A Will

Commenting on the fact that the band had not created an album in so long, Sugizo stated "Each of us have become accomplished artists on our own, and it is more like we are all coming together as solo artists to make a Luna Sea album." He went on to compare A Will and the process of the band recording it to their first album and being a newly formed group; "You don’t make it to sell it; you do it as a pure expression of the self. What makes this album special is that it was born from that thought process." The band selected songs by going through those that each member had gathered through the years, writing them while living together. Many songs that did not end up being included on the album were partially recorded. On the album's name, which Ryuichi suggested, Sugizo explained: == Composition ==

Speaking of the opening track "Anthem of Light", Sugizo said "These are wild times, but there's no reason to release negative energy just because of that; we made this song with the thought that it's precisely because we live in our current world that it's necessary for rock music to be the thing that brings light to it." Additionally, he believes there is no reason for Luna Sea to give a political message, only to create music that will "stimulate our imagination." The album version of "Ran" is slightly different from the single cut. Lead guitarist Sugizo described "Metamorphosis" as a "progressive piece in the form of hardcore/speed metal" where Shinya's drumming shines, and likened it to the band's earlier tracks "Fate" and "In Future". J remarked that the string section at the end of the last track "Grace" connects back to the first song on the album. == Release ==

Three limited editions of A Will were produced: Limited Edition A includes the album on high-fidelity SHM-CD, a photobook, and a Blu-ray with the music videos for the four single tracks and their TV ads; Limited Edition B is a standard CD with the same video content on a DVD instead; the third contains the same contents as the prior edition but in a large case emulating the sleeve of an LP record. In commemoration of the album's release, Tower Records in Shibuya hosted a special event from December 5–23, 2013, where the band's instruments, behind the scenes photos, and items used in the album's creation were displayed. Never before seen footage and a preview of the album were also featured. A Will and the band's other seven major label studio albums, up to Luv, were released on vinyl record for the first time on May 29, 2019. == Reception ==

Fueled by their creative drive to shrug off the pressures of their reunion, music writer Takuya Ito said that on A Will, Luna Sea emanates a momentum and depth reminiscent of their past, but with a refined and mature aesthetic, and called it exactly what their fans were hoping for. He described it as being a precise balance of fast-paced, powerful rock, tasteful, lyrical mid-tempo tunes, and sweet, epic ballads. == Track listing ==

;Luna Sea • Ryuichi – vocals • Sugizo – guitar, violin • Inoran – guitar • J – bass • Shinya – drums ;Other • Daisuke "d-kiku" Kikuchi – keyboards, sound effects and programming • Ikuro Fujiwara – strings arrangement supervisor and conductor on "Anthem of Light", "Ran" and "Grace" • MNP Strings – strings on "Anthem of Light", "Ran" and "Grace" • Mayumi Tabata – strings copyist on "Anthem of Light", "Ran" and "Grace" • Yumi Kawamura – female chorus on "Maria", "Absorb", "Gin no Tsuki" and "Thoughts" • Junko Hirotani – female chorus on "Ran" • U-Key zone – chorus arrangement on "Maria" and "Thoughts" ;Production • Kenichi Arai, Masaaki Taya, Atsuo Akabae, Yosuke Watanabe – recording engineers • Stuart Hawkes – mastering • Toshiyuki Suzuki – art direction • Ryoko Kawagishi – design • michiko – flower art == References ==