Tetora

I really relate to the way the sound and feel was described. The mix of an often cheerful expression of something that a lot of sad or unfulfilled emotion lays behind. The music and vocals really give off a multi-layered tone, which is one of the things I found most interesting. It makes even simple moments have more depth, and it feels like everything has some kind of backstory.

I felt that REM is one of the biggest show-stealer`s in recent memory, and was a great way to sell the album to me, after I heard the Promo for that, I had to buy this. And I wasn`t disappointed, as I see the album as amazingly cohesive, and consistent. I had them play the album on the sound system when I was getting my hair done about a week ago, and since I was there for such a long time, the album had a chance to loop, yet the album passes so smoothly and seamlessly, that it almost feels like a mini. There are a good amount of tracks, yet they flow so easily and have such a united tone that never gives you the feeling that some albums may have, where there is that `stretch` in between the songs you like most, or the part that doesn`t quite fit. The hits just keep coming.

For me, REM was the anchor of the album, and the center-piece. I like all of the songs, but World is mine. is one that also really stands out as another favorite. Again, the mix of cheerful disposition with something looming in the background really resonates with me. Overall, I get that `reaching` feeling from the sound, which I always love; like the vocalist is either being pulled towards something, or trying to get to something that just can`t seem to be acquired, and the music is the soundtrack to his desires in life.

Besides this I only have their Gloster release, but I am now a much bigger fan, and will be looking into their older material, as well as waiting for all of their future works.

They have really been bringing it lately.

I always loved their multi-colored approach, and this single really highlights that with their ability to make very different songs that fit together very nicely and can contrast and compliment each other at the same time.

As usual, all of the tracks are growers on me, and with each listen I came to appreciate them more. The instant show-stealer for me was Wonder, which is the track that I found pushes itself to the front of the crowd. Then I grew to have Osen as my second favorite, and the track which I found the most powerful, as you say, the emotion-filled vocals at the end are what made me grow fond of it.

I have always enjoyed how they can mix heavy and light elements on tracks, with strong chords against light vocals, without creating a distance between them. I also enjoy the higher pitched chords they use in the song in another part of their distinct guitar style. I really started to notice how they stepped up to an even higher level with the guitar harmony. I also think the vocals are getting even better, in the way that they are consistently delivered in an amazing, communicative way. The bass really shines as well, and the new drummer fits in such a way that you couldn`t even guess that he hasn`t been around since the beginning. The instrumental tracks always help me find more to love about the playing and composition itself.

Anyway, I always found them amazing, and this is the moment that made me see how they improved on something that I couldn`t really have even asked more of in the first place. They are releasing amazing music (IMO), and getting even more popular, so I hope that we can see them eventually take a place among one of the top band`s in Japan. I have always had them as a pick to be one of the band`s that could one day be compared to SID, though they are very different, they have a bunch of areas in which similarities could be made,  including the amazing musicianship, a wide range of distinct approaches to song-writing (including the incorporation of many different `genre`s`), and consistent accessible, yet uncompromising releases.

Oh yeah, also the lyrics are great, as usual, different members who compose and write vastly different things, yet manage to fit them all together.

Hey dude, super sweet list of band's, I have similar tastes.

DOG, SuG, and girugamesh being some out of my top ten.

I also really like Haru from DOG as he had a troubled life as well yet he didn't let it keep him down.

Anyway hope you have a good time using the site.

EDIT: Ah okay all is cleared up now.

Kra news has been hard to follow lately, their sites should be updated more.

Also I see they are rehearsing with a whole cast of stage performers, can't wait to see what it is like.

I`m not seeing the problem here.

It`s very easy to get most live-limited stuff using the shops that deal with them, and auctions. I get almost all of my stuff (live-limited, regular, etc...) from three sites. And if you ever make a trip you can raid brick-and-mortar locations for tons of live-limited and semi-rare to rare stuff (though I know this isn`t an option for all).

I think there is about one cd I haven`t gotten that I want in the past year or two? And it just came out, so I know it will eventually pop up and I`ll get that too.

