qotka

Hey !
I've been a j-rock fan for almost 4 years. I've been a solid anime fan since I was a kid but never knew what the hell j-rock was except for anime songs XD. I stopped listening to j-rock for a while then got back into it because of a friend XD. I'm generally a MUCC fan and have gone to too many concerts for my budget while I was studying abroad in Japan but I am always open to new bands. For the past few weeks I've been really into Lynch. because Hazuki keeps popping on my twitter feed and I can't escape this boy and their music is nice XD. I always enjoy me some Sid, LM.C, BUCK-TICK, L'Arc en Ciel, Baroque and others XD.
It's been a while for me to join a forum, but this one looks old school and cozy so here I am :).
Nice to meet everyone ! : )

They play his voice from a track a few days ago (my friend linked me this video the band tweeted: https://twitter.com/yusai_yoshi/status/935147803348672512), so I guess they will do that again?

Yes, it says they'll be holding tree last lives before disbanding:
 
1月6日（土）名古屋MUSIC FARM
1月13日（土）大阪 MUSE
1月20日（土）高田馬場 AREA
 
Kinda makes me wanna go to the Takadanobaba one, if it's even possible finding a ticket at this point. ok i've over-estimated them, they're still on sale lol

"Ame" was one of my favorite songs released this year.
 

It's the most wonderful time of the month! Let's give thanks to our favorite musicians and highlight some spicy cuts from this month. Check it out and fill out the list with yours below!
 
@tetsu_sama69's Picks
"Monster" by 戦国時代-The age of civil wars-

Granted there were most likely some very mixed reactions when 戦国時代-The age of civil wars- were announced because of the random make-up of band members but with a group full of well experienced musicians with a splash of ex.SIAM SHADE members how can one go entirely wrong. 戦国時代 may end up being a temporary group in the long run but their first mini-album 初陣－First battle－ (Uijin－First battle－) is surprisingly stuffed with energetic and catchy songs that shouldn't be missed. "Monster" is one of the heavy darker themed tracks on the mini-album and sticks out mostly for its fantastic musical composition. "Monster" is a song that infuses heavy metal with traditional Japanese instrumentals spiced with pop-rock that has a bass line that'll get stuck in your head for days. The instrumentals go from energetic to headbanging at the drop of a hat and the vocals go from screaming to melodic so smoothly. The previews do no justice to 戦国時代-The age of civil wars- making them sound as if they are just another generic traditional themed pop-rock group, but they'll surprise you if you give them a chance.
 

"春雪ノ頃" (Shunsetsu no Koro) by Schwartz:Mist

I was in no way prepared for how much I was going to enjoy this at all. But once I heard that explosive grindfest of an opener I knew I was in for a treat. "Shunsetsu no Koro" is an amazingly solid song brimming with energy and emotion. Especially the breakdowns at the start and end of the track can only be described as a headbanger's best friend. Vocalist 心 (Shin) (ex. LucieN) has a fantastic voice able to deliver harsh powerful screams and gritty clean vocals that hit me in all the right places. Surprisingly what really makes "春雪ノ頃" stand out for me is that there's no guitar solo but if you listen there are some spectacular riffs from Guitarist 環 (Tamaki). If you have a thirst for some more from Schwartz:Mist after hearing "春雪ノ頃", you should definitely check out their first mini-album "S.M" and enjoy this great band!
 
 
"Imitation" by DEXCORE

Visual kei refuses to be a letdown this year with powerhouse band DEXCORE. If you weren't already hooked on them from their past releases then "Imitation" is a perfect song to get you into this band. With the addition of guitarist haku since their previous single, the band has grown exponentially. There's a serious amount of depth to "Imitation" layered with shockingly vibrant vocals and explosive instrumentals. DEXCORE has set the bar for the current scene of 'br00tal kei' a bit higher by delivering a song that's anything but generic. There's nothing held back in this storm of drums and waves of breakdowns that burst forth with vocal shock waves. Drummer Naoki (ex. DEATHGAZE) seems to have gone out of his way to make sure that DEXCORE sounds a step above anything he was involved in previously and it's a blessing to anyone who listens. I'm seriously looking forward to full release of "Imitation" and anything else DEXCORE brings in the future.
 
