Zeus

3 minutes ago, violetchain said:

I've never listened to Jupiter, so I thought I'd give them a shot and checked out the video. Do they always spend that much of their videos staring dead-eyed into the distance and acting like the other members don't exist? That video is stiff and boring even by VK standards. 

Yeah, they've always been like that.

Let's say I'm cautiously excited. ZIN was a problem with the band but he was far from the problem, and I don't think swapping out the vocalist will fix everything magically.

 

Welcome! It's been a few months since we did a recap of some quality songs we've been enjoying lately. Lots of great releases have come out this spring, so here's what we recommend checking out if you haven't heard it already. If there's anything we missed, leave it below!

 

 

 

@plastic_rainbow's pick

 

"煙突の街" (Entotsu no machi) by 首振りDolls (Kubuhuri Dolls)

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After putting out only singles, Kubihuri Dolls finally releases their first full album titled 真夜中の徘徊者 ～ ミッドナイトランブラー (Midnight Rambler), and a remarkable one at that. If you're new to them, several people have labeled them as angura-kei for their traditional clothing and face make-up, but their music lies heavily on the garage rock side. Still, Kubihuri Dolls will churn out a few soft and gloomy songs once in a while, one of which is "Entotsu no machi" from their newest album. "Entotsu no machi" tells a whimsical and dark story that opens with a lonely acoustic guitar melody and a sorrowful flute. Nao's raspy vocals are more mellow than usual, but still maintain a roughness even in a ballad. The pipe organ and circus-like beats parade along with hints of old and edgy MUCC. While "Entotsu no machi" is a great track, it doesn't represent Kubihuri Dolls' sound fully so I recommend giving their album a listen if you're interested in knowing what they're all about.

 

@helcchi's picks

"vanitas" by DIMLIM

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Australian luthier Perry Ormsby was impressed by DIMLIM's music, and having endorsed Ryuya as Ormsby Japan's sole domestic artist, his assessment certainly must have substance. I respect these kids who were about half the age former  drummer and kusomen leader Issei to keep the band going and modernize their sound, a move that I think ultimately paid off.
"vanitas" is DIMLIM's first song with new members bassist Taishi and drummer Hiroshi onboard. A departure from Issei-era DIMLIM, it is their most varied song to date and is packed with progressive elements - one can guess that they've been listening to a lot of music in the vein of polyphia and experimented with styles prior to the conception of their upcoming album CHE DO A RA.

This song is both chuggy and clean with riffing that rivals their friends from Earthists, yet unbelievably vibrant and with those bright guitar tones reminiscent of ichika (with similarities to his djentier works like "Lysis" in particular), it's no surprise they were able to invite him to their shusai event. Despite the song's sparse use of distortion, its heaviness is still not lost, with the contrasting sections lending a unique feel to the music listening experience. The musicianship is commendable as each instrument is given equal treatment. Retsu's tapping leads the clean part of the song before Ryuya kills it during the breakdown. Complemented by the new rhythm section - a simple drum setup with a whole lot of groove that transitions to pounding double kicks on top of very audible basslines set the backbone for the song, creating a unifying sound that is no longer derivative of D.I.D. The colorful textures of the instrumentals themselve are enough to keep the listener engaged, yet unlike some of the aforementioned instru-metal artists, DIMLIM is not just an instrumental band, with vocalist Sho being one of the band's greatest assets. He delivers a stellar vocal performance throughout, showing how diverse of a range he has and lest we forget the one thing that most listeners are talking about - that scream. It's long, it's suspenseful and has been met by concern and praise alike. But we can all agree that it is incredible.

On closer inspection however, "vanitas" overall is not groundbreaking, but it is a game-changer for visual kei. DIMLIM have learned a thing or two from the prog/metalcore scenes and are ready to carry it over. Perhaps this song wouldn't get such rave reviews outside of vk circles, but it's one foot in the door to greater recognition and I hope to see them improve more in this direction in the future.

 

"he waits patiently" by ichika

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Solo artist ichika has been making waves ever since bursting into the prog scene 2 years ago. And in this short timeframe, his accolades already run deep - a star in the bandcamp community, countless collaborations with various established artists, as well as an endorsement deal with Ibanez. His works, affectionately dubbed by fans as 'heaven metal', demonstrate fantastic virtuosity with his highly coveted skill in not just guitar, but bass as well. ichika dropped his second and third EPs back-to-back in April, accompanied by two music videos - the guitar track “illusory sense” and my recommended bass track “he waits patiently”.

 

In an age where modern extended range guitar players are racing to the lowest possible tuning, ichika is going against the grain. The way he is able to make his bass sound so melodic, with the richness and clarity of a lead guitar is truly astonishing, creating a beautiful and unique sound that pushes the boundaries of what is musically achievable, and proving once again that he is at a league many musicians strive to be at. The narrative style of songwriting stimulates the imagination, with an atmosphere that is emotionally uplifting, charming the listener with a dreamlike fluidity that seamlessly pours out from the heart.

Anyone who has not checked out ichika's other works, I implore you to do so because I have only one word to describe this young virtuoso - genius.

 

"開花" (Kaika) by DEVILOOF

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Mother of misleading song titles, “Kaika” was one of the most anticipated releases of Spring.The first single after a label deal with Danger Crue 9th Records, this unruly five-piece from Osaka look nothing short of slowing down (or softening up), hauling this hell-sent banger into the mortal realm. The seizure-inducing title track is everything they had promised - labyrinthine structure, appetizing riffs, frequent tempo changes generating breakdown-ception. It's their self-proclaimed fastest and most brutal piece yet.  In other words, everything except 'flowers blooming'.

 

 

”NEW ERA” by DEXCORE

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DEXCORE melted hearts on Christmas Day, when they released the piano ballad "独り言 (hitorigoto)", showing a remarkably sensitive side of them that I never knew they had. Kagami is equally as capable of being harsh as he can be subtle, his cleans are angelic (just look at his twitter habits of posting videos of his acoustic bedroom serenades) yet his gutterals are violently brutal. This is what manifests itself in "NEW ERA". Put simply, it's “Imitation” on steroids, a faaaaaar cry from "独り言", but it has elements of both - verses that alternate between soft and heavy, one of the most ear shattering breakdowns of the year, to be soothed by a melodic bridge. Also, any Japanese singer able to differentiate their Rs from Ls and even being able to enunciate such complicated words like 'motherfucking world' deserves some credit.

 

 

"デリヘル呼んだら君が来た" (Deriheru Yondara Kimi ga Kita) by XYZ production

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The title of this song translates to “When I arranged for a call girl, you appeared”, and this music video is best viewed with closed captions on in order to gain the full 'wtf' experience. Originally composed by vocaloid artist Nanahoshi Orchestra, this rendition of the song which is the brainchild of luz and featuring a cast of nico-nico all-stars with guitar and arrangement courtesy of Far East Dizain's Leda has received a high-octane boost. Leda has gone ham with his arrangement, unnecessarily beefing up an already OTT song. The lyrics to the song are one big inappropriate trip of hilarity, gloriously brought to life by six charismatic vocalists (Don't miss Piko's shining genderbending moment which had the comment section doubling up in hysterics.) These artists have created a monster, and you may either replay this or demand your five minutes of your life back, but you can't deny that it was a roller-coaster ride of side-splitting fun.

