Visutox

more of freshly bald Touru:
 
 
off here:
http://kimi5569.tumblr.com/post/112003050207

Considering she's a founding member and her brother is the guitarist, good luck with that. lol.

Honestly, I tried this album because I was a bit curious but I've concluded that this kind of stuff isn't my cup of tea. Not a bad album though, it's definitely going to please the fans. I think that the production quality could have been a bit better but it isn't a relevant point since it's decent. And yeah, indeed a great review! 

Acid Black Cherry 4th album. A release which is better than my first exceptions.
This album came in 3 versions; I’ll decided to review only the CD only (itunes) version.
Acid Black Cherry, “Janne Da Arc” vocalist yasu solo project is around our hearts for many years already. He creates good music he creates perfect music. This release brings you more calmer songs with a taste of heavy rock.
With “L” yasu proves again that he is a true musician who can write true music. Music which is written with the heart. Music which has a story. Music which is written with time.
 
What about the already released tracks?
On this album again there are only 4 songs which we already know, for myself I didn’t like 3 of them. Well I liked INCUBUS but, INCUBUS felt as it was not “ready”, not finished. Since it was an introduction to this album. I really did do like GREED GREED GREED, which has such cool rock feeling. The 2 others, Kimi ga inai, ano hi kara… and Kuro neko ~adult black cat~ didn’t get my attention at all, when they where released as a “single”. I didn’t like them.
 
But are the single songs now enjoyable?
My answer is “YES”. Somehow this album made all 4 single songs good songs. songs who flow easy inside the album. songs who you won’t put off, even if they aren’t liked as “single” songs. It’s a bit strange, but this is what happens more often if you listen to the work of Acid Black Cherry.
 
What about the new songs? are they enjoyable?
Of course they are, I’m glad that yasu did choose to create more calm rock songs. The music is a bit more lighter. But still with a beautiful rocking sound. There is only 1 new songs which I don’t really like and that song is “Versus G”.
I truly love; Round & Round “L-Eru”, liar or LIAR, Loves, &You. Those lyrics and sound are splendid, very beautiful, songs which really though your heart. And who really made me fall for this album. Also it was a very good choice to put “Round & Round” as the first track on this album. It introduce you calm but with a rock sound inside this album. You won’t get enough of this album after you put this one on!
 
How does the album really feel?
Even if some of us prefer more the harder rock songs, I still think that everyone can enjoy this album highly. Since this album has so much inside. hard rock, light rock also a slight of pop sound. It has cheerful tunes, it has sad tunes. The lyrics are sad, are happy, it can let you cry, it can let you smile. It is a love album. Some tracks even let you remember of “Janne Da Arc”, but that’s cool! Since some of us really miss them and it always gives a good feeling when those tunes turn up. Also yasu’s voice, it really though your heart in this release. Those who didn’t bought this album, really will regret it.
 
A slight detail to the sound, song by song:
♪♪♪ heavy rock | ♪♪ hard rock | ♪ soft rock
♪ 01.Round & Round
♪♪ 02.liar or LIAR?
♪♪♪ 03.S&M
♪ 04.Kimi ga Inai, Ano Hi kara…
♪ 05.L-Eru-
♪♪♪ 06.Greed Greed Greed
♪ 07.7 Colors
♪ 08.~Le Chat Noir~
♪♪♪ 09.Kuro Neko 〜Adult Black Cat〜
♪♪♪ 10.Versus G
♪ 11.Nemurenu Yoru
♪♪ 12.Incubus
♪ 13.Loves
♪ 14.& You
As you can notice it is a very calm album with a few more heavy rock tracks.
This album has also not the “electric rock sound” which many visual kei and other kind of bands add to their music. Which I’m really happy with. Because creating an album which sound like “L” is much more special and showing your fans that you really can “create” music.
Which I also did notice by listen to this album over and over is when “& You” ends it actually flows again inside the first track “Round & Round”. You don’t really notice that the album has ended. Which also makes it impossible to put the album off, because if flows over and over.
 