@emmny's Picks
"LAW'S" by Kiyoharu

I'm kind of new to the cult of Kiyoharu, so I was shocked to find out this was an old song, re-composed and arranged for an upcoming "rhythmless" remake album, with other Kuroyume, Kiyoharu, and SADS tracks. The original "LAW'S" closely resembles newer SADS material, but Kiyoharu's recent work tends to overlap stylistically, regardless of the project the song falls under. If you're wondering how this eight minute remake of a five minute song manages to even remotely resemble the original--you're totally right, theres no comparison. Kiyoharu and co. turn the edgy punk-styled track into a floaty ballad, anchored by gripping and rough vocals from the legend himself. The progression of the track is amazing, with delicate acoustic guitars giving way to more fullbodied instrumentation, ending with a good few minutes of Kiyoharu just wailing on the track. The imagery of the video is slow and erotic (or is it just sad?); the kind of shit you'd see a cabaret musician playing, with their cigarette smoke trailing into the air after last call rush dies down--but in the best way. In visual kei we're used to seeing good talent go to waste with bad taste, but it's a privilege to constantly see a talented musician making such carefully calculated stylistic decisions, as evident in the uniquely sultry arrangement in "LAW'S".
 
"夜想" (Yasou) by Virge

Virge, the project born out of the ashes of Mediena and Malisend continues to drop bop after bop, showing just how much Shin's (FKA Rino, ex-bassist for Malisend) compositional prowess has improved. The aforementioned bands piqued a lot of of interest on here, mostly because of their fairly strong early-00's revival sound. The trend continues with Virge, splicing equal bits of Phantasmagoria-style melodicism and the harsh guitars/bass of mid-era D'espairsRay to great effect, as seen with "Yasou". The band understand the importance of good, simple riffs and an even better chorus, using this ethos to frame their music. My only complaint before was that songs came across as a little 2D, or flat in their structures. They've read my mind (wwww) and addressed that with "Yasou", as it goes through a fair bit of shifts, showing off a more adventurous style, although the palette is the same as we've gotten to know the band for. The huge bass tone (almost sounds like slap but isn't, reminds me of Reita's best tones) clashes perfectly with Ryo's dazzling vocal delivery, and new drummer Aru's contributions are noted as well with great rhythm work. If you're not stanning--despite how much coverage we give them here--you are totally missing out.
 
 
"歪" (Ibitsu) by VRZEL

Believe it or not, for all the "INSIDE BEAST", Gazette-lite clones we've gotten over the past few years, we now have a "Taion" to balance it out. The opening is the heaviest section the band have ever done, alternating between grinding alt-metal riffs and eerie wailing clean guitars over whispers. This is the most obvious section recalling "Taion"; the rest is all VRZEL for better or worse (I'm purposely ignoring the gratuitous gazethot interlude). This goes on for a full minute before clean vocals even come in, building up a tense atmosphere. The rest of the track moves at a lurching pace, bordering on heavy-ballad territory, anchored by Cion's wailing vocals. VRZEL took a risk releasing such an intense, five-and-a-half minute track as the promotional lead for the album but it paid off. The brutal fiend in me wishes they went for an even darker concept, dropped the guitars to A# and MUCC'd it away, but VRZEL stayed true to their image while rendering a quasi-challenging track for their fans. I've always been in the corner cheering on Cion's compositional prowess, and I'm happy it has culminated to such a solid track--a merger of old and new.
 
