TheStoic

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.

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'm obsessed with the hooks and melodies of this band.  Definately one of my favorite new bands in the last few years.  Every single becomes like an earworm to me, and despite the fact they are more poppy and melodic than my usual soundtracks, I typically am more excited to see a DIV release than a release from a band like Sadie these days.
 
I can't wait to hear their new material.  Zero One was an amazing debut from a strong set of singles.  I just hope that they don't fade into mediocrity with popularity like groups like Alice Nine. did for me.

Ruki - Beautiful Deformity will sound like Stacked Rubbish/Nil.
LIE
Kyo - mah new band sounds like ambient folk music
LIE
Much lie
so UNtruth
wow
D:

I'm obsessed with the hooks and melodies of this band.  Definately one of my favorite new bands in the last few years.  Every single becomes like an earworm to me, and despite the fact they are more poppy and melodic than my usual soundtracks, I typically am more excited to see a DIV release than a release from a band like Sadie these days.
 
I can't wait to hear their new material.  Zero One was an amazing debut from a strong set of singles.  I just hope that they don't fade into mediocrity with popularity like groups like Alice Nine. did for me.

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.

Looking forward to this. I would be delighted if they incorporate some of their earlier sounds (although unlikely). Of the recent releases, a total of 0.5 of them caught my attention (Daybreak from the start up to the chorus XD).

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.

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.

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.

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!

Gekirock special page of Girugamesh, there is 3 preview songs
 
http://gekirock.com/special/girugamesh_monster/#main
 
the preview is good!

This latest effort by The GazettE, while not unlistenable, failed to produce a song that really caught my ear after first listen until I reached Coda.
 
Even despite the universal praise for songs like Last Heaven and Inside Beast, I was not drawn to revisit them after the first full playthrough.
 
In fact, I have been listening to the album again and again, hoping that it grows on me to the point of changing my mind, but it is just not connecting like I hoped it would.
 
Personally, I like Division considerably more.  Tracks like 籠の蛹 [Kago no Sanagi], 影踏み [Kagefumi], Yoin, and Gabriel on the Gallows far surpass anything on Beautiful Deformity according to my tastes.
 
Listening to this album really felt a lot like listening to Toxic in my mind.  After the effort was finished, I wanted to like something, but I just didn't care enough to listen again.
 
That is not to say I hate it either.  This is The GazettE, and their overall style and sound really appeals to me, it just doesn't have a track that packs real punch like Filth in the Beauty or 13Stairs[-]1.
 
And despite the universal dislike for tracks like Loss and Until it Burns Out, I actually liked those tracks more than the others.  The agressive riffing and quick beat in the latter track produces a classic GazettE sound, even if it plays safe - it sounds good to me.  The melancholic tone and palm muted delayed verse guitar work of Loss are the exact type of touches that make me enjoy the track, and I like the build to the chorus.  I think this track is not as bad as the reviews it has received.
 
This is no DIM or NIL, but I would rank it above Toxic without a doubt.
 
If only they could build on the amazing mood and tone set by the closer Coda in the future albums, perhaps The GazettE can pull themselves out of this current slump they seem to be in.

I think a lot of people are gonna hate me for this, but I actually like this album, and I love "UNTIL IT BURNS OUT" :\

Akito is in Sevenlize now! But i was hoping these guys would find a new vocalist, they had a very solid sound.

Even though this is "kinda" breaking the rules, I thought I would post this here, since it may have bypassed many of the indie fan's radars.




Yeti, although formed from the members of 4 VK bands, sounds like no other VK band out there. They have a very strong indie/math rock influence.  Check em out!

HaKU's new song is stupendously awesome 
 

I personally love Cinema Staff more.  Their vocalist has a very recognizable voice that I love.  The melodies always seem to give me a very emotional feeling and at one time I was stuck ina month long addiction to their discography that still resonates with me.  Hearing songs like Gate and 君になりたい [Kimi ni Naritai/I Want to be You] always give me a rush of comforting nostalgia that I can't shake.
 
Arukara has a playful and eccentric spirit that doesn't allow me to connect with the music like CInema Staff does.  The music is good, but it does not hold the power that EPs like Blue, Under the Imagination held for me.

はじめましてみなさん！
 
My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in.
 
My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan.  My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt.  However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE.
 
Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States.  I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix.
 
I look forward to meeting everyone!
 
Thanks for the great content here.

はじめましてみなさん！
 
My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in.
 
My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan.  My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt.  However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE.
 
Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States.  I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix.
 
I look forward to meeting everyone!
 
Thanks for the great content here.

はじめましてみなさん！
 
My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in.
 
My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan.  My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt.  However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE.
 
Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States.  I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix.
 
I look forward to meeting everyone!
 
Thanks for the great content here.

はじめましてみなさん！
 
My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in.
 
My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan.  My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt.  However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE.
 
Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States.  I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix.
 
I look forward to meeting everyone!
 
Thanks for the great content here.

はじめましてみなさん！
 
My name is Ryan, but I go by the moniker "TheStoic" as I use it in most blog/forum communities I take part in.
 
My love for Japanese Rock and Japanese culture originates from 2001 when I moved from the U.S. to live in Okinawa, Japan.  My best friend, whom was half Japanese-half American, introduced me to Japanese music through Arcade games, anime and manga and before you knew it, I was heading to my local Tsutaya Record Store to buy my favorite "introdcutory" artists I fist came to know and love, such as Bump of Chicken, The Blue Hearts, L'arc en Ciel, Siam Shade, Luna Sea, Hide, X-Japan, and Gackt.  However, as I started buying new CDs of artists I would see in Shoxx, Fool's Mate, and Cure magazines, I came to grow and fall in love with darker, heavier acts like Dir en grey, Mucc, D'espairsRay, and The GazettE.
 
Today, over half of my music library is strictly Japanese, and I have been lucky enough to see several of my favoirte acts live both in Japan and in the United States.  I have been a part of other J-Music communities before, and after reading the review section of this fourm, I saw I liked the layout, quality and discussion and have decided to join in the mix.
 
I look forward to meeting everyone!
 
Thanks for the great content here.

I personally love Cinema Staff more.  Their vocalist has a very recognizable voice that I love.  The melodies always seem to give me a very emotional feeling and at one time I was stuck ina month long addiction to their discography that still resonates with me.  Hearing songs like Gate and 君になりたい [Kimi ni Naritai/I Want to be You] always give me a rush of comforting nostalgia that I can't shake.
 
Arukara has a playful and eccentric spirit that doesn't allow me to connect with the music like CInema Staff does.  The music is good, but it does not hold the power that EPs like Blue, Under the Imagination held for me.