kodama-kun

Day 12 - Tam Tam – Polarize

Release Date: 2013-03-06
Label: mao
Genre: Dub/Reggae/Indie
Ito's take

CAT5's take

Sample song:

Buy the album:
Amazon | iTunes

Day 11 - 大橋トリオ (OhashiTrio) - plugged

Release Date: 2013-03-13
Label: Avex
Genre: Jazz/Folk/Pop
Original Saku's take

Sample song:

 
Buy the album:
CD Japan | iTunes Japan

Full PV

this.
 
and to those who keep saying VK is dead: HOLLOWGRAM is coming. I'm positive they're gonna be awesome.

れいちぇるバンド(Raychel band) will perform at Osaka BIG CAT at 2014/02/06
 
れいちぇるバンド(Raychel band) line-up:
Vo.樹(itsuki) (朱(suzaku))
Gt.SAN (ex-NEGA)
Gt.碧(ao) (ex-Paradeis-->ShakingSpeaker)
Ba.Ray (ex-NEGA)
Dr.アル(aru) (ex-Vior gloire, now Purple Stone(support))

Day 6 - DIV - ZERO ONE

Release Date: 2013.10.23
Label: Danger Crue Records
Genre: Visual kei - electronic, pop, rock
Linh-san's take

Sample song:

Buy the album:
CD Japan | YesAsia | iTunes

Day 2 - amber gris - AROUND CHILDREN
 

 
Release Date: 2013-02-27
Label: an griffon
Genre: Visual Kei/Alternative
 
 
Ito's take

  Champ213's take

  Sample song:

 
Buy the album:
CD Japan | iTunes | YesAsia

Day 1 - ALSDEAD - Separator

Release Date: 2013-04-24
Label: Danger Crue
Genre: Alternative Metal
nostalgia.'s take

Linh-san's take

Sample song:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KX8Ao5hC9Eo
Buy the album:
CDJapan | YesAsia | iTunes

Great great News , even though people keep saying how they look , how they sound like DeG ,
who the hell cares when they are a brilliant visual kei band who plays awesome guitar ,
powerful bass , skillful drums with a fantastic great vocal ,
most of the bands are the same , are they all copying one and another then ??
Having listened to their previous band : リロード ,
they were not much different and グリーヴァ composes are still very similar ,
and If people have to compare them with the indie DeG , my opinion is グリーヴァ doing better than them !

Well it looks like BORN just got a lot better than what they were doing~. Let's hope they keep up this great Disco Glam Dance Metal. 

Voted Shuuei because for the most part, it's not a video where the band members are just performing in a room and I didn't like their look that much in Die Kusse (though the beginning acoustic part of the video with Meto lip syncing the song while Mia plays acoustic is awesome)

Die Kusse is pretty rad. I liked tsuzuku's outfit in that one :'D
But Shuuei itself, is really unique. And not just the song either. The actual video isn't nearly as boring as some of their others imo

Yeah and I meant not just the song but the PV too. It has a really nice atmosphere and it's kind of grotesque. Love it.

All videos are so damn boring to watch...  I need a cool STORY (>_<) lol
 
Well then I just go for Avalon, even if the PV is recored on a very known place of VK bands. I let it win because it's my favorite song.

Yeah and I meant not just the song but the PV too. It has a really nice atmosphere and it's kind of grotesque. Love it.

Previews up on youtube!
 

THIS

We'll meet at the Budapest gig!

In short: it's catchy as hell, well-written, coherent, Chisa's vocals are awesome. I loved it from the beginning to the end. For me it's a prefect debut album.
Totally worth the money~



(Maybe later I'll write a longer review.)

After well over a year's worth of work, I'd like to present to you all: RarezHut! This is one of the first international store for used visual kei music. Myself, along with my two associates, have been working hard to deliver a store to meet the needs of the international visual kei community, offering a wide selection of products at a reasonable cost. At the moment, RarezHut has over 600 items for sale, each of which includes a listenable/watchable sample! We've got a total inventory of well over 2000 items and will be working hard over the coming months to deliver updates(at least once a month) with as many items as we can stuff in there. Currently available are a multitude of CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes and VHS spanning over 200 bands.
 
