Pretsy

This is actually my main issue when it comes to anything Namie atm lol. Sure - if she actually intended to take a note or two from her American counterparts, then go ahead. But as far as things go, FEEL and her latest album truly exhibit that how one could lose her/his identity in a moment while attempting to dabble with "heavily westernized, perhaps even more widely accepted" direction. Allow me to remind you that she promoted it as "a throwback" or some sort - a real shame that my listening experiences showed otherwise (feel free to debunk my POV). The worst J-troll of 2015 - Namie Amuro 4 sure.

PVs: Gesu Indigo la End Not bad!

...Huh?

*sigh* Wonder if @beni and alike care about this one (new Seiko!!!): Not bad, really.

It's "Sindee" seeing as he uses such romanization in his twitter constantly (yes, normally you'd romanize such name as "Cindy" but it seems to be an exception this time) I am somewhat intrigued about this band (talk about rare occasion!) ...

Most fans make it sound like he is in OVERALL "unique" though - sure, he might be a good drummer (at least from the rock aspect). But at present it really seems like the following is happening with him: 1 ) As I mentioned earlier, the "wide plethora of influences" doesn't allow him to express his own style. Also, as a response to Des' comment: guys, how do YOU define "unique" then? 2 ) The "plethora" I mentioned mostly seems to be too much for him, as most latest DEG outputs showcase it. So you might as well say that there's only one step from "Danny Carey/Neil Peart/Abe Cunningham-tier drumming intrigue" (if we have to stick to genres that Dir delves around) to "drunk 12-year old kid at a huge-ass drum kit". Less is more, as the good ol' saying goes. 3) The wider his "plethora" becomes, the less consistent his drumming will be in the near future (unless he has one hell of a brilliant rhythmic sense/memory). This inconsistency is also reflected on his instrumental cooperation with his band members, seeing as normally drummer and bassist should stick to the common "rhythmic etiquette". In their case I might as well blame Shinya for "breaking the etiquette" (since his latest "I whack random snares and toms to show my plethora"-behavior is doing anything but respecting this "etiquette") PS. whoever mentions his blasting, I feel really sorry for you (no offense).

Pardon my dickiness but won't you mind defining what are his "unique characteristics" in drumming? Since "unique style" should also contain elements that "click" and become recognizable right away (solitary, limited by occurrence = much easier to identify AFAIAC) . As a case in point, MERRY's Nero has very recognizable elements in his fast-paced drumming (e.g. the way he does his hi-hat/china fills). When it comes to Shinya though, he seems to be more or less kind of a person who wouldn't really like to improvise their own input while taking a leaf or two out of his drumming biases' book (Yoshiki, Neil Peart, Gargoyle's drummer, Abe Cunningham, Tool's drummer). What makes Uroboros "intriguing" in the drumming department is that Shinya happens to have a wide plethora of influences that inspire him to take up on "interesting" song-specific patterns (that frankly speaking mostly end up on him failing on drumming his own parts live, lol). Did he invent his own style as a result? Let this question sink in... As a case in point, take their repertoire - and try to find at least a couple of characteristics that tie Shinya's drumming evolution phases together. Does he have a penchant for some odd fills? Or are there any signature changes or such that are easily applicable to his style? I haven't found any specific fills or patterns that literally scream "Shinya" so far, so feel free to enlighten me with an example or two, PLEASE. Seems like fans might be just too eager to throw around words in the vein of "unique" or "sui generis" without actually defining or rationalizing, hmph :/

All I can say is: @Visutox: She will be apparently playable (at least her "standard" version, not the devil one)? Talk about a sudden change in series, after not getting a chance to play final bosses right away for a decade or so o_O

Why no TK mentions? I think his (intentional) Engrish is what makes his music in LTS and his solo somewhat special as well Examples:

Yes, as in September. Here's one of the AKASAKA BLITZ gig pics btw

Deluxe (limited) edition (3000 yen) of WAVE RUNNER will be released on 02/09/2015 and will feature following extras along with the original material: - Remix version of "Dancing Planet" featuring VERBAL (m-flo) (remix title TBA) - TBA bonus song - Live material from 2015.06.05 @AKASAKA BLITZ gig Source: their facebook

Okay okay, gave it a few more rounds and I can see the point of BB "trolling" us with that part. Gotta dig that Missy Elliott vibe it gives also, another new BB song ain't that great tbh

