fictioninhope

I think Zipang is one of those "needs multiple listens" kind of albums. On my first listen of the whole album I was like "what the actual fuck is this????" but the more I listen to it the more I enjoy it.

Monochrome Heaven November Madness
 
It's that time of the year again where the Monochrome Heaven Staff and ORZ come together to create The Top 25 ChristMHas List! I believe this is set to be our fifth year in a row making these lists, which is pretty awesome, so we decided to add a small twist to the festivities this year. This year, you can take a stab at predicting how our list will come out!
 
The rules for the list are simple. We come up with a list of 25 great albums that were released since last December (so since December 1, 2014) and the order they come in. All members that want to participate will post their own Top 25 list and the order they come in with their own post, give a small explanation as to why your list came out the way it did, and then work together to guess what this year's Top 25 List will be.
 
Just be aware that this is for fun! If we get over fifteen participants I'll throw in a prize for the member that gets the closest.
 
Also, a few additional rules:
Staff and the following members cannot participate: @CAT5, @Zeus, @doombox, @Seimeisen, @beni, @ShanethVarosa, @Elazmus, @fictioninhope, @Ito, @fitear1590, @Peace Heavy mk II Members are not allowed to ask any of the above members for hints. Members that do will be disqualified. Members are allowed to ask each other for hints. The topic will be locked on December 1st when the first pick will be revealed. Winner(s) will be revealed December 25th/December 26th. Albums that were featured on last year's list will not be featured on this year's list, so don't vote for them. Voting starts now!

IX-NINE- new album "NIRDVANDVA" wil be realeased at 2016/01/09 (2 discs, 22 tracks, 4000 yens).
 
[tracklist]
 
[Disc 1 -Numinöse-]
01. 哀悼 (Aitou) 02. Pairidaēza Lost 03. Blind Gold 04. 棘と艶 (Toge to Tsuya) 05. 苦海 (Kukai) 06. 目醒めの未視感 (Mezame no Mishikan) 07. Heat Haze 08. 銀の砂漠 (Gin no Sabaku) 09. Saints Ideal 10. 祷りの星 (Inori no Hoshi) 11. 残滓 (Zanshi)   [Disc 2 -眩き展望- (Mabayuki Tenbou)] 01. 幽玄の誘い (Yuugen no Sasoi) 02. 憂き世 (Ukiyo) 03. 夢現 (Yumeutsutsu) 04. 暗礁 (Anshou) 05. 幕間劇 (Makuaigeki) 06. 餞 (Hanamuke) 07. Subliminal Sunrise 08. 有終の美 (Yuushuu no Bi) 09. 弛まぬ霊の相続 (Tayumanu Rei no Souzoku) 10. Mellow Sleep 11. 微睡みの魂 (Madoromi no Tamashii)

Awww, cuties! I always have a soft spot for black cats. 
 
 
Update on my pets... its been a year and a half since I last posted about Loki, and my family has rescued 2 more pups. Another Japanese chin, Jasmine, and a poodle mix, Sassy. 

 
And now I kinda wanna look into getting some rats because my friend has them and they are so sweet. ;w;

Artist: lynch. Album: D.A.R.K. -in the name of evil- 1. INTRODUCTION 8. FALLEN 2. D.A.R.K. 9. BEAST 3. ANTARES 10. INVADER 4. EVOKE 11. COSMOS 5. GHOST 12. MELANCHOLIC 6. ILLUMINATI 13. MOON 7. ETERNITY
Rating: | DARK is a breath of fresh air for this great band!
 
lynch.'s last studio album GALLOWS is what brought me back out looking for my VK renaissance. By falling so short of expectations creatively, it reminded me what made me so avid about listening to these bands almost ten years ago. Since then I have come to MH, and delved far deeper into the scene, creating healthy distance from such established names as lynch. and the GazettE. By late 2015 I was more than ready to get back into what lynch. had to offer, but following the EVOKE and ETERNITY singles I was concerned whether I would be even further disappointed by their strict, uniform sound.I was happily proven wrong as the new album is well laid out and shows commendable creative efforts. "INTRODUCTION", a piano based SE, serves to at least be stronger and more ominous than "GALLOWS". At less than one minute, it sets a suitable atmosphere but does little more than that.

