platy

Purple Stone—a band that harnesses today’s most innovative music and stops at nothing to further improve on it. In their hands, even melodies that are merely interesting become remarkably stylish. Even when keiya had been on hiatus for half a year due to his medical condition, GAK and Fuma refused to halt; if anything, it only strengthened the band’s resolve. What can we learn from the profound bond between these 3 individuals?
 
Q: Firstly please tell us more about your band name.
 
keiya: When “Purple Stone” is mentioned, “amethyst” will immediately come to mind. Amethyst is said to be a charm (against evil). It’s a gemstone that’s believed to have the power to transform something negative into something positive; and in a similar way, we wish our band’s presence is able to neutralize the painful and awful things in everyone’s life and make them more positive, to create music that can do precisely this and to continue having lives to achieve this—that’s the significance of “Purple Stone.”
 
Q: Do you have a band concept?
 
keiya: There’s the origin of our band name that I’ve mentioned. Even though we’re playing in the visual kei scene, we do our best to not be fettered by what people typically expect visual kei bands to do. We try to incorporate into our music elements that are popular as well as those that we personally think are cool, without being held back in any way.
 
Q: Purple Stone carries with it a variety of sound elements. What were your roots as far as music is concerned?
 
GAK: I admired T. M. Revolution and wanted to try creating that style of music by myself, which brought me on the path of becoming a musician. At first I only wrote music on the computer, but I realized later that it would be better to be able to play the guitar as well and so I picked it up. That’s how I’ve become a guitarist in this band.
 
Fuma: I was initially woken up by the music of B’z. After which there was a period of time when I couldn’t see eye to eye with people who listened to J-pop, so I ventured into punk, loud rock, hardcore, etc. When I got tired of that, I explored R&B and 80’s rock, before finally returning to J-pop once again. When I was listening to punk there were also some active visual kei bands in the scene. I enjoyed the darker side of visual kei like Kuroyume, L’arc~en~Ciel, and Laputa.
 
keiya: I love vocalists who sing well. Nakajima Takui is someone I’ve always liked—I used to get really inspired no matter how much I listen to him, and I want my songs to have the same kind of effect on others. As for the roots of my sound, I’d say SIAM SHADE, L’arc~en~Ciel, Kuroyume, etc. In my opinion, music without good melodies isn’t good music.
 
Q: Purple Stone’s songs also have really striking melodies, right?
 
keiya: Well all 3 of us agree that we won’t do music that doesn’t have good melodies. When we’re writing our songs, we will keep tweaking melodies that require work until we’re satisfied.
 
Q:  Your 5th single “panic panic” will be released on 17th August. What kind of music can we expect?
 
GAK: Before we can talk about the lyrics and the concept of the song in certain terms, we need to first think about what sound to go with. We wanted to let people wonder, if only slightly, “is this really Purple Stone’s new song?”—that’s why we fused EDM, which has become popular in contemporary music, with our heavy rock sound. I made the chorus section and showed it to another member and he liked it. Finally we wrote the lyrics and re-worked the melody until it’s done.
 
Q: Who wrote the lyrics [for “panic panic”]?
 
Keiya: Fuma wrote them this time.
 
Fuma: GAK put a lot of weird words into the demo song, but we preferred to think of them as interesting.
 
Q: What’s the theme for the lyrics?
 
Fuma: The theme for the song is “summer Halloween," but the song itself is totally a party song. If we’d written party lyrics for them, I think we might have become a party band. *laughs* I was first struck by the idea of zombies: from the perspective of the end of the world, can we think of everything that has occurred before as conscious self-development? That went through my mind when I was writing the lyrics.
 
keiya: Initially we wanted to include some horror element. Halloween is in October so it’s still too early for that, but we thought it would be interested to have our own Halloween in summer—that’s why we have those things in the artist photo and album that we usually think of as pumpkins (as in jack-o’-lanterns), but we made them into watermelons instead just for fun.
 
Q: It’s easy to get excited just by watching the PV and the dance looks really fun. Do your fans join in the dance?
 
keiya: At first we didn’t think that they would join in, but when we performed in song in lives everyone actually danced along! When we saw that, we thought, wow let this just be a song where we can all enjoy together. So the fans have contributed to what this song has become in important ways as well.
 
