Post your "UNPOPULAR" music opinions!

[coffee000 14]

That's a pretty broad generalization to make, though - as I'm sure there are plenty of Japanese musicians that feel disdain towards trendy/popular music. Although given how uniform Japanese society can be, I wouldn't say that your observation is entirely invalid either - since following trends is probably more agreeable for them.

 

I didn't say all Japanese musicians would follow trends. Some definitely don't do that. And following trends is not necessarily a bad thing. I think you misunderstand what a "trend" is. A trend is not always something popular. It has nothing to do with how uniform Japanese society is, otherwise we wouldn't have visual kei, indie music, doujin music or even otaku subcultures such as anime/game music (do you understand that some of these trends are not mainstream or even disliked by ordinary Japanese people?). Music is a serious business and they treat it like that. They follow a trend, sometimes a non-mainstream trend, to attract their target audience. If they were really that uniform, there wouldn't be different demographics and everybody would listen to the same type of music.

[CAT5 9075]

I didn't say all Japanese musicians would follow trends. Some definitely don't do that. And following trends is not necessarily a bad thing. I think you misunderstand what a "trend" is. A trend is not always something popular. It has nothing to do with how uniform Japanese society is, otherwise we wouldn't have visual kei, indie music, doujin music or even otaku subcultures such as anime/game music (do you understand that some of these trends are not mainstream or even disliked by ordinary Japanese people?). Music is a serious business and they treat it like that. They follow a trend, sometimes a non-mainstream trend, to attract their target audience. If they were really that uniform, there wouldn't be different demographics and everybody would listen to the same type of music.

 

You're preaching to the choir. I understand perfectly what a trend is. And having been into Japanese music for over a decade, I'm pretty well acquainted with a variety of scenes in the country and understand well what would be considered trendy and whatnot.

 

But I disagree on one point. I think Japan's culture/society does have a lot to do with they way they view trends. You said and I quote:

 

 

They don't have the same "rock mentality" of "if you don't follow trends, you are superior" believed by some Western people. They just don't care. They can follow trends. People won't think they are no good because of that. Japanese seem to apply the same mentality to all popular music. However, some people in the West tend to treat rock music differently.

 

Why? Because following trends (popular or not) is generally more acceptable in a country where the whole is valued more than the individual. Of course Japan isn't uniform to the point where different genres don't exist. It would be absolutely inane to think that. In fact, I'd even argue that it's because Japanese society is so uniform that their music industry is so thriving and diverse. In a society like that, music becomes an even more precious form of self-expression.

[miyuu 40]

 I'd even argue that it's because Japanese society is so uniform that their music industry is so thriving and diverse. In a society like that, music becomes an even more precious form of self-expression.

 

 

i was thinking about this too many times. not only the music industry. art in general

 

edit: and actually maybe that's one of the reasons i turned  to japan. there are things you can't find in America or Europe in art or music .

for example there is no vkei here in the first place

[DogManX 179]

I'll just call it afterthoughts to page one I love being stupid

 

To say Dir en grey are still VK or VK-ish or whatever is a pretty stupid opinion and a false dichotomy on top of that. It's not really surprising that Dir en grey still hang out with VK band people. They are still employed under VK mogul slavemaster Dynamite Tommy, they have (admirable) roots in VK and they did a pretty inspiring job as a band. For those who don't notice, Dir en grey also hang out with non-VK bands and they're rarely mentioned by non-VK people because of their past and work connection with the genre. People like Gackt had to sell their soul to variety TV to become accepted in the mainstream.

 

To say they're VK-ish because VK people admire them or take lessons from them or hang out with them does not make any sense. Is it fair to say that Behemoth are still Black Metal because they inspire black metal bands and hang out with them? It appears to me that people who love VK and Dir en grey simply don't want to realize these two are not together anymore. They go so far to spontaneously rearrange the definition of VK, it's the opposite elitarian view to the one saying "Dir en grey were never VK anyway" and it's equally unproductive.

