Spectralion

^ I'm actually happy that I can't. If I understood a song and found out the lyrics were ridiculous I wouldn't enjoy it as much as I normally do, lol. I don't understand Japanese by ear, so when I look for lyrics it's always online. I'm pretty sure most of the indie bands I listen to have horrible lyrics as well. As long as I don't understand horrible lyrics, I'm fine with listening to it. I've had plenty of English songs that were instrumentally really rad, but the lyrics were just so plain bad that I immediately deleted it, lol.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMaP_U_LtKk

I can't recognize Reno and I.V.
They change so much and they look angry(?)
Reno should start to show his leg again...

Cool topic! I'm not very familiar with A9, so I can't really offer a critique on your fantasy tribute. =|
 
 
I'm a big fan of tearing down boundaries, taking risks, and being both creative and unpredictable when it comes to music, so my tribute would be very unorthodox! I think it would amazing to hear these bands and their different renditions:


MY DIR EN GREY TRIBUTE ALBUM!

01: 激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇 - kamomekamome

"Hageshisa..." is a pretty intense song throughout and would suit a "thrashing-ly" hardcore band like kamomekamome. I could imagine them spicing up the riffage a bit, but maintaining the spirit of the song. They'd probably replace kyo's low-growls with screaming (but they're good at it, so... ;P)

02. CAGE - 9mm Parabellum Bullet

The melodic and hooky nature of this song would be right up 9mm's alley. Not to mention they'd absolutely nail the upbeat instrumentation while managing to infuse their signature sound.

03. 逆上堪能ケロイドミルク - THE BACK HORN

"Gyakujou Tannou Keloid Milk" has a signature high-note in it that Yamada WOULD NOT be able to hit. For some that would probably kill the song, but I think THE BACK HORN could put enough power behind the rest to make a compelling rendition.

04. Bottom of the death valley - LOSTAGE

Lostage are fucking fantastic at covering songs AND "RED…[em]" has a great, straightfoward hard-rock sound that would cater to the band's strengths. Although since Takahisa doesn't really scream, their cover wouldn't be as dark as the original. Still tons of room for Takahisa's bass playing to shine, though.

05. Machiavellism - 八十八ヶ所巡礼

This song has such a sinister yet playful tone to it - 88kasyo could do wonders with this. My only concern would be the more melodic, singing parts since Margaret doesn't really "sing" per se.

06. 凌辱の雨 - me-al art

I'm specifically referring to the funkier (and all around better) single version of "Ryoujoku no Ame". Imagining Satoko singing the chorus gives me chills. In fact, she'd completely obliterate Kyo on this song. The only real downfall is that Satoko probably can't do the screaming parts.

07. 悲劇は目蓋を下ろした優しき鬱 - THE NOVEMBERS

Brooding, atmospheric numbers like "Higeki wa Mabuta..." are THE NOVEMBERS' specialty. In fact, I think their cover would be extremely faithful to the original.

08. raison detre - 凛として時雨

I know I wanted ling tosite to cover ONE of dir en grey's songs, but it was tough to chose one. Ling is an extremely peculiar band, so I think they'd rip a completely new asshole into whatever DEG song they cover. They'd probably change the drumming and speed it up a bit for sure.

09. INCONVENIENT IDEAL - イツエ
 
The chorus of this song is so incredibly powerful that you'd need an equally or even more emotive vocalist to sing it, but I think itsue's vocalist fits the bill. There are no screaming or harsh vocals in this song either, so she could definitely pull it off!
 
10. THE FINAL - cinema staff
 
Perhaps one of diru's most pop-oriented songs? What better band to cover this than cinema staff? A band that has both keen pop sensibilities and raw aggression!
 
 
 
OBVIOUSLY this is a highly-unlikely tribute, and my selection of DIR EN GREY songs is horribly biased (I'm just a casual fan, haha). Ardent fans of the band would be both disappointed in the tracklist AND the band selection, but I personally think it would turn out pretty cool!

Hey guys,
 
I have been thinking about the differences in how acts seem to grow or be hindered by record labels... I don`t know the whole story of course, but off my observations:
 
Artist Growth:
 
I really think Danger Crue is the GOAT label right now, all of their main active acts are growing, even newer acts like UNiTE and DIV have been skyrocketing to popularity, Kameleo and ALSDEAD are becoming more prominent fast, and Girugamesh has made a MONSTER comeback (I never was that into them, but INCOMPLETE and MONSTER have been on loop at full blast since they came out for me).
 
On the other hand, a lot of PSCompany`s bands are either going stagnant or downhill.
I don`t know the story behind Alice Nine, but I don`t like their new stuff at all, pretty much since 9 (didn`t like half of it). And KRA, despite gaining what I think is one of the best guitarists out there now (my personal favorite) Taizo, have not really grown, despite putting out a huge amount of great material, including their last album, which they were forced to record in ONE DAY (except the track with piano arrangement done by a session musician, which they got one extra day for.
 
I think Kra should be one of the premiere VK bands now, but they haven`t had a chance to grow. When Taizo left Zoro for KRA it was supposed to be a huge jump for him because KRA are on a slightly major deal, but they really aren`t given the support they should have.
 