Album rating:
♥♥♥♥♥
I never did expect such great album after I did listen to the 4 previous singles. I never thought that this album could be so great. Its the best work yasu has given us in his solo carreer. Acid Black Cherry did it again, to publish a great album. It’s not strange that more and more people will like them, because they deliver again and again good music.
 
Also posted at Japanese Music Strike

I'd recommend SouthLAnd and Six Feet Under. Both finished with five seasons.
SouthLAnd is my favorite crime-drama (it was superb, even if I'm not a big fan of the genre) and SFU is what I consider the best series ever.

Here's a few series I enjoy and enjoyed, some are finished while some are on-going. Some have 5-6 seasons, while others are mini-series or anthology series. Just look it up.
 
The Wire (crime-drama and the best series ever. Finished) 10/10
The Sopranos (crime-drama and one of the very best series ever. Finished) 9/10
Game of Thrones (fantasy-drama. On-going) 9/10
Danger 5 (action-comedy sillyness. On-going) 8/10
Orphan Black (sci-fi drama. On-going) 8/10
Sherlock (crime-drama. On-going) 9/10
Fargo (crime-drama/black comedy. Anthology, so finished, but with a brand new season of something new comming later) 9/10
Band of Brothers (war-drama. Finished) 9/10
True Detective (crime-drama. Anthology, so finished, but with a brand new season of something new comming later) 10/10
The Pacific (war-drama, and the "sister series" of Band of Brothers. Finished) 8/10
The Singing Detective (noir-drama. Finished) 9/10
The Shield (action-crime. Finished) 8/10
 
Good shit.

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.
 
 
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.

https://shadows.lynch.jp/EVILLY.zip   
 
Asanao posted up a free DL of Evily remastered.

sukekiyo ㅡ VITIUM  9/10
      Favorite song: Foster Mother
 

 
This is a magnificent mini-album from sukekiyo. The band has taken the essential from IMMORTALIS and condensed it into a 38 minutes mini-album, and also did a great work concerning the length. In this regard, this release is an easier approach to sukekiyo's music than the album was - VITIUM is well balanced, which makes it even more perfect and enjoyable. Every detail is worthy of being noticed. Kyo is perfect as always, same conerning his comrades, take a bow. By the way, it was hard to chose a favorite track and I suppose that you know why. Oh yeah, I almost forgot: special mention to the collaboration song with Toshi; amazing.
 
Melechesh ㅡ Enki  8.5/10
      Favorite song:  Enki - Divine Nature Awoken - Full album
 

 
Failing to be original, it's still effective. And it's exactly that efficiency which makes of this album a killer, a titan, a piece of art in Melechesh's discography, making legit to put this album in the top 3 of the band's best releases. What can I say besides that this album is fantastic? Not much I guess, since an album of this caliber deserves to be listened more than being discussed, you will agree. If you want a concrete indication: if you love this album, it would be firstly because of its killer riffs. My first opinion hasn't changed a lot, this album is a jewel. I see Enki as a big improvement compared to the previous album, I am glad. Decidedly one of the best albums of February, and also one of the best of 2015.    Carach Angren ㅡ This Is Not Fairytale  8/10
      Favorite song: When Crows Tick On Windows - Full album
 

 
They are a symphonic black metal band from the Netherlands, tagged as theatrical black metal by some people. Well, what's sure is that they're one of the best symphonic bands around. I am not a big fan of this band, nor I have never bothered to explore their discography till a few days ago. It's (almost) done now. I can say that this is a superb album and probably Carach Angren's best work to date. It was hard to get into it at first, but it really grew on me in the past few days till I ended up loving it. The symphonic part of their music is beautiful, and the lyrics are amazing as well. They could make a movie, a theater play or whatever with the lyrics of each song, I love that. Now, this may be a good album, it has it flaws. The first one is that you need several listens to get into it, and this first one can lead to a second which is that the album can sound boring - a totally misleading feel.
 
