JimHarper

For me, Girugamesh were not only one of the best Japanese bands out there, but one of the best bands in total. The only album of theirs I really don't get along with with is Go, which is far too poppy for my tastes. But thankfully they came back with the bloody excellent Monster and the two amazing EPs Gravitation and Chimera. I'm really glad I was able to see them twice before they called it quits. Seeing their encore performance of 'Kowarete iku sekai' is one of the great  memories of my gigging career. With both Girugamesh and D'espairsRay gone, the music world is a lesser place.

For me, Girugamesh were not only one of the best Japanese bands out there, but one of the best bands in total. The only album of theirs I really don't get along with with is Go, which is far too poppy for my tastes. But thankfully they came back with the bloody excellent Monster and the two amazing EPs Gravitation and Chimera. I'm really glad I was able to see them twice before they called it quits. Seeing their encore performance of 'Kowarete iku sekai' is one of the great  memories of my gigging career. With both Girugamesh and D'espairsRay gone, the music world is a lesser place.

I can understand questions regarding the appeal of this band, because to be  honest they really didn't appeal to me much until around Toxic. By the time of Beautiful Deformity I came to see that they're actually a decent band with some good ideas and a desire to keep pushing their music in new directions. I'm still not on board with everything they do (the really early stuff is so sloppy  and limited compared to their later material, while Dogma didn't grab me a great deal), but now I consider them one of my favourites. Really enjoyed Ninth.
 
Having said that, I'll shed no tears if they announce that the drummer isn't going to be writing any more songs... But that's just me ;)

I would definitely start with Dogma, their last-but-one album. Their earlier albums are all fairly dark and heavy, although saddled with the drummer's occasional pop tunes. Division, Beautiful Deformity and Ninth all have their heavy moments, but they're all more varied too.

I would definitely start with Dogma, their last-but-one album. Their earlier albums are all fairly dark and heavy, although saddled with the drummer's occasional pop tunes. Division, Beautiful Deformity and Ninth all have their heavy moments, but they're all more varied too.

I can understand questions regarding the appeal of this band, because to be  honest they really didn't appeal to me much until around Toxic. By the time of Beautiful Deformity I came to see that they're actually a decent band with some good ideas and a desire to keep pushing their music in new directions. I'm still not on board with everything they do (the really early stuff is so sloppy  and limited compared to their later material, while Dogma didn't grab me a great deal), but now I consider them one of my favourites. Really enjoyed Ninth.
 
Having said that, I'll shed no tears if they announce that the drummer isn't going to be writing any more songs... But that's just me ;)

My list hardly compares to these others, but I'm still proud of them all:
 
1. D'espairsRay, 18/07/09, the Garage, London. My first J-rock gig and it was absolutely amazing to see one of the first Japanese bands I loved. They absolutely rocked.
 
2. Girugamesh, 18/03/11, o2 Academy, London. I hated the GO album, but the gig was fantastic. The band were feeling pretty rough; the 3/11 earthquake had just happened and they all wanted to go home, but all flights to Japan were grounded, so they went ahead with the the tour. To their credit, they played really well, finishing with a version of 'Kowarete iku sekai' that I will never forget.
 
3. LM.C, 23/05/12, the Garage, London. A stupidly hot day, and it was a bloody nightmare getting to London for the gig. By the time I got there I had a splitting headache and figured I would probably leave quickly and go home and rest. Then they started playing. The volume was incredible. It was like a physical wall hitting you. I couldn't feel a damn thing, including the pain in my head. Loudest gig I've ever been to. By the end my headache was completely gone. Halfway through Maya started asking the crowd for requests. For the next forty minutes they played whatever the crowd asking for, singles, album tracks, b-sides, whatever. It was very cool.
 
4. Vamps, 07/10/13, o2 Academy, London. Fantastic party gig atmosphere. They played pretty much everything from their two albums, including their great version of 'Trouble'. My standout memory; partway through the gig, someone threw a very large purple bra on to the stage. Ju-Ken picked it up, put it on his head, tied the straps beneath his chin, and played the rest of the show with this big purple bra tied to his head. It was a classic rock moment.
 
5. Girugamesh, 09/06/14, o2 Academy, London. This time it was the MONSTER tour, and the material was all fantastic. They were loud, passionate and damn amazing.
 
6. MUCC, 18/05/15, o2 Academy, London. I really didn't like the SHANGRI-LA album, but they played plenty of the cooler older stuff too. Pretty much the first thing the singer said was: "Fucking jet-ragu." which got a big laugh. Good gig.
 
