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I'm pretty bad at introducing myself, so here goes nothing. I'm 19 years old, live in a tiny, very rural village in the middle-west of Germany, and English is my second language (excuse any mistakes, pls). I've been into VK for like 5 years now, if I remember it correctly. What got me into it was Kiryu's MV for Oirantan and from there I just went down the rabbit hole and have no intentions of leaving. I've also been a guest on the news board for over a year. Some of favorite bands are • the GazettE (all time favorite and I'm gonna see them in Cologne in a few days and I'm already bouncing off the walls with excitement 💜💜) • DEXCORE • DIMLIM • DEVILOOF • JILUKA • Kiryu • Royz • Zero[Hz] 99.9% of the music I listen to is VK, the remaining 0.1% are bands/artists like Nightwish, MCR, Linkin Park and Marilyn Manson. I'm always open for suggestions, tho! Both VK and non-VK.

The fans didn't bother me really, if anything the screaming is good because they need to be shown that we want them to come back. Japanese fans are just as bad anyway. But the phones, jesus fucking christ. Every single gig I go to there's morons holding their arms up like orangutans filming a shitty crusty video they're never going to watch again. The band are LITERALLY RIGHT THERE IN FRONT OF THEM. It's unfair for people who actually want to watch the show with their own eyes. It's already hard enough at concerts with tall people, so the phones make it worse. I forced myself in front of a guy towards the end because I just couldn't see because of his disgusting arm. When I went to see Jack White in London he had a service he uses on tour where you're made to put your phone in a tiny bag that you can only unlock by leaving the room or at the end of the concert. I wish this was compulsory at every show. Just saying "photography/filming forbidden" isn't enough, and they don't enforce it when the show starts anyway. The ability to film needs to literally be taken away from them.

Nobuo Uematsu is a god damn genious

For those who don't know it exists, we have an introductory artist/band mixtape thread. We've done our best to index the artists in alphabetical order, so if you have an artist/band you've been wanting to check out take a look. Also, if you have an artist/band you think people would like an introduction to then please, feel free and contribute as many as you'd like! Hopefully the links are still up lol.

Finally gave this album some listens. It's not my favorite, but it isn't awful. It did take quite a few tries for it to sink in. Tada, Mada, Watashi is great and Kimi wa Mukidashi, pretty sure uta composed it, is incredible. That one and waizatsu are my favourite tracks. Dorothy hasn't clicked with me, but it gives such a Stranger Things vibe. It's a shame that so many songs have technically memorable parts which are super short and only played once and then forgotten, like that solo in waizatsu.

Eternally grateful for the lyrics, a subscriber or mine was kind enough to point out they were posted here (I've been waiting on rocklyric and the likes) With absolute all due respect, I just have one thing to point out - from what I can hear, my interpretation is that 現実/genjitsu has been changed to 今/ima in the song (a pretty common switch I seem to run into!) Here is my take for a translation, I do drive a YouTube channel (tho never been one to plug myself so it feels weird) and I'll link the video as well. Thank you, once again!

I grew up loving DIR EN GREY, but as a fan for 15 years, I've learned that they generally don't care about fans, they're a band of introverts for the most part and the music is for them, the fans liking it is a coincidence. I would never fuck with any big band, so no VIP stuff, no photos and nothing of the sort because these bigger bands generally just see you as another face in the crowd. Only with smaller bands will fans really be appreciated. I mean let's be honest here, touring, performing and traveling across the world is a pain in the ass and yes, it's awesome when bands come overseas, but you can't blame them for being hesitant. All I hope is that they get to enjoy themselves and find a little down time for a mini-vacation if you will like when bands go to Asia. Note: To clarify, I am only saying that DIR EN GREY have this attitude towards making music, Kyo has said ad infinitum that that is the case.

@platy and I were just discussing this observation as well not too long ago. Albeit a known issue within the GazettE fandom, Aoi's lack of fulfillment in the band when it comes to contributions musically or simply pitching ideas have really shown this time around. Our M&G, while amazing (I accidentally didn't attend the last M&G in 2016) it was to meet them, you could tell who was showing face for the fans, and for me it was Aoi. This discussion could go on for hours but to keep it short, there has to be room for expression and creativity for all the members, otherwise we may see things turn DEG style where the members don't even sit in the same room at times. They've more than earned the right to breathe easy after so long, so why not actually go back to basics and let creativity fly? NINTH is a great example of this and I hope they continue in this direction in the future. Getting back to the live itself, I also mentioned this to @platy but was the soundcheck somewhat shit for anyone else? Don't mean to sound like an ass but I noticed that Reita's bass was a tad overwhelming for the NYC stage, so the guitars sat far too back, sound-wise, for my tastes. Ruki's vocals were also slightly muddled but clear enough where no one cared. I think Kai's drums were the only somewhat "tuned to spec" instrument there. Keep in mind Kai doesn't have to switch guitars or anything but this poor soundcheck was not corrected until the encore. That's when the concert became waaaaaay more tolerable for me, and only because the techs came out to prove my suspicions and tweak things.

