benzaiten._

why does that matter?

I have no idea about technique whatsoever, but a vocalist/pianist friend of mine who studied music for 10+ years really praised Kaya for his vocal abilities. He emphasized how hard it probably is (at least from his own experience) for Kaya to keep his voice controlled and stay in tune, because for example most of the verse parts in his songs have very little "background" for the vocals to "fall back upon", i.e. it's usually just a drumbeat and random bass synth and he still pretty much nails all the right notes. Plus his voice is pretty powerful and cool, but that's just my personal preference/observation.  
 
Here's a random cool live clip:
 
 

Japanese vocal talent is not subpar, but there does seem to be a preference for artists who don't really have outstanding characteristics. For example, DAOKO's popularity when all she does is cry on the microphone, etc. (I still listen to her sometimes)
 
Does technique matter within visual kei? I wouldn't think so. The focus is style and charisma in some cases. There are a lot of unmemorable or subpar vocalist that get carried by the band. 
 
For every other j-music movement/genre I'd say it's different, apart from idol groups. Anyone who can make noises gets accepted even if they can't sing to save their lives.
 
The reason Kyo and Ruki get brought up is because Kyo, especially nowadays, does a lot of vocal acrobatics that others fail to replicate. Try his band sukekiyo. As for Ruki, he was one of the most memorable vk vocalist level-ups. There was one point in Gazette's career where everyone just went 'Yup, Ruki is spending good coin on singing lessons'. You can clearly divide gazette's discography as pre-vocal-coaching Ruki and post-vocal-coaching Ruki.
 
Don't forget to check out DIMLIM for another memorable vocalist
 
 
 
 
I would also recommend 9GOATS BLACK OUT. 

Punk is in visual kei's DNA and that's why the vocals in vk are often if not always at least in part stylised and the emphasis isn't on technical ability but in the performance. The genre itself is long and storied at this point with fads coming and going, so sometimes when it takes influence from different genres it adapt to its new needs in the way its performed, so some dudes sing "better" like the people trying to do X power ballads or anthemic metalcore choruses, and some sing "worse" like idk the most obvious hardcore punk influenced examples like Piass and ANTI FEMINISM or something. They're trying to do different things. 
 
The reason why guys like Ruki and Kyo* sound, or sounded in Ruki's case, rough and stylised is because they're from a different era when the emphasis on technical ability wasn't what it is and was in metal in the west around that time, while guys from newer metalcore bands from a completely different era like Jiluka, Dexcore, Nokubura that are influenced by different bands are at the very least on par if not better than many of their American colleagues from the bands very successful in their style like BMTH, Of Mice and Men, Chealsea Grin etc. because the emphasis is now on the vocalist's technical ability like it is in the rest of the genre in the west. Basically tl;dr vk does what it wants to do and it performs at the level of an American Idol finalist, Kpop schlager belter or some other circus bear on an unicycle trying to woo the masses to consume more product by jumping through fiery hoops at the crack of the corporate whip when it wants to, but more often than not it doesn't because it's main objective as music isn't to do that. 
 
Then of course there's legions and legions of music from all genres in Japan with exceptionally skilled people involved, but the people still using the Jrock tag pretty much ignore everything that isn't vk and ONE OK ROCK. Even if you go searching for vk as a newbie you'll be encountered by a pretty significant bias for newer bands and especially a bias for the more vaguely metal sounding bands from western vk boom years in favor of bands that are really new like the ones I mentioned prior or the older classics. In the early vk scene more than a few bands have very skilled vocalists like La'Cryma Christi, Luna Sea and even L'arc. 
 
* Personally I'll never forget the time when they were trying to make it in the west and all the paid mainstream reviewers started ooing and aaing about the Japanese Mike Patton. Kyo sounds and always sounded, vk as fuck. 

-inhales- SHO FROM DIMLIM IS SUCH A BEAST. His clean voice is just a gift from heaven and can make some seriously ear piercing screams, love him so much.
 
 

Maybe they just saw this April Fool's day joke and didn't look too closely at it?
 
 

incel disdain yassssss!!

My whole family could die of covid and I’d still think this was worse. 

Well, Unlike the other opinions I LOVE THIS ALBUM A LOT!
 
Is the perfect mix of mucc's style and It is the most varied album to date along with Myakuhaku and Shangri-La but more varied than the last 2.
Old Nu-Metal Style like Ameria, Crack and Sandman (Experimentation point)
Jazzy Styles like Jikokeno
Psychodelia Style like Friday the 13th.
Industrial Metal Style like Aku-Jusicte- & Dead Or Alive
Soft Rock Song like COBALT
Alternative Metal with Rock Elements like Kurage and Super Hero (Tatsuro Dedicate this song to his Father after dead)
Mid 2000 Nu Metal Style like Memai and Sei To Shi To Kimi
Punk Rock Songs like Kamikaze Over Drive and My World
Power Ballads Like Alpha and Spica
 
I like the 3 Bonus Track and in my opinion is very ambitious do 83 Minutes Music TODAY... Unlike the same things that are on the TOP List....
 
