yakihiko

first Karma now THIS awesome news! Life is too good to me today where's the hurricane
finally a full album can't wait for previews

ラッコ (LACK-CO.) will release their 1st album "弱肉教職" (Jakunikukyoushoku) on 11/01.
 
Regular edition will include CD with 11 songs (3240yen) and limited edition will inculde CD+DVD with 10 songs (3456yen).

Same thought as @platy.
Hope that Cockroach vibes can mix with some of their most recent dark concept and bring some godly beats.
 
Those are more detailed pictures from the ones The Piass posted before:

This album will be released in spring 2018. There will also be 4 dates for Halloween called "HALLOWEEN 17 SPOOKY BOX 2" which can be seen in the images. The lives on 2017.10.25/30 will have the concept of Abyss while the lives on 2017.10.28/31 will have the concept of LUCY.
 

 

 

Fuck yeah. I also like how they're getting more 'visual' even though they've been around for a hundred years. Nun Uruha ? It's better than I could have imagined.  Will 2018 be the year of Visual nun Kei? 
Ruki's giving me vibes from the Cockroach period, except with triple the budget. 
 
I'm really hyped and hope it's even more solid than dogma. 

FUCKING YAAAAAS!! So here for the new album! I knew they'd announce it around this time

BLESS THIS MESS has restarted activites as a twoman unit on August 16. Staying true to their name, they have also signed with Starwave Records.
 
They will hold their first live on September 9 at Ikebukuro EDGE.
 
[current lineup]
Vo.YNG (yanagi)
Gt.&Prog.立石 恁 (tateishi jin) (ex-BuZZ TRASH (roadie) → auncia → ANSIA → NIA)
 
[support members @ 9/9]
Ba.Rega (ex-平成ティーンズヤングマン (heisei teens young man) → トゥーン工場 (toon factory) → SRASH NOTES GARDEN, ANSIA(support) → NIA)
Dr.チャーリー (charlie) (ex-イヴ(support) → Seek Of Liberty → LUCHe. → Smileberry)

This is so exciting to hear! I've had that experience when I first listened to Homura Uta - hours and hours of listening to every single track. It must be a lot nicer with the remastered version.

Thank you for the review.
Such a wonderful release, I already was a fan from MUCC since Shangri-la era but never had opportunity to check their very first years albums, so I got excited to have the chance on hearing this one and 新痛絶.
After adding the songs on my music player, I had a 6-7 hours in a row listening to 新葬ラ謳 and 葬ラ謳 remastered, I even skip my sleep just to check its beats more properly in the night silence. It's a fine mix of raw and refined music quality.
 
I would say that 絶望, 君に幸あれ, ズタズタ, 幸せの終着, 僕が本当の僕に耐えきれず造った本当の僕, ママ and 暗闇に咲く花 are my favorite, mainly because they worked very well on both album versions. 黒煙 had his up on 葬ラ謳 remastered.

Here's another link.
 

It....actually doesn't sound that bad @CAT5, @Seimeisen

bleh, i'm good on this one bruh. Has it not occurred to TK that he uses that exact same bassline progression over and over AND OVER???
 
With that said, I'll probably end up liking this sometime down the line, echoing your exact sentiments "this isn't so bad".  

Tracklist
 
Disc 1: Shin Homura Uta
 
1. ホムラウタ (Homura Uta)
2. 絶望 (Zetsubou)
3. 幸せの終着 (Shiawase no Shuuchaku)
4. 君に幸あれ (Kimi ni Sachiare)
5. 僕が本当の僕に耐えきれず造った本当の僕 (Boku ga Hontou no Boku ni Taekirezu Tsukutta Hontou no Boku)
6. ママ (Mama)
7. 暗闇に咲く花 (Kurayami ni Saku Hana)
8. 嘘で歪む心臓 (Uso de Yugamu Shinzou)
9. およげ!たいやきくん (Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun)
10. 前へ-In its true light- (Mae e -In its true light-)
11. 黒煙 (Kokuen)
12. スイミン (Suimin)
13. 帰らぬ人 (Kaeranu Hito)
14. ズタズタ (Zutazuta)
15. 水槽 (Suisou)
16. 大嫌い2006 (Daikirai 2006)
 
