Karma’s Hat

I just can't resist slagging off the title. Sounda like something the bands that try to copy dir en grey would come up with.

Hello, fellow Gazette stans. /cackles/

I miss playing this game so much. Numerous great memories from the time I first leveled up to 60. Those kids will never know the immense satisfaction one got from amassing all that gold at level 40 to get their first mount. 
 
I was on a RP server back in the day ( stopped being super active around WoTLK and stopped entire when Cataclysm was released ) and it was awesome. Too bad us hxc LARPers are a rare breed and everyone goes to the more populated PvP servers nao ;( 

I don't think I ever said one excluded the other. What I'm tired of is people people thinking that technical proficiency is a necessity ( just to clarify this is not directed at you obviously ).
Doesn't matter to me if it's there. If it fits the music, it fits.   

Going to lose all my street cred here but i used to listen to An Cafe when i was 13 or so. They made listenable music until Bou left, but Miku was always a horrendeus vocalist, and it still surprises me how i could stand him back in the day.

For fuck sake
 
 
You obviously have zero idea what I'm going on about, for whatever reason it may be. What you're saying about "Visual Kei not being restricted to only one type of vocals" - well no fucking shit. I even said that I'm specifically talking about bands that sound like Mejibray, Royz, The Gazette, ScreW etc. and that includes practically all the bands from Europe. Overworld, Desier, Jenlayn, Karmia, Seremedy, Yohio, and others. This is almost the only kind of gaijin-kei that is still around, even moreso if we only count bands that are actually active which would exclude a lot of the South American ones. These bands rip off the formula that their Japanese counterparts have already beaten to the ground, and they're stomping down it even further without actually making it work. 
 
What I originally said was that the fact that they are trying also trying to emulate the type of vocals these bands have, and not to mention the lyrics, is not very wise. The lyrics sound AS_IF_JAPANESE VISUAL KEI_ LYRICS_ WERE_ TRANSLATED_ to make it absolutely clear to you. It may work when Asagi sings about Alice or when Kyo croons about endless zetsubou, but it sure as shit doesn't work when these Western bands try it. It's simply sounds tacky, and if you couple that with a saccharine Mejibray-esque backing music for the chorus, it becomes even worse. So far no band has managed to make these types of vocals work, although with Yohio being the least embarrassing out of all of these. To avoid this hurdle, I simply advised them to look for influence in the west. I do acknowledge that it is possible to make this type of song and dance work, but one has to be an immense talent to do so.
 
 
edit: Okay, here's and example. 
  Lyrics in the description. Those are obviously heavily influenced by Vk, and they would sound awkward even if they wouldn't have that terrible vocalist making everything infinitely worse. The lyrics just are different to those often found in western music like post-punk and such and such that influenced VK back in the day. 
Perhaps they shouldn't try to make lyrics akin to translated The GazettE ones, but instead examine lyrics from bands that do speak their language and just maybe do what they did. 
 
 
  Technical proficiency can be only be used as means to an end, and is no way an end itself. I'm not telling this to you as I presume you are aware of it, but I wrote it just to clarify.
 
 
Couldn't care less. Nobody should give anyone a break for a lack of experience. Not to mention the forum would crash if I was to list all the bands that were great from day one. How is it possible that 16 years old can do a decent debut releases in every other scene ever except this one.
Which is why I think the problem is in the fundamentals, as in how to play visual-kei without speaking Japanese as a native language and where to take inspiration from for riffs and melodies. 
 
 
 

   
There's your mature

For fuck sake
 
 
You obviously have zero idea what I'm going on about, for whatever reason it may be. What you're saying about "Visual Kei not being restricted to only one type of vocals" - well no fucking shit. I even said that I'm specifically talking about bands that sound like Mejibray, Royz, The Gazette, ScreW etc. and that includes practically all the bands from Europe. Overworld, Desier, Jenlayn, Karmia, Seremedy, Yohio, and others. This is almost the only kind of gaijin-kei that is still around, even moreso if we only count bands that are actually active which would exclude a lot of the South American ones. These bands rip off the formula that their Japanese counterparts have already beaten to the ground, and they're stomping down it even further without actually making it work. 
 
