doombox

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

| Old scars never fade, old habits die hard
 
Throw those DECADE-compilations out and replace them with this.
 
Let me be clear about one thing: those compilations were trash. The covers were ugly as sin and the track selection, despite sharing many similarities to Vestige of Scratches, gave the impression that the band spent a week figuring out the details because they forgot about their anniversary. They literally scraped the bottom of the barrel to come up with enough content - the fact that "audrey", a butchered version of "Deity", "Repetition of Hatred", and "Jealous -Reverse-" are on it is telling enough - and most of them felt like copy-paste jobs trying to hide the lack of effort. Most of all, it didn't highlight DIR EN GREY at their best and did the band disservice as a 'best-of'. It seems like the band agrees with me, because Vestige of Scratches is everything those DECADE albums wish they could be.
 
Before the hype train leaves the station, this compilation is far from perfect. Like much of DIR EN GREY's career, Vestige of Scratches is defined by its peculiar choices. Some are baffling, while others are smart. They come together in a frustrating combination that is uniquely DIR EN GREY. Let's start with the tracks that were chosen; we have at our disposal the single version of "脈" (Myaku); "罪と規制" (Tsumi to Kisei), the censored version of the remake of "蜜と唾" (Tsumi to Batsu); the version of "腐海" (Fukai) they've been playing live for some time (interesting); a new version of "THE IIID EMPIRE"; the reinterpretations of "羅刹国" (Rasetsukoku) [ew], "OBSCURE" [no], "かすみ" (Kasumi) [sure], "THE FINAL" [ok], "残" (Zan) [eh], and "霧と繭" (Kiri to Mayu) [ugh...]; the single version of "CLEVER SLEAZOID" [good!]; the choice to end the album on a reworked version of "Beautiful Dirt" out of all 200+ songs in their discography [wtf why]; the exclusion of "GARDEN" [what a tragedy]; and then minor adjustments to most other post-VULGAR tracks featured which work for the most part. We can already see this isn't the standard cash-grab version of a best album and that a proper sitting would be very rewarding, so I can only suggest you do that and start from "-I'll-".
 
Controversial opinion coming in hot here, but the production job is fantastic across all three discs. Some may disagree, but I find that I need time to adjust to a new production job before I can assess if I like the changes. There have been many albums I panned for 'inferior production values' that I eventually came to prefer. Sloppy production has always been one of DIR EN GREY's weaknesses, especially for the visual-era stuff which hasn't held up over time, so some of the older tracks have a second lease on life. GAUZE has never sounded so clean, there's a 12-string in "脈" that I've never heard, and some of the tracks from DUM SPIRO SPERO are actually listenable now that the bass isn't obnoxious. I'd pay good money to have all their albums past and future worked like this.

The way the album is structured is frustrating to describe. What at first seems like a chronological trek through their eras turns into anything but by the third disc. The first disc is an ode to their entire visual history, featuring songs from pre-GAUZE to 鬼葬 (Kisou), plus a bonus in "腐海 2018". New "腐海" sounds good, and I like it's inclusion as a way to preserve it. I'd spin it a few times, but it won't replace the original version for me. Every other song on this disc was just remastered. I'm surprised at the inclusion of "太陽の蒼" (Taiyou no Ao), since I thought Kyo hated that song, but like a few other inclusions it's here because its a single. The second disc dips back into 鬼葬 with "JESSICA", nods at six Ugly with "umbrella," and then focuses mostly on VULGAR through UROBOROS. Nothing from the disastrous UROBOROS [Remastered & Expanded] makes an appearance, which is a blessing. Personally speaking, I would have dropped "CHILD PREY" for "AMBER," "朔-saku-" for "Machiavellism," and thrown in the reinterpretation of "undecided". Disc 2 ends with a new version of "THE IIID EMPIRE" which is pretty lit and one of their more successful retakes.