Deep, rhythmical guitars usher in a true example of what the album means by 'DARK'. Appropriately spooky synth sounds accompany the stark guitar/piano combination of "D.A.R.K". while Hazuki lays out safe but still impressive vocals. A decent chorus keeps this title track among my top played for this album. The first experiment on D.A.R.K. is "GHOST", which opens up very smooth and relaxed. The main guitar riff is energetic without losing a swing quality which is more playful than the band usually allows. Mostly for Hazuki, I see this is a bit out of the comfort zone of current lynch.. It's quite interesting and entertaining and I hope they do more with this influence in the future. The creepy, carnival sample at the beginning of "ILLUMINATI" was immediately one of my favourite sounds from the album. Sporting of course an eerie and topical title to live up to, it pops out another very standard lynch. riff. The harsh vocals here remind me much more of those heard on INFERIORITY COMPLEX, which is nice to have present on the album. I love that the song breaks back to the same sample from the opening and the subsequent breakdown section is reinvigorating. The chorus hampers the evil on this one, not to say it won't get stuck in your head.

Our feature track and PV for the album itself, "BEAST" is high energy and old school lynch. harsh vocals. When the full version of the song was released prior to the album, I was underwhelmed. In the context of the full album however, it comes in at a welcome time following softer tracks. A heavier section before the final chorus provides a bit of garnish but nothing to drastically change the nature of the song.

"FALLEN" is one of my immediate favorites on this album, it baffles me why they would choose to dwarf the impact of the previous song even more by following it with a much more emotionally impactful ballad. I got a little emotional with this one. It's among my most repeated songs on the album. Thundering bass drum and resonating signature guitar work with the vocals retaining the same or similar melody throughout the track giving it an intimate appeal. I appreciate the simplicity of "FALLEN" similarly to "BE STRONG" (from EXODUS), but surely even more so. "FALLEN" proves to be one of my favorite lynch. songs in recent memory (even recalling such former releases that "ETERNITY" failed to live up to). "INVADER" starts off with a quick, twangy bass line kicks off what is sure to be a live favourite in years to come. It also consists of mostly spoken lyrics and aggressive instrumentals one can liken to the revving engine of a muscle car. A very simplistic chorus is framed by shout-and-response energy and closes out as suddenly as it began. @Shir0 complained to me endlessly about the short track length of this one, and I feel her pain. However lynch. is known to include such short numbers in their full albums ("EXODUS" or "TIAMAT" being prime examples). The faded, far-off chorus preview effectively sets up the intensity of "COSMOS". Marching to the rhythm of a powerful breakdown. I was initially concerned that D.A.R.K. wouldn't feature anything dynamic enough to compare to title tracks "EXODUS" and "GALLOWS". "COSMOS" does so much more during the first harsh vocals, the instrumental stays relentless and offers varying riffs before returning to an admittedly powerful chorus. I do like and appreciate how the final chorus tapers out into something quite dainty with a falsetto note only to be followed by an uncompromising roar from Hazuki while once again blasting what is likely the band's strongest breakdown.

Then there are tracks that didn't resonate with me as well as I wished. "ANTARES" is a song which I, for some reason, was expecting to be heavier - perhaps due to a misleading preview. The guitar work is strong, but the progression lacks the punch I was truly hoping for out of the faster songs lynch. produces and a decidedly weak chorus shows itself within 30 seconds. The latter half of this song features a pleasing heavy section but nothing lynch.'s followers haven't already heard. Thus far, it still hasn't called for repeat plays and is usually skipped. Upon its release, I was quite apathetic toward the album's first single "EVOKE". However, placed next to a similarly mid-range song like "ANTARES", it has a chance to shine as a strong example of typical lynch. On the flip side of these featured singles, we have "ETERNITY", a song that I literally forgot to type in the track list of this review. There's a little insight into my experience with the second featured single on D.A.R.K.. There is nothing technical to critique, only that it seems like a strained effort. The solo Hazuki PV was not what one expects from lynch., I have followed the band through similar featured singles like "MIRRORS". There is just very little to talk about. It's a song I may have appreciated more had I not already been an avid listener.

