doombox

Nya, it doesn't matter if you release songs already, (live limited own pressed releases can't be that expensive to release isn't?~ also bands earn a shitload from Cheki)
I mostly guess bands don't have the patient to gain fans. They give up way too fast. 
I even do follow non vkei bands who only have also around 10-20 fans each gig and they are around for 10+ years. 
 
But was this band under a label then? 
usually bands with a crappy label still do live a bit longer. 
 

Very true, the label pressure and demands exacerbate this whole issue.

I honestly agree with you. If you gonna have a band that sticks when it comes to the visual kei genera you need either a sht ton of money or just simply be patient but then again sometimes i don't think that's the bands fault 100% of the time sometimes they just might be under a crappy label.

It always feels like vk bands promote backwards. They start to book gigs as soon as they have enough songs for a set and then hope to generate enough interest in their band while slowly going broke (we all know vk ain't cheap) instead of slowly building interest in their band THEN booking shows. You see a lot of the J-metal and indie bands doing this, where they're together 3-5 years before they even put out a real album, but vk just throws everything at the wall and prays that it sticks. I really don't understand the thought process sometimes. 

u mean 華那 just 華n 那t contain his ドラゴン and this will result in a コドモ ?

Recording quality takes a nosedive in the span of one release? Possible money problems No free-agent guitarist wanted to join an already semi-well-known and established band? Band has a history of being inconsistent and disappearing/disbanding on a whim. I'm going to go out on a limb here, but something associated with chariots stinks to high hell. Name is stigmatic at this point. They'd be better off doing the visual thing and "disbanding", then turning around and reforming a new band with a new concept.

The band have revealed a new look !
 

 
 

Due to issues with the scrobbler, I gave up my old account a while back and this new one has only been going a little over a year now. So it's probably vastly different than it would be if I still had my old account. But either way I'm still curious as to what your most played artists are! Please share (and if you post your username I'll follow you because I need more fmbros).
 

I had a lot of issues early in the year with scrobbling from my phone, so the stats aren't really close, but good enough to get the idea of what I was doing at least lol. https://www.last.fm/user/Doombox_/listening-report/year
 

I had a lot of issues early in the year with scrobbling from my phone, so the stats aren't really close, but good enough to get the idea of what I was doing at least lol. https://www.last.fm/user/Doombox_/listening-report/year
 

last.fm users share your Last.year 2017. 
 
Also twitter users remember to use #mylastfmyear
 
Here's mine:
https://www.last.fm/user/sume7/listening-report/year
 

wrote them and played them on the recordings! he did the same for all of berry's guitar, too. literal second coming of christ

fun fact: reo suprised hzk and gifted him that J model bass entirely for the ONE J song they covered at their new year show, #1 dad

idk wtf y'all are on but the majority of the thread is happy he's back so pipe down, jeez.

DEVILOOF, 
A band which get's more and more popular, finally they dropped their first album, let's take a listen en check out if the band did grow or that this release is also a waste of money and a pain in the ears.
 
1.Devil’s Proof 
It's an SE, just an nice intro, which actually gives a much amazing feeling than most of the songs on this album.

2.ESCAPE 
The thing I don't like at ESCAPE is the clean singing, also that part, if you listen to the drums, it's just smashing the drum on a pretty worse boring way. 
Also the high pitch voice in this song I think it's kinda not really need. But what I also don't really like is that BASS and DRUM doesn't really fit each other. 
a song which is 4:24 I also think it's a bit too long, for me it get a bit of boring after 2 minutes. and the short wtf solo after kinda 3minues. is somehow... yes WTF. But sounded nice tho.
 
3.Natural Born Killer 
high on screaming, I on't mean pig scream, just the high metal scream. It's nicely done also the more dark growling. It really fits it.
But once again, somehow I do not really get into the drumming beat. 
Yet, the guitar part is nicely but the bass falls a bit in behind.  
 
4.Return of the Curse 
This song is a pretty typical visual kei song actually. grunting is fine, the switch between more clean up singing and grunting is also good.
However it's not a song which fits in my personal taste. But it's good. 

