doombox

You realize they did try the whole metalcore thing without visuals first. But they got nowhere so they went visual where in that scene they were different.
And I highly disagree about their level of competence. But the real problem is their music lacks identity without the visuals. Crossfaith's music stands out in a sea of metalcore. You can easily tell when it's them. You can't do that with NB. 

Some of my favorite bands I know because of their collabs.
Coldrain x various
Crossfaith x various
SiM x various
Crystal Lake x various
Before My Life Fails x various
Her Name In Blood x various
(And by 'various' I mean mostly each other)
Crossfaith always say Skrillex is an ispiration of theirs and I'd live to hear him remix their music. Or Crossfaith work with w/ Enter Shikari (or someone equally as popular in their western target markets.)
As for only Japanese bands, I'd like to hear Mucc take a lot of the bands they use for their background work (gang vocals and such) and bring them in on some features. ROACH, Peanuts for a Party Boy, Make My Day, etc.

I had to get fancy (and buy a dress) to do family things so naturally this means picture time.
 

I hope they find a suitable replacement. New material would be nice.

Should have seen that coming.
 
Although, not so sure about IMMORTALIS actually being ranked lower that Heart...

I was actually surprised how many people voted for it. I was fairly 'meh' about it myself, but I loved 9GBO so much that I keep hoping it's gonna grow in me.

me^.^

Sorry for not posting in this thread earlier! I hope you guys don't mind if I pick out some of the albums from the list and drop some quick comments on them.
 
I have to echo CAT5's sentiments regarding TK from 凛として時雨's Fantastic Magic. It's not bad by any means but I can't help but find its more simplistic song-structures and poppy undertones somewhat disappointing overall, especially after flowering which was my favourite album of 2012. I think it says a lot that my favourite work from TK this year has been Acoustic Installation and his remix for sukekiyo. I also have to agree with others that have mentioned the title track being one of the best tracks on the album, as well as unravel's popularity probably stemming from Tokyo Ghoul rather than the song itself.
 
THE NOVEMBERS really are coming into their own as of late. I find that noisy albums tend to have a habit of either being really good or coming across as too gimmicky without any actual substance. Rhapsody in beauty is definitely is a case of the former and not the latter, and I feel rather comfortable in listing it in my personal top three albums released this year. I also think 今日も生きたね deserves some love; sure it's only a two-track release rather than a full-length but I found both tracks to be very good.
 
I found HOLLOWGRAM enjoyable but certainly nothing revolutionary. I'd say Qualia is one of the more enjoyable releases of the year but there have definitely been other releases that deserve more praise. Still, I'm interested to see what they put out next so it must have done something right.
 
As for sukekiyo, they're definitely a band that people either seem to 'get' or 'not get'. That's not to say that people that don't get them are musically inept or anything, it's all subjective in the end. I think one of the main problems is that a lot of people tried to compare sukekiyo to 9GOATS/RES/DIR EN GREY when in reality sukekiyo seems to be going for something rather different to all of those bands; with the similarities being more of a natural by-product of its lineup rather than a direct attempt at emulation. What I enjoyed about IMMORTALIS is that is genuinely comes across as a labour of love more than anything else, and ultimately has a sound that can't be directly compared to anything else out there at the moment - at least not in its entirety. Still, I'll admit that it's definitely not for everyone.

I had to get fancy (and buy a dress) to do family things so naturally this means picture time.
 

2014 has yielded yet another year of wonderful music, and here's my usual self-indulgent run-down of the albums and EPs I enjoyed most.
My tone this year is a bit more personal and subjective than I tried to be in 2013, and my list isn't as long either.
Thanks for checking it out nonetheless.






CAT5's Favorite Japanese Releases of 2014






clepsydra by chouchou merged syrups.
 
Sample: 橙鳴る

    clepsydra took me by complete surprise after last year's thoroughly disappointing
debut "since". chouchou merged syrups. aren't just following cinema staff's
blueprint on how to play emo rooted indie-rock/pop anymore,
they're actually making it their own this time.


Passage of Time by Cloud nine(9)
 
Sample: Passage of Time

 lop abuse on somebody was, for me, one of the most promising young
post/math-rock bands out of Japan. But since they've disbanded their
guitarist has gone on to join Cloud nine(9), which has, again, become
 one of the most promising young Japanese post/math-rock bands.
Surely this is fate. Oh, and it's completely free over @ bandcamp


HEADACHE AND HEARTBURN by CONCERT
 
Sample: 曖昧さ回避

This release took me completely off guard and would have completely slipped 
 under my radar if not for a good friend of mine. CONCERT's sound seems to
draw heavily off of 70's soft-rock and psychedelia while employing quirky and
forward-thinking production. I imagine this is what a collaboration between 
lamp and cornelius might sound like.


