rekzer

Honestly, it's not worth it. If it's the same individual I'm thinking of, that person was an absolute nightmare.

I'm loving all these ideas! Keep them coming!

Also just because your idea isn't chosen for this trade-off doesn't mean it won't make a surprise appearance at a later date. There are too many good ideas to not use.

We usually do some kind of dark shit theme around Halloween (Horror Movie theme in 2015, spooky in 2016, serial killer smooth criminal 2017)

I would love another mystery trade off. that one was really fun
 
has a horror/darkness theme been used?
 
how about something like your partner picks the theme/genre and you have to provide a playlist based on what your partner assigns you.

Seiya Gt. of DEVILOOF has been posting tabs for some of DEVILOOF's songs so just thought i'd make a thread for them.
I'll update this thread in the future in case more get added. 

 
 
 
 
 

Yui no-show, yet Leda can't even remain absent from Babymetal
 

A few thoughts after watching Abyss/Lucy:
 
The Abyss tracklist is incredible, I also thought I wouldn't enjoy Lucy as much because of the choice of songs but the performance was super fun and they have great stage presence. It hit me again how much they have grown as musicians, Ruki's voice is very polished now in comparison but not in a negative way I think.  
Favorite performances from Abyss: Burial applicant and then every single one from Deux down to Dogma. The new Taion sounds very good live. I may be 100% back to stanning gazette. 

I forgot this is pretty much the only place where you can say 2011-2013 were the most lackluster years for Gazette without stans getting all weird and defensive. 
 
Fuck. 

Hey folks!

The time for a new Trade-Off is near and this time, we want your opinions on what themes we should go with. If you want to submit one, just reply to this post with your idea and why it would be a good theme for the trade-off. There are no rules but just certain things to keep in consideration:
 
The theme should not be too restrictive or too general. It doesn't have to be "spring related" You can be as detailed in your description of the event as you want. Look at @CAT5's latest Anime Theme Trade-Off if you want a good idea of a detailed description.  
I'll leave this open for one week. The staff will discuss a theme we like and announce it at the end of the month.

on May 9th at 21 o’clock THE BLACK SWAN’s last live will be broadcasted on http://sp.ch.nicovideo.jp/ksp-live
(I think the first half will be free but the rest will be shown to paying channel members only.) 
 
 

UPDATE: EVERYTHING SOLD, THANK YOU SO MUCH!
 
 
Albums
- greedy dead souls (first press ltd. edition with bonus track, with Obi, extremly rare) SOLD
- underneath the skin SOLD
- THE AVOIDED SUN (Ltd. Edition, cover made of cardboard, slightly damaged) SOLD
- THE BURIED (EU Edition with bonus track) SOLD
- SHADOWS (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- I BELIEVE IN ME (Ltd. Edition; comes with a bonus DVD, a postcard and a sticker) SOLD
- INFERIORITY COMPLEX (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- EXODUS-EP (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- GALLOWS (Ltd. Edition, comes with two bonus DVDs) SOLD
- 10th Anniversary 2004 - 2014 The Best (Ltd. Edition, comes with two bonus DVDs and two posters) SOLD
- D.A.R.K. (Ltd. Edition, comes with two bonus DVDs, a note pad and two posters, one of them signed by all 5 members) SOLD
- AVANTGARDE (Ltd. Edition, comes with a bonus DVD and a bonus CD and a ticket holder) SOLD
- SINNERS-EP (Ltd. Edition, comes with a bonus DVD) SOLD
 
