Pretsy

Sigh - Hail Horror Hail
This album marked a big change in Sigh's sound, and in such way this is the perfect opener. It's the straightest and easiest song to get into on the album, and it will kinda prepeare you for what's coming. It starts off as a catchy, blacking heavy metal song with fantastc leads and Mirai's raspy vocals on top before it transforms into this beautiful, cinematic orchestration and suddenly goes back to the blacking heavy metal. This is a perfect opener in the way that it is one of the best songs ever made by man, and it prepeared you for the change and weirdness that would come later on this album as well. You heard something were different this time around, even more so than on Ghastly Funeral Theatre and it opened up your mind for the madness that what were to come... at least it did for me in my young days.
 
And that catchy, blacking heavy metal is topped with some great lyrics that are easy to hear due to Mirai's understandable vocals:
 
"Beyond all morality into insanity
I plunge my knife in you again and again
Torture your corpse before it's cold
I seek to devour your life and soul"

Best album openers? Easily
 
Dir en grey - Audience Killer Loop

Very strong opener. Haunting atmosphere and killer riff.
 
Nightmare - 蛹 (Sanagi)

Sets up a great mood for the follower "Varuna", that guitar line is just great.
 
D'espairsRay - Damned

(...), this is the most awesome opener with the most powerful riff of all time.

Cool topic, bruh.

Some of my personal faves include:

Versailles - God Palace
If I had to pick, this would probably be my favorite Versailles track.  It helps that it's so full of bombastic grandeur.



Lamp - シンフォニー
After a few years, Lamp came back with their newest album and showed a side of their sound, drenched in dreamy synths.  The result is beautiful and this opening track is the perfect gateway into this new era.



DIV - VANISH
I thinks there's some other fellow fans of this opener here.  It starts off mellow-cholic, before building up into a barrage of epicness.  It's also special to me, because this album was what officially solidified me as a DIV fan.  I was on and off the fence for them for the preceding singles, but this opening track made me just sit back and go "Well, damn.  They're awesome."



ねごと (NEGOTO) - サイダーの海
Dat piano pop.  NEGOTO hits the ground running right from the get-go on their debut album.

椎名林檎 (Shiina Ringo) -ギャンブル
Extravagant, orchestral Ringo is my favorite Ringo. Plus, Gamble happens to be one of my favorite songs, so...



After reflecting on this list, it seems I prefer an in-your-face opening track that cuts to the chase and immediately shows what the band/artist is all about.

Here are a few that came to mind for me:
 
Tokyo Jihen (東京事変) - Himitsu (秘密)
from "adult /大人(アダルト)"
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/v8cs6fnsbp/Tokyo_Jihen_-_Adult_01_-_Himitsu.mp3
 
"Himitsu" is one of the quintessential tracks of Tokyo Jihen's "Jazz-rock" era. Adult was the first album featuring TJ's second line-up, and many were skeptical at the time as to whether the new members (uki and izawa) could live up to the standards set by HZM and Mikio Hirama, but "Himitsu" put all doubts to rest in a dazzling showcase of top-notch musicianship and seasoned songwriting that signaled a new direction for the band and proved that Tokyo Jihen's debut album was no fluke.
 
ling tosite sigure (凛として時雨) - nakano kill you
from "Inspiration is DEAD"
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/ma7g4e8jyf/01_-_nakano_kill_you.mp3
 
The opener to 2007's classic "Inspiration is DEAD" is a blistering testament to drummer Pierre Nakano's insane skills, and a track whose raw intensity still manages to stand out amongst the band's long line of high-octane indie-rock to this day.
 
school food punishment - close，down，back to
from "school food is good food"
 
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/lkeklf82g0/01-close_down_back_to.mp3
 
2007 was an amazing year for Japan's indie scene and school food punishment turned quite a few heads with the release of their debut EP "school food is good food". "close，down，back to" served as an enthralling introduction to a band whose sound wasn't clearly defined yet, meandering somewhere between post-rock and indie-pop. Unfortunately, the song was also a bit misleading, as the band never went on to produce anything quite as cerebral and atmospheric again.
 