Disc 2: Homura Uta ~Remaster~
 
01. ホムラウタ (Homura Uta)
02. 絶望 (Zetsubou)
03. 幸せの終着 (Shiawase no Shuuchaku)
04. 君に幸あれ (Kimi ni Sachiare)
05. 僕が本当の僕に耐えきれず造った本当の僕 (Boku ga Hontou no Boku ni Taekirezu Tsukutta Hontou no Boku)
06. ママ (Mama)
07. 暗闇に咲く花 (Kurayami ni Saku Hana)
08. 嘘で歪む心臓 (Uso de Yugamu Shinzou)
09. およげ！たいやきくん (Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun)
10. 前へ (Mae e)
11. 黒煙 (Kokuen)
12. スイミン (Suimin)
13. 帰らぬ人 (Kaeranu Hito)
14. ズタズタ (Zutazuta)
15. 水槽 Sg ver (Suisou Sg ver)
 
| Classics are made to be tempered with
 
Here's one band that hasn't been getting a lot of rest in 2017. 新葬ラ謳 (Shin Homura Uta) includes two versions of MUCC's 葬ラ謳 (Homura Uta) - a remastered one and a shiny, new re-recorded one. It was released along with 新痛絶 (Shin Tsuuzetsu) as part of the band's 20 year anniversary extravaganza, its announcement coming in contiguity with their '哀愁とアンティークと痛みも葬る (Aishuu to Antique to Itami mo Homoru)' summer tour, in which they exclusively performed materials from their first two EPs and first two full length studio albums. There isn't much to say about the remastered version, so this review will focus on the new recording.
 
This release is not just about paying a nostalgic tribute to their past or reliving it. Revised 葬ラ謳 is as vibrant and relevant as the original was 15 years ago; not much has changed on the surface, yet everything sounds different. It's a great example for an album that has evolved in a similar way language does, with its tracks going through years of being performed live, re-recorded, and remixed; the result is something anyone who speaks visual-kei can understand, but with noticeable changes.
 
葬ラ謳 was a fairly commercially successful album. It was first released in September 2002 as a limited edition that sold out quickly; a regular edition came the next month, and a reissue of the limited edition came in 2004. This album had a story to tell - a story of distilled anguish, pain, sorrow, loss and all those other heart-wrenching emotions and experiences that have been driving people to create art throughout history. In that sense, they never offered anything revolutionary; they were just good storytellers who used heaps of murky sound and raw energy to create something people could relate to. It is also clear that grunge, alternative rock and even nu metal were among their many interests at that point, and they were learning them carefully and experimenting with them as best as they could.
 
In 2017, the same album tells a completely different story. The muddy sound is replaced with a polished presentation, which might strike some v-kei veterans as 'lacking depth' or even 'less than genuine'. It’s true that nothing can replace those pain-driven shrieks in the original “絶望 (Zetsubou)” or “ズタズタ (Zutazuta)” that sound like someone’s soul being run over by an 18-wheeler. But this is just where the potency of the new recording lies; it doesn’t try to recreate the original, it uses it as a foundation to create something new. It doesn’t only show the experience the band has gained in the past 15 years, developing both in terms of musical skills and delivery, which can clearly be heard in Tatsuro’s crisp vocals and Satochi’s precise drumming. 新葬ラ謳 is a story that couldn’t have been told the way it is without the band’s (sometimes questionable) musical endeavors over the years and could be seen as a journey journal of sorts - one that doesn't leave out even newfound quirks, like in “前へ (Mae e)", which now includes an auto-tuned reggae moment brought to you by music nerd Miya. “前へ” was re-recorded in 2014 for the “ENDER ENDER” single, and it shows that nothing is sacred in the name of nostalgia - everything can be torn, mixed, glued on, and tempered with for the sake of trying out new things. Many of the other changes are smaller and rather conservative, like a new verse in “帰らぬ人 (Kaeranu Hito)” and an altered enunciation of the lyrics on many of the tracks, but they're enough to turn 新葬ラ謳 into something worth listening to in an of itself, even for those familiar with the original release. People who have been listening to this album for years will have a lot of fun playing ‘spot the difference’ while listening to this.  
 
This solid and clean rendition of a classic wasn’t only a chance to play around the border of nostalgia, self-cover, and re-imagine, but also a great way to introduce old material to new fans. MUCC have always been open to adapt to trends, experiment, and evolve, which means they’ve gained new listeners with every release (and probably lost some along the way). A crowd that’s been around since カルマ (Karma), SHANGRI-LA, or THE END OF THE WORLD will not necessarily bother checking out their older releases unless they keep them alive and relevant, which is something they’ve succeeded in by re-recording both 痛絶 and 葬ラ謳 and taking them on tour. This 2-CD package will probably be the first thing I’ll recommend to anyone interested in listening to the band for the first time or exploring their older materials, as well as to more old-school listeners who have been out of the loop for the past couple of years and have been wondering what they’re up to nowadays.
 
