susel

1) 176BIZ
2) Kagrra,
3) D'espairsRay
4) KuRt
5) Siva

I have many fond memories of both bands, but both disappointed me a lot, too.
Phantasmagoria, before their original disbandment, when they released proper songs, not just leftovers, rererererecordings and ballads intended to make nostalgic fans cry and throw money at them, were great. And there are many songs I still love listening to.
They were very vk, didn't leave out any fun cliché to make lives more enjoyable, copying from pretty much everywhere but kinda turning it into their own thing. Juns songwriting was still great. They could play all their songs in one show but each song was memorable. Not really original, but memorable and fun. Their lyrics were cheesy romantic messes, but it didn't matter because they didn't take themselves too serious either.
 
As for ヴィドール...well they sold themselves, too. Most songs on their major releases, actually even the later UCP stuff were a waste of talent, but I still think everything they did for the first few years is flawless.
There wasn't (and isn't) a band that could compare to them either, they really had their own sound that captured me from the very first time I listened to them and still captures me today.
In comparison to Magomago they released a TON but since each release had it's own theme and they didn't focus on only live tracks but also experimented a lot that didn't matter at all. I loved listening to their CDs as I loved seeing them live and there propably won't be an active band I love as much again.
As opposed to Phantasmagoria I have to be in the right mood to listen to their songs because they aren't something I could just play in the background, so maybe I actually listen to them less often.
 
Still. I think that they are (or were, as I'm only referring to their UCP years) simply the better band. More versatile, much, much more original, more 'serious' and less of a fun easy-listening kind of band, better lyrics, a band with an actual concept and themed releases. On top of that my favorite band for many years. So. My vote goes to ヴィドール~

Dear lord this took 2 hours 
//ps I hope I fixed all the formatting, made a huge mistake of filling this in in notepad//
///pps visual kei fangirling alert///
 

In response to coffee000, I have to say that I respectfully disagree with you on the last paragraph. Of course, marketing is very important; it's important that artists give interviews on radio/TV and in magazines to promote their album, that spots will be aired on TV, posters will be put up around the city/in music shops, etc. Without it, people won't even notice you're releasing something new. Good promotion might also get people who don't listen to you to check out your new release anyway, so I agree that promotion is very important, BUT a bad CD still is a bad CD, no matter how pretty it looks or how well it is promoted. Most bands release samples before the release, and if those samples do not seem very convincing to me, then I won't buy the album until I get the opportunity to listen it over at a friend's, download it online or read some reviews on it. I suppose every person is different in this, but I'd take a good CD packaged in a slip of paper over a bad CD in a beautiful book-like package any day.
 
Now, about ghost writers, I think there are actually multiple reasons they're there, and not just for when the artist is feeling lazy, so to say. Bands have deadlines, and sometimes they just don't have enough time to write enough material before the album needs to be due the way the record company wants it. In such cases it really comes in handy to have a few ghost writers who can help you complete the album in time. So I wouldn't immediately say ghost writers are just there to jump in for a lazy artist. I do agree that credit needs to belong to the right person. In K-pop, almost none of the idols write their own songs, and all songwriters are always credited in the album booklets; if you've had a few ghost writers, they at least deserve some credit.

It's important to note that this year is the band's 20th anniversary, so yeah, I guess we'll get maybe a reunion gig, but some best album thingie or collection for sure imo.

I'm thinking most likely another big best of album (s) and a possible reunion show. I'd be surprised if it was anything else.

@Magatsu goddamn have they tried. HAVE THEY TRIED? I remember getting used to like 20 different methods of downloading from this community, and not even I have been around for that long (I joined in like 2008 or something?). 
 
But you do have a point at one thing-what we're doing is considered an illegal activity, so the uploaders who hate reposts (with or without credit) should definitely consider that when they think of whether they are or not okay with reposts. I generally couldn't care less, but then again, I only uploaded like 5 of my own purchases, and can also see where people who are bothered by this come from.
 
