qotka

I don't know about SID but Gazette were not even remotely close to selling out their show at Tokyo Dome which is why they never played there again.
Depending on how its set up, Tokyo Dome can hold 42,000 – 55,000 people. Compare that to venues like Yokohama Arena (17,000), Saitama Super Arena (36,500) and Budokan (14,471) and those numbers are when they are at their set up for max capacity. Most shows played at any of these venues don't use the entire hall. 
 
Tokyo Dome is ENORMOUS. Playing there would be a huge risk even for popular 90s vk bands in their heyday. 

I don't know. Quite a few VK bands sold really well back in late '90s and early '00s, such as the ones you mentioned plus the likes of FANATIC◇CRISIS, PENICILLIN, sads, MALICE MIZER, Laputa, La'cryma Christi etc, but none of them had any big names like YOSHIKI, hide or Ryuichi Kawamura in order to have a bigger pull with audiences for a Dome stage. Tokyo Dome still is a huge deal and playing there must feel like a big shot in the dark which may prove to be too risky. I still feel like it was a mistake for Gazette and SID to have played there.
 
@r..., any thoughts?

OMG old Danger Gang. <3333  Also Formation is a bop. Lemonade should've won album of the year (of the options provided) Robbed!! !
 
1. Rihanna - Umbrella (feat. Jay-Z)
2. Dawn Richard - Honest
3. Katy B - Dark Delirium
4. miss A - Love Alone
5. Jhene Aiko - Remember
6. Perfume - koi wa zenkeishisei
7. Sam Sparro - Fight or Flight
8. Mila J - No Fux
9.  SZA - Drew Barrymore
10. Zebra Katz & Njenna Reddd Foxxx - Ima Read
----------------------------------
 
Remember got me through a really hard time so it means a lot to me.
I'mma take that bitch to college! I'mma give that bitch some knowledge~

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww.... this is a tough one, but I'm gonna try. Alright, let's see... my 9 favorite albums, in no order...
 
 
Mr. Bungle - Mr. Bungle (1991):

 
This is without a doubt in my top 3 favorite albums. Weird and bizarre to say the very least, Mr. Bungle's first album served as a tremendous eyeopener to me during my freshman year in high school, when I was trying to find some experimental stuff. Well goddamn, did I stumble in the right direction.
 
 
Okay, this next one is gonna seem kinda weird to all of you out there, but here me out.
 
Insane Clown Posse (ICP) - Riddlebox (1995):

 
Yes, yes, yes, I know. ICP. I can hear it now: "HOW THE HELL CAN YOU PUT THEM UP?!?!" ... Well, let me tell ya. If you take them at face value as two guys rapping in facepaint about horror-esqued vengeance, sort of like rap antiheroes, then you'll probably be able to see the value in their first few records, especially their 1995 magnum opus "Riddlebox". The beats are baggy, the flows are surprisingly tight and the overall environment is pitch dark. Basically, if you can separate yourself from the rest of the anti-ICP lynch mob, you'll probably find yourself digging their early stuff. Crazy, I know.
 
Long story short: believe it or not, "Riddlebox" by ICP slays.
 
 
Twiztid - Mostasteless (1998):

 
Okay, this album, this album right here, changed my life FOREVER. Before I stepped into the world of artsy avant-garde, I was heavily into underground hip hop. You know, the stuff that's barred from mainstream masses for different reasons. Sometimes it's because the rappers are too "real", too "comedic", too "violent" and just too "anti-mainstream". Well, those four reasons right there are why Twiztid probably had a hard time crossing over. With their first album, 1998's "Mostasteless", they combine a unique atmosphere centered on surrealistic violence, morbidly dark humor and mesmerizing flows and wordplay. This album was a huge stepping stone in me finding out who I was (the music eccentric) during my troubled times from 11 through 14. I actually met Twiztid a few years ago, and it was an utmost emotional high and something that I'll remember for the rest of my life.
 
