Ikna

Nr. 4 are Laissez faire, see here: http://www.lastfm.de/music/Laissez+Faire/+images/82314369

Aw, thank you very much. X3 Siouxsie is indeed my "fashion idol". She is so stunning and her looks are inspiring. You are welcome and thanks. Everybody seems to like my eyeliner skills. Now I wish I'd be able to make my eyebrows symmetrical (on this photo one of them are thankfully covered, hah)

One month old pic, because I am sick at the moment and look like shit >_< Also agree, Hyura is kawaii as fuck <3

Really cool line-up. I agree, Rukia needs to be in a band again (and what are KIL:erre doing? nothing, it seems). I am also interested into this release since I liked Re-lay's Deep single.

I heard about it on FB today… it's really terrible and unexpected.

Well… at least their costumes look cool. But that's it.

I really wanna see that supposed tape. Proper photos or scans of cover and tracklist please, because I am actually sceptical that it's legit.

Not a big fan of them actually, but like seikun their LILIA song was really making an impression on me. It isn't neither too poppy, too electronic (the kind of pop and dance electronica, as I am fine with classic electro, electrowave and synth pop) or Metalcore influenced and rather reminded me of the stuff Megaromania would release. Maybe some other older songs are in the same vain, I don't know as I have herad only a hand full of songs yet.

Where did this impression that Kyo was an always depressed, serious man come from anyway? I see so many fans who talk about him as if he was a completely humourless, grim person who constantly thinks about how much life sucks all day.

I haven't listened to them in ages and am, well… shocked is the wrong word, but it's really surprising in a bad way how the have turned from a heavy "edgy" band into this. The song isn't extremely bad (actually I like the chorus somehow, it's catchy, despite being rather unoriginal), but it is so poppy and compared to their former self really embarrassing. The video is completely silly and cheesy too.

I like how Lin do not actually fit in with the other bands (musically and visually). But anyway; great to see that these bands will play again (ZEDEKIAH, yay!), even if it's just for once. Sadly I will never be able to see them performing.

I really don't understand everyone's obsession with Riku. I actually think he wasn't even that good and that Kisaki has worked with better vocalists before in various bands and projects (Jui, anyone?). As some people have already stated Kisaki only worked together with him in two bands and his side projects so there is no "a Kisaki band needs Riku!" rule. And as mediocre as Lin was with a better line-up this could maybe change for the better. A few Megaromania influences wouldn't be that bad and enchance the song writing and Sui has progressed so much since the days he was in Metis Gretel (which you can't say about Riku) that i am really excited to hear him singing again.

7.8 Kyouki isn't sounding all too different here from his recent songs in Grieva, but I feel his growls and screams have become better now, therefore not a full 8 or 9. (and I like his singing better in Grieva too)

That's really interesting. Brings back some memories from listening to VK for the first time in 2004/05.

I am excited. And so glad to see some new music from them Also wondering what songs they are going to re-record.

My entrance to the Vee kay fandom was pretty similiar to most people's experience here. I was a huge Manga fan back in 2003 and a freaky mallgoth. So when I discovered in manga and anime magazines that Visual kei existed I was immediately interested, because it appeared to be the perfect mix of Mallgoth and Animu. The first bands I bought CDs from were of course Moi dix Mois. I "accidentally" saw their album Nocturnal Opera being sold in the CD section of an electronic retailer. I thought "whoo, that's goffick Vee Kay from Japan, I'm gonna buy it!!" After this followed CDs from Dir en grey, D'espairsRay, Gazette and Unsraw. I was a big fan from 2004 to ca. 2006, then I had a one year pause. In 2007 I finally got internet (very late, I was 15 I think) and browsed around youtube, watching some Dir en grey PVs. Somehow I ended up watching Aliene Ma'riage and Madeth gray'll videos and I was hooked again. And since then my love for Visual kei (mainly oldschool) hasn't topped.

Late reply, sry. I have checked out Deep Rave a bit and I think I have even downloaded their first self titled release (it's somewhere on my harddrive). Really liked the Luna Sea vibe too. And it seems the new self titled Mini will be in the same direction. I listen to AvelCain a bit and they are oldschool friendly, but I have a hard time getting used to Karma's growls. His voice in general is an acquired taste. That Scarlet group sounds very interesting. always thought some doujin bands already sounded very similiar to the more fast paced old vk bands. So it was just a matter of time one would appear that really has obvious old school visual influences. I also listen to GAUZES, Bugscream and La'veil Mizeria, but they are all in essence "homage" bands who really try to sound like the groups from the 90s. I recently discovered Crimson Shiva for myself. Although they are not really old school they seem to be influenced by it. For me they, along with DEZERT and maybe AvelCain, remind me of the early 00s VK scene. (around 2001-2005, I guess)

To me it seems as if you are equating pop and pop influences with being mediorce, or not true enough. I might be wrong, but that's the impression I get. I am not a big fan of extremely melodic and soft music either, but pop is such a wide stretched term that it doesn't always need to refer to this type of music. Most Soft VK wasn't that bad, despite being rather poppy, it's just not everyone's taste and it kind of refutes Kote kei enthusiasts' opinion that true Visual kei has to be punky, dark and edgy. I guess what you are probably meaning is the kind of mainstream pop song structures that many VK bands are using and make them seem uninspired, bland and boring. If that's the case I'd agree with you, but so far we can't really tell how much Grieva's new album went this route (or not). Some song previews kind of hint of having wild and crazy parts, they just seem not to be part of the choruses (if even most of the previews were showcasing the choruses). If I am honest though: I am glad that they try something new. As I said before their first album was consisting mainly of wild and heavy songs. It would be equally boring if they'd continue to do only this kind of music for ever. It would be the best if they can find a good midpoint between melodic VK and heavy fast tempo VK and even better if they'd throw some influences outside of Dir en grey era worshipping into the music (those don't even need to be VK). Edit: btw, I am basing my opinion on the website previews. I have a graphic design lesson atm and will listen to the amazon previews later.