Q: For people who haven’t seen Purple Stone live, would this be an accessible song to the band?
 
keiya: I think so. And because of that, it would be amazing if it can motivate people who had no interest in visual kei before to become interested. It’s the same for us and it’s the same for fans—no one was a fan the moment they were born, they only became fans because they liked what they saw. Likewise there were bands that became the motivation for each one of us. These are bands we look up to and which we want to emulate. We’ll be glad if this song can go some way to help us achieve both of those.
 
Q: I see. The title this time is “panic panic”…is there anything you dislike so much that you will panic?
 
GAK: I hate the sound of Velcro.
 
keiya: Eh? I didn’t know that!
 
GAK: *pulls away part of the Velcro on his costumes* I hate this sound….
 
Fuma: Aren’t you doing that right now? *laughs*
 
GAK: Nah, I’m ok with this much. And I know I’m making the sound now so it’s fine. But if the Velcro of my shoes gets pulled away suddenly I’ll be like O.O; I’d even take the sound of blackboards any day.
 
Fuma: Really??
 
GAK: Yeah I get less annoyed by metallic sounds than the sound of Velcro. I just can’t stand it.
 
Fuma: When I was at my grandma’s house a long time ago, I saw a spider nearly as big as an alien’s palm with really long legs. My grandma started hitting it with a broom but it refused to die and scuttled out of the door even with some of its legs broken. Because of that I thought to myself when I was small that after spiders grow up they won’t die anymore. That was definitely traumatic.
 
keiya: For me, the sound of scratching against metallic surfaces or frosted glass. There’s this place we keep our equipment at the entrance of our office. Usually when we come back after a tour and return our equipment, we use the back entrance, which has a metallic door on top of a stone layer. To keep the door open, we wedge it with a stone of the right size. That makes a screeching noise that we always try to minimize, but sometimes we’re too exhausted to think and we just fling the door open with all our might with the stone there. The noise you get is insane and it kills me. I hate that.
 
GAK: I can never understand that. I like the sound of metal. Even the sound of the dentist’s drill—I love it.
 
Q: Can we take that to mean that you like the same kind of sound that you find in the metal genre?
 
GAK: Yes I do. I don't know how anyone doesn't like that.
 
keiya: Okay, for our new song’s introduction we’ll put in some Velcro sounds.
 
GAK: No no *laughs*
 
Q: On the release day of “panic panic” Purple Stone will be holding a one-man live at Shinsaibashi SUNHALL. All of you were born in Kansai, so is that why it’s in Osaka?
 
keiya: We haven’t held that many one-man lives as we’ve been concentrating on making more music, but it’s been a while so we think it’s about time for another one-man live. The first one was in Osaka, and the 2nd was in Tokyo in December last year. When we were making plans for the upcoming one-man we thought it might be good to do one each at both Osaka and Tokyo, but then it might be even better for us to reach a point where we can have a one-man tour throughout the country at various places. That’s why for now we’ve settled for Osaka for our 3rd one-man.
 
Q: Is there a concept for your 3rd one-man?
 
keiya: Since the theme is ‘summer Halloween,’ it will be awesome if fans who come to see us can dress up in some way. No one usually wears fancy stuff in summer so it would be fun to try doing it. There’s also an in-store event on that day and we got requests to cosplay, so we’re now thinking of what we’ll be doing.
 
GAK: “Panic panic” is full of things we haven’t done before, so the point is for the band to come together with the fans to perform the song together at the 8/17 one-man in a way that we can become one. That’s the aim we have as we gradually work our way towards that date, where I hope we can bring everyone the most perfect “panic panic.”
 
Fuma: Compared to our first one-man, the band has evolved not just in our looks but also in terms of what’s inside. We want to do a live that can excite the same group of people who came to see us then, and at the same time let newcomers feel that Purple Stone is capable of a variety of musical styles. Hopefully it will be a live where everyone present will feel differently. That’s why we decided to return to Osaka for our 3rd one-man.
 
Q: It has been around a year since your first one-man. I’m sure you’re yearning to demonstrate the band’s progress.
 
keiya: We’ve done a lot of lives in this time so certainly we’ve improved in that respect, and that’s one thing we’d like to show. But at every live we create the atmosphere together with the fans. So if our fans have become confident that they can play a part in creating that special atmosphere, I think this one-man will be a wonderful time where we’ll be able to appreciate each other’s growth, in a way.
 
