Yoshitsune

Yoshitsune is a concept album that hits like a comic book punch. The psychedelic hard-rock of French group PoiL proves an apt medium for a story inspired by the Heike Monogatari, a traditional epic describing a 12th-century clan conflict. The source material derives from an oral tradition of itinerant musical monks. In their place we have Junko Ueda, whose gripping vocals are enhanced by the muscular twang of her biwa (Japanese lute).

The action bursts from the record through distorted riffs and percussive clatter. In-your-face opener ‘Kumo’ conveys a stormy struggle between our hero Yoshitsune and hostile ghosts. The anime freneticism is broken by bleaker moments, such as the stirring ‘Solo’.

The frequent lurches in tempo and feel that support the storytelling must be the product of careful arrangement. Closer ‘Kokô’ exemplifies the precise chaos. Ueda’s vocals rise and swoop like a hawk above baroque guitar runs and keyboard patterns recalling Mike Oldfield’s sinister best.

Yoshitsune invites an illustrated or animated companion piece, but it does not need visual stimulus to leave a searing impression. Dare you run the aural gauntlet?