desparejo86

The Visual Kei scene is now 30-something years old, what musical movement was still exciting and relevant after that long? The visual scene that I got into in my early teens is long dead. Some of the bands have reunited and a few stayed together the whole way, but since the scene's glory days, many generations of bands have come and gone. The music that the bands I liked were making at the time was it, it was the music. But that was a long time ago and now, everything is different. These new records by older bands aren't going to light the world on fire; the most they're going to do is make fans from back in the day happy and think about how it was back then. It's gone, you can't go back. And none of that is a bad thing, given enough time everything changes in life. The vast majority of newer bands are more-or-less hobbyists doing it for fun (and that's fine). Starting a visual kei band in 2016 is no different than starting a hardcore punk band in 2016 or a goth band in 2016 or an emo band in 2016. If you're a young artist looking to do something new, why would you try to do it within the confines of a very old genre? You'd have to have a solid and original vision for your sound that would set you apart from everything both around you and that came before you. No easy task. "The Japanese music scene has a lot of visual kei bands, but their music is not very interesting to me. They cannot make good sounds and music is more like a hobby for them. I cannot feel their soul in the music." - Sugizo

Of course many bands do; no one is going to disband and say "We've decided to break up because no one likes us." There was a band, I think it was Kagrra, that disbanded a few years ago, and a lot of people were mad because apparently someone in their management suggested they call it a day. Some people were arguing that it was absurd to tell a band that they should break up, and that the group should do it as long as they are inspired. The reality is that their career had plateaued; past three albums had hit the same spot on the charts. Management knew they weren't going to get any bigger, but they hadn't hit the level where they were making a lot of money, so it was time to cut their losses and go find jobs while they're still relatively young. That is simply the reality bands have always faced, but it is especially true in the modern age, where 500 units can be the difference between a band getting dropped or making another album.

David Sylvian is the Godfather of Visual Kei in my opinion, the man who started it all. Recently grabbed these: The Japanese pressing of Japan's "Gentlemen Take Polaroids" single. Weatherbox - A special box set of Sylvian's first four solo albums with added tracks, plus an instrumental disc, special booklet, and poster.

Cool band! Malice Mizer is life.

1975 Matsumoku Lawsuit Les Paul. It's a beast. Some of my other children.

That is some damn fine old school visual kei loot!!!!

Signing a deal would also mean signing a contract agreeing to actually turn in an album by a set deadline. Yoshiki hasn't done that in twenty years. It's not about just the UK show. A lot of fans are being hostile towards Yoshiki because, regardless of Pata's condition, they've known for months, well before Pata took ill in January, that the album wasn't coming out. The album doesn't even have a title, which means it doesn't have artwork, Yoshiki was still mixing it a few weeks ago, and above all they don't even have a record deal. It was never coming out in March. No one is saying Pata didn't take ill. But even the official announcement says that he's on the mend, just isn't ready to fly yet per doctors orders. This begs the question, had Pata been able to play the gig, were they really going to do this X Day event and alleged world tour (that they coincidentally hadn't got around to even booking yet) promoting the album without the album being ready? Come on. If Pata is actually seriously ill, why is the show already rescheduled? If he died or was left impaired from his illness, wouldn't they need to cancel the gig again and disband? They're full of shit, and pushed it back a year because they have no album finished and no tour booked. It's the same old song and dance from Yoshiki going back 20 years.

The album was postponed "given the the circumstances," yet in the next sentence admit they don't even have a title for the damn album. Which means they hadn't done the artwork yet. And as I said in the above, they don't even have a record deal. What a bunch of fucking liars. I feel awful for people that have already booked flights and hotels for the gig.

They don't have a record deal/distribution deal. If they did, you'd have seen the details on Amazon, CDJapan, ect and presale stuff months ago. In theory, they could have been planning to released it online-only, but we all know that isn't true. They've known for months the album wasn't coming out. It's always the same song and dance with Yoshiki. Even if Pata's illness is as bad as they're making it sound, it's a case of the little boy who cried wolf at this point.

It bothers me that Malice Mizer has and probably will never reunite and make another album. I think they would have already had the financial prospects been attractive enough, but I've always believed money was the reason they broke up in the first place (too much overhead), and Mana is fine with doing M10M. Cheaper band to run and he keeps the lion's share of the money. But I don't like M10M and Kozi's ZIZ band is awful. I wish Mana could talk Klaha into quitting his job at the car wash or whatever the hell he does these days and give it one more go. Yu~Ki is probably bartending or something, he can't get one night a week off to practice? Come on. I'd also love a Die in Cries reunion but that won't happen because of D'erlanger.

Let's see..... uhm, I got nothing. Oh! CC's Phantoms is from this decade. Well, i guess my list is 1. Creature Creature - Phantoms

Hi im old. The Cure - Wish Luna Sea - Eden Die in Cries - Thankx Dead End - Shambara Prince - Purple Rain Killing Joke - Brighter Than 1000 Suns David Sylvian - Secrets of the Beehive My Bloody Valentine - Loveless Malice Mizer - Memoire

I guess Yoshiki needs an excuse to cancel the new album's alleged release date (March 12? Suuuureeeee). Even if Pata is actually sick, Yoshiki has cancelled/missed so many release dates the past fifteen years that it's like the little boy who cried wolf at this point. Sure hope the fans that have booked flights/hotels to England for X Day haven't wasted their money, although I have a feeling they have.

This is Anja! Half yorkie, half dachshund, 100% insane

Welcome, OG!

Uhhh

VK? Tokyo Yankees were basically a Japanese Motorhead copy band. Umes English wasn't great, but I thought it was a fine cover.... Ace of Spades ain't exactly hard to play.

Hanging out with girlfriends rich, Trump-loving parents on Christmas. Yayyyyyyyy. ~_~

Arche is the first Dir en Grey album I've loved since Macabre. I think it's their best work. I've always respected them and felt they were head and shoulders above the modern visual scene as artists, but I didn't care for their musical direction. Arche is so incredible though; it's like visual kei from an alternate reality where VK stayed big and relevant and exciting. No offense to those that love the modern scene intended, just my opinion. 輪郭 is soul crushingly good.

That dude has a big ass nose.

Metalcore, ugh, absolutely - but what I mean was that I like rock and roll drumming in VK; big bombastic groovy and emotive (Shinya from LS, Sakura from L'arc, Minato from Dead End), and not the supertight almost-drum machine like metal drumming sound that you hear in a lot of modern stuff. And solos are essential! Just the mix of the things I was describing turns me wayyyy off.... reminds me of Belle Ame from the Beck anime.

I just read this whole thread and I think you people deserve an award of some sort. Incredible stuff. And some perspective from a pushing 30 retired musician: stealing other bands music and trying to pass it off as your own has been going on for decades. it doesn't happen so much anymore, now that I think about it, but when I was just starting out in bands it was still common. Young bands would take music from more polished bands on mp3.com, burn it, and pass it off as their own. To impress people, to try to convince venue owners/promoters to book them, whatever. And I'm sure it was RAMPANT during Kisaki's teen years, when it was even harder to get caught. Hell, it's even happened in the Overseas VK fan scene. Anyone remember Crackers Baby? The band by the guy who ran Blue Sky Complex? I don't know why Kisaki was selling other bands demo tapes as his own these days, but the idea itself is not at all far fetched.

Holy shit, nice to see Strange Boutique posted about here. I guess we're all Kurai's children. Freak (SB's guitarist) sent me a very nice message on Myspace years ago about my music and invited me to come play bass for him, but it was not to be.