7. Buck-Tick, 10/12/17, Hiroshima. Given that BT have only ever played two gigs outside Japan, I'd pretty much given up any hope of ever seeing them live. So when I got to Japan and my girlfriend (who really doesn't like like  my 'weirdo makeup music') said she'd got tickets to see them in a couple of days, I was pretty much in a state of ecstasy. They were amazing. They played a good mix of classics, early stuff, and later-period songs. Opened with a fantastic version of 'Dokudanjou Beauty RIP', as well as 'Speed', 'Iconoclasm', 'Angelic Conversation' and a stunning version of one of my favourites, 'Memento Mori'. An unforgettable night.
 
Now, I just have Dead End, D'erlanger, the Gazette and X-Japan on my list to see...
 

For me, Girugamesh were not only one of the best Japanese bands out there, but one of the best bands in total. The only album of theirs I really don't get along with with is Go, which is far too poppy for my tastes. But thankfully they came back with the bloody excellent Monster and the two amazing EPs Gravitation and Chimera. I'm really glad I was able to see them twice before they called it quits. Seeing their encore performance of 'Kowarete iku sekai' is one of the great  memories of my gigging career. With both Girugamesh and D'espairsRay gone, the music world is a lesser place.

I miss them so much, PLEASE COME BACK T.T

Apologies for resurrecting another old thread, but I wanted to the chance to throw in my contributions. In alphabetical order:
 
Ali Project: Coppelia's Casket (Noir)
Bana: Shell (Witch Hunter Robin)
Buck-Tick: Kuchizuke (Shiki)
Granrodeo: Decadence (Demon Prince Enma)
Granrodeo: Rose Hip Bullet (Togainu no Chi)
Granrodeo: Trance (Black God)
LM.C: Rock The LM.C/Oh My Juliet (Red Garden)
Nana Kitada: Kesenai Tsumi (Full Metal Alchemist)
Nana Kitada: Tsukihana (Hell Girl, 3rd season)
Origa/Yoko Kanno: Rise (GITS:SAC 2nd Complex)
Suilen: Magnolia (Hellsing Ultimate) All three Suilen tracks on that show are excellent, but that's the best one.
X-Japan: Forever Love (X: The Movie)
 
There are others- Ready Steady Go is the only L'Arc-en-ciel song I actually like (likewise the Galneryus OP theme for Rin: Daughters of Mnemosyne), Granrodeo could fill a list by themselves, and that's before we even get started on Yoko Kanno and Yuki Kajiura/Kalafina- but those are my favourites. The Dress remix is okay, but it's just not in the same league as the original. It was tempting to squeeze Mell's 'Red Fraction' in there somewhere too....

For me, Girugamesh were not only one of the best Japanese bands out there, but one of the best bands in total. The only album of theirs I really don't get along with with is Go, which is far too poppy for my tastes. But thankfully they came back with the bloody excellent Monster and the two amazing EPs Gravitation and Chimera. I'm really glad I was able to see them twice before they called it quits. Seeing their encore performance of 'Kowarete iku sekai' is one of the great  memories of my gigging career. With both Girugamesh and D'espairsRay gone, the music world is a lesser place.

I don't now if this fits the bill entirely, but the new Vamps album 'Underworld' has gone in a very industrial rock vein, much darker and heavier than their first three albums. There are various western rock guests on there, including one of the guitarists from Rammstein, the singer from Motionless in White and Apocalyptica. It might not be to everyone's taste, but I'm enjoying the big riffs and industrial crunch.

Sounds interesting 😍 you have some pictures of it? What about the price?

Hi
I don’t know if its ok to ask here, but i wanted to ask if someone of you has some SOFT BALLET stuff to sell?
Thanx in advance

Very fucking good album, it's really a pity hide had to pass when he did. I feel like this project could've had some real potential if they'd stuck around for longer. I remember 3. 2. 1. being one of the first jrock-related albums I REALLY got into back when I first started listening to Japanese music, and I think it might be one of my most-played albums of all time, actually. In fact, I'd go so far as to say I personally even prefer it to a large percentage of X Japan's output. Never knew the album was  so connected to Killing Joke tho, that's pretty damn cool.
 
Also, I always felt like Fucktrack6 was partially a reworking of hide's Frozen Bug, there's SOME similar parts, anyways

Good evening everyone!
 
As I've mentioned before, Zilch were my gateway into visual kei and Japanese rock and general, so I wanted to start a thread about them and get some discussion the 3.2.1. album. I'm no fan of Skyjin, not just because it's a poor album but also because it was  (IMO) a blatant attempt (orchestrated by Ray McVeigh) to cash in on hide's fame and his death. That's why original bassist Paul Raven wasn't involved. He was invited, but rejected any possibility of playing again as Zilch without hide.
 
