Shmilly

Nope, 'Concrete' was recorded as 'jimen' on dadaism 2.

MBHI had several unreleased songs, although most/all of them featured on their one live DVD release. They put a couple of short demos on YouTube around the time they started activity but several of those were never properly recorded. Interestingly though, one of them was a full song, it was just never released elsewhere: 21st century boy. Recently disbanded MALISEND also played their full discography at their final live which I was able to attend, which included at least 3 unreleased songs (including the various free distributions). I directly contacted them upon disbandment inquiring about purchasing these unreleased tracks as at least some of them had demos on Youtube, but they informed me that no properly recorded versions had ever been made, so I wasn't able to get hold of them. Going back to DDRM and KIDS WAR, Yoshiatsu's previous band Crazy Shampoo also had a couple of songs they often performed live but never saw official releases. After extensive research, it appears they had live distributions a long time ago, but since I've never seen them for sale either in used stores or at auction/Mercari, I consider them to be basically 'lost' songs. (Will pay for them if anyone has them though). The ones that immediately come to mind are 'Guernica' and 'Battou'. And on a personal sob story, I have always deeply regretted missing Signal's last live due to my flight being just two days later, and as a result will pay handsomely for a copy of their last single 'Crossing fate' which has yet to even see the digital light of day.

CodeRebirth were severely underrated - their final album release is one of my favourite albums, period. I really hope Katsuya can find a strong vocalist to fit his djent-like compositions, but they need to have solid cleans too (imo too many djent bands are either purely instrumental or have only a screamer on vocals). Whatever happened to that vocalist from aim (pre-GALEYD)? If he returned to the music scene I think he would be a good fit.

I enjoyed T3B well enough but try as I might I couldn't get into Balalaika, despite picking up all their releases, including the mail-order version of The Mince. While it's a shame that they're disbanding, I can't say I'm too surprised. Also looks like I timed it well selling their stuff on Mercari lol

To clarify, it's a free distribution given to attendees of a free concert. Sounds like a good deal to me, shame I'm working that day.

Nice review Rev. I agree with your assessment for the most part, although I'm not sure if I'd put RAZOR in the same group as Kizu. While RAZOR has been known to experiment with some interesting song structure, it usually pays off well in not only shaking up the standard rock/metal song structure but also highlighting the individual members' skills. On the other hand, some of Kizu's attempts (particularly on this single) just end up a little messy and incoherent, despite the well-polished sound and production. I think the thing that got me into Kizu was Lime's vocals - his unique voice and the catchy melodies really help their songs get stuck in your head. Oshimai was a fantastic debut and despite lacking the same impact, Kawazu has quickly grown on me too. While the B-sides are a mixed bag, I think these guys definitely have a lot of potential to grow in the visual kei scene.

While it's obvious the man's had some work done over the years, you can't deny he looks pretty good for a 44 year old.

I guess it shouldn't be surprising after 10 years of extensive touring, but Yugiri's live vocals have improved a looot since the old CROSSTRIP days. I remember DaizyStripper being one of the first VK bands I tried listening to around the time of Dearest I think, I was amused by their name; now look how far they've made it! Unfortunately I really don't have the spare cash to throw at this right now though...

Interested to hear the rerec of Suicide Lovers, the original is a great song but the tuning on the guitar solo is a little... off... XD

Track 6 is a ballad for sure but hopefully they go out with a bang instead of another one.

I think people are setting their expectations too high after one or two particularly standout songs. As an admittedly die-hard fan since the beginning, I would argue that the very aspects of their recent music that have people divided have been largely present all along. Need I remind people that two of the tracks on their very first release were soft-rock jazzy numbers? Or that the originator of the electro-dance-metal numbers was a B-side on their first single? And their continued experimentation with different styles is one of the things that keeps both their releases and live performances exciting (the same people would probably be complaining that the dramatic metalcore is getting stale if it was the same stuff every time). Rant aside, I think this double-single is a further evolution of the sound DDRM is developing. Ii Kusuri is a satisfyingly dark return to that side of their discography, if a little short, and Warui Kusuri is one of their better ballads that showcases how much Yoshi is maturing as a vocalist (seriously, go back to his days in Crazy Shampoo and you'll see what I mean).

The message on their website reads like a hiatus - they want some time to consider their musical direction, so they have stopped live performances and media for the time being. It doesn't explicitly state disbandment though, and it asks for fans' support in the future, so I expect they'll be back eventually. I like them too.

This is... decent. Cautiously optimistic for the EP in November.

Curiously, I don't think so since it's not listed on the tokuten list like it usually is. It might be the case when it shows up on there in the next couple of weeks, but to be safe I ordered from Zeal Link. Also a warning for those ordering online, Tower Records and HMV aren't distributing the new songs bonus for the double purchase for online orders, only if you buy in-store. The other sites seem to be OK though.

Yes, I believe so. Along with all their music videos.

Just wanted to clarify this, it's actually 5 new songs, one written by each member.

I could be wrong but I believe the man's own family recorded that 'female baby voice thing' for Long Nights. And each to their own etc etc but personally I love that song.

Looking forward to the +vocal version of こんな壊れた世界で... since it's one of my favourites from them, as well as a re-recording of Dead[en]D. Really didn't want to buy both versions since I own their entire discography as is, but I want that new song...

You can buy it through some stores like ZEAL LINK.

Their first mini blew me away since I didn't have particularly high expectations for them. Then I went to their first oneman tour final in January and it was one of the most fun lives I've been to in a while. The unreleased songs sounded pretty good too. I enjoyed the DNA single, and the Liquid Vain one a little less, but credit where credit is due, at least they're consistently making new material even with existing songs in reserve. Maybe this means a full album before the year is out?

This is a shock. I know the usually prolific band have been a bit light (and lacklustre) on releases lately but I wasn't expecting a disbandment. I hope the full version (with vocals) of こんな壊れた世界で・・・ makes it onto the best album, it's one of my favourite tracks from them but only the instrumental version has seen an official release.

That seems like a sudden announcement. I was looking forward to seeing them live for the first time with DADAROMA in September but I guess I've missed the window for the original lineup. It's a shame, he's a talented drummer.

Good news, hopefully we'll see another physical release soon.