Fuma: Even though it will be after the O-bon festival, it does feel like “panic panic” coincides with O-bon. Most festivities would have been over by the beginning of August and when things are just starting to get boring, “panic panic” will be here to make sure we can spend the rest of summer happily! That’s the plan anyway. We thought it would be great if people don’t feel that their summer holidays were a waste of time. Since no one will be doing their homework anyway, they should just come to Amemura!
 
keiya: What are you saying! They will, at least by the day before summer holidays end!
 
Fuma: If they listen to “panic panic” and come to our one-man, maybe they will be motivated enough to do their homework the next day!
 
keiya: Won’t they be too tired to? *laughs*
 
Fuma: Actually they will be in a panic and won’t be able to do anything *laughs* Well, jokes aside, please support “panic panic”!
 
Q: After releasing your 5th single I’m sure people will be expecting an album soon. Any plans for that?
 
keiya: We’ve talked about it, and we’re still thinking whether to release a single or album next. There are certain things in the pipeline, and we’re considering how to best bring it to the fans, whether they will enjoy it and be excited by it. We can’t disclose much at this point but we’ve often been discussing the various options.
 
Q: When it comes to devising interesting plans, do all 3 of you decide as a team?
 
keiya: Of course it’s important that what we intend to do will be interesting for all of us, but what’s even more important is that fans will be excited by it, and they will wonder “are they really doing this next” or “I haven’t seen this before” or “it’s great that I got to see Purple Stone today”—that’s the aim we have in mind when we discuss these things.
 
Q: What do you think are your individual weapons?
 
GAK: For me it would be song arrangement. Ultimately we decide on things collectively, but I’m mainly in charge of our arrangement. I’m always working hard on creating a distinctive sound that people can immediately associate with Purple Stone.
 
keiya: What’s amazing (about GAK) is that he listens to everything, even the really new stuff. We’re able to leave this to him because we have complete trust in him when it comes to this.
 
Fuma: I write a lot of our lyrics. I love keiya’s vocals and this band was started so that more people can hear him, so I’d say my weapon is the ability to write lyrics fitting for his style. There are people who sound weird when you make them sing unusual lyrics, but keiya is such a genuine vocalist that he makes even the weirdest lyrics work.
 
keiya: The one thing I can be proud of is that regardless of what lyrics Fuma gives me, or what song GAK makes, I do my best to make it sound as good as possible! Fuma always talks to me about politics and a lot of random things so he’s an interesting person who reflects on a lot of things. The lyrics he writes, like “panic panic tonight,” have a lot of curious words and phrases, and also parts that are difficult to sing in one breath. Sometimes that happens—the sound and the words don’t match well. But I prefer to approach it as “this is good music only because we have these words here with this sound.” I think that’s my weapon—I’m able to make the best of whatever lyrics coming my way.
 
Q: Finally, your message to our readers?
 
GAK: This is the first time we’ve been featured on Cure V-splash, thanks for reading! Purple Stone will continue to fire all cylinders, please support us!
 
Fuma: The lyrics I’ve written for “panic panic” means it isn’t just a party song; it has various hidden meanings written into it. I’m sure more than a few of you will across lines that make wonder “huh? does this over here refer to that?” So you can look forward to figuring things out. But as I’ve said this is also a song written from the perspective of the end of times. Today we have nuclear plants and all, and without knowing what will happen tomorrow there’s the question of how we should move on. On one level it does mean “yes, let’s live tomorrow happily!” So please listen to it and have a fruitful summer. People with homework please do your homework, and those who are working please work hard. But don’t forget to support “panic panic”!
 
keiya: For “panic panic” we challenged ourselves to do things we’ve never done before, from conceptualizing the choreography to practicing the dance itself—so it’s a song that tries to break out of the conventions of visual kei. We were anxious that people might not accept it, but we really wish to create a new path for ourselves. In effect, this song contains our hope for things we want to achieve as a band. While there are a lot of bangyas at our lives, there are also others who come to experience visual kei for the very first time. I think this is a great thing, so please spread the news and tell everyone around you about Purple Stone! Finally, don’t forget the one-man on 8/17 where we will dance to “panic panic” and a lot of other songs to look forward to.
 
---
 
Translated by me.
 

