Tanishi

TMOAB is so underrated. I loved the visceral and violent production and there were a lot of killer riffs on a good deal of songs like Grief, Disabled Complexes, Rotting Root, and Repetition of Hatred. It's nothing special, but I don't think it's as bad as people discredit it. And I don't care what anyone says, Agitated Screams of Maggots is a jam. 

HYDRA -666- is lit tho

The video is actually about time paradoxes, the old magazine article tells the story about a rape victim girl killing her parents and becoming pregnant (the mum), and then the journalist finds a recent online article about another girl (current girl) who kills both her parents even though the mum (first victim) is still alive at the end. Truly an intellectual PV of the highest calibre.
Or maybe I got lost on what's going on.

Making its return for 2017, due to popular demand, we will be hosting the MH JRock Awards !!!
 
Now, before you start voting, read the rules provided in the spoiler below, or be slapped by a HUGE Viking Fish! – @Champ213
 
 
 
Once you have read the general rules, here's how to vote:
 
1. Copy the list of categories below into your reply
2. Fill in your votes (you can skip as many categories as you'd like)
3. Submit.
 
Your posts will stay hidden until the end of the voting.
 
Here are your categories to choose from:
 
 
Voting will last until Sunday, January 14th of the New Year (2018)
This will allow everyone to take their time, since some of us are still waiting on some final releases to come out this month.
 
Note:
"Album" includes both full and mini-albums. For simplicity reasons, we follow the "Once Visual Kei, always Visual Kei" rule. So yes, that makes bands like Dir en grey or L'Arc~En~Ciel a Visual Kei band, just for the purpose of this voting.  
Any questions you have, please do not hesitate to contact any of the Staff!
 
Happy Voting! 

Gibkiy really blew it out of the park on this release. They went further then reimagining it, they changed it so much that it completely fails as a cover but as an individual song it is by far the most enjoyable thing on the album. Most the other cover's were actually pretty good despite playing it safe and I was expecting a lot worse.
 
Sukekiyo butchered Gerbera though. I was expecting a lot better from them.

Even if this doesn't become an official thing you could still do a poll. Don't know how many people would vote though. I know last year there were some releases I really liked that weren't on the official list.

Just like the title says this is an attempt to bring back the m-h jrock awards for the year 2017 which last took place way back in 2012 and apparently ended do to lack of participation. Awards were given for best album, single, new band, etc. And all of this was decided by user votes.
 
So I asked about reviving this and here's what @Zeussaid, 
Judging by all of the yearly best album/single reviews I would hope there's still some interest in something like this. So if you want to see the "Monochrome heaven J-Rock Awards 2017" then help me get this topic 50 likes and/or 50 comments by the end of the month.

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

I found this thread really interesting to read through and see everyone's take on this topic. I'm replying to these quotes because it spotlights just how different the desires in a live concert experience are from male and female fans. Despite what some people (like the above quoted) consider to be normal and expect everyone would want from a concert, I'm here to say that the things Inertia and Komo mentioned as being bad are exactly what I want from a great live experience.
 
Not all male fans are like this, but I think this is a really common mindset for men. It's why a bunch of dudes who have never met each other can pile up in a cramped hot space and push the shit out of each other for a couple hours and leave with a big smile on their face, excited for the next time. I can't tell you how many times I've like shook someone's hand after a show or shared some acknowledging eye contact and nod with someone while leaving a venue after a night of moshing. The bond you have with those people is absurdly strong after the night. And why? It sounds silly, but its because you all got crushed, hit, pushed, soaked in sweat (if not yours, from someone else), and gave every ounce of energy you had while listening to some of your favorite music. It's simply cathartic.
 
