Dillinger

Not a big fan of the female vocalist. Deeper research into this gives that she was an idol singer and this is a project started by her.
 
The instrumentals reminds me of Children of Bodom, which is nice.

My other picks:
 
Nokubura went incredibly high and strong with this one... one of their most technical works to date!
 
http://picosong.com/weC8H
 
Best song from doorAdore, an album to listen with all its complex and different shades
 
 
 
Kamijo is always Kamijo and he shows it with these two masterpieces, already surrounded by worthy themes inside a great album.

HIbiki is in a couple of metalcore bands like "SEVER BLACK PARANOIA" and "A Ghost of Flare".
 
Hibiki's YT channel
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/HibikiShiraishiDrums

Hibiki Shiraishi is the session drummer for Matenrou Opera's new single "Invisible Chaos" and will be filling in for all announced concerts.
 
Source: 
 

AIOLIN new album "Stardust Crystal" will be released at 2018/6/27 (2 TYPE ("Stardust Side" and "Crystal Side"), 3000 yen)
 
[track list]
1. ANTITHESE
2. Over The Destiny
3. Stardust Crystal
4. Rage On
5. From Here
6. Landscape (Stardust Side only)
7. From Here (Crystal Side Ver.)
8. Home
9. Precious 
10. Precious (Crystal Side Ver.)
 


 
 

and support member from DIMLIM too

Hibiki Shiraishi is the session drummer for Matenrou Opera's new single "Invisible Chaos" and will be filling in for all announced concerts.
 
Source: 
 

Hibiki Shiraishi is the session drummer for Matenrou Opera's new single "Invisible Chaos" and will be filling in for all announced concerts.
 
Source: 
 

HIbiki is in a couple of metalcore bands like "SEVER BLACK PARANOIA" and "A Ghost of Flare".
 
Hibiki's YT channel
 
https://www.youtube.com/c/HibikiShiraishiDrums

Vocal:YUZUKI
Vocal&Chorus:SAIKA (BLOOD STAIN CHILD)
Guitar:RYU (BLOOD STAIN CHILD)
Guitar:G.S.R (BLOOD STAIN CHILD)
Bass:Yakky (BLOOD STAIN CHILD)
Drums:YASU (BLOOD STAIN CHILD)
 
 
The 1st single ""Eyes Shut Tightly"" are avaliable on Itunes and Spotify
 
OHP
 
Ty Suji

It's been three to four years since jazz band 8-eit went on a hiatus to "mature as a band". Based on the phrasing of the hiatus, I thought they would be gone from the scene for a few months, perhaps a year. I was not prepared for the 2007ish visual kei double-speak of "sorry, but we need to get our shit together" that extended their hiatus far past the patience of 95% of their fan base. They chose the worst time to stop; they finally found mild success, with their latest single (at the time) my bullet featured on Japanese commercials. Drama behind the scenes had other plans. For one, vocalist Tsubaki started his own solo project called Tsubaki-VOICE-, because in his mid-40's he saw this as his last opportunity to go solo. The old drummer and keyboardist departed from the band, while guitarist Daisuke Aradate left and returned. Tsubaki-VOICE- held activities for two to three years, but didn't see as much success as the 8-eit, and after a few mini-reunion gigs at weddings they decided on an official return late in 2017. I'm still not sure if the decision to pause activities was worth it. 8-eit slimmed down from a five-piece band to a four-piece band, found a new bassist and drummer, axed the keyboard, and oriented themselves in a direction between old 8-eit and Tsubaki-VOICE-. Their first album, yellow, was released late last year to little fanfare. I still haven't heard it, so I'll settle with a review of the music video of the lead single "yellow" for now.
 
