Newer bands who started with high hopes, but are now on a decline

[The Bread Wolf 231]

Agreeing with everyone when it comes to Black Gene. 

 

I, if anyone, should like them. I used to be such a HC Rame fan than even his shit seemed to be better than average shit. Literally, if possible. Not that I ever came in contact with his leavings, but if I had, that's pretty much what I would've thought about it.

 

DOOM was a pretty good release, as well as those live limited releases, -1 and Shinjitsu no Tsubasa. But Namida -kHz- was a such a fucking disappointment that was only highlighted by the fact that they choose to release it in 5 types. In addition, Rame, who's the only meaningful member in the whole band, no matter what you say (Aisu slash Eros? Pfffff easily be replaced with anyone), became a total asshat, not giving a fuck about international fans. Maybe it's because when he was in VIDOLL he got used to the fact that hey, people are actually coming all over the world to see him and his band. So it became obvious to him. Sure everyone's gonna do the same with BFN as well. To me it seems like he thinks he's right at the top of everything even if he changed bands. He became famous in VIDOLL, surely that hasn't gone away. 

 

Okay, personal ranting. I'm just so disappointed with the whole band. :'D

 

And I'm waiting for Kameleo to become a flop. Not that they have yet, but they're just way too good to be good forever.

 

// Okay, I wanna add one point to the rant above. There has been discussion about whether Japanese bands SHOULD care about international fans that much because we are a minority of their whole fanbase. Yeah, sure they don't NEED to. But if they don't need to acknowledge my existence, I don't need to care about them either. :'D Works both ways.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

Misaruka is another one I'll bring up.

 

They're still pretty good and are better than a lot of bands out there. I mean they're sticking to this sound and style they've been trying to develop without becoming another mediocre pop rock band with electronic beats, deathcore pig screams and other hyped up VK cliches crammed into their songs. It's like they're actually trying to write good music except their songs are just kinda boring. Their early releases were pretty exciting, at least in a sense wanting more from them since they seem to have potential. Yet that last album just wasn't all that remarkable.

 

I think they can be great but I just don't know what it is that's holding them back.

 

And I'm waiting for Kameleo to become a flop. Not that they have yet, but they're just way too good to be good forever.

 

Haha, this made me laugh. I don't listen to Kameleo but I'll sometimes have similar thoughts with other artists. 

[Haruto 60]

May be an unpopular opinion, but I'd say Mejibray. I looooved their first single and mini and everything since EMILY kinda disappointed me. It's not bad, but just not as good and 'wow wow wow' as their earlier stuff.

 

I'm also agreeing with BFN, was very excited to see Eros/Ice come back, loved DOOM, couldn't listen to any other of their songs. Too bad they ruined his nice vocals with audiotune.

They're fun live tho.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

Also there's Lin. OHHHHHHHHHHH SNAPS! I just went there.

 

I've liked most of what KISAKI has done and his former bands: MIRAGE, Syndrome and Phantasmagoria etc. 

 

Lin though, as someone once described them was that they sound like Chariots but with more synth. Just as mediocre and bland as Chariots but with some KISAKI sprinkled into the songs. Yet KISAKI just couldn't save Lin, I don't know what it was but Lin just couldn't pull it off. I guess the hype of being yet another controversial KISAKI band (oh noes Kisaki) and the high expectations he left with Phantasmagoria and his previous bands. To me it seemed like KISAKI struggling to stay relevant in the indies scene but ended up producing a haphazard mess with Lin. I stopped listening to them towards the end so I don't know if anything really improved but Lin was just a big disappointment

[Mr Bacon 106]

There's also THOMAS, they started out as a somewhat okay and somewhat promising angura-esque band and then they turned into girugamesh-lite

 

Oh, and let's not forget ~controversial statement incoming~ MUCC, either. Their nosedive after Shion is amazing

Dude stop posting my thoughts.

I loved Thomas' first song with their first vocalist, and their first actual single with the new guy was even better. But after that it got so, so bad.

Too bad though because the vocalist is pretty okay and the guitarist used to be in otoiro(one of the most underrated angura bands out there).

And yea Mucc, Gokusai was their last decent release. So sad.

[Gaz 1097]

EAT YOU ALIVE,  lynch. and Tokami after changing vocalist.

