Himeaimichu

I wonder if 洗脳・再 will be a rerecording of 洗脳.

http://www.en.barks.jp/news/?id=1000003118 Here is the article on it. You'll probably know more than I do though, so perhaps you can provide more backstory

Yes! 華風月 was what I was thinking of when I mentioned Shin Ichikawa, since he and the other CrowXClass members (minus Saku) were in that. Though there were also times Kiyoshi preformed in it. Though I have way more reasons to believe Shion is Shin due to their playing styles and use of 13 string Kotos lol. But that'd be diverging too far form the main topic lol. Also I remember reading an article about Mucc gaining two members, and them leaving soon after. I'll have to dig it up

Yeah, Mucc tried that once and one of them was just a snake who left before doing anything because all he wanted to do was be in a band, and the other had to leave because his family didn't approve of VisualKei. It was a Shakuhachi and Shamisen player, but I can't remember which was which. Also, yeah, they've been using them since the beginning, though the amount used has increased over time, as well as the samples themselves having improved much over the years. In their early stuff, the samples along with the types of instruments varied a lot (Jubakuai and Onigokko using different samples for the same instrument, the Shakuhachi) and often sounded fake as hell. Now, I sometimes question whether the Koto and Shakuhachi are samples because the Koto sounds very real, and it sounds like the Shakuhachi is playing really hard to synthesise techniques. The Shamisen though is obviously still fake because it often plays way too fast (even for Tsugaru Shamisen, which are made for speed) and it sounds too inbetween a Tsugaru and a Jiuta style. (if you want to look examples of those up, Tsugaru is 津軽 and Jiuta is 地唄) Basically, I don't think they'd need real studio musicians. Plus, some songs take advantage of the fact they're just samples and not the real thing anyway. While most traditional musicians wouldn't want to do VisualKei, it's not entirely impossible. There was a VisualKei band once made up of professional traditional Japanese musicians. CrowXClass. Wagakki Band fans will recognise their vocalist and ex. Shakuhachi player (they had 2 Shakuhachi players), those being Kurona and Daisuke Kaminaga (who went by stage name Hibiki) respectively. Michiaki Shirata (Who went by the stage name Kanade) was the Shamisen player and he actually provided the Shamisen for the Naruto soundtrack (whom Kurona's brother also did Taiko for). The Taiko drummer was Hidemasa Hanahara (stage name Saku) from MUGEN. Now their Koto player, Shion, no one knows exactly who he is. It's usually assumed to be Kiyoshi Ibukuro (who is also in Wagakki), but another possibility is Shin Ichikawa, a lesser known Koto player that used to preform with Kurona a lot, and plays in a group with one of the Yoshida brothers. The band suddenly went inactive in 2016 for no reason. They didn't have as many fans, since they were an indie band, and had only one poor excuse for an album. I say poor excuse because it's not even long enough to be an album. Only 7 songs. 7 really good songs though. They announced a 2nd album on an official interview and said they'd release it at a certain live, but no sight of it is anywhere. Not their itunes, youtube, or even their official website (which ironically links the interview). So we're left with 7 songs + 2 only released on Youtube + a few unreleased ones that only exist as live footage. But anyway, tl;dr: If Kiryu wanted real traditional musicians, they could look no further than the ex members of CrowXClass (minus Kurona or Hibiki since they joined Wagakki and possibly minus Shion if he's actually Kiyoshi)

To be fair, the sound quality is pretty shit. I bet in the actual CD, it'll sound much better and the guitars will be clearer

Am I the only one who thinks the sound quality is really low? It sounds so compressed

Yeah, that could be it. I mean, the Kiryu boys are pretty similar.

Whoopsie, rookie mistake. Let me fix that.

Peace Heavy Mk II Posted about that yesterday. I showed it to my friend, and we decided to make a meme out of it, ironically (and then he coincidentally found out the other debacle involving Issei and showed me) And of course, a video edit

If I knew more about the band, I'd be able to have more input based on how the members seem to treat eachother, but I don't. Are the members very social toward eachother? In videos, do they often talk and laugh with eachother? Or do they seem seperated? And what things have they said about eachother in interviews? This won't give a definitive answer, but it will point into at least the most logical direction.

