Pretsy

By the way people, in case you're interested in (original) composers of each IMMORTALIS song, here's the interview in ameblo with per-song analysis
 
http://ameblo.jp/712031/entry-11847194786.html
 
so here's the list:
 
Elisabeth Addict - Takumi (he did the original song 5 years ago, apparently) mostly + Kyo and small input by other members (at least according to Barks.jp)
Destrudo - Takumi (around the same period with "Elisabeth"?)
Latour - UTA
Nine Melted Fiction - UTA
Zephyr - Takumi (obviously)
Hidden one - YUCHI (also, Mozart reference in the solo)
Aftermath - YUCHI
Uyuu no Sora - Takumi
The Daemon's Cutlery - YUCHI
Scars Like Velvet - UTA
Mama - Kyo
Vandal - UTA (obviously)
Hemimetabolism - Takumi and Kyo
Kugui - UTA
Madara Ningen - the whole band as far as I understood?
In All Weathers - Takumi and Kyo

By the way people, in case you're interested in (original) composers of each IMMORTALIS song, here's the interview in ameblo with per-song analysis
 
http://ameblo.jp/712031/entry-11847194786.html
 
so here's the list:
 
Elisabeth Addict - Takumi (he did the original song 5 years ago, apparently) mostly + Kyo and small input by other members (at least according to Barks.jp)
Destrudo - Takumi (around the same period with "Elisabeth"?)
Latour - UTA
Nine Melted Fiction - UTA
Zephyr - Takumi (obviously)
Hidden one - YUCHI (also, Mozart reference in the solo)
Aftermath - YUCHI
Uyuu no Sora - Takumi
The Daemon's Cutlery - YUCHI
Scars Like Velvet - UTA
Mama - Kyo
Vandal - UTA (obviously)
Hemimetabolism - Takumi and Kyo
Kugui - UTA
Madara Ningen - the whole band as far as I understood?
In All Weathers - Takumi and Kyo

^which Mozart piece did "hidden one" remind you of btw?
 
edit: my bad, Symphony no. 25 in G minor...

No one mentioned 'Secret Garden'? Sheesh.
 
Latest atm favorites so far (no, nothing new here tbqh, zzz):
 
Secret Garden (obv)
Me Too, Flower! (main actor-wise totally superior to "Flower Boy  Next Door")
Myung Wol the Spy (tacky concept but main actress is just unf)
 
I really feel saddened in terms of J-dramas, considering that I ditched most of them right after a few episodes (say, Shitsuren Chocolatier or much earlier "Itazura Na Kiss - Love in Tokyo" for eg. (I had high hopes for those two)) - any proper J-dorama recommendations WITHOUT ANY TIES to manga/anime genre pls?

I forgot to add Merry.  Used to love love love them, but when they decided to sound like every other omgdark!vk band ever, I just, nah.  I have a million and one other bands in my library that sound like that, I don't need one more, and especially when that one more used to be unique.
 
Honestly, first band I've ever been bitter about a new direction with.

Everyone's classic favourite:
 

 
I had no idea this was in English until I searched for the lyrics, lmao.

Kiitti hitosti pretsy

I had no idea during its release days that it was *almost* completely in English ( the good ol' glory of Kyongrish!)
 
Also lately: the chorus off sukekiyo's "vandal" ("listening to dead kennedys/I hand down a malicious verdict on you") was very incomprehensible for me during the first listen

I had no idea during its release days that it was *almost* completely in English ( the good ol' glory of Kyongrish!)
 
Also lately: the chorus off sukekiyo's "vandal" ("listening to dead kennedys/I hand down a malicious verdict on you") was very incomprehensible for me during the first listen

Necroamisen lempeä (lue: julma) aika on koittanut:
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I had no idea during its release days that it was *almost* completely in English ( the good ol' glory of Kyongrish!)
 
Also lately: the chorus off sukekiyo's "vandal" ("listening to dead kennedys/I hand down a malicious verdict on you") was very incomprehensible for me during the first listen

The Madeth Gray'll "outburst of emotion" channeling in "鬼祭" were such a turnoff for me. Thankfully the 2nd track on the single ended up being one of their best songs ever ("柘榴").
 