Other notable albums: 
- Hæthen ‎ㅡ Shaped By Aeolian Winds 7.5/10
- ONE OK ROCK ‎ㅡ 35xxxv 7/10
- 黒百合と影 ㅡ 皮肉な種の卑屈な芽。7/10
- All That Remains ㅡ The Order of Things 6.5/10

just got shrek superslam and Love it (who needs super smash bros) deadrose reminded me to get teken tag too and i did. It's soo sad that bloodyraor 4 is like $5 like themm ughh so expensive. I was thinking of also going back into soul calibur 3 and beating the make your own charater thing. (i was on the part where the dude has the nightmare sword, the end i think).
 
also i find that now that im older it's not as hard with games. ughhh i really want bloody roar though. Just playing taken tag and shrek superslam now.
 
 
PS2 FOR THE WIN!... (i wish bleach res was on here tho)

it's SHIT.

I will NEVER donate money to a lazy band/artist who won't move their asses to tour and make money by themselves. No fucking way. Not today, when the music can be recorded more easily at home or promoted heavily on internet, you have no excuses.
I saw some examples, with one of my favourite band Icon For Hire. I was a huge supporter, not anymore. I cannot support this mentality.
I explain: they didn't tour for months, and then they woke up "we need 125,000$ to buy a tourbus!!" (no need to say that the fans that weren't agree with them and said 'maybe you should get a little job? like us hum?" were litteraly INSULTED on their facebook page). Anyway, the goal was fulfilled in less than 24 hours...3 days after "we need 35,000 now!" excuse me??? After that they were complaining on twitter that their label asked them a lot of money for the recording of their next album...I'm sure they'll ask money once again.
This is what i hate the most about crowdfunding. It's the open door to laziness. Or the contrary (a band like Flyleaf, who toured a lot and then using crowdfunding to record their latest album...).
The crowdfunding is the music's cancer. If you think that taking money from your own fans is moral, then you're just not worth it. this is just so WRONG, I cannot accept this, or shit like meet & greet. I will never pay these madness.
 
(my video was about m&g but it's not working, you have to go yourself at 3:15 min:)

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).

I haven't heard that many releases from february, but it stands between 6 releases for sure:
 
Solefald - Solefald World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
Meleches - Enki
Negură Bunget - Tău
Glaciation - Sur les falaises de marbre
Devouring Star - Through Lung and Heart
Wormridden - Festering Glorification
 
I'll choose the three I've listened to the most right now, but tomorrow the list could easily have been quite different with two changes for instance.
 

Solefald - World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud
 
If you are familiar with Solefald you know that you never know what to expect from these guys. Ever since their 1995 black metal demo Jernlov they've been doing something different than the rest of the guys, and with the exception of Red fo Fire and Black for Death, which was meant to be released as a double album, they've gone through massive changes from one album to another, always experimenting with new sounds and thinking outside the box. With World Metal. Kosmopolis Sud, Solefald's 8th album, they're on a new path once again and the title World Metal, as well as song title World Music with Black Edges, tells you everything you need to know about the album. The foundation of Solefald is still black metal, but they're playing around with a shitload of different genres and influences, but despite this, nothing ever seems out of place. It's all over the place, but everything feels natural and that's the big beauty of this album.
 
Bububu Bad Beuys? Yes, Bububu Bad Beuys!
 

Melechesh - Enki
 
Call it Mesopotamian blackened thrash metal, middle eastern folk/death/black metal or what the fuck you feel like, it doesn't really matter . What matter is that Melechesh is still releasing fantastic music, and thee's no-one out there quite like this. This isn't a very original album and Melechesh has done most of this several times already, but Melechesh Ashmedi is a riffmeister, and after a rather disappointing album in form of The Epigenesis, he and the rest of the guys returns to form with an album full of fantastic, catchy and memorable riffs, brilliant atmosphere and mysticism that'll draw you closer to the sound of the album. The biggest difference between this and the last two albums, is that drummer Xul is out while their first drummer, Lord Curse. Lord Curse isn't close to being as good as Xul or Proscriptor McGovern, as far as the technical and creative aspect goes, but he offers something new, and despite being n the simler side, something refreshing in the band's sound. Cool drummer!
 