They`re not as rare as some may make them seem, and I have also gotten limited stuff from years ago still in original packaging (no, not re-packaged).

They still have somewhat of a semi-exclusive feel, and along with their whole marketing purpose this is part of the appeal.

Many people whether they admit it or not enjoy the value they may find in a limited release, especially with the collector`s appeal built into the Japanese market, which is often passed on to foreign fans.

To take that away takes away part of the value of the release, part of the excitement of obtaining it, and an interesting side of collecting music, not to mention the whole collector`s value of the thing you are trying to... collect.

From what I see, many people are fine downloading the tons of live-limited releases that eventually get uploaded on the net, deflating the actual number of releases that they don`t have some sort of access to. This also makes me wonder why some fans feel they should be able to request changes in the band and studio`s practices, when they often don`t respect them in the first place.

There are also some releases that do compile rare material, there are live video`s available which feature these songs, and there is the opinion some could have that many live-limited releases aren`t really the same quality as standard releases anyway.

I also disagree with the vision some may have of `the perfect world` where certain sometimes practical, sometimes idealist, sometimes head-scratching changes are suggested, which don`t seem to offer any improvement or gain for the band, any effort by the consumer, and any compensation for collector`s (who are most of the people still buying cd`s in 2015 and supporting the industry in Japan).

This isn`t even close to the worst time to be a frugal fan or collector in any case, since the internet including uploads has made it a million times easier to get what you want, as opposed to being a fan of The Rolling Stones back in the day, and having to find out about rare releases the hard way with extensive research, finding a way to buy albums exclusive to US, UK, or Japan which were either completely exclusive works, had a bonus track not available anywhere else, different artwork, etc...

Things were a lot more expensive and difficult back then. Buying a CD off of Yahoo with a site that can do it for you, while using an online payment system that protects your finances is a cakewalk in comparison to being a fan back then, where a rare release may actually never be in your hands, and you may never even find someone who has it.

This also shows how VK artists aren`t exactly the most difficult bands to deal with in history, considering it once cost you an arm and a leg for a release by one of the most popular bands of all time... If you were lucky enough to get a chance to obtain it.

Probably more I wanted to say, or I could have wrote that more legibly, but whatever.

CLIFFS:

Not that hard to get most live-limited stuff.

Live-limited releases have more appeal, especially to the actual measurable fanbase rather than the five people spread across the world who maybe, might, one-day, pay for it if it was easier to obtain.

It`s not the worst of times to be a collector of music.

Just got the Shure SE315.

I have been trying out different pairs this week, because my Sony XBA-4 and Ex90 are both broken (and warrantied out).

Most shops around here don`t have enough Sony or AudioTechnica which I like, so I was trying all the other brands and not liking any.

Today I tried a different shop, and tried their BeyerDynamic`s (didn`t like the sound), and some others. Most were too bass heavy or didn`t balance what I wanted, or didn`t kick in enough. Others had that far-away in a box type sound (real technical descriptions, I know).

The guy gave me the SE315 to try, since I prefer the multiple driver sound which these are designed to go along with, and was actually amazed that I liked the sound; these headphones are so fresh!

I was still on the fence since I usually only buy certain brands, but he gave me a $150 flat-out price, and they usually go for $250-300 in Canada, so I decided to buy them.

Sound Details:

They are much more flat and even to my ears, not too much bass, and they respond very nicely to things that `kick-in` in

Rock songs, like drops and so-forth. They also balance dense songs well, as well as walls of sound, so it suits Rock music.

I tested them on a few things, including:

SuG BLACK album:

Tested them to see if they can capture the sound as well as the pairs I had been using until recently. They did very well, I particularly tested them on MISSING, since it has a dense intro and there are some sounds that are hard to hear or balance on many headphones (for example the screaming in the right ear that peaks at 17 seconds in).

Girugamesh INCOMPLETE:

I use this to test how well sharper sounds held up, on many headphones I find this track (and album) sounds way too rough and the sound gets lost if there is no timbre. I also like to test how well it responds when the song kicks in during the intro, and the middle of the song. If I can`t really feel the power when it kicks in I wont like the headphone.