Speaking of whiiiich:
 
http://youtu.be/_L8-8TxCZns?t=2m23s
 
Hisui is the queen of making strange noises. There's another song that's not on Youtube at the moment in which he literally sounds like he's being electrocuted, so I'll try to figure out how to upload that later~~~
 
His only rival that I can think of, that does it justice, is Kyouka.
 
http://youtu.be/C-lET7NLp7o?t=5m58s

more vids:
 

 

 

Those covers look vaporwave as fuck

true & honest testimony from monochrome heaven celebrity, socialite, male model and philanthropist billionaire CAT5

I started drawing little cartoons of vk people the other day and now I can't stop



Here's Yutori from METEOROID


 
Rame from vidoll and black gene for the whothefuckcares

 
Shuuji ishii

 
And then there's this, based on one of hitomi's twitpics

 
 
 
 
If anyone wants one of their favourite musician I'd be more than happy to oblige! I can do these up really quickly

[obligatory old mucc was better comment]

Cool tune, I hate to be negative, but I feel like the tune needed a runaway guitar solo that shreds instead of that flat elctronic breakdown, which I am tired of tbh.
If it had a real solo it would go down a lot better with me, but that's just my take.

Just fuck you, Yoshiki

Not going with track-by-track reviews but with a brief comment instead:
 
(I apologize for DEG comparisons beforehand)
 
The biggest plus of this release is (what I actually count as "great" in my book, unlike most of people around here) sorta consistent variety - with influences from "Nord-folk"-ish (Elisabeth Addict?), oriental (Uyuu no Sora, Madara Ningen), mariachi (Madara Ningen) and even some 70s-80s worship (the prime example for this would be "scars like velvet"), you'd think that it ends up as one hell of a jumble-mumble.
 
Gladly enough we have such names with surprising, technical talents like Mika (didn't care much for him in RES but here...wow), Yuchi (basically the backbone of Sukekiyo's rhythmical section) and Takumi + Uta (yes, no matter how unintentionally provocative this might sound - their ways of playing even surpass the way Die and Kaoru work along //DEG comparison 1) who shine in many songs - despite Kyo's obvious need in trying to be "omniscient" with his out-of-place noises like for eg:
 
1) random howl in "nine melted fiction" (ok?)
2) coughing and choking in Hemitabolism's "instrumental" part 
3) NYANYANYA in "Madara Ningen" (it's 50/50 - it *makes* the song, and at the same time annihilates its seriousness)
 
Despite the album having some obvious "bastard children" - like "Vandal" being the good instance of "mishmashing hard-ish 9GBO-ish songs together" in a way (grows in me quite fast tho), or "Kugui" and "Zephyr" being kinda obviously taken from Takumi's hat of unused RES ideas (they are kinda solid though!), it's still good to hear a "sum" of soundscapes from each member's background - in fact, might just go along and list some odd but neat surprises:
 
1) Kugui and Mama - it's been awhile - no, it's been like AGES since I've had a chance to hear Kyo do something..."poppish"? Won't surprise me if Yuchi and Takumi had their hand in this.
2) "Madara Ningen" in general - no, neither projects of theirs had a song like this. I suppose someone of them adores bands in the vein of Unexpect? (thanks Piisu)
3) "The Daemon's Cutlery"'s in-your-face value + random, "nostalgic" lyrics ("Give me your master...Mad Pain"-part sounding a lot like DEG's Aoi Tsuki for eg. // DEG comparison 2)
4) Vandal's "pause" - wow...
5) The way guitarwork and Kyopera go along in "scars like velvet" is just beautiful
 
But there are also a few things to complain about:
 
1) Destrudo's position - why the 2nd though? Almost flow-ruining experience.
2) Hemimetabolism  - I kinda liked the unexpected result BUT with coughing, choking, goddamn long intro part and quite awkward placement of *actual* singing it will lose its replaying value pretty fast
3) In All Weathers - "LOTUS"-syndrome here, guys - a.k.a "unnecessary hurrying in trying to encompass all the good in the beginning and leave it unfinished-ish" // DEG comparison 3
 
Other than that, it easily saves its place as one of the best J-albums of this year BOTH vk AND non-vk-wise - and possibly as a classic too. You can't go wrong when you see dozens of positively "oversurprised "comments in 2ch-side + Oricon charts.
 