The innovation is a prominent and understimate skill that bands like MUCC can be proud of them.
 
This is only my opinion, every person can Hate or Love it like they want.

Radical idea: how about Cleaver Sleazoid rerecording will feature Hazuki? 
 
 
 

Come on Ai, just reunite Deathgaze at this point lmao

Remember a while ago when the OTHER more changed their name and we all had to check that it wasn't THIS more?
well who's more more NOW huh? 
 
no one.
 
no MORE.

my favorite Die so far ooffff

As much as I love his long blonde I all in for Super Sayan God Die to be back

B-sides will happen again when they finally do full on Bald Kei. Not just Kyo.

I'm all for Die finally cutting his hair. Fed up with his long hair over 4 years.

Yoshiki is the pride of Japa👩n.
💗💗💗          🖤🖤🖤🇯🇵🧥🇯🇵
     💗💗💗🖤🖤🖤✨🌎🌎🌎
          💗💗💗🖤✨🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
          🖤💗💗💗⭐️ He is our hero
     🖤🖤🖤💗💗💗🌎🌎🌎🌎🌎
🖤🖤🖤          💗💗💗🌎🌎🌎
#YOSHIKI さん♥️
凄い👏🏻👏🏼👏🏽👏🏼👏🏻😍

also this ^
and this v
 
■NEW SINGLE『落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)』(Pia Arena MM Special Package version)
【Tracklist】
 
DISC1: CD
 
01. 落ちた事のある空 (Ochita Koto no Aru Sora) 02. CLEVER SLEAZOID 03. Followers [LIVE] ※Live Take at Islington Assembly Hall on Feb 5, 2020  
DISC2: Blu-ray / DVD
 
TOUR20 This Way to Self-Destruction
2020.02.08 Elysée Montmartre -Paris/France
01. 絶縁体 (Zetsuentai) 02. 軽蔑と始まり(Keibetsu to Hajimari) 03. 赫(Aka) 04. Downfall 05. Values of Madness 06. 谿壑の欲(Keigaku no Yoku) 07. Ranunculus 08. The World of Mercy  
The World You Live In
2020.03.28 KT Zepp Yokohama
SE 01. 人間を被る(Ningen wo Kaburu) 02. 軽蔑と始まり(Keibetsu to Hajimari) 03. Merciless Cult 04. 朔-saku- 05. 絶縁体(Zetsuentai) 06. 赫(Aka) 07. Downfall 08. 腐海(Fukai) 09. 谿壑の欲(Keigaku no Yoku) 10. Ranunculus 11. The World of Mercy 12. Sustain the untruth 13. 詩踏み(Utafumi)  
※The live footage do not come in the same edit of the YouTube Livestream.
※Title, track list and contents for『落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)』(Pia Arena MM Special Package version) may be subject to change.

DIR EN GREY NEW SINGLE『落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)』DIGITAL RELEASE: Tracklist unveiled!
2020.06.24 NEWS
The track list of the upcoming NEW SINGLE 2020「落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)」 has just been unveiled. The single will be released digitally this summer.
 
DIR EN GREY
NEW SINGLE
『落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)』
DIGITAL RELEASE
 
【Tracklist】
01. 落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)
02. CLEVER SLEAZOID
03. Followers [LIVE] ※Live Take at Islington Assembly Hall on Feb 5, 2020
 
A physical edition of the single, 『落ちた事のある空(Ochita Koto no Aru Sora)』(Pia Arena MM Special Package version), has been announced as special gift for the fans who do not wish to have their tickets for the canceled “The Insulated World -The Screams of Alienation-” shows, scheduled to be held at Pia Arena MM on July 23th and 24th, 2020.
 
▶More information HERE
 
※Title and contents may be subject to changes.

???????

yoshiki project feat. kisaki (satsuki) pleawse

I'm SO tired of buying merch, clothes, and the other stuff, but I need to treat my compulsive shopping habits, so my latest shopping fetish is cute flowers and aromatic oils.
 

I don't really consider myself a "good" person. In fact, i'm pretty fucked up. But regardless, there's something beautiful about doing "good" to people just for the sake of doing good...Like with no expectations of anything in return....it just feels great to be a blessing to people.

vkgy latest interview, with a famous vkei writer! 
Also I worked hard on this one so it's a cross post with JROCKNROLL
 
Nagasawa Tomonori (長澤智典) is a music journalist of note, having written for most major visual kei magazines and bands. We had the chance to ask him questions over several weeks, and so we explore his career, and his decades-long view of visual kei from the inside.
 
 
 
Choose your favorite platform
 
vkgy
or
jrocknroll
 
If there are people who still have any questions about the "visual kei" history, we can do another round  
So if you do have any questions, throw them to me and I'll will ask them!
 

I don't think this revival should interfere much with MORE's super-busy "5 lives and 1 song per year" schedule.