They were cool, but holy shit, cringey weeb fans galore.... What would you expect when a Japanese band come here though I guess? Like I swear to god, half these people have never been to a gig before, was the same when Dir played, everyone over-reacting like a bunch of babies at their first disco. Here's how it goes: Ruki: "wooo" - *crowd* "omggggggggggfuckingyesamazingcantcontrolmyseljlkfhfjhfhffff" *Ruki gets a plastic bottle and sprays water on crowd* - *crowd* "omgfukknwoorterrrrrrrromgholyamazinggodlikefucknidhfjlhiuueeiiiii" *Reita does gun fingers for like a second* - *crowd* "omggunfingaaazsocoolitsawsummmffffzziu" *literally nothing happens during the encore* - *crowd starts cheering like the cure to cancer has just been discovered* - *random roadie walks out* LOOOOOOL. haha. Seriously, I love the bands and the music but the crowd at these gigs are always so horrendously cringe and immature, I'm debating whether to even bother seeing Japanese bands anymore, specially when you have to watch the gig through peoples phones because there are so bloody many blocking your view you can't see shit anyway.

LOL @ Kobayashi swaying/grooving like Kyo at moments. These boys is raw tho:

トイサーカス(Toy Circus) new look has been revealed.

Sick² would be considered Kirakote btw. Osare has been dead for a long time. Kirakira is the new Osare and what is like a cross breed between Neo-Visual and Osare. My favorite will always be Koteosa Kei Osa kei And Early 00s Kote kei because now the new wave of old school wannabe's sound the same and it's like ugh.

About time.