 

 

 

@qotka's picks

”のろいうた” (Noroi Uta) by ザアザア

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The past twelve months have been less than kind to ザアザア: their drummer had abruptly left, the whole band got into a car crash and shows had to be cancelled. An actual curse is not too far fetched of an explanation, and some exorcism might definitely be in order. "Noroi Uta" seems like the perfect weapon of choice: this track is hectic, laden with anxiety and is probably capable of, if not expelling, then at least confusing most demons. Speedy drums, heavy guitars and vocals that go from confident and deep singing to cold shrieks, heavy breathing and animal-like screaming - right before swirling into a possessed mantra-like recitation. This is more than a musical track, it’s a compressed theatrical production that tells a story of fear, anguish and some really pissed off demonic beings who are coming to get you. After losing some edge in previous releases "アサガオが泣いてる (Asagao ga Naiteru)" and ”赤色 (Akairo)”, this track seems like a firm declaration that whatever happened in the past year was nothing more than a rough patch.

 

 

"自己嫌悪" (Jikoken'o) by MUCC

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Music is a living, ever-evolving manner of expression, and like in other forms of art, musicians have different approaches when it comes to creating. MUCC, for a large chunk of their career, have been very systematic about writing music, thus creating an extensive body of work. One of the reasons why "自己嫌悪” feels so refreshing is how spontaneously it came to be: whipped up just a few days before first performed live on May 21st in Zepp Tokyo, released as rough demo upon popular demand and then quickly polished and released as a digital single even though it wasn't scheduled. Heartwarming back and forth between listeners and musicians aside, this release will make a lot of sense to anyone who’s listened to "脈拍 (Myakuhaku)", where MUCC tapped into their old material and topped it with some of the new tricks they’ve learned through the years. And just like some of the best tracks on their 2017 release, this single has a nostalgic, raw, rock’n’roll vibe. It’s lighthearted, quirky, engaging (try listening to it without going ‘whoa whoa whoa’ at the chorus! Bonus: killer harmonies in that part) and has one of the most fun guitar solos in Miya’s repertoire. Working in a methodical, almost assembly line-like, manner has helped MUCC stay active for over 20 years, but it’s gems like this that prove that the band still enjoys doing what they do and are more than capable when it comes to getting it across to their audience.

 

 

@emmny's picks

"いつか変われる頃" (Itsuka kawareru koro) by MIZTAVLA

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First thoughts: this new Gossip song bangs. Second thoughts: wait a minute...Gossip were influenced by VelBet...so MIZTAVLA kinda came first? Sometimes in the scene we lose track of who came first, but MIZTAVLA's strong, pre-kaisan showing for "Itsuka kawareru koro" is indicative of the ex-members' rooting in the style. The sound in question is the funky/jazzy/punky style of the early-mid 2000's, with vocalist Riuki's ex-band VelBet being a solid name in that style for the short lived lifespan of the band. This track has two distinct moods, the fun lead guitar and blasting percussion of the intro and the moodier, clean, chorused guitars leading to a distorted breakdown with screeching harmonics. The juxtaposition of the two is what makes the song so engaging, and while it shifts mood, it keeps a coherent atmosphere, typical of quirkier bands of lore. The melodies bang, instrumentation is engaging and musicianship is sharp, maybe now I regret calling for them to disband.

 

"いただきます。" (Itadakimasu.) by マチルダ

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Hot Nagoya newcomers Mathilda (ex-Ramiel, Ribelio, DEVIZE) give us creepy-cute old school oshare a-la Aicle. with their first showing, one-coin single "Itadakimasu". Vocals bite with a Karma (ex-Avelcain) charm, going between whining cleans, manic talking, screaming, and an impassioned, expressive chorus. The dark lyrics and sweet-sour vocals match the mood of the instrumental, shifting from blastbeats to glitchy interludes and flicka-flicka chords over wonky lead guitar lines. It's a strong showing despite the incredibly obvious reference material. The novelty is the band's off-colour revival interest being mid-2000s oshare--a sound more or less forgotten among visual bands, despite forming the core sound of bands like Royz. Mathilda are paying homage to the greats and it's great to have them in an otherwise drab indies scene.

 

"TWO OF A KIND" by  the GazettE

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A band that literally needs no introduction are the legendary Gazette. As DOGMA- era fever died down after a solid two years of machinated, rumbling alternative metal, we were left wondering what would would happen next. We knew it'd be more or less the same, but I don't think anyone could have predicted that NINTH's heavy tracks would actually hit harder than some of DOGMA's bangers. Take "TWO OF A KIND" for example, the spiritual successor of "UGLY", albeit with a bit more swing--seen through the spunky slap bass in the verses and an overall less sober, contrived composition. I found it odd for a band that had a lot of swagger, as seen in their earlier punk and jazz output, to actively suppress it for as long as Gazette did in the DOGMA-era. This is by no means a funky track, but a more nuanced take on the formula they rode with their prior work. The synth work is effortless, the riffs crash with fury, the drumming is challenging and the vocal melodies are varied--not so much relying on that 'comedown' chorus, instead ratcheting up tension with what sounds like an unresolved chord progression before moving onto the bridge and solo. Speaking of tension, if there's one thing we can all agree on about the track, is how the tension ultimately drops with the best end-section on a Gazette song since "DEUX". Ruki closes the track off with a repeat of the chorus, and as it is about to resolve, his voice glitches on the last word--which is then hammered in through a coda of the brutal opening riff as his voice repeats into the abyss. The goosebumps are worth it, if your neck didn't already snap by then and render you unable to see your arms.

 

"アリア-Aria-" by The THIRTEEN

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The THIRTEEN desperately need an introduction. If anything, they're the person at the party who you know has done some shady shit but claim that they're done with that phase and are willing to move on. You hear this from a friend, and based on their word, you go and shake hands, introducing yourself, ready to forgive what may have been. As of now, I'll consider their slate to be clean. The ex-Sadie monstrosity has given us some absolute trash after the demise of aforementioned band--who was also mostly trash, but their direction is turning into something much more promising. "Aria" is their second such showing, after the cautiously fascinating "BITES THE BLACK", a lynch.-esque banger. "Aria"'s closest stylistic comparison is none other than DIR EN GREY's "Uroko", but a more melodic and directly gripping interpretation. Mao's emotive vocals duel against Mizuki's drop A# riffage with ease, while german chanting and shrill organ add to the visual cheese of it all. Support drums propel the track with forward momentum, and the overall effect is shockingly intense and fun. I know I sing along with the chorus every time it comes on, trying to hit the high notes with Mao. As such, the end result is some heavy fun--nothing original, innovative or groundbreaking, just some decent musicians rehashing sounds we've grown to love into an inspired, riveting tracks.

 

@tetsu_sama69's picks

 

"AGUL" by 零[Hz] (Zero[Hz])

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If there is any album that has come out in 2018 that you shouldn't be sleeping on, it would be 零聖戦 (Rei Seisen) from Zero[Hz]. The release as a whole is surprisingly stable and consistently enjoyable throughout and it was extremely difficult to pick a favorite. For the time being my preference lies with "AGUL" since it's a song I cannot get out of my head. There's a lot of talent in Zero[Hz] with previous members of  LONDBOY and Dangan NO LIMIT, it's no shock that the track is extremely catchy and full of energy. Granted it's got a helpful injection of synth which is usually off putting for me but for Zero[Hz] it fits well for their styling and it's not overdone. The vocals from ROY are a treat and hearing the lovely layering of clean vocals and screams injected into the background is a pleasure for the ears. If you haven't checked out 零聖戦 (Rei Seisen)  yet it's an addictive album that deserves more attention overall.

 

 

 

"蜉蝣と僕等." (Kagerou to Bokura.) by Sick.

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When Sick. released "resonance", I was hesitant whether or not I was going to enjoy Sick of you at all but then I stumbled upon "Kagerou to Bokura." and all my concerns were put to rest. If the haunting guitar intro doesn't pull you in then the eruption of screams that calm into whispered vocals should because that did the trick for me. The track overall is beautifully heavy and chilling all at once with its instrumentals that vary from viciously rough to pleasantly smooth with a lovely injection of piano and synths. "Kagerou to Bokura" is a definitely an emotionally  powerful track that gives so much more than I expected. Any worries I had with the recent line-up changes for Sick. were put aside when I heard "Kagerou to Bokura." since now my worries are with how much I put this song on repeat and Sick of you overall.

