CAT5

Saw this pic on FB and your comment made me lawl. Nice tee dude

Ehh, in random order:
 
1. Boris
2. ESNO
3. lynch. (they count in my book. I mean they still play a lot with other VK bands but I'm not sure if that's because they're friends or if they actually still consider themselves VK)
4. M-Koda
5. nego
6. number0
7. ONE OK ROCK
8. アルカラ
9. トクマルシューゴ
10. 凛として時雨
 
トクマルシューゴ, M-Koda and ESNO are solo-artists though, if those count.

FORBIDDEN BEAVER - a "chuggingly hardcore" outcry expressing Ruki's anguish about not being able to sleep with women that aren't attracted to pale, effiminate, emaciated, and poorly-endowed Japanese rocker types.

I'll probably get shot for this, but now that there's a thread for these I'm going to give it a try anyway.
 
I simply do not understand people who claim they love MEJIBRAY for the vocals. That is mainly because in my ears the vocalist sounds awful. I know there are two kinds of awful, as in "I don't like the sound of his voice or the way he uses it but technically he can still sing" and then there's the "there are so many things wrong technically that it just sounds like shit" option. For me, MEJIBRAY's vocalist falls in the second category. His screams are awful, his regular vocals are weak and usually can't carry the music and he's out of tune about 99% of the time. Like I said, I'm probably going to get some angry replies to this but this is MY OPINION. I'm not stating it as fact, nor am I trying to shit on your favourite vocalist/band. I just can't listen to him.
 
also guys hating on Gazette is so 2007. Idk I'm not even a Gazette fan but I feel like quite some people hate on Gazette because it's popular to hate (while actually listening to tons of indie versions of Gazette themselves, GOTTA RAISE MY INDIE-CRED).

"IT IS A TRAVESTY WHEN VKEI BANDS TONE DOWN THEIR VISUALS"
 
I had to use a fucking Gaia Online widget site to make that text, so you know I mean it. I honestly get really upset when I try out older, god-tier vkei bands and look at their old pictures and see how fetishy they looked at one point, and their most recent pictures are pretty much regular Japanese guys, maybe one with auburn colored hair and one having blond, in street clothing. One of my biggest appeals with visual-kei is the visuals: I live for frilly, neon hair, guys who can't paint, feathers, bloody bandages, useless face belts, hooker stockings, 8 inch Hot Topic boots, naziploitation, and unnatural eye colors. To an extent, I do feel that there is a lot of creativity that can go into stage costumes, and it is a damn shame that there isn't more effort put into visuals in an artistic sense, instead of "our frontman is blond and we have a trappy bassist so we are vkei ok." Obviously as the scene has become more streamlined, there are typical styles and ~*~visual shock~*~ approaches that are going to be repeated over and over, but that isn't to say that one day someone else will share my stance on it.
 
Take Malice Mizer, for example, They took visuals and theatrics to the extreme to accompany their music. Versailles, to a lesser extent, did as well. As did groups like Raphael, Lareine, Missa, and listenable Diru. However, groups like Penicillin, Pierrot, Luna Sea, Kuroyume, and Rentrer en Soi all mellowed out as time went on. I get that Hakuei no longer wearing having flowing red hair in a pvc g-string is going to appeal to a larger audience, but that doesn't mean I have to be fucking happy about it. Due Le'Quartz is the biggest offender here. Their outfits were stellar, and then they ended in 3 piece suits with cigars and sun glasses. MYV, put those bat wings back on and cut this shit out.
 
This all stems from my appreciation of androgyny. I do find being gender ??? to be artistic, not only in vkei but in other art forms as well, and find the elements of visual-kei costumes that shroud the band members' humanity to be fascinating. That's why I really don't care about finding pictures of Mana without makeup because I can already tell that home girl needs Adobe's help.

peace ;3
 

insomniac soldier derp (old picture note: try to run around with 25kg of weight in 30 celsius degrees for like over 47 hours avec dangerous dose of caffeine pills and you will feel the same as I did here)
 
(I am the one with crooked -face)

DRUNK PARTY WITH @SHINSYOKU AND @FREUNDIN (also wicked teletubby if he wants to come too 8D)
 

this pic is much less 'sexy' but....i got a cat. and i named her catbug.
8D
also. angry beavers shirt. because reasons.