Disc 3 is where most of the meat lies and unfortunately most of it is displeasing to my ears. It's packed with most of their earlier reinterpretations, many hit or miss, most of which I'd have left on the table if it were solely my choice. This is where my lack of frustration with the exclusion of "undecided" comes from, as I would have rotated out "羅刹国" (Rasetsukoku), "OBSCURE", or "霧と繭" (Kiri to Mayu) for it, the PV version of "OBSCURE", and the version of "Bottom of the death valley" from THE UNRAVELING. I would have also killed for a reinterpretation of "秒｢｣深" (Byou ｢｣ Shin) from six Ugly, or a proper version of "Hydra -666-" with more gutturals and less screaming. After comes the salvageable parts of DUM SPIRO SPERO, including a version of "激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇" (Hageshisa to, Kono Mune no Naka de Karamitsuita Shakunetsu no Yami) superior to the album version, but not quite what the original single sounded like, a condensed serving of ARCHE, "詩踏み" (Utafumi), and then ends on a very random note with "Beautiful Dirt". Not quite sure why they set it up this way.

Maybe the unfinished feeling to Vestige of Scratches is intentional, but either way DIR EN GREY have collated a collection album worth the shelf space for any serious fan. It may not be perfect, but it's a hell of a lot better than I expected it to be. At the very least, I can argue that it's a better alternative than importing GAUZE if you don't already own it. If DIR EN GREY attack 2018 the way MUCC took 2017, we may have an interesting year ahead of us.
 
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Haha, yes most of the Mucc fans were vocal this year with so much going on. Tatsuro has improved a lot over the years, so maybe you'll like his voice more this time around? 
 
I hope you get to check out the Zigzag and Xaa-xaa releases.  
 
Itchy Poopzkid? That is a great name lol.
Twice are really popular. A few of my friends are traumatized from hearing them so much in Korea lol.
 
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! It was really surprised, I liked o1 but 2V-ALK just blew it out of the water in every way. 
 
I hope you do a list! I am excited to see what you liked this year. I see you make comments in your status about a bunch of bands I always mean to look into them but having a list is so much nicer. 

Enjoy~.  
 
Bleed is awesome. I was listening to it again today, they really did make something wonderful. Then again, I don't think they've made an album I dislike?
Awww, thank you. I wanted to keep things simple. 
 
Who were your faves that released in 2017? (I also second @BrenGunwith hoping you make a list) 
I checked out The War just recently, it was the first Exo album I listened to since XOXO. So it's been a while. lol. If you say Exodus is better I will be sure to go give it a try. NGL I had mostly checked out The War for the songs G.Soul co-wrote because I love him. ^^;
 
I'm glad I lived up to expectations.  I do hope you're gonna share your thoughts once the dust has settled? *starts crowd chant* LIST! LIST! LIST! 
 
Hell yes, bring them to the Mucc side! Mucc are one of the those groups that, like you said, try to keep strong concepts with their albums, lyrics, everything. It's always well throught out and I love it too. ♥ I really need to spend more time with the lyrics. I'm always listening at work or in the car where I can't get too deep into it. But I'm so happy you mentioned it so I cam make it a bigger priority now lol. Same with Miya too. When I first got into Mucc I was all about Tatsuro... but after learning Miya writes most of my favorite songs from them, and I started reading their blog posts, he really pours himself into what he writes. ;w; He may not be the most talkative but he knows how to connect with people. 
 
Classy Time Traveling Gangsters™ I am here for this lol. Dramarama and All In are probably some of my all time favorite Kpop videos because they are so aesthetically pleasing but also tell really interesting stories. I've seen other drama MVs from groups but they feel more like love triangles or crime sagas.. Monsta X tries to be unique and I appreciate it. 
 
 
 

Haha, yes most of the Mucc fans were vocal this year with so much going on. Tatsuro has improved a lot over the years, so maybe you'll like his voice more this time around? 
 
I hope you get to check out the Zigzag and Xaa-xaa releases.  
 
Itchy Poopzkid? That is a great name lol.
Twice are really popular. A few of my friends are traumatized from hearing them so much in Korea lol.
 
