fitear1590

I'm all for trying out new, interesting chip flavors. You certainly have some wacky flavor ideas, haha. I really want them to make a green curry flavored one. Unfortunately, I was disappointed with the Sriracha flavor they made though... It tasted way too "buttery" to be Sriracha. Tasted more like a buffalo sauce or something.

It was by no means "the" definitive list. Just a few off the top of my head. Plus, I've never really listened to Plastic Tree intensively (blasphemy!), so please feel free to post about them and enlighten me!

The occasional "indie rock" influence in VK... It's pretty obvious that most bands in the current VK scene aren't influenced by "indie rock" stuff in the least. Still, there are a few bands (mostly ones that dabble in pop-rock) that have pulled from those styles from time to time. Here's the chance to discuss those groups/ songs: ゾロ (ZORO) - 閃光 [2009] It's mostly the solo that made me include this track, but I suppose if the song had less obviously VK vox, this could easily be from some indie band. I do remember hearing this track back in the day and being completely taken aback that ZORO could produce this kind of stuff. (later) 愛狂います。(Aicle) [2010/2011] Crazy-ass Aicle may have turned to mostly ho-hum, watered down pop-rock before they disbanded, but they still had some tunes I enjoyed like these. There's a definite indie rock influence in the music (even a math rock one in the first track). Yeti [2013] Yeti is more than the sum of their parts. Despite having members from 4 different VK bands, they sound like no one else in the scene. Rather than just the occasional song (or part of one song), the band on the whole seems to be channeling influences from bands like RADWIMPS and androp, with Satoshi's unique vocals on top. Chanty [2014] The vocals are still kind of a giveaway of its VK origins, but musically, I can definitely see this being right at home in the indie scene. Compared to ZORO and Aicle, who have only one or a few songs with this influence, Yeti and Chanty seem to be pretty committed to the style, incorporating it into their general sound. Are they the start of a new trend? Do you think indie/ math rock influences could eventually become a mainstay in the VK scene (much like pseudo metalcore is nowadays) or will it just remain a niche influence for a few groups? Are any other groups using this sound? Discuss!

Let's not forget that before Icchi went all "oshare" / pop-rock, he was in ErecSia and Alphonstein. So I guess it's not TOTALLY random. I'm intrigued by this concept, so I hope they'll really embrace the 90s theme and deliver something unique!

MALICE MIZER tribute album Some of these are pure fantasy since this isn't going to happen anyway, but a few are pretty plausible cover candidates I think! The order of the tracks is also a bit random, but I think it's practically a requirement that "Bois de merveilles" be the closing track. Enjoy! 1. au revoir - Moran Moran really screwed up their chance to cover "Illuminati" unfortunately, but I don't think that song was really right for them in the first place. Anyway, I'm prepared to give Moran a second chance and because they really shine on their light, dreamy ballad-type songs, I think "au revoir" is a great fit. 2. Le ciel - DIMMDIVISION. Le ciel is already a pretty dreamy song, so I can imagine DIMMDIVISION. adding their shoegazey flair and producing magic for my ears. Their song ".ReyarP" comes to mind as proof that they could pull this off. 3. Gardenia - 네미시스 (Nemesis) I think it's pretty obvious when listening to Nemesis that despite not being visually inspired, the band must be closet fans of light, frilly VK like this. Their orchestral arrangements are always beautiful and their guitarist is also a lovely piano player, so they could definitely do some justice to this song. 4. N・p・s N・g・s - 己龍 (Kiryu) I can really imagine Kiryu putting their unique, crazy spin on this track. The creepy talking parts and the "DIE GAME" parts are begging to be Mahiro-fied. 5. Syunikiss ～二度目の哀悼～ - Vior gloire I really struggled with finding a good band to cover "Syunikiss" until I remembered Vior gloire. Their songs occasionally had a grandiose/cinematic quality. That combined with Shall's special vocals make Vior gloire a strong candidate for this song. 6. 記憶と空 - Megaromania Neoclassical guitar riffs and questionable vocals? Sounds like a job for Megaromania! 7. エーゲ ～過ぎ去りし風と共に～ - DOPPEL Thinking back to DOPPEL's songs like "Eggknock" and "Moonlight xxxx," I think they could produce a neat, twinkly update of this classic MM track. 8. 麗しき仮面の招待状 - Kaya The VK queen of goth/electronic. While "Illuminati" seems like an obvious choice, I'd rather hear Kaya's take on the Gackt-era's first single. This song already has a slight dancey beat, so I can easily see Kaya going all out and doing a full-blown gothy/electronic rendition. 9. 白い肌に狂う愛と哀しみの輪舞 - Lacroix Despheres The self-labeled "Symphonic Gothic Rock Opera" group has some definitely influence from MALICE MIZER's Klaha era (the Bara no Seidou album), so they seem like a great fit for this track. Not to mention, Sho's vocals actually do resemble Klaha's somewhat. I can see them adding their signature, whimsical oboe/flute (and maybe even Saya's vocals for a duet?) making it totally their own. It worked on "Le sortilege" and "天啓の瞳" so they could definitely work their magic again. 10. 幻想楽園 - Nocturnal Bloodlust Why not have MALICE MIZER's by far heaviest song get covered by the most br00tal VK band around. It'd be interesting to hear them deathcore-ify this track, haha. 11. ヴェル・エール ～空白の瞬間の中で～ - Jupiter Songs like "Bel Air" show that even though Malice Mizer was mostly known for their diverse influences and theatrics, they also had quite interesting guitar parts. I think "VK metal" guitarists like Hizaki/Teru could give this song a nice modern update, while still retaining the unique atmosphere of the original. Plus, I think ZIN could do a great job on vocals. 12. Beast of Blood - 関西耽美系～Lily Project～ Harpsichord, heavy repetitive riffs, and a dramatic chorus? Only Lily project! I'm sure Seira would do his unique German growls at some point in the song too, haha. 13. 死の舞踏 - Sito Magus With songs like "necromance," I'm sure Sito Magus could produce a beautiful cover of this old MM favorite. They would probably slow it down and add even more elements of classy gothic atmosphere. 14. Bois de merveilles - KAMIJO While solo KAMIJO has a small repertoire so far, he's already shown on "Grazioso" that he's capable of waltzy, soundtrack-worthy arrangements like "Bois de merveilles." Plus, KAMIJO idolizes vocalist Gackt, so...

