ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" including CD+DVD will cost 3900¥. The CD only will cost 3100¥
no tracklist (13 songs) yet except lead track will be「KILL THE KING」, but i'm pretty sure they will include some songs of their 3 latest singles. They have already performed some new songs at their lives like「KILL THE KING」「Adrenaline」「Order:6」
Artist: ALSDEAD
Album: STARLESS
Score:
Is this a fluke or does ALSDEAD finally have some spark?
Despite my absence on most visual kei threads on the forums concerning new bands, I do follow some bands and check out new releases from time to time. The only time I find myself compelled to make a review is when:
something exceeds my expectations of a band
is incredibly bad and deserves no hype
when the hype is mellow, the release deserves a review and doesn't have one
ALSDEAD is a band that's by and far ignored on Monochrome Heaven - after having an explosive opening with their first two singles their flop of a self-titled relegated them to the trash bin for many, and their subpar output since 2009 hasn't helped them any. They've found a cult following in people that crave the sound they produce, but for those outside that small group this band has offered very little worth listening to. Even though Separator (barely) made our best-of list last year, anyone that follows my reviews knows I roasted that album over an open spit for being so dull it left me with very little to say about it. I had a hard time coming to terms with the fact that the band that crafted Violent of Reason and F-99 could release so many boring songs, so I find myself downloading a release from them now and again to see if they've become interesting once more.
I thought I would never say this, but ALSDEAD have released something I find genuinely interesting. For a couple of plays at least.
I can't pinpoint exactly why I like STARLESS so much. Both tracks are solid and I can always appreciate the balance between an aggressive track and a more laid-back rock track. Both songs are exactly as long as they need to be, feature tasteful use of studio pyrotechnics, and clean production. Picture is also outside of ALSDEAD's comfort zone, and they nail it well. I'm sure they've done tracks like this before, but as a person that doesn't follow ALSDEAD like that this was a welcome surprise. If I wanted to nitpick, I could mention that STARLESS' solo is a little on the simple side, but that's a small blip.
This is the first release I've heard by ALSDEAD with Nikky from GALEYD, so I attribute a lot of the positive things I said here to him. I don't know if Maki is still the main composer after all, but bands that tend to only have one composer get stale quick, which was my problem with this band for the longest. If Meku's stranglehold over most of GALEYD's output caused other members of the band to have to put their creativity on pause and this is the first time that Nikky's been able to express himself, GALEYD's disbandment might be the single greatest thing that's ever happened to this band. Well, aside from their ex-drummer adopting a name better than Peanuts Benjamin and the band playing at that lolicon in the middle of New Mexico.
For once, I have nothing negative to say. The single does it job well, which is to raise hype for an upcoming album. If the material on the album is as consistent as the small teaser we have now, I might have something nice to say about the album at the end of the year.
OT: I don't have any input into this discussion but I do have to say this is one of the most intelligent and well-debated conversations I've seen on MH in a long time without any chaotic slandering towards one another.
Let's begin with a simple concept: Illegal downloading is illegal. This is not a moral statement, this is just a fact. More importantly, those who host copywritten materials are actually breaking more laws than those who download songs. This is not a debatable fact. Now, are the current modes of selling CDs and other music outdated? Yes, they are. Are there issues with a international-based way of purchasing music? Yes, that's undeniable. But is it illegal at this moment to take music that you did not create? Yes.
So, legally, Nocturnal Bloodlust does have a right to state that it is wrong for people to illegally download their music. So, they do have a right to say what they want, even if we disagree with it. Can they sue? Yeah, they can. Will they? Probably not, because I'm pretty sure they wanted to prove a point more than anything. Should they? Honestly, I don't think so, but it would definitely help bring changes to the way we see illegal downloading. Bands going after illegal downloading doesn't happen very much... and for a Japanese visual kei band to go against a foreign fanbase? Pretty much unheard of.
Now we get into the rest... like moral dilemmas.
But before we get there, it's important to cover what a CD sale (or MP3 sale) actually means.
You're correct to assume that a CD sale does not go to the artist directly. Typically, the money goes to the label, and a portion of that income goes the the musician themselves. The label typically pays for the production of music (time at the studio, audio and visual equipment, artwork, mixing, raw production materials like CDs, jacket covers, etc.), the purchase of raw materials for the band itself (make up, costumes, equipment vans, sometimes actual equipment, etc.) the production of memorabilia and other goods, travel, food, airfare, payment of their staff (I'm not sure, but last time I saw Nocturnal Bloodlust they had three permanent staff. Their roadie, and two people from management) as well as payment for space at lives.