Obviously Zilch was hide's plan to create an English-language band but also a more industrial rock-inclined one than his solo works. Picking Paul Raven as bass player was an ideal choice, not just for his aggressive playing style but also for his background, including British post-punk legends Killing Joke and industrial metal favourites Prong (later on he would play and record with several other legendary bands, including Ministry, Godflesh and Treponem Pal). Danzig drummer Joey Castillo has since become a major figure, playing with Queens of the Stone Age, Eagles of Death Metal and Nine Inch Nails. Rhythm guitarist Ray McVeigh's claim to fame was briefly playing in a band with two members of the Sex Pistols called The Professionals, but has attracted little other fame or success that hasn't resulted from his association with hide.
 
One of the main contentions levelled at 3.2.1. is that it relies heavily on English versions of previously released material, but the issue isn't quite as clear as that. Although it wasn't released until July 1998, the album was recorded in 1996. When I talked to him about the album, Raven told me that despite hide's desire to release material and tour in the US, their attempts to find a North American record label were completely unsuccessful: hide had no 'name value' in America and his vocals were considered too bizarre and incomprehensible.
 
Anyway.  Out of the 12 tracks on the album, 5 have appeared in a different form: Inside the Pervert Mound (a.k.a. Leatherface), Swampsnake, What's Up Mr. Jones? (a.k.a. Drain), Doubt and Pose. We can leave aside the cover version of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band's Swampsnake obviously
 
What's Up Mr. Jones? previously appeared as Drain on X-Japan's final album Dahlia, released in 1996. According to Wikipedia, that album was recorded between July '93 and July '96, so it's possible it was written at roughly the same time as the Zilch material, which would make it seem less of a rehashed old track. However, it could also have been written years before, so that's impossible to determine without further evidence.
 
Inside the Pervert Mound would later appear in a reworked, Japanese-language version on hide's final album Ja, Zoo, eventually released four months after the 3.2.1. album. According to Raven, he was present at the writing session when the track was developed as a new song, it's title inspired by a Killing Joke song Raven appeared on, called Inside the Termite Mound (other Killing Joke connections can be found: KJ singer Jaz and guitarist Geordie both appear on Fuctrack6; Psyche is also the title of a famous KJ song; guest drummer Chris Vrenna has also played with them, meaning that one entire lineup of KJ appear on the album!). If Raven is correct, then Inside the Termite Mound is almost certainly a Zlich track that was later reworked for Ja, Zoo. Given that hide was under pressure to complete that album, this is not impossible.
 
Pose was first released on hide's second album Psyence, released in September 1996. This timing places it close to the writing and recording of the Zlich album. It's possible therefore that it was conceived in two versions, a more industrial rock version for 3.2.1. and a more expanded, electro-influenced one for Psyence. The Zilch version has a simpler structure that appears to have been added to and built upon for the Psyence version, which could indicate the solo version is essentially a remix of a Zilch original. This is only one possible interpretation however.
 
We do know that Zilch were involved in the Psyence sessions. They're credited with backing vocals on the song Bacteria. A PV for this song was prepared (although it wasn't released as a single), but as we can see here, it's not Spread Beaver or the musicians credited on Psyence performing the song with hide, it's Raven, McVeigh and Castillo of Zilch:
 
This video has been titled as a Zilch track, but Bacteria was only ever released as a hide song.
 
And finally, since it was first released in a Japanese-language form as a b-side (to the 50% & 50% single) in 1993, Doubt is the only song we can firmly date to before the Zilch era.
 
I think the rather long-winding point I'm trying to make is that not necessarily all of the Zilch tracks are simply reworked versions of Japanese originals, and that the dividing line between solo hide and Zilch is a lot more blurred and 'shades of grey' that you might think.  It will always be a favourite album for me regardless, but I thought it was worth doing some research into the issues surrounded its production.
 
Thank you for your time and patience, and I'd love to hear what anyone has to say about both band and album. Much appreciated!

afaik it was just that, poor ticket sales. About their disbandment, before the release of their second album, it was decided that it was gonna be their make-or-break period. Either they were going to climb up, or end activities. Things didn't end up going too well, they decided to break up. vocalist is now on ORCALADE, which is amazing, Bassist formed a band called GAGA, which was great aswell but disbanded already, and guitarrist is on amanjaku, which has yet to impress me. 