5.DESTINATION 
This is more a rock than a real metal song. Also it's totally different from the above songs. 
Somehow this song also sounds a bit familiar, not sure where I did hear some parts of this song. (100% that WOW part, maybe loudness vibe?)
this song is 4:35 and sometimes its a bit as you listen to 2 different songs in one.  so a shorter version would have done it maybe better?
 
6.Lover 
Another long song 4:10 also a bit too long for this type of song. it has nice parts but the end simply sounds not that good anymore as the first minutes of this song.
Also this song really let me think of "E.T". 
 
7.InCipit-Instrumental- 
An instrumental song?! of 4:11! which only gives this album 9 full songs. 
while listen to this song, it also reminds me of some other songs, which I can't name out of my head. But guitar parts don't really are amazing and the drums well, could also be more amazing in a fully instrumental song?
Wouldn't mind if they didn't put this one on the album.
 
8.EGOIST 
It's far not bad, but somehow it also sounds a bit as a mess, also the random fast guitar solo... the heavy beat which isn't that heavy. Don't know.
It doesn't leave a memory after playing it. 
 
9.M.F.JAP 
worse lyric, melody isn't that bad does fit the way of singing very good. but it sounds more hiphop metal while other songs sounded much different. 
If the lyric was more nice I would have rate it better. also after 1½ min I did skip the songs.

10.怠惰の罪 
It's a nice one,  but I still do miss the beat which let me headbang.  but the more slow (clean) singing totally annoyed me, but beside that the melody is alright. 

11.HERO=MURDER 
Last song, also their best song. crazy heavy headbang level is still low, but yet possible. It's a nice one!
 
 
After all it's not an album which I would purchase for the original price, the album doesn't let me headbang or going crazy on their melody, I miss some real beat between the bass and drums. Yet Keisuke vocal is listenable it's not annoying. With this album they at least proof that they could create something which (many) people can enjoy. At least I can listen to it, without thinking that it is pure shit. It's long not perfect but I believe that DEVILOOF can grow at least I really hope that they can really let me headbang next time. After all whatever METAL it is, I should be able to headbang on it and not just stand and give only a little "yes". 
Also the songs on the album variate too much from each other. releasing them as 2~3 tracks each or just one by one. would have done it too. 
But yes DEVILOOF did do a good job, this time they didn't release a shame. keep going guys. 
However they didn't turn me into a fan. (not yet)

RAZOR | the CORE
 

 
 
Tracklist:
 
1. the CORE
2. ROAD
3. 消えない痛み
4. イノセンス                                 
5. Labyrinth
6. 君は今も鮮やかに
7. 『その後の世界』
 
A release that it's okay on its own, but with glimpses of brilliance, if they manage to identify them.
 
To properly explain the sentence above, We'll need to dwelve into their past releases for a bit. It's safe to say that RED INVISIBLE was the most well received release so far. It introduced and showcased all their range in a single release, with a bit of everything and by all accounts, a successful effort, even with its flaws. The following singles had their strenghts here and there, but faced a more lukewarm reception, most citing the lack of direction, uninspired b-sides and an over-reliance on born-like choruses/structures that may not fit with the overall range of the band. That brings us to the CORE. To get it out of the way, it is pretty obviously composed of tracks they do not believe have the power to be singles, and that's a (somewhat) fair assessment. The fact that it didn't have a PV (EDIT: Actually they did, but the fact that they choose the most bland track on the release works on favor of the idea here), and they chose to give 君は今も鮮やかに a lyric video further proves my point, it's playing safe 101. So, if you are not confident on the power of the material you have, the decision of making the CORE a compilation of trials, errors and experiments is a wise one. It lets you check the waters, understand the reception an maybe score one hit or two.
 
ROAD and その後の世界 are tracks that dig deep into the members origins. You can hear Sadie, born and MBHI influences all over those pieces. Both are a solid tracks, but not mindblowing, by any means. There's nothing wrong in playing safe and delivering something satisfying everytime, but we expect RAZOR to be a monster on its own, not a 2.0 version of those mentioned above. And I believe they've found their way with イノセンス, the best of the album. This track perfects a formula that enables it to be powerful without resorting to MBHI djent-y riffs, to have a very consistent vocal work without using born leftover choruses. Top it off with a mix of electronic effects and dnb drums that keeps the momentum going and never feels overdone and you have a winner on your hands. This is RAZOR transforming their influences into something fresh, perfecting their unique formula, and of course, their identity as a band. 君は今も鮮やかに is a mediocre ballad that does not bring anything new to their catalogue (worse than the 6/10 MISSING PIECE let's be honest) and 消えない痛み is such a forgettable one that if it wasn't labeled as RAZOR I'd have trouble identifying who it was from. (I'll ignore Labyrinth, the overused vk tropes are too strong on this one).
 