"I don't like the GazettE because of the fans."
Response of the Zess: You're stupid. Anyone that lets the actions of other people determine whether or not they can enjoy a band isn't focusing on the music. Bonding over liking a similar artist is an attractive draw to liking a certain band but it shouldn't be the only reason why you like a band. It's entirely possible to like the GazettE and not step foot in the shoutbox or a GazettE tumblr ever. I do. As of this writing, they are the fifth most played band on my last.fm. Separate the fans from the music.
This also goes out to the people that act like the GazettE never has made good music and is the symptom of decay in the visual kei scene. Shut up. I know you listen to them with the scrobbler off so don't front.
Oh and if for whatever reason you feel like somebody will judge you for liking the GazettE (or any band) get off last.fm and dismount from your high horse. That's a sign of neurosis. If you actually knew how few people looked at your last.fm or cared about what you listen to, you wouldn't care at all. If anyone ever DOES judge you for listening to a band you like, tell them to go play in traffic.

Ok so I was just wondering, if you guys could revive any VK band, who would it be and why?
Personally I would love for Rentrer En Soi and Siva to come back; they're both really special bands that were finding their sound just before disbanding. For me, Satsuki now sucks balls so it would be a nice change to see him go back to where he belongs! The same goes for Cell from Siva; his bass playing is incredible and yet now he's in SIKA-BAMBI?!
There are of course tons of others but these stick out to me right now
How about you guys?

Madeth gray'll
Shit son, I don't even need the band back. Just Yukina (and I guess Hisui) since they wrote most of the songs anyway. They can just come back as ghost writers and just write. Just something that can capture that atmosphere and style because Madeth was really one cool and unique band that really created a sound all their own.
 
Aliene Ma'riage
Oh come on Kyouka, you're still living in the past so just stop doing whatever you're doing to cause all your bands to fall apart and just reform Aliene. You know you want to do it LOL. Aliene like Madeth certainly built a style, sound and atmosphere all their own. However honestly, perhaps it was a good thing Aliene fell apart because I suspect that they were probably running out of steam towards the end. Could they really be able to keep up their chaotic and maniac style for long term? So perhaps come back but not as Aliene because I think returning as Aliene may end up being a let down. OMG I DONT THINK IM DOING THIS TOPIC SUBJECT RIGHT :C
 
Eliphas Levi and Deshabillz
Basically just tossing them together but they have excellent songs so basically I would be more interested in the main composers coming back and recreate that style and sound. Rest of the members are interchangeable. 
 
La'Mule
OH WAIT :U
 
Anyway, another question to ask is even if these bands came back. Could they really recreate the style and sound that we all loved about them? Will they end up like Lin, some funky and bad Phantasmagoria reboot that just left people disappointed (is egged by Lin fans).

I SUMMON DELUHI FROM THE GRAVEYARD!
 


That's how this works, right? I'm eagerly awaiting the reunion topic Trombe. Don't let me down

I feel like Mejibray is that band that all the Gazette haters love because they can finally listen to Gazette songs without losing their indie street cred.

Lmao, yes, I totally agree with this one too.  There aren't any more crap bands now than there were then.  People just tend to always be nostalgic for the ~old days~

VK owns and has continued to own. 
 
But it seems like if it isn't ~heavy or ~dark then nobody will take an interest, even if the bands are great. Frustrating. 
 
PS: Metal fans smell like cabbage. 

"There is objectively bad music (in a sense)" - I believe this to be a fairly controversial point to make, but only because people tend to miss the point I'm making, that there are factors that could label music as objectively bad from a composition point of view - it might be that they only rehash a certain chord progression to death, that they copy other bands in a manner that's so blatant and obvious that it makes it impossible to enjoy the music, simply put, the music they make doesn't bring anything even remotely fresh or innovative to the table. I believe that several of bands I consider to be good has some or several of these qualities though, so it doesn't neccessarily make them a bad band in someones opinion, just like I know of several bands with highly innovative and interesting styles that I personally find uninteresting because the music doesn't grab me, there's factors like personal preference in vocals etc. that can't be taken into account since there's no accurate way of measuring such things. Feel free to disagree with me if you want.

