REVIEW: Asunojokei - Think of You

Now will you think of them?

36:27 // August 6th, 2025 // Naghibloom

Thanks to originally hailing from a genre whose accompanying visual artwork retains a relatively uniform, grayscale aesthetic, Asunojokei’s progression from their black metal roots is easy to trace, even at a quick glance. On debut LP Awakening and transition EP Wishes, figures with forlorn faces respectively occupied an empty field of off-white and a room cramped with trash. Once the band made a wider splash with 2022’s escapism-fueled Island, infusing their base sound with rave-ready rhythms and more dynamic compositions, they bade sayonara to black metal’s veneer of menace, bait-and-switching any listeners who’d scoff at the notion that a bona fide bm classic could be represented by a cute illustration of a young girl on a beach peering into a head-sized bubble.

Where could they possibly venture next but further into their own reflection? Think of You’s cover looks like it was plucked from a dormant DeviantArt account. Within it, an androgynous angel smokes a cig, purring cat rubbed up against their lap, resting on a rooftop above a blurry, snowy cityscape. It’s just as unexpected, just as rich in detail, and with the caveat of a little tackiness, just as unconcerned about saving face. In fewer words, Think of You’s adorning image once again parallels the band’s musical evolution; on their third full-length, the Japanese quartet defy categorization outright, blazing an exhilarating trail of metal (more progressive than black now), post-hardcore, contemporaneous J-indie rock, and idol pop such that no single sphere of influence overshadows or dilutes the whimsy or necessity of the others.

“Dawn” wastes no time proving the resulting blend can still pack a punch: its savvy, half-step chord progressions, ferocious chugging, and tasty guitar licks function as a condensed masterclass in several modes of metal and offer an enticing sample platter for skeptics. “Dogma” is primed to appeal to the band’s older fans, tremolo leads weeping mournfully over a suspenseful, lumbering waltz. On the opposite side of their demographic base, enthusiasts of Island’s bouncier cuts “Chimera” and “Diva Under the Blue Sky” will surely grin at the unabashed J-rock ham of “Magic Hour” and “The Farewell Frost.” The former new tune flaunts the aura of an anime theme song (or two, or three), while the latter overrides the record’s most static, glowstick-waver pulse through ramped-up energy alone.

On every other track, Think of You thrives through refined cohesion; the perky jazz chords definitive of “Stella” don’t take anything away from the crisp interplay of the band’s darker edge, while single “In The City Where Cobalt Falls” exemplifies their “everything goes, but make it stick” philosophy, re-launching the second half of the record with as much thrust as “Dawn” did for the very beginning. Closing pair “Zeppelin” and “Tomorrow Is Your Day” evoke modern Alcest, but only by shared coincidental impulse – no skimping or creative plagiarism involved. Asunojokei condense their synergy efficiently as well; “Angel,” the longest cut here, just barely hits the 5-minute mark, shorter than nearly half the tracks on Awakening and Island alike. To be clear, this record’s offerings are no less adventurous; they just flow from section to section with newfound urgency, keeping the LP a short, sweet, and eminently replayable 36 minutes.

While vocalist Daiki Nuno remains the band’s most make-or-break component for newcomers (non-metalheads will surely need a few spins to adjust to his omnipresent, raspy growls), Think of You will unfortunately also have to contend with the inevitable faction of genre diehards opposed to any and all adventurous symbiosis. An open mind and closer inspection will pay dividends: a track like “Angel” epitomizes what Asunojokei’s boundless inclusivity can yield, opening with a laid-back jazz scene, intensifying in its midsection, bass and guitar soloes trading the spotlight through the bridge, and culminating in a blast beat-turned-2/4 stomp that no other act today could pull off with as much vigor and grace. Instead of bemoaning the death of the band’s prior confines, Think of You propagates the wonder on the other side of that self-doubt, even right down to the lyrics, tinged with themes of yearning and broken communication. Instrumentally, their statement is plenty clear: it's true, Asunojokei are no longer a black metal band—nay, not even really a blackgaze band “with some other elements.” From now on, they are simply Asunojokei, and on this they will not compromise. Righteous stand, I say. What a thrilling sound to behold.

8/10