Features of the store include:
"Fuzzy search" system: when you search for a band, it'll pull up any other items available by bands with members from the band you searched for in addition. Listenable/watchable samples for every item to give you a little idea of what to look forward to. Newsletter: If you create an account, you can opt-in for our newsletter which details all of the recent additions and will be sent out the moment they're added to the site, allowing you to get first dibs on any new goodies! Remember: once they're gone, they're gone for good~ Digital copies: along with any cassette/VHS purchases, we offer high-quality digital copies free-of-charge. We realize that not everyone has the means to play these aging formats, but we aim not to let that get in the way of you being able to enjoy them! In an effort to make sure that buying goes smoothly, all items added will have the digital copies ready before addition so that packages can be shipped out on the next business day.  
Thanks for taking the time to look at this and we sincerely hope you enjoy the store(and whatever goodies you buy from it )! Given the small nature of the visual kei community, we rely on word-of-mouth for most of our advertising, so any friends you can tell about the store will help us immensely <3
 
If you've got any questions/comments/feedback, feel free to post them here or send me a PM and I'll try to reply ASAP~
 
Update 3/13/2015
So we've finally joined the 21st century and started a facebook and tumblr! You can follow us on either(or both if you really love us <3) for product spotlights, updates, corgi pictures and more! To celebrate this, we're running a special 10% off sale from now(3/13) until next week Friday(3/20). To get in on this sale, just enter the code SOCIALSALE10 at checkout and you'll be on your way to (even) cheaper rarez in no time!
 
In addition, I'd like to welcome Rob(robkun) to the RarezHut team! He's been a huge supporter of our store since the very beginning and we're honored to have him as part of the staff! He'll be writing the product spotlights on both our facebook and tumblr pages, so definitely go check them out because they're really awesome

This might be a fun topic
 
As many of our Japanese artists always making photos of their lunch or dinner, I decided we also should post and share it too each other!
 
 
So... what to post:
A photo of your lunch or a photo of your dinner, if possible describe what it exactly is (if it's something people don't eat often or don't know what it is).
 
Also! If you don't have pics for during lunch or dinner, maybe you can take a photo of some snacks you're eating while during your breaktime!
 
 
For example:
 
I made this some time ago~ my home-made lunch

It's Onigiri with tamagoyaki, salmon and soya sauce ^^
 
And now it's your turn!

Congratulations to DIV!  Having just formed last year, this is HIGHLY impressive for a debut album.  In fact, it’s just a good rock album, period!  And this is coming from someone who started off with a very lukewarm impression of the band; I didn’t care for their debut mini-album much.  The following singles showed progress, even if it was a bit inconsistent.  But this album is a totally different story.

Early on in their career, I remember thinking DIV had some composition issues (夏の行方 and its B-side had almost identical choruses; unacceptable, especially on a three song single!) and that their electronic arrangements were uninspired and lacking (especially when compared to labelmates, UNiTE).  Both of these problems seem to have been addressed over time and I can say that the band is in top form on this album.  From start to finish, it’s a pretty cohesive listen.  There’s plenty of variety with well-composed, bright pop-rock tunes like “ZERO ONE” and “Place,” as well as heavier, more melancholic tracks like “ASTERIOS” and “VANISH.”  Unlike many other VK bands that make it to the full album stage, DIV didn’t feel the need to pad their tracklist with the obligatory “experimental” mainstays we all know like out of place “jazzy” track or “heavy-repetitive-track-with-growling/screaming-throughout.”  I honestly congratulate that restraint, haha. 
 
Regarding the electronic arrangements, they’ve shown some massive progress!  Whereas their mini-album featured a totally pointless “SE” track with aimless chiptune bleeps, there’s a lovely “galactic” synth sound that permeates most of this album. Sometimes, it lends an “epic” quality to the music, while other times, it creates a fun, light atmosphere like in “Chocolate Prayer”.  As Shanethvarosa mentioned, the way “interlude” leads into “ASTERIOS” is beautiful and the subsequent chaotic screeching and “wub wub” dubsteppy sounds are actually quite nice, mainly because it's used very sparingly.  That and the autotuning (another thing I generally find obnoxious) in “Teddy” are tastefully done.
 
One of the things that really sets DIV apart from most of the VK world is Chisa’s voice.  He’s not your typical, nasally, whiny, over-exaggerated VK singer.  He has a very “normal” (yet capable) voice and somehow that works for the band and keeps them grounded.  He’s able to serenade us with dramatic ballads like “I swear,” get us moving to catchy tunes like “Chocolate Prayer,” and bring some emotion out in heavy tracks like “VANISH.”  If there’s one thing that could still use work, it’s his growling.  He sounds like he’s straining himself a little bit, sometimes like he’s “barfing” out his words, haha.  But once again, the band doesn’t overuse these screaming/growling parts, so it’s hardly a problem.

If I have any real complaints about this album, it’s the choice of old singles to include.  夏の行方 is a solid enough choice (though as unrealistic as it is, I would’ve absolutely preferred B-side 蛍火 [hotarubi]), but I find SEASONS and ANSWER to be the band’s two weakest single tracks.  “SEASONS” has so much that I should love (the twinkly, soft piano throughout), but the “hooo-oooh” background voice annoys me and I find the bouncy guitar riff that leads us into the verse (starting at about :38) to be so meh.  As Shaneth said, “TASTE OF LIFE” might’ve been a better fit, since there were some other poppy songs on the album and they worked just fine.  “ANSWER” is a track I find decent at best.  It could’ve benefited from an arrangement overhaul, considering the band’s newfound mastery of the synths, but alas… This rerecording doesn’t sound much different.  In fact, none of them really do…  The only major difference I could detect was the background arrangement of "SEASONS" sounded (unfortunately) more subdued in certain parts.