What I originally said was that the fact that they are trying also trying to emulate the type of vocals these bands have, and not to mention the lyrics, is not very wise. The lyrics sound AS_IF_JAPANESE VISUAL KEI_ LYRICS_ WERE_ TRANSLATED_ to make it absolutely clear to you. It may work when Asagi sings about Alice or when Kyo croons about endless zetsubou, but it sure as shit doesn't work when these Western bands try it. It's simply sounds tacky, and if you couple that with a saccharine Mejibray-esque backing music for the chorus, it becomes even worse. So far no band has managed to make these types of vocals work, although with Yohio being the least embarrassing out of all of these. To avoid this hurdle, I simply advised them to look for influence in the west. I do acknowledge that it is possible to make this type of song and dance work, but one has to be an immense talent to do so.
 
 
edit: Okay, here's and example. 
  Lyrics in the description. Those are obviously heavily influenced by Vk, and they would sound awkward even if they wouldn't have that terrible vocalist making everything infinitely worse. The lyrics just are different to those often found in western music like post-punk and such and such that influenced VK back in the day. 
Perhaps they shouldn't try to make lyrics akin to translated The GazettE ones, but instead examine lyrics from bands that do speak their language and just maybe do what they did. 
 
 
  Technical proficiency can be only be used as means to an end, and is no way an end itself. I'm not telling this to you as I presume you are aware of it, but I wrote it just to clarify.
 
 
Couldn't care less. Nobody should give anyone a break for a lack of experience. Not to mention the forum would crash if I was to list all the bands that were great from day one. How is it possible that 16 years old can do a decent debut releases in every other scene ever except this one.
Which is why I think the problem is in the fundamentals, as in how to play visual-kei without speaking Japanese as a native language and where to take inspiration from for riffs and melodies. 
 
 
 

   
There's your mature

This may or may not be the topic to rant in, but in the absence of a general gaijin bijuaru topic. 
 
Weeaboo-kei will always without exception be shit until the lyricists and vocalists start revamping the formula and broadening their influences. Singing in a "traditional" VK fashion simply does not work when done by gaijins. It is made impossible by the fact that singing really bad emulations of VK lyrics in English reveals the their true nature: They're emo tripe that even filthiest goth of yesteryear wouldn't want to be associated with.  It will be a cold day in hell when the western scene gets a vocalist that is charismatic, unique and either a superb English/other gaijinspeak lyricist or extremely fluent in Japanese. Gaijins will simply have to get "less" VK to pull off VK. This doesn't apply just to Royzcore, but to any possible kotekote emulations as well where Japanese is half the charm. 
 
Weeaboo-kei is not the only scene that has had this problem. Finnish post-punk for example is nearly impossible to digest with the lyrics being translated carbon-copies of those from the legendary British bands. Language is a big deal, and as translating The Cure in Finnish doesn't work just as translating The Gazette to English doesn't work. 
 
I have had an interest in playing VK myself for ages, and I have often wondered how to surpass this problem.
Basically unless one is an immensely talented vocalist from the get-go, there's no other option but to either only do songs where the lyrics amount to EINS ZWEI DREI VIERJAJAU, or take influence for genres in which the vocals are sung in a more foreigner-friendly manner. For gaijins, hardcore or post-punk esque talking and shrieking should be the way to go, with "singing" cut to an absolute minimum. Lyrics also influenced by western lyric writing tradition, not the cheesy as fuck engrish choruses that seem to be the bread and butter of all swedekei. I'd like to think that when someone does this successfully and a proper foundation is established, others will follow build it from thereon.  
 
I have not encountered a scene that is in such a dire state as Visual-kei outside of Japan. While the number of weeaboos once easily rivaled that of the scenekids, and I even personally know weeaboos that are very apt with their instruments, so far there's only one musician of profile and not a single band with any promise. 

No-name band joins no-name label. News at 11.

Lolz both plunklock and black line on hiatus. The curse of the EU tour.

TWO NEW ALBUMS FOR 2014. You heard it here first 

^ Pretty much
 
People make that paint by the numbers composing process joke a lot, but here I feel it's especially fitting. Even as good ol' gazerawk I don't feel Fadeless is on par with Shiver, Ibitsu, Derangement, Pledge etc. etc. The wubs were good for them. At least it was that something extra that was gravely needed ever since their songs became more formulaic after DIM.
 
