The Reverend

Hopefully this is the right place to put this! 
 
Have any of you been recorded; either visually or vocally, at a j-rock concert? And then ended up on a cd/dvd? 
 
I have! I ended up on the Snow White single by D. The song "SIGNAL" was recorded live at their Major Debut Concert (Which I was at), and so I ended up being a part of the screaming crowd at the beginning of the track! It was super neat to realize that I was there, and experienced that event!!

Just finished my first week at my new job, so far so good! Workplace is pretty close to where I live, team mates are fun ppl, the office is pretty rad too.

| It's a fact that this single is compelling enough to check out.

My dislike of live limited and live distributed releases is well known on this website by now, but I'm more than willing to make an exception for split singles. The new MUCC×DEZERT live distributed split 蟲／ガチャガチャムクムク (Mushi/Gachagacha-Mukumuku) grabs my interest more than usual. I follow DEZERT casually and I followed MUCC a little less casually back in the prime days of international visual kei, but both bands underwent a change in direction that blunted my hype. As two bands that I don't actively follow anymore, I found it very interesting that each band wrote a song for the other to perform. I was more interested in knowing what DEZERT would create for MUCC to perform, considering my reaction to their recent change in sound, but MUCC are no slouches themselves.

It was MUCC's song that surprised me more. The speed and attitude of "蟲" (Mushi) is what I was hoping for more of from TODAY, and it fits DEZERT like a glove. If there were any doubts as to whether DEZERT could even be heavy anymore, this song erased them. It's a bittersweet feeling knowing that the ability is there but the desire to create music like this is not, because "ガチャガチャムクムク" (Gachagacha-Mukumuku) is more along the lines of what one can expect DEZERT to create.

If DEZERT did a good job covering "蟲" (Mushi) , then MUCC absolutely owned "ガチャガチャムクムク" (Gachagacha-Mukumuku). If I didn't know that DEZERT wrote this song, I could be reasonably convinced that this is an MUCC track inspired by their 鵬翼 (Houyoku) era. That's a huge compliment to DEZERT's composing skills. It's slightly better than average - I do think the song gets more engaging as it goes on - but it's not a song I see myself revisiting again and again.

I have to note that this split is making several statements at once. It seems that MUCC is showing DEZERT how to switch their sound up without having to abandon rock. DEZERT wants to show the world that if you like their compositions when performed by MUCC, maybe you could grow to like it if they performed it too. This is a senior band mentoring a junior band through a turbulent time in their musical career in a constructive manner, and I would like to see more of this in general.

蟲／ガチャガチャムクムク does a good job at showing the flexibility of both bands. It's a great way for MUCC to get additional exposure, and it's a great way for DEZERT to convince old fans and gain new ones. I'm unsure if either band fully won me back with just one song, but I am much more likely to check out their future releases because of this. If you like either band, I would recommend you check this novelty out, but try not to judge them by it too much.
 
 

Loved the video, didn't enjoy the song so much. It was a little too repetitive near the start and the overuse of 'motherfucker' in the rap section was a little grating (cool vocal insert between all the growling though). Mixing excellent though, despite the over-reliance on pedals the drums sounded really punchy and awesome. The video itself had some gorgeous shots and lighting and managed to tell a kind of story despite the lyrics being pretty much indecipherable.
 
Maybe I'm just not into this level of extreme deathcore, but I prefer a little more structure to my songs. The lack of any kind of clean vocals or chorus-style section makes it ultimately forgettable for me, despite the high level of execution.

Lol the body bags don’t represent Ryuya, Seiya and Hiroto but it looks that way xD
 
Interesting to note, the video is produced by bakemono, who made Sick.’s first 4K video a few years ago. More recently, they did MEIDARA’s PV in the same(?) woods and rotated the camera to ad nauseum. They used the same technique and filter for this video, but toned it down a lot 
 
Koto

There are some things I'd like to say. So, there are three bags, and two of them have some sort of notebook nearby. You showed one and the other (that appears right after) has something that seems to be a journal.
 

 
The bag that has nothing with it burns later on the video.
 

Deathcore-by-way-of-VK youngsters Deviloof are back after some member changes with the first of three new music video singles to build anticipation for their latest album set to be released in May. How does the first chapter stack up?
 

I don't really like the name "Deviloof". "Oof" is just not a pleasing syllable to my ears. Logo isn't bad though; very directly implies this is a metal band while still being legible. 
 

Yes! The very best place to film an indies VK video is obviously the woods. 
 

*Dark*. (Excellent lighting though, I'm encouraged they dragged some real lights to the woods.)
 