I hadn't noticed how much I loved Matsubara Kiyoshi's (old keyboardist) contributions until I heard this song. I miss them dearly, but his absence doesn't break the music. It will take some adjustment, but there is a lot left to like. Tsubaki is energetic as always, and Daisuke still brings the jazzy rock licks and solos that I remember him for, but the jury is still out on the two new members. The drummer makes eye contact with the viewer on multiple occasions, but the bassist is really into his instrument. The setting alternates between a green screen showcasing various geometric patterns in white and yellow and shots of the band playing against a white screen, stitched together with shots of singular members in black and white. There's no narrative to this PV. It's not as fancy as the liquor bar setting of the "戯れGOLD" PV, and I think this is because the band is working with a smaller budget than in the past. It's way better than the generic white room most visual kei bands do at least once in their career, but this is neither revolutionary nor a cause for inspiration. As far as the song goes...I can see why the internet isn't jumping for joy at the return of this band. It's not their best song, and it's not their worst, but I was expecting a bit more jazz and a bit less rock. Maybe they should think about bringing the keyboard back...
 
In many ways, this is a good music video to start this (hopefully successful) series with because I find it exceedingly average in all respects. It's a good yard stick to measure future music videos against. If you are an 8-eit fan just like me, leave your thoughts below on any aspects to the music or video that stick out (or don't) to you. Hit the like button if you want to read more of my thoughts on various visual and non-visual music videos in the future.
 
 

Really interesting interview Aoi did a while ago 
https://m.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=960037427349034&id=197870020232449

https://www.facebook.com/notes/tgf-the-gazette-fans/interview-rock-and-read-vol067-feat-uruha/1249739908424634/
This is the interview where Uruha mentions Aoi having a hard time and how he sort of came out of it. So it seems that Aoi's gotten a lot better in most recent times, but he's always been the more emotional member out of the five of them.

don't care for enka, but can't wait to see this look stolen by visual key king yohïo!!

I agree with so much of what platy said! Great advice.

This past year, I've started setting my timer and working for 25 minute increments (I think this is based on something called the "Pomodoro Technique", if you wanted to look into it). During that time, I turn my phone to airplane mode so there's no distractions. Depending on where you are in the assignment, you could even think about switching off your PC internet for this period of time too. For example, when I'm brainstorming or in the early stages of writing, I just like to get my thoughts out on the screen. Instead of minimizing my document constantly and googling stuff (which could inevitably lead to little tangents into YouTube, MH, etc.), I'll just make a highlighted notes to myself of things to look up later and keep on working. The "googling stuff you need for your assignment" can later be its own 25 minutes. I feel like my productivity has gone up significantly since adopting this method!

Finally, as someone who is also a university instructor, please consider reaching out to your professor for advice or just to let them know that you're feeling a bit overwhelmed. Of course, not all will be accommodating, but some (like me!) will be very receptive and actually welcome such e-mails from students, because it at least shows initiative and that you care for your work. The lack of communication from students is something that I still can't get used to. Do I take it personally? Is it just because the student is lazy and/or doesn't care? Is the student just taking the class pass/fail? Or is something more serious/personal going on that's affecting their work? Basically, it's a lot easier for instructors to offer help to the few students who reach out first. 

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. 

High school me is still shaking 😞 

The production really takes away from how hard the riffs hit in these tracks.  The instruments are too low in the mix compared to the vocals, and the bass needs to be up to make those heavy sections really punch.
 
Don't get me wrong, I like this band and this music, but I honestly think the production is holding them back.
 
Edit:  The synth sounds are also way too front and center.

That was better than I was expecting... still flat and uninspired to me though. the GazettE "outmetal-ing" Leda, what a time to be alive!

Female vocal unit Kalafina will end activities as a three-woman unit this spring after the departure of their producer, Yuki Kajiura, who wrote all their songs since their debut in 2008.
 
https://headlines.yahoo.co.jp/hl?a=20180312-00000277-sph-ent
 
The trio are known for hits such as "Lacrimosa" from the anime Kuroshitsuji, "Magia" from the anime Puella Magi Madoka Magica, etc.