DIV SECRET album:

Used it to test how the rich vocals sound. It produced them very well but I started to notice here that the percussion sounds kind of annoy me if I pay attention.

External Details:

They are the style I prefer for in-ear, which is a huge body (the bigger the better) especially since it fits into your ear and blocks sound very well.

The wires are the kind that go behind your ears, which I always find a little annoying but if they help the headphone stay in when I ride my bike or whatever, then I will appreciate them.

It is plastic and would probably break easily, but it fits into the ear and doesn`t stick out so I think they will be protected.

The cables detach from the body by a twist-and-turn technique which seems secure. They are pretty thick without being over-kill.

The case is fugly and cheap though. I have a million cases so no big-deal for me, but I think they should provide something better for a semi-expensive model.

Summary:

More even and balanced sound than usual, great isolation (for me), and great sound for Rock music.

I still prefer the Sony XBA line, but if you can get a good price, and like the sound, these are worth it.

Early review and they should `warm-up`and sound even better, but for now, at $150:

INTRO:

SuG`s first album since leaving PSC and stating something along the lines of `we could no longer continue going on this way`.

These events can provide different interpretations of BLACK, which manages to carry on SuG`s identity while sounding vastly different from their previous works.

As an album it has much more unity between the tracks, with a heavier sound throughout the majority (B.A.B.Y. is the only song that really ties in with the Heavy Positive Rock sound that they may have been mentally typecast in). Among the 17 songs on the album, no two tracks are the same, typical of their adventurous and diverse approach to songwriting, yet the whole album fits together as one work with one identity, that falls under the album title very nicely, unlike their previous album, for example, which felt like it had a distinct A-Side and B-Side seperating the lighter more positive tracks, and the heavy, sharp tunes that start appearing midway through (I loved that album as well, none-the-less!)

MEMBER PERFORMANCES:

A really unexpected shocker upon my first few listens was the huge step up in each members performances, as well as their prominence in different tracks. I`m not sure if they were previously holding back on past releases to create a different kind of sound, or if they have really being putting in work, but each member really stepped out and shone on this album. Their tone is also excellent.

Click the spoiler if you want to see a breakdown of each member.

Bass (Chiyu):

 

First of all, as anyone who ever wants to actually listen to the bass in rock song may know, many mixes feature the bass at a near imperceptible (unhearable) volume stuck in the very back of a track. The bass on BLACK avoids this, and places the instrument in a clear location with the volume needed to really hear Chiyu play, which is well worth it as he really delivers on this album, and almost takes on a lead guitarist`s position (without over-doing it) when he steps forward to take control of a track, making him one of the bassist`s that I am now most interested in.

 

Drums (Shinpei):

 

I started really noticing his playing on Lollipop Kingdom, and he seems to have taken his playing even further on this release. The timing and fills are really unique and captivating. He has taken a spot in my current personal list of favorite drummer`s.

 

Guitar (Yuji and Masato):

 

Both the rhythm and lead guitar have really stepped up in terms of their harmony, as well as their own individual strengths, such as the chord selection in the rhythm, and phrasing in the lead (choice of notes etc...) which has set them apart. Yuji also composes almost all of the tracks by the way, with Takeru taking up two.

 

Vocals (Takeru):

 

As usual, Takeru delivers a unique sound and experience that is not for everyone (but hey, this is Rock music so shouldn`t non-conformity be understood rather than criticized?). On this album Takeru has an even more varied way of expressing himself, and there are a few highlights such as his long, clean notes that come across rich and clean. The lyric writing comes from a unique perspective and puts things in a different way, as usual, with some moments that I find really moving.

 

 

 

Details on the Sound:

A heavier sound, good use of electronic elements and guest arrangements, tracks that put aside the electronic elements altogether and focus on the band, and what is now a SuG signature: Absolutely amazingly deep production with a huge Sonic and Tonic range. The album is an absolute pleasure for me to listen to in terms of how much they can have going on at once, without emphasis on what is important being lost, and without taking away the listener`s ability to follow one individual instrument or input through-out.