I'm in.... I LOVE Purple Stone.  They're definitely one of my favorite new bands. Although, I guess they're not really "new" anymore... has it really been almost 2 years since Purple Stone began?!   Time really flies.... plus, since all three of them were in another non-VK band (HAZZE) right before forming 'Purple Stone'.... it seems even longer LoL
 
And I second what paradoxal said - I can't wait for them to announce a new release. I need more new music!!!   I hope 2015 will be an amazing year for them since 2014 was such a troubled year (with keiya's throat problems).
 
Fun fact: GAK's father was the guitarist for an 80's Japanese band called MAKE-UP. Their most famous song was "Pegasus Fantasy", which was the original OP for the anime Saint Seiya.  Seems like music ability runs in the family and it's definitely in GAK's blood

Purple Stone

(2013 - present)

 

Vo. keiya (twitter)

Ba. 風麻 (FUMA) (twitter)

Gt.&Programming. GAK (twitter)

Support Dr. スピカ (Spica) (twitter)

 

Purple Stone began their activities on March 30th, 2013, and are based in Osaka. They're currently under the label CRIMZON, a subsidiary of GIZA studio.

 

The band's OHP is here, and their discography here.

 

==========================================

 

Ok. Now can we talk about how amazing they are?

 

on the 28th it was Rides In ReVellion's first one man live, which also conicides with their 1 year anniversary.

due to my job, I get to see many great concerts, many of which are Rides In ReVellion due to the strong relationship between Rides In ReVellion and V STAR PROMOTION.
but the live on the 28th was spectacular, the members put so much effort in preparation leading up to the live, and then twice as much during the actual live.

and at the end of the night they announced that they will be playing in America in October!

I can not express just how proud I am of this band.

Picture taken by me.

Message from Vo. Chizuru:
 
"Hello everyone in the States. My name is Chizuru, vocalist from the band Pentagon. First, I am very happy to know that there are fans across the sea supporting us. We aren't able to go see you guys in person as of yet, but we will definitely do our best to go to you guys as soon as we can. We will be featured and meeting oversea fans for the first time through XENON's livestream Q&A. I'm actually really nervous since its the first time we do something like this. I hope to enjoy our time during the livestream. thank you" - Chizuru(Pentagon)
 
 
Please note that there was a bit of miscommunication at times, and the band misinterpreted some of the questions so some responses may not make sense.I also did leave some odds and ends out of the report.
 
*Also for those that are unaware Minpha does not speak so he wrote or gestured his answers*
 
So the event kicked off and the band began with a self introduction. They explained who they were and what their concept was. Chizuru described their concept as "Dark Fantasy". After the self intro. they talked about their new upcoming album「WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL」. He said that we can expect a much darker sound from this album.
 
The Q & A began and Pentagon began by asking us some questions: 
 
Yutori: I would like to visit America to meet women but I've heard that most women in the U.S. carry guns in their purse, is this true?
 
*A girl revealed the inside of her purse to the band and prove there was no gun*
 
Band: Ohhhhhhhhhh!
 
Person: I do have pepper spray
 
Yutori: *Blurts out in English* Oh My God!      ... JESUS!
 
*We all laugh and Yutori laughs back*
 
Taku: Is there any stage in Los Angeles that would welcome a visual-kei band like us?
 
Someone mentioned the whisky a gogo since Dir En Grey had preciously played there the night before.
 
Band: Ohhh Dir En Grey, thats awesome!
 
Yutori: Cool Name!
 
Someone else said the Roxxy Theater since Vamps held a concert there back in October.
 
Chizuru: What is it about visual-kei that gets you so interested? It's a different language so how do you guys manage to enjoy it?
 
*I'm assuming this question relates to the message he sent us the day before the event, i think Chizuru still finds it hard to believe he has fans overseas*
 
Person: I just love how every release is a different concept
 
Person: I love how the instruments sound
 
Person: I love the MV's they look really well done and it has an amazin production
 
Band: Thank You!
 
*Now our turn to ask questions began*
 
Person: Is there any band that you like outside of Japan?
 
Chizuru: Unfortunately, I'm not so good at English so i don't really listen to any.
 
Yutori: I began playing guitar after listening to the Beatles and I've enjoyed their music since.
 