So my unpopular music opinion ironically in this thread: Dir en grey are not Visual Kei anymore. Get over it.

[coffee000 14]

You're preaching to the choir. I understand perfectly what a trend is. And having been into Japanese music for over a decade, I'm pretty well acquainted with a variety of scenes in the country and understand well what would be considered trendy and whatnot.

 

But I disagree on one point. I think Japan's culture/society does have a lot to do with they way they view trends. You said and I quote:

 

 

Why? Because following trends (popular or not) is generally more acceptable in a country where the whole is valued more than the individual. Of course Japan isn't uniform to the point where different genres don't exist. It would be absolutely inane to think that. In fact, I'd even argue that it's because Japanese society is so uniform that their music industry is so thriving and diverse. In a society like that, music becomes an even more precious form of self-expression.

 

I am not arguing whether Japan is a uniform society or not. My point is that, they accept following trends not because they value the whole more than the individual, but because they view music (all genres equally) as a business. It is a product made for different niches, including the groups who want to think music is a form of self-expression. I would argue that following trends (popular or not) is also widely acceptable in Western society because Western music industry also views music as a business. Only some delusional members of the audience deny that music should be marketed to a target group and made with them in mind.

[lichtlune 915]

 "IT IS A TRAVESTY WHEN VKEI BANDS TONE DOWN THEIR VISUALS" 

 

I had to use a fucking Gaia Online widget site to make that text, so you know I mean it. I honestly get really upset when I try out older, god-tier vkei bands and look at their old pictures and see how fetishy they looked at one point, and their most recent pictures are pretty much regular Japanese guys, maybe one with auburn colored hair and one having blond, in street clothing. One of my biggest appeals with visual-kei is the visuals: I live for frilly, neon hair, guys who can't paint, feathers, bloody bandages, useless face belts, hooker stockings, 8 inch Hot Topic boots, naziploitation, and unnatural eye colors. To an extent, I do feel that there is a lot of creativity that can go into stage costumes, and it is a damn shame that there isn't more effort put into visuals in an artistic sense, instead of "our frontman is blond and we have a trappy bassist so we are vkei ok." Obviously as the scene has become more streamlined, there are typical styles and ~*~visual shock~*~ approaches that are going to be repeated over and over, but that isn't to say that one day someone else will share my stance on it.

 

Take Malice Mizer, for example, They took visuals and theatrics to the extreme to accompany their music. Versailles, to a lesser extent, did as well. As did groups like Raphael, Lareine, Missa, and listenable Diru. However, groups like Penicillin, Pierrot, Luna Sea, Kuroyume, and Rentrer en Soi all mellowed out as time went on. I get that Hakuei no longer wearing having flowing red hair in a pvc g-string is going to appeal to a larger audience, but that doesn't mean I have to be fucking happy about it. Due Le'Quartz is the biggest offender here. Their outfits were stellar, and then they ended in 3 piece suits with cigars and sun glasses. MYV, put those bat wings back on and cut this shit out.

 

This all stems from my appreciation of androgyny. I do find being gender ??? to be artistic, not only in vkei but in other art forms as well, and find the elements of visual-kei costumes that shroud the band members' humanity to be fascinating. That's why I really don't care about finding pictures of Mana without makeup because I can already tell that home girl needs Adobe's help.

 

 

 

 

I feel this way too, It just breaks my heart... like just now i looked at yukina's later band after madeth gray'll and i wanted to cry! haha this is why i fully respect someone like mana or kyouka for example. They never seem to forget their roots and their stage persona has become apart of who they are over time.

 

I think dir en grey are the worst offenders of this and it feels like they're running from their past in a way. Or i guess some just simply out grow out of it.

 

I understand bands evolve and change but to just completely forget your past and leave the scene forever can be kind of depressing.