In regards to the 'lives' payment, visual kei venues require you pay at the end of the night, after performing. It's not unheard of for small/medium venues to cost between ¥150000-¥500000 ($1500-5000) and you damn well better prepare to have that money on hand. At Taibans, yeah. It's split between the acts, but even then, that means you need to sell a lot of tickets. Why do you think a lot of band members sell at their own tables? Fans are far more willing to pay money to their favorite member than to a staff member... who'd have to be paid as well.
I once saw an indies band back in 2012 at EDGE and then accidentally met their guitarist at Ikebukuro Station. He was actually debating on whether he should eat a bowl of ramen or walk the 4 kilometers home, because they were short that night and he had to give all the money he had in his wallet except for a ¥500 coin. I bought the guy a ramen cup because it was just so depressing. Bad nights happen, and if you don't have the money, don't be surprised if you have to actually dig it out of your own funds.
Then again, I lived across the street from 7-11 where a super indies bandman worked nights. Because most indies band members have to have two, sometimes three jobs. Hell, Natsu of Nocturnal Bloodlust worked in a 7-11 for a long time to pay for his band activities.
Being in a visual kei band is expensive. So, while sales don't go straight into the member's pockets, you can bet that they're just as important for the band to survive. A band can't make or sell music if they don't have the money to play or even record.
I'll also put here that there is always complaining when a band disbands on here-- I've seen it time and time again people saying it isn't fair that an indies band disbanded, that they were such a huge fan of the music. But it never seems that we actually talk about why they disbanded. "They're not selling tickets or cds" is a good reason. In fact, one of the first comments on here was about how bands just conditionally disband if they're not doing well. We think that's stupid (or at least I do) but then when a band takes it into their own hands to say something about why people shouldn't illegally download their music, people throw a hissyfit. I don't understand the logic. If you want a band to survive, you buy the music. Because supporting the band you enjoy doesn't mean you make a few gifs and put them on tumblr, or draw fanart. We live in a time where, for musicians to thrive and actually continue with their activities, they need money.
Then you have to factor in the importance of selling CDs in a less understood way. Every time a sale of a cd is made, it shows the interest in the band. In Japan, charts are still important to knowing where a band stands. The better your sales doesn't just mean how many cds you sold, it directly effects how much advertising your next single or album receives. It can mean the difference between your video getting played on repeat on the tvs in Tower Records or getting shoved in with all the other releases. It directly reflects how many interviews the band receives offers from, how many spots they get on television, how many radio stations play the songs. We're not going to get into super big details in regards to marketing of visual kei, but it is extremely temperamental to the wants of the market.
And here's where things get interesting: Visual kei isn't as popular as you would think. This is still a niche market not with an unlimited amount of funds, space, or attention. In an industry like that, you have to understand what it means for a band to lose out on a 'sale'. Even a handful of sales abroad DO matter to a band that's fighting for recognition.
Let's also talk about people requesting that a band travel abroad to play lives for foreign audiences. I don't think msot of you realize how expensive that is-- it's obscene. Let's talk about a 'normal' tour (like Dir en Grey, or D'espairsray for a second.)
If a band wants to play in the US, they actually have to compete for visas. They have to prove the worth of their music and show that they are not going to affect the American music industry negatively. To get an entertainment or artist visa in the US, it's piles and piles and piles of paperwork, because the US goes out of its way to protect their music industry. The fees for getting a band to tour art astronomical on their own, but to tour the US? It's horrifying. That's actually why a lot of bands skip over the US and play in Europe. The visa requirements are far less stringent and it's cheaper.
This is why a lot of bands end up playing at conventions. It's typically cheaper for the band, because the convention has people who know the laws and are willing to pay the fees required. However, it isn't unheard of for bands to play on the promise of being paid when they arrive... and never getting paid. Or, not making the money they expected and being unable to recoup that money. And, during that time they're abroad, they aren't playing for their core audience, meaning... they're missing out on that much money.
