The master of Japanese Taiko & 7 friends team up for a powerful, energetic, and dramatic release. All tracks arranged or composed by Hirota. The extensive notes provide fascinating information on Taiko, the various instruments involved in the music, and the individual songs. The tracks are uniformly good and feature driving beats, complex interplays between the instruments, tight arrangements, and serious power. Great stuff, every track.

*1. A good representative of the CD. Fast & tight.
2. Slower w/a sense of drama, picks up speed. Almost jazzy.
*3. Flutes, cymbals, drums knotted together. Fast, dramatic.
4. Starts simple, builds power, noise, and speed. Very cool.
*5. Spare & rhythmic at first, then driving & busy.
6. Tripping beats that fall into each other.
*7. Big & powerful beats that you can feel. Crank it up.
8. Slow opening that grows in speed and intensity.
9. Jingling bells, solo drum, delicate but powerful.
9/2004