Hope you're all having a good day

I wanted to start a tread about your favourite VK/JR guitarists. It doesn't really matter what the criteria are for you, whether it's jaw-dropping technical ability, songwriting, versatility, influence, originality, sound or just looking really damn cool. The guys or girls who can start playing and have your attention from the first note, or who can crank out that favourite riff that makes your heart open up like a flower. Tell us who and why
 
In no particular order:
 
1. hide (there's a shocker!). For just about all the reasons above. For sounding cool and passionate whether he's doing early X-Japan speed metal, Zilch-style industrial metal, groove-laden rock tunes like 'Pink Spider' or just high quality pop like 'Tell Me'. For throwing in technically flawless neo-classical harmonised leads, twangy country licks, 50s-style rockabilly phrases or even dipping into reggae, ambient and drum'n'bass. Such a wealth of talent and creativity.
 
2. You (Yuji Adachi) from Dead End. A very underrated player from a band that's influenced just about everyone. A mountain of cool metal tunes, as well as eastern-flavoured emotional ballads like the incredible 'Serafine', and some simply jaw-dropping effects-laden rippling guitar lines in 'Good Morning Satellite'. He can shred with the best of them, but saves it for when the song needs it. Successfully updated his sound into a hard-egded contemporary metal crunch full of complex riffs and squealing harmonics.
 
3. Cypher from D'erlanger. Despite being early icons of the VK scene, he doesn't get much credit for his raucous blend of rock, glam. punk and goth that sounds like he's fighting with the guitar rather than playing it. And he does look damn cool while he's doing it.
 
4. Kaoru from D'espairsRay. A master of industrial metal crunch, constructing pummelling but sometimes almost funky big rock riffs, but fully capable of bringing in the melodies where necessary, as well as cool high-register synth-inspired lead parts.
 
5. K.A.Z. from Vamps. Not a flashy player or prominent lead guitarist, together with Hyde he turns out big rock riffs that stay in your head for days. It's mostly fairly straightforward 5th chord, drop-D stuff, but even a few ill-advised ballads can't hide the fact that he's got a big flair for huge choruses and an overdriven but melodic sound. You could dismiss it as party rock, but it always gets me in the mood.
 
Of course, there are plenty of others- the criminally overlooked Pata, post-punk-inspired masters like Hikari from Der Zibet and the guys from Buck-Tick (and on and on)- but these guys would be my top five. I'd love to hear what other people think!
 

Hope you're all having a good day

I wanted to start a tread about your favourite VK/JR guitarists. It doesn't really matter what the criteria are for you, whether it's jaw-dropping technical ability, songwriting, versatility, influence, originality, sound or just looking really damn cool. The guys or girls who can start playing and have your attention from the first note, or who can crank out that favourite riff that makes your heart open up like a flower. Tell us who and why
 
In no particular order:
 
1. hide (there's a shocker!). For just about all the reasons above. For sounding cool and passionate whether he's doing early X-Japan speed metal, Zilch-style industrial metal, groove-laden rock tunes like 'Pink Spider' or just high quality pop like 'Tell Me'. For throwing in technically flawless neo-classical harmonised leads, twangy country licks, 50s-style rockabilly phrases or even dipping into reggae, ambient and drum'n'bass. Such a wealth of talent and creativity.
 
2. You (Yuji Adachi) from Dead End. A very underrated player from a band that's influenced just about everyone. A mountain of cool metal tunes, as well as eastern-flavoured emotional ballads like the incredible 'Serafine', and some simply jaw-dropping effects-laden rippling guitar lines in 'Good Morning Satellite'. He can shred with the best of them, but saves it for when the song needs it. Successfully updated his sound into a hard-egded contemporary metal crunch full of complex riffs and squealing harmonics.
 
3. Cypher from D'erlanger. Despite being early icons of the VK scene, he doesn't get much credit for his raucous blend of rock, glam. punk and goth that sounds like he's fighting with the guitar rather than playing it. And he does look damn cool while he's doing it.
 
4. Kaoru from D'espairsRay. A master of industrial metal crunch, constructing pummelling but sometimes almost funky big rock riffs, but fully capable of bringing in the melodies where necessary, as well as cool high-register synth-inspired lead parts.
 
5. K.A.Z. from Vamps. Not a flashy player or prominent lead guitarist, together with Hyde he turns out big rock riffs that stay in your head for days. It's mostly fairly straightforward 5th chord, drop-D stuff, but even a few ill-advised ballads can't hide the fact that he's got a big flair for huge choruses and an overdriven but melodic sound. You could dismiss it as party rock, but it always gets me in the mood.
 