I like the dutch angle sprinkled throughout the video. Helps foster the sense of unease.
 

Oh shit they're still alive! (I know you can't tell from the still screenshot necessarily, but take my word for it they all start thrashing.)
 

I'm happy to see someone responsible for making a Visual Kei music video has some familiarity with the rule of thirds.
 

The kick drums in this song have a bad case of 'typewriter-itis'. A shame really because the toms sound really good.
 
Also, how many VK videos have been shot in 4k so far??
 

The group performance shots in this video are mostly pretty staid, and I will defend to my death my stance that vocalists in music videos need a fucking microphone, but...
 



...basically every shot of a guitarist kneeling in this video is gorgeous. Full of pleasing angles and rockstar poses.
 

Didn't the bad vampire guy in the first Blade look a lot like this when he was transforming into some demon thing??
 
There's a scream at 2:21 right after the short harp(??) section that is absolutely disgusting. It's a literal 'blargh' like the vocalist is dry heaving.
 

Someone will need to fill me in on if or why this book is important.
 

I appreciate the precision of dousing a person you're about to burn alive in gasoline from a turkey baster. You wouldn't want to just splash that gas all over the place straight from the can, that's how forest fires start.
 

I really like the staccato delivery of the "adjective adjective motherfucker" lines, but I hate the repetition of the word motherfucker. I know some people like to know the lyrics in VK... but I am staunchly of the mindset that not being able to understand anything is one of my favorite things about Visual Kei. The less I can understand in heavy music from any country about how crazy you are or how heartbroken you are the better.
 

Thankfully they don't show many details of the body burning portions. I don't actually want to see charred body parts like this is some sort of snuff film.
 

I know I've highlighted some lowlights of the vocals so far, but mostly I enjoy them. The emphasis and delivery on "swallowed" at 4:22 has made me repeat that part like ten times.
 

The dissolve transitions with the fire aren't necessary, but I don't hate 'em. There aren't too many editing tricks in this video and I appreciate that immensely. 
 

How many members quit the band last year??
 

Overall I think this video is a win for Deviloof. The current crop of deathcore-with-makeup bands in VK can sometimes sound like caricatures of the genre but there are more parts of this song that I genuinely enjoy than make me cringe.

Deathcore-by-way-of-VK youngsters Deviloof are back after some member changes with the first of three new music video singles to build anticipation for their latest album set to be released in May. How does the first chapter stack up?
 

I don't really like the name "Deviloof". "Oof" is just not a pleasing syllable to my ears. Logo isn't bad though; very directly implies this is a metal band while still being legible. 
 

Yes! The very best place to film an indies VK video is obviously the woods. 
 

*Dark*. (Excellent lighting though, I'm encouraged they dragged some real lights to the woods.)
 


I like the dutch angle sprinkled throughout the video. Helps foster the sense of unease.
 

Oh shit they're still alive! (I know you can't tell from the still screenshot necessarily, but take my word for it they all start thrashing.)
 

I'm happy to see someone responsible for making a Visual Kei music video has some familiarity with the rule of thirds.
 

The kick drums in this song have a bad case of 'typewriter-itis'. A shame really because the toms sound really good.
 
Also, how many VK videos have been shot in 4k so far??
 

The group performance shots in this video are mostly pretty staid, and I will defend to my death my stance that vocalists in music videos need a fucking microphone, but...
 



...basically every shot of a guitarist kneeling in this video is gorgeous. Full of pleasing angles and rockstar poses.
 

Didn't the bad vampire guy in the first Blade look a lot like this when he was transforming into some demon thing??
 
There's a scream at 2:21 right after the short harp(??) section that is absolutely disgusting. It's a literal 'blargh' like the vocalist is dry heaving.
 

Someone will need to fill me in on if or why this book is important.
 

I appreciate the precision of dousing a person you're about to burn alive in gasoline from a turkey baster. You wouldn't want to just splash that gas all over the place straight from the can, that's how forest fires start.
 

I really like the staccato delivery of the "adjective adjective motherfucker" lines, but I hate the repetition of the word motherfucker. I know some people like to know the lyrics in VK... but I am staunchly of the mindset that not being able to understand anything is one of my favorite things about Visual Kei. The less I can understand in heavy music from any country about how crazy you are or how heartbroken you are the better.
 

Thankfully they don't show many details of the body burning portions. I don't actually want to see charred body parts like this is some sort of snuff film.
 

I know I've highlighted some lowlights of the vocals so far, but mostly I enjoy them. The emphasis and delivery on "swallowed" at 4:22 has made me repeat that part like ten times.
 

The dissolve transitions with the fire aren't necessary, but I don't hate 'em. There aren't too many editing tricks in this video and I appreciate that immensely. 
 