Multiple Truths
 

Glaciation - Sur les falaises de marbre
 
After a fantastic debut, Glaciation, with members such as Neige, Winterhalter and Indria Saray, is back after 3 years, and this time with a new vocalist - RMS Hreidmarr of Anorexia Nervosa fame. They continue what they started on the debut, but the album isn't as dark and macabre as the debut. It's feels a bit more "airy" and lighter, with more inspiration from early Alcest than the mid 90's black metal scene. But this isn't as radiofriendly as Alcest, this is still a dark, macabre and grim album, at least compared to Alcest. Well, considering the extemely solid line up on this album, they were never gonna disappoint with their second album were they? Nah, they weren't.
 
Also, they've gone from having the worst album cover ever on their debut, 1994, to a very good and solid one of this. That's good!
 
I can't find a single sample online, so check out this song from the debut: Glactiation
 
 
 
 
I have yet to heard Macabre Omen's new album, Gods of War - At War, but I am 100% sure that it'll end up on this list as soon as I have heard it.

Best New Tracks: February 2015

Best New Tracks is a new series brought to you by MH's review crew! Every month we'll be highlighting brand-new Japanese songs worth checking out, so stay tuned! Feel free to comment or discuss any of this month's picks and even offer your own as well!

@Zeus's picks:
"戦-ikusa-" by 和楽器バンド (Wagakki Band)

"marionette" by Lycaon

@fitear1590's picks:
"For You" by Czecho No Republic

"ツキナミ (tsukinami)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"endless" by ねごと (NEGOTO)
Watch the PV
"マーブル (marble)" by ユナイト (UNiTE.)

's picks:
"Paper Planes" by ONE OK ROCK

"Seven Deadly Sins" by MAN WITH A MISSION

"実験前" (Jikkenmae) by indigo la End

"Kawareru" by theCharmPark

"アカペラ" (A capella) by ペンタゴン (Pentagon)

"なくならない" (Nakunaranai) by 左右 (Sayuu)

@beni's picks:
"marionette" by Lycaon

"夜明けの街 (Yoake no Machi)" by CICADA

"そつぎょう (Sotsugyou)" by daoko

"へその緒 (Hesonoo)" by 黒百合と影 (Kuroyuri to Kage)

"Future,Super Duper,Nova" by X4

"TWO HEARTS" by 家入レオ (Leo Ieiri)

"さんすくみ (Sansukumi)" by 分島花音 (Kanon Wakeshima)

"至上の人生 (Shijou no Jinsei)" by 椎名林檎 (Sheena Ringo)

"WING to HEAVEN" by DIV

@CAT5's picks:
"all is white" by Anoice

"Ground" by CARD

"街の底" by eastern youth

"ンスターペアレンツ (Monster Parents)" - Jin-Machine

"Rep(110)%4" by loqto

"君を壊すガラスの衝動 (Kimi o kowasu garasu no shoudou)" by Lycaon

"Gengar" by Sel'm

"Foster Mother" by sukekiyo

"game over" by 大橋トリオ (Ohashi Trio)

"Setting Sun" by 疋田哲也(Tetsuya Hikita)+NIL

February is over and it's time to reveal your favourite albums of the month. The thread for january wasn't exactly a success, but I'll give it a new try anyway.
 
 
The concept is simple: pick 3 releases (albums, EPs, singles or compilations), write why you like the album/why people should check it out and be cool. As you hear new albums of the month feel free to quote yourself, remove one and add the newest one instead of it. At the end of the month I'll make a new thread for the previous month. That's all.
 
Rules:
Post three albums each
Add a linke to your favourite track of the album. Do NOT embed youtube videos. Just link to the best song. Not everyone have decent computers to handle all the videos.
 
And that is basically it. Ask if there's something you're curious about.
 
 
 
Go on, guys!

Voted! 
 

 
Vote for FACT's new promotion picture: http://www.last.fm/music/Fact/+images/103595277

the following will be made if retweet of their mission twitter reaches specific no.:
 
100 - special unreleased artist look
300 - song-playing video available for watching through Youtube
500 - 2 more songs included in their live-distributed DVD to be released at their one-man live at Takadanobaba AREA at 2015/03/20

A9 - 1
PSC - 0