[miyuu 40]

 here is my opinion about this that is way more unpopular.not sure if i should write this. maybe you should discover it by yourself lol. when you grow up lol.
o h god i feel like a mom and so old
when saying this

you can't really understand change until it happens to you. ok maybe for me it was sooner for personal reasons but
this is what happens when you grow up. as shocking as it sounds. you change your mind about things sometimes
and you see things differently.
i like to see change and maturity in others. i think is actually attractive & interesting.i think people who STay the same forever as they were at 19 are actually sad  or pathetic or very  boring .they can't realise time and they can't reconcile with their age.
ok sure you can be very nostalgic and sad about older times. but that's the thing about time. it changes even if you don't want to.

i am having so much fun and prefer what happend to deg/they look so much cooller
 than what happened to luna sea for example.or hyde or gackt

i remember when i was 19 or something.i went after the guys with the most piercings and i wanted so badly to be strange.to have piercings and weird hair.and whoever said i would ever change made me so angry. this would be for life  i thought.it would be a betrayal of values if i changed .and now i don't give a shit about it. . but i understand at some age i think you should actually do it. it's Necessary .( i think most vkei fans are teenagers and just stupidly run behind any guy just because he has many piercings and tattoos)

i still am superficial as fuck but in a different way.different things matter now.

and i love visual kei aesthetics  .duh i love visual kei so  much. they are so very attractive but not as a serious life style would be so funny.do you really want to see deg exactly as they used to be old school again it would be so ridiculously wtf funny

 

also kyo looks hotter as a guy.
 

[lichtlune 915]

 here is my opinion about this that is way more unpopular.not sure if i should write this. maybe you should discover it by yourself lol. when you grow up lol.

o h god i feel like a mom and so old

when saying this

you can't really understand change until it happens to you. ok maybe for me it was sooner for personal reasons but

this is what happens when you grow up. as shocking as it sounds. you change your mind about things sometimes

and you see things differently.

i like to see change and maturity in others. i think is actually attractive & interesting.i think people who STay the same forever as they were at 19 are actually sad  or pathetic or very  boring .they can't realise time and they can't reconcile with their age.

ok sure you can be very nostalgic and sad about older times. but that's the thing about time. it changes even if you don't want to.

i am having so much fun and prefer what happend to deg/they look so much cooller

 than what happened to luna sea for example.or hyde or gackt

i remember when i was 19 or something.i went after the guys with the most piercings and i wanted so badly to be strange.to have piercings and weird hair.and whoever said i would ever change made me so angry. this would be for life  i thought.it would be a betrayal of values if i changed .and now i don't give a shit about it. . but i understand at some age i think you should actually do it. it's Necessary .( i think most vkei fans are teenagers and just stupidly run behind any guy just because he has many piercings and tattoos)

i still am superficial as fuck but in a different way.different things matter now.

and i love visual kei aesthetics  .duh i love visual kei so  much. they are so very attractive but not as a serious life style would be so funny.do you really want to see deg exactly as they used to be old school again it would be so ridiculously wtf funny

 

also kyo looks hotter as a guy.

 

I never quite understood the notion that having fun, wearing makeup, dressing up, etc is considered immature. Sure we all grow up on the inside and we mature. Maybe i won't be the same when I'm 30 but i think its more stupid and boring to think you're more mature or grown up just for not being visual kei, goth, or whatever the fuck and looking like every other grumpy old middle aged man/woman.

 

I always considered visual kei aesthetics an art form in itself. It's a art form that can go hand in hand with music. It gives it more personality. I am one of those 19 year old fans who think's he'll never change though but why should i change? simply to conform or what? 

 

I still like cartoons and things i liked as a kid like pokemon or yugioh. what's wrong with it? if i have a job and house and pay my bills like everyone else what makes that immature or less adult? Visual kei is the same to me.

 

 I understand people change but not completely, our past is what molds us as a person today and some things stick with you for life. what, kids can only play pokemon? only teenagers can wear costumes and makeup for fun? 

 

Its this mindset that you have to let go of things you love to appear grown up that i don't understand. It seems like the less grown up thing to do in my eyes. To just let others push you into that herd mentality. 