How many members quit the band last year??
 

Overall I think this video is a win for Deviloof. The current crop of deathcore-with-makeup bands in VK can sometimes sound like caricatures of the genre but there are more parts of this song that I genuinely enjoy than make me cringe.

Deathcore-by-way-of-VK youngsters Deviloof are back after some member changes with the first of three new music video singles to build anticipation for their latest album set to be released in May. How does the first chapter stack up?
 

I don't really like the name "Deviloof". "Oof" is just not a pleasing syllable to my ears. Logo isn't bad though; very directly implies this is a metal band while still being legible. 
 

Yes! The very best place to film an indies VK video is obviously the woods. 
 

*Dark*. (Excellent lighting though, I'm encouraged they dragged some real lights to the woods.)
 


I like the dutch angle sprinkled throughout the video. Helps foster the sense of unease.
 

Oh shit they're still alive! (I know you can't tell from the still screenshot necessarily, but take my word for it they all start thrashing.)
 

I'm happy to see someone responsible for making a Visual Kei music video has some familiarity with the rule of thirds.
 

The kick drums in this song have a bad case of 'typewriter-itis'. A shame really because the toms sound really good.
 
Also, how many VK videos have been shot in 4k so far??
 

The group performance shots in this video are mostly pretty staid, and I will defend to my death my stance that vocalists in music videos need a fucking microphone, but...
 



...basically every shot of a guitarist kneeling in this video is gorgeous. Full of pleasing angles and rockstar poses.
 

Didn't the bad vampire guy in the first Blade look a lot like this when he was transforming into some demon thing??
 
There's a scream at 2:21 right after the short harp(??) section that is absolutely disgusting. It's a literal 'blargh' like the vocalist is dry heaving.
 

Someone will need to fill me in on if or why this book is important.
 

I appreciate the precision of dousing a person you're about to burn alive in gasoline from a turkey baster. You wouldn't want to just splash that gas all over the place straight from the can, that's how forest fires start.
 

I really like the staccato delivery of the "adjective adjective motherfucker" lines, but I hate the repetition of the word motherfucker. I know some people like to know the lyrics in VK... but I am staunchly of the mindset that not being able to understand anything is one of my favorite things about Visual Kei. The less I can understand in heavy music from any country about how crazy you are or how heartbroken you are the better.
 

Thankfully they don't show many details of the body burning portions. I don't actually want to see charred body parts like this is some sort of snuff film.
 

I know I've highlighted some lowlights of the vocals so far, but mostly I enjoy them. The emphasis and delivery on "swallowed" at 4:22 has made me repeat that part like ten times.
 

The dissolve transitions with the fire aren't necessary, but I don't hate 'em. There aren't too many editing tricks in this video and I appreciate that immensely. 
 

How many members quit the band last year??
 

Overall I think this video is a win for Deviloof. The current crop of deathcore-with-makeup bands in VK can sometimes sound like caricatures of the genre but there are more parts of this song that I genuinely enjoy than make me cringe.

"Not see, like Germans" took me a second but made me smile.

DIR EN GREY's The Marrow of a Bone. It's basically the album that killed my interest in them, and I believe it was part of the run where was an issue with the booklet printing or something because I couldn't tell what the cover was supposed to be and the lyrics were written in a dark grey that was almost impossible to read against the black background.
 
Honestly, I bought it mainly because I was so excited to see a CD from a J-rock band for sale in a regular store. Didn't have a credit card at the time, and I've never liked asking people to buy things for me, so randomly finding CDs at anime conventions and at Asian malls was just about the only way I could buy any J-rock CDs at the time otherwise.

Tobe is KILLEM EM!!!
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

At first I thought 'wow, the song isn't halfway over and I've heard the chorus 3 times'
 
Then I realized these MFers made a music video that is 40.2% credits. 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger
 
 

Welcome to the 3rd annual most notable VK looks presented by yours truly, The Reverend.
 
As usual, we're here to celebrate the 'Visual' in Visual Kei. Suggest your favorite or least favorite or weirdest looks from the past year in the comments below!
 
Thanks to the ORZ team for helping out and contributing, and especially @platy for making like five banners for me and letting me choose which one I liked best.
 
マーブルヘッド (Marblehead)
 
 
ユメリープ (Yumeleep)
 
 
キズ (Kizu)
 
 
lynch.
 
 
BRATBAX
 
 
the Raid. vocalist 星七 (Sena)
 
 
SHiSHi guitarist お花 (Ohana)
 
 
MEIDARA
 
 
Virge
 
 
Dillinger