Of course, there are plenty of others- the criminally overlooked Pata, post-punk-inspired masters like Hikari from Der Zibet and the guys from Buck-Tick (and on and on)- but these guys would be my top five. I'd love to hear what other people think!
 

I remember discovering this band back in 2013 by searching japanese post-punk bands from the 80's and early 90's. Really got me interested when I listened to their debut album from 1985 for the first time, I loved the very catchy new wavy feel to it. As the discography progresses, they started to get a more matured sound and definitely some more ambitious song-writing and production. Unfortunately, like every band in this style, it's hard to keep up and be consistent with every release, and they were no exception in my opinion. Their 90's stuff were a drop in quality in terms of sound and composition, at least that's what I remember so far about their albums like Pop Mania.
 
My favorite albums by them are Garden and Der Zibet. And one of my top favorite songs is "Blue Film", I get quite emotional every time I listen to it. Issay vocals really were something else back then.

I notice there is no dedicated thread for Der Zibet (if there already is one that I've missed, I apologise, and please delete this one). They're contemporaries and frequent associates of Buck-Tick, with Atsushi guesting on DZ tracks and DZ singer Issay providing backing vocals on BT's Six/Nine album. Although they're essentially a fusion of fock and post-punk and goth, they've released some first-rate albums, particularly during the early years of their career. I haven't been quite so impressed with their later period albums, but they remain one of my favourte Japanese bands. I'd love to hear from other fans and swap details of favourite songs and finest moments. Thanks for your time!

My girlfriend also lives in Japan and her short visits to the States are similar, where she can only really manage a five-day stay. Of course with travel, that really breaks down to about four depending on the timing of her flights. I'm glad your story is continuing into marriage! I wish I could say the same for ours, but I recently was rejected from the JET program AND the company I worked for went out of business in the same week. So I'm essentially without an option to move in-country to be with her. We've been together for a little over a year and I met her when I was in Osaka, so we spent three months together before I had to move back home. Communication is so damn hard though, with a 14-hour time difference and we try to give it our best. Recently our conversations have not been very easy as I've hit a very rough patch in my life and depression is weighing on me and she feels that she can't be a good girlfriend since she isn't with me to help shoulder this depression and stress. I wish I could just fuck off and fly to Japan and get married, but she still lives with her parents and doesn't really have a high-paid job.
 
Long story short: I feel you and it sucks and I'm happy that you've made it work and are tying the knot.

Thanks for the recommendations, I will def check out / revisit those albums!
 
I've also noticed they have quite a few of their newer releases up on Google Play (the only digital music platform besides Bandcamp that I sometimes check for 'legal downloads' lol), so that's pretty cool.

I did actually check out some KA.F.KA, mainly because of the Issay/Morioka connections. I've always been as sucker for a new wave/post-punk sound (away from the Japanese scene, I'm a huge fan of Killing Joke, Bauhaus, Public Image, Magazine, Japan, Indochine etc etc). Bizarrely enough it was actually the recommendation of KJ's Paul Raven that got me listening to Zilch, then hide, then X-Japan etc. He had some really nice stories about hide and obviously had a lot of love for him.
 
If I was recommended places to start re-discovering DZ, I'd go for the albums Garden and Carnival. My favourite tracks would definitely be 'Blue Blue', 'Only "You", Only "Love''', 'Lonely Dance' (which features some great Killing joke-style tribal drumming), 'Gypsy', 'Perfect Kiss', 'Victoria' and 'Swing in Heaven', which could almost be an outtake from a Bauhaus album (which is just fine by me!).
 
I've spoken to many older Japanese VK devotees who always speak of Der Zibet as a legendary band in the genre, but I think they were simply not visually flamboyant enough to attract the attention of a media that was heavily focussed on bands like X-Japan that were completely over-the-top. DZ favoured black clothing and makeup in a punk/rock/goth style that just wasn't outrageous enough for the media, despite the fact they were writing bloody good songs.

I notice there is no dedicated thread for Der Zibet (if there already is one that I've missed, I apologise, and please delete this one). They're contemporaries and frequent associates of Buck-Tick, with Atsushi guesting on DZ tracks and DZ singer Issay providing backing vocals on BT's Six/Nine album. Although they're essentially a fusion of fock and post-punk and goth, they've released some first-rate albums, particularly during the early years of their career. I haven't been quite so impressed with their later period albums, but they remain one of my favourte Japanese bands. I'd love to hear from other fans and swap details of favourite songs and finest moments. Thanks for your time!