Everyone has those opinions on music that either garner condescendent and judgemental sideeyes, or incites flame wars and shitstorms. I'm interested in learning what music opinions you all might have like that. Since popularity and unpopularity are relative and depends on the setting, please also provide a bit of context with your opinions!
 
Also, feel free to discuss the opions that others post!
 
 
 
As for my opinions:
 
"VK isn't all bad". "There's some good VK". Now to give you all a bit of context. These opinions are hardly controversial here on MH, but all of the music-heads I consult with outside of MH are adamant about their distaste for VK. Simply put, most of them hate it. So I usually refrain from mentioning anything VK-related in their presence, but IF I DO, I always find myself having to defend this opinion and go the extra mile to show them how credible VK can be.
 
"Dir en grey is still VK": Ok, technically they may not be considered VK and the band may not consider themselves VK anymore. Sure, they've changed their image and have shunned a few traditional VK aesthetics. Sure, they've added harsh, guttural vocals, changed the tuning on their guitars, and have taken on more organic song structures. However, their overall sound is still so battered and deep fried in VK, that it's nearly impossible for me to mentally segregate them from VK as a whole.
 
The fact that VK still has so many Kyo worshipping vocalists doesn't help either. Their influence on VK has been undeniable, so for me to regard them as something completely different now is pretty difficult.
 
 
I will return later when I think of some more. But for now, that's enough to kick this thread off. What are yours!!??

Haha that is undoubtedly one thing you see a lot among owld skewl fans.   I like old bands but I have enough sense to know that they're terrible and was an indie no name loser band that broke up after releasing their demo tape for a good reason. Now I like it though and I'll love it till the day I die but I'm not going to lie to myself or trap myself in a bubble thinking that old school VK was the be all end all of VK music.   A theory of mine is that, basically Goths love to bitch and moan about how true and gothic they are. I think a lot of old school fans are basically your traditional goth and are drawn to old school VK since it deals more with heavy gothic aesthetics. So combining old school VK with self conscious image centric goths you find yourself with the old school fans parading around that 90s VK was the best and most legit VK ever.     
Oh jeez, especially among VK fans is the worse.
 
I don't care for Gazette but I have a friend who is incredibly sweet and an amazing person who fucking loves Gazette like no other. If I disliked her simply because she liked a band I'm not fond of, I would be a sad person and missing out on a wonderful friendship.
 
A good example is the Kamijo / Jupiter teams that are forming. Seriously people? It's okay if you don't like Jupiter but other people do or it's okay if people like Kamijo and you don't. Who cares, listen to what you want and TEAM JUPITER! FUCK YAAAL JUPITER 4 LYFE >:U
 

FORBIDDEN BEAVER - a "chuggingly hardcore" outcry expressing Ruki's anguish about not being able to sleep with women that aren't attracted to pale, effiminate, emaciated, and poorly-endowed Japanese rocker types.

hmmn, ok i'm not sure if i miss the point here but i'll try anyways

the biggest argument or unpopular opinion i have with people around me is most of the time about perception and rating of music in general.
To give some context i'm usually branded as some doom-metal hardrock dude with also a knack for weird noise glitchcore drone-ambient whatever stuff. maybe rightfully so as this might make up for a slight majority of my music-library.

now people around me are all very much into very "true" and "real" music, like totally deep indie and super obscure electro and oh so dreamy post-hardcore aswell as the obvious trve metal, maybe for good measure even the occasional jazz or classical stuff thrown in to seem intelligent, without ever having actually listened to it.
the thing now is those all pretty much accept each other in a "i guess that's cool" kind of way, but for some reason as soon as Pop is involved everybody get super defensive, as if they'd feel their sexuality threatened. when i for example show some of them some K-Pop which i happen to really dig (some of it), i don't even get a response at all.  it's just raised eyebrows and maybe awkward laughter as to how supposedly riddiculous this is supposed to be.
 
now not liking whatever kind of music is totally fine, but you have to have some proper reason for it and explain to me for example why on the one hand jamiroquai is like the tightest shit to have come to the music world in years, but shinee or big bang on the other hand aren't even taken seriously.
this is usually when the argument about authenticity and "they don't even write their own music" and all that shit starts, which in terms of bigbang would even be false, and also is totally irrelevant to the music itself, i mean i don't hate on anthony hopkins for not write silence of the lambs himself now do i? then there's always a ton of other equally irrelevant arguments (only for teenage girls blabla, no real instruments blabla, gay blablabla) and all the other shit, which, and this is the point, the persons themselves actually don't really care about i believe.