Youtube Channels:
 
DangerCrue puts up pretty much every PV in great quality, has comments enabled, puts up all sorts of teasers and comments, and listens to the fans. (When DIV was uploaded out of sync people commented and Danger Crue fixed it).
 
PSCompany takes down most PV`s of bands, and uploads hardly anything. When they do, they upload multiple 30 sec. videos that could have been put together as one, just making  a hassle for fans. I guess they think it will hinder sales to give away PV`s that come with physical copies, but I disagree, esp. when you can`t even follow a band properly.
 
Company Image:
 
Danger Crue seems to be getting more and more loved. Their acts also have a sense of unity, and when you are a fan of one, you end up learning about the others.
 
PSCompany is hated by many, there are conspiracy theories and tales of artists not allowed to have relationships, etc... 
The way they are set up is really disjointed due to the size of them, and there isn`t really one place to hear them all.
 
All in all, there are artists I actually wish went to Danger Crue instead of PSCompany, such as BORN and KRA (on a major deal with DC managing, like MuCC).
 
What are your thoughts on these two labels, and other labels such as Resistar, BandAid, etc?
 
 
 

I don't care about the visuals in VK:  I say this is an unpopular opinion because I've been told countless times that it's impossible not to care about the visuals and anyone that says that is lying and on and on.  But I don't and I never have. I have some kind of sick attraction to the music itself, but I don't give a flying fuck about the band's appearance and would prefer they didn't look so ridiculous if I had a choice, just so it'd be less embarrassing to point them out to people.

I secretly expected this thread to have popped up already (because Augie usually starts Alice Nine review threads), but since it hasn't, I figured I'd open up a review thread for the second instalment of Alice Nine's 3 month-consecutive single releases.
 
I liked DAYBREAK for what it was, a more mellow side of Alice Nine that successfully showed their progress as musicians. It wasn't their best, but it was a nice single. When I heard Shou would be the one composing the A-side for SHADOWPLAY, I was a bit worried. Shou has only composed one track for the band so far and that one is one of my least favourite Alice Nine A-sides of the past few years. Needless to say, Shou really outdid himself on this one.
 
SHADOWPLAY is a song that I'd put in line with their GEMINI album. It's a bit difficult to get into at first, but when it hits, it HITS. The piano in the background was a nice add to the general feeling of the song and doesn't mindlessly play in the background as some songs usually tend to have. It's a vital part of the song and I love how they incorporated it. The guitar solo is probably one of the best solos of theirs I heard since GEMINI and the general atmosphere of the song is just very epic and powerful.
 
Scarlet is a song I hadn't heard before but apparently has been played live before the release. Scarlet matches the atmosphere of the A-side. It's dark, more distorted and overall rather powerful. The bass shines in this song, and listening to it really gives you the idea that they really thought this through. I personally prefer SHADOWPLAY over Scarlet, but Scarlet is still a good song. The guitarwork after the solo is the best part of the song in my opinion, it really shows how well Hiroto and Tora can blend together.
 
My final rating for the single:
 

 
I prefer it over DAYBREAK, and I'm really excited for their third single now!

Score: | Like a picaresque forty year old on the back of a Harley

NoGoD has never been a particularly amazing band. They burst onto the scene in 2006 and created quite a name for themselves, but this wasn't due to their amazing technical skill, willingness to push boundaries or having the ability or desire to redefine visual kei. They started out as many bands today still do: releasing your standard pop-rock and acoustic tracks packaged with a vague theme about supplanting organized religion with their own and wacky, sometimes tasteless outfits. What really set them apart and got them signed to KING RECORDS was ambition.  
I haven't seen that side of this band in quite some time. After truncating their name and moving to a major label, NoGoD seemed to have lost their way. After dropping two underwhelming albums that indicated a lack of inspiration, it's reasonable to expect V to resemble his cookie-cutter predecessors. Good news: V doesn't sound like it was designed to fill a quota and the enthusiasm they once displayed is back. Somewhat.

V plays much like an adult going through a midlife crisis. This is the most aggressive I've heard them get since their first album, but the band's claws are dull from years of playing it safe. Recollections of their pure acoustic tracks from their indie days poke through on 夢の泡, their progressive leanings birthed on Ring-a Ring-o and honed on II-懐柔 are on show for IV-他者　Philosophia, and their rock anthem side still reminds you it's there with STAND UP!, but there's an air of insincerity about it all. V sounds like new NoGoD trying to cover old NoGoD rather than just NoGoD being themselves. The difference is slight, almost imperceptible, but it's there.

This would be a small complaint in the context of the entire album, if the entire album didn't sound so similar. I wouldn't blame you if you were hit with a sense of déjà vu. The formula is pretty transparent - take a song skeleton, a six-pack of Red Bull and a copy of 罰 and throw it into a studio with the band with the instructions "make more songs like this". All of the goofy gang vocals, distorted guitar and triggered bass pedals can't hide the fact that NoGoD is still strapped for ideas. Your attention may also be drawn to the surprising lack of ballads on this album, but I just attributed that to them having put them all on 欠片. You should too. The last thing V needed is diversity for the sake of being diverse.

The thing they need most is a fresh spring of inspiration and creativity. Raw energy only gets you so far.