 
8,5-9/10 (too lazy to count the final rating)

VK? All-time favorites then:
 
DIR EN GREY - Ain't Afraid to Die (or embryo, they are equally brilliant)
L'Arc~en~ciel - Hitomi ni Utsuru Mono (since we are talking about vk = vk era, ps. good headphones for better experience!)
MUCC - Kagayaku Sekai (counts as a ballad, I guess?)
Buck-Tick - Dress
Luna Sea - MOTHER
9Goats Black Out - Sink
Laputa -
Gackt - Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto
La'cryma Christi - Nemuri Gusuri
Rentrer en soi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eGygOuQI9c'>TO INFINITY －繰り返される喪失に捧ぐ祈り－
Penicillin - Sincerely Yours
the GazettE - Nakigahara
Kuroyume - Nakigara wo
 
I think that's it.

VK? All-time favorites then:
 
DIR EN GREY - Ain't Afraid to Die (or embryo, they are equally brilliant)
L'Arc~en~ciel - Hitomi ni Utsuru Mono (since we are talking about vk = vk era, ps. good headphones for better experience!)
MUCC - Kagayaku Sekai (counts as a ballad, I guess?)
Buck-Tick - Dress
Luna Sea - MOTHER
9Goats Black Out - Sink
Laputa -
Gackt - Kimi no Tame ni Dekiru Koto
La'cryma Christi - Nemuri Gusuri
Rentrer en soi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eGygOuQI9c'>TO INFINITY －繰り返される喪失に捧ぐ祈り－
Penicillin - Sincerely Yours
the GazettE - Nakigahara
Kuroyume - Nakigara wo
 
I think that's it.

Oh, my top 2 will always be 9GOATS BLACK OUT - Sink (from Devils in Bedside) and RENTRER EN SOI - wither (from Sphire-Croid)
 
Other favorites:

BUCK-TICK - Long Distance Call (from 極東 I LOVE YOU)
D'espairsRay - R.E.M-冬の幻聴- (from REDEEMER)
the GazettE - DISTRESS AND COMA (from DIM)
DIR EN GREY - INCONVENIENT IDEAL (from UROBOROS)
 
I think that's about it.

It's Rentrer en kannival black out grey.

8/10

I wasn't really expecting an explosion of such prog elements that Dir en grey attempted to use back in 2011 with DUM SPIRO SPERO. What's amazing is the musicianship portrayed by MIKA, TAKUMI, YUCHI, and UTA. Alone, they steal the show, and destroy Kaoru/Die's progression throughout Dir en grey's *entire* career. Upon further inspection, there's more believable melodic bridging between heavier and lighter transitions in songs like "Madara Ningen" which uses exceptional use of flamenco style guitar playing, in a sort of "asian-mariachi"-esque, while maintaining the insanity from the beginning of the track (serious shredding from Takumi/Uta, holy fuck.) Use of atmosphere is important as well, as "hemimetabolism" perfectly describes what the track is -- an incomplete, but decidedly whole composition free of pre-disposed concepts. Strong tracks like "hidden one", "aftermath", and "nine melted fiction" really display the band's technicality, and proficiency at a level which the boys in Dir could never touch. Yuchi's already displaying himself as a master of the rhythmic back-end, displayed in "the daemon's cutlery" (which is by the by, the best not-dir en grey-but-dir en grey song, if not the only one.). Vocally though? Lots of Kyo's newfound love for what other fans online are calling "Kyopera". Not that it's a bad thing though, as it compliments most songs nicely. The only gripe I have with this wonderful piece of work is the fact that it suffers from being incredibly disjointed at points. I understand there's a really progressive japanese metal feel to it; however it marrs otherwise wonderful tracks like "scars like velvet", and "zephyr".

Tl;dr : Kyo's new band blows Dir en grey's members out of the water with their technical/musical proficiency. Has ANYONE HEARD SHINYA PLAY DRUMS RECENTLY!? IT'S LIKE A TODDLER BANGING ON STUFF WITH NO AIM. This band will ease you into life without Dir en grey. It's a pretty solid first effort.