fitear1590

I literally love all these songs - Gravity, Storm, and Selfish Love especially.  I'm also a huge fan of HaKU, so it is nice to see them get some recognition on the site as they are usually just overshadowed by the vanguards Ling Toshite Shigure.

It sounds like he's weaving in and out of two different keys, at random. Really jarring for those that know the original, haha.

It sounds like he's weaving in and out of two different keys, at random. Really jarring for those that know the original, haha.

Sounds great, but....
WHAT DID THEY DO TO DRiVE O_O.
Sii sounds even more out of tune xD.
 
Re:Re:Re & Hide and Seek sound pretty cool :D.

Yay, welcome back SUBLIMINAL!

After a day at the beach.

My cousin had this Pikachu hat/visor thing, so I had to try it out.

I just saw that the mini has 8 tracks. YASSS! So excited.

Wings of Desire / Der Himmel über Berlin

Looking forward to it. I liked "Planetarium"!

Thanks for the comment!
I definitely wasn't strictly limiting myself to recent bands, but I think it just happened that way because production methods have gotten a lot heavier, even in your average indies band. I thought about including some early 2000s oshare like Milphinne, but ultimately, songs like this just didn't have the heavy headbanger "oomph" of the kind of stuff I included on this list and we can probably attribute that to production limitations of the time.
Anyway, I'd really be interested in any other songs you had in mind (you can feel free to just list them, if you can't find them on YouTube or anything)

is this for more recent bands only? because i think if you look at older oshare kei bands you can find a number of these, haha. well, aicle. got mentioned and they're pretty old.
one mention i have would be irokui. since they grew really poppy in sound, and some people might not know that they had a few heavier songs.


sorry for low quality, the only vid i could find..

Beyond the apparent "gender bending" of visual kei, one of the most intriguing aspects of the scene is the rampant genre-bending. Is it a sign of real versatility or just willy-nilly inspiration? Whatever the case may be, today I'm celebrating a special brand of this phenomenon: HEADBANGERZ, or what @doombox helped me to phrase when kawaii goes kowai™! Whether it's through a barrage of double bass drumming, sinister drop Z tuning, or trading in angelic falsettos for demonic harsh vox, some poppy VK groups know how to mosh it out. We all know that production has gotten savvier in the past few years and current bands like DADAROMA, Nocturnal Bloodlust or Deviloof are quite heavy, but allow me to shine a light on some of the poppy bands that are also worthy of our finest devil horns, even if only for a single track. Very few bands actually pull this off, but this Featured List will highlight a few of my favorites. Try not to overthink the fact that these sparkly, rainbow-plastered host boys have the potential to be more br00tal than your hardcore and metal faves. Instead, dial up the volume to 11 and join me in a round of synchronized bangya headbanging.

 

Let's get started!
------------------------------------------------

"ミソギ (misogi)" by キャンゼル (canzel)
Your browser does not support the audio element. Release: NeO PRESENCE E.P.S. #3 (2008)
Song for comparison: Twilight
 


"S.M.D." by THE KIDDIE
Your browser does not support the audio element.
 
Release: elite STAR+ #2 (2009)
Song for comparison: soar



毒メスシリンダー (doku messzylinder)" by サウイフモノ (souiumono)
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: くびはねるつるぎ/毒メスシリンダー #2 (2012)
Song for comparison: タランチュラ (tarantula)

 

"失望エミュレイター (shitsubou emulator)" by ユナイト (UNiTE.)
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: MEANiNG #3 (2012)
Song for comparison: AIVIE

 

"Invarant" by i.Rias
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: DRiVE #2 (2015)
Song for comparison: Re:sume
 
 
"オカルト・キラー (occult killer)" by 愛狂います。 (Aicle.) (2009)
"SOUL BRINGER" by SLOD (2010)
"Belphegor" by SRASH NOTES GARDEN (2013)
"現代病写 (gendaibyou utsushi)" by カメレオ (Kameleo) (2014)
"ぼくとタルパ (boku to tulpa)" by グリモア (GRIMOIRE) (2015)*
*This one is a stretch, because GRIMOIRE has been fairly heavy in their 4 songs so far, but considering that all of the musicians are ex-PIECE, this one still has the "wow, such heavy" shock factor for me.