BRIGHT TIME by EGO-WRAPPIN'
 
Sample: 太陽哀歌

 EGO-WRAPPIN's last full-length album Steal a Person's Heart was an underwhelming
effort, fraught with various musical style except the one they do best. So it's great
to hear them return to their jazzy roots on the BRIGHT TIME EP. But with only
4 tracks and the entire thing recorded in mono, it's such a tease.


JariBu by JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra
 
Sample: Wild Pansy

   I'm only aware of three different Afrobeat bands from Japan, and each year it
   seems like these bands take turns outdoing each other - 2012 was the year
  of KINGDOM☆AFROCKS, 2013 was REGGAELATION INDEPENDANCE,
  and so 2014 inevitably falls back to the JariBu Afrobeat Arkestra. They've locked
the grooves down this year and delivered their finest album yet.


homephone TE by macaroom
 
Sample: Kingdom

Another obscure recommendation from a friend that would have surely slipped my
radar. macaroom creates dreamy ambient-pop and homephone TE is an
intoxicatingly immersive album from start to finish. There are, however, 2 tracks 
sung entirely in Croatian that might raise an eyebrow at first.


5 - 1 + 1 = by mothercoat
 
Sample: trickster

mothercoat....consistently creative, and yet consistently underrated. They've
been around for over a decade and yet somehow their music seems to
get lost amongst international Japanese-indie fans - old and new. 5 - 1 + 1 =
is a reference to the changes in their band lineup, and each track is a
distinct reflection of those changes (track 1 - with old guitarist, track 2
without guitarist, track 3 with new guitarist). But three tracks simply 
isn't enough, so I can't wait to hear what else they've got in store.


my letter by my letter
 
Sample: ルーザー！

A friend of mine shared this band's demo with me back in 2011, and while
I remember diggin' it, I'd completely forgotten they existed by this year. I'm
glad they were finally able to get around to releasing an album, though.
Bands like シャムキャッツ and ミツメ released solid records this year, but
my letter takes the cake as my easy-going indie-rock album of the year. 
Lots of great guitar interplay and you can't beat the combo of male/female vocals.


Elephant by orcaorca
 
Sample: Clockwork Lovers

orcaorca is the instrumental outing of 2 members from the electronic
group ChouChou (no, not chouchou merged syrups. ha) Glitchy, electro-acoustic
bliss that weaves itself seamlessly in and out of ambient soundscapes 
and minimal-tehcno pulsation.


Koko by Satomimagae
 
Sample: Mikkai

I don't often hear music like this out of the modern J-folk world, so
Satomimagae was an instant love for me. Her music has an exceedingly
dense melancholic atmosphere and conjures up images of both
depression and desolation. Fantastic album recorded with the perfect 
amount of intimate rawness.


Rhapsody in beauty by THE NOVEMBERS
 
Sample: Blood Music.1985

Rhapsody in beauty is yet another testament to THE NOVEMBER's continued
growth and further accentuates their artistic proclivities. It's a dynamic album-
from abrasive shoegaze, dark grunge, to angelic acoustic numbers and more.
THE NOVEMBERS are clearly inspired and HAVE been for the past few
years. Even if it's taken them about 6 years, they've completely won me 
over as a fan and are now one of my all-time favorites.


CAO by アルカラ
 
Sample: 愚痴ばっかりのローレロレロ

arukara have been on fire since 2009, but this is by far my favorite album
from them yet. The band's sound, which combines all of the hookiness and
buoyancy of pop music with the multifaceted indie-rock ingenuity of an 
early 9mm parabellum bullet, has been refined to perfection.


IMAGINARY MONO-FICTION by ヒトリエ
 
Sample: 生きたがりの娘

I've long thought that some vocaloids had cool backing music, but being
that I can't stand vocaloids, it was always an unfortunate arrangement for me.
Thankfully, vocaloid producer wowaka took his colorful ideas and translated
them into an actual band. The results have been splendid thus far. For me, 
the jury is still out on their first full-length, but this mini definitely delivers.


ふつうのしあわせ by ふつうのしあわせ
 
Sample: キャプテンにはなれない

I saw this band described somewhere as bloodthirsty butchers meets
PANICSMILE and thought that was an apt description. Especially the
comparison to the latter. ふつうのしあわせ or "Ordinary Happy" play
wonderfully spastic, disharmonic post-punk with a trumpet thrown in 
for good measure, cuz why the hell not?


