There isn't anywhere else. There wasn't ever anywhere else really. During the VK heyday, most of our "competition" were blog spots. Finding downloads is easy. MH is one of the few bastions of hardcore music discussion left on the Internet dedicated to visual kei.
It's not endemic, but it's not uncommon either. There's something about visual kei that comes and goes in waves and perhaps by sharing our experiences we can all come to a common understanding on what visual kei really means to us. The more I think about it, I don't "fall" out of other scenes or genres the way I do visual kei. I could go three to four months only listening to visual kei, and then spend another three to four months not listening to it at all. It's got a really addicting quality to it! Some people remain steadfast, others worship the false god K-Pop, and then the rest of us are somewhere in the middle, one foot still tied to this place. Or at least I am.
For me at least, it's really interesting to see why people are leaving visual kei. The first reason given is usually a general one that hides the real one. A pattern I have noticed and never seen mentioned is that all it takes is one band's untimely disbandment for the wind to leave someone's sails. Mine was D'espa.
For what it's worth, I haven't noticed too much complaining in this thread. But I have noticed that a lot of members have refined tastes in visual kei, and know what they like, and will tune in when something catches their interest. There's just so much going on in the scene these days, if one is not knee-deep in it and doesn't have a gateway band to ease returning into the scene, it can feel like the scene has nothing to offer them anymore.
Greetings, MH! Another month, another batch of recommended tracks from the amazing ORZ team!
Check them out and let us know what you think!
(We apologize if some videos aren't available due to region restrictions!)
@plastic_rainbow's Picks
"天上天下" by ARCHEMI.
"Tenjou Tenge" by ARCHEMI.
Using religious themes like Hotokesama - which refers to Buddha - worship and spiritual enlightenment along with a heavy and aggressive sound, ARCHEMI. stands out from most VK bands. They recently gained a new drummer and now continue as a 4 member band once again. Although their new drummer Maya previously performed in a visually brighter band, Aloud, his fast-paced drumming works well with ARCHEMI.'s tumultuous force. Their newest single includes three equally good tracks - the fourth one being an SE - , of which "Tenjou Tenge" is the most refreshing. Instead of rehashing their overdone but brainwashing-in-a-good-way Hotokesama worship, the shouting of 'soiya soiya soiya', the beating of taiko drums, and flute in "Tenjou Tenge" evoke a traditional Japanese spirit. That being said, ARCHEMI. still have their furious bang down with the highly addictive heavy metal riffs and rushed drumming. Listening to ARCHEMI. is like following an underground cult, and the enthralling chants and head bursting screams spewed by Isami will drag you into a dark and calamitous spiritual adventure between heaven and earth. If you've never heard of ARCHEMI., you are totally missing out.
"鮮やかな矛盾" by NoGoD
"Azayakana Mujun" by NoGoD
Picking up in quality again, the year so far has been looking good for NoGoD after the blasting release of Missing several months ago. They continue their successful streak by dropping another outstanding track that is "Azayakana Mujun". It brings back the softer and more poignant sound reminiscent of their indie days. Or to be more specific, I'd say that it carries the very essence of their album Mugenkyou, which was when the band peaked. Danchou's vocals become most effective when he exerts his voice in a wistful way, which he has not done in a while until very recently. In "Azayakana Mujun", the intro begins instantly with Danchou's passionate vocals, but later includes calming spoken word as well. One thing that NoGoD always excel at is the ability to contrast the silent and loud moments in a compelling way. You can especially hear this when the powerful guitar solo follows right after Danchou's soft spoken words backed up by tranquil guitar melodies. If you thought NoGoD would never produce anything as good as what they did in their heyday, I recommend that you check out "Azayakana Mujun" and think again.