 
Support your jrawk poets: the [limited] and [regular] editions are available to order!

Their output has been a bit hit & miss for me, but they've definitely got my attention, so I'm keeping an eye on them.
 
I like LIQUID VAIN, but those harsh vocals kinda ruin it for me. Really diggin the melodic-punk vibes on 邪崩 tho,
 
 

BORN, ギルガメッシュ, SCREW and DIV.
I share the same empty status @Kayejust mentioned, but as for me is for BORN. True be said, no one will ever be able to fill that void.

BORN, ギルガメッシュ, SCREW and DIV.
I share the same empty status @Kayejust mentioned, but as for me is for BORN. True be said, no one will ever be able to fill that void.

Due to my hiatus this list was horribly delayed and I'd like to apologize for that, but I still feel like a lot of us are not over the hard hitting band break ups in 2016 so the wonderful users of MH as well as the awesome ORz members got together to write up some memorials for them. So without any further delays, here are some words for the great bands that called it quits.
 

10. 凛-THE END OF CORRUPTION WORLD- (2010-2016)
 

9. Sel'm (2004-2016)
 

8. FoLLoW (2013-2016)
 
 

7. SCREW (2006-2016)
 

6. DuelJewel (1997-2016)
 

5. BORN (2007-2016)
 

4. AvelCain (2012-2016)
 

3. DIV (2012-2016)
 

2. 少年記 (Shounenki) (2011-2016)
 

1. ギルガメッシュ (Girugamesh) (2004-2016)
 
Please share with us what bands you're missing this year and let us know what you think about this list!
 
 

Completely missed a few of these disbandments (or misplaced them in time) but Giru's will always stick To this day I'm still somewhat sad about that. Some weird emptiness I don't think any other band will ever be able to fill up. Then again, I was there since about 2007 so it's been a while.

Chanty new live-limited single, "比較対象" (hikaku taishou) (1000 yen), will be released at the band's live at TSUTAYA O-WEST on September 16.
 
[tracklist]
1.比較対象 (hikaku taishou)
2.おまじない (omajinai)

RAZOR is a band that started activities during October 2016. The band is currently supported by Timely Records.
 

 
Albums:
RED INVISIBLE (mini album) (2016.11.30)

01.ANOTHER
02.PRIMARY
03.ギブミー不気味 (Give me Bukimi)
04.埋葬 (Maisou)
05.MISSING PIECE
06.RED ZONE
DVD content: RED ZONE MV
 
the CORE (mini album) (2017.11.22)

01.the CORE
02.ROAD
03.消えない痛み (Kienai Itami)
04.イノセンス (Innocence)
05.Labyrinth
06.君は今も鮮やかに (Kimi wa Ima mo Azayaka ni)
07.その後の世界 (Sonogo no Sekai)
DVD content: 消えない痛み MV
 
Singles:
DNA (1st single) (2017.02.22)

01.DNA
02.嫌、嫌、嫌。 (iya, iya, iya)
03.ネイキッド (Naked) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: DNA MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
LIQUID VAIN (2nd single) (2017.08.02)

01.LIQUID VAIN
02.邪崩 (Jakuzure/Evil)
03.ADAMZ (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: LIQUID VAIN MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
BRILLIANT (3nd single) (2018.05.09)

01.BRILLIANT
02.HONEY
03.PINOCCHIO (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: BRILLIANT MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
紅く散らばる華 (4rd single) (2018.07.27)

01.紅く散らばる華 (Akaku chirabaru hana)
02.Sorrow Rain
03.あじさい (Ajisai) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: 紅く散らばる華 (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
List of songs that are played on lives that are still unreleased:
CHEGE・BARA
MIND CIRCUS
NEW ANSWER
SPIDER SPIDER
クランチ
さよなら
マーケティング
ピサロ
 
What are your thoughts about the band and their songs?

RAZOR is a band that started activities during October 2016. The band is currently supported by Timely Records.
 