Well, on the scale of obnoxious marketing tactics, It's right up there with 4-type singles all with slightly different tracklists. AKA, I think it's silly and unnecessary. Then again, no band that I've ever paid attention to has resorted to it yet. We'll see how I feel about it if any of the bands I follow ever do it, haha.

Whoa, thanks for all your reports!!! I lol'd at Bucky requesting that girl's number after the show and then tweeting later that he didn't get it! They seem really fun live. If they ever randomly show up in the US (or Europe while I'm still here), I'd absolutely go see them! By the way, have you seen their new look for Ragnarok? It's... unique!

Yeah... I don't know, but I was expecting way more people. At least the Paris show is sold out, so the band will have its final European show with a full house, haha. Nice, you got a picture! Did ZIN use any Polish phrases at your show?

I went to the show in Köln last night!!! I had to deal with some train detour fuckery in order to make it to the venue, but it wasn't a big deal. There was a tiny line outside of "Die Werkstatt". Once I made it inside, there were only about 40 people in there. I stood on the right side (Hizaki side) in the equivalent of the 5ish row. As far as I could see, there was no real barricade between the band and the audience, so from where I was, it felt like Hizaki was only 10-15 feet away. Here was my approximate vantage point: Unfortunately, they said we couldn't take pictures once the band came out (grrr!), but I suppose it was refreshing to be at a show without people filming/taking pics on their iPhones the whole time! Anyway, the band started fairly promptly at 7:30. Here's the setlist I managed to note down. Introduction SE (band walked out dramatically) Scarlet Aria Decadence MC by ZIN ALLEGORY CAVE Bass solo/extended intro, RHYTHMOS Nostalgie Race Wish (from HIZAKI grace project) MC by Yuki Silent Knight (from Versailles) MC by Hizaki Heaven's Atlas MC by ZIN SHOUT YOUR DESIRE LAST MOMENT (new single) Symmetry Breaking, extended outro Classical Element Encore forever with you Blessing of the Future Conclusion SE This is only my third visual kei show, but I absolutely loved it. ZIN is much better live, simple as that. Someone on last.fm has already touched on this, but the certain "annoying" moments that he has on CD (exaggerated vibrato and stuff) sound a lot better live. As in, songs like Scarlet and SHOUT YOUR DESIRE that aren't really my favorites, actually were extremely fun in person. ZIN had everyone waving their towels during Scarlet. He kept asking us "ARE YOU FUCKING READY?!" haha. He also broke out the occasional German phrase. At one point, after Heaven's Atlas I believe, he said "take your right hand, take your left hand, touch" and he bowed his head and said "Danke schön" haha. As you can see from the setlist, they played all of their released songs (except for Atmosphere), plus some extras. Yuki had a little MC where he said he was glad to be back in Germany and he asked us if we'd like to hear a "special song" (Silent Knight). I was particularly stoked to hear Race Wish (the synthy orchestra intro sounded revamped from the old studio recording) and the upcoming single Last Moment. The closest song I can compare it to is probably Heaven's Atlas, because it was fast-paced and chuggy, but still with an overall positive mood. Looking forward to the CD release. After ZIN left the stage during the instrumental tracks, Hizaki made us call him back, telling us to shout "On bokaaru... ZIN!" (I swear it sounded like he said "Jane" the first couple times though, haha. I were confused...) After the luscious Classical Element, the band left the stage for maybe 5 minutes and came back in black Jupiter T-shirts for an encore. The "laaaaa la la" outro of forever with you was surreal, haha. Of course the band's final track was their first single. At the end, all of the band members came right to the edge of the stage and I managed to touch Hizaki and Masashi's hands. Before leaving, ZIN told us that he loved the fans and that the band would be back at some point. He pinky promised, haha. Other important observations: -Hizaki (T-shirt version) isn't as gaunt/skinny as I was anticipating. -ZIN does crazy eyes sometimes. He also has this great smirk. He did this sassy finger wagging during the "nanimo nai" part of Heaven's Atlas. -1 1/2 to 2 instances of Hizaki x ZIN fanservice. -Yuki is a killer drummer, but I already knew that. -There was a man, possibly in his 50s, cosplaying as an "aristocratic VK guy" aka probably Kamijo. -Hizaki hugged a fan at the end and she cried. -I would estimate a max of 120 people there, which although it made for a nice fairly intimate atmosphere, was also a bit strange, since I expected way more people. In short, fucking awesome show. If you are even kind of a fan of the band and you get the chance to see them, go for it. I also got to meet Champ (first irl MH-er ever for me, haha), so this was a highly successful weekend. I hope the French fans have fun tonight!