"昏睡" by SCAPEGOAT
"Konsui" by SCAPEGOAT
With their sound growing sharper each time, SCAPEGOAT has put out a killer tune yet again. Unlike their previous songs, however, the intensity and beauty of "Konsui" will surely make you listen to it nonstop. Shifting between a heavy and slow tempo, the track manifests the very feeble moment of being torn between life and death. It opens with heavy guitars and the muttering of Haru's sullen voice, giving it a sinister quality. Then, as if a helping hand reaches out to you, the trickling piano miraculously opens a door of light to illuminate a groovy ballad. The mellow guitars and soft bass lines plucked from a double bass barely border on art-kei, and Haru's compelling vocals breathe out a transient repose until all hell breaks loose again. Continuing as they are, I expect that SCAPEGOAT will keep on delivering stellar tracks such as "Konsui".
"青年ナイフ" by ニトロデイ
"Seinen Knife" by Nitro Day
I bring you another great YouTube find, and one that shows a lot of promise! Nitro Day is a very young indie rock band that began activities just last year. Despite being new to the scene they are already growing fast, and with good reason. "Seinen Knife" demonstrates all of the stunning talent from the young 4-piece band. Right from the beginning, the striking high-pitched guitar notes and smooth bass lines lead you to their robust and dynamic sound. The unique and emotive vocals, which might be too nasal for some, are the front wheel that drives the band's gripping momentum, while the more laid-back drummer keeps them in pace. They are one of those bands that can only make you think 'they’re cool' as you listen in awe. If I have to describe their sound though, they are like an alternative noise rock band with an emo and punk edge. Nitro Day are already receiving comparisons with huge J-indie acts like Number Girl and Bloodthirsty Butchers and could be the next band to lead the increasingly stagnant scene. I insist that you give them a listen now.
"Sorry, I Am Not" by SHE TALKS SILENCE
SHE TALKS SILENCE is a minimal noise and shoegaze DIY solo project led by Minami Yamaguchi that began way back around 2009. She's had a few supporting members in the past, but has been working completely solo again starting this year after her drummer left to pursue her own music path. In the early days of SHE TALKS SILENCE, Minami was very rough in her music writing, but has improved greatly over the years with better production as well. The newest song she wrote, "Sorry, I Am Not", comes from an album of the same title released this month, which also compiles her older songs from when the drummer was still around. In "Sorry, I Am Not", Minami sings in her whispery style, as she always does, accompanied by eerie guitar melodies, a constant bass drum, and clattering noises, making it one of her more haunting songs. Still, there remains a tangible sweetness from her gentle voice that floats like an angel's feather amidst the dark atmosphere. I admit that the choppy bass lines do need some polishing, but the simple melodies and mellowness of noise as expressed by SHE TALKS SILENCE may be for you if you've never heard of them.
@qotka's Pick
"雨” by 游彩
"Ame" by Yusai
While desperately searching, which is what I call mindlessly droning through YouTube these days, for some new decent angura-kei to heal my weaboo heart, I ran into a band called Zin on several occasions. Zin were a sweet yet hardly memorable mixture of that traditional-Japanese-sound infused rock and oshare-kei pop. This fragile bunch disbanded late last year only to reemerge as Yusai a few months later, sporting a more leathery look and slight stage-name changes. "Ame" is Yusai's second single and it paves their way into a darker, somewhat more sophisticated form of existence. The intro almost sounds like a generic start to a nu-metal anthem, but it breaks down into a solid, mid-tempo ballad that elegantly mixes in a sequence of electric shamisen chords without making it sound forced or artificially glued onto the track. But what made me go back for a ridiculous number of listens this past month was Rui Amane's laid-back vocals. His voice is not exceptional but he knows how and when to use it, keeping it on the low side for most of the track and saving those miserable, characteristically v-kei wails only for when they're really called for to create maximum impact. Another thing to notice about "Ame" is the great bass work, especially after the first chorus. If you like your bass strong and distinct, I recommend listening to this one with headphones on. Only time will tell what will become of Yusai in the long run, but they're definitely off to an interesting (re)start.
