TheStoic

I got my hands on this single a week ago, and it has been on heavy repeat ever since. The polish and production greatly outshines their earlier works and the song is really top notch. I love the guitar layering and vocal melodies. It is simly a solid A-Side and has turned me from a lukewarm fan of the band to a fan looking out for their next release. FOr those that have not checked it out, I highly recommend it. I have not delved into the B-Sides that much (since I have a large number of new releases in my playlists, I don't pay attention to the B-Sides as much as I should until i have the chance to get around to them), but I am definately going to listen more and hope they turn out to be as good as this single.

Love the new HaKU track. The band has an awesome sound!

Ride-Hazard made me an instant fan of this group. Being a DIV fan, I didn't realize that DIV was a splinter from the group originally. I wish I would have found out about them sooner. Their current sound has a lot of promise and I have had their latest on ultra-repeat for weeks.

I'm very interested to give this a fighting chance. AND was a band that I had come to appreciate right before they disbanded. Hopefully this effort is not only reminiscent, but even better.

A9 lost my attention a long while ago. I loved Zekkeishoku and other earlier works, but after their pop-centered era emerged, I quickly cared less and less about their releases. I will have to see a PV before I decide on listening to this.

I really dug the Faith MV Short. The song sounds pretty decent. I still miss D'espairsRay, but I have been glad to hear Karyu integrate his sound into Angelo. I will definitely check out this effort.

Just discovered this group today. The sound similarities to D.I.D./Para:noir are very apparent, but given the current state of D.I.D. after losing Satoshi, they potentially can fill a small void if the band decides to break up. For me, Galeyd was a band with a similar sound to Deluhi when the band first broke up (although Galeyd went downhill as time went on), I hope that if D.I.D. can't keep it together, this band can continue the legacy of their sound.

I liked a few of their songs. It is unfortunate to hear they are falling prey to uncertainty.

If I wanted K-Pop, I would have turned on my TV. Skipping this. So disappointed.

I remember when Merry first hit the VK scene I remember picking up Shoxx or Cure Magazine and seeing that Kyo from Dir en grey was an inspiration and supporter of the band since Gara was a roadie for Diru, which got me excited since it was around 2002 and I was obsessed with Diru at that point. However, I never really liked anything they put out. I tried again and again, and just didn't like it. 激声 (Gekisei) was the exception. The acoustic intro instantly hooked me. It didn't matter if I hated the rest of the song, that intro was pure love at first listen and I learned to love the song because of it.

I really disliked Masochist Red Circus by lycaon. I was always on the fence with their "erotic era" songs (as I have heard them referred to), which was such a shame since I was addicted to Royal Order era everything. I hated the single Ginger by Exist+Trace to promote their major debut album Virgin, which was a huge letdown since I loved all of the singles leading up to the album.

I must first caveat this by saying this is a really cool discussion thread. Here are my personal thoughts on signature songs from the following artists: Dir en grey: Bump of Chicken: Glay: Siam Shade: Hide: The Blue Hearts: I also agree with the “Blurry Eyes” recommendation of those referring to L’arc. They were already immensely popular before “Ready-Steady-Go” was released (I think Hyde, Tetsu, and J (sons of all pussies) had already released successful solo albums by then). Outside of "The Final" (since it was released well into my J-Music addiction), the songs above defined my early discovery of Japanese music and are the foundation that I built upon to the music collection I have today. They are pure nostalgia for me, so I am very preferential to love them without restraint.

I was hesitant to want to like this band after the departure of Tora, however I am an even bigger fan of the band with Ryuga and have enjoyed all of their releases since the bands return and reboot. I'll keep this release on my radar and hope a spot/preview is released soon.

They are definitely going to have to modify the structure of their songs and sound. Their entire catalog heavily relies on the two-guitar sound dynamic. Hopefully, if they transition to only one guitarist, that the quality of their overall sound does not decline with it (much like what seemed to happen with bands like ROACH; 12012 also sounds better with two guitarists IMO, although I liked their comeback album - even if it was a Diru copy).

That came out of nowhere! I loved his style and the technicality of his solo's and compositions. He definitely was my favorite Para:noir/D.I.D member. I don't think that they can last without him. This is upsetting news.