Kiryu ~bleeding their hardcore stans dry (and THEN some) since 2009~ Just kidding, I love them despite their (label's) shady marketing tactics.

Idol-pop/metal group BABYMETAL will be releasing their 1st album on February 26, 2014. The limited edition (CD+DVD) is ￥3,800 and the regular edition (CD only) is ￥2000. CD 1. BABYMETAL DEATH 2. メギツネ 3. ギミチョコ！！ 4. いいね！ 5. 紅月-アカツキ- 6. ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング 7. おねだり大作戦 8. ４の歌 9. ウ・キ・ウ・キ★ミッドナイト 10. Catch me if you can 11. 悪夢の輪舞曲 12. ヘドバンギャー！！ 13. イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ DVD 1. ド・キ・ド・キ☆モーニング 2. いいね！ 3. ヘドバンギャー！！ 4. イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ 5. メギツネ 6. ギミチョコ！！ from LEGEND“1997”SU-METAL聖誕祭 at 幕張メッセイベントホール Dec/21/2013 (LIVE MUSIC CLIP) 7. BABYMETAL DEATH (LIVE FROM“SUMMER SONIC 2013”) 8. メギツネ (LIVE FROM“SUMMER SONIC 2013”) 9. Catch me if you can (LIVE FROM“SUMMER SONIC 2013”) 10. ヘドバンギャー！！ (LIVE FROM“SUMMER SONIC 2013”) 11. イジメ、ダメ、ゼッタイ (LIVE FROM“SUMMER SONIC 2013”) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3DytF5CqQI

Nice recommendations, Cat! Very much what I was looking for. Ijuuin Yuki is particularly awesome! Need to find some of her stuff now, And somehow I've seen that first ズクナシ video before, haha.

Cool, thanks for the tracklist, trombe! Also, some new promo shots for the release:

Yes! I agree, he's a unique vocalist, so I'm glad he's coming back!

Thanks for all your posts, anakuro! Glad to see a fellow fan of songs like 殺人鬼の棲む街, 魔物大行進, 毒メスシリンダー, and 公開自虐チャンネル. It's really interesting to read about your Souiumono experiences in Japan I've never seen your live reports (link please?), but I would also definitely read them! That's a bit of a shame that the album will only feature 5 new songs... Do you know if they will be re-recording the 13 "old" songs? Otherwise, it'd be more of just a singles compilation, right?

Here's another good example of the 60's girl group sound, from ICHIGO ICHIE's 2012 release. Can anyone recommend anything similar to this?

What's-his-face ALWAYS looks like he hates his life, haha. Though he certainly gets the job done, he's the most unenthusiastic-LOOKING drummer ever.

Also your fave, XOVER. L'oiseau bleu: D, Screw, Misaruka, Moran, probably some others...

Wasn't expecting this, but here's another PV! Hot damn, I'm loving this new psychedelic, synthy approach they're trying. I need this album inside of me (ear-holes) already!

Not bad, indeed.

Weird, was not expecting that. I wanna hear what they sound like now, so hopefully "TesЯoa" will put out a new release soon.

For me, I mainly tend to share things that I'm very enthusiastic about myself. I really enjoy doing little writeups to accompany my uploads. If that actually helps to persuade someone to try something new, then that's awesome! My favorite thing about uploading (it doesn't happen THAT often unfortunately, haha) is when people post a bit more than "thanks" and actually share their thoughts on a release. It's always nice to hear what others think about a particular release; a few downloaders have left some really thoughtful comments/opinions in the past and I always enjoy reading them.

Here is the PV for さち子: God, that hit the spot. Lamp's music is so perfect and classy. Absolutely cannot wait for the full-album! I've missed them these past two years.