I'm so happy you enjoyed it! It was really surprised, I liked o1 but 2V-ALK just blew it out of the water in every way. 
 
I hope you do a list! I am excited to see what you liked this year. I see you make comments in your status about a bunch of bands I always mean to look into them but having a list is so much nicer. 

Enjoy~.  
 
Bleed is awesome. I was listening to it again today, they really did make something wonderful. Then again, I don't think they've made an album I dislike?
Awww, thank you. I wanted to keep things simple. 
 
Who were your faves that released in 2017? (I also second @BrenGunwith hoping you make a list) 
I checked out The War just recently, it was the first Exo album I listened to since XOXO. So it's been a while. lol. If you say Exodus is better I will be sure to go give it a try. NGL I had mostly checked out The War for the songs G.Soul co-wrote because I love him. ^^;
 
I'm glad I lived up to expectations.  I do hope you're gonna share your thoughts once the dust has settled? *starts crowd chant* LIST! LIST! LIST! 
 
Hell yes, bring them to the Mucc side! Mucc are one of the those groups that, like you said, try to keep strong concepts with their albums, lyrics, everything. It's always well throught out and I love it too. ♥ I really need to spend more time with the lyrics. I'm always listening at work or in the car where I can't get too deep into it. But I'm so happy you mentioned it so I cam make it a bigger priority now lol. Same with Miya too. When I first got into Mucc I was all about Tatsuro... but after learning Miya writes most of my favorite songs from them, and I started reading their blog posts, he really pours himself into what he writes. ;w; He may not be the most talkative but he knows how to connect with people. 
 
Classy Time Traveling Gangsters™ I am here for this lol. Dramarama and All In are probably some of my all time favorite Kpop videos because they are so aesthetically pleasing but also tell really interesting stories. I've seen other drama MVs from groups but they feel more like love triangles or crime sagas.. Monsta X tries to be unique and I appreciate it. 
 
 
 

Everybody loves Mucc isn't?! I never got into them, and I guess I also never will. Back in the days I didn't like the "voice" of the vocalist, but I've no clue if I still think so. With bands who are already so long on the picture it holds me somehow back to listen to them. Even if it only need to be "one" release.
 
I've seen more people writing about zigzag, always their news topics are full of people who are happy with a new release. And now also you says they released something good. Which makes me also wonder, shall I try it.
 
for XAA-XAA
To be honest I also do like this band, however somehow I don't even "care" to check out their releases. I never thought that they are "super" good. But they are surely a nice band. But since I didn't listen to the album (I did DL, but I did deleted from my PC, I guess? wtf) I wonder if I shall push myself to check it out again. since they do have some nice songs. 
 
As I said in my own review, I don't really know how good 2018 would have been for me. I only did listen to a few bands and didn't really care to check out other band music. But I still believe that 2018 wouldn't be a too bad year if I would have checked out every release I could check. 
 
 
K-pop / other music of the west.
I don't care to check it out, somehow I'm only from the "Japanese" releases only.
Sometimes  I do listen to Eminem or Itchy Poopzkid(German punk/rock/alternative band) but that's it. 
While my brother is very much K-pop lately. He is such big fan of TWICE. (=_=)/// An today I did read that TWICE is damn popular in Japan. (no wonder why it was easy to buy a bunch of CD's of them while I was in Tokyo)

Interesting list, doom! I still thank you for recommending 2V-ALK, I fully agree with your review, it's probably a top-3 album I've listened this year from a japanese artist. those hooks, damn! I won't even start on the production, god damn its good!
 
If I end up doing a 2017 list, it will probably mix up artists like you did, Japan wasn't too kind for me last year...
 
i'll give a spin to PVRIS, Zigzag and EARTHISTS ASAP!

I'm glad to see Epik High included! I haven't had time to listen to the entire new album yet but the songs I have heard were solid. Bleed was my favorite. I got to listen to the album ASAP.
 
And big props for the layout / design of your list. Easy on the eyes and stylish.