Singles
- a grateful shit (rare, didn't come with an Obi) SOLD
- roaring in the dark (with Obi) SOLD
- enemy (Ltd. Edition with bonus track, with Obi, quite rare) SOLD
- forgiven SOLD
- Adore (Ltd. Edition with DVD) SOLD
- Ambivalent Ideal (Ltd. Edition with DVD) SOLD
- A GLEAM IN EYE SOLD
- JUDGEMENT (Ltd. Edition, with Obi) SOLD
- MIRRORS (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- LIGHTNING SOLD
- BALLAD (Comes with a bonus DVD) SOLD
- EVOKE (comes with a picture (slightly damaged) and a sticker) SOLD
- ETERNITY (comes with a picture and a sticker) SOLD
- BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE (Ltd. Edition, includes a photobook and a Blu-Ray, comes with an extra key chain) SOLD
- ANATHEMA (was only available during their NITE BEFORE EXODUS tour when bought at the venue) SOLD
 
Live DVDs/Blu-Rays
- Official Bootleg I SOLD
- Official Bootleg II SOLD
- Official Bootleg III (Fanclub only, so very rare) SOLD
- THE SHADOW IMPULSE (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- il inferno (Ltd. Edition) SOLD
- Tour ‘14 to the Gallows (Ltd. Edition, comes with a (slightly damaged) poster) SOLD
- Hall Tour ‘15 The Decade of Greed (Ltd. Edition, comes with a poster and an A4 postcard) SOLD
- IMMORTALITY Blu-Ray (Ltd. Edition, comes with a poster and an A4 postcard) SOLD
 
Merchandise
- Small Cat Pouch “My little devil” SOLD
- Omamori from their New Years Live this year SOLD
- T-Shirt from their ‘14 To the Gallows Tour, white, size L (EU size M, little washed out) SOLD
- T-Shirt from their ‘16 Dark Darker Darkness Tour, black, size L (EU size M) SOLD
- T-Shirt from their Comeback Live 2017, size L (also EU size L, they changes sizes) SOLD
- T-Shirt from their ‘17 The Sinner Strikes Back Tour, size XL (=EU XL) SOLD
- Signed Birthday Card from the fan club (with their Black Triangle CD release as a bonus) SOLD
- Signed New Years Card from the fan club (with Anemone as a bonus) SOLD
- Hazuki’s Photobook with CD, signed SOLD
- Flyer Set from some of their tours, album promotion etc. SOLD
- Shirt from their fan club only live tour “Deadly Deep Kisses” 2017, so kinda rare, size M, 20€ (pic here) SOLD
- guitar pic from Yuusuke SOLD
- tote bag from their “The Sinner Strikes Back” tour in 2017, faux leather, looks really high-quality actually, could for example be used as a laptop bag (fits a 15″ one easily), 30€ (pic here) SOLD
 
Magazines
- Rock and Read #42 SOLD
- Rock and Read #61 SOLD
- Rock and Read #67 SOLD

THE BLACK SWAN 5/1 渋谷TSUTAYA O-WEST setlist:
 
～INTRODUCTION OF THE END～
1.自心造反者
2.THE HOPELESS
3.THE WORLD IS MY ROOM
4.赫音-justitia-
～「胎動」～
5.失い
6. S TRIPPER
7.DEJECTED RAIN
8.六花の歔欷
～「欠落」～
9.欠落の欠片
10.リテラシズム
11.PERSONA
12.RUVISH
〜「深髄」〜
13.OUSIA
～A CLOAK～
〜BLINDNESS〜
〜INTRO.〜
14. CALL MY NAME
15.デルタ
16.RAGE
17.I'M SHIT NOODLE, BUT...
18.赫音-finis-
19. XXX IN THE BOX
20.HATE YOURSELF UNTIL YOU DIE
21.蟲聲
22.自深傍観者
 
END ROLL
〜自深傍観者-深奏-〜bug〜
 
〜六花の歔欷-memory-〜
〜リテラシズム-comfort-〜
〜ETERNAL SNOW〜
 
 

On April 1st, 2016 the news of Tetsuya's departure from the influential hardcore, screamo, and post-rock band envy brought great despair to many fans. He was the heart of the band that evoked intense feelings through his raw and emotive vocals. Fans lost hope in envy's future once Tetsuya left. Still, envy continued on without him and after being quiet for two years they finally announced a live performance with a new line-up for April 1st, 2018. Strangely enough, the live performance took place exactly two years after Tetsuya's departure. And even more strange is that both occurrences took place on April 1st which, as we all know, is the day of jokes and pranks. Back in 2016 we all hoped that Tetsuya's departure was an April Fools joke, but after not hearing anything we all accepted that it was the truth. So naturally, when envy announced a new line-up this year for April 1st as well, none of us speculated that it was a joke either. However, when the day arrived everything became clear.
 