The album features lots of different elements fused together, in what feels like a huge major release`s production combined with a rock band`s style and sensibility with the members in full control. The synth`s, strings, horn sections, and other elements really make the album interesting for me.

Also, the singles are spaced out and placed nicely to give them some renewed freshness, and avoid that `played out` feel. HELLYEAH originally by Takeru`s Uwakimono project is also re-done in a heavy rock style.

How does it feel and how much do I like it?

Despite being such a heavy album and some heavier lyrics, the album still seems so upbeat to me, and still has so many parts to either rock out to, or groove along with that it is indeed quite peculiar. With many other band`s the sound or themes might make the songs downers, or one`s you play in a certain mood, but I could really put on these songs in any mood and enjoy, though they will have different effects in different situations.

I`m not one for much comparison, but it`s definitely the album that I feel will get the most play from me out of their discography to date, and an album that leaves you waiting for what is next (while playing the tracks out).

Track Count: 17 (4 previously released as well as 1 re-done track)

Listens: 10

Production Quality:

Overall Rating:

Worth the Purchase?

With BLACK you get a unique experience that may not be to your taste, as the style, sound and delivery go to quite unique lengths. It`s a band and experience that really stand out, and do something different that mixes niche and mainstream experiences into something different altogether. Even watching the PV`s doesn`t give you the full idea of what the album is about, as there are so many different tracks each with their own unique feel. If you are a fan of their previous work, besides just the more colorful side, you will want to hear this. If you enjoyed the latest PV`s you are in for more than that, but you will probably enjoy yourself. There are instant stand-out tracks, and like usual with SuG, some growers that I appreciate more with each listen.

For me, personally, this has quickly become my favorite release this year (even beating out my favorite band!), and has been something I have immensely enjoyed. During my first listen, I felt like I was really experiencing something; something different. And the feeling only grows with each spin.

Oh man so funny, lol. And then the part where he is leaving almost brought a tear to my eye, but he had to say 'BLACK!'

Hello,

Due to recent events with the band Alice Nine, I have been thinking more about Crowd-Funding and other techniques that bands or artist`s can use to take alternate approaches to releasing music, and working in the industry.

I am sure many of us have different opinions, and have also heard our fair share about seemingly noble causes, as well as doubtful or downright disagreeable cases of crowd-funds / Kickstarter`s.

Here is a quick Questionnaire that may make posting easier, although you can obviously feel free to write in any format, and talk about any area of music from across the globe.

Do you trust Crowd-Funds?

Have you ever given money to any form of Crowd-Fund?

What band`s do you think you would support if they had a Crowd-Funded project?

What do you think your donation range would be? (Be honest, you don`t have to worry about being seen as a cheap-skate, and don`t have to be Mr. / Mrs. Moneybags.)

Are special awards or gifts valuable to you? (Early access to tracks, special messages from the band (or whoever), other perks, etc...)

Do you think crowd-funding is a sustainable practice (can it be used often or only on occasion), and that many bands can use it at the same time, or does it present an even greater price-tag to fans?

If Crowd-Funding became more popular, would that create a greater wealth gap in the music industry, where more popular bands can sustain more releases and advertisement, while smaller bands can not succeed or compete, and labels are not as profitable so fewer bands can actually exist on a visible level?

What do you think of Alice Nine`s project so far?

Any notable musical crowd-funds you want to mention (worldwide or Japanese, though they are different markets)?

Should a Crowd-Funded release be free? Or should it only be free for those who donate? Does crowd-funding affect your view on downloading a release?

-----

Still thinking it over myself, so I may post mine again later, though so far:

Do you trust Crowd-Funds?

I don`t trust them, I don`t believe it is always ethical to market towards regular consumers to invest in something that is a dangerous market for even the most skilled Venture Capitalist`s or Angel Investors

Have you ever given money to any form of Crowd-Fund?

No, I have invested in other ventures but not Crowd-Funds.

What band`s do you think you would support if they had a Crowd-Funded project?