@qotka's Pick
"十五" by キズ

 
Featured on the Kizu's 2nd single, Kawazu, "Juugo" is another display of power from one of the fastest growing, strongest newcomers on the scene this year. Ask anyone who's had to FIGHT for tickets to their one-man. While this b-side doesn't offer anything too different from the rest of the recorded material they've put out so far - if anything, it shows consistency and careful building of their sound and image as a band - it's here this month for simply being the fun track it is and for having those sweet, anthem-like qualities. If you're on the lookout for a dramatic, non-cynical power metal banger to indulge in, this is your new jam. From its restless, rapid verses to its uplifting, theatrical chorus, this zero bullshit 3-minute track hits the spot. Video bonus: showcases how frighteningly GORGEOUS their gya are. 
 
 
 
 
@The Reverend's Pick
 
"哀絶綺譚 feat. 祈狂 of La'veil Mizeria" by 魅裟

 
I think I must have a thing for music box-y intros in VK. Dir en grey's "Cage" and Avelcain's "死化粧" are two of my favorite songs ever; and despite it's obvious flaws I'm really enjoying the newest from 魅裟 (missa) this month.
 
Missa and  祈狂 (Kikyo) from La'veil MizeriA team up for "哀絶綺譚" (Aizetsu kitan), the best of three simultaneously released digital singles from Missa on a vanity label with the most VK name ever; Malformed Maria Records. Certainly the most surprising thing about this single is that, despite combining members of Insanity Injection and La'veil MizeriA, it's a not-quite-ballad obviously attempting to be unironically *pretty*. That piano/vocal melody will absolutely get stuck in your head if you let it, and the guitar tone is a bit amateur but quite tasty.
 
The fake drums are a bit of a turnoff, and I maintain that a song really needs a reason to be over five minutes; but if Missa keeps releasing these digital singles with fun special guests during his other bands' downtime, he may be able to carve out a niche where many have failed in the realm of 'VK solo acts'.
 
 
@Zeus's Picks
"the whirl" by lynch.

No band in the visual kei scene nails re-recordings as consistently as lynch. does for me. A lot of this is because lynch. have never deviated too strongly from the sound that defines them, and their retake of 2007's "the whirl" is everything I never knew I wanted from the song. The heavier parts are grittier, the softer parts more delicate and emotional, and the transitions between them hit just as hard as I'm used to. While sonically everything has been pushed to the extremes, the rough production brings everything together like a caressing smack to the face. The improvement on the drums is worth the price of admission alone, and let's not even get into the improvements to Hazuki's voice.  After a multitude of A-B-C comparisons, this is my favorite out of the three versions floating around; the original on underneath the skin has flat production and the version released on THE BURIED sounds too sterile for my tastes. Normally I'd say something snarky, but I don't even mind that the ten year old track is the prime attraction on lynch.'s newest!
 
 
 "五月雨" (Samidare) by 左迅×弐×愁×Яyo

 
2017 has been kind to "五月雨", as this is the second successful reinterpretation of an early visual kei classic. "五月雨", released on TRIBUTE OF MUCC - 縁 [en] -, is a secret track credited to 左迅×弐×愁×Яyo, but it's pretty much girugamesh, and I will refer to them as such for the rest of the blurb. girugamesh will never steal "五月雨" from MUCC, but they can certainly add this to their live repertoire and I wouldn't be mad. They successfully made this their own song, preserving the original feel of the song while effortlessly adding their signature elements to it. I delayed posting this list just to add it. Listening to girugamesh's cover of "五月雨" gives me feels of them at their best with a tinge of angura I never knew they had in them. If I wasn't already pining for their return, this solidified it. Anyone who misses girugamesh needs to sample this song.
 
 
Thank you for reading everyone!
 
 

this. i've spoken to enough gya who would notice any minute change in a song arrangement and analyze lyrics/the meaning behind something artistic (or "artistic") a band has put out.
 
but sure, some of them are in it for the fantasy, and that's awesome too. don't see much of a difference between dudes who don't know a lot about music and flail over cool guitar solos/how badass this and that musician is and gya who react pretty much the same about pretty bandoman.
 