[Ro plz 1290]

Pretty much alot of the bands I started off with when I first started getting into J-rock. Girugamesh was the first to go after GO or NOW. Nightmare just progressively gotten stale and boring over time. The gazettE whorred themselves off to Sony, killing any spark of REAL creativity they once had but there's always a few gems in their recent releases that I dig. Vidoll's earlier stuff was just grand...I got super nostalgic after listening to it a few months ago, last I checked from them? crap. Lynch was on this list but their last few singles have really been step ups and I'm looking forward to their new stuff more and more. SADIE has never been consistent since I started listening to them but when they do actually go hard...they go hard. The posts above mentioning alot of indies bands is the main reason why i stay away from them. They almost never (except for Mejibray) fail to disappoint after awhile. 

[Guest mitsubana]

Pretty much alot of the bands I started off with when I first started getting into J-rock. 

 

This.

[seikun 317]

I also vote Nightmare as one of those bands that started well and ended up just like another boring band.

 

I don't listen to 99,9% of today's bands. I guess I could name them all as bands going downhill... xD

 

Subjective thread anyway.

[sugibo 403]

i just come here to remind everyone "ViViD"

[Augie1995 325]

Until their song called Mou nakanai to sora ni chikatta hi (hope I wrote it correctly) they kind of seemed to be a promising band. However, after  that moving song they started to released very dull poppish songs.

Yeah, then they lost one of their guitarist, but before that they released that crap of a single called "Happymaker"

 

i just come here to remind everyone "ViViD"

And I am here to add "SuG" They went downhill after Mitsuru left

 

Somehow this is subjective. I would say that Alice Nine is another band that has been going downhill for quite some time now.

This comment is downright blasphemous to me. If anything ever since the start of 2010, they've been maturing as a band in both sound and style. I think the only things that have been slightly OK was Heart of Gold and Niji no Yuki (Just that title track, the b-sides were amazing as always)

 

Also, how is Versailles, NEGA, and BORN not on here. NEGA, we all know when that happened. BORN, basically after DOGMA came out, and Versailles, after Jubilee, even though Holy Grail had some high points

[sai 868]

 

 And I'm waiting for Kameleo to become a flop. Not that they have yet, but they're just way too good to be good forever.

 

 

From what I've heard from Kameleo (and they're not my cup of tea), they'll probably go major and become the new ViViD.

 

Anyway, agreeing with everyone who mentioned Versailles. I didn't really enjoy anything that much anymore after Jubilee. 12012 was pretty okay-ish with SEVEN until they released their self-titled and went all hurrdurr-core. Now the GazettE was never anything special in my opinion, but seeing them go from DIM to stuff like TOXIC and DIVISION is a real bummer, considering how well DIM was put together.

 

D also makes this list. Apart from the last mini, most of their recent A-sides have been the same songs recycled over and over again. I don't expect much better now that they're major again.

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Nocturnal Bloodlust comes to mind. They started out as a pretty killer deathcore band with some interesting and chaotic arrangements, and then one guitarist left, they changed to VK and the music's gotten diluted and samey (especially cuz of those damn unmemorable melodic choruses they just have to put in every song, lol). Not that they don't make a song or two that's kinda nice occasionally, of course.

[hyura 465]

Somehow lots of people here mention bands who did go downhill a lot, but more like after years of being innovative.
I think that is a different kind of thing (and seriously something that happens to MOST bands because they just run out of ideas), I thought the topic was bands who did not fullfill the high hopes people had for them when they first came out, or am I wrong?

 

Well in that case I have to agree with everybody who mentioned bfn. Especially what yuugi said, even to the point that it ruins a part of vidoll for me. Rame is actually an amazing composer and it's just a shame.

Also Diaura. I really liked valluna and was excited for keis and youkas next project but in about 38242 songs they made so far there is only like 2 or 3 that aren't boring.

[miyuu 40]

i agree with most of you except mejibray and NB that i like old and new the same.

omg this thread is scary seems like every band suck nowdays. or will turn bad. (makes me wonder which bands stayed good or became even better?)
i disagree with NB because it think they are the same and i love the melodic parts if they don't have them i wouldn't listen to them.