 

Just make sure if you do change as a person its for the right reasons. 

[miyuu 40]

you want to let go of them. you don't do it because you have to.

you just don't like the same things you used to like.

things that used to impress you. seem stupid now

and now different things  amaze you.

 

i am not saying to stop having fun.and be serious. i guess i can't really explain you. maybe you would never change. maybe you'll just have to wait and see

if you would still like the same things after years

 

edit: i think if you are 19 anyway is too soon to care and think about these things. 

i changed so my point of view is different and i understand why someone else wants to change.

 

edit 2: and  sorry but i am not impressed by someone who for 20 years would like the exactly  same things. i find him boring .people should evolve imo. (they are more interesting for me at least)

[Zeus 7997]

Conditional disbandments.

I don't understand the motive behind it. I don't understand what it's supposed to accomplish. I don't get how it became popular to pull. But every so often I'll hear of some no-name band claim that if x amount of people don't show up to their next live they'll quit. It's only no-name bands as well! A band that makes conditional disbandment threats is like a teenager throwing a tantrum because they didn't get the new iPod. Yeah, you may get what you want but I still think less of you.

Is it money trouble that's forcing you to do this? The scene invented a better, less overtly douchebaggy way of getting money out of fans. That's called live-distributed material. Record a song, press about 100 to 150 discs, advertise that disc at one particular live, and then sell it. You invest minimal money into the materials and you get money both off the tickets AND the CD sale. Plus, fans get new music out of it. Win-win for everyone. Do that instead if you need money.

Are you throwing a tantrum to get some attention, like "oh that band might quit if not enough people show up"? There's a better way of garnering attention. It's called make better music. I don't understand why I'm supposed to give a fuck about the future of your band because of some arbitrary decision based around some arbitrary number. What are you going to do if you're off by one or two?

For as much as I don't like/respect Nocturnal Bloodlust, they don't do this and if they don't no band should. They saw that they needed to attract more money/fans and they made the moves to do it. If you're at the point where you're telling all your fans to show up and bring a friend or you won't continue to play music, just stop. Clearly no one cares.

[Ikna 1225]

I agree with AltermaliceNero. There is nothing immature about dressing a certain way. People will change in their heart due to experiences regardless of what they wear or how they look on the outside. Also there is a fucking difference between being a teenager who has a "I want to be so individual, therefore I dress up as goth/punk/indie kid/emo, etc"-phase and actually being part of a subculture (which is much more than wearing piercings and weird hair). There are goddamn people in their 50s and 60s who are still Rocker, Punks or Goths and have been into it since the day it started. They still wear a mohawk, make-up, studded vests or their winklepicker boots and yet they are people who pay bills, have a job, maybe children or even grandchildren.

What I find boring are the people who yelled "!ndividuality!!!" when they were oh so radical kids but as soon as they became 20 or got a job they started to become the same boring mainstream people they have despised just a few years ago. I am sure most of them don't do this because they want to feel mature and adult - they do this because they are too afraid to fight for their right of expressing themselves while being able to do the things other adults have to do. And their lame excuse is "I just got out of my phase". Also in my experience those people are the most fucking boring because they are way too afraid to face their past. So they ensure they stay the same all the time to prevent a kind of "relapse". I can still remember how one of my mallgoth schoolmates became a punk with their full heart and nowadays she dresses "normal" (I hate thsi word, but can't find a better one to describe it), listens to Techno music and when you ask her about anything that couls remotely touch in the topic of punk she get's extremely defensive.