It's not really a matter of lacking courtesy (or atleast not intentionally). The rough nature of a lot of predominantly male lives is because there's an unspoken agreement that most people WANT that kind of atmosphere (though obviously a lot of female fans want something different). I can guarantee you I'm always the skinniest/lightest dude in the pit. It's hilarious how little control I have and how far I will fly when pushed, but I wouldn't have it any other way. The best concert experiences for me always end sweaty, bruised, unable to speak, and feeling like I've just ran a marathon. When you find a show where everyone is on this same level, prepared to use up all of their spirit to making this experience count, you have something crazy magical. And a strong sense of unity comes from having been through that together with other people who were looking for the same thing. 

kazuma is jarboe, aie is gira

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

Imo Undying was their best song since DIM so I'm feeling overly optimistic about this album. ^Also I checked Ruki's twitter and he uses 最狂 (saikyou) instead of 最強 (saikyou), a play on words saying the album will be their most insane/crazy album yet. Might be looking too far into this but hopefully this means it won't be straight forward generic stuff like Dogma which was alright but far from great.

Imo Undying was their best song since DIM so I'm feeling overly optimistic about this album. ^Also I checked Ruki's twitter and he uses 最狂 (saikyou) instead of 最強 (saikyou), a play on words saying the album will be their most insane/crazy album yet. Might be looking too far into this but hopefully this means it won't be straight forward generic stuff like Dogma which was alright but far from great.

Apart from the classics like Luna Sea (still the best 90s band), Kuroyume, Malice Mizer, Buck Tick etc I've only been getting into old school vk recently. Some of my favorites though:
 
 
Most of Rouage's albums are really great and they have fantastic song's on all their albums. Favorite album's include Bible, Children and -312604806-. A lot of people really like Soup as well. Classic goth rock vk sound here but they stand out because of their above average songwriting.
 
 
This band only had one mini but it's near perfect the whole way through. Their songs sound really 'dynamic' and have great energy. It's a shame they didn't last longer because this is probably the best record released on Key Party.
 
 
Laputa was one of the biggest bands from Nagoya back in the day with their dark and catchy sound. Standout albums include Kagerou and Emadera but anything they released before the turn of the century was extremely solid.
 
 
Baiser were another prolific band in the 90s I'm sure most people here know about. Favorite album is Ash but their later stuff is good too.
 
There is so much good stuff from the 90s visual boom that the West doesn't know about that I feel like I'm only ever scratching the surface. Will probably lurk this group a lot for recs.

Overrated:
- Kyo
- Dada
- Tsuzuku (Mejibray)
- Karma (Avelcain)
- Yuuki (Lycaon)
- Hiro (Nocturnal Bloodlust)
- Kon (La'Mule)
- Juri (Deluhi)
- Sono (Matenrou Opera) Might get hate for this one.
 
 
Underrated:
- Yukari (Baiser)
- Daisuke (Kagerou, the studs) Him and Aie worked so well together. I can't help but feel the god and death stars would sound better with him on vocals.
- Jin (Nega, The Black Swan) He's an acquired taste but he's gotten so much better. Though I still liked him with Nega.
- Shin (ViViD) This band weren't very good but Shin's vocals while really generic were really great. With a better band he would be amazing.
- Nigu (cocklobin)
- yo-ka (DIAURA)
- Kurosaki Mahiro (Kiryuu)
- Aki (Laputa) Underrated band in general.
- Jui (Vidoll)
- Izumi (Wail)
- Teru (Glay) Though most likely he's not underrated in Japan.

post-retirement home kei actually

Heya everybody! So a week or so ago, I promised I was in the works of something special for the site, and here it is! Okay, so I associate with a good amount of guys who were active in the visual kei scene. Most of them retired, some of them are still active. So, I decided to reach out to figure out what their top 5 visual kei bands were! I've gotten several responses, so I thought I'd share them with you all, since maybe some of you would be interested, especially those who are super hardcore into old school kei like I am. Enjoy!


