meat

殺人コック(Satsujin Cook)
I can't find jack shit about this band other than that they exist, they're some kind of punk/angura band & they're apparently themed around cooking. One of the members appears to be connected to the band 新沼ＧＥＮＪＩ. I guess their OHP must have been http://www.h6.dion.ne.jp/~kokku/index.html but it appears to be dead. Truly iconic

Where Are They Now? (Angura Style)
 
グルグル映畫館 (Guruguru Eigakan): Inactive. Last official release in 2010. The band officially suspended activities back in 2012. Vocalist Amano Tonbimaru passed away due to unknown causes the following year. I think there have been some tribute / memorial concerts in his honor after that, but it's unlikely they'll ever get together again.
 
犬神サーカス団 (Inugami Circus-Dan): Active. Ever since their slight name change in 2012 they've been pretty consistenly productive. They've released 4 full-length albums, 1 mini-album and a compilation album in the last 5 years. 
 
駄菓子菓子 (Dagashi-Kashi):  Active. (I think?) Their last full-length album came out as far back as 2015, but I think they're still around. Using Google Translate, I found out that they've apparently had to cancel some live performances this year due to one of their members' health problems.  
 
ストロベリーソングオーケストラ (Strawberry Song Orchestra): Active. Their last cd came out in 2016, and they seem to have changed their look again since then as well. 
 
SEX-ANDROID: Inactive. Indefinite hiatus started July 19th this year.
 
太平洋ベルト (Taiheiyou Belt): Somehow still active. Despite the fact that it feels like it's been ages since they actually released anything, they're apparently still around and playing lives.
 
メトロノーム (Metronome): Active. Rather unexpectedly released a comeback album in March of this year. Hopefully they'll stick around for a while longer!
 
新宿ゲバルト(Shinjuku Gewalt): Active? Released at least one official single last year after what felt like ages. Who knows what they're up to lmao
 
FLOPPY: ???. Now that Sharaku's busy with Meto and (presumably) GalapagosS, who knows what'll happen to them. It's been a while since they've had any proper releases, but I think they were still performing at least a couple of years ago?
 
cali≠gari: Active. Released a fine-ass album a couple of months ago, check it out if you somehow haven't gotten around to it yet.
 
Here's a little list for starters. Feel free to add to it.

I say it really depends. Do you mean in general, or within the Vkei scene?
 
In general, Dir en Grey definitely ranks highest, having combined popularity within the Vkei scene and within the general heavy metal scene. There are surprisingly a ton of edgelords who like Dir en Grey, but think all Vkei is trash (and therefore refuse to listen to any Dir en Grey album made before Uroboros)
 
But within Vkei, the GazettE definitely outranks Dir en Grey. You can go quite a bit in a vkei community without hearing about Dir en Grey, but not 5 seconds without even hearing about The GazettE. 
 
Now Mucc is a pretty interesting case. I say Mucc definitely ranks somewhat on the top 10 most popular VisualKei bands list, but they have a specific part in the Vkei scene where they rank supreme, only behind one other band: MisshitsuKei. MisshitsuKei is one of those vkei forms that fall under the umbrella term "erogurokei", and it comes from the name of Caligari's record label, Misshitsu Neurose, which Mucc used to be signed to. Though MisshitsuKei is now a rarely used term, go on a few dead Eroguro-AnguraKei communities, and look at discussions of favourite bands, and you'll see a few common trends. Mostly people talking about Caligari and Mucc, with Guruguru Eigakan, Inugami Circus Dan and Metronome ranking just behind. Modern Mucc can't really be described as MisshitsuKei however, since they have expanded since signing to Universal and Danger Crue. Also, the most popular band in the confusing sea that is the Eroguro-Angura scene (Which I for years erroneously considered bands like Kuroyuri to Kage to be a part of), they're still outranked by Caligari and maybe Guruguru Eigakan. Their influence on other influential bands, such as Kagerou and Girugamesh, though, can't be denied. But among all these 3, I say they're the least popular. 

Double-Edged Sword
I think it goes both ways. Most times I'll listen to something and if I like it I'll buy it. But sometimes, I might only download a few tracks I like from an artist and never buy anything of theirs.
 
