Merveilles

Merveilles
Studio album by Malice Mizer
Released	March 18, 1998
Recorded	1997-1998[1] Hitokuchizaka Studio Recording Studio Soundvalley Freedom Studio Bunkamura Studio Onkio Haus (mastered)
Genre	Art rock, gothic rock, darkwave synthpop, pop rock
Length	47:39
Label	Nippon Columbia, Midi:Nette
Producer	Malice Mizer
Malice Mizer chronology
Voyage ~Sans Retour~ (1996) Merveilles (1998) Shinwa (2000)
Singles from Merveilles
"Bel Air" Released: August 6, 1997 "Au Revoir" Released: December 3, 1997 "Gekka no Yasoukyoku" Released: February 21, 1998 "Illuminati" Released: May 20, 1998 "Le Ciel" Released: September 9, 1998

Merveilles is the third album by Malice Mizer, released on March 18, 1998.

Summary

It's the band's only album that was distributed on a major label, being released through Nippon Columbia (Midi:Nette went under the "Maitrize" name for the only time in its history). The title is the French word for "Wonders". It's their best selling album.

In 1998, they played a two day live at the Nippon Budokan which involved a large building as a stage prop and amazing theatrics; each member performing a skit with another member on their own (including the aforementioned skit in which Gackt fell to the stage to sing the song "Le Ciel", and returned to "Heaven" by song's end). It was a massive success and was released on video as Merveilles l'espace. In July 1998, the Yokohama Arena's stage would be the last for Gackt as in January 1999, at the height of Malice Mizer's success, he left the band.

A few months after Gackt's departure, drummer Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage on June 21. But the band continued to exist, as he was replaced by a non-official, supporting member, and was recruited a new vocalist Klaha. By then the band had abandoned the lighter pop music sound of the Gackt era for a dramatic mixture of classical music, gothic and metal music, and adopted an elaborate funeral Goth look.

Release

The album was released on March 18, 1998, by Columbia. In the fifth counting week of March it reached number two on the Oricon charts, with sales of 169,290 copies,^[2] while in the first week of April it charted at number twelve with sales of 41,900 copies.^[3] It charted for sixteen weeks.^[4] By the end of the year it had sold 307,450 copies, was the 73rd best-selling album of the year.

Also, the album singles are the most successful in the bands history. In 1997, "Bel Air" and "Au Revoir" were released, both of which reached number forty-two and twenty,^[5] while the latter was the band's first top ten entry on the charts, and charted for eleven weeks.^[5] In 1998, prior the album's release, "Gekka no Yasoukyoku" was released, which reached number eleven, and charted for twelve weeks.^[5] It was later followed by "Illuminati", which reached number seven,^[5] and "Le Ciel", their best charting single, which reached number four.^[5] It was the band's only single written and composed by Gackt.

Track listing

All lyrics written by Gackt. 

• Track 8's title, "Ju te Veux", is an error; the correct French is "Je te Veux".

Album credits

References