Seimeisen

I love Girugamesh but GO needs to be buried and forgotten.

Unpopular opinion: MEJIBRAY has nothing to do with the GazettE in terms of "rip-offness"
 
Sure, Tsuzuku is a fan of Ruki's and the GazettE's, admittedly. And this moderately shows in his visuals at times.
Sure, the band has some songs in their catalogue that seem to have some similarities to a few of GazettE's tunes.
...about 3 songs out of a total 48 (and counting).
...which usually only resemble GazettE stuff for like half a minute each.
(remember DIE KUSSE where everyone shouted "ripoff, hahaa!" only because of the introductory part that never ever repeats again? ;> )
 
So it's getting a bit weird and old to read all the "durrrr Gazetto copybando" stuff. Feels just like around 7-8 years ago when all I heard everywhere was "durrrr Gazetto sounds like Diru" (no they didn't, lol).

all dem forbidden beavers

I wouldn't be too surprised if the songs weren't even remastered.
But OMG imagine how a re-recording of 太陽 sound.
I'd only be interested in re-recordings of major label material. Them fucking with more of their UNDER-CODE songs... just... no!
 
I wasn't too fond of re-recorded “6” party, either. Not because it was a "hurgleburgle-fest" or whatever, it just... idk, felt like the energy and the vibe from the original song was sucked right out of it.

...... ... interesting.

Artwork's pretty cool


It'd be cool if they were distributed digitally as well, then I could just download orion.

I've heard the soundtrack for that game, and I agree that it's great! I actually quite like video game soundtracks ( ), it's just a force of habit to put the TV on mute and put on my iTunes library on album shuffle. When my sister and I were younger, we would play games like Yoshi's Island or the Donkey Kong Country trilogy games; I liked all the music, but she hated it, so we'd always put the TV on mute and listen to music from my computer.
 
One time when we were playing through Yoshi's, we had her computer and she put on the soundtrack for Sweeney Todd (I think I was fighting the final boss Baby Bowser). At the time I didn't think much of it, but now looking back, I strangely find it funny.   And actually, I think about these times whenever I hear certain albums like The Used's album "In Love And Death;" it was playing one time when we were playing Banjo-Kazooie (Click-Clock-Wood: Fall/Winter). This is actually an interesting memory to think about, because my sister and I have completely drifted apart since we moved into a different house a few years ago.
Now I only put the TV on mute and put music on (to earbuds) so I don't wake my parents up at 3 AM! XD
 
And yeah, I was exaggerating about the vapid misanthrope remark (XD); I don't hate people, I'm just screwed up!  
 

I'm currently listening to COHOL.
 
COHOL describe themselves as a black hardcore death metal band from Tokyo, but black metal should do just fine. COHOL hit the spot for me because they mix black metal and hardcore in a way I haven't found any other band to do as successfully. They don't have too big of a discography yet but their one album, 空洞, is good enough for me to play it on repeat. The one thing this band nails above all other black metal bands is musicality - in an effort to be the blackest of the black too many bands forego music for pure aggression. What ends up happening is that
 
The music sounds like blackened death metal, deathcore, or some other genre that isn't black metal with some tremolo picking thrown in for kvltness The album sounds like one long, angry, tortured track. I like anger and forlorn despair in my black metal tracks as much as anyone else, but I also like dynamics. Setting your drum to play at 200 BPM in 4/4 while you repeat one riff over and over again Burzum-style is not kvlt. It's annoying.  
There's plenty of pig squeals, shrieks and growls to suit those that want to headbang, but they're not afraid to get cuddly with an acoustic guitar or turn up the ambience and forget about blast beats and tremolo picking for a track or two. Songs like desertion on the ground and 回廊 do a really great job of breaking up the monotony that many black metal bands bring to the table every time they put out an album. It also heightens the intensity of when they do decide to get heavy, because it's less expected.
 
Obvious influences for me are clearly Bathory and Burzum, for fearless incorporation of influences that the most ignorant of metalheads would turn their nose up at as well as constantly evolving song structures that revolve around a central motif. In a way though, they're truly just influences - I can't say that they borrow too much from any one band as much as they do their own thing. And they do it very, very well.
 
I also cannot forget to mention that their music doesn't sound like it was recorded in a sock. 空洞 was recorded with decent/good equipment and mastered very well. This goes way past the snobbery of the "lo-fi idon'twantyoulisteningtomymusicpleeb" sickness that plagued second-wave black metal. I actually enjoy listening to this band and I can get deep into the mix with my gear. I appreciate that a lot.
 
If I've intrigued you enough, check it out here:
 

this is catbug and i love her.
she grunts like an old man all the time its hilarious.
she also loves giving kisses. even tho she has nasty tuna breath.

