DeadlyClaris

Tracklist:
1. 蟲聲
2. デルタ (Type-A only)
2. 六花の歔欷 (Type-B only)
 
- Love them or hate them; but don't do either based on this single
 
I was able to put into words the biggest reason why I’ve liked 儿 (Jin) ( The Black Swan/ Nega) while attending The Black Swan’s one-man live in June of last year. I realized while Jin was pouring his heart into one of their trademark overwrought, overlong ballads that no one else is able to tread the line between embracing the tropes of Visual Kei and mocking them like Jin has. He doesn’t just tow that line, he and his bands have taken up permanent residence there for some time now. Take 2015’s “I’m Shit Noodle, But…” off The Black Swan’s 失愛と依存、その感触 single as a prime example of this ability to live the VK lifestyle, tongues firmly in cheek. VK is a genre so built on the idolization of characters that it is downright scandalous when it’s publicly revealed that band members have engaged in mostly innocuous activities like having girlfriends or smoking some weed. The Black Swan wrote a banger turning this image of the impossibly virtuous band member on its head by shouting about their enjoyment of sex, drugs and money; a value system that is traditionally accepted in rock’n’roll but rarely espoused by people in the VK community.
 
I enjoy Jin’s nasal warble; I appreciate uniqueness and passion more than a traditionally ‘good’ singing voice…which Jin certainly does not have. I think it’s often unnecessary to have two guitarists playing downtuned/seven+ string guitars and a bassist basically occupying the same sonic space, but all the guitarists are competent. I also thoroughly enjoy that the drummer has achieved a slight amount of separate-from-the-band fame by being a scary looking VK dude who adopted a tiny, stray kitten.
 
With all that being said, I was disappointed when The Black Swan announced recently that they’d be disbanding next May after more than three years together as a band. They have not announced any other releases, though this being VK, I assume we’ll get a best-of release with a new warmed-over B-side or two, so 蟲聲 might be the last gasp of this particular band of VK provocateurs.
 
The title track “蟲聲”--after it gets the acoustic intro from “Chop Suey!” out of the way--is the kind of song that Jin and The Black Swan will be remembered for; a little all-over-the-place compositionally, a riff that sounds like the guitarist would be walking toward the camera in the video, a plethora of vocal styles (some squeals, slightly flat singing, deathcore-inspired growling, some gang shouting), there's slightly haunting piano to highlight the sombre mood, the chorus that Jin uses for about 30% of his songs. All-in-all this is probably the least interesting track on this single.
 
This being a VK single, of course there are multiple versions to buy to get all the songs. The A-Type version of 蟲聲 contains “デルタ (Delta)”. Critics would say this song sounds a lot like someone took a solid Dezert song and sprinkled some fart-sounding drop-A riffs and strained vocals throughout; to which I couldn’t make much of an argument except to say the chorus is deliciously catchy no matter if someone else would’ve done it better or not. I like the gravelly whisper in one channel under the singing that Jin does to end the song too. The B-Type song "六花の歔欷" would seem to be a very lengthy track by VK standards, but Jin fans will be unfazed after epic-length experiments like “虚しき「生」の寓意≒「死」の真意” and “Ousia”. This track pales in comparison to those other 7+ minute songs, mostly by not differentiating itself enough (all the usual ingredients are there: piano, acoustic guitar, etc.), but it does have a pretty stellar falsetto wail right before a smart guitar solo @ 3:50 and it gets points for not trying to scare the listener with unexpected guitar explosions, but rather is simply a solid, longing ballad throughout.
 
The Black Swan will go down as being mostly a logical evolution of Jin’s sound during the latter days of Nega that continued their quest as one of the more polarizing bands in VK. Love him or hate him, Jin will get you to have some reaction. But don’t take my word for any of this, my favorite Jin project is freakin’ Perestroika ;).
 
 

journalism

need tetsu in here

tfw they couldnt dig up klaha's embalmed corpse for this

I 've always thought Gackt sacrificed Kami to the lords below for a successful solo career, who knows

You must be new here.

Gackt was just one of three different singers Malice Mizer had, he had nothing to do with their breakup.
 
Never heard that rumor before; 100% started by a western fan who was pulling stuff out of her ass. Anyone with a musical ear can tell that Mana and Kozi had no hand in writing Gackt's solo material. Apples and Oranges.
 
Gackt was likely not at Kamis funeral for the reason listed in my reply below. 
 
 
I don't know what official statements Gackt, Mana, or Kozi have made because we don't really need to, ya know? None of them will tell you what occam's razor will, because it's not flattering to either party.
 
Nippon Columbia decided that Malice Mizer were small potatoes and Gackt was the star. And they were right! Gackt wrote the highest charting single on Mervilles, Le Ciel, which also happened to be the most commercial song on the album. Gackt had the great voice, incredible looks, a legion of female fans and he wrote the biggest hit on the album. He was poised for stardom, Malice Mizer could hold him back. 
 
So Nippon Columbia put their money on Gackt solo and ditched the band, and their gamble paid off in spades. People tend to gloss over/forget, possibly due to Kamis death, that not only did Malice Mizer's label give Gackt a solo deal, but they dropped Malice Mizer. That wasn't a coincidence.
 
It is what it is. I hate Gackt solo, but wouldn't trade Bara no Seidou or the Klaha singles for anything. I just wish we'd get one more album out of MM.... instrumental, with Klaha, a new singer... I don't care.

Mizaly has been announced that tomorrow he made an important announcement on his twitter account, maybe he form a new band!? Stay tuned, follow him and retweet please!
 
 

have they not seen their pvs or

it's me or this band is slowing down ?

Thought dancing with my fingers was about the other fingering 😏

I want a Miyaviuta -Dokusou- vol. 2
 
fuck this shit. 

Secretly hoping Hizaki gets Juka off of fishing and back to singing dope epics again

When you're oshare Kei but your crush say his favorite band is MALICE MIZER

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.
 

 

 

On October 25, DEZERT will release a new single titled "Bokusatsu HERO" (「撲殺ヒーロー」)
Tracklist - 
1. 撲殺のメロディー (Bokusatsu no MELODY)
2. ヘドロママ (Hedoromama)
3.「Hello」
4.「遭難」-piano ver- (Sounan)
 

u already know those depressed shoegaze hunties in the back were LIVING their mbv fantasies.

CD inedit 「Beast Side」for the anniversary of K on 2017/05/19
 
 

Happy birthday Mana-sama
 

are they using pans instead of drums or what? 

Dunno about you guys, but every time I see people calling VK art I let go a tiny, but sincere chuckle

LONDBOY has also announced that they will have a oneman live on the 15th, but they're not including Rio (???)
 

 
....
 

*fuckboy sirens*

MAKE CRIMINAL KEI GREAT AGAIN