IBUKI built her reputation in her previous bands, performing mostly what other wrote. In 2018, the songstress from Tokyo, Japan decided to break out and perform her own compositions. Noted for a powerful voice and a four-octave range, she wrote and recorded everything but the guitars on "Storm of Emotion". For the guitars, she recruited three absolute shredders, Masumi, Shinji, and Shinichi Kobayashi. Using all of her musical influences, what results is an excellent hybrid of musical prowess. "Storm Of Emotion" was released December 17, 2021 on Setsuzoku Records.

"See You Again" is the lead track and fuses Heavy and Power Metal. The lyrics are in Japanese, so I cannot speak to what they say, but I can say they are delivered with a lot of power and a fairly upbeat tone. Masumi absolutely crushes the riff, and the solo is blazing hot. The drums are fast and just as fun to hear as the guitars. IBUKI does not hit the top of her range on this song, but it is not needed. She has a ton of power at whatever level she uses.

She goes higher on "Mugenzou" than she did on "See you Again." Some of those really high notes are stunning. She maintains them, even adding some vibrato. That is serious talent. The lower end guitars are really good. That riff hovering under the vocals at times is like a lurking monster. Then they jump out front and you just know the guitarist has been waiting to pounce. The keyboards are a little more prominent in this song at times, giving it a bit more of a pop sound, showing her J-Pop/J-Rock influences from the past.

"Akuma No Rondo" is a heavy song. That riff is dark in tone and even the keyboards go lower in this one. IBUKI reaches down in her range at the start and matches the heavier tones well. "Achromatic Sun" is lighter in tone and maybe a little faster than the last song, but still heavy. There may be some Pop and Rock influences in her past, but IBUKI's primary influence here is straight up Power Metal. The semi-Progressive melodies, coupled with the epic guitars are standard fare in those genres and show in abundance here.

"Eternal Rain" has some serious Pop/rock influences on this one. The keys are rapid-fire and lighter in tone. While they trend towards pop, they have just a hint of industrial in them as well. Again, the drums are hardcore. Since there is no drummer listed, I have to assume these falls under the programming IBUKI did on the record. If she takes this record on tour, she better get one badass kit master. It is going to take skill to perform what she wrote. Those are killer drum sections!

"Ancient Engagement" has a brief intro to set the mood before the riff washes over you like an unexpected wave that takes you down hard. It's a great riff and a killer song. Wrapping the album is the power ballad "Mata Kimi Ni Koi Shiteru." Using plaintive vocal tones and some almost crying notes, she conveys strong emotion. Using Google translate, this song in English would be "I'm In Love with You Again." That may be too literal, and it might be "I Still Love You." Either way, you hear the longing in her voice and the music, just as you should.

This record is excellent. Forget what language it's in, it rocks no matter what. IBUKI wrote and performed seven fantastic songs. This is one of the records that proves music transcends culture and ethnicity. Music is universal. No one country or culture has a monopoly on good music. This is a record that I'm glad I got to hear. I listen to a lot of music but cannot possibly catch everything that is released. This might have slipped past me had it not been for getting to review it. I will definitely be listening to this and looking forward to anything else IBUKI might put out!