Thanks for the list, I wanna listen to different things in 2018 do this will be a good place to start! For me 2017 was a great year since all my favorite bands released albums or at least really good singles. I didn't check a lot of non v-kei releases though and in terms of kpop I tried exo's last album and didn't like it as much as their previous  EXODUS. I was also going to try Red Velvet and Black Pink but haven't got to it yet. 

@platyI hope you will also drop a list
 

I suck at writing about music, but maybe I'll try it 

I was looking forward to this list, and it didn't disappoint.
2017 was an incredible year music-wise and I'm still in a bit of an overload from it.

Same, literally same XD. I even forced two friends to listen to MUCC and now one of them likes their music (especially Ringo and Wasurenagusa) and was captured by Tatsuro forever XD.
I listened to some of the songs live before they became an album and was completely in love with Myakuhaku the soon I had it. What I've always loved about MUCC is that in each album, the songs look like they were strategically placed there so that when you group each song's story they form a whole (if it makes sense XD).
When I listened to this album and looked up the lyrics, it kinda made me feel like the members were trying to tell their own stories and the band's. That or it just fitted the 20th anniversary mood of that time. 
Also I want to give Miya a big ol' hug because every damn song he makes just rips my heart into tiny little pieces ;A;.
 
As for the kpop part, MonstaX really need more attention in Korea. I was happy seeing them popular in Japan and outside though. I'm still not over DRAMARAMA though. The song is so catchy and nice to listen and has this "Imma fight chu but Imma be a classy gansta' so you better hide while you can" vibe to it and the MV is sinful and I'll watch it again if I have enough holy water on me.

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Be warned all who enter here!
If you came looking for an objective list based on some popularity rating or sales criteria, you came to the wrong place! This list is completely subjective and a little fangirly, but I still hope you find a couple of things that are worth your time, anyway.   Also, sorry in advance if some of the previews are region blocked for your area. 
 
 

MUCC ・ 脈拍 ・ VISUAL KEI
My entire 2017 really goes to MUCC, hands down. They took their 20th anniversary celebration and did it so big, I don’t think we’ll see any other band go to this lengths in quite some time. They re-released, re-recorded, and re-mastered most of their fan favorites between 新痛絶(Shin Tsuuzetsu), 新葬ラ謳(Shin Homura Uta), a second edition of their Best of and Coupling Best discs, a second PV collection, a tribute album, a self-cover album, and then there was this little gem of new material: 脈拍(Myakuhaku). No wonder as soon as it was over they unapologetically announced they’d be going on hiatus for 3 months. They deserve a break, to say the very least. But I digress! Myakuhaku may have been a bit lost in all the excitement for MUCC revisiting their roots, but it’s definitely something new and old fans alike can enjoy. 

The opening title track is clear and direct in its message, MUCC haven’t forgotten where they came from. They turned back time and stripped down to the quintessential visual kei heavy and melodic combination that gave the band the height of it’s popularity a little over 10 years ago. They then took that staple and folded into the mix of anime songs, ballads, and more recent metalcore-infused forays with this album. One of my favorite tracks is “EMP” since it's a total nu metal throwback. It has my 90s-lovin' name written all over it. There’s a lot of other fun musical nuggets packed in this album, “BILLY×2 ～Entwines ROCK STARS～” is a gritty little old fashioned rocker that gets you up and moving, and “孵化(Fuka)” is a surprise mid-tempo number that swells up into this crazy breakdown then veers hard left into a weird (but good) twangy guitar solo. You can tell MUCC pushed themselves to create something great for us and in my humble opinion they more than succeeded. I couldn't get enough of this album this year and, Mucker or not, I hope everyone checks it out. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

MONSTA X ・ THE CLAN PART 2.5: THE FINAL CHAPTER 'BEAUTIFUL' ・ K-POP
I think there were a few of my fellow MH members around in late 2016 who might remember when I fell down the MONSTA X rabbit hole and proceeded to become utterly obsessed. For most that probably don’t know, my love of K-Pop predates my registering for this forum, in fact one of my first avatars was of Chansung from the group 2PM with the u/n “digitalbounce” (also from a K-Pop song). But, it’s been a few years since I was this into a group. MONSTA X aren’t the most popular group around, though I think as far as third generation boy groups are concerned they usually make the top ten lists. Even then, I still consider them criminally underrated. 
 