For the PM for password thing, god bless the one who has banned it. Not only for the drama reason, but it is actually the most frustrating thing for both the uploader and the "downloader". Why would anyone WANT to be obliged to be online for hours and days just to reply probably around 100+ PMs. And why would anyone want to wait for a PM from someone who might never reply them anyway? 
Also, I think that "reply for link" would not only be morally wrong (thanking because you have to), but it would create a huge mess in the downloads forum, bringing up the years old threads. Personally I use the downloads forum to keep track of what's newly released and download something maybe 1 out of 20 times I've actually went to the said forum. And I open the download threads that are ages old when they are brought up only because my first presumption is that the link is dead and I could make someone's day by reuploading it. Seeing a "thank you" message posted "today" in a 2011 thread repeatedly would only make me stop opening those threads and BOOM less chance for somebody to reupload a dead link.
I am the most against the idea of deleting inactive members. Mostly because of my own account, as I tend to just come and go every six months or so, but for absolutely different reasons (like real life, for example). And I love these people here more than you can imagine (and mine and Maiku's castle with some of the respectful ladies and gentlemen here as our maids and the monsters from the basements. and champ and how I'm always way too scared to talk to her.)
 
I like the idea of having only the people who wrote in "introduce yourselves" forum being able to see the downloads forum. I don't see that many downsides to it, but I'm not sure if that would be possible to make and how hard it would be (though I'm not by any means questioning Zess's techy whizy almightiness).
 
BUT, that MegaCrypter thing or something similar to that seem like a really good solution to me, especially if it could be embeded into the forum generally. Simply because, as many have mentioned up there, blogspotters ARE lazy and once they figure out they can't do it as easily as they used to, they would probably rather than starting to reupload everything, just realize that it's just not worth it and give up on their blogs. At least that's what I would do (but then again, I could never keep a private blog for longer than 6 months lol damn I can't even stay in one town for that long). So instead of MAKING the reposters give up, make them think they've given up by their own will, and everyone's happy! And that's the power of manipulation, my darlings!

can't believe Keiyu from Kra hasn't been mentioned not even once oO" or Yuki from Raphael/rice
or Aoi from Ayabie
My biased top three would be Mao (SID), Jui (Vidoll) and Asagi of course
And among the others that have not mentioned yet I might note Yuu (176biz, ZUCK) and Mitsu (Dolly)

KENZO(AYABIE) new project "Berrygera&Co." has opened his OHP at 2013/03/03
 
http://www.berrygera.com/

少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q) members session will perform at Shibuya duo MUSIC EXCHANGE at 2012/12/04
session members:
Vo.颯(sou) (ex-少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q)-->レミング(remming))
Gt.龍兎(ryuto) (少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q))
Gt.ユ≠キ(yuki) (少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q))
Ba.たつひ(tatsuhi) (ZORO)
Dr.JOL (Quinstet)
http://ameblo.jp/lolita-yuki/

颯(sou)(ex-少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q)-->レミング(remming)) has opened his new blog at 2013/02/23, and he has opened Men's Club "Nin9"
 
http://ameblo.jp/mytmm0325/
http://www.nin9-web.com/
 

well, i tried to transcribe the lyrics but i'm not sure if thats right so if anyone can do it better...please 
 
-
 
Haragahetta nanika motta kutta nonda sutta nemutta
Horetahareta daita naita nandakanda naita
Sono bonnou datte honnou datte
Hontou datte wakatteru no?
Patto patto patto...koe ni dashite 
 
Ie...
 
Iki wo suttatta suttatta suttatta  
Onaka ippai suttatta
Kurushii no hakidasu no
Ikiteru tte wakatta no
 
Hora shinzou datte myakuhaku datte
Kekkan datte agaiteita
Chanto chanto chanto koudou shimese
Datte datte datte
 
Tamaranai tomaranai namida no umi de
Atama no naka no guruguru paa ni natteshimau
 
Itai no itai no itai no dondeke umi wo watare
Ittaizentai doushita tte modaete nanka umaresou janai?
 
Sutte mata haite moku ano moku ano
Mou kuwan no mou kuwan no anta nante hitori no mono janai
Itte, Tsukkonde, Ochikonde, Tamekonde
Uroboe de kamitsuite hajikaite
Ikitatte...itetetetete
 
Kiesounano, ee? Sounano?
Mawarikudoi no mou wakannaiyo
Mitsukannaiyo, zenbu wakannaiyo
 
Sono bonnou datte
Honnou datte hontou datte wakatten no?
Chanto chanto chanto harawari tte
 
Ie...
 
Datte datte datte
 
 
Tamaranai tomaranai namida no umi de
Atama no naka de guruguru paa ni natteshimau
 
 
Itai no itai no itai no dondeke umi wo watare
Ittaizentai doushita tte modaete
 
Are?Moshikashite iitai no? itai no?
Mou doushitai tte iu no?
Sore tte tanju tan janai?

The kanji lyrics are in the background of their OHP here : http://yeti-web.jp/pc/special.html
 
But well, for people who can't get all of them , i tried to type it.
 