It's amazing how many times I've gone onto official youtube channels and seen the requests for a band to go abroad... and then see those same names pop up in filesharing places. Because guess what? The band sees that, too. They're tech savvy. They know where they're selling cds. They know where they're not selling cds. So, by looking at that, they can tell that they aren't selling enough in Europe, in the states, or wherever they are getting requests for lives from. And you know what that does? That influences the band against going abroad. They see that their cds aren't selling in that area, so they don't believe they would be able to recoup the money they spent on going abroad. They don't believe enough fans exist to pay for their visits.
Illegal downloading is directly affecting who you get to see go on tour abroad.
So while we can debate over how big of an asshole Masa is for saying that illegal downloading is wrong, you have to understand where they're coming from. It isn't unheard of for labels to drop bands for not making sales, no matter how great the music is or how talented the band is.
I'm also stunned by the sheer amount of self-righteousness and entitlement going on in this thread. No one is entitled to free music.
There are 'needs' and 'wants'. Needs are things like water, food, shelter. Wants are internet, computers, music made by men who are wearing ten pounds of makeup and are waving around guitars.
You want the music. You will survive without it. I'm not sure of the ages of anyone on this board, but I will say this: I had that same opinion until I actually had to pay for my own bills.
Before I became an adult.
Now, let's talk about Nocturnal Bloodlust themselves for a second.
This is the closest thing foreign fans have gotten to an internationally-minded band in a very long time. They make sure their music is available for fans abroad, two of the members are fluent in English and regularly converse with fans, and they have been going out of their way to bring foreign fans into the fold. They even made it so foreign fans could become members of their fanclub. They want to go abroad. And let's remember how a band can find it viable to go abro--oh. Right CD sales in foreign countries, not the number of requests a band receives.
In addition... they run their label pretty much on their own. All of the costs? They pay for them. Iris and Crisis is Nocturnal Bloodlust's label. They have connections to Raiz Entertainment (their old label) which has connections through the industry... but for the most part, they're the people who have to pay for everything. We can debate on if they should have gotten into visual kei until the cows come home, but the fact of the matter is: Shit is expensive.
'Fans' are also pissed off because they got called out on it. The band knows people are illegally downloading, and brought it up. They want to talk about the problem. It isn't even the first time the band's done this--they did it last year, and the year before that when they released Ivy. Now, rather than having a discussion about illegal downloading and what the foreign fans want... people railed against him. They said he was overbearing and an asshole, and that he didn't have a right to speak out about illegal downloading. That's not the conversation they need.
If you want to have a conversation with the band about how to better market themselves to foreign fans, do it! I think it would be a good idea if they opened an international webstore where fans could buy goods and CDs. A way of buying songs off their website that are bundled with lossless versions and photos. Add special goodies for people who buy mp3 versions. It's cheaper to buy the versions of all their releases off itunes in USD than it is for Japan (example, their newest single costs ¥250 a song but in USD is only $1.29.) This is also a band that makes sure the cds are available within a week of their release in Japan, because they understand that once the cd is out there... they're not going to sell as many copies. But even a few matter.
I think it would be great if they tried to use more English and worked to try and make themselves more internationally minded. Rather than getting angry that the band is mad at foreign fans for illegally downloading, make it so the band knows what you want. And you'll buy.
There will be people who continue to illegally download. That won't change. People who think they somehow deserve music and the work of other people. People who think they're entitled to music (the reason I can't even begin to imagine.) And there's nothing any of us can do about that. But buying a cd or MP3 will at least show the band where fans are, and will make your voice heard.
And this isn't just for this one band. This is for any band with a huge foreign following. Most bands are ignorant of how popular they are in foreign countries, because they just don't sell many cds in those areas, so they don't know. What you have to do, as fans of a band, is be loud about your love for a band. Otherwise... this will just happen time and time again.
Kles got a reaction from Tetora in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from Shir0 in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from Nyasagi in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from Mihenno in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from Ada Suilen in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from CAT5 in ALSDEAD new album "IDEA-イデア-" release
Kles got a reaction from Elazmus in Xepher Vo.爛(ran) has suffered from right arm injuries
Kles got a reaction from Delkmiroph in [SOLVED] Help with buying from iTunes JP
Kles got a reaction from nick in Xepher Vo.爛(ran) has suffered from right arm injuries
Kles got a reaction from togz in Xepher Vo.爛(ran) has suffered from right arm injuries
Kles reacted to Zeus in ALSDEAD - STARLESS