Shouldn't previews be enough?
A lot of times bands will release a 30 second teaser or one-two songs for an upcoming release, but that's not enough to convince me to drop $20-40 on something I may or may not like. If I'm not a fan, chances are I wasn't gonna buy it anyways. 
 
Listening Platform
Streaming is becoming a prominent way people listen to music nowadays. I don't think there are many people who still mainly find new music through just physical purchases. Heck, many people I've talked with have stopped going digital music hunting for downloads. Convenience is key here. Why go through all this trouble when I can just find what I'm looking for on youtube right on my phone?
 
It's also not uncommon for some people to almost exclusively use a single platform like Google Play or Spotify. Labels can really help their bands gain more exposure through these streaming services simply because a lot of people this generation will never buy music in a physical format and use whatever method is faster and easier.
 
What seems to work?
I've seen plenty of "pay what you want" systems work quite successfully. One label I follow always puts their artist's music on as many digital platforms as they can for free (Youtube, Spotify, Bandcamp, etc.). They open it up to their consumers to donate how much they see fit. This is in addition to physical CDS and vinyl records they sell as well. I find this method appealing because it allows anyone to contribute regardless of their financial situation. Got only a dollar to spare? That's better than nothing. Leechers were just gonna leech anyways, and the collectors can spend more on physical releases if that's their thing. This also encourages people to just go to the source and download instead.
 
It feels a bit unfair to say the only way to support a band nowadays is by spending a minimum of $35 for a new album, especially when there do exist more ways for fans to show their support this day and age. And, you just know labels are in it just for money when they pull crap like "New Single [Type A-Z]".  And on that note, live limited releases are not doing anyone favors and only encourages piracy. Sure, it's a special little something for attendees but there are so many scalpers who use this opportunity to make money off the band. 300% markup is not cool.
 
Label Involvement
I think how a label takes care of their artists is crucial in driving sales. So many bands have been stifled by a label's involvement with rushed timelines, requirements to change creative direction, and not having an understanding of their audience. I can't tell you how many times I've gone from loving a band to abandoning them because of a label change. It's usually at this point I typically just download a band's music just to see if I'll like what they've put out instead of buying their music.

To begin, we must pleeease understand that the correlation of piracy = loss of a sale is FALSE. People pirating releases ARE NOT making musicians lose money, period. If people hadn't shared, I don't know, batsu game's latest release, I would NOT buy it. I would simply go on without listening to it, because I don't care enough for them to go out of my way to buy a physical copy of something that would cost me 3 USD if it was an itunes release (btw the single sucks). This is true to 95% of the vk listeners, and has been widely discussed in sample pools much larger than a niche japanese music scene, like videogames for example. People buy what they like, period. If you do not let them at least try, why the hell should they buy your music?
 
That being said, people vastly, VASTLY overestimates the importance of western fandom to the scene. We are not the main target, we are not their main income source, the music isn't made for us. We are a plus in the scene, and every single release a westerner fan buys, it's an EXTRA income for the band. They are not counting with our money, people gotta understand that most of the bands simply don't care if we are listening to them or not, as long as their onemans are filled with japanese girls doing dance steps at their songs. Very few bands have the desire for more international exposure, and if that's the case, they sure have to adapt to our ways, as we are not obliged to accept their 90's thinking in the age of streaming. IF japanese fans started pirating instead of buying, THEN we would have a problem.
 
Music is dogs eating dogs everywhere in the world, why would be different for japanese boys in make up? Bands that are actually good, or at least are able to gather interest in their music will flourish, no matter what. People fail to understand that the scene is small because of it's characteristics, because boys dressing like girls and shredding guitars is niche and most importantly, it's foundation is what holds it back. No ammount of western pirates will make or break a band, period.
 
fun fact, UNiTE. shared most of their discography on Spotify, I don't know if it is restricted in japan (which would be a smart thing to do). Yeah they are bigger than most vk acts around, but that does show they are not following the outdated tunneled vision most bands are, and see us as what we are. Extra income, if they get to book a concert here and there, fine! If not, fine aswell, their focus is where it should be, their growth in Japan, without closing their doors to us, the outsiders.

Perfection.

Lynch and Gazette are boring me to death.

hello all x 
 
 

This is my new favorite YouTube channel
 
https://youtu.be/u8sbYUS4CsY

Listening to Merry makes everybody look good!