  

    To me it seems like he thinks he's right at the top of everything even if he changed band

lol i think this too. they were bands like phantasmagoria and vidoll that were succesful with cool music
and some of the musicians still have the attitude but their music is shit now compared.
eros looks like he thinks he is  more awesome now because  he is in a band with rame. can someone tell them their music sucks compared to what they used to be..
 

 

 

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

I think the problem people have with Nocturnal Bloodlust is that they weren't a Visual Kei band at first and were just a deathcore band. Yet when they decided to become a Visual Kei band there was a change in music style to cater to Visual fans which left original fans of the non-VK Bloodlust alienated.

 

Also off topic, isn't NB's singer from Seattle or something? Man, I wonder if he was in any bands when he was state side and I might have actually seen him at some dive bar show hahaha.

 

-

 

I'd pipe in and agree with some of the sentiments regarding Versailles.

 

Versailles I agree that after Jubilee there was a gradual decline in their music. Everything after the album was either hit or miss. Their A side tracks for singles were definitely a letdown but the B sides I always thought were pretty rad. When the album came out, pretty much all I really enjoyed was anything that may have been on a single (except the orchestrated version of Lovers) and the new song Flowery which Teru composed. The 20 minute long standard behemoth track they put on the album felt like it was intentionally made long just for the sake of making a long song. It could have easily been split into two tracks (I think some people did do that with their rips) but it was just too much. Don't write a long song for the sake of making a long song, just write a song and if it's long, then cool you got a long song.

 

I'm looking forward to Jupiter and even though I rag on Kamijo all the time I look forward to his new solo project. He's fine in bands like Lairene but I didn't like him in Versailles. Just doesn't have what it takes to be in a real metal band. Go do sappy rock ballads plz

[miyuu 40]

i am out of subject sorry i don't know were to write this.

but i was thinking and wanted to ask this too. is the NB singer from outside japan?he seems like a little i don't know why.

i wanted to write this in the review thread his english are damn good compared to every other vkei band.

it's kinda nice to understand something easy for once even if some of the lyrics i read are whatever.(i like the english)

 

i don't think they have much change in music. they sound the same to me in every release (except the 2 japanese ballads) only the looks changed

[seikun 317]

Yeah, then they lost one of their guitarist, but before that they released that crap of a single called "Happymaker"

 

And I am here to add "SuG" They went downhill after Mitsuru left

 

This comment is downright blasphemous to me. If anything ever since the start of 2010, they've been maturing as a band in both sound and style. I think the only things that have been slightly OK was Heart of Gold and Niji no Yuki (Just that title track, the b-sides were amazing as always)

 

Also, how is Versailles, NEGA, and BORN not on here. NEGA, we all know when that happened. BORN, basically after DOGMA came out, and Versailles, after Jubilee, even though Holy Grail had some high points

That's why I said this is subjective. It is all a matter of personal taste when it comes to music. As for me Alice Nine has gone downhill for years. I just don't like their pop style. Although I liked Senkou I forgot about it after a short time.

 

I really liked Vior gloire and I still see talent there, but I listened to their album and there are just too many unnecessary songs there. Inspire in my opinion is a very good song and I would suggest they would stick to that style and got rid of any pop sound completely.

[jduv86 224]

i am out of subject sorry i don't know were to write this.

but i was thinking and wanted to ask this too. is the NB singer from outside japan?he seems like a little i don't know why.

i wanted to write this in the review thread his english are damn good compared to every other vkei band.

it's kinda nice to understand something easy for once even if some of the lyrics i read are whatever.(i like the english)

 

i don't think they have much change in music. they sound the same to me in every release (except the 2 japanese ballads) only the looks changed

 

I've heard many people say he's from Seattle....here's something interesting I found out on his facebook page. He's friends with Mia from Mejibray....just saw Tsukuzu on his friends page too...so I guess the bands are friends. XD ...my this is starting to sound like stalking. DAMN YOU HIRO AND YOUR EPIC VOCALS!

[Zeus 7997]

I've heard many people say he's from Seattle....here's something interesting I found out on his facebook page. He's friends with Mia from Mejibray....just saw Tsukuzu on his friends page too...so I guess the bands are friends. XD ...my this is starting to sound like stalking. DAMN YOU HIRO AND YOUR EPIC VOCALS!

He has pretty standard deathcore vocals. I guess standard is good when most visual kei vocalists can't even do that.