 

"死因:わからん" (Shiin: Wakaran) by まみれた (Mamireta)

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Mamireta has very quickly settled themselves in as a personal favorite band of mine this year in particular and the case seems to be the same for several others. But there's good reasoning behind it since the band makes the perfect kind of messy visual music that I enjoy more than anything else. I wouldn't say they are "DEZERT kei" style at all but something that reminds me of early Kagerou and other 2000's bands that I love. "Shiin: Wakaran" is short and sweet but full of that kick ass goodness from beginning to end. The trippy guitar during the chorus is infectiously great backed up with solid bass lines and fantastic drumming. The pacing of the track fits it's theme of not understanding the meaning of life with rapidly changing instrumentals and messy vocals. Honestly, my favorite part is when vocalist Batsu lets out a burp before the last half the the song.

 

@fitear1590's picks

"Langage" by 水曜日のカンパネラ & Moodoïd (Wednesday Campanella & Moodoïd)

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Don't you just love collaborations that are not only inter-scene, but also international? When I found out that Moodoïd, one of my favorite projects led by the prince of French psychedelia Pablo Padovani, was teaming up with the Japanese pop weirdo Wednesday Campanella, I was quite surprised. On this bilingual (French and Japanese) track from Moodoïd's new album Cité Champagne, you'll enjoy a nostalgic synth-driven banger that oscillates between Padovani's sultry, aspirated delivery, and a sweeter side offered by KOM_I's bouncier vocals. The music video has a charming retro feel as well, thanks to old-school film grain and slight b-movie aesthetics. If you want more from this unexpected duo, also be sure to check out "Matryoshka" from the new Wednesday Campanella album Galapagos.

"Asphyxia" by Cö Shu Nie

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Cö Shu Nie has been around since at least 2012, when they were up-and-comers in the indie scene. They stood out for the experimental edge often lent to their songs through odd time signatures and blasts of erratic composition. In classic fashion, they streamlined their sound and became considerable poppier as time went on -- eventually, they even shifted their name to katakana, hinting at a new phase. At that point, the band faded from my radar. Flash forward to 2018: the band is now back and producing the theme of anime Tokyo Ghoul:re. Granted, I don't know a damn thing about most current anime, but interestingly enough, being an OP artist actually caused the band to shift back to something comparable to their earlier, more ambitious sound, hinted at by the return of their romaji name. They also seem to have deleted their pre-2018 YouTube presence, so I suppose they are in a soul-searching period. If this latest maxi-single is any indication, they're off to a good restart!

"アヴァリティアリティ"  (Avaritiarity) by グリモア (Grimoire)

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Full disclosure: with UNiTE. really letting me down with their most recent work, GRIMOIRE has easily taken the pedestal as my favorite active visual kei band. After a 2017 with stellar singles and their debut album, the band quickly got back to business this year releasing the new mini-album プシュコマキア (Psychomachia). While not the lead PV single of this release, "アヴァリティアリティ" stood out to me the most by slowing things down and trading in the band's ultra-chuggy riffs for intense emotion. Overall, the song expands on the sound explored in "あましずくとマクガフィン (Ama shizuku to McGuffin)," the dark horse opener from their first album. Gloomy verses give way to powerful, melodramatic choruses and one of the band's most extraordinary guitar interludes -- heartwrenching, rather than heavy.

 

 

@Zeus's picks

"Ash" by Dir en grey

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Finding displeasure with Dir en grey's new direction is how we pass time waiting for their new album, but finding pleasure in one of their modern interpretations of their visual classics is what's surprising. The new recording of "Ash" took some time to warm up to, but compared to previous remakes, I accepted this version in record time. For full disclosure, I still think the 2001 recording of "Ash" is the best yet, but this one doesn't induce loathing and hatred. It helps that the new "Ash" maintains the structure of the original three versions of the song, so that it resembles the track it says it does. What sets it over the top is the acoustic interlude into the solo, which I didn't see coming the first time around and staves off monotony. The new chorus is the biggest hurdle to cross, and I miss the demonic outro of the 2001 脈 re-recording, but these are not deal breakers.  I'm confident in saying this is one of their best coupling tracks in years. Give it a spin if you haven't already.

 

 

"覇王"(Haou) by 陰陽座 (Onmyouza)

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If that kid you told in high school to 'never change' took the form of a Japanese heavy metal band, that would be 陰陽座 (Onmyouza). Their newest album, 覇道明王, sees them double down on the aspects which make them both heavy and metal, and a lot of that is due to the opening track "覇王" (Haou). From the opening low notes of the piano which notes something grand is about to begin, "覇王" (Haou) launches a six minute epic that sets the stage for their most accessibly metal album ever, and the way they go all in confirms that there's more to be had on the following tracks, and that it's more than a one-off experiment. The vocals are powerful, the solo is fantastic, and the riffs could get a nod of approval from both the mallcore crowd and the "trve kvlt" clan. If you love them already, this is the song to renew your vows to. If you don't, this might be the song to make you question that. The last few albums have been a mash of different styles of rock and metal, so I'm really glad they let their hair down to rock out for a change.

 

Thanks for reading!

I took you up on that offer and I still hear no muddiness . If I want, I can pick out any instrument and follow along almost effortlessly in TWO OF A KIND. There are moments when fuzzy synth comes in and out and that masks more sibilant sounds like the cymbals, but I don't hear muddiness. What qualities are you all referring to when you say muddy?

 

| One of the best GazettE albums in recent memory.

I can't believe it's been three years since DOGMA. It feels like I just finished roasting it for being the "most underwhelming album of the year" and "ARCHE, Iowa-era Slipknot, and a quarter of DIM shoved in a blender and served cold". To be fair, most of my criticisms came from how stale and similar all the songs felt; the result of going a bit too far in the metalcore direction. Ever the perfectionists, it seems that the band actually addressed all of my complaints with NINTH. By combining the dark and heavy nature of DOGMA with the electronic rock explored with TOXIC and DIVISION and the retro "Gaze-rock" style of BEAUTIFUL DEFORMITY, The GazettE have succeeded in delivering an experience that mixes old and new sounds. NINTH won't win you over if you don't like the direction of the last four albums. If you took more of an issue with the execution of those concepts, than this is what you've been waiting for since DIM.

 

It's been a while since I feel comfortable recommending an album of theirs. NINTH is an easier and more engaging listening experience than DOGMA, with smooth, slick, and balanced production. I don't understand the criticisms of "muddy production" because I don't hear it. I even pulled out my good headphones - the Sennheiser HD600s - and plugged them straight into my Logitech speakers to pluck out minor grievances with the mix and it sounded better that way. This reaches a level that visual kei music can rarely afford to reach. Ruki has advised fans to get great audio equipment to experience each album to the fullest, but I think it's more true now than before. The songs are also arranged very well and flow into each other, and I can't recall a single jarring stylistic transition. All of these elements together makes every song an attractive listening experience. There's also the absence of several elements which used to drag down prior releases: the lack of standout tracks, filler, and clumsy Green Day-ish all English punk songs that stick out. The GazettE cut the fat out of this album in a way I wish Dir en grey could.

 

An album can still have highlights even when it's consistently good. I can't end this review without naming my favorite tracks. The first would be "その声は脆く", a rock ballad which starts on an unassuming note before effortlessly sliding into a thick, melancholic atmosphere. It even has a (short) twin guitar solo, a staple of rock songs I've been missing from their music lately. The follow-up track, "Babylon's Taboo", creates the best one-two punch on NINTH. I could be convinced that this is a heavier take on an unreleased 9GOATS BLACK OUT song. "Falling" is the de facto single of the album, receiving the first music video to push the album, and there's a damn good reason why. "The Mortal" is another track that deserves a shout out for mixing some of NIL-era flavor in the chorus with DOGMA-style riffs in the breakdown, and serves as a great summary for the journey the album takes us on. If The GazettE were still releasing singles, this would have been the second one.

