I went out of my way to make an edit of the song that cut it out so I could listen without having to fast forward through it. I didn’t get it, I didn’t respect it, I didn’t think it contributed to the rest of the song, nothing. The lyrics are not specific enough to pigeonhole the song, and therefore almost anyone could listen to this and attach a very personal meaning to it. This is conveyed both in the music and the words, which tell of an existential crisis of love, longing, and loss. Band leader and main writer Yoshiki was going through the grief of losing his father, among other things in his life, and in his words, tried to draw from every emotion he had when writing the song. The lyrics are poetic, evocative, and hold an immense amount of depth especially for a band writing in a second language. The song goes to all extremes and everywhere in between. At times the music gets insanely fast as the guitars and drums exercise every last shred of pain, and at others slows to let the piano and strings cover you like a gentle rain. “Art of Life” is their magnum opus that displays every talent they’ve mastered. They have mastered both the ugly aggression and the passionate beauty, each in excruciatingly pure form. X Japan do a fantastic job of mixing into that Metal foundation the sonic embodiments of young love, of beach sunrises, city-lit snowfall, a tear of joy. When one is in a life-or-death situation, or pushed to their limit, or faced with overwhelming emotion or psychological trauma, the ugliest, yet purest expressions surface. The harshness and aggression of it feels like a death throe. Metal, to me, is ultimately an incredibly raw, even bestial display of human art. But I only love these things because of what they offer me. Am I biased as a metalhead, a fan of X Japan? You bet. As pretentious as that sounds, and as pretentious as writing a 30 minute epic about life may be, this song can actually back up such a monumental title. If I had to pick one song, not as my personal favorite, but as the best piece of music – one that pulled from all aspects of what makes music such an mazing and beautiful art – it would be Art of Life.
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