9mm Parabellum Bullet - Psychopolis
from TERMINATION
http://k007.kiwi6.com/hotlink/0vllsbkpg4/01_Psychopolis.mp3
 
Incidentally, ANOTHER song from the wonderful year of 07'. Unlike the tracks I shared above, "Psychopolis" wasn't an instant winner and took a while to grow on me, but over time I've come to appreciate the song as the embodiment of 9mm's sound at the time: Audacious indie-rock tediously sprinkled with elements of metal and punk/hardcore. It was a refreshing sound at a time when their only visible rivals were ling tosite sigure. A great track that perfectly set the tone for a classic album!

I have to agree with 'sink', 'VINUSHKA', 'audience KILLER LOOP', 'Infection', and 'close, down, back to'. All of those are really solid openers that I probably would have posted myself were they not already posted.
 
THE NOVEMBERS - Moiré
Opener for their third mini-album 'GIFT'. I adore everything about this song as an opening. It starts off calm and rather dreamlike, and then just builds and builds in terms of grandeur over its 8 minute runtime. Unfortunately I don't think the rest of the mini quite hits the same level of quality with the exception of the closing title track, but still, that doesn't take anything away from this fantastic song.

 
Spangle call Lilli line - mai
Opener for their sixth full-length 'PURPLE'. Pretty much from the instant this song starts, you get a feeling for what Spangle call Lilli line is all about. This song perfectly encapsulates almost everything that 'PURPLE' goes on to present later in the album.

 
Dir en grey -  鬼眼 -kigan-
Opener for their third full-length '鬼葬'. Yes, I know Dir en grey have already been mentioned twice in this thread, but I find this track often gets overlooked despite being my personal favourite opener of theirs. It manages to be atmospheric, calm, energetic, and batshit insane all at the same time.

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Excellent tracks mentioned so far! I'm particularly fond of the LUNA SEA, Kagrra, and 9GBO choices.
 
Some of my other favorites:
 - BUCK-TICK - Kourin from 13kai wa gekkou (okay, it has an intro before it but jesus it's totally amazing/epic/slow/sinister)
 - SADS - Hello from The Rose God Gave Me (it's SADS, it's glam-punk-metal, 'nuff said)
 - SHERBETS - Iceland Boy from MIRACLE (let yourself be drawn into the surreal magical otherworld of Kenichi's gentle tones)
 - Church of Misery - Killfornia (Ed Kemper) from Master of Brutality (riles you up perfectly and then DAT BASS riff hits at 1:28 & you know shit is GOING DOWNNN)

Definitely agree with Loveless, what a song
 
1) Sink - 9Goats Black Out - 
This is one of those songs that explains a band's soundscape immediately. Really beautiful song.
 
2) Utakata - Kagrra, - 
Ditto. One of the first J-Rock songs I ever listened to and it's simply perfect.
 
3) Vinushka - Dir En Grey - 
If we're missing out intros, we can count the song after right? This song is brilliant; it quickly raised DEG's game from their previous album I feel. Furthermore, it's one of their best songs.
 
4) Utsushiyo Horror Show - NoGoD - http://youtu.be/0MQkj6CCES0
One of my very favourites. Riff-heavy and with an awesome solo, this is one of their better recent tracks.

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Thought of making this, since I find it odd that no one ever discussed about their "favorite album openers" here, so yup:
 
Feel free to post your (some of your) favorite openers (max. 4 links and no order needed + doesn't matter if its studio or live) here...and a reminder:
 
Intros are not counted (the definition of "intro" is pretty vague - but I think you get my drift anyway - my excuse would be "just because", sorry!)
 
To start this thread, I will post some of mine (as an example/template if you will):
 
 
1. Tokyo Jihen - Ikiru
http://pann.nate.com/video/215614571
One of those songs I consider to be "the total bangers" of Shiina's repertoire - unusual ("Imogen Heap meets Queen-ish" ), sparsely arranged song ending up with good ol' TJ cast playing up to the max. I see this having a lot potential to surprise even those who are not necessarily fans of this kind of genre - which is why I recommend you to try out the link above (Ultra C live version - not for those who *dislike* Shiina's vocals).
 