 

NINTH makes a strong argument for keeping a low profile until an album is complete. Visual kei bands can capture my attention with rapid fire single releases, but that makes it harder to impress me with an album of familiar content. NINTH wouldn't be as impressive if they gave us previews and teasers months or years before it was done. I hope other bands are taking notes. If you haven't already, put some cash towards this worthy album. It will be favorably remembered for years to come.

 

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On 6/18/2018 at 9:12 PM, Shmilly said:

I agree that this single isn't their finest work, but I don't think you're giving them enough credit for variety in their music. For stripped down elements, try their softer songs like ネイキッド. Being more adventurous with genres? How about イノセンス or even PINOCCHIO on this single? Songs that go directly into the chorus? The last two singles were exactly that. I think RAZOR have found a sound they want to go with, which is why some of their choices of lead tracks recently seem a little stale, but if you take the rest of their work as a whole I think there is a reasonable amount of experimentation for the length of their career and the size of their discography.

I'm going to have to listen to the songs you've mentioned and get back to you. I reviewed this single without revisiting any of their other material. In the context of this single, everything sounds a little too similar for my tastes.

13 hours ago, reminiscing2004 said:

Will be keen to check this out after your very positive review. Onmyouza was the first japanese band I listened to, and I listened to all their albums up until Maou-Taiten (that was all that was out at the time) religiously. I tried dipping back in once or twice since then, but had trouble enjoying the new material ( though it seems like they've released a lot between Maou-taiten and now). I'm optimistic to check it out.

I'm really curious to know how you feel about the first track!

 
 

| How does a band that delivers the same music for over 15 years defy expectations?

 

Like DEATHGAZE and lynch., 陰陽座 (Onmyouza) is that type of band that sticks to their guns and delivers the same style of music with each release. Also like DEATHGAZE and lynch., 陰陽座 (Onmyouza) is the kind of the band that won't do much to change your mind, no matter how many times they come knocking at your door with a new sales pitch. When I was a J-music novice, I thought being one-dimensional was a bad thing because I rated diversity much more highly than I probably should have, mostly due to the way many visual kei bands use diversity as a musical condiment. What is more important to me now is that a band delivers every time they announce a new song or album. While the two visual kei bands I mentioned earlier haven't been the paragons of consistency, 陰陽座 definitely is. There's not an album in their catalog that I would consider sub par - this is impressive with a career spanning almost twenty years and fifteen albums - and their newest album, 覇道明王, continues that trend.

 

I'll take the time now and say that if what you've heard in the past has done nothing for you, just listen to the first track "覇王". If that does nothing for you, you are free to go. I have nothing to say that will change your mind. If, however, you have never heard of this band before or "覇王" actually caught your interest, then welcome to what is perhaps the most metal album ever. This feels like, but also far outstrips, 2007's 魔王戴天 (Maoutaiten). 覇道明王 has zero chill, and from the opening piano chords of "覇王" to the fading guitar of "無礼講", 覇道明王 has the potential to keep you hooked without wanting a pause. Unlike past albums, there's no token seven minute ballad to bore you to sleep, or attempts at infusing disparate genres like pop punk and classic rock into their distinct brand of heavy metal. It's straightforward, punishing, rewarding, and everything I never knew I really wanted from this band.

Whenever I finish the intoxicating experience of listening to a new 陰陽座 album for the first time, I always wonder how the next one will surpass this one. They don't always manage to raise the bar, but they never completely shit the bed either. The last four albums in a row have consistently impressed me, but I don't think there's an album of theirs that's clicked as quickly as this one. Unfortunately, I cannot give it a perfect score because I believe it's a tad overwhelming for an initiate to sit through without wanting a breather. However, I'm confident in recommending this album to anyone that likes metal with subtle Japanese flair, dual female and male vocals, or just wants something new to listen to. This is as good of a place as any to jump in if you are unfamiliar with this band.

 

 

 

 

 

| A great white flash of nothing special.

 

Every so often, I come across a single or an album that leaves me speechless. Whether that is a good or a bad thing depends on if my expectations were met. Despite my glowing review of RAZOR's first mini-album, their newest single "BRILLIANT" leaves me feeling cold. Strip away the visual kei conventions and I'm left with very little that I can associate uniquely with RAZOR.

 

Listening to BRILLIANT is listening to a different take on the same three songs. Lead single "BRILLIANT" sounds like a bog-standard upbeat visual kei song with a misplaced breakdown. It's a boring track and a close cousin to the third track, "PINNOCHIO", but "PINNOCHIO" is way more interesting. I'd have flipped the track list and marketed this single as "PINNOCHIO", if the goal was to pilot something radio friendly. "HONEY" is the track for those looking for something to head bang to, with a groovy riff, but changing the key the song is composed in doesn't change the way it was constructed. It could be so much more than it is.

 

No matter how much this band is divorced from any previous bands, I expect the lessons learned to carry over. If I limit the scope of this conversation to just BORN, I'm confident in saying that BORN were way more adventurous in the genres they were inspired by and put into their music. The result wasn't always great, but they tried. I need RAZOR to find that same interest, and I'm not only talking about the genre. Give me a solo instead of a breakdown, take more time to develop the introduction to a song, amp up the electronic effects or strip them entirely, or even start the song off with the chorus immediately. Even doing small things can help to give each song an identity.

 

This has sounded like a very negative review, but I assure you that there's still something here for the modern visual kei fan to dig into. I am personally just hoping for more. RAZOR is one of the few bands on the scene I have any type of emotional connection to, so I want to see them succeed. In order for that to happen, I'm going to need to see some progression. "HONEY" and "PINNOCHIO" are passable, but I'm looking for a stronger showing from their lead single.

 

 

I never knew I wanted a thread so bad in my life.

51 minutes ago, colorfuljinsei said:

*sits down in rocking chair* 

 

"Piracy: an act of robbery on the high sea-" 

*cough* 

"Piracy: the unauthorized use of another's production, invention, or conception especially in infringement of a copyright"

 

The warnings you get that precede DVD contents, plastered on CDs, etc. are constant reminders that piracy is clearly DEFINED .  We've moved the conversation beyond the point of piracy b/c this forum promotes the sharing of copyrighted content.  We can crunch all the numbers we want about vk band revenue streams, but in a legal sense all of us who participate in this are in the "wrong". 

 

The arguments and debates on this forum really stem from our subjective stances on the value of content in its physical and digital form.  

 

1. This is all true.
2. What I meant to say is that we should define our own reasons for why we pirate. I should have clarified that.

NOT THIS TOPIC AGAIN!

 

Relax, it's not what you think.

If you guys remember this topic - and I'm sure most of you do - then you will remember that I made a proposal at the end of it. What I said I wanted to observe was the effect of "our" piracy - our as in Monochrome Heaven - on visual kei sales, using the GazettE's newest album "NINTH" as the benchmark. Some of you really took this suggestion to heart, and others thought I was making a bad joke. I wasn't.

 

There's something to be said for testing even the most obvious of conclusions because sometimes the results can surprise you, but the results of this did not. I knew that this album would leak and make its way here well under the two weeks I specified. Next time someone restarts the discussion of supporting our favorite bands by not pirating their music, point them to this topic and remind them that the Internet is a very large place and that shouting your demands in one corner of it isn't going to change what happens where your voice and influence can't reach. Not even mine.