Queueing to see gazette 😭

A lot can be said, positive and negative about the legacy of MALICE MIZER, whether it's the abrupt departure of Tetsu after just one year, the GACKT years, the untimely death of Kami or the rise and fall in the Klaha years. There's no better way to understand how MALICE MIZER went from unknown to legends of Visual Kei than to start in the beginning. In the Beginning: The Era of Tetsu MALICE MIZER was formed in August of 1992 when former guitarist of Matenrou, Közi joined forces with the support bassist Mana and the two recruited the former Ner-vous vocalist Tetsu, former ZE:RO bassist Yu~ki and former DATURA (not to be confused with DatuRΛ) drummer Gaz to form MALICE MIZER (a postmanteau of Malice and Misery) with a concept based on the darker side of human nature. MALICE MIZER immediately began activities and released their first demo tape SANS LOGIQUE which had foregone vocals and released Speed of Desperate on the compilation album Brain Trash which featured acts such as ALUCARD, DIE=KÜSSE, THE PIASS and Gazelle. Shortly after Brain TRASH, Gaz departed and Kami joined; Kami being the only other drummer for the band until his untimely death. MALICE MIZER released a few more demos before releasing their debut album memoire on Mana's newly founded label Midi:Nette. Tetsu then left the band at the end of 1994 with a live performance titled Cher de memoire II on December 27th. Taking a Different Route: It's Gackt Time MALICE MIZER went into 1995 without a vocalist, but they didn't let it stop their surge as they performed without a vocalist for a sponsored event titled Dai Goya Higeki no Bansan Vol.5 (第五夜 悲劇の晩餐 Vol.5) before Gackt officially joined the band as the new vocalist with his first performance on October 10th Karei naru Fukkatsugeki. The music of MALICE MIZER took a drastic turn and was the catalyst for the rise of Gackt as a performer and set the stage for his continued success after leaving the band as the band went from a Gothic sound to a more upbeat sound; something that became a signature of Gackt's solo career. In 1996 MALICE MIZER released their second album Voyage sans retour and underwent a nationwide one-man tour culminating in a show titled Sans retour Voyage deux 1996. MALICE MIZER continued their stride in 1997 when they signed a contract with major label Nippon Columbia, a subsidiary of Columbia Music Company as well as undergoing a sold-out nationwide tour with STANDING TOUR '97 Pays de merveilles ~空白の瞬間の中で~ and a regularly broadcast radio show MALICE MIZER no Mayonaka no s'il vous plaît on CBC Radio. Merveilles, MALICE MIZER's third album and second featuring Gackt as vocalist is released in March of 1998, the band announced merveilles ~Shuuen to kisuu~ in which the tickets sold out in just two minutes as well as undergoing a new radio show MALICE MIZER no shisetsu hisho no chojutsu on Chiba's renowned bay-fm radio station. However, things would take a turn when in January Gackt decided to leave the band at the peak of their popularity to form own solo project that he continues to this day, simply called GACKT featuring a backing band appropriately titled GACKTJOB. As if losing their vocalist wasn't bad enough tragedy struck when in June beloved drummer Kami passed away suddenly from a subarachnoid hemorrhage, more commonly referred to as a brain hemorrhage. With the world crashing down around his shoulders, Mana underwent damage control and returned MALICE MIZER to his own label. Malice Mizer went on to release one song after Gackt left, a piano song called Saikai no Chi to Bara. Little did they know that their fortunes were about to change as their savior was right around the corner. From Rebirth to Climax: The Year of Klaha PRIDE OF MIND former vocalist Klaha joined MALICE MIZER on vocals on August 31st and would be the third and final vocalist for the group. MALICE MIZER proceeded to get back to making music right away with the release of their fourth and final album Bara no Seidou and Klaha had his first live performance one week later with Bara ni irodorareta akui to higeki no makuake - Dai icihiya saikai no bara. Sadly, nothing lasts forever and after several singles, a feature length, albeit silent film Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~ and even a concert DVD in 2001, MALICE MIZER went on an indefinite hiatus at the end of the year. Each member releasing their own respective personal messages regarding the hiatus on the bands official website. Post Mortem: An Uncertain Future After MALICE MIZER went on an indefinite hiatus the respective members were quick to move on to other projects, except for Yu~ki who's only activity since the hiatus was contributing to a song on Közi's solo project. The aforementioned Közi went on to be in a managare of bands, first with HARUHIKO ASH in Eve of Destiny, then started a solo project as well as XA-VAT, ZIZ, VAMQUET and joined Ryo from 9Goats Black Out to form a nu-goth band called DĂLLE. Mana quickly formed his own solo project that is still running strong today called Moi dix Mois and launched his own fashion label Moi-même-Moitie as well as becoming a producer for the band Schwarz Stein and cellist Kanon Wakeshima. Tetsu formed several bands of varying styles of music after leaving MALICE MIZER with the most notable being ZIGZO and Nil. Gackt has been active as a solo artist since leaving MALICE MIZER and subsequently ventured into film and television while Klaha released a solo mini-album and full length album before disappearing from the scene in 2004, not to be heard from again. MALICE MIZER may be no more, but the pieces have come together several times since the hiatus, Közi joining Mana's Moi dix Mois in 2008 at Dis Inferno Vol.VI ~Last Year Party~ and again in 2009 for a two stop tour Deep Sanctuary; Deep Sanctuary becoming a staple event for Moi dix Mois from then on. Moi dix Mois and Közi went on another, longer tour in 2010, six shows aptly named Deep Sanctuary II which featured the return of Yu~ki on bass; the three reuniting on stage for the first time in nine years. The show featured MALICE MIZER classics such as Saikai no Chi to Bara and Beast of Blood as well as a cover of shock rocker Rob Zombie's What Lurks on Channel X. Moi dix Mois then held a tenth anniversary concert Le dixieme anniversaire Live 2011~2012　~Tetsugaku no Hahen Dainana Shou Shinen naru Seiiki Deep Sanctuary III~ which saw Közi performing with his new band ZIZ with Yu~ki returning on bass. Sadly the original drummer Gaz passed away on December 22nd 2017, one year before the bands 25th anniversary and the subsequent reunion show last year Deep Sanctuary Ⅵ MALICE MIZER 25th Anniversary Special which featured the return of the trio as well as former roadies for the band performing their own renditions of classic songs, such as former LAREINE vocalist KAMIJO joining for his own take on the Gackt era songs APRES MIDI and Bel Air ~Kuuhaku no Shunkan no Naka De~, cali≠gari's Shuuji with a riff on the Tetsu era's Kioku to Sora and ILLUMINATI as well as Moran former vocalist Hitomi with Gackt's Madrigal and N.p.s.N.g.s. The show featured ZIZ and Moi dix Mois performing their own songs and MALICE MIZER covers with the show ended with a tribute to the departed Kami and all of the guest vocalists singing together for Ma chérie ~Itoshii Kimi E~. There have been teases for years and the band have come back in several shapes, but whether they will return with the likes of any of their three former vocalists is unlikely or at best up in the air with all of them seemingly content with their careers and lives and consider MALICE MIZER a part of their past. The future of MALICE MIZER is uncertain, but it's safe to say that the Visual Kei scene would be shaken to the core if the stars aligned and the malice and misery rose like a phoenix for a second time. Member History Current Lineup Mana - Guitar (ex-Matenrou, Moi dix Mois) Közi - Guitar (ex-GIRL, ex-Matenrou, ZIZ, XA-VAT, DĂLLE, Solo, VAMQUET) Yu~ki - Bass (ex-ZE:RO) Former Members Gaz - Drums (ex-DATURA, deceased 2017) Tetsu - Vocals (ex-Ner-vous, ZIGZO, Nil, THE JUNEJULYAUGUST) Kami - Drums (deceased 1999) Klaha - Vocals (ex-PRIDE OF MIND, Solo, retired) Gackt - Vocals (ex-Cains:Feel, Solo, YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz) Support Members Shue Sakai - Drums (ex-JACK BLUE, N.S.D.P., Everlasting-K) Kazune - Keyboard (Brain Hacker, Art Cube) Staff Members Hitomi - Roadie (ex-Moran, UMIYURI) MAYU - Roadie (ex-LAREINE, ex-NEW SODMY) MACHI - Roadie (ex-LAREINE, Chanton L'amour) Masanori Yabuki - Roadie (Datenshi Tokyo, Ant1nett) KAMIJO - Roadie (ex-LAREINE, ex-NEW SODMY, Versailles, Solo) Shuuji Ishii - Roadie (cali≠gari, goatbed, EX-ANS) Discography Albums (1994.07.24) memoire (1996.06.09)Voyage ~Sans Retour~ (1998.03.18) Merveilles (2000.08.23) Bara no Seidou (薔薇の聖堂) Mini-albums (2000.02.01) Shinwa (神話) Demos (1992.10.31) Sans Logique (1993.04.05) Sadness (1993.10.12) The 1th Anniversary (1996.00.00) Après Midi (1999.11.03) Saikai no Chi to Bara" (再会の血と薔薇) Singles (1995.12.10) Uruwashiki Kamen no Shoutaijou (1996.10.10) Ma Chérie ~Itoshii Kimi E~ (1997.08.06) Bel Air ~Kuuhaku no Shunkan no Naka De~ (1997.12.03) Au Revoir (1998.02.11) Gekka no Yasoukyoku (1998.05.20) Illuminati (1998.09.09) Le Ciel ~Kuuhaku no Kanata E~ (1999.11.03)Saikai no Chi to Bara (2000.05.31) Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi (2000.07.26) Shiroi Hada ni Kuruu Ai to Kanashimi no Rondo (2001.05.30) Gardenia (2001.06.21) Beast of Blood (2001.10.30) Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku (2001.11.30) Garnet ~Kindan no Sono E~ OHP Moi dix Mois Közi Moi-même-Moitie -A huge thanks to @inartisticand the great team over at vk.gy for a wealth of information that without, this would not have been possible.