Taku: My Chemical Romance
 
Minpha: *Gestured Ok sigh with his hand*
 
Atsuki: A lot!
 
Person: What is one of your hobby's?
 
Chizuru: Gamble
 
Yutori: *Blurts out in English* MASTURBATION !
 
*We all laughed* 
 
*Yutori laughed back*
 
Taku: SEX! *he laughs* Joking ...Sports
 
Minpha: Women outside of Japan
 
Atsuk: (Did not answer or forgot to answer)
 
Person: Do you see many male fans at lives?
 
Chizuru: It may seem hard to believe but Pentagon is actually one of the few bands with many male fans
 
Person: Favorite Color?
 
Chizuru: Black
 
Yutori: Green
 
Taku: Blue
 
Minpha: Pink
 
Atsuki: Grey
 
Person: What is your favorite animal?
 
Chizuru: It used to be cats but now its a dogs
 
Yutori: *Shouts in English* Humans!
 
Taku: Armadillo
 
Minpha: Cat
 
Atsuki: Dog
 
Person: Chizuru what is your favorite Japanese band? 
 
Chizuru: Golden Boomber!
 
Person: Is there a concept you would like to do in the future?
 
*The band actually spend a good minute to think about this one*
 
Chizuru: Mafia !
 
The Q & A came to a close but before we left Yutori asked us one last thing in English
 
Yutori: Which do you love me or chizuru!? (omg it was the cutest thing ever i regret not recording)
 
Chizuru: *Just puts his head face down on the table laughing*
 
We all replied You!
 
Yutori: Oh Thank You!
 
We all said goodbye and the Q & A ended.

Tracklist:
1. FRONT
2. WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL
3. 少年ワルツ
4. Believe
5. Here I am
6. Jesus phobia
7. 素晴らしい「教育」
8. 二面相シンデレラ
9. テツキズ
10. 冬唄
11. 踏切迷子
12. デジャヴパニック
13. 勘違い革命


| Spoopy down for what?

 For those of you who may be new to ペンタゴン (pentagon), the band was established on December 14th of 2014 by Chizuru and Minpha of Call Me. The band completed their line-up with members from bands such as METEOROID, LucaRia, and Vared. The band, as young they are, have been quite impressive over this past year. ペンタゴン is notable for having a consistent visual appearance and prominent themes in their releases that go very well hand in hand and in their short career , they've already released a full album and 2 singles that come in various types. While 2015 was a significant year for them, they have yet to slow down and have hit 2016 in full speed. [WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL] hit the shelves on January 27th and is the band's second full-length album with an impressive track-list of 13 songs.

[WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL] states its theme clearly from the start with the intro title "FRONT". Though it's more of an SE track, it's almost an asset in setting the mood for such a theme. Envision yourself coming across an abandoned mansion or house. You approach it curiously, but there's a sense of uncertainty mixed with your eagerness to explore such a sight. From the light music box and thunder to the anticipation that the strings build up, you wind up at the entrance of Ghost Hotel, and with a creak of the door, the album takes off in to our titled track "WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL". A seamless transition from the intro jumps into an upbeat and somewhat heavy set of guitar riffs accented with a unique accordion tune and chanting. It's a mildly chaotic song that makes a big entrance for the story they seem to have for this theme. We've heard "少年ワルツ" (Shounen Waltz) before from the single, but it fits right in with the on-going theme. Ghosts and spirits are remnants of a past time, so the vintage distortion to the vocals in the beginning add a nice touch. "Believe" is a rather confusing song, both placement wise and the way it was written. Aside from the somewhat spooky techno in the beginning, it's made up of very common VK riffs. Though the vocal melody is somewhat solid, the key change takes the setting in a different direction that pulls away from the creepy and spooky theme they started with. While it may not exactly fit the theme, it does seem to be a song that may have been composed with live shows in mind. "Here I am" is also a song that doesn't give the same feeling as the beginning of this album, though it transitions well from "Believe". This song is a lot lighter and lifting, which is quite the opposite of what is expected from this release. However, it serves justice as a nice power ballad with strong vocals. Another rough transition brings us to "Jesus Phobia", a sort of circus-y sounding song with powerful screams, a signature music box in the background, and a relevant key change.