 

It's good to know that we are not the center of the visual kei universe. We have some influence and we do our part to keep the show going, but if we were to disappear tomorrow, I don't think the show would stop. That is ultimately a good thing. The scene needs to spread if it wants to stay alive. It seems pretty obvious but its worth reiterating. For what it's worth, the album didn't appear here first so it's not like we are the alpha and the omega to all of the woes our favorite bands go through.

 

The conclusion that I can draw from this failed social experiment is that we need a better definition of what "piracy" actually is. There are reasons why the international scene depends on piracy, so to make future discussions more useful we should find as many different reasons as we can and the distribution within the scene. To that end, I've attached an anonymous poll to the top of this post.  If you are interested, vote for the option that fits your situation the best, and if there isn't one (and you don't mind), share your specific reasons below.

 

I'll leave this topic open until the end of the month so you guys can share your thoughts and opinions.

Let's make a poll and see how the whole forum feels. This sounds like it has potential.

4 hours ago, hiroki said:

i think the so-called "promotion" is exaggerated because (i) most of the supposed promotion we do (esp in the form of piracy *cough*) does almost nothing for the target market segment of the bands, i.e. people who can and will go to their lives; (ii) as @Komorebi has mentioned, most of us would be like OMGZ THIS BAND IS GOOD and proceed to recline deeper into our armchair waiting for someone else to upload the band's next release. maybe this sounds a little harsh, but it's supremely arrogant of us to think that the band is obliged to go out of their way to cater to the convenience of international fans when they have literally nothing to gain other than "international exposure"--which in most cases is little more than the comfort offered by the thought that there are now 10 more people outside Japan listening to their music and typing 'awwww they were good' in a forum somewhere when they are on the brink of disbandment.

 

In my opinion, there even being a divide between "international" and "local" fans is the root of an entirely different problem. Fans are fans, no matter where they may live, and we live in a time where the world is becoming increasingly interconnected. There's a distinction in my mind between a local artist who has their music internationally available (example: a rapper promoting his first mix tape on sound cloud) and an international artist only promoting their music locally (example: fan-club limited CD's a la cali≠gari). Even if a local artist has to rely on word of mouth to have their music spread to new ears, having it available on a venue such as Bandcamp or Spotify doesn't actually cost them anything to attract new listeners. They upload it once, the big man upstairs takes his cut, and whatever funds come your way through those sources are yours. And think about how many of these artists go viral and actually become mildly or wildly successful because their music was easy to access. This is in contrast to only promoting music locally, which doesn't necessarily take less money to produce, and is purposefully reaching a smaller audience. Sometimes, bands even go out of their way to make it difficult for non-Japanese people to engage with them, like when record labels purposefully prohibit selling releases overseas through second hand shops even though they aren't footing the shipping bill, or when the label uploads a PV to their official channel and then region-locks it to Japan so that we have to use VPNs to watch a music video on an international platform. Stick some fucking ads before the video and make some free money god damn it.

Here's an excerpt from Bandcamp's pricing page where the explain how they run their business.

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Pricing

 

Artist accounts are free. We make money through our revenue share on sales, which is 15% for digital, 10% for merch. We also offer Bandcamp Pro (our premium tier for artists), and Bandcamp for Labels, both for a monthly fee.

 

Is there a volume discount?

Yes, the revenue share on digital drops from 15% to 10% as soon as you reach $5,000 USD in sales (and stays there, provided you’ve made at least $5,000 in the past 12 months).

 

For merch sales, does the 10% revenue share apply to shipping and tax?

No. Shipping and tax, if applicable, are not included when calculating the share on merch.

 

Are payment processing fees included in the revenue share rates?

No, processing fees are separate and typically range between 4 and 6%. Please see the details here, including tips on what you can do to minimize those fees.

 

Is there a break for higher-priced items?

 

Yes. Many expensive items are sold through Bandcamp, like deluxe packages and beat licenses, and with name-your-price we occasionally see superfans paying hundreds of dollars for a single album or track (thanks, mom!). The revenue share applies to the first $100 of an item only (or the item total when more than one of that item is purchased).
 

How do I get paid on Bandcamp?

You’ll receive payouts from us in your PayPal account. If you haven’t set one up yet, head over here.

 

The majority of accounts on Bandcamp use our Standard Payments system. Under Standard Payments, payments for digital and physical items are processed separately.

 

Payments for digital items are processed first by Bandcamp and paid out to your PayPal account 24-48 hours later. (Higher-value purchases, like a track that sells for $500, are manually reviewed and may take up to 14 days.) We collect our 10-15% revenue share at the time of sale along with payment processor fees.

Payments for physical merchandise are paid directly from the fan to your PayPal account without being processed through Bandcamp. Since we aren't able to collect our revenue share at the time of the transaction, we instead keep a running tab of the amount owed, which we call your "revenue share balance." That balance is automatically paid off with proceeds collected from future sales (e.g. a percentage of your digital sales or an entire physical sale less than the owed balance).

Now I don't suggest this in lieu of signing a record deal, because a deal also comes with other benefits such as free promotion, practice space, and studio time. But for a lot of starting, independent visual kei bands that don't have a lot of funds, this is the more ideal way to go. We don't even know how well this approach would work because no band has ever tried it. I listen to both the underground metal scene as well as the doujin scene from Japan, and both scenes run their affairs completely differently, and both manage to promote their music and ship internationally way more efficiently than visual kei bands. The way the visual kei scene runs its affairs in 2018 is almost identical to the way they did it in 2008. It's been ten years and not much has changed, and the underlying attitudes pervading the scene are even earlier than that. The world is changing, and bands must prepare and adapt.

You are entirely correct in that most of us would never buy a release. I am guilty of this too, no doubt. Many record companies realize this, and that's why they are transitioning to streaming services. Japan needs to catch up. I don't even like streaming services, and I still prefer to download and hoard all my music, but I recognize the appeal and utility in what they offer. Complaining about being on the brink of disbandment while spending large amounts of money on make-up, outfits, and photo shoots means concessions have to be made somewhere, and if the way that music is distributed has to change then so be it. Visual kei needs to become more consumer friendly, no matter where that consumer may live.

 

I should make an addendum to my earlier post and clarify that live-distributed releases don't bother me if they function as a preview. If whatever music or DVD or merch sold at a live is eventually included in a store-purchasable fashion, then I'm fine with waiting. I'd have to wait anyway, and at least the luck portion is removed from the equation. Extract your profits up front, and then sell it to the masses later. If pumping out CDs stresses the budget that much, take orders and only sell as many CDs as was ordered so no band ends up with hundreds of unsold releases. Hell, do what Kisaki did and distribute any remaining CDs through auctions online under anonymous accounts at a later date so all the money goes back to the band anyway. But only selling things at lives sucks for everyone who couldn't go, international fan or not, and you don't make as much money as you could have if you just sold it both ways.
 

4 hours ago, hiroki said:

BLESSCODE tried something like that when they sold Eau de toilette and Bizarre on the Vstar webshop and made it such that only international fans were allowed to purchase them online. But this plainly isn't feasible for bands who lack the relevant connections and I can't see bandmen who aren't as insanely enthusiastic as masaya about making it "fair" for everyone to get their music putting in half that much effort. It's also depressing that for a band who was at least somewhat known in the international vk fandom, they didn't even manage to sell THAT many extra copies - which makes one wonder if it's even worth all the logistical hassle at all.

This is a ... weird approach to take, but I actually like that masaya cared enough about the international fans to make it available to us in some fashion. BLESSCODE tried something different, and it wasn't at the expense of the consumer's time, money, and effort. Maybe they didn't make that much money off of it, but the alternative was to have a bunch of pressed yet unsold CDs sitting around, which would just mean that's wasted money anyway. Sometimes the sentiment behind actions are priceless, and I know many fans of BLESSCODE appreciated this gesture. I sure do, and I'm not even a fan of them!