 
Prince - Purple Rain (1984):

 
When I was starting to really explore my roots as a musician, I didn't really have a single all-around idol to look up to. Kami from Malice Mizer was the closest to becoming that guy to me, but the one artist who truly inspired me to give it my all while simultaneously pumping out some of the best albums of all time is this lil' guy: Prince. I can't even begin to describe how much this guy meant to me as an artist. Since he was 19 years old, he wrote EVERYTHING, he arranged EVERYTHING, he played EVERYTHING... he was that guy. His stage shows were just the icing on the cake with how exciting they were. The "Purple Rain" album/soundtrack in particular remains his brightest moment, which pretty much everyone unanimously agrees on. This was also the album in many ways that brought me into the Purple One's world, and started my heavy Prince fanboy era. When the day came that he died, I can't even accurately explain how much it devastated me, it was like I lost a family member. Just the greatest of all time, right up there.
 
 
Eminem - The Slim Shady LP (1999):

 
Another one that may come to a shock to a few of you, but believe it or not, I was a HUGE Eminem fanatic as a kid. HUUUUUUGE. South Park and Eminem is what my years from 1999 through 2006 consisted of, and yes, it was as dysfunctional and fan-fuckin-tastic as it sounds. But anywho, I remember spinning "The Slim Shady LP" tons and tons of times as a kid, and even at that young age that I got it, it always wowed me with Em's now worldly-renowned style of saying the most fucked up thing you can think of, and adding a pitch black, comedic flair to it, which is how I suppose he crossed over to the mainstream. It is still absolutely one of my all time favorite albums, rap or otherwise, to this day.
 
 
Boredoms - Soul Discharge (1989):

 
Only one word can truly describe the early days of Boredoms: insanity. Pure, unadulterated insanity. Needless to say, when my 13 year old mind first found Boredoms, it was through their later Ritalin-taking days, so it didn't really make an impression on me. But when I returned a year later, I decided to poke around a bit, and that's when I found their early stuff, more specifically, "Soul Discharge". Needless to say, I was just blown away by how truly warped the album is. It's basically what a deranged, schizophrenic manic depressive cousin to punk rock would sound like, and it was fuckin' AWESOME. I still love listening to it to this day, and it definitely ranks in my top 10, let alone top 9 records of all time.
 
 
My Bloody Valentine - Loveless (1991):

 
This one was actually a later discovery in my life, probably when I was around 11th grade, so that's probably around 2011/2012. A bit late, but what the hell. Anyways, I suppose I always like shoegaze, since stuff I like, like Smashing Pumpkins's "Siamese Dream" album, was heavily influenced by the scene. But it wasn't until that age that I dug into it, and sooner or later, I came across the gem that is "Loveless". You can be totally sober, never taken a sip of alcohol or a puff of a blunt, but the second that "Loveless" starts, you're put in this morphine-like euphoria that is almost indescribable. I remember the first time I listened to it in its entirety was when I was on the phone talking to my friend. We're both quite opinionated, loud fucks when we talk, but when it started off with "Only Shallow", we were suddenly rocketed into this awesome galaxy where psychedelic-tinged lo-fi alternative rock ran supreme, and guitar and drowned, indecipherable vocals were king. We were silent for pretty much the rest of the record, which runs near an hour long. Look, don't take my word for it, look everywhere: it's a masterpiece. And believe me, your life is totally complete after you listen to "Loveless" in its entirety.
 
 
Nas - Illmatic (1994):

 
Have you ever heard someone discredit rap and try to say it's not music? That it's not poetry? Are you, yourself, guilty of saying the same thing? Well then, if you are guilty of that, do yourself a favor and listen to "Illmatic" this very second. I remember when I picked this up from Media Play back in 2002/2003, I was actually amused because one of the tracks was titled "Life's a Bitch". At 7/8 years old, the gravity of that phrase doesn't sink in till a few years later, and you're just giggling because a swear word is on the tracklist uncensored. Little did I know the lingering impression it would have on me. The rhymes and instrumentals used on "Illmatic" portray a sort of sepia-toned (no pun intended) outlook on urban life, and it is just art. Seriously. This album proves that not only can rap be a respected music form like any other genres, but it goes one step beyond that and puts rap music in a category of art. That is how remarkable "Illmatic" is.
 