To be honest, it has been nearly 10 years since I listened to Dragon Ash. Fantasia was the last single i spent time with (showing my age), and since then I just didn't bother as I outgrew a taste for pop-punk sounds and the rap rock infusion trends of the late 90's/Early 2000's. Listening to Lily, I would have never guessed it was Dragon Ash from the time I left off. And with that, I have to say I actually like it too.

Yes - currently in the military. I am making my transition right now. I have bigger dreams and goals in my mind, and the military has done a lot to help me reach my future goals. I have gotten to see a lot of the world in the last several years thanks to my military service, and hopefully I can fulfill my goal of visiting 50 countries by age 50. I have seen 23 thus far, and still have a ways to go. But the journey has been worth it.

American living in Seoul, South Korea. I have lived in many different countries (Japan, Germany, United States, Korea, Afghanistan), but the culture, eccentricities, and music of Japan has been the most mesmerizing. I hope to live there again, someday.

I was a fan of Dizzy. I'm looking forward to the follow up. Naito has always been hit and miss for me. Rewrite doesn't give much insight into the mood or sound of the sond really, but hopefully it is inspired and has an awesome guitar solo. Sakito typically can produce some instersting solo's when he tries.

Thank you so much for pointing out these interviews. I feels like a real genuine portrayal of how the band feels and operates, and it was very interesting an enlightening for me to read. It sounds like they have a very uncertain relationship. I can't imagine collaborating without speaking. Instead of speaking through words, their best mode of communication is directly through music. And while they proclaim to be very egotistical, they are humble enough to sacrifice their own visions to develop music that comes out of natural improvisation and collaboration. It sounds chaotic and interesting, but now it seems clear why they can paint such dark scenery in their compositons.

This year was their first real breakthough year. Although technically not a rookie, the fact that they released their first full length debut with Grimoire, I think the rookie argument can be made. It is up to interpretation. Hard call, but since this was the first year I discovered and fell in love with them, they have a rookie feel to me. Even if not, they are the list for 2013's top artists.

In terms of the single, I prefered the melancholic sound, tempo changes, and atmospherics of Sphere more than V.I.P, but the track is still awesome. This band is defniately a top contender for 2013 Rookie of the year next to Code:Rebirth. Loving everything they are doing right now.

Looks like I posted the video in the wrong thread earlier. Gomen ne. In regards to the new PV - It rocked. The agressive edge is there with soaring vocals from Satoshi. The one thing that I am noticing, espcially in their recent lives, is that Satoshi is focusing much more and hitting notes cleaner and longer, but in doing so is sacrificing some of the performance, emotion, and power behind his vocals. The growls and screams are much more rare and more controlled, and I think it takes some life out of the performance. That aside, these recent efforts have restored my faith in the band. Being obsessed with everything from 13's Reborn to Music, the buildup to the release of Zecchou -BANG- had me let down and I was about to write them off completely. If Zantetsuken wasn't released, I don't think I would have even tried to sample their work anymore. These recent efforts reignited the excitement I had for their music. As for the album art - it looks - ametuer at best. Band in the woods with instruments feels very DIY homemade demo and the art style of the lettering doesn't match very well. I am not a fan. Luckily, I am much more interested in the muisc. I have to admit, it has promise. Thanks for the turnaround Giru. EDIT: VOLTAGE preview hits fast and hard! I love it!

Girugamesh's new PV for Drain I love the sound of the track. It takes me back to the Music album era in many ways. While not as "re-incarnated" as they hyped their return to be, I love the new sound sound and direction back to a more agressive and exciting sound.

Despite the fact I was a huge JDA fan, I never transitioned to listening to ABC. You's signature guitar shredding was something that really turned me on to the band, along with Yasu's great melodies and amazing voice. ABC just could not replace the sound void left by Yasu starting anew. I still love listening to the beautiful instrumental track ZERO from Gaia. It still am amazed with that track. With the aniversay, it would be interesting to see some kind of return effort. After all, I wasn't expecting to ever hear new Siam Shade material, yet they released new songs this year! Don't give up hope.