As for band`s that I would support at the moment, not sure, but the angle A9 is coming from is more of an inspiring one, where they are trying to get back to being themselves, so I would be more inclined to support band`s that are coming from similar situations as opposed to ones that may come off as simply unable to secure record contracts.

What do you think your donation range would be? (Be honest, you don`t have to worry about being seen as a cheap-skate, and don`t have to be Mr. / Mrs. Moneybags.)

For music, if I really did donate, it would be somewhere reasonable to me, although I am already feeling that the gifts handed out for A9 in particular are tempting!

Are special awards or gifts valuable to you? (Early access to tracks, special messages from the band (or whoever), other perks, etc...)

Yep, as mentioned above, if the gifts are good, it can kind of hustle you into raising your donation, even for a shrewd spender... Ten or twenty bucks more and I get this!?

Do you think crowd-funding is a sustainable practice (can it be used often or only on occasion), and that many bands can use it at the same time, or does it present an even greater price-tag to fans?

Anything can happen, but at the moment, not on a large scale. I think, like everything else the audience will eventually turn against it, and move on to the new thing they want or think is best for business.

If Crowd-Funding became more popular, would that create a greater wealth gap in the music industry, where more popular bands can sustain more releases and advertisement, while smaller bands can not succeed or compete, and labels are not as profitable so fewer bands can actually exist on a visible level?

If it ever, theoretically moved to a larger scale, I think if not linked to the record industry it would diminish a certain part of the musical economy, and give a big advantage to bigger bands, where-as smaller bands would get lost in the mix. It might be harder to diversify yourself or convince an audience, and if you fail at raising funds, you are left with even less gained than if you flopped a record or tour.

What do you think of Alice Nine`s project so far?

Interesting, it can definitely be a milestone, especially for one of the biggest modern Visual Kei bands to succeed at it, and with such a message behind it that I think will connect with other bands. Ultimately I think it needs to move beyond crowd-funding though.

Any notable musical crowd-funds you want to mention (worldwide or Japanese, though they are different markets)?

Nope.

Should a Crowd-Funded release be free? Or should it only be free for those who donate? Does crowd-funding affect your view on downloading a release?

I think it can depend on the level of donation, obviously, but I am debating on the subject of charging again for a release. As for downloading, I feel like more people may think `we funded it, we should be able to do what we want with it`, and that for cases like A9, people may just release the tracks early to others, and also release the bonuses such as the HQ tracks, etc... So, I think despite people being positive about crowd-funds some will still want to dictate what is done with the music made.

Thanks for reading (and possibly answering).

Wow.

After 9 and then Supernova I became much less of a fan of the band, which was possibly my favorite up until (and including) Gemini.

From then on I saw that the band changed a lot, and always seemed overworked while having uncharacteristic output gaps in content (same as SuG before they left).

Now I see that they are making a statement about themselves and how they feel, and I not only like the music more, and have that old feeling back where I can`t wait to see what they do next, I also respect them much more.

Rebellion is obvious in terms of what they are saying, as is the Phoenix title. But I could also interpret the mask he is wearing as another form of `rebellion` as they started really pushing Shou as a pretty-boy for fans, and started heavily marketing their looks more and coming out with different editions of CD`s with designs based only around each member`s faces (similar marketing started for ViViD, based all around their good looks). So I find it cool that they made a PV not showing his face, putting more emphasis on the music.

As for the crowd-funding, I was not sure how to feel, since I know they are still a huge draw in terms of CD sales and tickets as well as merchandise, so I wondered why they needed to do this, and checked out the official page for it as well as some more info.

On the page itself, they talk about not agreeing with the way sales are done, getting people to buy the same stuff, and charting etc... And that they were being moved away from what they felt was an emphasis on making good music, to an emphasis on something else. So it seems they are using crowdfunding to have more control over their own work, and develop a new kind of relationship with their fans.

My main issues would be that we are kind of paying twice for the product, since we already buy the albums, tickets, etc... And that some fans would pay larger amounts, although it`s their own money and their own decision, and due to the size of their fan-base, if theoretically 50k people put in 100 yen each, then the project is fulfilled. I`ll see how it develops.

Just my thoughts on the news.