The third installment of their The Clan trilogy is their strongest release to date, as far as I’m concerned. And even stronger if you count in the repackage version Shine Forever that includes two more songs (the last .5 in the final chapter). The majority of Beautiful leans heavily on R&B (“넘사벽 Incomparable”, “니가 필요해 Need U”, “Miss You”, “5:14 (Last Page)”) which creates just enough contrast with, but also compliments, the hip hop songs (“Oi”, “Calm Down”) that take advantage of the group having rappers that actually know how to rap. Last.fm doesn’t even have a true count of my plays (my phone's music app didn’t scrobble until recently when I made the switch to spotify), but it’ll still show you I played this album basically every day since it came out. Rest assured, I regret nothing. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

-真天地開闢集団-ジグザグ ・ 『メンヘラ』はじめました ・ VISUAL KEI
Zigzag makes me wish I was slightly more motivated to look up and translate lyrics, because I know I'm missing out on a lot when it comes to them. I can only imagine I’d like them even more, which is saying something because I have enjoyed everything I’ve heard from them over the last two years. I also have a huge soft spot for bands that don’t take themselves too seriously. Zigzag's tunes are pretty rockin’ to begin with, but when the band decides to get serious about showing off their musical prowess it's definitely no laughing matter. Their take on soft, melodic songs is simply beautiful, especially fitting with the traditional elements and instruments that are the backbone of their religious/idolatry concepts. Talent and humor? What’s not to love?
 
I chose 『メンヘラ』はじめました(menhara hajimemashita) over their other release 糞麺氏ね(kusomen shine) this year only because it seemed slightly more musically cohesive, but I love them both and enjoyed them both immensely. | Preview: - 臨兵闘者 ～皆陣列在前～ ・ 『死にたい』御年頃 ・ 短絡的『絶望』
 
 

PVRIS ・ ALL WE KNOW OF HEAVEN, ALL WE NEED OF HELL ・ ALTERNATIVE
I wasn’t a big fan at first, it took a while for Pvris to stick with me. They came to me heavily recommended over the last couple of years, I checked a couple of videos, caught a couple songs live at summer festivals, but I just never seemed to be in the mood for what they were offering. I honestly didn’t get the hype. They seemed like another try-hard edgelord band ✞øø ℂvℓ✞ ƒøЯ ✞ℍîƧ ᏔøЯℓ∂. But this year it was different, I’m not sure if they matured more, or maybe it was just my tastes changing as well. But our paths crossed, and it's become a record I find myself spinning more and more often, even as we reached the year's end. I'm sure it will be coming with me into 2018.
 
Even though the title might suggest otherwise, this album is a lot less gimmick-y than expected. It's direct and raw in it's delivery, and densely atmospheric without getting overly cliché. It ends up being a strong rock record that's still dark, but full of heart too. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

EARTHISTS. ・ DREAMSCAPE ・ PROGRESSIVE METALCORE
Dreamscape was an early favorite this year and managed to stay afloat while most of my other usual metalcore bands didn’t quite do it for me. It’s probably more me than them though, with all the shit going on around here lately it’s best I don’t get too amped up. But Earthists have this nice cohesion of their melodic and djent-y elements that make them easy to listen to.  They do little things like adding piano into the mix or samples of wind blowing in the background that keep their take on the genre fresh and inspired and round out their sound. “Flux” and “Winterfell” are two favorites that I keep coming back to just for that damn cool piano riffing -- and it's not a cheap-ass synth piano either, it's a deep traditional, classical-sounding one full of punch and reverb (it’s likely a digital one but it sounds expensive and that’s what counts!). I’m just a little bitter it doesn’t look like they play it live, though it understandably doesn’t look as cool and progressive to be rocking out over as say, a guitar or whatever. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
 

HYUKOH ・ 23 ・ INDIE ROCK
Oh, Hyukoh. Another band who had a fabulous year. Hyukoh is the formal project of leader and chief song-writer Oh Hyuk (doyouseewhathedidthere), who decided a few years ago he was tired of going at it solo and opted to get himself a band. You really can’t hold this guy down, he collaborated on a massive number of albums this year, and I can’t blame everyone for wanting to work with him when his husky voice is this magical. It suits so many genres, I don’t get tired of listening to him either.
 