1.I've always had the feeling that they don't have much of a choice, when Tommy says jump, they say how high. 2. I think bands do like to see fans showed up and actively engaged in the show, but they don't owe them a thing. 3.Artists really should have a say, but majority are at the mercy of management. 4.I have not. 5.Absolutely, Fans asking MIYAVI to marry them while others tried to explain that he was married. This was not long after he and his wife got married and had their first daughter.

01. Not really. If you dread meeting your fans, then don’t. Don’t offer meet and greet packages or at least offer them specifically with the members who are interested so people still have the choice to greet a part of the group. 02. They shouldn’t have to specifically thank their individual fans, usually their behaviour tells you how grateful they are. 03. Definitely not. Music is first and foremost for yourself and any fans are a gift, I would say. 04. List of Japanese artists I’ve met: Kamijo, Kaya, Yoshiki, Satsuki + support band, Megaromania, NEGA, D, Black Line, BLOOD, Jupiter. All these artists were very generous towards their fans (perhaps with the exception of Kiwamu). Some may perceive these interactions as ‘awkward’ because of a language barrier (this I had especially with D, the first Japanese artists I’ve met, and I mumbled some unintelligible what-I-thought-was-Japanese to them, which was received with confused looks), another thing can be that the musicians stay in their role and for instance don’t talk or seem distant – I haven’t experienced this a lot except for with Kamijo, who is just... himself. I think Yoshiki was the most grateful and open toward meeting people; he even shushed security when they wanted to remove him from the fans because he wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to at least shake his hand. 05. There are always horrible people at lives. I’ve experienced hair pulling, scratching, kicking, etc. There are always the terrible squirmish girls around who act as if they are seeing literal gods, girls who completely break down or girls who are simply so fervent in their fanatic ways that they get aggressive with the artists (here in the Netherlands, Hizaki’s dress was ripped for example. I’ve heard about Mana’s clothes being torn too.)