Overall, it's a release that provides more filler tracks to a band that may have the most high-ceiling potential of the 2016 newcomers, but have yet to find their stride. However, イノセンス makes me feel pretty confident that RAZOR can be fresh without throwing away all the experience and influences of past works, maybe reshaping them into something truly unique.
 
 
 
 

@CAT5Besides the SENKOU mini, they have released マグロ解体チェーンソー single on December's 6th, which is really worth a try.

the only kpop that matters

Yay! Thanks for making the 2018 post. Gonna do my best to update this regularly and not wait until September like I did last year... >>;
 
 
Last updated: 4.13

Yay! Thanks for making the 2018 post. Gonna do my best to update this regularly and not wait until September like I did last year... >>;
 
 
Last updated: 4.13

Yay! Thanks for making the 2018 post. Gonna do my best to update this regularly and not wait until September like I did last year... >>;
 
 
Last updated: 4.13

Going to take this one over for 2018 @CAT5@Lestat
 
Coming back for the 4th year in a row, this thread is dedicated to Japanese releases in 2018 that the MH Community will listen to and would like to keep track of throughout the entire year. It’s a nice way of referring back to a list, should you forget if you’ve listened to a certain release yet or not. I know I forget sometimes haha. These ratings can also help those who may want to see which releases are favoring well or not, based on each individual user who you may have similar tastes with.
You never know, as this could come in handy at the end of the year.
 
Feel free to set up your own rating system (Stars, ?/5, ?/10, Best to Worst, Oooh to Eww, etc.), but try and use spoiler tags to save room in your post, and save room on the page for the other members’ rating lists.
 
Previous Years for Reference:
2015
2016
2017
 
I look forward to seeing everyone’s lists at the end of the year!
 
Yuyo’s List for 2018:
 
 

We are in 2018 now, let's look back to 2017. Some of you call it a really bad year, others call it a good year. For myself this year was, GOOD, I guess. I didn't really bought a lot, because I wanted to save money for "JAPAN" and not all bands I do follow released something, or I did continue to follow them. 
 
There is one new band I liked this year an that is キズ. However I don't like them enough to turn into a fan, but their music was enjoying to listen too. 
Maybe I shall check them out more and again and again? But would they still stay together this year? can they hold their first year?!
 
The most shocking disbandment announcement of this year was for me ART ELICIA and DEVIZE. 
After Teoh left and I did read the member comments, I really thought they would stay together and that they would turn DEVIZE in a more great band. But I guess feelings of losing Teoh as their bassist, and maybe even some fan feelings made them to this decision?, anyhow it's a pity.
As for ART ELICIA, When they dropped their first single I wasn't impressed at all, it didn't sound that great however after checking their 3rd single on youtube. I really noticed that they turned into a nice band with real good feeling of music. They found their way, but sadly they decided to stop. 

Of course there are some bigger names who will disband this year or have disbanded last year, but to be honest I was never really interested in those names.   If I would still need to name one then I would pour out MEJIBRAY, since they still pulled out a nice sound, even if I did lose all my interest for them. 
 
Also E.T new album "DO NOT BELONG TO ANYTHING"  (2017/11/08), pretty much disappointed me a lot. While Hiro(vocalist) has a beautiful voice, he totally messed it up to change his voice into a strange annoying electronic shit voice, which made most songs not listen able for me.  However  I guess their songs do rock live, But I didn't saw them in 2017, so I can't say it. And it really did disappointed me a lot, since I really was looking for their new ALBUM. 
 
DEVILOOF also has surprised me. Their album wasn't that bad at all but also not good. Songs are simply too long and get boring after 3 minutes. (I know many disagree with that) Still I could notice that this band is growing and getting better. Hopefully they will drop a new release this year too. 
 