I would really like to understand the logistics behind how this whole scene works from top to bottom, because the more I sit and think about it the more I feel like there's a few people at the top holding back progress for everyone else. A lot of counter arguments I can make to my own points is that some big wig sitting in a cushy office set up a contract expressly forbidding bands from implementing half the ideas I proposed, which makes most of my arguments moot anyway. Record companies may be making record profits these days, but on that same token artists and musicians have more tools and promotion than at any time in history before. The fact that we know about every single upstart indies band in Japan just weeks or even days after they formed is a far cry from how the scene was back in 1999, when only the biggest names in the scene were whispered in noisy American cafeterias with 128kbps sound samples and low res PV snippets available online in two to three places, with a random selection of full tracks available for the pirating on Napster.

 

tl;dr - a band is both a business and an investment. It may sound harsh, but just because a bunch of pretty boys slap on make up doesn't mean that they can get away with running their business inefficiently. Diversify and adapt, or face disbandment.

7 hours ago, Komorebi said:

I'd say live dist. annoys me the least in this list. Producing music is expensive and spending more so three foreign fans will buy your single is just not worth it when you can keep it live and have 30+ people in japan who WILL go to your live and buy it.

We all know for average indie bands there's very few people overseas who actually do buy the releases if they are not uploaded, the most prominent example being the interesting discussion I had last night with @Duwang about 甘い簿力. If they did sold their CDs overseas, how many would actually purchase them and how many would just wait until someone else uploads them?

Sure, it's a hassle for foreign fans, but I can really see why some bands go that route or reward faithful attendees with a live dist song. Both Gotcharocka and D give a song for free about once a year at a tour final and it must be a nice present for those who actually do spend time and money on them. Why is a random fan in Europe who does not spend a dime on the band (because other bands are their priority) is suddenly entitled to have a HQ copy if the song? I think bands who don't abuse of live distributed releases do have the right to reward their fanbases.

 

Fandom jealousy, petty envy overseas and such are really bothersome. I can count with both hands cases of girls who've been bashed on social media by their fanbase just because they saved money and went to Japan and they fucking said they were there. I've been accused of bragging at least twice a year, for quite a while now,  for sharing what I get in the mail on my IG, and so have many others. That idiotic jealousy and comments such as "x band sucks, cuz their fangirls suck" hurt the scene much more tbh.

But...the internet. You don't have to sell CDs to sell music anymore. It's a false equivalence in the age of gigabit internet.

 

In my opinion, blaming overseas fans for poor sales is a straw man argument. Plenty of non-visual indie acts from all over the world produce music on a dime and manage to sell it to anyone interested. In fact, most of these bands do the legwork with constant online promotion in order to get the word out, and promotion via word of mouth is free. We do it all the time on their behalf. We have YouTube, we have iTunes, we have SoundCloud, we have OTOTOY, we have Bandcamp, we have official home pages, and we have countless other services which provide instant international exposure for a minimal price. At what point does it transition from "music is expensive to make" to "fuck you foreigners, you don't get to hear these particular songs"? Because honestly, that's what this whole live-distributed music has transformed into from the perspective of someone who is never going to take a trip to Japan.

 

Also, there's a big, BIG difference between a live distributed release that functions as a preview and a live distributed release that functions as a present. One of them might end up on a future release available for international purchase. The other disappears into the sands of time. Limited live-distributed releases in particular are a form of ass cancer that needs to go terminal and die. That's intentionally spending money and limiting your exposure for no appreciable gain.

 

If you have money for wigs and photo shoots but not enough money to record music, you're doing the whole visual kei band thing wrong.

 

For as much as I love visual kei, there are plenty of practices I detest. I could go on forever. It wouldn't be fair to celebrate all of the good in the scene without admitting the bad as well. There are so many things that make me sad, make me irate, or make me want to rip my hair out that it was hard to settle on just five. Here's five commonplace practices in visual kei that's a total ball ache for any international fan invested into the scene.

 

 

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You know the old saying "first impressions matter"? Well, I've always had a bad impression of live distributed singles, starting with the drama that erupted around Since1889's Dear…raila. Some poor soul on Tainted World bought the single from an auction for $150 plus shipping, only for the single to be ripped and uploaded the day after she received it. The conspiracy theorist within me believes the person who sold her the single upped it after sending the package off, not knowing if the recipient would upload it (as us gaijin are wont to do). It wasn't even in good quality. This kicked off an enormous debate about entitlement and if certain fans have the right to hear certain songs, and all this over a song that wasn't even that good. Something similar happened a few months later with DI3SIRAE's At the Break of Dawn mini-album, which they only sold at their last concert ever.  ReivieЯ did the same thing with selling a dedicate to all of you at their second to last live, only to turn around and release 追憶/桜 a week later at their final live (but at least that one felt like a parting gift instead of a last minute cash grab). I even caught Lycaon trying their own hand at this scheme. Their idea was to have fans show up to three concerts and keep the ticket stubs and trade them in with the ticket stub from the tour final for a bonus song. I never knew what that song was or if anyone went through the hassle of doing it. It's not limited to music; bands have limited CDs/DVDs and merchandise you can't buy on their web shop or through auction houses too. THE BLACK SWAN went as far as making the lyric booklet for their first album OUSIA live-limited.

Point is, I could never imagine myself spending $150 on one song, knowing the band sees none of that money. I can't see myself spending the price of four ticket admissions for a "free song". I can't imagine showing up to a bunch of lives with pamphlets in hand to get a lyric booklet. Spin it as a gift to the fans if you want, but for us international fans, all of this a pain the ass. These songs and materials don't always get re-released which means we may never get to hear or have them. Knowledge of these songs are lost to time more often than not. I can't think of a time where I actually liked live-distributed releases. I tolerated their existence when visual kei was all I listened to, and its only gone downhill from there.

 

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You've probably never heard of a limited time band because they announce their debut and disbandment in one breath. RHYOLITE is the most prominent example of such a band, a stellar lineup from PSC back in 2008 that lasted eleven weeks. Before Kyouka ended up back in Chaos System for the second time, he started a band called DROSERA OBLAAT. that put out a whole one song and disbanded. A most recent example of such a band from 2016 is ZOL, a band that formed and disbanded so fast there's no information on who the band members even were. We also can't forget about PINKISH CROWN and PRIMARY GLOW, two bands announced by guitarist Lovely from wistaria that accomplished nothing of value and disbanded in less than a year and a half. Turn ∀ is another, a side project of A (Anonymous Confederate Ensemble) after that unit decided to go on hiatus that released live distributed singles so rare I never got to hear them - and I heard they were garbage. I understand sometimes situations change, but why start a band knowing you can't commit? It's an absolute joke. I'm glad fans are able to draw the line at a certain point - a lot of the fun in following visual kei is watching bands grow and evolve and that's a moot point if the band will only be around for a few months at most.

 

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I don't know what evil business man came up with this scheme to split the contents of one single into two or even three versions. It's so blatantly exploitative I don't know where to begin or if I even need to explain. I draw the line at three. I make peace with albums coming in regular and limited editions for albums, because I can usually watch what I miss on YouTube or buy the missing tracks on iTunes. Visual kei took the same strategy for singles and I swallowed that bitter pill because it was a logical business move. Then, bands took to releasing one version in stores and another live-distributed version with different tracks, and that actively sucked but I could always hope someone was feeling generous and would share the extra tracks. But I didn't actively hate multi-type releases until bands started releasing singles in more than two versions. Throw a dart at any random UNDERCODE band and at one point they probably tried it. Versailles tried it by printing five versions of Prince - one for each member - and not only was it redundant but it burned Jasmine You and Yuki pretty hard. v[NEU] upped the ante with six versions of APOLLON/starting over - and every version had different B-side tracks. Royz,  Kiryu, and Codomo Dragon have ten editions of Family Party at different prices with different PVs, and it would cost 16420yen to acquire all editions. That's about $145 dollars, not including the shipping. And if you think that's bad, Golden Bomber holds the record for releasing 47 types of single やんややんやNight〜踊ろよXX〜. Even if that's a joke, it's not funny. All I can do is exhale slowly and be thankful this type of marketing cancer hasn't metastasized beyond visual kei.