EDIT:

Crowd-Fund Project is to fund the recording, PV shoot, and other things like promotional material, so they can do it all independently. When they reach their target they will also make an additional PV. Any additional funds raised will be used to `increase quality` of their works in terms of recording, equipment used, etc... They will show all financial data, and gifts for supporters include early access to tracks, HD tracks, track data (such as vocal only, drum only tracks, etc...) And I just noticed the page has an English option so everyone should be able to read it.

Just LOL at anyone who calls themselves an old-school VK fan but doesn't browse the site in Windows 95 mode.

And if you watch PV's in anything other than Realplayer I seriously have to question your legitimacy.

The other day I caught a supposed old-school fan listening to an mp3 using their iPhone. They started sweating and turned the other way once they saw me pop a Malice Mizer tape into an original Sony Walkman and start rewinding.

Totally bogus.

Yeah, the label has a talent for not picking the actual hooks and catchy parts of a song to put into the preview. Hard to tell what the actual song will be like.

But anyway, Codomo is one of the bands that I set to auto-buy, since I have enjoyed all of their previous releases. I just watch the previews to try and get pumped for the release; the SPOT could be Hayato making fart sounds with his armpit and I would still buy since the band has not let me down.

But again, hopefully next release is a new album. (Teenager's Dope?)

In.

Repping:

Cena

Okada (Rainmaker)

Tanahashi

Daniel Bryan

Seth Rollins

Ziggler

Miz

HHH

Orton

Enzo Amore

And more...

Pumped for Fast Lane, can't wait to see who Main Event's WM and how much of a beating Rusev receives.

Too epic, wish I could be there.

DOG and Moran members together!?

Only pairing I also wish for is Taizo from Kra (and Zoro) being included.

Like:

Haru, LiN, Taizo, tatsuhi, teruki.

I also wish that more sessions like these result in original songs being recorded.

No, but it is consistent with the type of visual kei fan indicated in the first post. You are also conflating originality with levels of being good. Plenty of bands are unoriginal and good. Plenty of bands are "original" and gimmicky. You don't have to reinvent the wheel to make good music.

Seems to be a misunderstanding, I didn't conflate anything.

You stated VK is unoriginal, I disagreed with that. I think there are good original / unoriginal, and bad original / unoriginal bands in the huge list of diverse 'VK acts'. I found both of the statements I quoted to be unnecessary negative generalizations.

Edit: To Traxan, I think part of it is the natural progression of time, as it is much harder for any band to make an impact now. There has been a bunch of really influential bands since, but right now I am waiting to see who will be the next monster game-changing band which we are due for.

Anyone else disagree with pretty much everything said?

What`s with the cartoon-ish simplification and generalization of everything, and why is that expected to hold up in a discussion with another human who has their own views and tastes?

I usually avoid reading Youtube comments as it isn`t exactly the best place to have riveting discussion, but:

VK bands are sellouts

 

Here we already see the poster making their words very hard to take seriously. Is there some magic spell that makes any `Vk band` a sell-out? Even the ones who played their biggest gig to an audience of 5 people including the bar-staff?

the typical image of VK bands

 

There may be a list of `typical images`but there is no one typical image or sound to VK bands, unless you think that Malice Mizer and LM.C are exactly the same...

currently if not really that mainstream VK bands are the biggest sellouts in japan

 

Either they think it is cool to hate VK (this is somewhat popular, right?) or a VK band ruined their life and they are on a journey for redemption, somewhat like in Kill la Kill or OldBoy.

I could pull up a huge list of people degrading themselves or doing something they don`t want to do for money, but I think the argument that poster was making is already moot enough.

Quick example in the fact that almost 99% VK bands play mainstream genres or comercialised genres , in this day and age no VK band plays any non mainstream genre

 

Not really, being VK itself is not exactly mainstream, hence the argument that a band is `selling out` by changing their music to pop music. Even big acts like Versailles weren`t exactly mainstream, unless old time France and long orchestral concept pieces  are a big thing and I didn`t know about it.