I get you, and I understand. Hopefully they do kick him to the curb and find a leader who will be open to memes, and the possibilities youtube offers

I don't think his actions reflect the other members in any way. In fact, it shows how little he cares for them, since wholesome Ryuya is there making dank memes and sending them to his bandmates, and Issei is there telling people to die over memes. Don't let a simple drummer ruin the band for you though. The guitarists, bassist, and vocalist all seem nice enough. And I bet they could do well without Issei's dumb ass

I think anyone from any country can be VisualKei. Obviously, it's home will always been in Japan, but welcoming bands from other countries would allow the movement to progress much further. I think VisualKei could also bring attention to Rock Music in some countries, where Rock Music isn't very popular, or used to be but is forgotten, like China and Korea. I think it can also challenge people to break norms in conformity obsessed societies, and even help people discover their identity. VisualKei personally inspired me to start crossdressing, wearing makeup and eventually made me realise I was trans. My girlfriend has actually helped people discover they were bisexual after showing them Vkei. Of course, I'm biased because I plan to be a VisualKei musician in the future, me with my mediocre vocal skills. I sound like I go too deep into this, but I do care about VisualKei a lot. It can have it's really ehhhhhhhhhh moments, and honestly be a hotbed for shitty musicians, but it's also a unique subculture. An indie based rock movement with a very sizeable following. Among Japanese Music, it's a really good break from the boring idol music, and in my opinion, has sparked some new genres of rock music here and there. To say people in other countries can't/shouldn't be Vkei, is just closed off and elitist. Sure, not many bands have done it right, but I feel that there could be a band that will do it right in the future. The only foreign band I like mildly is Bataar, but even then, I know there could be much better. I have faith that if foreign Vkei is encouraged, one of these days, we'll get a really skilled band out there.

There has been some real drama involving Issei as of recent. Peace Heavy Mark II posted about how Issei is doing literal dumb marketing, but this, this takes the cake. https://twitter.com/AyriesTheCat/status/921440652507910144 Read the entire post, and all of the replies to it. It explains the full story. It's screenshots of Issei literally exploding on a fan, just because she made a meme. So basically, this innocent girl posted a meme of Issei. Issei takes offense to it, and starts calling her names. She apologises, and he feels the need to speak for all Japanese people, and accuse her of excuses. Then she says he's literally making her cry, and he actually asks for a picture of her fucking crying. That is creepy, on so many levels. She's a teenage girl, and you ask her to show her crying face? Not only that, but she pointed out Ryuya made memes of himself, and Issei straight up tells her "Ryuya doesn't matter". Way to stroke your own ego, buddy. Saying he doesn't matter, just because you think it'll distract from the fact you're being an oversensitive hypocrite. I originally wasn't going to post about this here, since I assumed it's get more attention. But it's not getting the attention it deserves. First, jumping on the idiotic marketing that Nocturnal Bloodlust did by making edgy comments at uploaders of your music, the people who actually are the reason your stuff is bought. And not even considering the possibilities Youtube has for self promotion. Now, going after fans for making a fucking meme?

Perhaps it should be called a "Best EP" lol Though I guess it's a better name than "All the songs we've ever released to make up for how quiet we've been" lol

Depends on how bad they hurt me. If you drive me to the point of wanting to die, I'll probably hold a grudge for years. But if you didn't hurt me that bad, and authentically want to be forgiven, I'll forgive you. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

I noticed these guys being kinda quiet this past year. I need to get this best album

Comments from the members can be found here, if anyone cares to translate: http://www.theblackswan.jp/news.html

To put it very bluntly, it's because they're edgy elitist trolls who think they're funny. However annoying it is though, they do technically have a right to it, and challenging them about it isn't worth the drama. Plus, any direct negative response to them will just be giving them what they want. While it is a nuisance, it's just best to be the bigger person and let them troll on. People will be people.

For some reason, Karma doing trap music would be both the worst thing on earth, and the best thing on earth lol