[CAT5 9075]

Promising bands that have traveled down the ol' dirty shit road? Let's see...

 

BYEE the ROUND...

 

I first heard their debut album in 2007, "give me a chocolate" which was an amazingly aggressive indie-rock record. Instrumentally talented with a vocalist that actually sounded masculine (which isn't common amongst all of the high=pitched, effeminate vocalists you hear in Japanese indie-rock). Their second album was a mess and their 3rd was actually fairly redeeming, but after that, they went major and signed with sony. Everything went straight down hill from there. Their sound has been streamlined and tailored to appeal to the mainstream/pop audience. That's like trying to taking a lion out of the wild and trying to domesticate it. Sadly, this happens far too often with indie bands.

 

0.8秒と衝撃。...

 

First heard them in 2009 with their "POSTMAN JOHN" single. My initial thoughts were that this group was spiffy. On their subsequent releases, my thoughts went from "just spiffy" to "wow, these guys are actually pretty rad and original". Unfortunately however, the novelty of this band's sound wore off pretty quickly. Even if your formula is original, if you don't implement any fresh ideas, you're likely to go stale sooner or later. Oh well...

 

sleepy.ab...

 

These dudes were once considered Japan's answer to Radiohead, but unlike Radiohead, they haven't been able to maintain the quality of their music. Their first 4 albums were really great (which is a nice feat in itself), but mostly everything after 2007's "Fantasia" is one big sappy MEH-fest. Which is ironic because these guys once excelled at making sappy music that still managed to be compelling...now it's just....sappy. And boring.

 

9mm Parabellum Bullet...

 

Ok, Ok. 9mm hasn't gone to complete shit. In fact, I still keep up with their work. These guys are an odd case, though. They went major in 2007, their first full album was released through SONY, and I consider it a Japanese rock classic. So I can't exactly argue that going major had anything to do with the decline in their sound. But after the first, they've had a slow, but steady decrease in quality. Thankfully, they seemed to have plateaued at the "above-average mainstream rock-band" marker and haven't dropped any further. Still, I had to list them here because they were once something much more special I think.

 

[jduv86 224]

He has pretty standard deathcore vocals. I guess standard is good when most visual kei vocalists can't even do that.

 

Exactly. lol

[ricchubunny 2013]

Royz! They were awesome but sounds soooo boring now

[Guest Magatsu]

Misaruka is another one I'll bring up.

 

They're still pretty good and are better than a lot of bands out there. I mean they're sticking to this sound and style they've been trying to develop without becoming another mediocre pop rock band with electronic beats, deathcore pig screams and other hyped up VK cliches crammed into their songs. It's like they're actually trying to write good music except their songs are just kinda boring. Their early releases were pretty exciting, at least in a sense wanting more from them since they seem to have potential. Yet that last album just wasn't all that remarkable.

 

I think they can be great but I just don't know what it is that's holding them back.

 

 

 

o_O... it's written on someones face and ass what's holding them back.

It start with "K" and ends with a "U"

Beside that "Rui" is not that great vocalist lately singing so many times out of tune what hurt my ears...

Beside this, Misaruka is very popular at Kiwis Starwave festivals most people come because of Misaruka.

[Guest pixyfalse01.]

Also there's Lin. OHHHHHHHHHHH SNAPS! I just went there.

 

I've liked most of what KISAKI has done and his former bands: MIRAGE, Syndrome and Phantasmagoria etc. 

 

Lin though, as someone once described them was that they sound like Chariots but with more synth. Just as mediocre and bland as Chariots but with some KISAKI sprinkled into the songs. Yet KISAKI just couldn't save Lin, I don't know what it was but Lin just couldn't pull it off. I guess the hype of being yet another controversial KISAKI band (oh noes Kisaki) and the high expectations he left with Phantasmagoria and his previous bands. To me it seemed like KISAKI struggling to stay relevant in the indies scene but ended up producing a haphazard mess with Lin. I stopped listening to them towards the end so I don't know if anything really improved but Lin was just a big disappointment

I think their last mini album 「The Psalms and Lamentations」 and latest song 「Night Dreamer」 are their best release so far. 

Of course not a Phantasmagoria quality.

But yeah, Lin is a big disappointment after Mago.