Also: if interestes should change so drastically then this forum is useless. Because it means in just a few years we all may or have to find new and better interests than visual kei. Also considering how many people regard visual kei as a boring, childish and stupid interest anyway, so let's find a music scene that makes us more interesting and is cooler, hm?
And if I am honest: I feel the visual kei scene has become way more "childish" since they started to drop off the ellaborate costumes and heavy make-up. Groups like Madeth gray'll sure were embarassing in some way of their own but still more "hardcore" and serious stuff than the weird oh-so-cute host kei look combined with cheesy electro Metalcore vk bands pull of today. Or maybe I am just too old and boring to understand what's so radical about those babyfaced kids (def kids since most bandmen are even younger than I am)

And you know: I don't give a fuck if I might come off as a boring old shitty goth to you or to anyone when I am 40 or 50. I like the music I like and I will hopefully forever share my love for New Wave and Post-Punk and not suddendly wake up one morning and decide: "today I will stop with the goth shit. It's time to grow up!! So let's go to forever 21 and buy a cute formal dress" Also I am not interested into the things I am to impress you and I am sure nobody here in this forum is, miyuu. We like the things we like and talk about it but nobody wants to get a cookie for having the best music taste or the coolest looks.
 

 

Are you throwing a tantrum to get some attention, like "oh that band might quit if not enough people show up"? There's a better way of garnering attention. It's called make better music. I don't understand why I'm supposed to give a fuck about the future of your band because of some arbitrary decision based around some arbitrary number. What are you going to do if you're off by one or two?

This so much... I already talked about it in a news thread: it's just douchey behaviour. Thousand of other bands live on the very edge and are poor and they still have enough decency as musicians to earn their money honestly. I don't understand people who are kay with bands doing this and excuse it with "they don't have enough money". Imagine all bands who have tight money doing this. And let's be honest: a visual kei band that doesn't get enough money is destinied to disband sooner or later. They probably don't have enough audience and by pulling off this shitty tactig they will surely gain not more. Instead their most loayal fans will just buy more tickets to ensure the band won't disband. It's not a really clever strategy anayway to make your band popular- if your extra lucky you might just piss off your fans and I am sure they will find a new similiar sounding and looking vk band to fangasm about fast.

[miyuu 40]

I agree with AltermaliceNero. There is nothing immature about dressing a certain way. People will change in their heart due to experiences regardless of what they wear or how they look on the outside. Also there is a fucking difference between being a teenager who has a "I want to be so individual, therefore I dress up as goth/punk/indie kid/emo, etc"-phase and actually being part of a subculture (which is much more than wearing piercings and weird hair). There are goddamn people in their 50s and 60s who are still Rocker, Punks or Goths and have been into it since the day it started. They still wear a mohawk, make-up, studded vests or their winklepicker boots and yet they are people who pay bills, have a job, maybe children or even grandchildren.

 

dir en grey is still rock or metal or whatever.they didn't conform. they are just not into old school visual kei. so bassically what you are saying agrees with me.

i am just tired to keep seeing people being butthurt why deg gave up visual kei. and they don't find exciting the same things as them. get over it.

evolving is normal to happen when you grow up. and actually more interesting (than still have the same brain as you were 20 years ago)

 

edit: also i don't want you to try to impress me .what the fuck are you talking about in your other text. we don't have to like the same things.

and i don't want to be your friend if i think you are stupid or ridiculous. we just won't be friends.  as simple as that

 

edit2: also to be clear i didn't say visual kei should stop existing since i like it. or old school vkei

[Ikna 1225]

I didn't say anything about dir en grey. Or did you see them mentioned? I was referring to your argument that people who conform to a lifestyle limit themselves automatically and are boring, which is bullshit. Also I am the least person to be "butthurt" over Dir en grey trying to become accepted within the Metal scene by stripping away all traces of their past. It's their thing (I somehow find it ridiculous how Kyo reacts to questions about their past, especially when it comes to their bandname... but it's Kyo...). It's really annoying how everyone reacts so sensitive when it comes to this band.

Where did I say we need to be friends though? No reason to make things up...

[miyuu 40]

when you want to impress someone you usually like him and would want to be his friend. or am i wrong? actually you talked about me personally. but i was talking generally about the friends thing. not to you particularly. 

and actually i think we agree on this. that people who don't like the same things .don't need to be friends.