 

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Of all the fads I dislike about visual kei, conditional disbandment has to be among the most recent ones. The idea behind conditional disbandment  is that a visual kei band threatens to disband if they don't sell a certain amount of tickets or gain a certain amount of attendees. The scheme varies from one band to another, but they all have a goal of trying to rally their fan base to come to a particular live. Some bands don't even reveal the criteria for conditionally disbanding! I can actually remember a time when bands would mumble something about "musical differences" before they parted ways. We all knew it was a lie, but at least the entire band could end activities with relative dignity. Conditional disbandment tactics makes bands look like attention whores. phase faith were the first to try their hand at this in 2011, and were immediately met with universal amusement from everyone on MH. While their goal of fans was reached (207 people showed up to the 7/23 live), their OHP shows them doing only occasional live shows with no releases after early 2012. A few other bands that have tried it are クレパス(craypas), RoViN, TesЯoa (f.k.a. Rubik), Nollcrea-ノルクレア-, dr.tarantula, TRUST, Misaruka, ZeR'0-ゼロ, Six-Sence, and XALTEA. Don't feel out of the loop if you haven't heard of many of these bands, since conditional disbandment is the last resort tool of visual kei bands trapped in purgatory. It looks like a clever option when a band is good enough to become filler for someone else's headline but not good enough to keep devoted fans coming back for more.

Note to visual kei bands: if you reach the point where you contemplate this decision, just break up. Every band that has ever tried it has disappeared into the ether, even if they hit their goal. The track record is not good and I'm sure it leaves a negative impression upon all fans afterwards. I'm not against bands setting a milestone for themselves in private and calling it quits if they fail to reach it. Self-reflection is an admirable quality. Contorting this idea to manipulate fans and sell more concert tickets is gross.

 

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There's a lot of shady things that go down behind the scenes in visual kei. Tanuki is a haven for the latest gossip in the scene. While sometimes it's difficult to separate fact from fiction, quite a few surprising scandals started out as revelations from there, and quite a few more started as rumors that got so serious the police had to intervene. Browsing Tanuki reminds me that the scene is not as idealized as we envision it to be, and sometimes that's a good reminder. There are the less than glamorous parts to it, rife with scandals, drama, and poor decision making skills at the center of most of them. My not so subtle nod to SHINTARO from BLACK CAT is the most prominent example of Grade A douchebaggery  - he would take advantage of underage fans, coerce them into sex orgies with him, and then film it for blackmail later - but scandals expand beyond that in many different dimensions. After reading countless stories of band members stealing money and band equipment, disappearing unexpectedly from band activities, getting other scene members irresponsibly drunk and posting pictures of the event on social media, bullying, and a lot of acts classified only as "heinous" and "irredeemable" when someone gets kicked out of a band, I'm amazed that there hasn't been a moral panic of 'predators and debauchery in visual kei' on the news. It's pretty much an open secret that band members and devoted fans don't exactly have a healthy, symbiotic relationship, but looking at the darker corners of visual kei make you wonder about all the drama behind closed doors we never get to hear about. 

 

Like I said above, I have way more than five things that annoy me about the scene. Does anyone else want to fill in the gaps with practices that they hate that they've come to accept within the scene? Come share your frustrations and horror stories with me. We have plenty of tea and live-distributed crackers for you.

pls no guys. i love drama as much as the next person but there's something special and toxic about dir en grey drama that makes my lactose intolerant stomach churn. i'd rather not swing the hammer 2day.

 

 

For better or for worse, visual kei is something that's had an impact on my life.  I never thought groups of cross dressing Japanese men playing metal would be something that's stuck with me for so long, but throughout all the surprises, discoveries, disappointments, and developments I've stuck around in some capacity. I may not be as heavy into visual kei or Japanese music as I used to be, but there's a part of me that will always go back to the music I've enjoyed and another part of me that's always looking forward to new bands, activities, and trends. Here are five things I really enjoy about the scene which has kept me coming back again and again since 1999.

 

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As dumb as it sounds at first, mixing fashion with music is a very addicting combination. Metal is no stranger to face paint, strange fashion choices, wigs, and stage theatrics, but no scene brings together aesthetics and music better than visual kei. I was never sold on the look of glam metal. Blame the low-res washout polaroid band pics, bad reputation, or the fact that I don't enjoy looking at buff men in skimpy outfits. Black metal gives me a similar vibe, with the shock lyrics, photo shoots, and face paint fails to impress me. Even Western attempts at the visual kei style fall short, with their hard, angular faces unable to sell that skinny, androgynous look. What visual kei is a bit of every scene that musicians draw influence from. I'm always intrigued by the wide variety of interpretations that come to visual kei; there's bands inspired by cultures around the globe, androgynous pretty boys, leather fetishists with creepy face masks, suits, fashionistas, circus freaks, goths (VK goth > American goth sorry), demons, vampire aristocrats, doctors, patients, zombies, cripples, dynasty warriors, galaxy space wizards, and more. If you give it a chance, odds are you'll find a band with a look that resonates with you. It's one of the few mysteries of the scene that keep me coming back.

 

 

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Genres within visual kei know no bounds. Bands dress however they want to dress and play whatever they want to play. There's a flavor of the decade that many bands will lean on for easy success, but there are just as many bands that buck the trend and do something else. I've heard visual kei bands play rock, jazz, alternative, electronica, ska, blues, punk, metalcore, gothic metal, power metal, and various combinations of these in different proportions - sometimes within the same track! It's a great way to open up to a new genre in a familiar context.

There are times that bands switch genres through their career as well. This isn't as novel within the realm of visual kei, but I can't think of many American bands that will drastically switch their entire aesthetic and musical output while keeping the same band name. It's not always well-received, and there's no guarantee that a band will do as well if they try, but it keeps things fresh and sometimes, the change in direction is more than welcome.

Vocalists deserve a special shout out here too. There are some truly talented, amazing singers in the scene making great music. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have some vocalists who make up for what they lack in delivery and emotion. Then there are vocalists that are...unique, and I'll leave it at that. All of them incorporate different singing techniques, imperfections, and vocal ticks cultivated from whatever is currently popular mixed with years of previous bands laying the foundation for the style. This mix of old and new is why visual kei as a scene never remains stagnant for too long. What bands were doing ten years ago aren't what bands are doing today, and the willingness to think outside the box and experiment is another one of those qualities of the scene that keep me interested.
 

 

 

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Like any good story, visual kei's earliest days are shrouded in mystery. There are a lot of good reasons for this. First, few thought to preserve demo tapes, polaroids, or live recordings from that time. Those who did used now-obsolete technology to preserve it, so as the days pass it becomes rarer to find and preserve new "old media". Most of what happened in the 80's may as well be lost history, and most of the 90's is spotty as well. There are efforts underway to do so - RarezHut is one such enterprise which often comes into contact with old, rarer releases - but what we have is what we have. There are a lot of bands and events that we will never know existed that influenced the scene in some way to this day. Coming into contact with relics of the past feels like unearthing a vault of faceless, axe-wielding ancients and there's a certain joy that comes with exploring the history of visual kei that I don't get with other scenes, because if I dig deep enough I may end up discovering something no other English-speaking fan might know.

