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Many people surely know Japan, Land of the Rising Sun, for its polite and hard-working inhabitants, the manga and anime culture, sushi, its advanced technology industry and things like that, but the country also has a vast Metal scene with numerous bands that really aren't known anywhere other than on their home turf. It's quite a pity because the country obviously has many gems hidden beneath its surface as far as potential Metal bands are concerned.

No Limited Spiral comes from Osaka, Japan, and they play melodic Death Metal that mostly seems influenced by bands like Omnium Gatherum, Arch Enemy, Whispered, Bloodred Hourglass and the like, mainly due to the vast amount of melodiousness that is incorporated into the songs. The weeping guitar melodies and dynamic harmonies are obviously the results of the school of the Amott brothers, as well as general technical instrumentation. The playing is tight, precise and extremely technical in some parts, but that doesn't take any of the enjoyment away from this disc. The keyboard parts, which are mainly left in the background, tend to bring welcome, airy colors into the songs. Ren on guitar and vocals mainly reminds me of Jouni Valjakka (of Whispered fame) with his partly snarly vocal approach, which fits the music very well.

Even though the band's melodic Death Metal is fast paced most of the time, the band also seems to know when it's time to make an entrance on more silent waters. "Clockwork Serenade," which ends the album beautifully, pretty much sums up this band's songwriting potential for the genre: the song has basically everything that you crave for in a perfect melodic Death Metal song. It has the needed aggression, melody, atmosphere, a mysterious spoken part, and that extra magical element which you cannot live without. The song crowns the album's excellence just about perfectly.

The only thing there's left now is to put both the band's albums on your shopping list. Well, done!