The biggest band from VK in years and years is SID, and they never changed, never stopped playing with VK bands, and their jazz, bossa-whatever sounds are far from mainstream.

Nocturnal Bloodlust was Deathcore before VK , after VK lost half of the members and turned to post-hardcore

 

Same rhetoric argument always shoved down our throats. They changed, okay. They could have made a better move and went to a more popular genre if all they wanted is money (and VK isn`t exactly a gold-mine considering bands more popular then them don`t make much either), but the main point is that claiming a band sold out by changing their sound or look is conjecture and shouldn`t be expected to be held up as fact, even if by ad populum it seems to be taken that way...

now they are like 50% of VK bands playing Alternative Metal/Metalcore

 

Not even close to 50% of VK bands fit this description from what I see. Unless they have some Japanese Census to show us...

and their first full album is the second worst album of the year after Gangsta that was overkill bad .

 

Plenty of much worse albums if one bothers to listen to more than the most popular download files before acting like they can judge every single release in a year.

In response to Zess:

I also have noticed for a very long time that visual kei fans intensely dislike pop music for shaky reasons, confuse bands being different with making good music, and try to peg visual bands that mix several genres with one inaccurate label.

 

Is any of this exclusive or consistent with all VK fans?

What's the point, that visual kei is unoriginal? We all already knew that!

 

Can`t say that I see how VK as one lumped together mass would be any more unoriginal than any other area of music. I find plenty of `originality`in it myself.

But anyway, agree with some of the other stuff you said.

The argument OP featured is so convoluted, generalized and skewed that I normally would just ignore it but felt like expressing myself. But even though I disagree with so much, I think Traxan makes some interesting threads for discussion.

Their last two singles have been so good, and I think so much better than the two before it that I am worried the older tracks will bring down what could be their best album, unless they re-recorded the songs or placed them in a fresh way. We shall see.

lmao, in what way?

even though it may be a good album, it's clearly obvious if you visit this forum a lot and see his/her's posts that she is biased.

I disagree that someone liking something, or liking something ALOT makes them 'biased' in a way that invalidates them. Does a review or just a view of something have to look for flaws or have some negativity to be valid? BD obviously put time into writing this, and I enjoy reading it even though I don't listen to Lycaon much, as I come here to share my love of VK and other Japanese music.

If people want to write their own reviews and say their piece nothing is stopping them, so I don't see why we should attack the poster.

We got the perspective of a big fan, and we see the album didn't let them down. Now other people can chip in.

Also a review technically does not have to even be a critique, though the terms aren't distinguished as much in journalism.

Hopefully you can see my point of view.

Live limited CD 「BARメルヘニズム」 to be given as a present to those that attend Taizo's birthday event on 2.15 at Moon Romantic.

Can't get over how fresh they look in this pic.

That is not how probability works.If you have a 20% chance to win an item, that doesn't mean you are 20% closer to winning the item each time you try again. It just means that when you try again, you have a 20% chance to get it. Each time you try again the rate for item drop doesn't go up or down.So if the probability of getting them item is roughly 1/5, then the probability for not getting the item is 4/5. So over five tries these are your odds:1 try: (4/5) = 80%2 tries: (4/5) * (4/5) = 64%3 tries: (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) = 51.2%4 tries: (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) = 41%5 tries: (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) * (4/5) = 33%To find the probability of getting the item after five tries you would subtract the result above from 100, so your probability should be around 66%.For anything under 10% you should not bother with it because the math is not in your favor. For that 1% item, you only have a .05% of seeing it after five tries.Now it's true that as the limit of the number of tries n approaches infinity, the probability of not getting the item after n tries approaches zero. But since you can't ever reach infinity, the probability will never be zero. It will just be a value very close to zero. The important point is that no matter how many tries you take, unless the probability is either 0% or 100% you can always get the undesired result.

Yeah that's why I said somebody should tell them that's not how it works.

I had no choice but to know this unfortunately with all the Math classes shoved down my throat to get in school, then for finance.

