and overall heaviness, ‘Mahoroba’ is comparable to 2016’s ‘Kaidan Soshite Shi to Eros‘, though that album is darker, more adventurous and about fifteen minutes shorter. Its length may be the sole shortcoming of ‘Mahoroba’, especially because the former half is more consistent than the latter. The overall riff quality is higher than on the last two albums, however, and the general heaviness inspires bassist Kenichi Suzuki to deliver some of this best vocal performances to date, his lower, rough-edged vocals having a little more of a grimy growl, which is particularly apparent in songs like ‘Akuma no Rakuen’ and the awesome ‘Jigoku Saiban’.

The reason why the back half feels less consistent to me than the former is because there are fewer stand-out moments on that part of the album. There are no truly terrible songs, though ‘Eien no Kane’ is kind of dull as far as Ningen Isu ballads go, but some songs are as close to Ningen Isu going through the motions as the album gets, though it’s not all that bothersome due to the quality of the riff work. One exception is the fantastic closer ‘Hikari no Kodomo’. It took a couple of spins to sink in, but it’s a very well-constructed epic that moves through multiple atmospheres with enviable ease.

‘Mahoroba’ is about the heavy stompers though. ‘Ashura Daiō’ is a driving mid-tempo riff monster that feels more aggressive than Ningen Isu usually would sound, while the following ‘Uchū Yūkai’ is a doomy grinder with a nice, greasy groove and a cool, somewhat unpredictable middle section. ‘Yamagami’ is one of the better examples of a Suzuki-lead rocker, while ‘Jasei Jōtō’ is a somewhat faster track with some really intense riffing, which opens up nicely about halfway through. The opening title track is great, and Nobu Nakajima’s vocal workout ‘Ren’ai Ichi Dai Otoko’ is a somewhat looser rocker that fits his voice and energetic drumming style well.

For Ningen Isu fans, ‘Mahoroba’ is a no-brainer. It’s simply more of what the band is good at, and the difference between the excellent bookends and the rest of the album isn’t quite as immense as it was on ‘Shikisokezekū’. If I’m being very critical, I do think there are too many songs on the album, but apart from ‘Eien no Kane’, I’m not quite sure which ones I would sacrifice, unlike on their relatively weak 2021 release ‘Kuraku‘. It’s all relative though, as Ningen Isu almost never delivers anything less than solid, and I would say that ‘Mahoroba’ is one of their better recent albums overall.

Recommended tracks: ‘Ashura Daiō’, ‘Mahoroba’, ‘Jigoku Saiban’

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Mahoroba

Ningenisu