 

The band will disband on 2018.01.20.
The singer 雨音 left the band/was fired on 2017.12.01.
 
http://ameblo.jp/yusai-official/entry-12332853525.html

Excuse the cringey name; I used to draw a lot when I was a kid, especially in my preteen years when I doodled my "DoodleZ" daily, whether it was on my notebook paper or on my homework. After high school though, my passion started to die down as I lost confidence in myself, even when I took art class in college and got to experience new things such as painting and gridding.
 
Now, I've had the itch to draw again; it's an ongoing progress, but I'm really eager to draw again, and I want to start that off with vk portraits x) I remember having a lot of fun with those in art class. But I would like to do something bigger and better someday, like maybe do more than just a sketch...by painting it too~ 
 
But enough of my yammering, I'm here to post some doodles that I've done before, or have done recently.
 
Kyouki (Grieva) (2014)
I would like to finish this one
 

 
Sui/Misery/Yushi (Megaromania/Lin) (2014)
*Outlined with sharpie, so it looks shitty
 

petition for us lesbians to claim a new phrase:
 
it's FINGER LICKIN GOOD 👅👅👅

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.

Tracklist:
1. 蟲聲
2. デルタ (Type-A only)
2. 六花の歔欷 (Type-B only)
 
- Love them or hate them; but don't do either based on this single
 
I was able to put into words the biggest reason why I’ve liked 儿 (Jin) ( The Black Swan/ Nega) while attending The Black Swan’s one-man live in June of last year. I realized while Jin was pouring his heart into one of their trademark overwrought, overlong ballads that no one else is able to tread the line between embracing the tropes of Visual Kei and mocking them like Jin has. He doesn’t just tow that line, he and his bands have taken up permanent residence there for some time now. Take 2015’s “I’m Shit Noodle, But…” off The Black Swan’s 失愛と依存、その感触 single as a prime example of this ability to live the VK lifestyle, tongues firmly in cheek. VK is a genre so built on the idolization of characters that it is downright scandalous when it’s publicly revealed that band members have engaged in mostly innocuous activities like having girlfriends or smoking some weed. The Black Swan wrote a banger turning this image of the impossibly virtuous band member on its head by shouting about their enjoyment of sex, drugs and money; a value system that is traditionally accepted in rock’n’roll but rarely espoused by people in the VK community.
 
I enjoy Jin’s nasal warble; I appreciate uniqueness and passion more than a traditionally ‘good’ singing voice…which Jin certainly does not have. I think it’s often unnecessary to have two guitarists playing downtuned/seven+ string guitars and a bassist basically occupying the same sonic space, but all the guitarists are competent. I also thoroughly enjoy that the drummer has achieved a slight amount of separate-from-the-band fame by being a scary looking VK dude who adopted a tiny, stray kitten.
 
With all that being said, I was disappointed when The Black Swan announced recently that they’d be disbanding next May after more than three years together as a band. They have not announced any other releases, though this being VK, I assume we’ll get a best-of release with a new warmed-over B-side or two, so 蟲聲 might be the last gasp of this particular band of VK provocateurs.
 
The title track “蟲聲”--after it gets the acoustic intro from “Chop Suey!” out of the way--is the kind of song that Jin and The Black Swan will be remembered for; a little all-over-the-place compositionally, a riff that sounds like the guitarist would be walking toward the camera in the video, a plethora of vocal styles (some squeals, slightly flat singing, deathcore-inspired growling, some gang shouting), there's slightly haunting piano to highlight the sombre mood, the chorus that Jin uses for about 30% of his songs. All-in-all this is probably the least interesting track on this single.
 