So, it seems like the band began to rest right now (Ruki was too willing to post his resort pics @Instagram)...I ain't a highly demanding prick of a listener to begin with but didn't they just go too fast with all that composing + recording hassle? Like, literally much faster than during BD/Division making processes? I am worried right now

This might look like another useless merch promotion clip, but if you listen to it MORE CAREFULLY...you will notice some album samples (including the PV song above) playing in the background! Sounding kinda interesting so far

We have a thread for favorite drummers but not for favorite drumlines? Jeez. So the idea is pretty simple: post your top list of your top favorite drumlines (NOT specific drum parts - the whole drumline!) w/ explanations that why you find them awesome and so on. (if you are familiar with my earlier threads, you know the drill) NOTE: MAX. 5 PICKS, SO NO POSTS WITH (e.g.) 10 PICKS IN A ROW FROM THE SAME USER (been there, seen that, smh) Template (you can make your own but make sure that it's at least samey as this one): ALSO: considering the fact that our community is very diverse in terms of tastes, this will be FFA - you don't dig Japanese? Post non-Japanese then, etc. etc. PS. I HIGHLY advise spoilering YT links here, since most users here don't have uber-top comps that would sport capability of having 10 embeds on the same page working and whatnot...

@WhirlingBlack: agreeing with most of your points BUT: In case it's "partly the audience's fault" that Uroko gets much less oomph compared to say, fan-favorites Rasetsukoku or Hageshisa - we might as well question that why audience is not "really getting into it". Instrumentally it runs somewhere in between elements that old and new fans love in Dir respectively - catchy chorus and clean verses? Check. Banging verses and generally "brutal" (let's assume so) energy? Check. So by that sense the recipe for "Uroko" is about the same as in their earlier fast-tempo fan favorites (Saku, Clever Sleazoid etc.). So what was the issue again? Yes, vocal department. No matter what kind of review or POV is in question - most fans noted that this Moi Dix Mois-y vocal line is the "strength", "the focal point" of Uroko. Consequently, the fact that Kyo's performance of this feat didn't really live up to fans' expectations (then again, "meowing") makes it less "enjoyable" as a result. Feel free to disagree but late Dir fans are mostly dependent on Kyo's vocal work in a vast number of Uroboros/post-Uroboros songs. E.g. so what was the fan highlight in Reiketsu? Post-uroboros stans say Kyo's vocal buildup. How about Different Sense? DSS fanboys pinpoint final chorus and "last verse". I could go on and on but I won't really bother with walls of text this time. If I were their producer, I would have advised them to make songs with less dependence on a single element/highlight (e.g. read former statements), and favor the "balanced entirety" (as they did in earlier albums - genres, tags aside) - such principle would help them to function as a "real band", not as a "chaotic session band" (a.k.a their current band model AFAIAC).

Thoughts: Grieva - Grieva's singles were the same good ol' Grieva we loved and might still love in the near future. Not much to add in here tbh - coolio stuff. Envy - Envy's hype train (okay okay I know, their comeback after a while) was so loud enough that I decided to give their new release a shot...nah-uh, compared to their earlier output this felt way too watered down. I don't even feel like "barking at the caravan" either, idiomatically speaking. Koochewsen - finally there's at least one "far-out" act in the midst of latest J-indie groups! I didn't give their album a try yet but I will be definitely expecting some nice things from them (70s-is concept is totes neat) BiSH - As far as my promotions are concerned, this is where I actually jumped out of the hype train I drove in the first place, lol. Their manager seems to be playing way too safe games with his new girls and I am not digging it for that sole reason, meh. T.M.Revolution - Might not be on par with his earlier, more diverse outputs but it's a nice comeback from Takanori anyway. Out of non-single tracks AMAKAZE and "Salvage" were my standout favs...well, there's not much to say than that it was better than CLOUD NINE, heh. Namie Amuro - J-troll of the year in all honesty. Just why did she have to lie about showcasing a "grandiose throwback" to her 90s soundscape? This feels like poor, FEEL-y imitation of PLAY! Ugh *hating* EMI MARIA - I have heard many good things of her new album so far, but is it worth trying - MH urban enthusiasts? I am kinda scared :S Kyoto Jazz Sextet - quasimode? Mountain Mocha Kilimanjaro? YASSS PLS. ...phew