 
Bis - Social Dancing (1999):

 
While perhaps not as critically acclaimed as some of the albums on here, the Scottish band Bis's second album, 1999's "Social Dancing", definitely remains one of my all time favorites. What is perhaps the most fascinating part of Bis's catalog is the evolution in their sound. While at first they started out as bratty pop punks with a new wave influence, they later became much more serious in sound and became practically an all-out electronic act, with no pop punk influence at all. "Social Dancing" sort of represents a bridge in that evolution in that while it has some serious tracks, it also has that same playful attitude that Bis was founded on. Since I'm a huge fan of them, I love both eras just about the same, so "Social Dancing" would obviously be the supreme release to me. And since Bis also happen to be one of my all time favorite bands, then "Social Dancing" naturally make my top 9 as well.

Lycaon - camera obscura
initial'l - moon light down
melanie martinez - crybaby
the juliet massacre - human abuse
Infant Annihilator - The Elysian Grandeval Galèriarch
nicki minaj - roman reloaded the re up
Xepher - 【 D I S P L A Y 】
D'uAl - 「LOST HEAVEN」
birth of sixx-6- - MAKE THE UNGLOUD OVER ROCK
   
 
 

Funny story: it was Plastic Tree, but I had no idea they were even considered v-kei and had no idea what the band looked like until a year ago. A friend recommended them to me and I've been listening to them on and off since 2004. I didn't have an internet connection at home back then and relied on copying friends' music folders whenever I had the chance. Shirochronicle got me through a shitty military service, I'll always have a place in my heart for this album.
 
By the way, I found out what they looked like when I came to Japan and started looking into tour dates. It was a pleasant surprise! Love Ryutaro's emoboi hair and Moroccan grandma getup.

YES YES YES! I could write an essay about "my fav can do no wrong uwu" visual kei fans that will reach so far to defend literally anything, but especially nazi symbolism. Goddddd how blind of a fangirl do you have to be to defend the nazi uniforms or even be like "oooooh I love a man in uniform" like... a nazi uniform tho???? Then they always try to back it up with like WELL CULTURALLY, IN JAPAN like I don't even care about that. I want to know why you, as an American or European fan, are defending this. One of my biggest peeves in visual kei because I never realized this was a big thing and then I was like "wait you guys are okay with this? really???" 

This shit right here. Under Syndrome's Sleaver PV. A band using the manji/swastika because of religious reasons is understandable and nothing to debate about. But you really have to be a fool to overlook the obvious Nazi imagery when it's a friggin' swastika on a Nazi armbinder, which is even attached to a SS style unifrom/dress. 
And yeah, I am aware that bands did in fact use this as a way to shock. Doesn't excuse to say "It's certainly not having to do with Nazis at all!!!"
 

They have like...30 songs yes? I could name a bunch too and the only song I've ever heard was Art of Life. I listened to it because of how much I heard it was the greatest thing ever and such a pivotal work...and I feel like it goes on ten minutes longer than it needs to. Blind X worship is shit n00bs do. Genuine respect for X's material can only come after that I feel, because everyone has to get their biases about X out of the way before the music can really be enjoyed for what it is.

Also, LUNA SEA > X fite me

Tracklist:
1. 枯詩
2. Cassis
3. D.L.N
4. CALM ENVY
5. reila
6. UNTITLED
7. WITHOUT A TRACE
8. 紅蓮
9. 白き優鬱
10. PLEDGE
11. 絲
12. 体温
 
| Is 2017 the year of boss album re-recordings?
 
The initial announcement of Traces Vol. 2 had me cautious. Traces Best of 2005-2009 was an uninspiring grab bag of singles designed to please, but it didn't feel like anything more than a standard compilation. Traces Vol. 2 is a different beast entirely. Once the band announced the album would be completely re-recorded ballads featuring some older songs, it went from a blip on my radar to the most awaited release of the first quarter of 2017.
 