 

to be honest my first post was triggered by the deg thing again.that was mentioned before me. and that was my rant about

(and my argument in the first place)

[lichtlune 915]

I don't have a problem with bands changing but more so what Ikna said about the "Stripping all traces of their past". Like i feel they're trying too hard to fit in to the metal scene but i guess they did that with vk too so whatevs. 

 

It would be cool if they played more of their older stuff though and didn't feel they needed to "metalfy" their older gems or "covering their tracks" so to speak musically. I think i'd respect them more if they embraced their past more I mean it got them to where they are now. 

 

But well, its fine i'm not even trying to single out dir en grey either but i am kind of stuck in the past i guess and i admit to this. I'm so biased when it comes to old school visual kei music.

 

I do however believe there's  a key ingredient missing with all these neo-bands but i don't feel i could explain it that well.

[miyuu 40]

i used to feel exactly like this too. and still i  think they shouldn't be ashamed of their past.

i think lately they changed opinion though and are not so hardcore about it.
 i loved their past songs but at some point i loved their new songs too.(and looks) i don't know how. just my taste in music changes in time since i was little.

as a person who likes old and new vkei i am really confused. i have to say.
because as much as i miss older songs. and sometimes i miss them very much.
i love the new ones too and i don't want them to return back. at all. this would be terrible.

i am just very intrigued to see what would they do next  .

so my only Criticism at this moment would be for them to do whatever they feel like.

maybe use his singing voice more than growls because it's awesome

[lichtlune 915]

Well i know kaoru is a very capable guitar player and i'd like to hear more guitar solo's in their music simply too much chug stuff for my taste but it can still be nice sometimes but i think this thread has gotten off topic a little haha.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

So from what I read over in places like Scape is that there is a pretty strong divide between Visual Kei and the Goth scene in Japan. More or less due to the fickle nature of VK, ask a Goth if they're VK and they'll stick their nose up at you because to them it's a lifestyle. Not a phase or a gimmick to get signed to a label to make poppy anime songs.

I just feel like, if you listen to VK don't be too upset if your bat shitting band suddenly decides to toss the black lipstick for host boy lip gloss. It sucks because I like the gawffy frilly over the top VK but I ain't gonna be too sad about it if they decide to go major and make awful music. Good example, DespairsRay.

Also like in the case of Deg and other bands getting old. Sometimes you just don't age as well and a style you rocked in your 20s is going to be an awful train wreck on your now saggy wrinkled 40 year old body.

Like this guy -> https://twitter.com/xArithmetica/status/396052296372457472

Do you really think he can pull off his old kote kei look now?

[lichtlune 915]

Like this guy -> https://twitter.com/xArithmetica/status/396052296372457472

Do you really think he can pull off his old kote kei look now?

 

 

you'd be surprised what a little makeup and photo tweaking can do. Also a lot of these younger bands don't look that great without makeup either, I've seen some really fugly vk dudes in comment videos and ameba photos. 

[DogManX 179]

The people who do it the most are the ugliest in the end. LIke Hizaki etc.

 

I know many won't like to hear this here, very UNPOPULAR opinion, but if you depend on so much "extra"-stuff on yourself when you perform or shoot, you have a problem with your self-confidence (does that word exist?). At least I think so.

[miyuu 40]

So from what I read over in places like Scape is that there is a pretty strong divide between Visual Kei and the Goth scene in Japan. More or less due to the fickle nature of VK, ask a Goth if they're VK and they'll stick their nose up at you because to them it's a lifestyle. Not a phase or a gimmick to get signed to a label to make poppy anime songs.

I just feel like, if you listen to VK don't be too upset if your bat shitting band suddenly decides to toss the black lipstick for host boy lip gloss. It sucks because I like the gawffy frilly over the top VK but I ain't gonna be too sad about it if they decide to go major and make awful music. Good example, DespairsRay.

Also like in the case of Deg and other bands getting old. Sometimes you just don't age as well and a style you rocked in your 20s is going to be an awful train wreck on your now saggy wrinkled 40 year old body.