Once "素晴らしい「教育」"(Subarashii 「kyouiku」) drops, the setting changes to a waltzing ballroom dance. The setting of the album was consistent enough to transition into this song and it almost fools one with its mellow intro. This song is full of psychedelic guitars, synths, and even a nifty drum solo that leads into a distorted guitar solo. The next song, "二面相シンデレラ" (Nimensou Cinderella), is another upbeat song with a prominent bass line and feels like a solid continuation of the previous track. These last two songs combined creates a new, playful and devious side of the album. Earlier we imagined entering ghost hotel and discovering the wonders inside, but those songs didn't exactly give a sense of direct contact with what presented itself. The combination of the previous two tracks represent that interaction in a playful ballroom dance where whatever malicious being or figures do show themselves and, for lack of a better word, toy around with their visitors to humor themselves perhaps.

"テツキズ "(Tetsukizu) transitions well, but doesn't quite hit home with the theme or its generic alternative riffs backed up with drumming on the offbeat. However, the piano is a nice touch. It's not a bad song, but it's forgettable. "冬唄" ( Fuyuuta) is a slower song that fits better with the vibe this album should have, but it feels more like an ending song. Even though this track is most reliant on piano,ペンタゴン do quite well at enhancing the build up to a piano and vocal melody duet. The build and anticipation in this song is favorable with the contrast of soft verses and phrases that have more prominent guitar, bass and drum work that makes the track swell with power. "踏切迷子 "(Fumikiri Maigo) starts strong and follows the last track well until the chorus key change. Something with the instrumentals and key that the vocals are in sounds off ever-so slightly. Other than that, every other element in this song fits well with the concept and offers probably the most pleasing guitar solo on the whole album. "デジャヴパニック" ( Deja-vu Panic) starts to wrap up the album as it revisits a few similar instrumental motifs from previous tracks in the beginning of the album. Don't let the intro fool you though, because this track certainly excels into the danger zone (IN A GOOD WAY!) and lives up to its name. The guitar work beautifully contrasts with the chorus' vocal melody, and when the growls and shouting happen, the double bass is tastefully used. If you like songs that have a fast paced break down at the end, this is the song for you. "勘違い革命" (Kanchigai Kakumei) doesn't feel like a goodbye song. This song feels more like an 'until next time' and doesn't give a sense of closure and may have worked better as the second to last song. The door creaking back shut at the end is a cute reference to the beginning, which brings the album full circle.

To sum up the album, it had songs that clearly worked together to paint out a sort of story, but it had inconsistencies in keeping it flowing smoothly. There were songs that didn't transition well with others, but the songs on the album itself were quite good. Having a type of horror or creepy theme is difficult to maintain in 13 tracks without having to stray away to create some sort of contrast, but otherwise it could have ended up having too many songs that sounded too similar. [WELCOME TO GHOST HOTEL] is certainly a good release from ペンタゴン and though it's a little rough around edges, it shows potential for even stronger releases in the future.



CDJapan | HMV

We already have pentagon, thanks

no.
 

it was ha ~Thing since band's early years (when everyone was beautiful, didn't bald in patches, and sounded less asphyxiated.)

Hollowgram is still active? I could have sworn they had vanished and Ryo was now singing in Keel... Then again everytime I check on him he is doing something different.

D may be going downhill musically speaking, but as long as Asagi can sing (and even his disease hasn't fully stopped him yet) D will remain active. All we can do is pray he gets over that whole Alice in Wonderland piñata-like-thing and takes a long good look at his first works.
 
That whole DEG thing sounds exactly like L'Arc en Ciel... which means that, exactly like L', instead of calling it quits once and for all they'll throw some separate recordings together, release something every once in a while, make a shitload of money and keep ignoring each other. I wouldn't put my money on their disbandment, since they are actually expecting us to put it in their new single.
 
Crim just left Elysion and, sadly, his girly looks are what seem to make them popular (at least on social media and among all vk listeners I know outside this forum), so I'm guessing they won't last much longer.

Wow! Glad to hear they were your favorite!! 
yeah the crowd always gets so into it. It's really impressive how for XAA-XAA how almost the entire crowd participates--even if it's an event for like 8 bands. BUT this is also my experience in Osaka so it's really great to hear that they're getting bigger in Tokyo too!! Must be from going there so often these days. The last time I saw them in Tokyo was in January and they still didn't have all that many fans there. 
 