Versailles' The Greatest Hits collection album earlier this year had a very similar goal; take old classics and update them to fit a band's new style and budget. Versailles were more liberal in what songs they selected, but I believe the laser focus on just ballads works out for the GazettE. Ballads are their strong suit, even if I'm not the biggest fan of most of them. The production job is good considering the band did it themselves, but it is not perfect. Small things here and there bring the score down such as the main melody of "CASSIS" being buried under all the other elements, the washed out snares, or the prominence of the drums in all songs. I attribute these choices to the audio equipment they used not being neutral on all fronts. I wish I knew what equipment they used because it would be handy to hear the album the way they intended. However, it's not a deal breaker.
 
I've been craving for the band to put a new take on some of their old classics, and the band has at least taken into consideration some of the songs we really want to hear. Opening the album with the rare throwback "枯詩" (Kareuta) is a good way to curry favor from their more cynical, nostalgic fans like me. In addition to "枯詩", the tracks I was interested in most were "体温" (Taion) and "絲" (Ito), both of which sound amazing. The new heavy sections in "体温" were revised and clear up a lot of the transitional awkwardness of the original. It loses some of that "cowboy western" feel of NIL in exchange for more despair and sadness, but I might prefer the new version with a few more listens! Within the context of Traces, it works. "絲" in particular is a very early ballad I would have never expected them to consider! It sounds like a brand new song and is the best example of musical growth I can muster.
 
Other ballads, such as "D.L.N" and "白き憂鬱", did not resonate with me in their original forms but get a new lease on life on Traces. It irks me that "reila", "Cassis", and "紅蓮" are on both Traces but the effort put into these new versions make their inclusions more than acceptable. Unlike the first Traces, there is no explicit mention of a time frame the songs come from. A lack of "千鶴" (Chizuru), OMINOUS, or an extended version of "余韻" (Yoin) is enough to dock an entire point. In place of more recent ballads like "Without A Trace", "PLEDGE", and "UNTITLED", which in contrast don't sound too different from the original versions, I would have liked to see the aforementioned tracks or even earlier ballads such as "十七歳" (Juunanasai).

Then again, the fact that they avoided everything post-TOXIC on Traces 2 is damning in itself, wouldn't you say?
 
Traces Vol. 2 is the most cohesive and focused The GazettE album since DIM. Perhaps the familiarity of the tracks is at play here, or knowing before hand that there would be no forced musical experiments to switch up the flow of the album. It's just the listener, the band, and sixty seven minutes of some classics, some reinterpretations, and at worst pleasant background music. The amount of missed opportunities are minor - if any even exist.
 
 
 
Support the band!
CDJapan

Starting this now, so I don't forget about it. Still got to add some things, but no time right now :\

 
 

That picture on Yukika is fake though?
It says he's 126cm tall and weights 89kg. If that was true he would be fat af, which he isn't (and sure as hell weren't at that time?).

Thanks for the story.
 
I hope Kei still lives on the Avex basement.

The fiasco of Vivid was due to PSC, they went to fast with them (going major too much quickly, their concert in Budokan) and also the drama who happened when they did a party for the birthday of ko-ki they all got drunk and got crazy, they weren't nice with the fans and just wanted to flirt with their girls in front of the fans.
 
Another wtf story :
- after the disband of Siam Shade the vocalist Hideki formed a new band Acid but some  fanatics fans of Siam Shade don't accept that so they beaten up Acid member
- Due to Kei  (guitarist of Kannivalism and Baroque) lack of participation in promotion events  due to sleeping in too late he was punished by their label, Avex forced him to reside in the headquarters building , he was located in the 3rd basement floor of the Avex building and he slept  in a cupboard lined with cardboard.
- when Dai the ex drummer of Himitsu Kessha Codomo A was kicked out of the group due to allegedly leaking personal information of Codomo A and others UNDERCODE  bands to the public,  taking the band's money and theft of equipment at UNDERCODE
 

i was looking for a thread like this to discuss some of the legendary happenings i've been reading about so
 
