Jigsaw9

14. yoshikitty is going to release a cd.

My sister got me some tickets to see Lady Gaga in November!! *__*

4. Yoshiki finally admits that it was actually Yoshiki who died all those years ago and he had been hide all along

First trailer:
 

Before I run out of ideas in the later phase (I promise that I won't spam this any further), I will spew out my "last" effort in making sensible tributes, and that's ofc: DEG tribute. I am not the one to knock on Cat's tribute though - it's my "vision" on their possible lineup in possible tribute(s).
 
I might have been influenced by Cat5 (at least based on certain picks), and that is why he deserves my thanks
 
IN NOMINE - DIR EN GREY respect album-
 
1. Joe Hisaishi - THE FINAL (overture)
A short, orchestral snippet of DEG's ”all-time hit” - pretty warm welcome for such a big tribute like this. Honorable one, too! With its majestic presence, it's very reminiscent to Final's unplugged version off ”THE UNRAVELING”.
 
2. Downy – Rinkaku
By refining this to non-chuggy version with more complexity, this will find its way quite easily into Downy's comfort zone. (Side-note: should be tuned up to A# for the sake of segueing from ”THE FINAL”-prelude) Falsetto vocals shouldn't be the problem either.
 
3. AA= - Child Prey
With those ”Wooh oooh oooh”-ing BG vocals, underlying electro influence (those weird effects during riffs) and downtuned guitars, I can expect Takeshi Ueda and folks to pull out even punkier performance than Kyo's own. The original in fact starts to remind me of Mad Caps for some reason.
 
4. Coldrain – Agitated Screams of Maggots
Lyrics completely in English? Check. Lots of metalcore-y riffs? Check. Really fitting for Coldrain guys? Well, by judging their earlier covering efforts, I can see them having some potential to do this sweetly too.
 
5. kamomekamome – Clever Sleazoid
After trying out some kamomekamome, I came to the realization that Kyo's performance in CS (both versions) is somewhat similar to what KK's vocalist was doing in most of their songs. I apologize to Cat beforehand for clinging onto same-ish ideas
 
6. Kannivalism - Higeki ha Mabuta wo Oroshita Yasashiku Utsu
Sincere ballads like this are Kannivalism's specialty (knowing that their best songs like ”mum.” are like this), and so is underlying melancholy in Kyo's lyrics. Won't be a random number at all
 
7. THE NOVEMBERS - Toguro
Atmospheric, riffy number – might be pretty much NOVEMBERS' specialty (tagging along with Cat in this case). Knowing what they've done in their latest album, potential of this being a good cover is pretty high. Oh, and let's not forget the bass too
 
8. Lynch. - AMBER
Simple half-ballad with emphasis on low singing → goes well for Hazuki's range (falsettos too) and band's performance. Also, the guitars here are very reminiscent to what lynch. Started to do with ligher songs at their latest records. Nothing really else to explain in terms of obvious artist choice.
 
9. Boris – Mazohyst of Decadence (2011 ver. cover)
Imagine if this was their lo-fi take on DEG's ”revamped” live version of MoD. I might see Takeshi using more of monotonous vocal take (with Imogen Heap-ish filtering) on Kyo's lyrics (can skip some parts), along with improvised take on Toshiya's VERY audible and varied bassline (lots of fuzz). Wata in the meanwhile can give those ””sludgy”” (have to use double quotation marks for the sake of it) riffs a bit more dynamics. Creepy pro-life songs definitely deserve a deeper take, and Boris are able to pull it off well.
 
10. DAISHI DANCE feat. Chieko Kinbara – Hotarubi (a LIGHT mix)
Basically an instrumental House mix/cover of Dir's original. Having Kinbara appearing again in this piece (she played violins in the original), and DAISHI DANCE pulling out a Ghibli Set-like performance (vibraphones, soothing piano, some stock falsettos/vocals some strings + etc.). To live up to its mix title, it should be have more of hope-giving aura unlike the original with its ”all hope is gone”-vibes.
 
11. Michiro Endo/M.J.Q – 304 Goushitsu, Hakushi no Sakura
Assuming that Michiro might ”thank” DEG for covering STALIN's ”Warsaw no Gensou”. With its acoustic-friendly performance, Endo might find himself even at his old age pretty comfortable with this. Some anti-folk-kind of vibe will be sweet for this track (should also be shorter than the original imho)
 
12. Heaven In Her Arms – DIABOLOS
Some of Kyo's clean parts can be somewhat discarded here, for the sake of post-ish performance here. Atmosphere might be pretty fitting for them, and Kyo's growling/screaming can replaced with their ”signature” screaming without ruining the flow. I might even like their effort more than original.
 