But yeah, XAA-XAA gya are so into it lmao. I didn't go due to work, but one time they did an acoustic set and they played kanden and the girls still yelled at like SHIBIRERU and HIGH HIGH HIGH HIGH VOLTAGE which just sounds hilarious and I regret so much not finding a way to go to that acoustic set lol. 
 
That's a shame about missing the in store though! 
 
But yep Kazuki is a grade A weirdo!! He's really, really nice though. 
 
You're right on dosuguroi btw
I'm guessing yomei is like the "white light" you supposedly see when you're dying ?
 
 
It's so crazy to think how big XAA-XAA has become. 
Like their first oneman was just about 30 people and Shellmy lmao It's always so amazing to think how far they've come :')
 
lol @ kazuki englishing i can't imagine 

@PlatyGlad to hear you had a great time! Yeah I was actually shocked how fucking awesome they were that day despite the short setlist. 
xaa-xaa's fans are always crazy but 7/24 was A LOT louder than the other times I've seen them so far,  probably since they played at a bigger venue with a larger crowd than usual, also the fact that quite a lot of non-fans were also getting into them.  A lot of the girls behind me at the front who were meh about them at first were like ザアザアいいね～ after their set. Based on the instore attendance and how much of the crowd was into them that day, they're definitely gonna get popular which I have mixed feelings about....
As for merch, I'll think about it so no promises but I could possibly help you out depending on what you want.
 
lololol at Yoshiatsu. Dadaroma isn't my thing but I would've paid to see that ngl :') 
 
Kazuki is hilarious in that interview. I translated my favorite parts for my Tumblr so my friends and followers could laugh about it but if you'd like I can do the whole thing. It's pretty short.
 
Speaking of Kazuki, at the last instore I went to he actually spoke to me in English. It was hilarious and sooo bad. lmfao.
He tried so hard so I felt bad telling him Japanese is ok in fear of breaking his kokoro but it was all good.

What do you guys think?

I have this Miyavi official photobook from his 08' - '09 Tokyo Samurai Black Tour.   The cover has scratches and stuff, but the pictures are still very nice and are in pretty good condition as the cover took most of the damage. Someone pls pls take it. Just pay shipping. PM with your country so I can send you a quote
http://imgur.com/ZL23NVw
 
http://imgur.com/EFDWBnF

I did go to their live at the 24/7. I saw over 25 bands during my two week stay and xaa-xaa were my favorites for sure, I was just blown away by the stage presence, the concept and them sounding flawless (specially Kazuki's screams on 青いレインコート). The setlist was spot on for such a short appearance and I was not expecting the crowd to go as crazy as they did. Kazuki always gives off a weirdo vibe from pictures, pvs,etc. But seeing him upclose he really is weird guy. I loved when he just stared at the people in the level above for ages and told them not to be scared, xaa-xaa's appearance may be scary but theyre nice guys. They won't bite. 
xaa-xaa are my favorite band as of now (seriously guys, I don't know why this is happening) and I nearly headbutted a desk when I realised they had an instore event the same day and I was in the area but missed it. 
I really wanted to see them again before I left and even considered delaying my flight back, but alas, it didn't work out.
 
I'm really interested in their merch , if anyone feels like helping a brother out. I bought a couple of releases and got a cheki of the whole group, I would trade it, but I'm no expert in the cheki-trade so I don't even know if it's got any value.
 
But in regards to their look, I love kamisori, it's very striking. The whole concept of the consecutive releases is awesome with each look representing a despair in some way, I'm curious as to what the yomei look represents. But dosuguroi (excuse if I translated it wrong) is the most promising to me, if the look represents the music, I can see this being dark, aggressive and angsty which is always a good sound for xaa-xaa.
 