The live show was titled 'Last Wish', after the name of envy's single released back in 2000, and took place at Daikanyama UNIT. I must thank @qotka for navigating to the live venue, which sits just south of Shibuya. Inside the live venue there is a floor level for lockers and merchandise, and once you go down another level you will find the live hall. The size of the hall was quite average with a capacity of 600 people. Given that most people were only here for envy not many people showed up at the beginning, but it gradually grew more packed after each band until we were shoulder to shoulder.
 
heaven in her arms was the first band to play, which I could already tell based on the white butterfly logo placed on the back of the stage. I had forgotten what the band looked like, but when the vocalist walked on stage with a black cap on I could clearly see the envy worship. I'm not well-versed in their discography so I couldn't recognize most of the songs they played but I do know that they played a few songs from their recent album 白暈 (White Halo). I'm certain they played "終焉の眩しさ" because I remember the opening with solemn crystal bells and pianos that later led to a burst of guitar riffs and drums. The live hall felt so still in that moment with the dark blue lighting, and feeling that transition from a stillness to a violent beat was a cool way to start the performance. The vocalist put a lot of emotion into his screams, but the spoken word sections were a little quiet and hard to hear from the blasting instruments. It was not as clear as it was on CD. Also, maybe it's because everything usually sounds louder during lives but I had trouble picking out the metal sound of heaven in her arms and I had the impression that they sounded a lot like envy, as I did when I first listened to them. In any case, they were amazing live and I would like to see them again. 
 
The next band that played was HELLBENT, which I thought was some band from the US when I quickly googled the name. Turns out that they're actually a really underground Japanese psychobilly band. I can't give a good review of them because I lost my spot during the intermission while taking a short bathroom break and did not have a good view of the stage when I came back. Their performance was quite intense though and the vocalist would pick up the mic stand every so often and swing it around on stage, at least from what I could see. They had a video playing in the background with mostly visuals of old vhs-looking forests, for some odd reason. For such a chaotic performance, I thought the visuals were not very fitting and it was just kind of strange.
 
I got my spot back closer to the stage once downy came on. It's unfortunate that I did not get to see them with Yutaka Aoki, who sadly recently passed away. It seems like they got a support guitarist for the remaining live shows that were scheduled this year, though I'm not sure who it is. I'm still fairly new to downy so I can't speak much for how much of an effect this has on their performance, but they were quite stellar nevertheless. Their performance felt much longer than the previous two bands as they played about 8 songs. Most of the songs they played were fast and maybe only one song was really slow. Robin Aoki sings just as good as he does on CD and the bass is super thick live! I didn't realize how killer the basslines were until I heard "曦ヲ見ヨ!" live. Such incredible skill and technique. During their whole performance they had abstract visuals playing in the background. A fiery red was used for intense and fast songs while tranquil blues or black and white were used for slower songs/sections. If you've seen any of their music videos, the live encapsulates the very same kind of mood, except that you're now physically standing in that dimension and taking in their dingy world. Outstanding performance.
 