攻撃的国民的音楽 by 八十八ヶ所巡礼
 
Sample: -超感覚的宇宙-

 If you've been following my "best-Of" lists over the past few years, then
you've probably noticed that 88kasyo junrei's albums have made an appearance
every time. I'm biased as fuck and I can't help it. Their formula is like a
nonstop barrage of endorphins on my musical pleasure zones - heaps of
melody, quirky and eccentric songwriting, unhinged yet groovy
instrumentation, just the right amount of excessive noodling...so, yeah. There ya go.

(not) NUCLEAR LOVE (or affection) by 印象派
 
Sample: ライ! ライ! ライ!

There's nothing particularly outstanding about inshowha, but they make 
extremely well produced and catchy jpop. It also helps that their image/gimmick
neither overshadows nor detracts from their actual music, so the duo exudes
a kind of earnest charm. I was also pretty surprised at how well crafted this
mini album was. It flows perfectly from one track to the next and you can
tell actual thought was put into the songwriting. This isn't a release of 
sloppily glued together singles or filler tracks. Quality Jpop right here.

NO UNDERGROUND by 撃鉄
 
Sample: やっちゃおう

Gekitetsu's first full album expands on the sound they became known for on
their first 2 EPs - vivacious post-punk chock full of singy-shouty vocals,
discordant, angular guitar riffs, heady basslines, and nu-wave-y drumming.
These guys are always a blast to listen to and definitely worth a try if you're
into the coarser side of Japanese indie.

I might give sukekiyo another listen just to see if I feel any different about it after hearing ARCHE. Really enjoyed tracks #10 "scars like velvet" and #14 "鵠", though.

We're getting down to the best of the best. I loved this album so much I am counting the days until that new mini comes out.

I consider the Official Reviewers to be staff as well and on that front we all are consistent in tone. As users that spent two weeks writing those reviews on top of participating in the end of the year album lists and putting together our own year end lists on top of that, a little gratitude and appreciation is all we're asking for. But when the first thing you read is about how bad your poll choices are and not a word about any of the reviews, how did you think any of us were going to react?

Endroll / End Roll / エンドロール / ect.
Found quite a few of these in my library, Lament., The 3rd Birthday, Dali, -OZ-, Novelis, Rosario, Nega, HeaRt, Eat You Alive, Jils, LuLu. This one isn't even really just vk, it's jpop and japanese music on the whole use this title a lot.
 
Also 世界の終わり / セカイノオワリ / Sekai no owari / End of the world / Ect.
MUCC, Monolith, Megamasso (のジェリーフィッシュ), Crazy★shampoo, R指定, VanessA, X Japan...

2015/01/21 Release ￥2500(+tax)  DQC­1429(KSF­012)   1.Gravity Sky 2.Moment 3.Friendless Friend 4.ルサンチマン 5.硝子の漂流記 6.Adolescence 7.アンドロメダに願いを 8.雨邪鬼マーチ 9.36F View 10.Biographer  

DIR EN GREY need little introduction in circles such as these, but it bears repeating that they've been the chameleons of Japanese rock and metal over the last 17 years with a career that all but started in the Oricon Top 10. The band has not only toured the world over, but been one of the handful of Japanese rock acts to do it continuously. Outside of their home country, they've won awards on MTV2, Kerrang! Magazine, and Loudwire.com, to name a few. Many would call them the quintessential Japanese rock band of the last 10 years. And this year they've graced us with their 9th full length album, ARCHE.
 
For me, ARCHE was a bit of a 'grower'. After my initial listen I was left with only a single song I can say I enjoyed, which was largely in part to it being previously released as a single. "輪郭(Rinkaku) " was the bar I expected the rest of this album to reach, and that was an error on my part. After getting over my previous expectations, the second and third spins of this album revealed "Un deux", "Phenomenon", and "空谷の跫音(Kukoku no kyouon)" all to be gems in their own rights. All four songs have strong rhythm that seperates them from the rest of the album. Shinya's drums sound absolutely massive on these tracks. I have to say the production on most of the album is amazing. These songs not only have driving beats to them, but the emotional element really comes through. Unfortunately, I can't say that the rest of the album had this effect.
 
A large chunk of this album sounds boring, to be frank. It's as if the band is no longer striving to out-do themselves. They sound complacent and uninspired. Songs like "濤声(Tousei)", "Chain Repulsion", "懐春(Kaishun)", and "Behind a vacant image" all have transition issues that keep the songs from establishing their own flow, or they simply feel like parts of songs thrown together that never achieve the dramatic highs or lows the band is known for. None were so bad that I was itching to skip them, but I was left rather unimpressed and they ultimately end up as album filler.
 