------------------------------------------------
And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed reading. Which songs are your favorite from the list? Which HEADBANGERZ do you like that I overlooked?
Lemme know in the comments below!

@@emmny - Man, I love everything about that munimuni track, except for the vocals! I had to smirk to myself when you mentioned Plastic Tree's Ryutaro, because that is one vocalist that I simply cannot stand. XD Does he usually sound like this?
@@tetsu_sama69 - I enjoyed the DIV mini as a whole, but you chose my favorite track!
@@beni - very nice discovery with Zekkei Kujira, they're pretty cute. Shinamayu is also pretty interesting considering the different tracks they had on their mini.
@@fitear1590 - Really glad to see you wrote about Often Mofun. I REALLY enjoyed the first half of their EP. Shiina Ringo did not come to my mind, but that's an interesting comparison. Also, mona records is great!
@@saishuu - our tastes can be REALLY similar sometimes! I absolutely love that Ame no parade song. I enjoyed the album too, even though it's kind of just good background music. I'm also surprised that Heavenstamp never really caught fire - glad they're still at it, though. Kamisai sounds like they have a lot of potential - I especially appreciate the vocalist. That Daichi track is really good. Surprisingly good actually. I never really paid attention to him, but I know @beni likes him too.
@@yakihiko - sorry! I fixed that error. Also I like when DADAROMA stick to their rock/metal, emotional side.
Great list all in all. Thanks for helping put this together, everyone!

So, people, how are you feeling about all the tracks so far? Here's my personal breakdown after looping the tracks yesterday evening.
 
Faves
高級娼婦とカミキリムシ(koukyuushoufu to kamikirimushi)
イオ(io)-PiANO COSMiC-

Like 'em!
「ヨル」と「ヒカリ」(「yoru」to「hikari」)
星屑と形(hoshikuzu to katachi)
アンハッピータイムリーパー(unhappy time leaper)

Aight
ジュピタ(jupiter)
スキ≒キライ
 

A "digest video" with samples of their singles 黎明レゾナンス, グリザイユの胚珠, and the latest one 廻想ルナシエル
Goddammit, they sound so much like Zephyr, I need their music!

More like #stopsuperheromovies_since2k14, but yes!
I was so into Marvel as a kid, but they have really run the superhero movies into the ground by now. We do not need 3 iterations of Spider-Man in one generation.

so cute becomes "OMG SCARY"? what about bands that normally are spooky but have cutie vids

Need you to hit them up for "Capsule Hotel"

Beyond the apparent "gender bending" of visual kei, one of the most intriguing aspects of the scene is the rampant genre-bending. Is it a sign of real versatility or just willy-nilly inspiration? Whatever the case may be, today I'm celebrating a special brand of this phenomenon: HEADBANGERZ, or what @doombox helped me to phrase when kawaii goes kowai™! Whether it's through a barrage of double bass drumming, sinister drop Z tuning, or trading in angelic falsettos for demonic harsh vox, some poppy VK groups know how to mosh it out. We all know that production has gotten savvier in the past few years and current bands like DADAROMA, Nocturnal Bloodlust or Deviloof are quite heavy, but allow me to shine a light on some of the poppy bands that are also worthy of our finest devil horns, even if only for a single track. Very few bands actually pull this off, but this Featured List will highlight a few of my favorites. Try not to overthink the fact that these sparkly, rainbow-plastered host boys have the potential to be more br00tal than your hardcore and metal faves. Instead, dial up the volume to 11 and join me in a round of synchronized bangya headbanging.

 

Let's get started!
------------------------------------------------

"ミソギ (misogi)" by キャンゼル (canzel)
Your browser does not support the audio element. Release: NeO PRESENCE E.P.S. #3 (2008)
Song for comparison: Twilight
 


"S.M.D." by THE KIDDIE
Your browser does not support the audio element.
 
