Meet a BETTA FLASH From the Past: Erinyes Single (Review)

Yeah, it’s old news. We covered the EXTRA Hyper Game Music Event pretty extensively in the past, and that’s where most of our coverage of this group has come from. Shortly after the release of the EXTRA – Official Compilation in 2007, the duo launched their first single, Erinyes, and unfortunately hasn’t done much since then.

If you were unaware, however, you may be interested to know who the members are and what this single is all about. Hit the jump for our review.

BETTA FLASH is comprised of vocalist Cyua, who has worked on a few anime and anime-based games, along with composer Tamayo Kawamoto of Zuntata (and Capcom before that). Kawamoto’s credits are quite extensive, covering some of Capcom’s earliest games as well as the “Ray” series at Taito, including the Raystorm soundtrack that I am so in love with.

The group debuted at the EXTRA Hyper Game Music Event, which Justin covered pretty extensively, and shortly after made their debut with their first single, Erinyes. The single acts as the closing theme for the Night Wizard animation, which is adapted from a table-top RPG by the same name. The game universe is pretty fascinating, focusing on characters called Wizards who fight against enemies called Emulators who create the various dungeons that the players must get through.

This single features the title track, “Erinyes,” along with one B-side, and ‘karaoke’ versions of each track. Let’s start with “Erinyes.”

Spacey and mysterious, there are discernable elements from Kawamoto’s work on Raystorm and other titles. Churning, clicking, and chugging mechanical sounds are paired with a beautiful belltone progression that prances about before Cyua’s highly reverberating voice comes in. Most of her lines are monotone until the final word of each phrase, lending the track a lullaby-esque quality. It’s simple yet magical, fitting in nicely with hybrid fantasy/contemporary setting of Night Wizard.

The second track, “6th body,” is more heavy, working in elegant piano chords with driving electronic percussion and dreamy pads. It almost sounds like something out of a Beatmania title. Cyua’s voice remains ethereal with a thick layer of reverb, making for a soothing listening experience despite the percussion. There’s a lovely Celtic-inspired bridge about midway through that I thought was a nice touch.

In all, I’m very impressed with this single. Both tracks are incredibly well produced, and appeal to my love for soothing electronic music. It’s just a shame that BETTA FLASH has been rather inactive as of late! Their last release was in 2009, so here’s hoping that they’re still working together.

The album artwork is also very nice, with multiple shots of Cyua and Kawamoto in the forest and on the beach. There’s artwork of a fish on the disc and disc tray, adding to the zen-like quality of the single, although the extension of the obi that covers the back of the disc is a bit of a distraction with the vibrant artwork from the Night Wizard anime. Fortunately the single is still available from CD Japan and Play-Asia for 1,200 Yen. Do it!

Do you have any thoughts regarding BETTA FLASH? Would you like to hear more of their music in the future?