23 was a bit of a grower for me, hearing the singles alone didn’t spark much of my interest. It took listening to the full album for me to fully understand what they ‘do’. It’s not as in your face or flashy as some of the indie rock I’m used to, but Hyukoh’s style still keeps a common thread as it weaves through funky, retro vibes or the more experimental journeys like "Reserved Seat", not losing their emotional edge. “Tomboy” and “Paul” practically move me to tears with the melancholy that cuts through Oh Hyuk’s voice. I like Hyukoh so much, they’ve even gotten me to enjoy the folk-inspired side of their music I usually make an effort to avoid from other bands. | Preview: Spotify
 
 

DAY6 ・ SUNRISE ・ POP ROCK
As South Korea’s music industry grows, it has picked up a lot of tips and tricks from the ginormous music exporting machine next door, Japan. We’ve seen 12 month consecutive releases attempted a few times now in the vk scene, so when it was announced a K-pop band would be trying it, I was extremely curious how it was gonna pan out. Fortunately, it did rather well and DAY6 released singles containing two quality tracks month after month (on the 6th because “Every DAY6” was genius marketing) which ended up collected in two full albums; SUNRISE came out in June and MOONRISE in December. Both albums are fantastic, but we’ll just go with SUNRISE for now because I can’t afford them multiple slots. But if you enjoy this album, SERIOUSLY, go listen to MOONRISE. 
 
DAY6 are a rock group from one of the 'big 3' idol companies JYP Entertainment (whose stubborn asses refuse to allow their artists’ music on Spotify and piss me off to no end), so their music isn’t necessarily ground breaking, but they do write it all themselves, play their instruments live, and basically function like your typical rock band. Though their songs are generally non-offensive relationship material (meet the girl, confess love to the girl, get dumped by the girl, wait for next girl to walk by…) they do know how to pour all of their emotion into it, and their layered vocals and compositions often remind me of The Beatles and/or other multi-vocalist 60s pop rock. | Preview: I Wait (아 왜) ・ I Smile (반드시 웃는다) ・ You Were Beautiful (예뻤어)
 
 

ザアザア ・ 不幸な迷路 ・ VISUAL KEI
My love for XAA-XAA isn’t really a secret. They’ve become a flagship band for me, though I’m worried about their future since drummer Roji’s departure. Drums are such a key part of their sound due to him, it makes this album even more special in my collection. Considering I've been following the members since they were Belmosaic, seeing him leave is just a huge blow. He's gonna be missed. As far as XAA-XAA releases go, this isn't the album I tend to return to the most, but listening to it again for this list reminded me of the quality compared to other albums I was considering. It still ends up being one of my favorite vk releases this year. 
 
Aptly titled, 不幸な迷路 translates to “unfortunate maze” and likewise this album is dark and twisted, even downright psychotic at times. Though, one thing I love about this band is no matter how crazy or erratic they get, catchy and melodic choruses remain paramount. The mayhem is balanced out with gorgeous ballads and fun jazzy numbers. XAA-XAA's diversity and strong sense of melody is something you can count on with each release so far. I only hope it remains that way. | Preview: 不幸の始まり ・ ぐちゃぐちゃ ・ 恋人ごっこ
 
 

SAWANOHIROYUKI[NZK] ・ 2V-ALK ・ J-POP
If you were waiting for something truly epic to come out of 2017, look no further. Sawano has outdone himself and created something that should be able to please the rockers, the pop kids, the anison lovers, and anyone who just enjoys badass music with some badass vocals soaring over it. It doesn’t hurt that I’m a pretty big fan of the vocalists he utilizes throughout this project. My only complaint is there was less Mizuki (ex.イツエ(Itsue)) than the previous [nZk] album o1, but newcomer Tielle carries the torch well and sings her ass off. So I can’t say I’m too upset. Judging by the amount of anime themes on this record, you probably heard her sing half the OP/EDs you watched this year too.
 