 
Albums:
RED INVISIBLE (mini album) (2016.11.30)

01.ANOTHER
02.PRIMARY
03.ギブミー不気味 (Give me Bukimi)
04.埋葬 (Maisou)
05.MISSING PIECE
06.RED ZONE
DVD content: RED ZONE MV
 
the CORE (mini album) (2017.11.22)

01.the CORE
02.ROAD
03.消えない痛み (Kienai Itami)
04.イノセンス (Innocence)
05.Labyrinth
06.君は今も鮮やかに (Kimi wa Ima mo Azayaka ni)
07.その後の世界 (Sonogo no Sekai)
DVD content: 消えない痛み MV
 
Singles:
DNA (1st single) (2017.02.22)

01.DNA
02.嫌、嫌、嫌。 (iya, iya, iya)
03.ネイキッド (Naked) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: DNA MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
LIQUID VAIN (2nd single) (2017.08.02)

01.LIQUID VAIN
02.邪崩 (Jakuzure/Evil)
03.ADAMZ (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: LIQUID VAIN MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
BRILLIANT (3nd single) (2018.05.09)

01.BRILLIANT
02.HONEY
03.PINOCCHIO (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: BRILLIANT MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
紅く散らばる華 (4rd single) (2018.07.27)

01.紅く散らばる華 (Akaku chirabaru hana)
02.Sorrow Rain
03.あじさい (Ajisai) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: 紅く散らばる華 (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
List of songs that are played on lives that are still unreleased:
CHEGE・BARA
MIND CIRCUS
NEW ANSWER
SPIDER SPIDER
クランチ
さよなら
マーケティング
ピサロ
 
What are your thoughts about the band and their songs?

RAZOR is a band that started activities during October 2016. The band is currently supported by Timely Records.
 

 
Albums:
RED INVISIBLE (mini album) (2016.11.30)

01.ANOTHER
02.PRIMARY
03.ギブミー不気味 (Give me Bukimi)
04.埋葬 (Maisou)
05.MISSING PIECE
06.RED ZONE
DVD content: RED ZONE MV
 
the CORE (mini album) (2017.11.22)

01.the CORE
02.ROAD
03.消えない痛み (Kienai Itami)
04.イノセンス (Innocence)
05.Labyrinth
06.君は今も鮮やかに (Kimi wa Ima mo Azayaka ni)
07.その後の世界 (Sonogo no Sekai)
DVD content: 消えない痛み MV
 
Singles:
DNA (1st single) (2017.02.22)

01.DNA
02.嫌、嫌、嫌。 (iya, iya, iya)
03.ネイキッド (Naked) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: DNA MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
LIQUID VAIN (2nd single) (2017.08.02)

01.LIQUID VAIN
02.邪崩 (Jakuzure/Evil)
03.ADAMZ (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: LIQUID VAIN MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
BRILLIANT (3nd single) (2018.05.09)

01.BRILLIANT
02.HONEY
03.PINOCCHIO (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: BRILLIANT MV (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
紅く散らばる華 (4rd single) (2018.07.27)

01.紅く散らばる華 (Akaku chirabaru hana)
02.Sorrow Rain
03.あじさい (Ajisai) (Available only on Regular Edition)
DVD content: 紅く散らばる華 (Available only on Limited Edition)
 
List of songs that are played on lives that are still unreleased:
CHEGE・BARA
MIND CIRCUS
NEW ANSWER
SPIDER SPIDER
クランチ
さよなら
マーケティング
ピサロ
 
What are your thoughts about the band and their songs?

Tracklist:
 CD 1: Shin Tsuzetsu
—-. Momoku de Aruga Yue no Sogaikan (盲目であるが故の疎外感) Samidare (五月雨) Hai (廃) Itai Tegami (イタイ手紙) Chintsuuzai (鎮痛剤) Yoru (夜) Suna no Shiro (砂の城) Haitoku no Hito (背徳の人) Shofu (娼婦) Danzetsu (断絶) Ieji -2017 Hisyou- (家路 -2017 飛翔-) Kurutta Kajitsu w -2017 Haru- (狂った果実 w ～2017 春～) Kare ga Shinda hi (友達(カレ)が死んだ日)  
 
CD 2: Tsuzetsu 1st
—-. Itai Tegami (イタイ手紙) Shofu (娼婦) Chintsuuzai (鎮痛剤) Hai (廃) Suna no Shiro (砂の城) Yoru (夜) Haitoku no Hito (背徳の人) Momoku de Aruga Yue no Sogaikan (盲目であるが故の疎外感) Danzetsu (断絶)  
| Aged like fine wine.
 