At last, the curtain rose for envy. While standing in the darkness, I thought about their new line-up and kept on wondering what they would sound like without Tetsuya. Then, when the lights lit up and envy started playing, Tetsuya was standing right there on stage giving out his screams. The crowd instantly went wild and pushed everyone to the front. People were cheering all around and punching their fists to the air, you could feel the ecstasy and excitement everywhere. Out of all the non-VK lives I've seen this was the most energy I've seen from a crowd, but this is mostly speaking for the J-indie scene only as I'm sure some bigger Jrock bands have wild crowds as well, or maybe not I don't know. The pushing stopped after 2 minutes or so, but there were still a number of people cheering with their fists. When they performed "Footsteps in the Distance" Tetsuya cleverly declared his return during the spoken word section with the last few words being 'ただ一つ救えがあるなら僕はここに戻るよ' (If there is one way to be saved, I'll return here). At first I thought it was a message Tetsuya specifically had for the fans, but listening to the song again it's actually part of the song, therefore the cleverness in his return. Hearing him say that and knowing that he was really back was the highlight of the experience, and now as I listen to "Footsteps in the Distance" I will recall this memory every time. envy just isn't envy without Tetsuya after all. I couldn't get a view of all the members (including the new members) since the people who got pushed to the front blocked some of my view, but I did not feel that envy's sound changed much. Perhaps they'll bring in new ideas for the band in the future. I'd seen envy two times before, but I was absolutely stunned by the energy and emotion of this performance, even after I left the live venue.

| dududududuDODODOOOO "Ash"
 
 
Love them or hate them, there's no doubt in my mind that everyone has an opinion on Dir en grey's newest single. They've been more cagey about describing the track or releasing samples ahead of time this time around, but the news came dripping in little by little. I was apprehensive of the new single at first because "詩踏み" as a package was disappointing, but it turns out that this single speaks only good things about the next album.
 
The new single leaves a better impression on me with the first few listens. "詩踏み" was good, but not very memorable for me. "人間を被る" sounds like a mix between "un deux" and "咀嚼", inspired by the same feelings as "詩踏み" with different construction. This is not a bad thing as a fan of ARCHE. "人間を被る" shakes off a lot of the lethargy and awkwardness in the transitions between song sections. The track flows more naturally than "詩踏み" . I appreciate that Kyo is relying more on his mid-range and less on his extreme gutturals and shrieks because it gives the track more body. The ending feels purposefully unfinished and does not work as a substitute for an opening for "ash". 
 
Given Dir en grey's reputation for remakes, I dreaded what "Ash" would become. Luckily, we got a great remake this time. It sounds like the song it's supposed to cover. "Ash" now has four separate recordings - the 1997 version from Behind the Mask Vol. 2, the 1998 version on 「楓」～if trans･･･～, the 2000 B-side on 脈, and now the 2018 re-recording. It hurts that the track is only four and a half minutes long - the shortest version of all by a full minute - but it's a good four tracks. The meat and rhythm of the melody is the same, but I'm indifferent on the new lyrics. I'm too used to hearing the original ones. The constant use of vocal fry as backing vocals is another minor, annoying addition. The acoustic solo in the middle is the highlight of the single because it spices up the pacing of the single and sets the song up nicely for the electric guitar solo. The step-up technique at the end was preserved, but is also my least favorite out of all three versions of "Ash". It could have used more maniacal laughing at the end or more electronic effects to amp up the intensity. I have to say that I still prefer the 2000 version of this song the best, but at least it doesn't completely butcher the feel of the track a la "羅刹国" or "Obscure", so not all is lost.
 
The live version of "詩踏み" is a bonus to give the whole package some weight and to justify the price tag. As small of a comment as it is, Kyo sounds good here. Previous B-side live recordings were the epitome of filler because Kyo sounded terrible, and really left a bad impression on what the band was capable of live. Like I said, I didn't care too much about it upon initial release and I still don't care too much for it now. The track loses a bit of impact in its translation to disk, but for what it's worth the track sounds like it works amazingly well live. It's may even be more true for "人間を被る".
 
 

Compared to this live recording and some of the other B-sides we've got in the past, this live version of Utafumi is more than acceptable.
 
 

dude this is bad, but good at the same time.
 