I live with these three cats in my apartment. It's great cuz I don't feel me alone, ma sweeties often make me happy ♥ ♥ ♥
 

 
That's the big boss in the house
She's a Maine Coon cat ^__^

 
She's also a Maine Coon with odd eyes & she's very cuddly ♥

 
And here comes my Ragdoll cat with blue eyes. ♥ 
She's almost 7 months old and still such a little doll (cat). xD

Artwork update:
【初回限定盤】

【通常盤】

The track list is updated.

That's on his ameba now http://now.ameba.jp/r-shitei-mamo-55/
 
Yeah... I really hope he is being ironic (as always). But these song titles really sound seems Love&Peace LOL
 
Its written "On that time we were just Immature apples". Before it there was written "Is R-shitei officially leaving VK?!"
I'm reaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaally curious.

Super Giant Artwork time!!

 
apples...... interesting. (Haha)

Big covers on Amazon:
TYPE A
TYPE B
TYPE C

Despite the fact that I download a lot japanese music (other music not as much, because it's easier to get for me, except it's a discontinued release from 20 years ago that has never been re-released) I don't know so much about the laws and legal aspects of it. But I know that the copyright laws are very different. In the US the entertaiment industry tries any possible way to turn people into criminals so they can charge a shit load of money for having downloaded copyrighted material. I find it extremely exaggerated that even the FBI can arrest you and put into jail for downloading.
But then I am living in Austria, where, as far as I know, downloading music per se isn't forbidden, unless you intend to use the files for commercial purposes or you are plagiarizing it (which I too consider as the real act of "stealing music").
 
If I remember correctly I read a lot of articles about the whole "if people don't buy records, the music scene will die" argument. It's an argument brought up by the media industry since the triumphal march of the cassette, which as we all know made copying and sharing music and videos very easy. I guess anyone who is old enough to remember the time when taping and recording music or radio programs was popular may be familiar with these nice warning signs:
 

 
We all know that the music industry is still alive and very well and they survived the taping craze. Of course the internet is kind of a bigger dimension, because files aren't just shared with your best friends and their friends, the file can be accessed by billions of people. Popular music will spread quite fast. But I still don't believe the music industries condition is as worse as they claim to be. From what I can gather of articles in the net record sales declined already in 1999, so long before the whole file sharing thing dramatically exploded (which I think didn't happen until p2p and filesharing services became standard). And since one year the sales seem to rise again and (the interesting thing) partially due to people downloading from online shops like itunes.

I guess it just can't be said objectively how many damage or not downloading makes as the whole issue is a double edged sword: really popular artists like Lady Gaga don't really suffer from declining record sales, because there are still enough people who buy the music or there are enough people willing to pay 100$ or more for a concert ticket. Some may be even following their artist and visit several concerts. If Lady Gaga and her Label gain 20 billion or just 10 billion $ doesn't make such a difference- of course only for us, not so much for the profit lusting music industry.
But then you have to admit that those good earning superstars are an exception. The majority of bands and musicians are not rich and they don't earn that much money. So it makes a huge difference if the can get say 150.000 or only 50.000 $. (Vk groups of course make much less). Those numbers are just imaginary. I am not so familiar with the earnings of musicians, but you get the idea.
The problem however is, that the smaller the band, not only the less will the earn, but the more will they suffer from the money the label takes from them. So in most cases just buying more releases alone won't help. And if it's true what I have read a lot of labels even charge their bands for the stuff and merchandising they sell on tours. That's actually stealing, but what can you do? (or what choices do the bands have)?

So ultimately... downloading can be damaging, but it mustn't, and sometimes it's better to at least buy concert tickets or support the band otherwise than doing nothing. I know that coming from me sounds foolish though XD

Regarding VK music: I agree with what most here said. Visual kei isn't really meant to be marketed for foreign fans. I'd say that this isn't even an "issue" concerning visual kei, basically anything from japan, except maybe video games and electronic devices, never surface outside the island, may be fashion, make up or any music (vk, as well as pop or rock music). I believe Japan doesn't really care for us mostly white weaboos as much as we do for their culture. Also notable is that japanese fans don't even want foreigners to drool over their Vk stuff. If you don't live in Japan and aren't able to go to the live yourself than that's your problem. Even if you ask nicely the japanese fans probably won't share the live distros with you. Of course that's also because they can't speak English so well, but I am sure they just don't give a fuck about us too.
Also I doubt japanese record sales are so heavily influenced by sharing the stuff. Yeah, some japanese people will download them as well, but some of the truly hardcore fans are still buying everything or they are still visiting the lives and buy lots of chekis, photosets and so on. (and Vk bands actually make more profit with those than with records)