Favorite PV`s:

SuG – Missing

SuG – B.A.B.Y

VAMPS – Vampire`s Love

BORN – SON OF A BITCH

Uwakimono - HELL YEAH

Favorite Production:

SuG - MISSING

SuG - Cry Out

MuCC – The End of the World

SID – OUTSIDER

Girugamesh - gravitation

Best Value:

Resistar Releases (all three tracks and karaoke on one cd for regular price)

Miyavi – Real (two tracks, and five live tunes for a low price)

Biggest Money Stealers:

VNeu (so many versions)

SuG – Cry Out (three versions, one bonus track, although 2 come with a DVD, but no trading card)

Most Shocking Moment:

Aki is Danger Crue`s mystery artist.

Akane is in and out of retirement in record time.

Favorite Live`s:

Stylish Wave

Resistar Three-Man

Favorite Label:

Resistar

P.S. I removed a lot from my lists as they were even huger, you can probably guess what would have made the honorable mentions list.

P.P.S. Pardon the format issues like pics of every size and so on... hehe.

FAVORITE ALBUMS:

The youthful atmosphere of this album attracted me most on the first few listens. It captures a distinct emotional range, and although the tracks start to vary greatly, it is the most cohesive sounding Mejibray release to date, in my opinion. A melancholy runs through it.

At first it seemed very similar, then the hooks and differences in the songs started to come to mind. A very dark album that still has a lot of energy.

Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas – PHASE 2

A very, very diverse album, where one track can have more variety than entire albums recorded by other bands. This is the album that made me a big fan of the band, and is the one I can play all the way through, then let play again. High energy, and musical adventure.

ギルガメッシュ– LIVE BEST

This one really had to grow on me, I am a huge fan of newer Girugamesh, since Incomplete, and the sound of every track except Evolution had to grow on me, but it did. Lately Girugamesh has been releasing music that I just can`t get enough plays or volume out of.

ViViD – THE PENDULUM

Although different than the original ViViD many fell for, I found this album full of beautiful tracks, some good heavier tunes, the usual interesting guitar parts, lots of hooks, and a long list of great tracks.

UVERworld – 0 CHOIR

Another album that I love by the band. More laid back with a little less attack than other releases, but full of great tracks that you groove to more than rock or bounce along with as you would with previous releases.

VAMPS – BLOODSUCKERS

A great distinct, nostalgic sound, as well as lyrics that long for the past and look back at things people wish they could change. As usual for me, I start favoring certain tracks much more than others, and then those `skippable` tracks start to grow on me.

ムック– THE END OF THE WORLD

An album that is diverse in true current MuCC fashion, but much more grounded to a certain atmosphere than their two previous full length works. This one is darker, heavier (one of the best rock albums to pitch the sale of a super-woofer with), and more serious. The sound of the band, the vocalist`s voice, and the production are really amazing on this.

コドモドラゴン – CHILDREN`S DOPE

Really surprised by this one. I started to be a big fan with RIGHT EVIL, yet when I first listened to the album it didn`t fully set in yet, and I am not always the biggest fan of sharper sound, or things rough around the edge`s in terms of tone. But the album really became one of my favorite`s, until it shot up to being one of my top favorites. The singles don`t really give a clear enough description of the band and their album really is something else, in my opinion.

Royz – CORE

The main soundtrack of my summer. This was full of great rock tunes with a lot of attitude, and ballads that were very well done and delivered emotionally. They have a dialed in sound, and the vocals are great, it plays like an album comprised of singles, really.

ALSDEAD – IDEA

Every album by them plays out like it has a whole new concept. Seperator was more about imbedded sorrow, and this one was more about standing up and doing battle with whatever is haunting you, or holding you down. I love the attitude, the strong lyrics, and the great musicianship. The whole thing plays out like it is winding up to one big attack, with a some short breaks for softer songs along the way. Tracks like Kill the King and Behind The Pride pull off the theme of rebellion without coming from a childish angle, and describe something many can relate to.

シド– OUTSIDER

Another beautiful album by SID. As always a mixed bag in content but not in quality. It doesn`t have any of their harder tunes on it, and it isn`t the album I listened to most, but there`s just a certain quality to it that makes me think highly of it.