I think they still sound pretty much like Visual kei... just a bit more melodic. But it's very close to the poppier VK stuff of the 90s. And is it me or does the new album have a slight Matina touch? At least so far most previews sound rather like the medium mixed pop/edgy bands of that label rather than Deg. I like my VK chaotic, mad and weird too, but getting a more melodic album wouldn't be so bad since their first was almost entirely just screaming and heavy rock. The only problem I could see is that the songs may be too similar. No preview has really stuck in my head yet, but maybe the full songs will differ more from each other. One thing I noticed: the bass. I love how you can hear it. There are still VK bands today who cherish this instrument, but quite a lot of groups don't see it as important anymore or it just get's swallowed during production. But Grieva integrate it very well into their compositions and it really adds much to the music, such as thickness, depht and of course that old school feeling. They also seemed to have become better playing their instruments, I think. The guitar parts sound more polished to me. But let's just wait. 30 sec are really too short, at least for me, to give a full opinion on this album.

Old VK seems to be about taking some melodies and notes from your favourite bands and making a new song of it in general. The whole imitating and copying of each other is probably one of the reasons VK was quite homogenous in the 90s. Not that this has changed much, but instead of emulating Luna Sea, X or Kuroyume bands have started to copy other groups (such as Gazette). (but errr… we already had the whole Grieva copies Diru discussion) Anyway… I thought about making a new topic, but then didn't since I don't know if it would deserve it's own thread, but are there any modern Vk bands, that are "oldschool" friendly? I mean mostly bands, that have a rather modern sound (and possibly look), so aren't really "kote kei" or comparable to Ru:natic, Grieva and the likes, but who still have a strong musical connection to the older scene and could be appealing to someone who mostly listens to the old stuff from the 90s to the early 00s. I am trying to find some new VK bands, but most of the stuff I find seems really just the average Electro Rock, Pop or Metalcore music which is so hip at the moment. So far I've discovered cocklobin (who disbanded, sadly) and I have checked Dezert and I kind of like them.

[when Champ said everything, Champ meant EVERYTHING. Irrelevant content deleted, please continue this discussion through PM] About the drummer: they seem to have a new support drummer. I wonder when La'veil are going to release a maxi single, because maybe then that would be more accessible for us non-japanese fans.

Haha… not only do I seem to have some of the looks in common but I am not a relationship type of person either XD

Okay, that's really difficult to me, especially when it comes to VK >_< My taste and my fondness of certain bands and their music may change annually, so the list I can provide is showing the current state of my favourites. (and even choosing just 10 of those many faves is hard for me) 1. emmurée – currently the band I really love listening to when I go to walk, drive to school or go shopping. Their music is really varied from calming rock songs to really energetic post-punky songs with the kind of late 90s Nagoya kei flair á la Merry go Round that I like 2. La'Mule – because Kon is just amazing and they did a lot of really awesome songs 3. Phobia – old Nagoya kei rules and I just like Kisuis unique voice 4. Merry go Round – More Nagoya love 5. Dir en grey – I don't listen to them as much as I used too. Their new material doesn't really make me hooked as much and I start to neglect their earlier material lately too. Regardless of that they still will be one of my top faves, and if it's just because of nostalgia 6. Syndrome – Mostly their Tatsuya era stuff. Typical Matina music I favor, so that place can be basically representative of any Matina band (DAS:VASSER, AZALEA, Eze:quL, etc) 7. Madeth gray'll – a Matina band that deserves its own mention, because they are A. Kvlt Veekay, B. one of my first old school visual kei finds C. just really cool in their own way 8. Aliene Ma'riage – My really very first old school VK band, apart from old Dir en grey. I mostly started out in the first half of the 2000s with the bands active and popular at this time, so I wasn't really aware things like Aliene existed. When I found them via watching old Diru PVs I felt like I was finally discovering something I have always searched for. They aren't my absolute top faves anymore, but I will always love Aliene (and I hope Kyouka gets shit together and starts a new official band that lasts longer than one year) 9. Kuroyume – well, mostly their stuff from the beginning to ca. 1994. Feminism is the last record I can listen to. 10. グリーヴァ – relatively new and more an homage band, but I enjoy listening to their old school nostalgia wrapped in modern producing technology. And maybe they will use their potential in the future and create something entirely on their own honourable mentions: Moi dix Mois – basically my very first VK band ever. They are still my most played band at lastfm, though not counting all the failed to scrobble from ipod attempts. I stopped listening to them, because I didn't feel their music anymore D'espairsRay – same story as with Moi dix Mois. Though I may jam some of their songs from time to time Buck-Tick – didn't include them because 1. not sure if they are really that VK-ish 2. they are faves, but not top faves LUNA SEA Shiver a lot of other old Nagoya kei bands, such as Sleep my Dear, ROUAGE, Laputa or early Fanatic Crisis. Late Nagoya kei is my fave thing too (Lamiel, Blast, Vizell, Kein…) Metis Gretel Lately I am also really starting to like La'veil Mizeria, Ru:natic, AION and Cell. But let's just stop here.

Excuse my weird gaze and the angle, taking a photo with a dslr camera is difficult. Also I need a new haircut >_<