for some weird and really unfortunate reason the progress romantically described as "developing ones taste" is just a long way of narrowing down ones horizon and the more narrow minded you are, the cooler you are seen by your friends. at some point you believe that shit even yourself and even tiny variations from that narrow road are enough to deem something shit or mainstream and sellout and whatnot.
it is an easy error to make, for myself if i am about to dislike something i always first try to ask myself why that is, and if that supposed reason is actually valid. a lot of the so called "guilty pleasures" should be enough of an indicator for hippocritical judgement .

people always shake their heads and tell me they find it weird that i (the "doom-metaller") think mariya carey's can't live or seals kiss from a rose is one of the coolest songs ever, I on the other hand find it weird that given the extremely limited space we have with what's considered music (12 semitones, more or less all in 4/4, more or less all consisting of drums-bass-keys/synth/guitars-vocals) force ourselves to like only even a fraction of that and even dictate that by outer influences like appearances and other connotations...

hmmn... i guess i went totally off rails here, didn't i?

regarding the Dir En Grey arguments here, probably agreeing with the general consensus of them still sounding deep-fried in VK, which is why i always find the "they sound like any other western Deathmetal/Metalcore Band now, SELLOUTS!" argument so utterly stupid...

It really depends on my mood. If I'm frustrated while working, I tend to listen to angrier stuff with more screaming ("Kill your dog music," as a teacher once described it). Other times, I really like classical music while studying because it is easy to get lost in doing something while listening to that: it makes a very productive atmosphere for me. Most of the time, it really is whatever mood I'm in.
 
 
However, I try not to listen to new music while being productive. I find that when I do that, I spend more time trying to analyze the song and become familiar with it instead of actually, well, working.

I totally agree with your "Dir en grey is still VK" opinion lol.  I kinda can't help rolling my eyes when I run into fans who try to act like Diru is completely disconnected from VK and shouldn't even be mentioned in the same sentence.  Like you said, their sound is so rooted in VK that I can't separate the two. Bands in the same "sound profile" who were never VK sound different.

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.

Just look at Dir en grey's similar artists on Last.fm, all VK bands harharhar.
 
I mean come on, Sadie is a VK band correct? Rentrer en Soi was also a VK band right? Yet they all had vocal training from Kyo or give credit to Kyo personally working with their vocalist to hone their vocal technique. To say that Dir en grey has no connection to VK is hogwash. Just search bandmen blogs and you'll find a post here and there with Toshiya or Kaoru hanging out back stage at some tiny little VK dive gig.
 
Like I dunno, Kaoru and KISAKI chillin.
 

 
So basically I agree that Dir en grey is still VK-ish. They certainly don't dress up anymore and are very casual but their connection to VK is still there, though more or less indirect.
 
__
 
My controversial opinion is that VK fans don't care about the music.
 
Okay, that statement is more of a joke but there's still some truth behind it. Just face it, most of us were drawn to VK because of how flashy and colorful it is. A lot of us were originally anime fans and VK is basically anime IRL almost. The guys are so colorful, so outrageous looking and are essentially a fantasy character. So it's easy to get into VK when anime was your gateway. That's why I think cosplaying bands, RPing as bandmen and writing fanfiction is so common because that's something that is done in the anime fandom. So seeing it among VK fans really doesn't surprise me and why I don't think it's a bad or weird thing either.
 
So basically when someone claims they don't care about the image at all, yet have entire Last.fm profile full of nothing but VK I call bullshit. There is absolutely no way you don't care about the looks. It's why almost all of us are here in the first.
 
And you know what? Who the fuck cares if that's what drew you in and is your main reason for sticking around. Trying to get on your high horse and claim you are better than everyone else because you don't masturbate to Kamijo every night is more obnoxious and worse than the girls that admit they get off every night to fanart picture of Kamijo molesting HIZAKI. 
 
Anyway, I'm in a hurry and on my phone. I don't think I really explained myself that clearly. I don't mean to say we all want to fuck bandmen but we're all still vane and pretentious so get over yourself and accept that you are just as superficial as the rest of the VK fandom. Deal with it.