Release: elite STAR+ #2 (2009)
Song for comparison: soar



毒メスシリンダー (doku messzylinder)" by サウイフモノ (souiumono)
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: くびはねるつるぎ/毒メスシリンダー #2 (2012)
Song for comparison: タランチュラ (tarantula)

 

"失望エミュレイター (shitsubou emulator)" by ユナイト (UNiTE.)
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: MEANiNG #3 (2012)
Song for comparison: AIVIE

 

"Invarant" by i.Rias
Your browser does not support the audio element.
Release: DRiVE #2 (2015)
Song for comparison: Re:sume
 
 
"オカルト・キラー (occult killer)" by 愛狂います。 (Aicle.) (2009)
"SOUL BRINGER" by SLOD (2010)
"Belphegor" by SRASH NOTES GARDEN (2013)
"現代病写 (gendaibyou utsushi)" by カメレオ (Kameleo) (2014)
"ぼくとタルパ (boku to tulpa)" by グリモア (GRIMOIRE) (2015)*
*This one is a stretch, because GRIMOIRE has been fairly heavy in their 4 songs so far, but considering that all of the musicians are ex-PIECE, this one still has the "wow, such heavy" shock factor for me.

------------------------------------------------
And there we have it! I hope you enjoyed reading. Which songs are your favorite from the list? Which HEADBANGERZ do you like that I overlooked?
Lemme know in the comments below!

That song by Canzel is fucking great, I think one of their best. 
Some other suggestions:
Another great song by Canzel

 
 
I'm not sure if this counts, but Dolly usually have very ballad-like songs, so this seems dark and heavy to their standards.
 

 
ダウト - Kimon

This review was awesome! I loved the 5 level system and agree with your choices.
Rubi's playing was impressive indeed, but when I listen to songs like 裏姫 , 僕は魔王 and Occult Killer Saran's bass gives me chills! I love how heavy it sounds and stands out even above Rubi's insane riffs. 
Aw man, I remember when Psycho x Letter PV was going to be released and I actually skipped school so I could stay on my pc and watch it.... Aicle. is still in my top 3 favourite bands to this day. When I first listened to 僕は魔王 I thought Emiru's vocals were absolute shit but I for some reason kept listening until I started liking it. 
Emiru's skills as a lyric writer really come through in Yeti. There's so many metaphors, double meanings and word play and I'm glad he is having a chance to shine more as a lyricist. For some reason,  暗殺 -ANSATSU- has my favorite lyrics, they are very simple but just add to the torturous and sweet-psycho theme of the song. My other lyrical favorites are 眼球ワルツ and finally 骸骨のうた . I could never listen to ･･･うしろ。 at night time, those sounds at the start made me think of some horrible monster tumbling down a set of stairs and jumping on someone. Great atmosphere! the bands balads were good too, 春夏秋冬 is the best one in my opinion. Beautiful lyrics and the guitar gives a lot of feelings.
It's a huge shame, that gomi was the craziest song they released towards the end and I'll forever miss crazy aicle.  Haven't found any bands, especially in the oshare realm, that have the same level of quality. Huge regrets that I never got to see them live, but I'm still excited to see Yeti live someday, sometimes a little bit of Emiru's crazy vocals come in their songs (example: ie) I love their music and really admire emiru as a musician.(and holy shit, he looks fantastic even with brown curly hair).  

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c49/fitear1590/CD%20cover%20scans%20and%20band%20pics/aicle%20neko%20no%20kiza%20mairi%20group%202_zpsk00neimw.jpg" width="791" />
愛狂います。 (Aicle.): 5 Levels of Crazy

Vo. えみる (Emiru) Guitar: ルビ (Rubi) Guitar: けいた (Keita) Bass: さらん (Saran) Drums: 玲音 (Leon)  
If you were part of the VK fandom during the past 7 years or so, you may have come across 愛狂います。 (Aicle.). Depending on who you talk to, they’re known for being “that colorful oshare group” or “that band with helium vocals”. Peruse the YouTube comments of any of their PVs and the word “kawaii” is sure to pop up, regardless of how bizarre and growl-filled the song is. I’ve always said that 愛狂います。 is not “underrated,” but they are generally “rated” for the wrong thing. While the aforementioned elements might play a role to some degree in the band’s sound, I’m here to show you that 愛狂います。 should be remembered for so much more than their one-dimensional legacy! With a more comprehensive, analytical look at the band, I hope to stop feeling like I'm Mugatu on crazy pills and just maybe, 愛狂います。's true style will shine through for more listeners.