13. HOLLOWGRAM – Inconvenient Ideal
Falsetto-heavy number? Ryo's top-notch specialty. Also, by listening partly to their ”Qualia”-record, I admit that this wouldn't be an out-of-place number for them. In addition to the first statement of mine, Ryo can pull this off much better – methinks.
 
14. MERRY – Rasetsukoku
Let's say it briefly: you know how this will end up – no? Imagine this in their ”Under-world” style, with a bit crunchier guitars
 
15. Takumi (RES) – Vanitas (new instrumental mix)
Instrumental coda. Do you guys remember the PA song DEG used to play during DSS promo tour (music box-ish song). Expect this to be a remake but made by ”semi-DEG member” this time. Nice finish for a tribute
 
ps. I tried to make this less random and "biased" ,heh.

I think I know the answer to that question. *trollface*

So you buy the thing for half the stuff that's actually in there.. wow@consumerism
 
There are these great bands which released like 3 or 4 live DVDs in total in their carreer... just to put in some perspective. There were times where you actually craved for live recordings, precisely bc there weren't so much of them. But that's only my story to it.

MALICE MIZER tribute album

Some of these are pure fantasy since this isn't going to happen anyway, but a few are pretty plausible cover candidates I think!  The order of the tracks is also a bit random, but I think it's practically a requirement that "Bois de merveilles" be the closing track.  Enjoy!

1. au revoir - Moran
Moran really screwed up their chance to cover "Illuminati" unfortunately, but I don't think that song was really right for them in the first place.  Anyway, I'm prepared to give Moran a second chance and because they really shine on their light, dreamy ballad-type songs, I think "au revoir" is a great fit.
2. Le ciel - DIMMDIVISION.
Le ciel is already a pretty dreamy song, so I can imagine DIMMDIVISION. adding their shoegazey flair and producing magic for my ears.  Their song ".ReyarP" comes to mind as proof that they could pull this off.
3. Gardenia - 네미시스 (Nemesis)
I think it's pretty obvious when listening to Nemesis that despite not being visually inspired, the band must be closet fans of light, frilly VK like this.  Their orchestral arrangements are always beautiful and their guitarist is also a lovely piano player, so they could definitely do some justice to this song.
4. N・p・s N・g・s - 己龍 (Kiryu)
I can really imagine Kiryu putting their unique, crazy spin on this track.  The creepy talking parts and the "DIE GAME" parts are begging to be Mahiro-fied.
5. Syunikiss ～二度目の哀悼～ - Vior gloire
I really struggled with finding a good band to cover "Syunikiss" until I remembered Vior gloire.  Their songs occasionally had a grandiose/cinematic quality.  That combined with Shall's special vocals make Vior gloire a strong candidate for this song.
6. 記憶と空 - Megaromania
Neoclassical guitar riffs and questionable vocals? Sounds like a job for Megaromania!
7. エーゲ ～過ぎ去りし風と共に～ - DOPPEL
Thinking back to DOPPEL's songs like "Eggknock" and "Moonlight xxxx," I think they could produce a neat, twinkly update of this classic MM track.
8. 麗しき仮面の招待状 - Kaya
The VK queen of goth/electronic.  While "Illuminati" seems like an obvious choice, I'd rather hear Kaya's take on the Gackt-era's first single.  This song already has a slight dancey beat, so I can easily see Kaya going all out and doing a full-blown gothy/electronic rendition.
9. 白い肌に狂う愛と哀しみの輪舞 - Lacroix Despheres
The self-labeled "Symphonic Gothic Rock Opera" group has some definitely influence from MALICE MIZER's Klaha era (the Bara no Seidou album), so they seem like a great fit for this track.  Not to mention, Sho's vocals actually do resemble Klaha's somewhat.  I can see them adding their signature, whimsical oboe/flute (and maybe even Saya's vocals for a duet?) making it totally their own.  It worked on "Le sortilege" and "天啓の瞳" so they could definitely work their magic again.
10. 幻想楽園 - Nocturnal Bloodlust
Why not have MALICE MIZER's by far heaviest song get covered by the most br00tal VK band around.  It'd be interesting to hear them deathcore-ify this track, haha.
11. ヴェル・エール ～空白の瞬間の中で～ - Jupiter
Songs like "Bel Air" show that even though Malice Mizer was mostly known for their diverse influences and theatrics, they also had quite interesting guitar parts.  I think "VK metal" guitarists like Hizaki/Teru could give this song a nice modern update, while still retaining the unique atmosphere of the original.  Plus, I think ZIN could do a great job on vocals.
12. Beast of Blood - 関西耽美系～Lily Project～
Harpsichord, heavy repetitive riffs, and a dramatic chorus?  Only Lily project!  I'm sure Seira would do his unique German growls at some point in the song too, haha.
13. 死の舞踏 - Sito Magus
With songs like "necromance," I'm sure Sito Magus could produce a beautiful cover of this old MM favorite.  They would probably slow it down and add even more elements of classy gothic atmosphere.
14. Bois de merveilles - KAMIJO
While solo KAMIJO has a small repertoire so far, he's already shown on "Grazioso" that he's capable of waltzy, soundtrack-worthy arrangements like "Bois de merveilles."  Plus, KAMIJO idolizes vocalist Gackt, so...