@emmny's Pick
"虚言癖" by DAMY
"Kyogenheki" by DAMY
I don't think it's any surprise that the more 'heavy' or 'abare' styled bands are more or less flopping lately, as the songwriting tends to be subpar compared to more melody-loving bands. It's a problem DAMY had suffered from in the past as well, with sloppy song structures and messy playing made up for only by the pure aggression and despair conveyed by the band. They have hinted at their abilities with "Obutsu" from their last album, but never quite hit that peak again. Every once in a while, a bop comes out of the indies scene so damn good that everyone--ghost writers, bandmen, fans of other bands--are left clutching their pearls, permanently shook. Much to everyone's surprise, mine included, "Kyogenheki" is that song. They've definitely got a new ghost writer stepped their game up all the way around and wrote a cohesive, heavy-yet-melodic banger that doesn't sound like a DEZERT song but definitely keeps that influence obvious. The most notable change here is in the percussion and vocals department, with Ryo taking out the over-the-top zetsubou vocalizations and replacing it with Chiaki's signature sing-talk-whatever while still keeping his whine in there. Miharu, once a roadie for DEZERT is starting to show off his chops, with an incredibly rhythmic drum line and sharp little frills and fills that definitely recall his mentor's drumming style. I don't have enough good things to say about this, DAMY have definitely established themselves as serious contenders.
@helcchi's Pick
"⚪︎と×" by ザアザア
"Maru to Batsu" by Xaa-Xaa
Xaa-Xaa are exceptionally adept at writing ballads, with Kazuki's soulful voice compellingly conveying emotion and psychological conflict. Their newest release "Maru to Batsu", continues their creative streak. While "Maru to Batsu" might not be as haunting as 2015's "Yukidokei" nor as sorrowful as last year's "Shizuku", those upbeat tunes still hit you with sentimentality, for they are sure to evoke a wave of nostalgia. Working early 00s melodicism into a repeating chorus that's strongly reminiscent of "endless loop" by ROUAGE, and with a sound that's manifesting in Kagerou's influence, "Maru to Batsu" is an injection of all the feels. Let this song transport you back into the past.
@tetsu_sama69's Pick
"burst" by Zill
I have an extreme weakness when it comes to anything Cra gets herself wrapped up in, even if it usually only ends up being something temporary. I am hoping that Zill is something that ends up having a much longer lifetime, as their first release Adam is already overflowing with potential. All three tracks on the single are very strong, but "burst" ended up getting my attention. It's got a catchy rhythm that gives you such a rush of energy it's hard to sit still while listening to it. The breakdowns give "burst" the chance for you to enjoy a fair bit of headbanging fun between the melodic full course meal that Zill delivers. If you find yourself thirsting for a visual band that relies purely on musical prowess instead of synths and metalcore, then Zill will definitely sate your tastes.
@The Reverend's Pick
"Dystopia -Vanishing Point-" by Boris
You know how songs get labeled 'epic' just cause they're kinda longer than normal? Even though Boris often deserve it, I am going to purposefully not levy that trite praise on the penultimate track from their new album Dear (even though it is twelve minutes long!)
The first half of "Dystopia" is really just a chance to set the stage for the climactic guitar solo that makes up the last five minutes of the song. Kind of like someone shushing you because the good part of a a movie they've already seen is coming up soon. And what a guitar solo it is! It sounds like a savant who has never actually touched a musical instrument got handed a guitar; the first couple minutes are full of awkward tone and fits and starts while this hypothetical 6-string genius gets comfortable with the instrument prior to unleashing some magic. But as soon as it comes together, boy is this song powerful! Alternatively, I'd compare it to those baby giraffes that stumble around immediately after being born, but before you know it are galloping confidently with their mothers.
Not quite the usual doom/noise dirge preferred by Boris when they write such long songs, "Dystopia" is certainly full of melancholy, but is also undeniably beautiful. Check this one out if you've been scared off by how *dense* the band usually is!