The discussion has already started and finished bruh

The live was fantastic. I'm pleased with the set list even though when Tomorrow Never Dies came on I was instantly bored lol Apart from that, it was non-stop headbangers with a short break for sonokoe wa moroku, which sounds even better live. Like Zeus said, it stole the show for me. Ruki was flawless, I was actually impressed by his screams. His clean vocals are powerful too. I think I've been disappointed too many times by VK vocalists who sound great in studio but can barely hold a note at a live. So I couldn't get enough of Ruki's performance. Due to some sound issues, Reita's bass almost deafened me at some points, but it made me realise that he's a pretty decent bassist. Uruha was really going for it, Kai was great and Aoi... Well, he wasn't "there". He had one of those polite smiles that you put on when there's unwanted guests in the house and you're pretending to be nice. Musically he was great regardless. I don't wanna make the usual comparisons, BUT not long ago I came to the same venue to see Dir En Grey. Looking back at it, it was empty in contrast to gazette. After being a fan for over a decade, finally seeing them live and experiencing how seasoned they've become as musicians was a really special experience. If Uruha had been dressed as a nun I would've given it a straight up 12/10. I'll make sure to see them again at the first chance I get, hopefully in Japan so I can hear some of the old gems.

New photos

Hey welcome to the forum! I went to the GazettE live here in the States and if the setlists are the same overseas (from what I can see) then you're gonna have a great time. Make sure to move around with the crowd if you're gonna be close to the stage though, otherwise its a bad time lol. Chat with you on the forum soon!

can't believe we got SD3 (Trials of Mana) 24 years after JP release. stunned. and the remake they're working on looks amazing!! can't wait to dig in (once I clean up some of the current backlog...)

I listened to Prophetic Fashion. It’s freaking amazing! I love their sound soooo much! Distrust Labyrinth is a bop👌🏻

Yoshiki so I can see what he actually does all day cuz it's clearly not writing that album.

@anadentone You made me look at his picture and now I cannot unsee it. xD Anyway liking this WAY more than previous single!

Kinoko is so amazing! 🤣 Cause he's a "kusomen" you can ask stuff like "What's your favourite Love Hotel?" and he will actually respond! I love this guy!

Welcome here 😊.

Neck hurts, legs are dead, and arms are sore. Overall, a great live.

Hello and welcome! Hope you have an awesome time~ You’ll have tons of fun at the Gazette live

Welcome to MH! I see you like some of my faves too ❤️

Welcome to MH! I also love The Gazette! One of my all time faves as well!

Welcome! I'm glad there's still people intereste in vk! How did you find Kiryu?

Welcome to MH! Hope you have fun here~

01. Pray to God 02. 生け贄の少女 　　 03. 蟻地獄 04. アップルボビング 　　 05. マテリアル 　　 06. ISIS 　　 07 .Paradox abyss 2376 yens

New combat system has me excited. Went from not really caring to preordering it last night.

JOE from Gilles de Rais new album "BLACK MARKET" will be released at 2019/08/14 (8 tracks, 2700yen) [tracklist] 01. BLACK MARKET 02. I’M JANGO 03. DUBBLE CANNON 04. Andante 05. SORROW[Instrumental] 06. Dear PUNKS 07. Me GUSTA COLA 08. Rainning at the Beginning and the End[Instrumental]

Probably my favorite Memai Siren song thus far!

Super excited

yo this is actually legit really, really good & it's p fucked up how thoroughly mediocre this makes like the majority of the contemporary vk scene look by comparison

tbh It's not really ridiculous if the vocalist and his fiancee plan to continue their relationship. As if the affair itself wasn't a big enough offense, continuing to work with "the other woman" would just be throwing salt on the wound. Affairs are hurtful, messy business and they usually have these kinds of negative ripple effects. That said....who the fuck is this band anyways????

He definitely wasn't as excited as my show, but he did show his side of the stage tons of love! Reita was the show stealer at NYC, going up to the front to play next to Ruki several times. Aoi was the most reserved out of all of the guitarists on stage.

whats with that tongue sticking out at that particular area O.o

Jonas Åkerlund (ex. Bathory)