WhirlingBlack

I agree, the translations aren't very good. 

This single, unless the previews and title track are severely misleading, should cement their position as the most interesting new band in VK. I'm surprised by just how much I'm enjoying it. Visually excellent PV as well.

8 hours ago, takalover87 said:

Total random question, does anyone know if you can transfer A knot concert tickets to someone else?

Yes, I've gotten a knot tickets from people in the past, no one checks the names as long as you have a valid ticket. Perfectly alright.

I never care for a VIP upgrade when the money could buy me a ticket to another of the gigs on the tour to be honest. You will wind up in a decent spot regardless and I don't need to take a photo where the band is just a prop standing around. 

2 hours ago, Ito said:

Here's a selfie with everyone that was still around for the very end of my Jrock panel at Acen this year.

Very cool! Did any MH members show up? 
I also like how symptomatic it is of this fandom that despite the hall being filled less than halfway, everyone is still spread out as much as they possibly could!

We participated in a special anniversary night DJ marathon at the venue where we host the club, so I got a chance to play some J-Rock to uninitiated people for an hour. This was my selection, based mostly on personal preference as well as some tracks I deem essential. If anyone finds it interesting!

X Japan - I'll Kill You | 1988
Mejibray - DECADANCE - Counting Goats … if I can't be yours - | 2013
Baiser - Dye | 1995
Plastic Tree - メランコリック (Melancholic) | 2004
Buck-Tick - ...IN HEAVEN... | 1988
Közi - Honey Vanity | 2003
sukekiyo - 黝いヒステリア (Aoiguroi Hysteria) | 2017
MUCC - ガーベラ (Gerbera) | 2006
蜉蝣 (Kagerou) - 絶望にサヨナラ (Zetsubou ni Sayonara) | 2005
La'Mule - ナイフ (Knife) | 2000
Aliene Ma'riage - 撲 『しもべ』 (Shimobe) | 1999
Luna Sea - ROSIER | 1994
X Japan - 紅 (Kurenai) | 1989
Dir en grey - THE FINAL | 2004

Seems like they played 5 new songs today according to this setlist.

http://livesetlist529.blog133.fc2.com/blog-entry-22449.html

Not that I'm particularly interested in anything new they make, but still. Nice to see Kyousoukyoku and Suimin in the set.

Doesn't sound awful, but they need to change that band name. It's impossible to take the band seriously and I just keep thinking about Yoshikis drunk antics.

I don't know why but it feels like every single interview, review or article written about X Japan or Yoshiki in particular in the west are a bought shill piece ghost-written by Yoshiki himself. The amount of critical questions regarding the delay are always nil. 

Quote

Much of the LP was recorded at Yoshiki’s private Los Angeles studio and apparently has been in the works for almost 10 years. (An album was originally announced in 2016, but a serious medical situation with guitarist Pata led to that version being shelved.)

I guess a guitarist falling sick is now legit reason to scrap the whole album, even though it was supposedly finished and the member returned to the band after recovering?

Quote

“I know it’s a long time, but when you listen to the sound you’ll understand why it took that long,” Yoshiki assures fans. “99% of the songs are in English and it’s our first record targeting a worldwide audience.”

So either the album has 100 songs, which it better have after this long wait, or Yoshiki doesn't understand how percentage works. 

Quote

“ [...] but I try to focus on the rock side which is my strength. I also try not to think about what people and X Japan fans want.  [...]”

It's nice he's acknowledging that he doesn't care what fans want, he NEEDS to make his English CD because this is really all about him getting to mingle some more with C-list celebrities at baseball events. See also that the magazine claims it's an interview with the band, yet only Yoshiki seems to be interviewed.

Just disband already, this has been a train wreck for ten years by now.

Will try to attend the entire tour if possible. Looking forward to meeting fellow MH members on the road!

When did the band perform at chop?

I really liked their latest single, so I'm on board the hype train at least until there's a preview.