2. Capsule - Soratobu Toshikeikaku

Someone might be already saying "but Perez, this is an interlude?!" - no, it's not an interlude. If you are even a bit familiar with house/electro music in general, you know pretty well that "lyricless" full-length songs can be openers as well as sole songs too. I see 'Soratobu' as Capsule's - no, Nakata's most brilliant and creative effort he has ever produced/done during his career. It's not a farce when people say that "good songs make you imagine things more vividly and even "live them" - and 'Soratobu' is worth being the showcase to those opposing the idea. No wonder that it even has a PV done by Ghibli staff (or Ghibli subsidiary staff, JIC)...
 
3. Luna Sea - Loveless

If we have to make a manual on "how to make a good opener", this has to end up there - talk about a way how to introduce the band carefully: the song progresses slowly by not having members appear at the same time but otherwise - and finally ends with all the elements combined together without making certain instruments "drown". Atmospheric, theme-setting number - and perhaps quite legendary too!
 
 

Pretty much this.
 
At the beginning, Miyavi's legacy was about trying new things and new sounds. Gagaku and Galyuu were a departure from his 90's sound with Due le quartz, with the latter being a refinement of the former. Miyavizm was his attempt at sprinkling pop appeal into his rock music. MYV POPS was him going full throttle into pop territory, Dokusou was his intimacy with the acoustic guitar, Samurai Sessions and Kavki Boiz was his attempt at mixing rock and hip-hop, etc. Every single one of his "eras" was something entirely different than before, and if not entirely different than different enough for fans to notice the change. Whether it was received well or not is another matter entirely.
 
This experimentation has stopped entirely ever since he came back. He's been using the same songwriting technique since TORTURE, and it's so copypasta I can smell the parmesan cheese. He seems unable to write a majority of his music without having to "collaborate" with somebody, which usually involves them taking creative reign of his music and producing yet another flavor of the month music track with no lasting appeal. I can remember listening to and reviewing his last album but if you were to ask me to hum a track I couldn't do it, yet I can still remember half the songs from Gagaku without having listened to the album for three years. When was the last time Miyavi released a single track that *OMGSHOCKER* used an acoustic guitar and played some chords instead of half-assedly slapping his way through the entire song? I can't even remember, that's how long it's been.
This is what I call "repetition over innovation" and it's so meta it hurts me in that cold, dark place in my heart where the penguins live. Everything since TORTURE is literally adding one element in, taking one element out, changing around the vocal melody, and then repeating a fifteen second idea for three minutes until he's created a song. He puts less effort into his music than Buckethead and the lyrics are evidence of that. I don't expect this song to be any longer than four minutes, yet we already know a quarter of the song consists of the phrase that begins with "let the music take you higher". Why the fuck is the guest gospel vocalist putting in more work than MYV on his own track?
From the man that's simultaneously tackled rock, pop, metal, visual kei, and acoustic music the absolute lack of effort he's put into his last few singles are inexcusable. If you like the catchy pop music that's all cool in the gang, but you can't even deny that he's not trying. He's literally not trying.

those Just Dance shades tho

Nothing of importance or value was displayed in that PV. If you're going to buy this album, donate the money to our hosting fees instead. It will go much farther.

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/MIYAVI---Real/12bef3999597eeb33d4391bfca6e9733 
 
Full PV
 
 
No, no, no, no - and NO.

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/TK-from-Ling-tosite-Sigure---Fantastic-Magic/7b98e8054e68f3d3554804880c6536d2
 
Fantastic Magic PV.

http://www.jpopsuki.tv/video/TK-from-Ling-tosite-Sigure---Fantastic-Magic/7b98e8054e68f3d3554804880c6536d2
 
Fantastic Magic PV.

I am a lazy writer so I'd rather copy everything what aramajapan said:
 
and a "lead PV":
 

 
Sounds solid.

I am a lazy writer so I'd rather copy everything what aramajapan said:
 
and a "lead PV":
 

 
Sounds solid.

I don't know if I mentioned this in the other thread for the tour, but the new songs are played on six string guitars. They didn't change guitars between Yokan and the new tracks.

It was Reita in the map room with the poison.

"Worthless War meets $ocial riot machine$" ?
 
Wow.