This being a VK single, of course there are multiple versions to buy to get all the songs. The A-Type version of 蟲聲 contains “デルタ (Delta)”. Critics would say this song sounds a lot like someone took a solid Dezert song and sprinkled some fart-sounding drop-A riffs and strained vocals throughout; to which I couldn’t make much of an argument except to say the chorus is deliciously catchy no matter if someone else would’ve done it better or not. I like the gravelly whisper in one channel under the singing that Jin does to end the song too. The B-Type song "六花の歔欷" would seem to be a very lengthy track by VK standards, but Jin fans will be unfazed after epic-length experiments like “虚しき「生」の寓意≒「死」の真意” and “Ousia”. This track pales in comparison to those other 7+ minute songs, mostly by not differentiating itself enough (all the usual ingredients are there: piano, acoustic guitar, etc.), but it does have a pretty stellar falsetto wail right before a smart guitar solo @ 3:50 and it gets points for not trying to scare the listener with unexpected guitar explosions, but rather is simply a solid, longing ballad throughout.
 
The Black Swan will go down as being mostly a logical evolution of Jin’s sound during the latter days of Nega that continued their quest as one of the more polarizing bands in VK. Love him or hate him, Jin will get you to have some reaction. But don’t take my word for any of this, my favorite Jin project is freakin’ Perestroika ;).
 
 

@desertflower304You can give your gift to a staff member at buppan during a live but I usually give them directly to the guys at instores. The bands I follow are probably much smaller than the band you're seeing though. 
At instores, just like oneman lives, there are usually baskets set up on the side so they can just put them in once you hand your gift over. If you want to do something special you can talk to shop staff a week or two in advance and see if they're ok with what you have in mind. I've done that a few times in the past for a semi-popular band (who is now really popular) with great success. 
 
Just because a band has 300+ fans doesn't mean you should just give up.
Also just because a bandman hasn't posted your gift on social media doesn't mean he didn't receive your gift. If you have the opportunity you can ask him if he liked it the next time you go to an instore.
 
 
I haven't personally arranged them myself but I have helped/contributed a few times so I have a general idea of how the process is. For stands you have to contact the venue and make sure it's okay/there's space before arranging the flowers through a flower shop. The venue doesn't get rid of the flowers after, the flower shop does, so you have to find a flower shop that is open late that will have staff come pick up the stand after the live. There are actually some flower shops that specialize in flowers for VK who are familiar with how things work.

This reminds me! I recently found these pictures on my old photobucket account of my hand sewn Merry shirts. It was impossible for me to get legit merch in America back then (around 2007) so I finally decided to just make my own.
 
Attempt 1 Front and back design:  
 
Yeah, not great f(^^;) I do really like how the umbrella came out though! I am much more pleased with the second one, which is cross stitch (I am way more confident with cross stitch than embroidery) and I drafted the pattern by hand over the course of a month. The long blood drip in the logo has gotten a little crooked over the years so I think I'll redo that part when I go back to the US next week.
 

OK I admit I felt not worthy of being there because I didn't know much about most of the performers, so I felt kinda bad thinking 'wtf is wrong with this dude he's really bad, and why is everyone screaming his name like he's Jesus reincarnated'. But if it's common knowledge I'm relieved.

I'd say a healthy dose of both, lel
 
Honestly, something like this would be the absolute dream.


Thank you so much to all of you who took the time to read this, I'm so glad it went over well! Eventually I'd like to write about the old roadie/mentor system in VK (but it's been a pain in the ass to research), or do an archive of the older legends/rumors of VK (easy to research but probably going to take 100,000 words to write it all out), it was very encouraging to see that people were actually interested in this piece since it was my first crack at this kind of thing.

I've been wanting to write some of this stuff out forever because I'm a huge digital packrat and I like to archive these types of things... I don't think any of this has been written out anywhere before, but I'm not sure how much people actually care about the fan culture part of VK here, especially the Japanese fan culture, and especially the online Japanese fan culture. But, just in case any of you are also level 50 Turbo Nerds I thought I should post it here. I hope this is a sensible place to put it??

this piece is WAY too long for how lame the subject is and i'm so sorry
tl;dr: tanuki is old as fuck and there used to be another tanuki and forums are dead, long live tanuki

edit: fixed a number i screwed up
 
 

Full session setlists (it basically was the Night of 1000 Kagerous) :
 

Proving once again that most VK fans will listen to any shit you serve them on a platter as long as it looks halfway reasonable, Screw somehow actually had fans for a while lol

their 5th full album "5次元よりの使者(F盤)" (5-jigen yori no shisha (F-ban)) (10 songs, 3300 yen) AND their 5th mini-album "5次元よりの使者(M盤)" (5-jigen yori no shisha (M-ban))  (5 songs, 2200 yen) will be released on May 9. Both releases will also be sold in advance at their live at Nakano ZERO Great Hall on May 5.
 