And I still find those SONY conspiracy theories funny/bs considering their sales went to hell after DIM, which is when they went to SONY. If they are innit for the moneez shouldn't they force poor Ruki&cru to make more DIM's instead of these poorly selling bleepetybloops? If I recall correctly DIM opened with nearly twice the sales of DIVISION. They aren't idiots. Unless what people are implying is that the reptilian  zionists of hollywood are behind this somehow...
 
Spoiler: The reason they suck now is the shit taste of the band itself. 

jelly?

best band ever if he accepts my friend request 

best band ever if he accepts my friend request 

Flash-Fab-Supernova, on 08 Aug 2013 - 00:27, said: I don't think people that don't buy any VK albums should be allowed to criticize or complain about band qualities when they aren't doing anything to help the genre economically. 
  Oh boo-hoo. I haven't bought a VK CD in ages and still my opinion matters just as little as yours. Why on earth shouldn't I be able to praise or criticize ( both sides of the same coin )  unless I belong to this elit3 VK-consumers club. How does one gain entrance? One CD a month, year, week? I bought a couple some years ago, so am I a lifelong-member? 

Flash-Fab-Supernova, on 08 Aug 2013 - 00:27, said: I don't think people that don't buy any VK albums should be allowed to criticize or complain about band qualities when they aren't doing anything to help the genre economically. 
  Oh boo-hoo. I haven't bought a VK CD in ages and still my opinion matters just as little as yours. Why on earth shouldn't I be able to praise or criticize ( both sides of the same coin )  unless I belong to this elit3 VK-consumers club. How does one gain entrance? One CD a month, year, week? I bought a couple some years ago, so am I a lifelong-member? 

Flash-Fab-Supernova, on 08 Aug 2013 - 00:27, said: I don't think people that don't buy any VK albums should be allowed to criticize or complain about band qualities when they aren't doing anything to help the genre economically. 
  Oh boo-hoo. I haven't bought a VK CD in ages and still my opinion matters just as little as yours. Why on earth shouldn't I be able to praise or criticize ( both sides of the same coin )  unless I belong to this elit3 VK-consumers club. How does one gain entrance? One CD a month, year, week? I bought a couple some years ago, so am I a lifelong-member? 

Flash-Fab-Supernova, on 08 Aug 2013 - 00:27, said: I don't think people that don't buy any VK albums should be allowed to criticize or complain about band qualities when they aren't doing anything to help the genre economically. 
  Oh boo-hoo. I haven't bought a VK CD in ages and still my opinion matters just as little as yours. Why on earth shouldn't I be able to praise or criticize ( both sides of the same coin )  unless I belong to this elit3 VK-consumers club. How does one gain entrance? One CD a month, year, week? I bought a couple some years ago, so am I a lifelong-member? 

Flash-Fab-Supernova, on 08 Aug 2013 - 00:27, said: I don't think people that don't buy any VK albums should be allowed to criticize or complain about band qualities when they aren't doing anything to help the genre economically. 
  Oh boo-hoo. I haven't bought a VK CD in ages and still my opinion matters just as little as yours. Why on earth shouldn't I be able to praise or criticize ( both sides of the same coin )  unless I belong to this elit3 VK-consumers club. How does one gain entrance? One CD a month, year, week? I bought a couple some years ago, so am I a lifelong-member? 

Do we have to hear "IT'S JUST A SAMPLE STOP HATIN" ever single time again and again. We are fully aware. 
 
This sample which someone who works for their label or they themselves picked, sounds atrocious.

Haha cute but you kind of are. Osare is a joke term for oshare so yeah Nyasagi is right. Oshare means someone who's really stylish, osare means someone who thinks they're really stylish, but in fact they're not.

Miles better than all the covers for their DVD's up to like Vulgar[ism]. They all look like they were quickly put together by a Taiwanese bootlegger at best, which is odd considering their album designs have always been nice. 

rrly? This looks like it could a tattoo on the bicep of some mohawk-hairdo'd chav wearing saggy bleached jeans that has ten pockets. 

^ I concur it's lame as hell. Could they at least play it faster, make the guitar sound rougher or do something... anything that would make it sound more hard hitting and less lame. The riff is about as exciting as drinking water.