I was shocked to come across so many songs on this album that I absolutely could not make it through willingly. Too many songs are worse than dragging and complacent, they forge right on into contrived try-hard material. This probably stems from so many of the songs not having a strong enough emotional core that they can wonder off into vocal dramatics and muddy chug-fests without losing their focus. At points, it began to feel like the band threw in everything from their arsenal as they tried to fill in the gaps where the album required something heavier. The problem with coloring with all of your crayons at once is everything turns into mud. Somehow DIR EN GREY found that magical place where a song can be ridiculously heavy yet go absolutely nowhere. "咀嚼(Soshaku)", "Cause of Fickleness", "Midwife", and "Revelation of Man" all made me really annoyed in the same way a child feels locked in a car with your little brother poking at you repeatedly. I just needed them to stop. 
 
Even though I have not been on the hype train for this band since Withering to death., I could appreciate they were passionate about their new direction and they were growing, expanding, and evolving with it on the previous albums. But it seems that journey has come to an abrupt halt with ARCHE. And worst of all, the compositions feel more half assed than anything I've ever heard DIR EN GREY release before. There was far too much strangeness for the sake of strangeness, failed transitions from polar opposite sides of the spectrum with no unity, and basic recycled material that was not even near the high points of their discography. I was lucky that I ended up liking more of the album than I initially thought I would, but ARCHE is definitely not going to be one of the pillars of the band's catalog when I look back on their body of work. 
 
Rating: 

DogManX, I don't mean to offend or anything, but I think you just took the poll too seriously. Review threads are open to people apart from the staff+official reviewers so they can comment on an album, it should go without saying that the poll options can't possibly be 100-ish words long and/or express every single nuance of what every single person thinks about it. If none of them applies to you, just speak up! It's what a forum is meant for in the first place. 
(sorry for intruding :x)

If you don't agree with the poll you have the option of posting your own opinion/review in the thread. Why not simply say "It was a great album, but certainly not their best" instead of criticizing? It's kind of sad there are 5 in depth reviews there and what you took away from that post was the poll. 

It's a fucking poll. it's for fun. who gives a fuck.
 
stop whining, it's annoying.

I love how we got more comments about one question in an irrelevant fucking poll in a completely different topic than in the review topic that's being discussed and that out of all the people that are complaining only one person here said anything in response to the five very in-depth reviews we took two weeks to write.
 

A-Sketch Major Debut Album
「silver lining」2015.1.14 Release!!
 

Tracklist
1.L-R
2.send me
3.クライベイベ
4.リメンバー
5.緑閃光
6.ゴールド・ルーズ
7.balloon
 
2,000円（+tax） / AZCS-1040
 

DIR EN GREY need little introduction in circles such as these, but it bears repeating that they've been the chameleons of Japanese rock and metal over the last 17 years with a career that all but started in the Oricon Top 10. The band has not only toured the world over, but been one of the handful of Japanese rock acts to do it continuously. Outside of their home country, they've won awards on MTV2, Kerrang! Magazine, and Loudwire.com, to name a few. Many would call them the quintessential Japanese rock band of the last 10 years. And this year they've graced us with their 9th full length album, ARCHE.
 
For me, ARCHE was a bit of a 'grower'. After my initial listen I was left with only a single song I can say I enjoyed, which was largely in part to it being previously released as a single. "輪郭(Rinkaku) " was the bar I expected the rest of this album to reach, and that was an error on my part. After getting over my previous expectations, the second and third spins of this album revealed "Un deux", "Phenomenon", and "空谷の跫音(Kukoku no kyouon)" all to be gems in their own rights. All four songs have strong rhythm that seperates them from the rest of the album. Shinya's drums sound absolutely massive on these tracks. I have to say the production on most of the album is amazing. These songs not only have driving beats to them, but the emotional element really comes through. Unfortunately, I can't say that the rest of the album had this effect.
 
A large chunk of this album sounds boring, to be frank. It's as if the band is no longer striving to out-do themselves. They sound complacent and uninspired. Songs like "濤声(Tousei)", "Chain Repulsion", "懐春(Kaishun)", and "Behind a vacant image" all have transition issues that keep the songs from establishing their own flow, or they simply feel like parts of songs thrown together that never achieve the dramatic highs or lows the band is known for. None were so bad that I was itching to skip them, but I was left rather unimpressed and they ultimately end up as album filler.
 