Their live DVD, "狂い咲きハルマゲドンin赤坂BLITZ" (kuruizaki harumagedon in Akasaka BLITZ) (5500 yen) will be released on November 26.
 

They write good riffs and solid melodies but their songs practically all follow the same song structure. I want them to stray away from their tried and true formula and surprise us.
 
Write a couple headbangers with just screams and yelling. Try making more ambient tracks or use instruments other than electric guitar, bass, and drums. Clean up your horrendous mixing so that your music is listenable and doesn't sound like it's playing through a thin plastic pipe. 
 
The fruit of their safe song writing is carbon copies that leave a less impacting impression than the last. 

I really want to like Creature, but listening to it gave me 'wow, this is so polished and GOOD, I should be liking it!', but something never 100% clicks for me with them. I will, however, give their next album a go, just in case I miss something.

Tracklist:
01. BLOOD
02. CREATURE
03. the whirl
 
| lynch. is as lynch. does
 
Either my standards have risen too high, or the floor has fallen out, but 2017 has been a symphony of bands failing to meet my expectations. No single or album has resonated with me, and I've been on the lookout for the next act ready to blow up the scene. That's why it's deliciously ironic that the one band I expect nothing new from delivered something that captures my attention, and they did it by doing what they always do.

The secret to liking lynch. is to expect nothing new. A band that's been together for thirteen years knows themselves musically, and forcing change just to change is how you end up with EXODUS. Much like their departed big brother DEATHGAZE, lynch. has a defined sound they shouldn't stray far from. They went to one extreme with pop on I BELIEVE IN ME, the other into metal with EXODUS, and yet they always come back a mix of pop and metalcore that's undeniably lynch.. BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE is your standard lynch. single through and through, and I guarantee you already know how you feel about it before listening.

It goes without saying that I like the two new tracks "BLOOD" and "CREATURE", but I don't remember the melody from either. "BLOOD" is your two minute banger virtually indistinguishable from "BEAST", "MAD", or "ANIMA". There wasn't ever much depth in these sub-three minute tracks and "BLOOD" is no exception. "CREATURE" is the more interesting of the two new offerings, sounding like a more traditional lynch. song, and it hides its recycled parts better. I particularly enjoy the break down near the end, but I would be lying if I said that both of these tracks could have been on AVANTGARDE and no one would have noticed. The real attraction is the re-recording of "the whirl", which is low-key one of my favorite lynch. tracks due to the dynamics between soft and heavy. This contrast is not lost in the re-recording, and is perhaps even enhanced with the clean production and the grittier metal bits. I hate to say it's the best track here, because that takes away from the impact of the new material, but it is.

Don't get the wrong impression about "BLOOD" and "CREATURE" - both are fine singles and lynch. has produced far worse in the past - but that's it. A band that stays in the same musical realm for thirteen years is bound to repeat themselves eventually. The best thing about knowing what to expect is knowing what to expect, and the boys find some way to surprise me with every album. If we treat this single as a sample of what to come, the next lynch. album is shaping up to be slightly more memorable than the last.

I don't even remember which of the lynch. albums is the most recent one, but that's the price one pays for consistency.
 
 
Support the band!
iTunes

Your #kayaforseason10 movement has paid off...
 
Kaya will appear at RuPaul's Drag Con in Los Angeles, California in 2018.
 
http://kaya-rose.com/information/detail.php?id=220
(( THIS IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING GUYS HOLY SHIT))

Damn this umbrella track is good!