Mar (also known as Michael)
::(PROFILE)::
~CHILD HOOD'S END/CHILD (1996~2003)~
~Indigo7 (2003~2005)~
~NICK (2006~2007)~
~High Speed Boyz (2008~2010)~
~FREEDOM BEATS ORCHESTRA (fbo) (2011~Present)~


 
 
Mar's/Michael's top 5
1. X JAPAN
2. AION
3. LADIES ROOM
4. hide with Spread Beaver
5. BUCK-TICK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 

Yohey
::(PROFILE)::
~DUKE VAJRA (1994~1995)~
~E-QAL/Hyuge (1995~2001)~
~RED JAPES (2002~2004)~
~BananaBazooka (2008)~
~Burnny Crisis (2008~2009)~
~arms never rust (2011~2012)~
~noodloop (2013~2019)~
~Kizuzura Dandy (キズヅラダンディ) (2015~Present)~
~Zettai Reido (絶対零度) (2019~Present)



Yohey's top 5:
1. LUNA SEA
2. X JAPAN
3. MIYAVI
4. Plastic Tree
5. SEX MACHINEGUNS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Kazz
::(PROFILE)::
~STRAIGHT (1999~2002)~
~ROXXANE (2008~Present)~
 

 
Kazz's top 5:
1. Sid (シド)
2. MIYAVI
3. Gackt
4. L'arc-en-Ciel
5. Janne Da Arc
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Toshiya
::(PROFILE)::
~Sleep My Dear (1991~1992)~
~L'amour Fou (1993~1999)~
~The Raindrops (2003~2006)~
~Kyo-zon (共存) (2006~Present)~
 

 
Toshiya's top 5:
1. BUCK-TICK
2. Up-Beat
3. KATZE
4. LUNA SEA
5. L'arc-en-Ciel
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Tamaki (環)
::(PROFILE)::
~Six O'clock (1989~1996)~
~ORANGE JAM (1998~2001)~
~Rakudazubon (ラクダズボン) (2001~2003)~
~Jack Dinosaur (ジャックダイナソー) (2001~2004)~
~Liberty (2005~2009)~
 

 
Tamaki's top 5:
1. DEAD END
2. Oblivion Dust
3. Valentine D.C.
4. LADIES ROOM
5. THREE EYES JACK
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Atsushi
::(PROFILE)::
~Rummy (1994~1995)~
~ZELIACORT (1995~1996)~
~CLeiR (1996~1998)~
~THE CLOCK WORK ORANGE (1999~2010)~
 

 
Atsushi's top 5:
1. DEAD END
2. Gargoyle
3. 44MAGNUM
4. KATZE
5. JOLLY PICKLES (ジョリーピックルス)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Asaki
::(PROFILE)::
~GUNIW TOOLS (1994~2000, 2014~Present)~
~AGE of PUNK (2001~Present)~
~BUG (2002~2012)~
~vez (2012~Present)~
~ROLL-B DINOSAUR (2015~Present)
 

 
Asaki's top 5:
1. BUCK-TICK
2. SOFT BALLET
3. THE MAD CAPSULE MARKETS
4. SCHAFT
5. hide
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Kazunori (和教)
::(PROFILE)::
~SEPHIROT (1998~2000)~
~TRIC STER ROJIC (2000~2001)~
~SHÖBIT (2001~2003)~
~Shonen Kamikaze (少年カミカゼ) (2004~2008, 2011~2016)~
~ANIME GIRL (2015~Present)~
 

 
Kazunori's top 5:
1. CASCADE
2. LUNA SEA
3. Laputa
4. ROUAGE
5. PIERROT
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Donni
::(PROFILE)::
~REPTERIA (1990~1993)~
~sonic pop goes nowhere (1993~1995)~
~Acid Bell (1995~1997)~
~superbrunch (1997~2001)~
~HELP (2001~2002)~
~DOVERMAN (ドーベルマン) (2002~2004)~
~Matsudo Rocks (松戸ロックス) (2004~2007)~
~Brother42 (2007~2013)~
~loco hermanos (2013~Present)~


 
Donni's top 5:
1. X JAPAN
2. YOUTHQUAKE
3. ZI:KILL
4. SEX MACHINEGUNS
5. ROSEN KREUZ
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Yasunori (泰典)
::(PROFILE)::
~Black Berry (1998~2003)~
~Jitterbug (ジルバ) (2004~Present)~
 

 
Yasunori's top 5:
1. SHULA
2. Uchuu Sentai NOIZ (宇宙戦隊NOIZ)
3. UILUS
4. PLUSxCANNER
5. MAGGIE MAE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Hava
::(PROFILE)::
~JACK UP (1990~1999, 2014~Present)~
 