@CAT5's Pick
"声飛行" by Gutevolk
"koe hikou" by Gutevolk
It's been seven years since singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Gutevolk (Hirono Nishiyama) released an album, but she's back in full effect with the leading track from her upcoming release titled, Gutevolk no koe hikou -Hello Tiny People!I Will Catch You-. "koe hikou" sports a prominent, pop-style beat, which instantly sets it apart from the subtle instrumental subtlety of Nishiyama's past works. Outside of that, however; this is vintage Gutevolk. Whispery, dreamlike vocals? Check. Whimsical, childlike melodies? Yep. Colorful, beautifully layered instrumentation? Of course! All the charm of Nishiyama's lighthearted indie-pop has remained perfectly intact over nearly a decade of radio-silence. The album sounds set to be a winner!
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
Thanks for checking out our recommendations this month! If you have any thoughts on the list, or if you have any recommendations of your own, we look forward to seeing your comments below!
coldrain have done a three in a row post on their blog, I translated or tried most of it:
1st. Their new full album will be called "FATELESS" and will be released on October 11th, the album will feature a two LIVE CDs from their 10th Anniversary Tour in Nagoya on it's limited edition. Other infos such as full tracklist, art cover will come soon.
2nd. From 2017.10.29 to 2017.12.08 they will be perfoming a 2MAN Tour called, "FATELESS" guests will be announced later. They will be performing on 2018.02.08 a Oneman live, which probably will be closing the "FATELESS" Tour.
3rd. Their new song called "ENVY" (which will be included on their newest album) will have their MV shooting on first half of August.
Oh no wonder I had to log back in 'randomly' this morning. We had a big update. XD
I don't think I've ever been in a last.fm group, so this will be new for me, but I definitely need a place to mourn and lament over Girugamesh and all the lost potential they had. T_T Thanks for making the group!
- Every Girugamesh release until "volcano" was always written "Very special Thanks to : 蜉蝣 (Kagerou)" or something similar on the credit page.
- If you're listening to 不純愛(L), it will show up as 不純愛♥ with a big red heart on MSN. Not sure if it's the band's intention.
- The song "Bombshell" by Powerman 5000 had been often used as the opening song of their live concerts in 2004-2006.
- The bassline in Sel'm's オリエンタルリリー sounds very similar to ミッドナイト at the intro.
- The correct romanization for the song 枯咲き歌 is "Karezaki Uta".
- Sadie's 迷彩 (meisai) and Girugamesh's 【獄】 (Goku) have the same intro. (Goku was released first.)
- 拒絶された机 (kyosetsu sareta tsukue) is the only song that's still unknown who composed it.
- The shortest track ever is 男魂 (Otoko Tamashii) which is just 3 seconds length.
- The live dist. DVD 千名阪ツアー配布DVD is one of their secret releases.
- The speech "An Appeal to the Red Army" by Vladimir Lenin was used in 亡者ノ行進 (Mouja NO Koushin).
- The single 零-ゼロ- (Rei-ZERO-) was sold in advance at the live concert on March 22, 2006 (which was also the date GLAMOROUS SKY was distributed).
- The live dist. CD "jelato" had been rare for over two years until it was leaked in September 2006.
- The live dist. CD ミッドナイト (MIDNIGHT) had been a secret release of theirs until it was discovered in 2006 and leaked in mid 2007.
- 零-ゼロ- (Rei-ZERO-) was co-written by the two members of the band, Nii and Ryo.
- DEATHGAZE's abyss PV was probably shot at the same location as 終わりと未来 (Owari to Mirai) PV. (Girugamesh was first.)
- Their first oversea live was held at The Wiltern Theatre, Los Angeles on May 26, 2007 (J-Rock Revolution Festival day 2).
- The lyrics on Reason of crying regular edition booklet are handwritten by Satoshi.
- The self-titled album "Girugamesh" was released on Shuu's 23rd birthday (December 26, 2007).
- ROCKER'S from the limited edition is sightly different from the regular one at the end of the song.
- The song "stupid" doesn't have lyrics written on the booklet.
- The Girugamesh logo on MUSIC CD looks similar to Metallica's.