But if the album’s biggest weakness is its old songs, that’s probably a good sign of the pure progress the band is making!  

Review Breakdown:
+Great compositions; restraint shown when necessary
+Almost all of the new songs are better than the three old songs
+Cohesive sound throughout album, but with enough variety
+Chisa is a highly capable vocalist
+Wonderful improvements in the synth/electronic arrangement department
 
-Chisa could work on his growls
-Old singles are the weakest tracks; shame that two of these songs end the album

   
An extremely solid debut! Certain to make an appearance on my my Album of the Year list!

Promo spot~
 

Hmmm okay, I've listened to the album for a few times in the past couple days, so let's see how these songs go...
 
MALFORMED BOX - Great electronic intro track, segues nicely into the first song.
 
INSIDE BEAST - Awww yeahhh this is what I'm talking about! Love the electro-metallish influences and those effects and tweaks on Ruki's voice. Pretty intense track with lots of catchiness. I feel like it has almost everything from the band's past few years molded together, but sounding stronger overall.
 
UNTIL IT BURNS OUT - Lulz the beginning reminded me of lynch blandness but that quickly goes away and turns into a more typical Gaze' song. Elements of this track recall the STACKED RUBBISH album which is always nice. Not an outstanding but an okay number.
 
DEVOURING ONE ANOTHER - Diggin' the nu-metal like influences and the background shouts and harsh vocals (Ruki's screams and such are pretty cool on this album overall imo), sounds a bit like a mixture between Marilyn Manson and old Linkin Park at times. 
 
FADELESS - Average Gaze' circa STACKED RUBBISH, nothing more to say. Actually, compared to the other tracks it's one of the more unremarkable ones here. Still, not bad or anything.
 
REDO - Okay, this one could've easily been on STACKED RUBBISH too, just think of songs like GENTLE LIE. A nice and nostalgic sounding tune, kinda "warm" feeling (nice guitars!). A welcome change in all the in-your-face badassery of previous tracks.
 
LAST HEAVEN - Obligatory Ballad Time. Well, uhm... pretty guitars an' all but I just don't feel it. Okay, the chorus and that following bit is kinda cool.
 
LOSS - Ooooh this is an interesting one! I love how there's so much stuff going on, a very melancholic feel but also has it's "edges". The atmosphere reminds me of NIL or DIM. That sudden outburst of tempo change only strengthens this. Good one.
 
THE STUPID TINY INSECT - Song title pls. But anyway, this is a pretty rockin' and catchy tune, no complaints here! Just has enough of its own personality to not make me instantly call it the HEADACHE MAN of the album, but you get it.
 
IN BLOSSOM - Despite its initial "heavy" impression it's quite a sophisticated track. I almost said it could've been on STACKED RUBBISH judging by the beginning but it's a bit more varied. An interesting song.
 
鴉 - Aww yeahh bring on da bass! Pretty intense track, I wish Reita composed more songs cuz judged by this he's pretty kewl.
 
黒く澄んだ空と残骸と片翅 - Aww yeahh [2] This already starts out promising with all that heaviness. It's a bit similar in feeling to the previous track but has its own character of course. Reminds me of older Gaze' tunes, like around NIL times (or even a bit earlier), especially the chorus. An all around solid song, nicely balancing "heavy" and "catchy".
 
TO DAZZLING DARKNESS - Ahhh finally the guitars from the album spot make an appearance! This is one of those epic tracks in line with DIM SCENE or Taion for example and it doesn't fail! The title encapsulates the whole of the song wonderfully, that's all I can say.
 
CODA - Excellent outro track that flows from the previous song nicely. It's so interesting to see how mechanical and electronic the intro is in total opposition with this one, which is very emotional and fluid, yet neither one feels out of place. I guess that tells something about the general flow and variety of the album itself.
 
Well what can I say, they really surprised me with this one, especially after the so-so TOXIC and the dreadfully dull and ridiculous DIVISION. I have a feeling that I'll put this album gladly next to the likes of NIL in the future after further listens. What's even better (and something I haven't felt in quite a while with a GazettE album) is that as soon as it's over I just wanna put it on again. The flow and placing of the tracks are pretty cool, there's only a bit of a lull towards the middle but overall manages to keep my interest, even more so in the second half (which is rare for me). Good job, welcome back GazeDudes!
 
| cool, coherent and catchy, miles above anything they did in the past few years