Jigsaw9

The PV preview of Crisis Moment is up on the splash page of the OHP: http://merryweb.jp/ Not bad, but didn't quite grab my attention. Gonna have to wait for the full song.

Go Away's video was much more entertaining for me than Clap Your Hands. Nice! Still anticipating Can't Nobody, that song's epic.

Sounds/looks awesome! Maruo's art is epic as usual.

I'm beginning to like the album more and more! I think it's pretty good. I especially love the whole first half, but it has some memorable moments towards the end too. The first new MV isn't bad either, but nothing special for me (Follow Me is my all-time favourite). Really looking forward to the other vids in the next two days though!

I like RED more than SHIVER, but I don't really "like" it, if you know what I mean.

^ Yeah, it's confirmed on their OHP actually that it's a cover of the Nightmare Before Christmas song of the same name. Looking forward to the album kinda...but a bit thrown back at all those interlude tracks (if they are interludes).

There'll be some amazing songs on this album, judging by his latest concerts. Lookin' forward!!!

^ Me too! I was surprised, NeoTokyo was relatively fast.

Right now I can only think of these as absolute highlights for me: - KYOKUTOU GIRL FRIEND - Katte ni shiyagare - munimuni - MAGICAL MOONIES And still having high hopes about the new BUCK-TICK and Miyavi albums.

Asai Kenichi & his bands: Okay, whatever this guy does is pure gold in my eyes (or ears rather, lol). The fact that he managed/manages to juggle multiple projects at one time with equally awesome and different music styles is enough to make him a living legend. Sadly, he isn't as well-known as the usual bland stock of VK bands... BUCK-TICK: Being awesome, interesting, catchy and ever-changing for more than 20 years is not easy but they make it look like it is, haha. I love almost every album, there is something in there for every mood. Hisashi Imai, their "main mastermind" is my all-time favourite J-musician. No, he isn't an amazingly technical guitarist or a genius, but everything that he does and how he does it fits in with my taste perfectly (and has shaped my taste, too). BOOWY: As someone already said before me, timeless music. Catchy, and has amazingly clever (sometimes simple, sometimes tricky) guitars and songs. Plus they had Tomoyasu Hotei, who is one of my fave guitarists. cali gari: Weird, poppy, dark, light, grotesque, beautiful...all sorts of notions are here. Yeah, they're the "godfathers of eroguro" and stuff, but to me they just make really cool rock music with lots of different influences. Really funny guys too, btw. Also, Ao Sakurai is one of my favourite people in J-music. KYOKUTOU GIRL FRIEND: I just can't get enough of these guys, and they just started out like 2 years ago! Fast, catchy, sometimes poppy, but always rockin' songs with lots of attitude. I hope they continue making awesome music forever! MERRY: I was more into them a few years ago, but they still have a special place in my heart. Everything they do is in that typical "Merry" style that is instantly recognizable. I love the new punkish, raw direction they're developing since the past year, it really suits them besides their "retrock" style IMO. Plus, Nero is my favourite drummer in visual kei, no contest! munimuni: A very unique new-ish band that has musical influences dating waaay~ back. I love their goth-y post-punk style with a touch of psychedelia and madness. Kamui Matenrou is a really talented songwriter and singer/guitarist. Nega: My favourite indies-VK band, hands down. They're not perfect but somehow I feel drawn to them. Their songs somehow represent a unique dark atmosphere for me that I can rarely find in other bands.

Here you go: http://www.lasvegas-jp.com/

I'm so happy for Masashi! Finally he can step out of the shadows, so to speak.

Awesoooome~

Cool, lookin' forward!

Bochum, here I come!

I don't know about "the best", but these drummers are my favourites: - Tatsuya Yoshida (Ruins, etc) - Tatsuya Nakamura (ex-BLANKEY JET CITY, Losalios, etc) - Nero (MERRY) - Shinya (LUNA SEA)

Heavy and extreme metal all the way. J-rock helped me expand my horizons, so now I listen to all kinds of stuff (electro, etc).

Hisashi Imai (BUCK-TICK) is actually right-handed, he just prefers to play guitar left-handed...weird, yeah. XD Can't think of anyone else right now, but I think there's a few people...

Uhh, what.

Awesome.

Cool!!! Can't wait to hear more!

New songs, awesome!!

I like this album. It has a nice ongoing dark atmosphere. Not doing a song-by-song review now, but these were the standout tracks for me: DEVIL'S PARADE, dope, FALLING. I don't know yet how to precisely rank this among their other works, but I definitely like it better than MIRROR and REDEEMER. I'd give it a strong 7/10 or something like that. More or less, it delivered what I was expecting, so I'm content.

Additional information according to CDJapan: - limited edition DVD: a PV - regular edition bonus track: Crisis Moment -unplugged version-

MERRY hasn't even released their latest, but already announced a new single: the CD will be called Crisis Moment, and will be released on October 6. It will come in two versions: CD and CD+DVD. I personally cannot wait!!! edit: Additional information according to CDJapan: - limited edition DVD: a PV - regular edition bonus track: Crisis Moment -unplugged version-