KOKESHI - Reikoku 冷刻 LP

With Reikoku, Kokeshi doesn’t just refine their sound—they unleash it. Released on CD via Tokyo Jupiter Records, this 2022 full-length marks a seismic leap forward from the brooding promise of their debut Doukei. Where Doukei felt like a band carving out their voice in shadows, Reikoku is the sound of that voice roaring into the void, sharper, louder and devastatingly focused.

Built upon a foundation of post-rock, post-metal, screamo, blackgaze and metallic hardcore, Kokeshi’s genre alchemy reaches full maturity here. There’s a sense of urgency and clarity that permeates Reikoku, even as the band wades through dissonance and emotional wreckage. The album pulses with controlled chaos - like grief with teeth.

Nana’s vocals are once again the emotional core and on Reikoku, she delivers a performance that feels even more unhinged, more intimate, and more confrontational. Her range swings from ghostly whispers to desperate screams, laced with a fury and fragility that’s impossible to ignore. Every note feels lived-in and raw, like she's clawing her way out of each song.

Reikoku doesn't just repeat the formula of Doukei - it deconstructs it and rebuilds it from the bones up. Tracks shift shape mid-song, often dissolving into post-rock ambience before slamming back into hardcore intensity. The pacing is deliberate, almost cinematic. Every build feels earned, every breakdown cathartic.

Lyrically, while the language may be opaque to non-Japanese speakers, the emotion is universal. This is music that bleeds. Reikoku translates pain and isolation into something strangely beautiful. 

Tracklist:
1. 胎海 
2. 海馬に沈む 
3 .系
4. 報いの祈り
5. わらべうた   
6. (recollect)   
7. 涅槃欠損少女読経 
8. Into My Darkness -蝕- feat. Deepa
9. 彼は誰の慈雨の中で

1st Press (06.06.2025): 
250x transparent blue with black splatter