Lastly... I have to thank the Vk filesharing community. The first Visual kei records I owned were bought myself, when Vk became "trendy" and cool here in europe and Gan-shin would distribute some artists here. But I didn't really get into the thing until I discovered the old school shit on blogs like Evil en Lucifer. There would have been no way at that time to find it otherwise, let alone buy it. I still don't have enough money to buy me everything i have on my wishlists and most of the stuff is hard to get. So blogs like these were really helpful. And I guess I will continue to share the old stuff I buy- in hope that people can get access of good rips instead of the 128 kps files floating around and because I think people need to check those groups out.
I am not so fond of new vk, but I guess the principle is similar. Many people just want to share so people who don't have the money to order the CDs can still get to hear the band. Japanese CDs are really expensive for us foreigners, especially if shipping options are stupid and you are unlucky and have to pay custom fees.

The irony here is simply astounding. Saying that you don't believe in illegal downloading is silly. You believe in it whether you choose to admit it or not. Without illegal downloading, neither this forum nor the vast majority of the VK/J-rock/Japanese music fanbase would exist overseas. Whether you choose to purchase music or not is your own perogative, but keep the following in mind:
1) Purchasing music doesn't make you any more or less than a fan.
2) If you know beforehand how people are going to react to you talking/gloating about what releases you've bought, why talk about them in the first place? If you're going to get angry at people for requesting releases from you, then you can solve that problem by simply ceasing to talk/post about those releases. That's like waving a steak in front of a lion and acting surprised when it attacks you. Regardless of your intentions, what you're essentially doing is teasing.
3) If you're an overseas fan that purchases Japanese music, there's a damn good chance that your purchase won't do much to "support" whatever band you're buying from. This is ESPECIALLY true if you're purchasing music released through major labels. Hell, most bands make their real money from performing live, not CD sales. I know you want to feel special like you've done some kind of good deed for buying music instead of downloading it illegally, but I'm sorry, you don't get a cookie for spending your hard-earned cash on ridiculously overpriced Japanese CDs. To be honest with you, you'd probably be supporting these bands more by distributing their music digitally.

Sai I agree with you. Tsuzuku's voice is weak (has redeeming quality) but I DONT FUCKING KNOW how people can say they love Meji for the vocals and that Mejibray is better than GazettE. LOL NO, STOP. Arithmetica was right in saying that people publicly love Mejibray because they don't want to be seen liking GazettE.
 
So many people think it's so cool to hate them bc their fans, their style changes, their label, whatever reason. The GazettE is a great band. A lot of people will disregard me bc I am a huge fan and everyone apparently hates GazeFans but it's so hypocritical to say you completely hate the GazettE after practically sobbing in joy and pissing yourself when one of their wannabes releases something new. Everyone can say that they hate what the GazettE is now and blah blah blah but do you REALLY EXPECT THEM TO STAY THE SAME? Look at Deathgaze. I love them but their sound is repetitive, they're safe since no one will hate what they produce but they will never move past the point they're at now unless they try newer things.
 
The point of music is not to produce shit that everyone likes, it's to challenge the norm and do what you want and that is especially the point in VK. And you also have to produce your music with the mindset that people are buying it and if you want to actually sell and continue making music, it has to be what people will like.
 
Idk what people expect to gain from hating on GazettE and their music as if they give a flying shit about your sorry asses. Everyone spends too much time hating on them to the point where it becomes some stupid obsession. If you don't like them fine. Dafuq you you need to let the world know for. Just go listen to your music. JFC.
 
I like Mejibray but they would never compare to GazettE for me. They aren't even in my top 5 anymore. The GazettE are just better. There's a reason they're one of the most popular bands. There's nothing wrong with loving a popular band.
 
And people in general hate on PSC bands too much. I don't like the company any more than anyone else does but sometimes people just need to shut up and leave them alone. They make good music, although  a couple of indie PSC's vo's are questionable.
 
Imo this whole "I hate that because it's so mainstream" is becoming very mainstream right now.
 
In the end though, I think that most bands will grow out of VK eventually. It's fun to start out as Visual kei but as your music improves and you reach new horizon's you'll want to change how you appear to others to become more marketable, it's all in the name of business. It's kind of sad seeing a VK band move out from vk into a more conservative style but as long as the music doesn't change to some Brittney Spears shit I don't give a rat's ass if they dress in rainbow T-Shirts and crocs.