Forming in late 2006 and debuting in early 2007, they emerged in the scene around the same time as bands like Versailles, キャンゼル (canzel), ゾロ (ZORO), and ClearVeil. However, unlike those bands, 愛狂います。 was practically a group of newcomers from no notable ex-bands. They dabbled in live-distributed songs, compilation tracks, and a series of singles for their first two years, including the summer 2008 consecutive single series of シドロモドロ(shidoro modoro), ネクロノミコン (nekuro nomikon), and トウメイニンゲン (toumei ningen). This followed with the release of their first album 心臓。 (shinzou.) in March 2009. Uniquely enough in the VK scene, this was a disc of entirely new songs— a complete anomaly in the scene! Two months after the release of the album, rhythm guitarist Keita retired from the band on amicable terms. Not letting Keita’s departure slow them down, they released 3 more singles between August 2009 and January 2010. Consecutive singles エキゾチック。 (exotic.), ドラマチック。 (dramatic.), and a split CD with R指定(R-Shitei) followed in late 2010 and in early 2011, they released their second album アルク (ark), this time featuring previously released singles and only 4 brand new tracks— see, that’s more like what we’re used to. Finishing out the year with one-coin single 東京スカイツリー (Tokyo sky tree) and the stylistic 180 that was maxi-single 皇帝ペンギン (koutei penguin), 愛狂います。 finally called it quits in early 2012. Upon disbanding, they released a anthology compilation (愛狂います。2006-2012), collecting all of their songs from before their second album and their final single.
So how could one describe the special music that 愛狂います。 created? To help analyze their music, I came up with an unofficial scale that lends itself surprisingly well to categorizing their discography. Under the description for each level, I have provided my favorite exemplary songs, in chronological order of their release.
Level 1: Fairly straightforward pop-rock. These songs would occur sporadically in the band’s earlier discography, but by 2010 with the release of consecutive singles エキゾチック。 and ドラマチック。, the style started to become alarmingly prominent; the nail in the coffin was when the band’s final single 皇帝ペンギン hovered exclusively around this level.
Favorites: 心臓。 (shinzou.), ゴメンなさい (gomen nasai) [see mp3], ひらり。(hirari)


Level 2: Think of this as an upgrade of level 1. While these songs are still fairly tame overall, there might be an alternative, math-rock, or other unique tinge in the music that amplifies the compositional prowess. Wacky lyrical content might also bump up on-the-fence songs to this level, such as “メルトダウン (meltdown)”. There aren’t too many tracks at this in-between level.
Favorites:, メルトダウン, 相対性【秘密】理論～タイムマシン２～ (Soutaisei [Himitsu] Riron ~Time Machine 2~), オーバードライヴ (overdrive), あおいろ1号 (aoiro 1 gou), 春夏秋冬 (shunkashuutou) [see mp3]


Level 3: The first level of what I’d call 愛狂います。’s “sweet spot.” If people think about the band, I would hope that songs from this tier (or higher) are the ones that immediately come to mind. Most of the songs here are approximately half-pop and half-crazy—that was the band’s signature style after all! Many of the band’s singles fall under this category.
Favorites: 僕は魔王 (boku wa maou), 猫の刻参り (neko no kiza mairi), トウメイニンゲン (toumei ningen) [or see mp3], 骸骨のうた (gaikotsu no uta), オカルト・キラー (occult killer), サイコ×レタア (psycho x letter) [see PV above]


Level 4: This forms the second half of the “sweet spot.” These songs tend to do without the poppy choruses of level 3 and/or they ramp up the craziness in the rest of the song. As such, this level is mostly relegated to b-sides and other miscellaneous tracks, although their very first single (the first song in this list) was just wild enough to edge into level 4!
Favorites: 球形無限連鎖～ミズタマ～ (kyuukei mugen rensa ~mizutama~), くるくる。と胎児は廻る (kuru kuru. to taiji mawaru) [see PV below], デスロリ調ポップス (death lolli-chou-pops) [see mp3], 裏姫 (urahime), 【d2b2】, 暗殺 -ANSATSU-, チョコサンドビスケットクリーム (choco sand biscuit cream)

Level 5: This is reserved for 愛狂います。’s sole craziest venture: 豚の王様「ニトログリセリン」(buta no ousama “NITROGLYCERIN”). With squeals, frenetic guitar work, grunts, and literal oinking, this song is in a tier of its own!