Any other band/ releases didn't stuck in my mind for now;
 
However let's take a look to the 2017 releases which I've bought.
 

[SS] single
[M] mini album
[A] ALBUM
[D] DVD
 
2017/01/18- DEVIZE - [SS]『CORE』-Worship-  http://devize.jp

DEVIZE made me happy to start the year with this strong single, I also guess they really did hit my attention wit this release. After this release I didn't want them to break up anytime soon, because they play a style of music you don't really hear in the visual kei world. 
 
2017.02.08- [SS] ユメリープ - どりーむまたーhttps://twitter.com/yumeleep
Yume Sleep, actually they do hit my taste, I totally played this single a lot of times, but somehow I didn't care to buy more of them. I could easy when I was in Japan. But I didn't, I also should say that I didn't even listen to their other releases at all. Which I still have no clue why. Since they are good. 
 
2017/02/20-[M] THE NOSTRADAMNZ - Tokyo e.p. https://twitter.com/TheNostradamnz
THE NOSTRADAMNZ - How did this release sound?, I remember no worries, I only lost interest in this band. Still this release rocks and I did listen to it a lot.
 
2017/04/25-[A] NEXTRADE - Revival (2nd press) http://nextrade-web.com/
https://twitter.com/NEXTRADE_info
This release you cannot find on youtube, however it's an collection of their "live distributed" singles and a brand new song. I already do own the first press, and this one will arrive tomorrow. However also this 2nd press has been sold out now, I got the last copy   And it's the NEXTRADE how I know them from the beginning. So it's something nice to keep, since yes, the guys have changed their sound and look completely.  
 
2017.05.03- 麗麗 -[SS] 「N・G・Y」 http://reirei.nagoya
REIREI, I'm glad this band returned fully back in the picture. They call themselves the best band of "NAGOYA". And they are really proud of NAGOYA. It's noticeable in their songs, but also in the stuff they tweet about. Also REIREI knows how to create a song, their songs can't never annoy me, and I love to play their songs all day long. 
 
2017/05/15-[A] THE NOSTRADAMNZ -  It's a small world's end」
Another Nostradamnz released, this time their first album, there are also some older tracks on it, but every song is remastered. The guys really pull out a great album. 
The album is still available at itunes and free to listen on spotify.
 
2017/05/17- メリーバッドエンド - [SS] 「君が世は」& 「kiss me, girl, and your old one」http://merrybadend.com
Merry Badend always puts out something you await and love at the very first moment.  I really do like the elements they use and it's also a band which vocalist doesn't sound the same as so many other vocalists.  It still surprises me that almost nobody here do care for them.  Since this single isn't shared here at all. Are they really that bad?
 
2017/05/22-[M] AnimA - Letter
https://twitter.com/official_AnimA_
A free release, I did got it in my hands at Ikebukuro Cyber at 9/10 from the vocalist. He was like here please listen. After seeing them, I thought, mm.. this cd can't be good, well let's try it. After listing to it, I really thought, damn it's amazing. On stage they are really boring. Their songs just don't can catch my attention, but on CD I got a complete different feeling. I still hope this band will stay alive for a bit longer, since their music is listenable. (Also live listenable)
 
 
2017/06/15-[SS] ROSEMADDER - NIGHTMARE
https://twitter.com/rosemadderinfo
I believe I only did listen 1 time to this release. ROSEMADDER is a nice visual band with a female vocalist. Also more a "CD" band than a live band. (from what I see of their LIVE VIDEOS, didn't catch them live yet).  The band has some great artist, Tak as guitarist, Kazuya as drummer and chiro as bass player.  I wonder if there are people interested in them?
 
2017/07/05-[A] 妖幻鏡 -NAGOYA- vol.1 尾張V系音源集
One of worst V/A albums of 2017. some bands on that album already disbanded or will disband. For me only 3 bands really did put a good song on it. And another band with a nice song totally delivered a transcode on it... (=_=)///  But oh well...
 
2017/07/28-[SS] DEVIZE - Fallin' Night
Hopefully there will be a band like them in the near future. Also this single sounds amazing. 
 
2017/08/02-[M] MOLE HiLL - 普通でいいこと？
MOLE HiLL isn't visual kei at all, just a normal poprock from Kyoto. In their early years it was a rock band which much wilder songs and a more rocking look. But still this band know how to deliver a nice poprock song, it's nice for the mind when not in the mood in some wild crazy rock or metal. 
 