-
 
 
腹が減った何か持った食った飲んだ吸った眠った   惚れた腫れた抱いた泣いた なんだかんだ泣いた   その煩悩だって本能だって 本当だってわかってるの？   パッと…声にして言え     息を吸った吸った吸ったった お腹いっぱい吸ったった   苦しいの吐き出すの 生きているって分かったの   ほら心臓だって脈拍だって 血管だってあがいていた   ちゃんと…行動示せ   だってだってだって たまらない止まらない涙の海で   頭の中もぐるぐるパーになってしまう   痛いの痛いの痛いの飛んでけ海を渡れ   一体全体もうした？って悶えてなんか生まれそうじゃない？     吸って また吐いて 文句あんの？ もう食わんの？アンタなんて一人のモノじゃない   言って突っ込んで落ち込んで溜め込んでうろ覚えで噛み付いて恥かいて   生きたって…痛ててててて   消えそうなの え？そうなの？ 回りくどいのもうわかんないよ   見つかんないよ   全部わかんないよ その煩悩だって 煩悩だって本当だってわかってんの？   ちゃんと…腹割って言え     だってだってだって たまらない止まらない涙の海で   頭の中もぐるぐるパーになってしまう   痛いの痛いの痛いの飛んでけ 星を回せ   一体全体どうした？って悶えて   あれ？もしかして言いたいの？痛いの？   もうどうしたいっていうよ？   「ソレ」って…単純なんじゃない？

Be careful here. Hindsight is 20/20. it's easy to say that the visual music from the 90's is better than today's music because only the best of the best have survived over time. I can guarantee you that there are just as many crappy visual kei bands now as there were then - there was just no outlet to hear about them. Many of these crappy bands have been lost to time, and some of the good ones too. It only seems different because the Internet allows us to find out about virtually any band that forms within the last few months. We are now barraged with more information than ever before. It's not the scene that's changed, but just your perception of it.
And for the record, the whole "90's VK scene" was fraught with as many faux-goth bands then as the scene today is filled with metalcore bands that like electronic effects. It's a challenge to find good artists doing something different no matter what genre you listen to, no matter what time it comes from.

WING-MEN(WING WORKS live support members) since Takadanobaba AREA at 2013/02/07:
Gt.龍兎(ryuto) (少女-ロリヰタ-23区(lolita23q))
Gt.広末慧(hirosue kei) (ex-Virgil)
Ba.インテツ(intetsu) (AYABIE)
Dr.匠(shou) (ex-UnsraW)
 
 
btw they will hold their presents live "GOD IS IN THE DISPLAY vol.1" at Takadanobaba AREA at 2013/04/16

Dolly Vo.蜜(mitsu) new experimental project "DOPPEL" has formed at 2013/02/02, although details have not yet been announced
 
http://mlr-doppel.com/

ダウト(D=OUT) LIVE DVD "The 5th Anniversary year「THE FINALE」紅!白!御祭り騒ぎ 2012年12月30日@国立代々木競技場第二体育館" will be released at 2013/04/24 (2 TYPE), which will include scene of their one-man live "The 5th Anniversary year「THE FINALE」紅!白!御祭り騒ぎ(kou! haku! omatsurisawagi)" at Kokuritsu Yoyogi Kyougijou Dainitaiikukan at 2012/12/30
 
limited edition-紅(kou)- (7,770yen) will include 2DVDs+booklet (20 pages) and will be in 3D sleeve case, and regular edition-白(haku)- (4,800yen) will include DVD only
 
 
SET-LIST at 2012/12/30:
 
01.FESTA.
02.MUSIC NIPPON
03.全身全霊LIVES
04.SUNRISE
05.サテライトTV
06.POKER FACE
07.獄
08.中距離恋愛
09.CAT WALK
10.tears
SE
11.バラ色の人生
12.ジュリアナ
13.DANCE NUMBER
14.BUDDHA COMPLEX
15.鬼門(強制終了)
 
「昔のLIVE映像流れ」
D=OUT乱入
16.平成バヴル
17.BAR夕暮れ
18.太刀風横丁
19.シャングリラ
 
EN1
01.国道Blues線(演歌ver.)
SE.れかちゃん可愛い「隣(第一)では女王(あゆ)が」
02.DOPING!!
03.あいするひと
04.刺青
05.花咲ビューティ
06.生にしがみつく
 
EN2
01.鬼門

WTF??!!!!! HOW?! I mean WHY?! O_O