 
Disclaimer: the “levels” do not necessarily refer to quality, so much as the “crazy” factor. While I tend to prefer songs at levels 3 and 4, there are still a handful of level 1 and 2 songs that I’ll listen to any day over certain level 3 and 4 tracks.
Now that we have an idea of my hopefully not-so-arbitrary tier system, let’s talk about the actual music! With due respect to all the members, it’s clear that vocalist/composer Emiru and guitarist Rubi form the brunt of the band’s unique sound. Back in the day, a lot of people would stan bassist Saran, but he’s not so notable to me, other than looking like a VK version of April Ludgate. I will say the drummer occasionally caught my attention, because of his affinity for punchy toms. Anyway, let’s start with Emiru. If there’s one sticking point about this band for a lot of people, it’s likely Emiru’s “special” vocals. Admittedly, he started off quite rough. If you listen to early singles like 記念日。 (kinenbi.) or 球形無限連鎖～ミズタマ～, you can definitely hear him straining to reach higher notes, but hey, that’s always been part of the charm of VK, right? He legitimately sounds like Cartman in "シドロモドロ (shidoro modoro)". Fortunately, his general vocal quality improves over time and becomes much smoother (this is most obvious by comparing the original and rerecordings of songs like "ゴメンなさい" and "チョコサンドビスケットクリーム"). It would be easy to write Emiru off as a “bad” singer, but that would mean ignoring how commendably he “compensates” in all the other things he does with his voice. What really contributes to Emiru’s success as a vocalist is his variety. In any given song (especially levels 3 and higher), you might hear any combo of the following: growling, oldschool Madeth Gray’ll-esque “fast talking”, shrieking, maniacal cackling, whispering, and more. Some absolute highlights include Emiru chanting off the number sequence of π (pi) in the punky "球形無限連鎖～ミズタマ～", the demonically adorable alter-ego he takes on in "まみむめモンスター君 (mamimume monster-kun)", or the sheer fuckery that is level 5 track "豚の王様「ニトログリセリン」" [see mp3 above]. What also takes the band over the top are the strange lyrics. Emiru has a knack for writing in a way that is paradoxically blunt, yet impenetrable in meaning, with a healthy sprinkling of kookiness. One of my favorite songs (vocally, musically, as well as lyrically) is “くるくる。と胎児は廻る (Round and Round. The Fetus Turns)”, which can be viewed below; thanks to moonwalkingpenguin for the translation!

But the vocals are just half of the fun when it comes to 愛狂います。—let’s not forget about Rubi, the guitarist obsessed with apple imagery! As I mentioned, Rubi was essentially a rookie upon joining the band; his only previous known endeavor was with the short-lived 愛狂います。-predecessor known as モノもの (monomono), which also featured Emiru and bassist Saran. That’s why it’s all the more exciting that Rubi rose to such enigmatic, virtuosic playing! While Emiru is credited with composition, I find it difficult to believe that Rubi was simply his guitar-brandishing puppet—there is some real magic in his riffs and it’s not just guitar solos. In fact, his most impressive guitar work is just what he’s doing in the background. Let’s have a look at some specific examples. Listen from the second verse of “デスロリ調ポップス”. Then, check out the second verse and bridge of “ハンマー≦ヘッド (hammer≦head)”. Finally, in the first 1:20 of the above PV, Rubi provides a nice selection of his guitar offerings in “サイコ×レタア“. In all three songs, we hear Rubi’s non-stop efforts, whether it’s creepy-crawly riffs or progressive noodling not too far off from something indie-favorites 八十八ヶ所巡礼 (88kasyo junrei) might do. But beyond his extremely technical showcases, there is also plenty to enjoy in the “lower-level” tracks, like the pop-punk/math-rock influenced “あおいろ1号” or the buoyant fret-tapping of ”春夏秋冬” [see level 2 mp3]. Another aspect that helped to emphasize the band’s paradoxical sound was their bubbly arrangements, always democratically attributed to ”愛狂います。” as a whole. Sounding almost anachronistic compared to current VK’s overly electronic arrangements, the band often opted for simple synth beats or chimes, which produced a disarming effect, making it all the more surprising when the band jumped from a bouncy chorus into a growling, proggy chug fest. The icing on the arrangement cake was the band’s fun use of sound effects, such as the cartoony munching of cookies in “チョコサンドビスケットクリーム“, the vivid tentacle (?) noise at the beginning of “文化≠包丁 (bunka≠houchou)”, or the ambiguous animal roar that uncannily resembles the click-clack of a roller coaster in “オカルト・キラー”.