But there's also a certain joy in reading up on what we do remember about the scene and how much things have changed even within the last ten years. I have lots of fun reading up on theories, translations, and discussions about old events, rumors, and blog posts between members. I also enjoy keeping up on all the new trends, new releases, sipping tea at messy scandals, playing detective with other members when a band member gets sick or goes missing, and most of all I love it when members post innocuous observations that turn into interesting and unexpected discoveries.

 

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I was ten or eleven when I asked my dad a question that would greatly shape the way I process and digest music. It was around the time Green Day released American Idiot, and I noted that they released the album first and cut singles from the album second. This seemed backwards to me; if I had neither and bought the album, I would have no need to buy the single. But if I had neither and bought the single, I would still be compelled to buy the album. I asked my dad why record companies would do this. He looked at me confused, then made his best guess at saying they probably are banking on people who wouldn't buy an entire album buying just the songs they like, especially because albums tended to load up with intros and skits to pad the run time and make the artist more money.

Remember, this was just a best guess of his. But more than a decade later, I still think that the way some record companies did it in the past was stupid. I also remember looking to the Japanese music scene - which at that point my knowledge was limited to anime openings and pop - and noticing how anime tie-ins worked and how singles would come before albums. It all seemed so logical. Only a few bands have ever decided to flip this trend;  Sadie did the "single after album" release pattern once with 陽炎 (Kagerou), outfitting it with some pretty shit B-sides, and I remember members wondering what the point of that was. The newest band to try this out is JILUKA with Ajna -SgVer- back in October 2017, and they had to heavily modify the track to give fans a reason to buy it again.

 

In my earliest days, I relished the ability to hear and own a single as a teaser months before album release, even if it was exploitative from a capitalist perspective. I liked having B-sides that (most of the time) wouldn't end up on the next album, granting incentive to purchase the single. Exclusive bonuses like pics of the band, posters, and comment DVDs, help releases fly off the shelves. Some labels eventually jumped the shark by milking multiple editions of the same single, and that dulled my hype a bit. The change to digital distribution blunted my hype much more, because I don't get the same rush from downloading as I do purchasing and opening. Sales figures slumping year after year may one day put an end to physical distribution, but let it be known that as long as CDs were a thing, Japan did it right.

 

 

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Being a visual kei fan isn't easy. It's not something I can talk about openly not because I'm ashamed, but because there aren't a lot of people who appreciate Japanese music, and even fewer who appreciate metal, and even fewer who can appreciate both while pretty boys shred on guitar and gargle into the mic. It's an acquired taste like blue cheese, so it's a cathartic experience when you come across the visual kei community for the first time. Weirdos who like the same bands I do accepted me into the scene without a second thought all those years ago, and that's still true today. Bands and people may change, but the core attitudes have not.

 

So those are all the things I like about visual kei. I'm sure I missed some. What do you like about visual kei?

In the future, please be sure to put some of the names of artists for the CDs in the title of the topic. It will be easier to find potential buyers that way! Thank you.

12 minutes ago, lichtlune said:

This is embarrassing.. This guy is a narcissistic scumbag. He still lives in L.A. right? He should just form his own project. The other members obviously aren't involved much in X at all beyond some lives here and there. 

And what would be the artistic output of this "new" project? Nothing, because that's what YOSHIKI produces musically. NOTHING, just like S.K.I.N.. They haven't produced a new album that's a decade in the making, with three deadlines that have come and passed by now. They haven't remastered their old albums to give us anything in the meantime. The album's been 90% done in perpetuity. And somehow he has the nerve to sell $300 tickets to an event where they play nothing new.

 

I have half a mind to lock this topic because this album is never coming out, but I enjoy the salt too much.

Is it reusable? Would be a shame if i couldn't use it forever.

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.

5 hours ago, Saishu said:

Probably the best way to be. They’ve been a band for 20 years spending a majority of that time together in the studio or on the road. At some point they’ve got to get tired of each other. This is exactly why you don’t work with family or date a co-worker (though I’m very guilty of the latter).

Thinking about it, it's not so weird. I don't know where most of my coworkers live...

11 minutes ago, Ro plz said:

They all don't rock with each other like that, period. Pretty sure it was Kaoru who stated that they aren't brothers/friends anything like that. They just work well together musically. With that in mind, of course there's gonna be those one or two members that "stands out" in a manner that Shinya does. That doesn't equate to something being wrong with the dynamics of the band.

 

I thought I remember Kaoru going over to Kyo's house after his surgery to check up on him. I always figured they were "professional friends".

On 5/1/2018 at 7:15 AM, Takadanobabaalien said:

So it's been about 10 years since we saw the first real 90's vk inspired band form*. For me personally this was a breath of fresh air since I was never that into the nu-metal thing that was going on during the mid-2000's. What's your opinion on the matter? Do you prefer these bands to other active bands in the scene?

During the last 1-2 years a lot of these bands have decreased, why do you think that is? Would you prefer if bands like Grieva, Ru:natic, La'veil Mizeria etc would continue playing (and maybe even formed a label and giged more together)?

 

Some bands that I include in this wave of "revival kei":

Ru:natic

RounoiЯ

Sadiesmarry

La'veil Mizeria

Vallquar

Madieduor

Grieva

Diaura (early)

Gossip (kinda)

CELL (I guess..?)

Crucifixion

Gauzes

Under fall justice

 

Anyway, feel free to discuss this movement in the scene in general here, or any of your favorite bands from this movement. (I probably forgot some bands that plays this style as well so feel free to namedrop more lol).

 

 

* 10 years since Ru:natic formed, the only band I can think of that was earlier than that is Sadiesmarry but I'm not entirely sure when they started. 

I want to answer your question with another question (ha!): why did the sound die out to begin with?

I don't have any good answers for that but there's a reason why the sound of the scene transitioned at the end of 2000. My best guess is that people were bored with the sound as it was done to death for at least 10 to 11 years, and that's enough time for a generation of old fans to cycle out and a new generation to come in. Think about how many fans that were around in 1999 stuck around until 2009, and how many of them will still be around in 2019. There are probably a handful left on this forum and that number dwindles each passing year.

 

The sound of VK changing is like the meta for a multiplayer competitive game changing after a new patch - it's anarchy and almost anything goes until the meta stabilizes. It seems like visual kei transitions every decade into a new sound (with the exception of the current decade, where it seems like the scene is still in flux). That freedom at the beginning of each transition is approximately around the same time these revival-kei bands came into popularity, so I feel comfortable in saying that at that time bands were searching for the next big sound and some bands took the philosophy of "you must look back to go forward".

 

On the same note visual kei bands have a short shelf life, so it also makes sense that some bands that form around the same time disband around the same time. Not always, but it would support your observations about bands like this decreasing. The more similar they sound, the more competition they face, and the more likely they are to face the same pressures and problems, and one of those problems could be that the revival kei movement didn't have as many teeth as we think. And the answers to "Why?" for that question is because I think the sound still isn't popular and doesn't have the same appeal as metalcore, which is a genre of influence that refuses to die in visual kei. I said it in a different topic but it applies here too. I think the way that fans digest visual kei from the 90's is different from the way we digest visual kei in the 00s because one music style is "easier" to get into than others, which could also explain why a handful of these bands slowly transitioned away from that sound as their career matured. The clamor for nostalgia of the old days by fans isn't enough to pay the bills and eventually hard decisions had to be made.

 

My final opinion on the matter is something I see happening in the scene now: some band or someone needs to find the next big sound that will shape visual kei for the next decade to come. I like the revival kei movement but the scene at large can't go back a decade in sound. It must move forward. That's why I enjoy seeing so many different bands under the visual kei umbrella try new things to see if they work.

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:

 

1. The theme should not be too restrictive or too general.
2. It doesn't have to be "spring related"
3. 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.