Sawano is sneaky and has 2V-ALK lull you into a bit of a false sense of security at first, “Amazing Trees” is a strong album starter but not a stretch from o1. It’s when “gravityWall” kicks in that you learn you're in for a rollercoaster ride.  This album is more female-fronted than previous releases as well, but it works for me. Even as someone who is a lot pickier when it comes to higher range singers nothing got too nasally or tin-y for my tastes, even with all the over-the-top belting going on. Overall, 2V-ALK is big, beautiful, slickly produced, and something you can become totally immersed in listening to. I don’t have words to express how much I love this album. Just play it, and play it really loud! | Preview: Spotify
 
 

EPIK HIGH ・ WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WONDERFUL ・ HIP HOP
Anyone who’s spent maybe a few minutes looking into Korean hip hop should be familiar with Epik High. They’ve been killing the game there for the last 15 years and continue to be one of the most relevant hip hop units out of Korea. They deserve to be globally relevant at this point, but I’m just gonna have to stay bitter about that for now. Not only have Epik High put out album after album of quality material, they go out of their way to work with the next generation of urban music artists and help cultivate the scene.  
 
Epik High keep a pretty classic, old school style but they know how to get dark, gritty, and emotional when the song calls for it. “HERE COME THE REGRETS” featuring vocal powerhouse Lee Hi is one of my favorites-- a definite stand out for the album. But so is “노땡큐 / NO THANXXX” because everyone needs to hear Tablo yelling “I AM GROOT! MOTHERFUCKER!” to add some extra badassery to their day.  And Hyukoh lovers can also catch ya boy Oh Hyuk lending his smokey vocals to "빈차 / HOME IS FAR AWAY". I told you he was everywhere. | Preview: Spotify
 
 
It was a weird year. I had a few more J-Pop albums I really liked: REOL's エンドレスEP (so sad they're disbanding, they were a killer match up), Junho of 2PM's 2017 S/S, and Miyavi's Samurai Sessions Vol.2, but 10 was a good place to stop and I wanted to give albums I actually played the most a priority regardless of country of origin. What did you guys like last year? What releases are you looking forward to in 2018?

Jiluka announced three things at the oneman today and one of those is the release of their first full album in August!
 
They will also host their first Shusai live, that is, they host it and get to decide on the guests, on April 22nd. 
 
Their next oneman, "B birthday festival 2018" (Boogie's oneman birthday live) will be on 4/8 (Sun) at Yotsuya LOTUS. Ticket sale starts on January 20th.

@Jiyoyou called it on ZMI disbandment thread! ZMI disbanding was just so they could restart as a formal band under a different name, indeed!
 
It's pretty obvious they've been stocking up on songs, this is most definitely from their time as ZMI.
 
freaking excited, even their name is better this time! (what the fuck ZERO MIND INFINITY is supposed to mean?)
 
Hoping they properly re-record and release BE PROUD, i love that song!

I was bummed as hell when they disbanded bc they sounded absolutely incredible. But hey, this is bomb!!!! 

This list cracked me up. Nice work, there are definitely looks that deserve to be discussed. Maybe some of these bands should have had discussions about them beforehand.
 
As for the poll, I put kinda. I will listen to a band with crappy looks if I like the music, and likewise, I don't care how nice their look is, if the music is shit, I'm out. Too many bands put way too much effort into their image to make up for the fact they can't play their instruments, and I hate that the scene has pretty much become a catch-all for subpar musicians like that.

Riku being free is good news and he needs to find fresh blood to work with from now on, that is to say I hope he wears a kisaki repellant