Like this guy -> https://twitter.com/xArithmetica/status/396052296372457472

Do you really think he can pull off his old kote kei look now?

 

but you can pull it off until 40 still . some look awesome.but i like them without make up too.

i don't mind if they want to change. it depends on the case. i don't like turning to pop though personally.

i love that deg changed.

but i admit it would be strange if D changed now i guess.

but i also think mana is getting obsessed. not healthy

imagine luna sea dress same as the start lololol. well doesn't j(Jun Onose) looks hotter now?

why would anyone want sakurai with blond/all up hair again whyyyy

it's not about if you can pull it off

(imagines kaoru with the lobster on his head)

but i prefer them the way he is now.

[DogManX 179]

Kaoru actually had a long extinct trilobite on his head. It was like the most awesome visual kei costume I've ever seen.

 

And you're not all rotten and saggy if you are 40. Sure if you spend your life staring at VK booklets your sense of reality gets distorted it seems.

[miyuu 40]

Kaoru actually had a long extinct trilobite on his head. It was like the most awesome visual kei costume I've ever seen.

 

 

 

you think xDD? but do you want him to wear it now? xD

i don't really lmao

but i would NEVER erase that from vkei history. awesome memory .i wouldn't want him without that history

[seikun 317]

Hmm, we might be judging current Vsual Kei wrongly based on the more visible bands/trends and we might not be seeing a lot of bands that stick to the old school Visual Kei atmosphere or with a clear sense of artistry and less interested in a commercial side...

 

I don't know, I don't live in Japan but apart from GRIEVA and Gauzes there must be more bands inspired by old school Visual Kei there in fascinating Japan we don't have access to...

[Ikna 1225]

Yeah, make up does wonder. And photoshop (and practically all vk guys have been photoshopped... since maybe ever). Also there are several men in their 40s and even 50s who are still dressing visual kei: Mana, Közi, Kisaki, Ryo (9Goats), Kon (La'Mule), etc...

Also totally obvious that Visual kei has nothing to do with Goth (except maybe borrowing some musical elements here and there) and therefore the bandmen dressing a certain way is neither a lifestyle nor a life commitment. And the trend of Vk groups becoming soft, light poppy bands has always been an "issue"... Groups like Fanatic Crisis, L'arc~en~Ciel and Co. all started out as your typical serious underground vk bands but became pop rock full of regular dressed guys once they got more popular. I still think though that this (Vk bands turning softer or alternative rock) is somewhat different from once heavy dark bands turning into Host kei. I just can't understand (okay, I can in some way) why groups like VIDOLL, Nightmare or D'espairsRay went from bands singing about slicing someone's throat into cheesy pop or electro rock.
I bet it would weird anyone out if Dir en grey would have taken this route and instead of becoming a Metal band doing some J-Pop shit á la Gackt.

The guy in the magazine is from Gill'e Cadith, hehe... somehow funny how most of the oldschool guys still ended up being salesmen or businessmen. I don't think we could expect them to have any interest into spending much money for their beauty or make up, since they probably are prouder to own other things now.

Edit:

 

Hmm, we might be judging current Vsual Kei wrongly based on the more visible bands/trends and we might not be seeing a lot of bands that stick to the old school Visual Kei atmosphere or with a clear sense of artistry and less interested in a commercial side...

 

I don't know, I don't live in Japan but apart from GRIEVA and Gauzes there must be more bands inspired by old school Visual Kei there in fascinating Japan we don't have access to...

 

I think you have too many high hopes on that. The era of old school visual kei is long over. I don't even think Kote kei bands are automatically more indie and less about commercialism, even though most of them have even less fans than regular indie VK bands. And even if  they are... as long as Kote kei purely consists of bands repeating what we have already heard 100 times it won't really go anywhere. As much as I love the old style, the Kote kei scene s a joke and doesn't really offer that much innovation or "artistry". It's fun though listening to a La'veil song and thinking "That's so oldschool and very Madeth gray'll-ish, I like it".