The intensity of "COSMOS" warranted the most relaxing ballad track possible, making "MELANCHOLIC" a success. Soft, chiming guitar strokes create a cascading sound akin to the visual of falling water. It comes off very well written, but in comparison to "FALLEN" it does not endear itself so soon. In the third minute, the melodies become emotionally deeper, certainly worth waiting for by the track length. Surprisingly, despite being longer than either one, this song seems to come and go more quickly than "FALLEN" or "ETERNITY". This is not entirely a bad thing as I chalk this up to its position on the album and purpose in its progression. It's an honest, fun but disdainfully lighthearted finale to the album. I hear a lot being packed into the sound of the intro of "MOON" but everything subsequent feels quite basic in its catchiness. Like many of the mid-range songs on this, there is a banging heavy section late in the track but at this point in the album there is unfortunately nothing new here. It's not a bad song by any means, but as a memorable album closer, I see "MOON" as a misfire.

Coming out of D.A.R.K., I find myself far more satisfied than with my experiences with the band's last few albums. It offers the dynamic focus of GALLOWS while providing enough intrigue per song to make them distinct, something that's infinitely valuable to lynch. who sport waning Nagoya visuals and often seem far removed from the Visual Kei fan base in which they were born. I would certainly recommend D.A.R.K. not only to those looking for renewed hope in the potential of lynch. but even to those open-minded metal fans in an effort to show something agreeable, interesting and undeniably talented. Being exactly a month old to this date, it has already proven its shelf life beyond my personal expectations.

Support the band! Purchase D.A.R.K. on CDJapan!

Heeeeyyyyy! XD I'm not alone idol hell now! lol
 
Kotori is pretty dang adorable too. Yay another Maki fan, Nico is my second favorite. She's so obnoxious, I can't help myself. 
 
I have so much to learn still about the other groups. I'm still fairly low ranking in SIF since I don't have a lot of time to dedicate to it and my song list is pretty short. But every time Mermaid Festa comes up I lose my combos because I keep dancing to it. >__>;;;;

Anyone else sold their soul to this franchise yet? I only play the phone game (School Idol Festival) so far but, it's super addicting. <3 And they have more than enough venues and content to pretty much take over anyone's life at this point. 

 

So let's talk favorite members (mine's Maki~), songs, if you play the game let's share SIF IDs and be friends! 

Is there no thread for them yet? Shame on you Monochrome. haha.
 
Vocals - Oni
Guitarist - Sagara
Bassist - Ebi
Drummer - Vivi
 
Old Members:
Bassist - Yui
 
HP:
http://ganglion-net.com/
 
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/GanglionxBand
 
Twitter:
https://twitter.com/xGANGLIONx?ref_src=twsrc^tfw
 
It's always nice to see an all female band to stir the pot.
 
Personally, I think think their vocalist Oni is gorgeous. Makes sense since she's also a fashion model.
 
The girls aren't afraid to admit they are huge fangirls haha. They're very cool.
 
INFINITY was a great album and I'd recommend it to anyone.
 
Anyways, here's their latest PV. Looks like they've adopted a heavier sound.
 

 
Here are a few other PV's of theirs for your hearing pleasure.
 

DANGER☆GANG new maxi-single "V.I.O" will be released at 2015/12/23 (4 songs, 1944 yens).

I know that there are at least a few other trans people here.
 
I started transitioning a few months ago. Hormones are a hell of a trip.   That said, I really think of myself as genderqueer. I don't feel entirely comfortable with 'being female', even less so with 'being male', so I'm somewhere in the middle.
 
I'd love to hear other trans peoples' stories/situations, and maybe we can help support each other.
 

Adding that I also identify as genderqueer (more specifically, agender) but still go with female pronouns because I'm not really open/comfortable about this yet and because that's just the most comfortable thing for me. I'm usually not too comfortable talking about this, but it looks like a lot of people here feel similarly, so I'm glad this is sort of a safe place. I don't really identify as female or male, but it's more of a "neither" instead of "both" sort of thing. I do have dysphoria because I have a VERY feminine body (this is basically my body type), so it makes it very hard to be the kind of androgynous I'd be comfortable presenting like.
 
I discovered visual kei when I was about 15 or so. It was a really big deal to me. Before then, I had that weird lurking feeling of not wanting to be female or male, but I didn't know how to present in a way that was comfortable for me. I did have an interest in fashion and makeup and I wanted to be attractive and beautiful, but I didn't really know how to put all of that together in a way that wasn't specifically female. So of course, the initial allure of visual kei was that it was all of those things. Really enjoying the music solidified my interest in it. I had always been very skinny, which was awesome for my situation. Unfortunately, I rapidly put on a lot of  weight when I was 19 and that caused a lot of changes to my body shape. It was a huge blow because at that point, I had found the thing that finally made me comfortable in my own skin and it was being taken away from me again. I also didn't know that identifying as non-binary was a thing until I was like 25, so the feelings I was struggling against were very private and alienating. I haven't been able to lose and keep off the weight, so I'm still EXTREMELY uncomfortable with myself and most of the time I feel like I have no business in a style meant for skinny attractive men, but I don't really know what else to do with myself. 
 