It's like the musical equivalent of going 'If you leave me, I'll kill myself!'

New-wave band THE HAKKIN (ex-ヴィデオグラマァ member band) will release their 1st mini album "晩成" (Bansei) on 2014/04/26, planned to have 6 tracks.
 
Release party will be held on the same day at disc union Shinjuku dues.
 
YESSS~
 


 
(not confirmed if this song will be on it, just linkin')

I went to the show in Köln last night!!!

I had to deal with some train detour fuckery in order to make it to the venue, but it wasn't a big deal.  There was a tiny line outside of "Die Werkstatt".  Once I made it inside, there were only about 40 people in there.  I stood on the right side (Hizaki side) in the equivalent of the 5ish row.  As far as I could see, there was no real barricade between the band and the audience, so from where I was, it felt like Hizaki was only 10-15 feet away.

Here was my approximate vantage point:


Unfortunately, they said we couldn't take pictures once the band came out (grrr!), but I suppose it was refreshing to be at a show without people filming/taking pics on their iPhones the whole time!  Anyway, the band started fairly promptly at 7:30.  Here's the setlist I managed to note down.

Introduction SE (band walked out dramatically)
Scarlet
Aria
Decadence
MC by ZIN
ALLEGORY CAVE
Bass solo/extended intro, RHYTHMOS
Nostalgie
Race Wish (from HIZAKI grace project)
MC by Yuki
Silent Knight (from Versailles)
MC by Hizaki
Heaven's Atlas
MC by ZIN
SHOUT YOUR DESIRE
LAST MOMENT (new single)
Symmetry Breaking, extended outro
Classical Element

Encore
forever with you
Blessing of the Future
Conclusion SE

This is only my third visual kei show, but I absolutely loved it.  ZIN is much better live, simple as that.  Someone on last.fm has already touched on this, but the certain "annoying" moments that he has on CD (exaggerated vibrato and stuff) sound a lot better live.  As in, songs like Scarlet and SHOUT YOUR DESIRE that aren't really my favorites, actually were extremely fun in person.  ZIN had everyone waving their towels during Scarlet.  He kept asking us "ARE YOU FUCKING READY?!" haha.  He also broke out the occasional German phrase.  At one point, after Heaven's Atlas I believe, he said "take your right hand, take your left hand, touch" and he bowed his head and said "Danke schön" haha.  As you can see from the setlist, they played all of their released songs (except for Atmosphere), plus some extras.  Yuki had a little MC where he said he was glad to be back in Germany and he asked us if we'd like to hear a "special song" (Silent Knight).  I was particularly stoked to hear Race Wish (the synthy orchestra intro sounded revamped from the old studio recording) and the upcoming single Last Moment.  The closest song I can compare it to is probably Heaven's Atlas, because it was fast-paced and chuggy, but still with an overall positive mood.  Looking forward to the CD release.  After ZIN left the stage during the instrumental tracks, Hizaki made us call him back, telling us to shout "On bokaaru... ZIN!" (I swear it sounded like he said "Jane" the first couple times though, haha. I were confused...)  After the luscious Classical Element, the band left the stage for maybe 5 minutes and came back in black Jupiter T-shirts for an encore.  The "laaaaa la la" outro of forever with you was surreal, haha.  Of course the band's final track was their first single.  At the end, all of the band members came right to the edge of the stage and I managed to touch Hizaki and Masashi's hands.  Before leaving, ZIN told us that he loved the fans and that the band would be back at some point.  He pinky promised, haha.