I was shocked to come across so many songs on this album that I absolutely could not make it through willingly. Too many songs are worse than dragging and complacent, they forge right on into contrived try-hard material. This probably stems from so many of the songs not having a strong enough emotional core that they can wonder off into vocal dramatics and muddy chug-fests without losing their focus. At points, it began to feel like the band threw in everything from their arsenal as they tried to fill in the gaps where the album required something heavier. The problem with coloring with all of your crayons at once is everything turns into mud. Somehow DIR EN GREY found that magical place where a song can be ridiculously heavy yet go absolutely nowhere. "咀嚼(Soshaku)", "Cause of Fickleness", "Midwife", and "Revelation of Man" all made me really annoyed in the same way a child feels locked in a car with your little brother poking at you repeatedly. I just needed them to stop. 
 
Even though I have not been on the hype train for this band since Withering to death., I could appreciate they were passionate about their new direction and they were growing, expanding, and evolving with it on the previous albums. But it seems that journey has come to an abrupt halt with ARCHE. And worst of all, the compositions feel more half assed than anything I've ever heard DIR EN GREY release before. There was far too much strangeness for the sake of strangeness, failed transitions from polar opposite sides of the spectrum with no unity, and basic recycled material that was not even near the high points of their discography. I was lucky that I ended up liking more of the album than I initially thought I would, but ARCHE is definitely not going to be one of the pillars of the band's catalog when I look back on their body of work. 
 
Rating: 

DIR EN GREY need little introduction in circles such as these, but it bears repeating that they've been the chameleons of Japanese rock and metal over the last 17 years with a career that all but started in the Oricon Top 10. The band has not only toured the world over, but been one of the handful of Japanese rock acts to do it continuously. Outside of their home country, they've won awards on MTV2, Kerrang! Magazine, and Loudwire.com, to name a few. Many would call them the quintessential Japanese rock band of the last 10 years. And this year they've graced us with their 9th full length album, ARCHE.
 
For me, ARCHE was a bit of a 'grower'. After my initial listen I was left with only a single song I can say I enjoyed, which was largely in part to it being previously released as a single. "輪郭(Rinkaku) " was the bar I expected the rest of this album to reach, and that was an error on my part. After getting over my previous expectations, the second and third spins of this album revealed "Un deux", "Phenomenon", and "空谷の跫音(Kukoku no kyouon)" all to be gems in their own rights. All four songs have strong rhythm that seperates them from the rest of the album. Shinya's drums sound absolutely massive on these tracks. I have to say the production on most of the album is amazing. These songs not only have driving beats to them, but the emotional element really comes through. Unfortunately, I can't say that the rest of the album had this effect.
 
A large chunk of this album sounds boring, to be frank. It's as if the band is no longer striving to out-do themselves. They sound complacent and uninspired. Songs like "濤声(Tousei)", "Chain Repulsion", "懐春(Kaishun)", and "Behind a vacant image" all have transition issues that keep the songs from establishing their own flow, or they simply feel like parts of songs thrown together that never achieve the dramatic highs or lows the band is known for. None were so bad that I was itching to skip them, but I was left rather unimpressed and they ultimately end up as album filler.
 
I was shocked to come across so many songs on this album that I absolutely could not make it through willingly. Too many songs are worse than dragging and complacent, they forge right on into contrived try-hard material. This probably stems from so many of the songs not having a strong enough emotional core that they can wonder off into vocal dramatics and muddy chug-fests without losing their focus. At points, it began to feel like the band threw in everything from their arsenal as they tried to fill in the gaps where the album required something heavier. The problem with coloring with all of your crayons at once is everything turns into mud. Somehow DIR EN GREY found that magical place where a song can be ridiculously heavy yet go absolutely nowhere. "咀嚼(Soshaku)", "Cause of Fickleness", "Midwife", and "Revelation of Man" all made me really annoyed in the same way a child feels locked in a car with your little brother poking at you repeatedly. I just needed them to stop. 
 
Even though I have not been on the hype train for this band since Withering to death., I could appreciate they were passionate about their new direction and they were growing, expanding, and evolving with it on the previous albums. But it seems that journey has come to an abrupt halt with ARCHE. And worst of all, the compositions feel more half assed than anything I've ever heard DIR EN GREY release before. There was far too much strangeness for the sake of strangeness, failed transitions from polar opposite sides of the spectrum with no unity, and basic recycled material that was not even near the high points of their discography. I was lucky that I ended up liking more of the album than I initially thought I would, but ARCHE is definitely not going to be one of the pillars of the band's catalog when I look back on their body of work. 
 
Rating: 

Yes! ^^ the keyboardist and the vocalist are from Italy! (also I'm Italian)  while guitarist is Japanese!
 
Although formed last year, are still a fledgling band! I'm sure they will improve in the future!