2017/08/03-[SS] LIM - BLAZE OF LIFE 
I did grab this one at the brand-x store in ikebukuro. Just because it was for free. I must say it's a nice song. But somehow I don't feel like to follow this band. 
 
2017/08/10- [SS] THE NOSTRADAMNS - Thrasher & Pressure
I bought both CD's but I still need to listen to it. And I guess I never will listen to it. 
 
2017/08/13-[M] スネメガマフィー - スネメガマフィー
I still don't really know how to roman this band name, however it's the band where ex-Calmando Qual Kenka plays in now.
If you ever saw them live, you know why this band is so amazing. bass, vocal, guitar... music made with real feeling. 
 
2017/10/10-[M] SARRMATH - SARRMATH
SARRMATH is the perfect mix between Calmando Qual and Tokami. Hibiki's voice, 1000 drums and writing. the music of this couple fit's perfect. 
But as said, before you only can get this mini album via a proxy or at lives. 
 
2017/10/11-[D] メリーバッドエンド - 2017/06/24 ONEMAN LIVE 
Merry Badend again, this time with a LIVE DVD, I still do need to receive it. But I'm sure the guys are kick ass on stage. When I got this DVD  I will write a review about it for sure. 
 
2017/11/03-[M] THE HIGH GRIP - STARDUST CHILDREN
https://twitter.com/THG_Staff
Sadly not a preview of this amazing mini album, but you can get it easy at closet child also most songs are available at youtube in live version  
Highly recommend if you do like Hibiki's voice. 
 
2017/11/11-[SS] NEXTRADE - Miles Away Zutto
https://twitter.com/NEXTRADE_info
I also still need to receive this single, will get it hopefully tomorrow, 
 
2017.11.15- [SS] メリーバッドエンド - もう無理。
When I have more time, I surely gonna translate this lyric. I'm really curious about the lyric because of the PV.
The song really sounds nice but also the single rocks totally. I love to play it over and over. 
 
2017/12/13- DEVIZE - Meaningless
As it's also meaningless to record a MV. Meaningless really is an amazing single. Totally rocking with some lovely Engrish you think what's Japanese 
I can't wait for their last single!

This song was originally released back in March 2016. Appears it will be on the album. 

We're a bit later than usual due to all of the seasonal business, but here's our latest installment of recommended tracks! We're not quite done with 2017 just yet!!!  
 
@The Reverend's Pick
"流れ☆" by Free Aqua Butterfly
"Nagareboshi" by Free Aqua Butterfly

I try to use writing mini-reviews for the Recommended Tracks thread as a chance to expand my musical horizons, explore things from around the varied Japanese music landscape, and share my discoveries; and then sometimes I throw those noble intentions out the window and just use this as a platform to talk about a band I really like that has released something cool lately. Free Aqua Butterfly's "流れ星" (Nagareboshi) is a pick from the latter category.
 
Free Aqua Butterfly have been a pet band of mine since I first heard them on the Deep More Deep #3 compilation back in 2015, and they do not at all fit the mold of J-bands I usually like.  I think being Visual Kei is at least partially defined by the other bands you play shows with, but Free Aqua Butterfly barely look like a VK band most of the time and have a very J-indie lineup that includes a girl on bass who shares vocal duties pretty equally. (I wonder if it's weird for her to be playing at VK event shows with 25 boys who all spend longer on their makeup than she does?)
 
Recommended if you're looking for some catchy, sweet pop-rock that is played and presented without any pretense, or if you're intrigued by the idea of VK band using a dual-female/male-vocal setup and playing upbeat tunes that don't veer too heavily into 'oshare' territory.
 
@doombox's Pick
"PULSE" by defspiral

It was nice to see defspiral back in rare form this month with “PULSE”; It’s been a while since they've been quite this leather clad and smokey eyed -- possibly not since they were in their previous incarnation as The Underneath. defspiral have been riddled with some identity issues over the years that kept them from gaining as large of a following as they deserve, but I’m glad to see they haven’t lost their spark along the way. The song’s vibe is dark, dangerous, and sexy. Basically, the perfect storm to get your heart racing!
 