I think I gave my two cents on this issue earlier but I will do this again since I FEEL REALLY ANNOYED ATM: Sure, Rinkaku might be defo one of their best songs "ever" (I actually disagree on that matter but you will see why) - but like most Arche tracks out there, it really seems like the band NEVER considered the way live arrangements would sound if they stacked TONS of vocal and guitar tracks into the studio takes. Did they just, idk, rehearse their songs after studio recordings? Would be advisable for the sake of eliminating elements and factors that won't make it to the live arrangements or are highly dependent on Kyo's stamina btw. If we have to measure superiority of their songs by live performances, their best songs usually tend to become much stronger and perhaps even "more epic" when performed live. This is not the case with e.g. fan favorites "Uroko", "Behind", "Revelation" and not even "Rinkaku" either - these numbers suffer from total lack of oomph when they resort to 5-man arrangement (Kyo meowing alone over two compressed guitars is not helping much lol). On the other hand, less favored tracks like "Cause" and "Tousei" retain their studio energy when performed live for some reason - guess it's the throwback to their earlier songwriting antics? I really feel like missing those days when they could actually give new life to their studio tracks during lives and whatnot (I don't expect anyone to side with my thoughts on their live quality). Just what the hell they were thinking of after having a long post-Uroboros break? Should I put my tinfoil hat on and bring up their late songwriting complexes? Just...do these guys even write and perform songs together anymore?! /rant/ Sorry.

Helsinki Lambda Club (also known as "Helsinki Ramadan Club") - as a Finn I would say "huh?" Aika Yli - "Time Over"? HUUUUH??!! At least those are the ones that weren't mentioned + I could think of o_o

Holy fuck that was bad :S And I used to be a die-hard Rammstein fanboy...*cringes and shakes his head*

Seeing turncoats make me feel very mad...

"We're shooting the best video ever" You wish, Ruki, you wish - fix your musical comeback first

Semi-necroing this (with links!): Japanese: Bobo (MIYAVI's drummer, I prefer his work with TK though) Nero (MERRY, especially in those albums where Merry's "drop d abuse" is minimized - e.g. nu chemical, peep show, Under-world) Sakura (ex-L'Arc~en~Ciel, this exact track has one of his best drumlines ever!) Tetsu (D'erlanger, cannot think of good showcases for now) And speaking of Shinya (Dir en grey): he's actually at his prime (at least in terms of making memorable, intriguing drumlines) when he's not attempting to do anything that's "too metal/proggy" (attempting to imitate Neil Peart @"Vinushka" is just...ouch) or "way too fast" (+ involves blasting, since he cannot blast anyway and that's given) for him - examples of his "prime work" as far as I am concerned: Non-Japanese: "guilty pleasures" (aka folks that most people here would get anal about) spoilered: I do respect certain "classic, renowned" drummers in rock music (Bonham, maybe Peart etc.) but I wasn't really that exposed to their special antics and whatnot...maybe one day though?

>Zach Hill >Ipecac WAAAAHHHHH <3

Pffffft. I have been always convinced that Judas Priest only "pushed the metal envelope" instead of inventing it - and this too, depends on how AND what exactly do you define as "heavy metal". This also leads to another series of questions on "what is heavy metal riffage" or "why power chords are the "metal thing" and so on and so on...is there a widely accepted view on what it is? I don't think so. I don't want to expand on my views when it comes to this entirety of a genre (since most members here would lynch me in the end, haha), but like any other subgenre in rock and metal music - heavy metal had a huge cast of various bands and artists who were forerunning the concept and laying the foundation. Consequently, it's very dumb to say that "band X invented genre Y" and rule out the other important factors/acts - god knows whether the act you mentioned catered only one aspect of the said genre. As a case in point, and as another "unpopular opinion" : Based on how dedicated critics and musical analysts defined 'nu metal' throughout decades, I highly doubt that Korn or their producer at that time could be defined as "the ones that invented nu metal" - perhaps they were pushing the envelope as well? Various definitions could be applied pretty much to other acts who were specialized in funk metal and/or rapcore at that time. Could RATM be the actual "father of nu metal" - I mean, they have a) groovy, bouncy riffs b ) emphasized funk/hip hop/groove based drumlines and bass and c ) varied vocalwork between occasional rapping, angst-ridden slurring and hardcore grunting/screaming (if we were to name a few aspects) too? Could it be Deftones then? FNM? Living Color (oh wait, people ignore them because they are black - right)? Debates could go on and on when it comes to these subjects.