Ameyoru

There are a lot of hidden talents in V-kei. Some yes do suck but its more opinion based just like how every type of music out there internationally.
 
To be honest most people i have showed this genera to i always find one thing in common and that is, a reaction like you just got hit by ton of bricks or relate it to anime openings. Also have stated that "Why am i going to listen to a band i do not understand". (I'll get more to that below ). I live in new york and in a region where a lot of pop/rap music flourishes. I have rarely found fans maybe might be looking in the wrong places some days but have lived here most my life and even when i have found fans they dont know as much as i thought they would have known. Honestly people can say V-kei some of is bad but select few have a ear for this type of genera and surprisingly it has grown ever so slightly now of days. Even fans of the genera ive have met don't have an ear for some bands that are visual kei. Remember when Mejibray music videos had only like about 50k even 100k now its like a million or half a million closer to those number ranges. This is just a base example. Or even now deviloof's MV for ONI has now 1m views and they did that in a couple months. I would have to say that's pretty impressive. Yes many have fans in japan that watch these videos but my based point is this: There are a couple of under lying reasons why its not popular or main stream and these are some of the barriers to my knowledge. If anything is incorrect please let me know ill be happy to change this.  : 1. Expensive import costs for Music/Availability. I get it you if people have to buy music overseas but Shipping costs are pretty up there. Some releases i bought that are exclusively on cd can cost anywhere from 10-20 dollars on just shipping alone. Mostly for the ones not on CDjapan.  Not to mention the limited lives >.>.  Im glad some music has been being sold on official amazon. com which gives free shipping. There has been digital support some people like the hard copy. (Spotify has helped in some availability issues) 2. Translation support/Band recognition. I think the language barrier can cause some issues with trying to love your band that you do not understand. This turns some people off from the genera. Major aspects of music changing and constant line-up changes are something people aren't use to this can deter people away some some bands.  There are also bands that don't really put themselves out there internationally all that much. This leads right into the final point. 3. Disbandment. Due to the nature of the genera there are constant disbandment, reforming and other extra terms that can be confusing to a person. This can also be hard for a band to even get to be known if a band isn't functioning to its full capability which in turn doesn't make them popular/ lack of ability to go international.
 
 
Overall what generally people like is things simple rather confusing and also talented music. Visual kei is only one of those things, half the time because of the nature of the genera and how one band can change so much or disband and reform. This is also the beauty of the genera as well. Case in point to much going on for one thing. 
 
Side note: The V-kei disbandment rate has been unchanged for the past 20 years so i honestly dont think visual kei will die anytime soon but it will remain a float as that one underground scene that not many people pay attention to. As long as there are still fans of the genera that support bands to make music there will always be new member awaiting in the back stage you have never seen before. But visual kei is at a all time low as of recent... 😕  Hopefully 2020 changes that. 
 
Last thing, this is a far off distant wish of mine i would love to see a nice chart that displays popularity of visual kei bands from 1980 - 2010 or 15 in this style. Im quite interested. What are peoples thoughts?

vkei tiktoks, I'm telling ya

Kizu will release 2 singles
Dimlim new album will be diferent but good, their concert in Mexico will have enough success but the band will go on a "undefined hiatus", Retsu will become a Trap producer, Hiroshi joins a random band, Sho disappears till 2021
New The GazettE album
DEG continues on tour and at the end of the year they release a new single, with a remake of Saku or any old song idk
Sukekiyo new single too
MUCC releases 10 demo tapes and 4 random sinlges, why MUCC, just why?
Gulu gulu new stuff will be awesome
Mejibray reunion concert without MiA, Koichi forgets how to play bass
Dadaroma will release the same fucking song again
Xaa-Xaa will release an awesome single, a good and a meh one
Dezert will have an anime opening and become more famous but more appart of the vk scene
Yoshiki will do everything except release the new X Japan album, a colaboration with BTS for sure
Jiluka and breakin' holiday will tour together again 
Madmans Esprit new single but more problems with the band
Diarua will continue being Diaura
Nazare good singles with the weird Issei's production 
3 new bands that sounds exactly like D.I.D, bc 2 of them are produced by Issei
Deviloof becomes more succesfull in the western audience and do a tour in the US with some random american metalcore/deathcore bands and leave the makeup behind 
It's all I have for now, I need to remember more bands

They really are huge and have presence in Brazil and Chile. Here's the list of Japanese groups they have brought: (A lot of Kpop too but I'm not puting in it)
°C-ute ( 2015 and 2017 )
VAMPS
Jupiter
DIR EN GREY ( 2015 and 2019 )
ASIAN KUNG - FU GENERATION ( 2015 and 2017 )
SuG
BAND-MAID ( 2016 and 2018 )
GALNERYUS
DO AS INFINITY
Juice=Juice
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
PLASTIC TREE
SPYAIR
Rookiez is Punk'D
Morning Musume '18
THE GAZETTE (2019)
MIYAVI
MAN WITH A MISSION
ANGERME

speaking of which they also asked on fb about where to tour in chile. i guess we have to wait to see what the turnout is at in the show in mexico but maybe these guys just have a decent latino following 