@plastic_rainbow's Pick
"絲" by BABOO
"ito" by BABOO

Who would've thought that BABOO, one of the biggest WTF bands of 2017 with their supposedly 'kawaii' toddler-in-diapers act, would turn things around and reemerge as a band with a lot of promise? Dropping the cute and bright oshare-kei look, they've gone darker yet still embody a kind of tainted playfulness to their look and sound. Upon listening to their new single 黒白-kokuhaku-, I was blown away by the very first track, "絲" (Ito). It starts abruptly but introduces an ardent guitar that soothes an empty heart, and Bero's impressive vocals float about in the background and come back to the foreground like a guiding light as he sings with heightened emotions. If you thought the year of 2017 was feeling short on notable VK ballads, you can add "絲" to that miniscule list. With such an unexpected change in sound within one year of their formation, it's not certain whether BABOO will stick with their current direction or not, but whatever they give us next I hope it'll be just as good!
 
@CAT5's Picks
"凍狂" by 八十八ヶ所巡礼
"koukyou" by 88kasyo Junrei

It's been three years since 88kasyo have released a proper album, and to the average J-rock fan that seems like an eternity. To make matters worse, the guys have teased our starving ears with a few new music videos since the end of 2016, and now going into 2018, they've yet to announce any new releases! "koukyou" is their latest appetizer and it's a delectable mix of catchy hooks and melodies offset by the band's quintessentially progressive quirk. Their sound is continually being refined, and here they've hit the perfect stride between accessibility and untrammeled instrumental wankery. In short, it's a jam! Let's just hope they actually release something new this year!
 
"同じ夜" by DAOKO
"Onaji Yoru" by DAOKO

"Wait....THIS is DAOKO????" is exactly what I thought when I first heard this track. It's dark, cinematic, atmospheric and dare I say 'mature'-sounding? Basically, the song is a stark contrast from the 'kawaii' hop-hop of her early career and miles away from the nondescript Jpop fodder that she's releasing now. It's produced by indie up-and-comers D.A.N., which explains why it's so different for DAOKO, as it essentially sounds like one of their songs with her on vocals (which is actually an improvement over D.A.N.'s tonedeaf vocalist, but I digress). It's great to hear DAOKO excel in a style so foreign from her usual, and although this song is a one-off, it shows that she has the ability to morph and adapt to the artistic inclinations of her producers. I just hope she does more cool collaborations in the future, because I could take an entire album of this!
 
"鏡面の波" by YURiKA
"Kyoumen no Nami" by YURiKA

I'm a HUGE haisuinonasa fanboy, so as soon as this song started and I heard the robotic vocal lines, the strategically place guitar-flourishes, and the single piano hits that sound like raindrops gracefully hitting the ground one by one, I KNEW this was produced by Yoshimasa Terui! His style is unmistakable, and YURiKA sounds right at home with it. I love how Terui brilliantly tailors his mathy and experimental tendencies to the kind of wondrous and imaginative pop soundscape that you'd expect from an anime OP - all without sacrificing ingenuity for accessibility. I haven't heard every OP of 2017, but I love Terui's work so much that i'd proudly deem this the best anime theme of the year anyways!  
 
-
Liked our list? Have some new recommended tracks of your own? Feel free to comment below and share your thoughts!  

I don't think even if Umebo had apologized the situation would be the same for him, in Asia it is expected that "talent" (singers/actors/show hosts/etc.) should be role models for society at large. 
Even if HNIB is not the most popular rock band in Japan they are sign under a major label so it's take time for can pay "his debt to society", even if that can be unfair the way who the music industry blacklisted him it's something totally normaly in Japan.
When a artist is arrested for a drug scandal the artist's management agency, record label(s), and any and all companies contracting that person to do work or appearances will immediately drop them from their rosters, stores will remove their music, merchandise, and other media bearing their name from their shelves.
It's take time for a artist and the band can "wash theirs names" after a scandal like this for example Buck-Tick and did a forced break of 9 months (April to December 89) after Imai was arrested on charge of drugs possession.
 
@cvlticwill can correct me if I'm wrong but since the day one Hakuzi don't give  up on Akinori and tried to found some solutions like be back in indies