 
Hava's top 5:
1. LUNA SEA
2. L'arc-en-Ciel
3. Kuroyume (黒夢)
4. La'cryma Christi
5. Sleep My Dear
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Shizuru (静流)
::(PROFILE)::
~VEIRL (1995~1997)~
~PLEIADES (1997~1999)~
~INTELLIGENT SEE THROUGH (2000~2001)~
~GRAND ZERO (2002~2004)~
~閃-hirameki- (2008~2012)~
~御剣 -Mitsurugi- (2015~Present)~
 

 
Shizuru's top 5:
1. LUNA SEA
2. X JAPAN
3. Silver~Rose
4. Gargoyle
5. MERRY (メリー)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Takashi (岳)
::(PROFILE)::
~Puzzle (1995~1999, 2017~Present)~
~Gringo (グリンゴ) (2000~2011)
 

 
Takashi's top 5:
1. DEAD END
2. GASTUNK
3. D'ERLANGER
4. ZIGGY
5. REACTION
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 
Hikaru (光)
::(PROFILE)::
~BIIR (1994~2002)~
 

 
Hikaru's top 5:
1. LUNA SEA
2. THE YELLOW MONKEY
3. L'arc-en-Ciel
4. MALICE MIZER
5. SIAM SHADE
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Ken (健)
::(PROFILE)::
~Ba-Ira (1992~1997)~
~couch>>case (1998~2003, 2009~2012)~
~add9s (2014~Present)~
 

 
Ken's top 5:
1. BUCK-TICK
2. LUNA SEA
3. MALICE MIZER
4. Kuroyume (黒夢)
5. ZIGZO
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Sammy
::(PROFILE)::
~DANGER (1986~1988)~
~BILLY & THE SLUTS (1988~1997, 2009~Present)~
 

 
Sammy's top 5:
1. X JAPAN
2. COLOR
3. Dir en Grey
4. ZI:KILL
5. LADIES ROOM
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Yosuke (陽輔)
::(PROFILE)::
~ATOMIC TORNADO (1992~1996, 2001~2008)~
~LEMON-GLASS (1996~2000)~
 

 
Yosuke's top 5:
1. X JAPAN
2. LUNA SEA
3. Dir en Grey
4. Golden Bomber (ゴールデンボンバー)
5. DELUHI
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
RSK
(::PROFILE::)
~Bang-Doll (1998~2016)~
 

 
RSK's top 5:
1. LUNA SEA
2. Sleep My Dear
3. PIERROT
4. L'arc-en-Ciel
5. Dir en Grey
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Kenji
(::PROFILE::)
~STYLE (1995~1998)~
~Nuts Gang. (ナッツGang.) (2001~2010)~


 
Kenji's top 5:
1. L'arc-en-Ciel
2. La'cryma Christi
3. LUNA SEA
4. Merry Go Round
5. FANATIC◇CRISIS
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd like to see one of the bands cover Kuchiki no Tou's title track, though I don't know if anyone could pull it off.

Sukekiyo has covered Orgasm by X Japan as well last December.

I just hope that the interesting artists choose material from the first half of the MUCC discography, what the rest do I couldn't care less about.

I forgot about them completely, though they didn't release a studio album last year, I'm surprised Yasu and co are still that popular. Their last album got to number 2 and the cover album they released this year got to number 3 (I thought cover albums usually do terribly). That's pretty crazy. In 2009 I thought assumed they'd fall off the radar fast and haven't paid attention to them since around that time.

I don't see any VK acts on the regular Oricon Top 100 Albums of 2016, so I think the Indie Top 20 is probably the easiest way to gauge it:
 
http://jame-world.com/us/articles-124002-oricon-2016-top-20-indie-singles-albums.html
 
Unless you count GACKT as VK, it seems like you're probably right by saying Kiryu sold the most albums - at least among the artists whose releases came out on indie labels. There must be some major bands that sold more, but I can't think of any really popular ones that released albums last year either.