I'm still butthurt that I can't attend the Kazuki x Yoshiatsu tour, specially since i really enjoyed seeing DADAROMA too.
But I bought the SHOXX issue with the interview with the two vocalists and what's with Kazuki trying to be a sphinx and never giving direct answers? He really does like to be edgy and vague. It's a pain to translate what he says lmao. (Like saying he's 2m30cm tall. srsly? )
 

I did go to their live at the 24/7. I saw over 25 bands during my two week stay and xaa-xaa were my favorites for sure, I was just blown away by the stage presence, the concept and them sounding flawless (specially Kazuki's screams on 青いレインコート). The setlist was spot on for such a short appearance and I was not expecting the crowd to go as crazy as they did. Kazuki always gives off a weirdo vibe from pictures, pvs,etc. But seeing him upclose he really is weird guy. I loved when he just stared at the people in the level above for ages and told them not to be scared, xaa-xaa's appearance may be scary but theyre nice guys. They won't bite. 
xaa-xaa are my favorite band as of now (seriously guys, I don't know why this is happening) and I nearly headbutted a desk when I realised they had an instore event the same day and I was in the area but missed it. 
I really wanted to see them again before I left and even considered delaying my flight back, but alas, it didn't work out.
 
I'm really interested in their merch , if anyone feels like helping a brother out. I bought a couple of releases and got a cheki of the whole group, I would trade it, but I'm no expert in the cheki-trade so I don't even know if it's got any value.
 
But in regards to their look, I love kamisori, it's very striking. The whole concept of the consecutive releases is awesome with each look representing a despair in some way, I'm curious as to what the yomei look represents. But dosuguroi (excuse if I translated it wrong) is the most promising to me, if the look represents the music, I can see this being dark, aggressive and angsty which is always a good sound for xaa-xaa.
 
I'm still butthurt that I can't attend the Kazuki x Yoshiatsu tour, specially since i really enjoyed seeing DADAROMA too.
But I bought the SHOXX issue with the interview with the two vocalists and what's with Kazuki trying to be a sphinx and never giving direct answers? He really does like to be edgy and vague. It's a pain to translate what he says lmao. (Like saying he's 2m30cm tall. srsly? )
 

surprised no one mentioned deluhi & mejibray...mia's shameless in his copy/pasting LOL

Apparently many 90s VK bands were fans of Final Fantasy IV. I have found three songs whose melodies (or parts thereof) are based on FFIV OST songs.
 



 
First we have Luinspear's Veltair, which took inspiration from the Love Theme. (Jump to 04:28) 


 
La'chryma Christi's Forest sounds like the town theme (07:28). For me it was a bit hard to hear at first, but now I am sure the melodies are similiar (and someone else on youtube had the same impression)
 


 
And my last find is Rephit's squall, which sounds really similiar to the FFIV main theme (08:17), especially the intro.
 


 
 

MEMBERS

         

Vocal: atom [ex-Regxnot] | twitter / 終末によせて 

Guitar: 翔 (Shou) [ex-LETORO. → タイハイノソラ → ＶＯＩＣＥ] | twitter / サヨナラを言う前に

 

     

Bass: リク (Riku) [ex-テディ → ＄ウォンテッド＄ → α. → ＶＯＩＣＥ] | twitter / 所詮、凡人です。

Drummer: 伽児-kaji- [ex-ｂｅａＵ → Zip.er] | twitter / あさがおとわたし

 

 

DISCOGRAPHY

"腐り姫" (Rot Princess/Kusari Hime) [July 30, 2013] 1st Live-Released single

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjPiborn3Jg'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjPiborn3Jg

 

"ハッピーハッピーグロテスク" (Happy Happy Grotesque) [October 27, 2013] 2nd Live-Released single

 

 

http://zonbi-web.com'>OHP

Royz and THE BLACK SWAN took over the April blurbs!!

Olha, há 10 anos era comum os fãs GazettE serem perseguidos. Acho que os alvos precisam ser atualizados hehe Mejibrey é o novo Gazette, do mesmo modo que Gazette era o novo Dir en grey.

scans of the shoxx issue with DIAURA→
http://sadisgates.tumblr.com/post/146707454613/diaura-scans-from-shoxx-vol282
http://sadisgates.tumblr.com/post/146707545313/diaura-x-mejibray-scans-from-shoxx-vol282
http://sadisgates.tumblr.com/post/146707403833/mejibray-scans-from-shoxx-vol282

How has nobody brought up this absolute mess??
 
@itsukoii this version of -XV- is what got me into meji hnnng so bad but so good 
 
@Alkaloid the vocalist is awful and the music is hate inducing. But that's one thing with most oshare bands, they're triggering but somehow we can't help but like them
 

I think any paradeis song is wtf inducing. That guys voice just O_e

The vocalist kind of sounds like Donald Duck. And yet I love it for whatever reason.