CELESTIAL CIEL

19/11...
 
 

The band has just released a new PV from their album. It is awesome as expected.
 
 

If I can be frank for a second, I'm disappointed how easily distracted people are.
 
It's only been two days and there are already countless arguments about the merits and harms of file sharing. That doesn't address the real point of why we are currently in the situation we are in right now. Our hand was played and the staff was not happy. One member who goes by the name of @Kawaii_Minpha decided it would be cute to troll the staff and the website by threatening to report us to the RIAJ unless we gave in to her demands, which among other things called for banning members she does not like. If you read the messages sent to us, it turns from funny to sad in an instant. What pisses me off personally is how someone would try to ruin what we have going here for kicks. Even threatening to do so is worthy of an instant ban and I should not have to explain why.
 
As an aside, I don't really care how you feel about file sharing - facts are that if you are here, you are guilty by association - but these last few days have proven that without Monochrome Heaven there's nowhere for anyone to go. Downloads can always find a new home but to find another place where you can have mature, constructive discussions about Japanese music in an open environment will be much harder. And that place could never exist without free music so people can talk about it, because the barrier for entry is too high. We have to recognize the role that piracy plays in all our lives. That's why saying "buy music to support your favorite artists" is not the be all, end all answer. It's a good answer, but it's more complicated than that. No one here woke up one day and decided to buy Dir en grey albums on a whim. Japanese bands became our favorite bands because we pirated music long enough to become devoted enough to pay for it. Some people are at different stages of their fandom. This website has found the perfect balance of both piracy and discussion while also managing to be inclusive of all styles of Japanese music and there's nowhere else on the internet that even comes close to this. That's awesome.
 
That's why this situation has the staff thinking about what we exist for. This website may not mean much to many members here beyond downloads but the staff has poured countless hours of time and energy into investing in the website and the community. Are we harming the scene? Yeah, no doubt. But we probably do a lot of good as well. With the countless messages I've gotten over the last few days about "where all the free music went" I'm not convinced we can do good without doing some harm as well. The tools are not in place to promote visual kei globally without piracy, and I doubt there ever will be. The scene wouldn't be what it is today if it weren't for all of us here. We either take the good with the bad or abstain entirely.
 
There is more to this website than just downloads and the constant activity over the last few days proves that this community is strong. Stronger than even we may have realized ourselves. This is awesome, keep up the good work! Having said that, I've thought a lot about Kevin from Batsu and how he freaked out and deleted the download section when he thought the feds were coming for him. His approach was blunt, but I understand how he felt. He figured Batsu could weather the storm and would be better for it...and that unfortunately did not work out. If push came to shove we would make a similar decision, and that's why for the last two years we have been working hard to provide other reasons for people to come back here. While the download section is offline I implore you all to go check out the News, Rumors, Review, and General sections to start. There's enough tea there to keep you sipping until things are finalized.
 
The staff is still ironing out the details so expect more information soon. I can confidently say that the news will come as a shock to everyone but some people will not notice and others will.
 
Consider this an early morning rant.

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

Jesus Christ message a mod. The site was threatened so they took it down. Simple really. God damn do you people not realize that this is more than just a download site? It's been two days now and questions of this sort are really beginning to get annoying now. Oh, and btw I'm not a chosen one and I know what's going on just like anyone else can. Anyway now you know what everyone else knows and you could've found out just as easily by messaging a mod. It will be back eventually till then just wait and use the forum as a forum. 

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

Feeling so GOOD! Got a perfect score on my 3rd year Japanese translation exam and a 98% on the written. TRANSLATOR FISH! 

Seconded. Someone get onto that. So much good drama that will be lost once us in the older generation quits.

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

i think it's not so important how you will call nameless guy...

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

in the same time there's bottomless abyss of illegal³ content at vk.com and i never heard that any public page or community received threats.

But it's cool anyway! :> 
 

the current threat level for terrorism in MH is: KAWAII

That first song in the teaser sounds great. It's very Bauhaus and that drumline sounds very close to Bela Lugosi. Although I felt the same way after hearing Shuuji's vocals - I'm not sure he matches the feel / look of what Ex-ans used to be. Maybe expecting them to be something they used to be 25-30 years ago is the wrong way to look at it though?

Ray / Koji Suzuki on the other hand is still a great vocalist and we can only imagine what could've been. I can't stand his rockabilly work but whenever he does a tribute to hide, he sounds amazing. At one of hide's birthday live celebrations from a few years back Koji sounded dead-on like hide and he could almost take over as vocalist. Last year he posted the video below.
 Also he did a one-night only Deep reunion live so he's not against waxing nostalgic so he must've really not have wanted to relive his Ex-ans days by withdrawing when he did.
 
 

　

He said 'some opinions was bad, but that's ok and I'm thankful' (or something like this...)
I also think it's not his kind of band, and this band is not EX-ANS (I think it will be good if they will change it one day...)
99% of girls on their liveshows are his fangirls, I'm not sure someone of them really know how awesome EX-ANS was years ago...
I'm still not sure I want to buy CD. 
I like his tastes and appreciate everything he do, but...  now it's really difficult.

I think no one can replace their previous vocalist. This band without his voice sounds empty...

March 3rd of what year?

[tracklist]
01. In to La Nuit
02. The last dance
03. Isochronous
04. She made no ans...
05. ILL GRAFF
06. NEUENOIR
07. There is strong shadow where there is much light
08. Hype sleep walker
09. Fin de La Nuit
 
Teaser movie on their official website http://ex-ans.com/

Marie, 2004/summer - 2016/07
Milkie, 2015/06 - 2016/10
 
It's all my fault. My parents never loved my friends, but the last 12 years my closest friends were my cats, Milkie and her black mom Marie.
After Marie's loss I was half-dead.
And now I'm not sure I want to live if my little white treasure isn't here anymore.