I think it's hilarious how every time they release something there's a line of doomsayers prepared to prophesize the end the of the band and how it's inevitably only going to go downhill from here. Disbandment imminent. 

People have been saying this for the past fifteen years that I have personal experience with, and I'm sure before that people in Japan complained how Gauze and their major debut was inevitably going to lead to them blowing up and crashing. And before that people most likely complained that MISSA didn't sound like La:Sadie's. 

It's almost as if people confuse their subjective opinion of a single song/release with how the band is doing at large. 

I think this is the first time Kaoru is back to purple hair since the macabre era? Very pleased with this development. Overall the band has had a sharp increase in quality looks in the past couple of years, it's nice to see them visually interesting again.

Pretty funny how there's one camera guy on stage and he's busy filming Yoshikis ass up close very intently. 

Safe to say this was their last attempt at playing a US festival. Two people halfheartedly joining in the X jumps. Absolute embarrassment. 

14 minutes ago, Kelrya said:

Sustain always sounds bad live, it’s another song where Kyo doesn’t even seem to try, maybe he’s sick of playing it.

Personally I feel like the band and the audience is always WAY too excited about that track. It's the only Dir en grey track I can't even bear myself to interact during concerts for, they tack it on every single live it feels like, and yet the audience roars whenever it starts and acts like it's a godsend. 

The sad part is that live tracks COULD be interesting, if it was done right.

They COULD for example include some old live track from the early days, perhaps a special performance of some kind, something they rarely play... But instead it seems like they almost without fail choose boring material.

For example, they played the original versions of Karma and Byou Shin at the MARROW leg of the depression tour, they weren't featured on the DVD, so it would've been a neat live track bonus to have them included on the single.

But instead we get their latest single in one of the poorest renditions I've heard so far (and I've heard way too many I'm afraid). 

I'm just trying to say that including live tracks could be interesting if they actually had a clue what people wanted to hear.

I think you "need" to have three tracks in order to charge "maxi single" prices for the CD, so I'm guessing the band didn't really have much say in that last track tacked on. It's basically just so they (the label) can charge 200-500yen more per CD with minimum effort, since they already have access to all the live audio recordings as is. 

As someone who has listened to Ash daily for the past decade or so I can honestly say that the Ash solo is the best piece of music they've made since pre-Arche at least. I'm not sure what Kyo is doing vocally in some parts though (changing the lyrics completely kind of sucks), but the music is spot on.

Oh yeah and there was a new song somewhere on the single too, I rather enjoy it. The chorus is neat.

Anyone with access to an account on that site able to rip it? I'd do the free trial thing but I REALLY don't want to download some apple bloatware on my computer. 

Okay, it seems that I'm mistaken and the new song they've played live ISN'T Ash and just has a similar main riff? The sample and the live track doesn't match up at all. This explains the one minute discrepancy, but doesn't explain Shinyas instagram post. Either way I'm beyond relieved but still puzzled. 

The complete song is about 3min 40sec give or take some seconds.

That has to be from a former bandmember, since it looks like the venue footage and those are never sold or given out, sadly. Its a shame, good history that gets lost this way all the time.

1 minute ago, Mamo said:

2002. It was on Vulgar. You were way off lol

Vulgar was released in 2003, haha, but I think he referred to how back in the day, OBSCURE was usually the first PV you showed people, not when it came out.

Ah, I was working on making this thread. To be honest, I think the option to internationalize the news section should be included as well. 

Either

1. a Visual (international) news subforum. 

2. Just deciding that allowing select acts with clear ties to the visual scene in the news section as it is already. If this freedom gets abused by sharing news about things with no clear relation to the scene the rules could be changed again.

3. Keeping things as is.

Honestly, I think the international scene is getting a few more professional acts out there, and regardless if it's something I like to listen to or not, I think they might have an audience here, and that's why I think it should be up to the users to decide on what to do with them.