Other important observations:
-Hizaki (T-shirt version) isn't as gaunt/skinny as I was anticipating.
-ZIN does crazy eyes sometimes. He also has this great smirk.  He did this sassy finger wagging during the "nanimo nai" part of Heaven's Atlas.
-1 1/2 to 2 instances of Hizaki x ZIN fanservice.
-Yuki is a killer drummer, but I already knew that.
-There was a man, possibly in his 50s, cosplaying as an "aristocratic VK guy" aka probably Kamijo.
-Hizaki hugged a fan at the end and she cried.
-I would estimate a max of 120 people there, which although it made for a nice fairly intimate atmosphere, was also a bit strange, since I expected way more people.

In short, fucking awesome show.  If you are even kind of a fan of the band and you get the chance to see them, go for it.  I also got to meet Champ (first irl MH-er ever for me, haha), so this was a highly successful weekend.

I hope the French fans have fun tonight!

I'm loving how no two lists here are alike. It's interesting how such a small and homogenous scene has garnered such a diverse fanbase. I can dig it! ; )

I'm sure Dir en grey coming face to face with reality resulted in such phenomenal footage that it just had to be shared with all the pressed stans out there.

Nice thread idea! I'll try to leave little comments with my picks to not make it too boring to read.
 
cali≠gari / Gotta love the diverse sound, they can be crazy but surprisingly poppy too. Good mixture of post-punk, new wave and other random influences.
 
KYOKUTOU GIRL FRIEND / Kickass punk-rock sound with some awesome guitar play and catchy songs. Very raw and honest sounding stuff, shame they didn't last too long.
 
LUNA SEA / The rhytm and the interplay of the two guitars (and SUGIZO's signature sound) makes it for me. So many classic tunes that inspired many bands from the '90s onwards!
 
deadman / Whenever I listen to them I get sucked into another world. Gloomy, fragile and a bit manic, what's not to love?
 
MEJIBRAY / I love how 'beefy' the guitars sounded when I first listened to them - yet they were not trying to be br00tal or anything, just some killer straightforward modern VK with catchy hooks.
 
Merry / My 'old love'. A great combo of nostalgic and more modern sounds, these guys really know how to set a cool atmosphere. Nero's drumming will forever be absolutely superb!
 
Grieva / Hell yeahhh, old-school's back! Such a nice feeling to listen to their music, kinda in that late '90s way, but with a suped-up production.
 
MALICE MIZER / Dat diversity. From baroque-influenced twinkly guitars to cheesy goth-disco they were the best! Something amazing to be found in all their eras.
 
Nega / One of the more unique and interesting sounding ones from the UCP bunch. Love the creepy, dark, aggressive vibe! Jin gets a lot of doubt and hate but imo he was perfect for this kinda stuff.
 
Miss Jelly Fish / Reminds me a little bit of BUCK-TICK, very nice moody and atmospheric stuff, with a beautiful voice.
 
Runners-up or almost-vk-but-not-quite-so-didn't-include-them:
 - BUCK-TICK  - XA-VAT  - LAB. THE BASEMENT  - Vior gloire  - MUNIMUNI  - Mar'derayla  - ROUAGE  - Aliene Maφriage  - Noir fleurir

New PV:
 

If pasting the link doesn't work, try writing it between [ media ] and [ / media ] tags (without the spaces), that works for me.

Yeah, I used tags too because I found that simply writing the link didn't work after one of the forum movings or updates (while in the past it did)... but good to know it's okay again now.

New lyrics video for one of the EP's tracks...
 


 
Gotta luv this song.