Everytime the vocalist unleashes the high pitched screech I end up laughing but rocking at the same time. Looks like I found I new terrible band to guilty pleasure listen to

I think it's hilarious how every time they release something there's a line of doomsayers prepared to prophesize the end the of the band and how it's inevitably only going to go downhill from here. Disbandment imminent. 
 
People have been saying this for the past fifteen years that I have personal experience with, and I'm sure before that people in Japan complained how Gauze and their major debut was inevitably going to lead to them blowing up and crashing. And before that people most likely complained that MISSA didn't sound like La:Sadie's. 
 
It's almost as if people confuse their subjective opinion of a single song/release with how the band is doing at large. 

Do you say this for every band that you're not happy with?

a crowd of rebellion 3rd full album "Ill" will be released at 2018/07/11. 
 

 

 
 

pretty much all live tracks from that era sound like Garbage 
 
The live tracks on the Ryoujoku no Ame single are horrible too. Poor Mr.Newsman

Just remember the days when all we got for a while was the single and then like two or three shitty live tracks. 

But let’s be honest, Utafumi is not the worst live track they’ve put on a single...
 
 

Plastic Tree are slated to do intro and outro themes for the new Playstation Vita game "Collar x Malice -Unlimited-, due out July 26, 2018.

Opening theme: Inside-Out (インサイドアウト)
Lyricist: Ryutaro Arimura
Composer: Tadashi Hasegawa
Arrangers: Plastic Tree

Ending theme: Tomoshibi (灯火)
Lyricist and Composer: Tadashi Hasegawa
Arrangers: Plastic Tree

(Source: http://www.jrock.jp/various/news/2018/04/20/3962/)

Further details to be added as they're announced

I keep dreaming of  a day when Toshi is replaced by someone else in X Japan  If his performance during the first weekend of Coachella was any indication, it's time for him to retire. He sounded like he was going through a second puberty the whole time and it was really embarrassing. Even with as much of an X fan as I am, I have to admit that much.

Since this is my first collaboration to this sub-forum, I wanted to gift you all with these lyrics, which make this song a true masterpiece of visual kei Engrish.
 
 
Text:
 
Hello shitty pigs
I'm tired of looking at your face everyday
Can't laugh anymore
No point of this child war
I'll just resist with my toy gun
Hello shitty pigs
Your name is fucking pigs
Shit
 
You make everything fucking worth
Racism? Everything depends on the timing
Lip service makes me fucking sick
Hello shitty pigs
My name is destroy
 
What the fuck
Theres a phone on his head
I have no idea what to say
But maybe its a vague there
If so, I won't say anything
 
Hello shitty pigs
You don't deserve to fucking eat
I'm staggered to shit of a golden fish that begs on you
 
If you wanna unite the people, just follow me
Cuz I'm the motherfucking president
 
Hey!! Money whats your fucking name?
Pig!!
What did you say. Hey!
I'm fucking black pig!!
Hey!! Money whats your fucking name?
Pig!!
What did you say. Hey!
I'm fucking black pig!!
 
Fuck this shit
 
What the fuck
Theres a phone on his head
I have no idea what to say
But maybe its a vague there
If so, I won't say anything
 
Hello shitty pigs
You don't deserve to fucking eat
I'm staggered to shit of a golden fish that begs on you
 
If you wanna unite the people, just follow me
Cuz I'm the president
Are you ready motherfuckers!!?
Bounce bounce bounce!!
 
Hey!! Money whats your fucking name?
Pig!!
What did you say. Hey!
I'm fucking black pig!!
Hey!! Money whats your fucking name?
Pig!!
What did you say. Hey!
I'm fucking black pig!!
 
Fuck!!
 
Let's march cheerfully today
Firmly align your feet
So there is not a slight gap
Hello shitty fucking pigs
 
Pig that can't fly should die
Pig that can't fly should die
Pig that can't fly should die
 
 
Credits: the band, for making the text available on the lyric video, and me, for transcribing it