They really are huge and have presence in Brazil and Chile. Here's the list of Japanese groups they have brought: (A lot of Kpop too but I'm not puting in it)
°C-ute ( 2015 and 2017 )
VAMPS
Jupiter
DIR EN GREY ( 2015 and 2019 )
ASIAN KUNG - FU GENERATION ( 2015 and 2017 )
SuG
BAND-MAID ( 2016 and 2018 )
GALNERYUS
DO AS INFINITY
Juice=Juice
MAXIMUM THE HORMONE
PLASTIC TREE
SPYAIR
Rookiez is Punk'D
Morning Musume '18
THE GAZETTE (2019)
MIYAVI
MAN WITH A MISSION
ANGERME

The agency taking them over to Mexico is apparently a pro at bringing artists from Japan. I think they do several  acts a year including bigger acts like Dir en Grey regularly too. I think they also did Man with a Mission a few years back (?). It's a pretty relevant agency and they've been around for a long time, so I don't think they'll leave all the financial heavy lifting to DIMLIM. 
 
I'm curious to see how they do in crowd size. I know there was a very small hype over them in the Mexican fandom some time ago, but it seems to have died down pretty quickly and in general the Mexican fandom seems to have the syndrome where they refuse to properly acknowledge the relevancy of  post 2010 VK bands. I hope it goes well for them though and I can only make these speculations as an outsider since I'm in SoCal and only have like 3 VK acquaintances in Mexico. 

I love The Insulated World with all my heart
The production is weird yeah BUT I DON'T CARE
It's kind of personal to me, I've been through stuff lately so this album came and reconforts me, the lyrics are direct and they lack weird metaphors, but that the point it's a "I hate the world, you too? Sing with me then" 
The first half pumps me up, and makes me take all that angst, anger and hate towards the world
Then Aka makes me melancholic
Values of madness IT'S AMAZING, simple but that the point, it makes me feel good and it's simply pure fun, I can't wait to hear it live
The rest of the album it's also special to me, sometimes Ranunculus makes me emotional and I think about the way I'm living my life
My only real complain would be Zetsuentai, too long just too long
Quick about the others
Gauze- Catchy and easy to listen . Favorite: Cage; Less Favorite:  Mask
Macabre- I have an original physical copy, so I say no more. Favorite: Macabre of course and Zakuro, man that song has made me cry, plus the Blitz live it's what made me love DIru; Less Favorite: Hydra, too long
Kisou: Like it, yeah the shin-song are fillers but they're not that long. Favorite: Mushi, another crying one; Less: Pink killer
Vulgar: Really like it too, it works for me. Favorite: audience killer loop; less: Increase blue or new age culture
WTD: Another personal to me, it takes me to places of my mind and memories, really really love it. Favorite: Kodou; Less: Jesus rnr
MOB:  I like this album, especially when I'm angry. Favorite: Namamekashiki and Disabled Complexes :P; less: Repetition of hatred
Uroboros: It's great. Do I need to say more?. Favorite: Ware, yami tote OMG THAT SONG HAS MADE ME CRYING LIKE A BABY, also Gaika; Less: I don't have one
DSS: It's very a very consistent album  and don't like that, I prefer the albums being a weird mix of whatever the artist wants to make, If he wants to put a EDM song next to an Industrial song and the a Metalcore band I will prefer that over the album sounding similar. That's my problem with DSS, many song are great, mental, the blossoming beelzebub is fucking mental. Favorite: The Blossoming Beelzebub duh?, Yokusou and Shitataru. Less: Akatsuki
Arche: It's too long. Great songs, but others are just making the album too long, another reason why I prefer TIW, short and to the point. Favorite: Behind a vacant image and Phenomenon; Less: Some songs are just too meh to dislike them 
And that's it. Yeah, Dir en grey is my favorite band

I'd take quality over quantity. We don't need another Mejibray. 

I agree with something in the middle
Mejibray was one of my first favorite visual kei bands, and even now I still enjoy many songs but let's be honest half of their material is a filler, totally forgettable. 
And even with Tsuzuku voice sucking ass, I still think he portrayed emotions pretty well, but that's just my bad taste (?)  