New PV:
 

New PV:
 

this is my favourite PV of all times.
 
also this has to be the worst BT PV entertaining-wise and I know Jigsaw9 will at least agree with me here:
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O2mA4WOjgqE
 
This is just SO BORING. I mean the song is okay but the only thing that's happening in this PV is some vague shots of the lead singer while he's lying on the floor while the other members strut around a bit blurry in the background. That's literally all this video is.

violets r blue, roses r red, bitch i'm signed to warner, asagi is buried/dead

One of my friends is a big Soilwork fan so he persuaded me and a mutual buddy to tag along cuz yay, metvlz! I had only known like one album and a small handful of songs (all of them like a decade old, lol) beforehand but even this way the gig was highly enjoyable. You could really tell the band and the crowd were having an awesome time too, it was nice to get into. The music was pretty much perfect for this upbeat high-energy atmosphere with its mixture of melodic and br00tal parts. Been listening and re-listening to them non-stop since then, heh.
 
Here's a cool lil' vid from the gig that captures the feeling of it all pretty nicely.
 

Here is mine.
A live distributed CD to be released. (◕‿◕✿)
 
Artist: DIR EN GREY
Title: 女々しくて (Shot In One Take) (memeshikute) (Original by Golden Bomber) Release Date: 2014.14.14 Tracklist: 01. DIR EN GREY - 女々しくて (Shot In One Take)
 
The song itself was secretly recorded in 2010 immediately once they had listened to it for the first time after getting a signed copy; unfortunately, it has been postponed to be released from time to time because the staff didn't let them include it in the deluxe limited edition of DSS as a bonus track.

Kuroyume tribute album FUCK THE BORDER LINE -RETAKE-
(much better sequel)
 
1. BUCK-TICK feat. Morrie - Kaitou Jikken (解凍実験)
- Not a bad idea for "senpais" to cover their "kouhais'" songs at all! The song is very post-punk-ish (in a way), and thanks to its manic Kiyoharu 3-vocal tracks, I can see Imai , Sakurai  and Morrie pulling this out well.
 
2. the GazettE - Drug People
- At least much better song choice than "C.Y. HEAD". Imagine if this were "Agony part. 2".
 
3. Tommy Heavenly6 - HAPPY BIRTHDAY
- The song is very cheery, despite quite sad-toned lyrics, and is easy for Tomoko to do.
 
4. Mao (SID) feat. SOIL&"PIMP"SESSIONS - HELLO, CP ISOLATION
-  Every good tribute album needs some wtf-ery, hey!
 
5. Shiina Ringo x Seiji Kameda ( or Tokyo Jihen, short-lived reunion or w/e) - Jounetsu no Kage (情熱の影)
- This calm, funky piece needs definitely Shiina's dramatic vocals in it, and Kameda to convey Hitoki's "Another One Bites the Dust"-influenced bassline. OR it might become a very jazz-heavy masterpiece too!
 
6. lynch. - MIND BREAKER
- It's quite obvious why I chose lynch. for this song - listen to it!
 
7. Miyavi - NITE&DAY
- Considering that Miyavi already "semi-covered" certain Kuroyume songs (with the band itself, lol), I might find this acoustic piece okay for him to do. It's also easy for him to convey that "raw" acoustic sound of the original.
 
8. MUCC - Tell
- I would've chosen more melancholic piece for them but considering Miya's strict "no more negativity"-policy, I had to find a laid-back song for them. Here ya go!
 
9. DIR EN GREY - Shihainaru Deathmask (201X ver.) (親愛なるDeathmask)
- These guys already covered the song back in 1997, but it would've been great to see them remake it - even if it ends up sounding in vein of Kiri to Mayu's 2012 ver. Also, this lets Toshiya and Die shine
 
10. D'erlanger - Nakigara wo (亡骸を )
- Tetsu can do some magic improvisation with that drumline loop and Cipher can make the guitarline sound so "airy". Very fitting for Kyo's vocal range too.
 
11. PENICILLIN - DANCE 2 GARNET
- Chisato riffing those Shintastic solos and Hakuei going back to his old-schooling, why not?
 
12. Takanori Nishikawa feat. SEKAI NO OWARI - SEE YOU
- Great finale for this tribute album (was used quite often as their "last song"), and Takanori makes wonders with this one (along with SNO ofc)
 
Bonus tracks (ironically, for the sake of cashing in lol):
 
13. LIPHLICH - Love Me Do
- For the sake of adding more Kiyoharu fanboys and WTF song choices
 
14. Ling Tosite Sigure - ICE MY LIFE
- More wtf-ery, more profit! I can see this ending up quite surprising.
 
15. L'Arc~en~Ciel - For Dear
- I can only hope, right? Also, guitar is very Ken-like here. PLUS quite essential song in Kuroyume's repertoire, lol.