Towards the end of 愛狂います。’s career, long-time fans unsurprisingly started to turn on the band. With singles like ”スターマイン (star mine)” and ”皇帝ペンギン”, the band started to settle down in level 1. Prior to that, the only PV track at this level was ”心臓。”, from their first album and while it was a saccharine pop-rock number, the rest of the album satisfied the kind of craziness fans craved through the aforementioned level 5 track or the many spooky, Halloween-inspired tunes. And therein lies the problem for the last leg of the band’s career. There was no longer a balance of the levels. The band’s most successful releases were those in which they displayed variety. For instance, the maxi-single 怪体新書。 (kaitai shinsho.), my personal favorite release, had two songs at level 3 (“眼球ワルツ(gankyuu waltz)” and “猫の刻参り”) and one at level 4 (“デスロリ調ポップス“). Singles サイコ×レタア and ケセラ:セラ (que sera:sera) both had title tracks at level 3, coupled with a level 2 and level 4 b-side. It’s unclear whether 愛狂います。 really was this methodical in constructing their release tracklists, but it undoubtedly worked in their favor. Although the final releases left fans with a sour aftertaste, we shouldn't let them spoil the entire 愛狂います。 experience. While vocalist Emiru (now “Suzuki Satoshi”) has since moved on to Yeti, an outlet where his softer, indie rock composition style is really thriving (let’s just say I like Yeti’s output more than late level 1 愛狂います。), it’s an absolute shame that Rubi hasn’t resurfaced in another band yet. To this day, he remains one of my favorite VK guitarists and it pains me greatly that his return to music seems so unlikely at this point. Still, there’s plenty of great music to remember him (and the whole band) by! And forget about caveats. 愛狂います。 was not crazy for a pop/"oshare" band; they were just crazy, period.
If you’re new to 愛狂います。, be sure to check out all of the links/PVs! Hopefully, you can use this as a guide! For any seasoned fans out there, let me know what you think of the 5 level system. Does it make sense? Do you agree with the categorization? What are your favorite songs at each level? Do you agree that 愛狂います。 tends to be remembered superficially (i.e. only referencing their appearance)? Whatever you have to share about 愛狂います。, let’s discuss it!
 

Nonsense! Please comment on any thread you feel like, especially review ones like this. We work very hard on these posts and we truly appreciate any and all feedback, even months later.
I totally agree about the guitarists, or at least Rubi. I realllllly want him to form a new band some day and dazzle us again with his uniquely technical riffs.
 
Level 5 is a hidden gem, indeed

Sorry to dredge up a slighly older thread.
 
 
I generally don't listen to Oshare kei, but Aicle has always been a guilty pleasure for me.  I've never introduced them to my real life friends, nor have I blared it from a car or anything, but it is a band I come back to frequently.  For Oshare kei (and visual kei in general) I feel like they are very special.  Everything generally fits really well together, and you can tell they put alot of effort into their music.  Also, their guitarists are absolutely excellent.  Sadly, I believe the scene will never see another band quite like this, especially in terms of raw talent, effort, and uniqueness. This is a case of a relatively unknown band when they formed who came to dominate their niche.