Madeth gray'll ;___;

rock in korea is basically dead and it's nearly impossible to resurrect it. 
there are only handful of bands with potential and yet, they struggle to sustain any substantial music
because korean music scene is under heavy dictatorship of cheap bubblegum pops and hype-based trendy rap music (and trust me, 90% of them are not even tasteful).
 
as someone who have seen the slow and painful demise of korean rock (as if any of it has existed in the past),
i blame on the lack of cultural depth of koreans and their untreatable trait of vulnerability to hype and trendy stuffs,
and above all, their perceptions on 'rock' being something loud, serious, and intimidating.
 
underground venues at hongdae and deahak-ro were slowly replaced with techno clubs and bars, 
so-called "bands" like nell eventually became more mainstream-friendly (not that i blame, they need-ed in order to survive), 
oldschool k-rockers like pia, schizo, etc became almost extinct (not if they are playing major venues like pentaport . . . which also became sellouts to pop and indies)
even pseudo rocker seotaiji didnt even last 2 years.
 
rock was never a thing for koreans. 
maybe for only a few, but not for the vast.
it's a cultural thing i say -

1) Gazette atleast during Stacked Rubbish-Toxic era is the Nickelback of visual kei
2) I never got MUCC's appeal
3) Madman Esprit's singer is an edgelord(...coming from a Kyo fan)
4) Inoran is a very underrated guitarist

The Gazette is only that famous bc of Kuroshitsuji

The Gazette is only that famous bc of Kuroshitsuji

The Gazette is only that famous bc of Kuroshitsuji

I'll try to make my list
1.- Shion
2.-Kyutai
3.-T.R.E.N.D.Y
4.- Homura no uta
5.-Kuchcki no tou
6.- Gokusai
7.-Houyokou
8.- Tsuuzetsu
9.- Zekuu
10- Antique
11.- Karma
12.-  Shangri-la
13.- The end of the world
I didn't put 6, Kowareta, Aishuu and Myakuhaku bc I only listened to them one time
 
And why no one is talking about 堕落 (Corruption) from Karma it's a amazing song, totally in love with it

Oh, also, I noticed Garden also has a lot of influence from "Under..." by Kuroyume. 
Hell, that song could probably be considered one of the most influential songs of 90's Visual Kei

Kaoru's first band, DIE:STERIA, was a cover band in high school that played X Japan, Kamaitachi, Zi:Kill and Boowy songs.
I think Shinya also said that Zi:Kill really influenced his drumming style.
The entire name of Dir en Grey was taken from a Lareine song called Dir en Gray (Supposedly, Kamijo told them to use the name), which in turn, was taken from a band from the early 90's called Dir&Gray, an obscure band whose vocalist would later sing for Kneuklid Romance, and whose guitarist would be a roadie for Zi:Kill.
 
Personally, I don't think any of these are plagiarism, knowing the Visual Kei scene. It's more acceptable in the Vkei scene to do covers of songs like that, than it is in other music scenes. I think of it like sampling in old school Hip Hop. 

Sooo I made a list of Diru early songs that sound pretty similar to other band songs. What do you think, influence or plagiarism?
Here's the list, there are maybe more, if you know another put it in the comments 
-Kiri to Mayu = Shade by Luna Sea
-Garden = Moon by Luna Sea
-Unknown…Despair…a Lost = G by Luna Sea
-I'll = Tsuioku by D≒SIRE and Miss Moonlight by Kuroyume
-Cage = Toge by Kuroyume
-mazohyst of decadence = Yuri no Hanataba by Kuroyume
-ZAN- = 親愛なるDEATHMASK by Kuroyume
-Wake = Hurt by Luna Sea
-umbrella = Coma America by Amen
-El bajo de Itoshisa wa Fuhai ni Tsuki = Romancia by Kuroyume

Sooo I made a list of Diru early songs that sound pretty similar to other band songs. What do you think, influence or plagiarism?
Here's the list, there are maybe more, if you know another put it in the comments 
-Kiri to Mayu = Shade by Luna Sea
-Garden = Moon by Luna Sea
-Unknown…Despair…a Lost = G by Luna Sea
-I'll = Tsuioku by D≒SIRE and Miss Moonlight by Kuroyume
-Cage = Toge by Kuroyume
-mazohyst of decadence = Yuri no Hanataba by Kuroyume
-ZAN- = 親愛なるDEATHMASK by Kuroyume
-Wake = Hurt by Luna Sea
-umbrella = Coma America by Amen
-El bajo de Itoshisa wa Fuhai ni Tsuki = Romancia by Kuroyume

well, the part where they were blacklisted from venues came straight from the dudes themselves at their first show. it's not beyond the pale to think that this extends to other parts of the MEJIBRAY brand when they can't even rent the fucking venues(!), the most basic component of band activity that isn't actually associated with the band's image. of course it's still speculation that can't be proven unless some tsunagari has LINE convos to dump, but it's not a total asspull -- this is pretty much the accepted version of events in jp fan communities, and this isn't the first time a band's label has held parts or all of a band's branding hostage.

regardless i'll be waiting for some sort of article from a known Japanese music publication that mentions 8P-SB at all, and i'll be waiting even longer for one that mentions them in the same breath as MEJIBRAY in the same way MiA's new project has been reported.  🙈