I'm also often very afraid to be open about my identity and have it misunderstood as "taking my visual kei obsession too far" because that's not true at all. I already felt like that for a long time before I knew anything about being genderqueer or even what being trans was. The previous talk of visual kei fans "faking it" to be cool is exactly what I'm talking about here. Also, it's possible to come out and take steps towards exploring your identity within a particular group or scene, but still not be out with your family, work/school, and friends outside of that group/scene. Many people don't realize that you don't just come out all at once. You come out over and over and over again to different people. You come out in different ways and at different times based on a lot of situation factors. I don't think it's fake at all to present as male and ask for male pronouns within a group, but still be in the closet in other parts of your life where coming out could be a very dangerous or complicated struggle that you're not ready for. 

Magikarp, Magikarp, Magikarp, Magikarp, Magikarp, Magikarp
 
with this team I will be able to...
*puts sunglasses on*
Face Everything And Rise

As much as I like Dadaroma, I'd be so happy to have NAINE back. ;; I can't even lie. Lol

Riot of Rot is this month! YAY. Anyone taken a look at some of the skin/accent submissions yet? So far I'm super disappointed with pretty much all of them and hope there will be some surprise good ones once the event starts. D;

Ugh right in the feels. I miss this band a whole lot. NAINE filled the void in my heart that DELUHI left. They had such great potential and I feel like they called it quits way too fast. Why do I keep liking bands who quit way too soon??? JOL and Shiki are the main reason I started following DADAROMA. 

NAINE (NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING) were one of my favorites bands that was active from 2011 to 2014.9.9, which were their last live which became a DVD.

Members were
Vocal: hiLo (@KVNC_hiLo)
birthday: 10.19
Guitar: Takuya (@Podbelly0409)
birthday: 4.9
(Now in 1/f揺ラギ)
Guitar: Shiki (@DDRM_takashi)
birthday: 3.16
(Now in DADAROMA)
Bass: Kei (@naine_kei)
birthday: 10.4
Drums: JOL (@DDRM_yusuke)
birthday: 7.27
(ex. Quinstet, Now in DADAROMA)
Past members:
Drums: MASAKI
birthday: ?
Discography:
Answers/Matter of Fact (2011.12.22)

BRING ME ALIVE (2012.11.18)

BEAUTIFUL CRIME (2013.8.28)

OUTLINE (2014.5.19)

THE WALL (2014.7.16)

NEW ANSWER IS NEW ENDING (2014.9.3)

DVD LAST LIVE: CATASTROPHE (2014.11.11)
And you guys, did you liked their music?
Do you miss the band?

Made an account, same un as here and plug.

Oh man that's awesome! I was getting bored of the same venues all the time(lookin' at you, mire...).

Also, LAST DAY OF STARFALL HOPE YOU ALL GOT ALL THE PINK SHIT YOU WANTED!!!

No Spendtember is bullshit and I am really really frustrated with everyone who is participating in it! XD

I'm about to start leveling dergs and exalting them for money cause I keep spending money on pretty things for my precious little Hanabi. Sadly I still can't find him a suitable mate.

I'm the only one posting in here anymore aaahhhhh!!!!!


Anyway, Starfall Celebration starts tomorrow!!!!!!! Hope you're all ready for all of the pink!

Wanted to show off my new fire derg baby. ;u; So happy with him. Now to find him a good mate.


 
 
 
 
Arcane festival is this month! I'm excited, I hope there will be lots of pink things for me to purchase. Any festivals you guys are looking forward to?

Wanted to show off my new fire derg baby. ;u; So happy with him. Now to find him a good mate.


 
 
 
 
Arcane festival is this month! I'm excited, I hope there will be lots of pink things for me to purchase. Any festivals you guys are looking forward to?

Wanted to show off my new fire derg baby. ;u; So happy with him. Now to find him a good mate.


 
 
 
 
Arcane festival is this month! I'm excited, I hope there will be lots of pink things for me to purchase. Any festivals you guys are looking forward to?

Last night of the festival! Hope you all got the items you wanted!