- Mariko Goto (ミドリ Vo.) is the guest chorus in the song evolution.
- No even singles or old songs included in the self-titled album and MUSIC.
- From the album MUSIC onwards, the whole band has been given credits together as the music composers on the booklets.
- If you don't know this guy, you're not a die hard Girugamesh fan.
- ALIVE was the first single in 3 years since 2006.
- They used the photo of a 5 year old boy as NOW album art which referred to the years that the band had been active so far at that time. (And also their mental age? XD)
- NuTz (Fly Sleep Fly Vo.) is the guest chorus in the song BEAST.
- In DIRTY STORY PV, Satoshi sings "I wanna be a sincere man, SAY!!" which sightly differs from the audio track on CD.
- In July 2010, tons of the people on Last.fm were fooled by the fake song the foolish mindcore. (Me included.)
- The title of the album GO could also refer to their fifth album. (Go = 5 in Japanese)
- The previous singles, COLOR and Inochi no Ki, included in GO were left untouched unlike the ones in their other studio albums which were at least re-recorded.
- ShuU is the collaborating bassist in the song 翻弄(Honrou) on Daisuke's last album.
- They released a song titled "pray" as a charity song via iTunes Store on April 13, 2011 to help the tsunami victims.
- "Future", a digital single, was a song used in a Russia-Japan event in 2011.
- On October 19, 2011, their OHP had become a blank page with the number 13. Later, it was revealed on October 23, 2011. (Which was the announcement about their new tour and a new live DVD to be released in February 2012.)
- Satoshi is the guest vocalist as the screamer in the song No Reason in the Pit by ROACH. More info
- They had a song tribute to Tatsurou (ムック) called たたたつろー！！. It later became 絶頂BANG!! with alternate lyrics.
- 斬鉄拳 (zantetsuken) released in 2012 was a one-type single in ages since 零-ゼロ- in 2006.
- In late 2012, the band had paused all activities and stayed quiet for almost a year in order to focus on practicing to improve their musical skills, and they made a comeback on July 22, 2013 (Which was also Nii's 29th birthday.)
- Satoshi joined another band named REDMAN as the vocalist in late 2013.
- If you order the album titles they have released so far, it's gonna be "Girugamesh MUSIC NOW GO MONSTER".
- They had two distinct songs with the same title: Intro. One is from the self-titled album, and the other is from MONSTER.
- On February 20, 2014, Nii and Ryo opened a joint Twitter account, and Ryo clarified that they both were actual blood-related brothers. This was kind of a big shock to all Girugamesh fans. It had been 10 years they kept it a secret.
- The LIVE BEST tracklist order resembles a setlist they could have played live.
- gravitation was their first one-type album ever.
- They had a live distributed album containing 25 pre-13's reborn songs (2 CDs) titled "CORE BEST" released on October 11, 2014. This was the first live distributed CD in over 8 years since Omae ni Sasageru Minikui Koe in 2006.
- In May 2015, Shuu joined the band named KEEL as the bassist.
- 2015 was the first year the band had no releases.
- On May 2, 2016, they announced their disbandment ending their 12-year music career, and the last live would be held at Zepp DiverCity on July 10, 2016. (BORN and SCREW also disbanded on the same day. Coincidentally, it was on hide's 18th death day. )
- 希望ト夜 (Kibou to Yoru) by グリーヴァ is a 【獄窓】 (Gokusou) rip off.
- ラストダンス (Last Dance) by ザアザア (Xaa-Xaa) is a Dance Rock Night rip off.
- Their last song titled "period" was distributed at the last live and available to purchase online later on; unfortunately, it was never played live.
- There is a small typo on the last live DVD booklet. 縁enishi became 緑enishi which the latter is read "midori". lol
- All the ex-Girugamesh members participated in TRIBUTE OF MUCC -縁 [en]- as 左迅×弐×愁×Яyo for the song 五月雨.
doombox got a reaction from Visutox in coldrain new album release