Because I don't have a picture of "The Internet," this is my July GPOY:

Visual kei gets a bad reputation because visual kei fans can't talk music
Elaboration is the cornerstone of great conversation and great writing. Talking about music and bands is an exercise in persuasive writing. You're giving your audience - anyone that took the time to read what you have to write - very good reasons to consider why your position is correct. Now let's say I just left this topic with that one sentence in bold. I may have a good point. If I explain, I very well may change your view. But since I don't, you won't take me seriously. If I do this over and over again very soon I'm going to build up a reputation as someone not worth listening to because I don't explain the "why's" behind my beliefs.
Expand this out to the entire visual kei scene.
One of our largest problems isn't that we don't have a lot to say about our favorite artists. We do. We just never get around to ever saying it. This extends out beyond Monochrome Heaven. I find I can't take people's opinions or reviews seriously because they'll just say something is great or something is shit and leave it at that. Most of the time I'm convinced that subsequent people just parrot the first person to say something different, and it continues in that direction from there. There is hardly ever details and when there is it is at the most basic level possible. As fans, we should continue to promote our favorite bands and our favorite releases, but then couple that with reasons. Why do I like this album? Why don't I like this band?
And let's keep it strictly about the music, because believe it or not saying "the vocals are good and the guitars are awesome!" tells a potential interested reader nothing. What exactly does awesome sound like? Right...
Now if you are not confident in your writing and explanation abilities, don't let it stop you. Read up on professional reviews on other websites. Take tips from them. Continue to work on it. You can't become better at reviewing if you never try. But if we all begin to discuss the actual music behind visual kei when we make our claims, I believe that people in other scenes will stop dismissing us outright as wankers who only listen for the pretty boys.

"I don't like the GazettE because of the fans."
Response of the Zess: You're stupid. Anyone that lets the actions of other people determine whether or not they can enjoy a band isn't focusing on the music. Bonding over liking a similar artist is an attractive draw to liking a certain band but it shouldn't be the only reason why you like a band. It's entirely possible to like the GazettE and not step foot in the shoutbox or a GazettE tumblr ever. I do. As of this writing, they are the fifth most played band on my last.fm. Separate the fans from the music.
This also goes out to the people that act like the GazettE never has made good music and is the symptom of decay in the visual kei scene. Shut up. I know you listen to them with the scrobbler off so don't front.
Oh and if for whatever reason you feel like somebody will judge you for liking the GazettE (or any band) get off last.fm and dismount from your high horse. That's a sign of neurosis. If you actually knew how few people looked at your last.fm or cared about what you listen to, you wouldn't care at all. If anyone ever DOES judge you for listening to a band you like, tell them to go play in traffic.

Grieva are doing a good job so far ;D

Previews: http://www.r-shitei.net/pcmain/archives/category/disc
Pessimistic Preview Review Time!!
The title track's alright, wish it was heavier, but 七星 really stands out in this song. Maybe it's just my crappy earbuds, but all the digital effects sort of drown out Z and 楓 at times.
Not quite sure how I feel about オレンジ. It's seems really AYABIE-ish; a bit too poppy for my tastes.
I miss heavy R指定!!

For VK, I hate when a certain band release a live distribution only, especially when the release is very worth to buy (Example GALEYD, they released a Live DVD that distributed only in their live). And I don't like release with many types (more than 2 types). And yeah, VK stuffs are very expensive even they are in indie label.
 
for non VK, I hate when a band release an exclusive release! For example, TOWER RECORDS Exclusive. I can't buy from there, since tower records cannot delivery overseas AFAIK (or I am wrong?)

When people say "generic", it's a less informed way of saying 'derivative'. Derivative art is something that draws heavily (and exclusively) on an already set style without doing anything to make it genuine / different. Consider Elvis Presley: great performer but he offered NOTHING new to the rock / blues genre in terms of technique, style, or innovation. We can all croon about how dreamy Elvis was, or how beautiful his voice was; but that's really it. Compare him to the Beatles who re-defined a genre.
 
the GazettE are not Elvis Presley. What I mean by that is it's not like they've stuck to the same formula over and over again. Sure their guitar work can be incredibly dry and typical without the saving grace of Uruha's solos (Drop B, 1st and 2nd Frets. There's your GazettE song. Let's call it 'ANGRY SONG'); but they've at least taken the VK 'scene' and evolved in it with their own sound. 80's pop hooks, pop-punk, metal, and electronica all come together to make the GazettE's 'sound', which I will say is pretty unique vs. Elvis.
 
the GazettE aren't derivative, they just rub people the wrong way. Personally I'm always shifting between thinking they're cool and thinking they're the lamest thing in the world; but that makes me even more excited for this new album: I want to see which GazettE shows up. The cool one, or the lame one.