Valentine's Day is just around the bend, and the lovely aromas of chocolate and roses are permeating the air. Such an atmosphere seems more than appropriate for me to write a brief review for 2009's "Atheos," the latest ruby one needs to grab off Japan's gender-bending musical tiara. If my memory serves me right, two days ago I managed to download and burn all the tracks off GPKISM's two maxi-singles, and after listening to "Illuminatum" for the first 10 seconds, it dawned on me that the lyrics were IN ENGLISH! Being that I'm such a huge fan of Japan's decadent visual kei movement, I was both surpised and delighted by the fact that GPKISM's cross-dressing crooner, GPK (or Prince Ken, as some lovestruck lolita groupies like to call him) delivers a style of singing eerily similar to what's typically heard from a VK frontman, yet he can easily enchant blooming American ladies with his songs of storybook romance and vampiric eroticism. When I discovered GPKISM's debut LP "Atheos" was being released, I didn't hesitate to order the CD. Composed by former Blood guitarist Kiwamu and Blam Honey keyboardist Ryonai, the sonic atmosphere of "Atheos" is a multi-orgasmic mix of glam rock, sparkling trance EBM, and classical baroque orchestrations (played mostly on violins, cellos, harpsicords and woodwinds). Believe me when I tell you this album is definitely worth investing, especially if you absolutely adore groups like Blood, Schwarz Stein, Versailles, and Aural Vampire.