-the guy from HenzeL getting pelted with natto during a show and heckled to the point his mom tried to stop them
-KLACK showing a beheading video during a big festival while being the most irrelevant band there
-the time Rentrer en Soi kicked out their guitarist who happened to be Yuuga's brother who impregnated a girl after trying to make him make her get an abortion, and Yuuga got so mad Satsuki had to get on his hands and knees and apologize on stage
-when Koma from kurara zeroshiki stole a song from an ero game and got caught
-when Byou/Toge and Yuuto from JOKER told Kazuhi he had to leave the band right after they did a show
-the time Vogus Image's vocalist accused Tora of stealing their shit, and Tora clapped back by calling him a druggie
-Zipang's entire existence: the head of their label was arrested for meth, and the vocalist said he was so fucked up on drugs that they couldn't even talk to him, so he decided to leave the band. But the label head posted on their site and claimed the vocalist raped someone and ran off with million of yen, and that he had fired them because of it.
-Yukiya from JILS kicking someone for recording a show
-when Sugizo got a parking ticket and said it was like being in Germany under Hitler
-Vidoll writing a whole dramatic song about the time someone posted Rame's email address on tanuki

Too much negative WTF's in this thread and not enough positives.
 
THIS takes the cake.
I remember coming across this vid during my beginner days as a J-Rock fan and shat myself in disbelief. 

For MERRY, if you haven't got to check out their latest album, Nonsense Market, do so!! It's really good!!
 
I also suggest listening to their latest singles Heijitsu no Onna and Kasa to Ame~ and if you wanna get a happier side of the band, well, Happy Life is really popular too.

Hakari's dope 2017 list of questionable ratings!
 
 

The absolute best concert experience I've ever had was in seeing Seikima II and Inugami Circus-Dan at A-kon in Dallas, TX in 2011.  Seikima II was on their 25th anniversary tour with stops in Tokyo, Paris, and....A-kon.  (an anime convention)
Biopanda and I got to sit front row, and......it was just magical.  We saw them the next day as they were doing autographs, and we got a poster signed.  I talked to Demon Kogura for a second too.
 

I highly recommend Xaa xaa if some of you guys are missing that old school sound and want a ''Nostalgic'' feeling.
 

from weird videos, to breakups, to scandals ,to weird crap on tv shows, to music change, or to replacing with odd man out (member who just doesn't seem to fit) Whats the biggest wtf moments you know of?
 
Mine:
~ San joining BFN. See also BFN getting a new guitarist instead of a drummer after Sala left.
~  Gackt going from sexy vampire to middle age homoeroctic stripper man
~ Lycaon breaking up (although I expected them to leave the label and/or manager I never thought they'd quit)
~  Death- Hide (X-Japan), Kami (Malice Mizer),Zill (moran), Kazuki (Raphael)
~ 2008, insert about 50 bands breaking up T_T
~ Cindykate forced to disband T_T
~ Dog in the PWO cos, I just dont understand them but love the music.
~ dude from D'espair ray in the same band as the guy from ACE.... I just dont :S

I was thinking about this topic today while listening to The Gallo. Most of these have been mentioned already but:
 
- The Gallo: definitely one of the best bands in the scene right now. They released 2 full length albums in 2016, Diavolo which is an amazing album and Lucifero which is really good too. They are a lot better than what they used to be, I remember checking them out in 2014 and not really liking them. But the whole band has improved heaps, especially Jojo's beautiful eccentric vocals. Really unique band with a dark (but not too heavy) catchy sound.
 
- Develop One's Faculties: Reincarnation was my favorite VK album of 2015 and what hooked me was their catchy choruses and frantic mathy styled riffs. The two singles they released after were a little disappointing but their newest mini, I WANT MY FREEDOM, while not as good as Reincarnation is a really strong release. They take a light, indie inspired but sort of generic vk sound and mix it with crazy unique compositions.
 