It’s a pleasure to be able to share MERRY-ness with others! I just hope it is alright to translate and put my spin on so much stuff, as I am sure there’s loads more people whose Japanese is better than mine and would disagree with my interpretation.
 
If it’s alright, I did  just a little write up on a recent web TV interview with Gara.
https://freshlive.tv/bar_boo_friends/185971
My understanding is that Boo wanted to interview Die only but Die requested for Gara to join as well. I’m not going to go into too much details of what Die and Boo said because they are mainly DEG, X Japan, Ladies Room related. In general, Gara’s role on this show is being Die’s kouhai and reminiscent some stories from his roadie days.
 
 

It’s a pleasure to be able to share MERRY-ness with others! I just hope it is alright to translate and put my spin on so much stuff, as I am sure there’s loads more people whose Japanese is better than mine and would disagree with my interpretation.
 
If it’s alright, I did  just a little write up on a recent web TV interview with Gara.
https://freshlive.tv/bar_boo_friends/185971
My understanding is that Boo wanted to interview Die only but Die requested for Gara to join as well. I’m not going to go into too much details of what Die and Boo said because they are mainly DEG, X Japan, Ladies Room related. In general, Gara’s role on this show is being Die’s kouhai and reminiscent some stories from his roadie days.
 
 

It’s a pleasure to be able to share MERRY-ness with others! I just hope it is alright to translate and put my spin on so much stuff, as I am sure there’s loads more people whose Japanese is better than mine and would disagree with my interpretation.
 
If it’s alright, I did  just a little write up on a recent web TV interview with Gara.
https://freshlive.tv/bar_boo_friends/185971
My understanding is that Boo wanted to interview Die only but Die requested for Gara to join as well. I’m not going to go into too much details of what Die and Boo said because they are mainly DEG, X Japan, Ladies Room related. In general, Gara’s role on this show is being Die’s kouhai and reminiscent some stories from his roadie days.
 
 

It’s a pleasure to be able to share MERRY-ness with others! I just hope it is alright to translate and put my spin on so much stuff, as I am sure there’s loads more people whose Japanese is better than mine and would disagree with my interpretation.
 
If it’s alright, I did  just a little write up on a recent web TV interview with Gara.
https://freshlive.tv/bar_boo_friends/185971
My understanding is that Boo wanted to interview Die only but Die requested for Gara to join as well. I’m not going to go into too much details of what Die and Boo said because they are mainly DEG, X Japan, Ladies Room related. In general, Gara’s role on this show is being Die’s kouhai and reminiscent some stories from his roadie days.
 
 

Thank you for all the translations, @meat =) 

Oh cool. Can you link me to the translation to M-ology? I am curious to know what others make out of Black Flag Symptom but have not been able to find anything in Japanese. 
 
I think instead of posting some half-arsed translations of Gara's book, I can translate some bits that may be overlooked when I come across them. Like this one:
 
 
MERRY 47 Prefecture Tour "System M-ology"~ Agitate #3 "Ideology" 
Thank you Maebashi Dyver. I am completely spent, can't get any more out of me... what an intense white hot space. Humid enough to make one choke... even just standing was difficult. Well done everyone for managing to stay standing till the end! You gave your all too, how wonderful! It's no lie to say that great bands have great fans. Thank you for a memorable gig. It's been a long time since I've seen moisture dripping from the ceiling. Gunma, no Gummers, you are the best! Tetsu said some passionate things at the end! Also, it's been a while since my mother came to see my gig, she kindly pointed out "Your drooling is disgusting. Is your mouth loose or something?" Mother, I am a perverted rock musician born from Gunma.
(The last hashtag) Er singing Sight Glass in front of my mother is overwhelming (laughs)
 
 
We love you you perverted rock musician from Gunma. And thank you to Gara mama! lol

Oh cool. Can you link me to the translation to M-ology? I am curious to know what others make out of Black Flag Symptom but have not been able to find anything in Japanese. 
 