Ever the black sheep of MUCC's discography, color me shocked when it was announced that 痛絶 (Tsuuzetsu) would be among the first two albums MUCC would re-record in full fifteen years later. This release, entitled 新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu), includes two discs: the first disc including re-recordings of the entire album, the second disc including the out-of-print original first press of the album (and 友達が死んだ日 (Kare ga Shinda Hi), an extra track that didn't make it). The original 痛絶 (Tsuuzetsu) is not the coveted starter album for new fans: that honor belongs to their second album, 葬ラ謳 (Homura Uta). It's not an album anyone talks about with rose-tinted glasses, between huffs of nostalgia, it's not even an album people bring up when discussing their favorites! I chalk it up to the style. This style of angura-kei wasn't all the rage back in 2001 and its popularity has only been sinking since. In this age of bands courting old and new fans with new versions of old material, 新痛絶 comes across as the most honest and straightforward application of this tactic thus far. Fifteen years later, this album may finally make the impact that it originally should have. Plus, the new jacket for 新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu) is dope. The one for 新葬ラ謳 (Shin Homura Uta) looks like Robot Chicken claymation, but I'll leave that alone.
 
The success of this entire venture rests on this conservative approach. MUCC takes the adage "if it's not broke, don't fix it" to heart. They demonstrated this in 2006, they tackled "娼婦" (Shoufu) and "五月雨" (Samidare) for pre-極彩 (Gokusai) singles, and "断絶" (Danzetsu) in 2007 for the WORST OF MUCC compilation; they didn't sound out of place then and they don't sound out of place among the other seven tracks now. For all the changes they could have made, most of them are not alterations to the songs or their structure.  This is more important than I had initially realized. The international scene has felt burned by sub-par re-recordings in the past and this hesitation carries over to MUCC despite their good track record. One thing I desperately hate is for a re-recording to share little similarities with its original - for all of that tweak it some more and sell a new song! I want to have an air of familiarity around what I receive, and in this regard, 新痛絶  exceeds in spades. It's the same album, but it feels new without changing much (or anything) at all. A part of me wonders if this was planned long ago and they finally got some time to do it.
 
The quality difference is night and day. This can prove to be a problem for the handful of 痛絶-era fans used to hearing the album a certain way, and the second disc would be for that crowd. There's even a third disk live performances to sweeten the deal, but only for those who bought the pre-release edition. I find myself in the group that likes both versions, but prefers the clarity of the new version. There's no doubt in my mind that the budget-conscious choices of the original pressing has become a part of the atmosphere and experience, but hearing these songs with new details and increased clarity is more important to me. It's not going to cause a resurgence of angura-kei bands no matter how for it I am, but it does provide a window into what turn of the century visual-kei would sound like with modern recording techniques and that's worth the price of admission alone. I can confidently can state that I gain more than I lose in this exchange, and I would have no problem recommending the new version of the album to anyone interested.
 
 
 
Support the band and pre-order your copy today!
AmazonJP | CDJapan
 
✣新痛絶 (Shin-Tsuuzetsu) is not yet available for general purchase ✣

I'm definitely glad both versions exist. The original has an irreplaceable raw quality that they probably wouldn't have been able to recreate today, and they don't need to. I see re-recordings like this as part of a long Japanese tradition of retelling the same story from several different angles, and the story MUCC tell in 2017 is infinitely different than what they could tell in 2001. I recommend to anyone who wants to listen to this (and Shin Homura Uta) to consider this lens instead of a more nostalgic one (that's what the remastered album is for!). 

Made an update on the main post that features new pictures for group and individual looks, and info about releases and their covers.

coldrain have done a three in a row post on their blog, I translated or tried most of it:
 
1st. Their new full album will be called "FATELESS" and will be released on October 11th, the album will feature a two LIVE CDs from their 10th Anniversary Tour in Nagoya on it's limited edition. Other infos such as full tracklist, art cover will come soon.
 
2nd. From 2017.10.29 to 2017.12.08 they will be perfoming a 2MAN Tour called, "FATELESS" guests will be announced later. They will be performing on 2018.02.08 a Oneman live, which probably will be closing the "FATELESS" Tour.
 
3rd. Their new song called "ENVY" (which will be included on their newest album) will have their MV shooting on first half of August.