- The GazettE: Everyone knows this band and while it still had a lot of filler, Dogma was their best release since DIM imo. If it had been a mini it could have been really great but I guess The GazettE are too big for minis now. And The Undying was the best track they have made in a long time too even though it was pseudo-progressive structural mess. But it felt inspired so that's why have some hope for this washed up band (I'm gonna be disappointed, I know).
 
- Grieva: Early Dir en grey rip off band with some modern influences. They are really good at what they do even though their 2016 was pretty mediocre. Still following these guys though.
 
- Dezert: Most of the stuff they have released has been good. They've become pretty big now and as many people on this forum has said they will probably get worse. Their sound is quirky nostalgia fulled alternative metal in a modern style. 
 
- Kuroyuri to Kage: One of the darkest bands on the scene atm, their 2016 mini was probably the most catchy release of the year with every song having me tapping my foot to the crazy vocals and hypnotic compositions. It's refreshing to see a band that is both really catchy and dark at the same time. They're a blast to follow as well, always doing promotional shots in strange places toilet cubicles and restaurant kitchens. Great band and their newest single was good too.
 
- Dir en grey: While not vk, they are still undeniably a part of the scene and Utafumi showed they are still at the top of their game. The song is a progressive mess similar to The Gazette's Undying, but instead of trying to be epic and 'deep' like they have in the past (and what the Gazette have been doing), they combine a bunch of crazy brutal verses and catchy choruses together that shouldn't work at all, but they make it work. Apart from Buck-Tick, they are pretty much the only long term band currently releasing top class material.
 
- gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy: Nagoya kei supergroup filled with old people who makes long jazz inspired crazy shit. The band used their experience to bring a really polished, somewhat experimental album in 2016 and you can tell the band put every ounce of talent they have into this album. There is no doubt these guys have a bright future (if they don't disband).
 
- Kiryu: This band mixes traditional Japanese music with visual kei similar to Kagrra, but they are much darker and heavier. Hyakki Yakou blew me away from the very first track, 日出ズル國 (Hiizurukuni) which was the most intense frantic song of 2016 for me. But the whole album is great and I really love the SPEED and INTENSITY which the band has turned up to 110. The best yet IMO and even though their most recent single was disappointing, I'm still looking forward to what they bring out.
 
- The Black Swan: Ex-Nega vocalist Jin's new band. Jin has improved a lot as a vocalist and this band are basically a more polished version of Nega + Dum Spiro Spero. Ousia took me a while to get into as all the songs sound really similar the first few listens, but after a few listens I think this is best Dum Spiro Spero rip off album to ever grace the scene. The title track is excellent though, up their with Vinushka and Macabre as one of the best +10 minute vk songs of all time. For some reason I think these guys can do better (probably going to be disappointed though - something I'm sure every vk fan is used to).
 
- Royz: A giant blend of modern VK trends such as electronic sounds, generic metalcore riffs and J-pop choruses. I haven't really liked much of their stuff but S.I.V.A is a good varied release, even though there is no illusion that you're listening to music aimed at Japanese teenage girls (at least with bands like gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy I can pretend to be mature). You can tell The B.P. Records ghost writer was on good drugs last year with this, Kiryuu and some cool Codomo Dragon songs. Hopefully his dealer doesn't get caught.
 
- Emmuree: modern Nagoya kei band who aren't from Nagoya. Not much to say except that they are really consistent and make good music. Pretty slow with releases which I guess is how they keep their high quality.
 
I have listened to a lot of other recent bands but I can't really get into them. Bands like Chanty, Keel, Lynch, Diaura, Anfiel, Unite, Liphlich, The God and Death Stars, xaa xaa, Kameleo, Matenrou Opera (like their old stuff though), Versailles (old stuff and Greatest Hits I like), Nue, Dadaroma, Dog in the PWO, Merry and Mejibray are some that a lot of people really like but not for me.
 
I cannot understand people who say vk is bad nowadays. There's still good stuff coming out every year if you look hard enough.  But I'm still felling pretty negative about it's long term future.