I think instead of posting some half-arsed translations of Gara's book, I can translate some bits that may be overlooked when I come across them. Like this one:
 
 
MERRY 47 Prefecture Tour "System M-ology"~ Agitate #3 "Ideology" 
Thank you Maebashi Dyver. I am completely spent, can't get any more out of me... what an intense white hot space. Humid enough to make one choke... even just standing was difficult. Well done everyone for managing to stay standing till the end! You gave your all too, how wonderful! It's no lie to say that great bands have great fans. Thank you for a memorable gig. It's been a long time since I've seen moisture dripping from the ceiling. Gunma, no Gummers, you are the best! Tetsu said some passionate things at the end! Also, it's been a while since my mother came to see my gig, she kindly pointed out "Your drooling is disgusting. Is your mouth loose or something?" Mother, I am a perverted rock musician born from Gunma.
(The last hashtag) Er singing Sight Glass in front of my mother is overwhelming (laughs)
 
 
We love you you perverted rock musician from Gunma. And thank you to Gara mama! lol

お母さん、ボクが群馬が産んだ卑猥ロックミュージシャンです。
First time I read it, I thought it was a DEG lyric... *goes to listen Gara & Kyo duet of Mama*

YES 👏 FUCKING 👏 PLEASE!! Even if they were just released individually, I'd pay for a re-release of VULGAR and Withering. Those VESTIGE remasters were great!

Oh cool. Can you link me to the translation to M-ology? I am curious to know what others make out of Black Flag Symptom but have not been able to find anything in Japanese. 
 
I think instead of posting some half-arsed translations of Gara's book, I can translate some bits that may be overlooked when I come across them. Like this one:
 
 
MERRY 47 Prefecture Tour "System M-ology"~ Agitate #3 "Ideology" 
Thank you Maebashi Dyver. I am completely spent, can't get any more out of me... what an intense white hot space. Humid enough to make one choke... even just standing was difficult. Well done everyone for managing to stay standing till the end! You gave your all too, how wonderful! It's no lie to say that great bands have great fans. Thank you for a memorable gig. It's been a long time since I've seen moisture dripping from the ceiling. Gunma, no Gummers, you are the best! Tetsu said some passionate things at the end! Also, it's been a while since my mother came to see my gig, she kindly pointed out "Your drooling is disgusting. Is your mouth loose or something?" Mother, I am a perverted rock musician born from Gunma.
(The last hashtag) Er singing Sight Glass in front of my mother is overwhelming (laughs)
 
 
We love you you perverted rock musician from Gunma. And thank you to Gara mama! lol

I'm not comfortable with sharing the full details of what Nero said about the police because I couldn't catch every single word. But if you are willing to go along with my understanding, it is that he said something like this to the police officers: "Don't judge people by their looks! I know how this works, I've seen it on TV! Go arrest someone else! " LOL
 
My Japanese listening is not always that great but I am more than happy to translate Merry related stuff if there's anything anyone might want help with. Just PM me or send me an url.
 
Continuing my recent Merry binge, I'm currently reading "Gara Karute" ('Gara's Medical Record'). It is unexpectedly... funny! Would anyone care to read some translated excerpts? 

I'm not comfortable with sharing the full details of what Nero said about the police because I couldn't catch every single word. But if you are willing to go along with my understanding, it is that he said something like this to the police officers: "Don't judge people by their looks! I know how this works, I've seen it on TV! Go arrest someone else! " LOL
 
My Japanese listening is not always that great but I am more than happy to translate Merry related stuff if there's anything anyone might want help with. Just PM me or send me an url.
 
Continuing my recent Merry binge, I'm currently reading "Gara Karute" ('Gara's Medical Record'). It is unexpectedly... funny! Would anyone care to read some translated excerpts? 

I'm not comfortable with sharing the full details of what Nero said about the police because I couldn't catch every single word. But if you are willing to go along with my understanding, it is that he said something like this to the police officers: "Don't judge people by their looks! I know how this works, I've seen it on TV! Go arrest someone else! " LOL
 
My Japanese listening is not always that great but I am more than happy to translate Merry related stuff if there's anything anyone might want help with. Just PM me or send me an url.
 
Continuing my recent Merry binge, I'm currently reading "Gara Karute" ('Gara's Medical Record'). It is unexpectedly... funny! Would anyone care to read some translated excerpts? 

we stan a skinny legend

Sorry that it's taken me a while to go through the 6 Days DVD but I've finally written up some bits for disc 1 now.
 
Hair
 
Police
 
Gendai Stoic Day
 
Modern Garde Day
 
nuChemical Rhetoric Day