Which is your favorite Kisaki band?

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

So, was listening a bit to Phantasmagoria and this questions popped-up in my head. Kinda curious of what people think~~

 

Feel free to motivate your answer.

[Ikna 1225]

My fav band is Syndrome, though I like Mirage very much as well. But Syndrome's musical style appeals more to me. I really love their first era with Tatsuya as vocalist. He might have had the typical 90s Matina singer voice, but it fit so well to the dark and gloomy rock music they played. Mirage in comparison was much lighter and "easier" to listen to (yeah, some of their later songs with Akira were already in the Syndrome direction and I just love GRAVE～古エノ眠リ～, the song's intro is amazing).
I am not so fond of their later stuff with Asagi as vocalist... because in my opinion his operatic voice didn't really fit to the band's style.

 

Well... Kisaki's other bands... I listened to all of them and also liked them, but I prefer his older band projects. La:Sadie's was basically Missa era Dir en grey with no budget and a really unpolished sound. Stella Maria were nice, but if I remember correctly Kisaki's impact on the band was small (he was their member only for a short time, right?). I was a big fan of Phanatsmagoria back when I got into Vk.

 

But Mago's songs can't reach the quality that Mirage and Syndrome had. May also have to do with the fact that these band's best songs were not written by Kisaki but other band members.
Let's be honest: Kisaki isn't really a good composer. He likes to reuse old songs or part of melodies we have heard in dozen of other vk songs and recycles them- like he recycles whole songs and albums of his band and re-releases them. Phantasmagoria were especially guilty of this (but Syndrome too... some Asagi era songs were just older songs with a little bit of musical tweaking).

Lin however were a wonderful improvement. They had bigger reportoire of songs and therefore more to offer. But overall they still were mediocre.
 

Never cared so much for the whole Kisaki Project thing...

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

To answer honestly: I like all of them for different reasons.

 

I'm sure this goes for many people here, but Phantasmagoria was one of my "gateway" bands for visual-kei. I don't listen to them as often as I had once done, and I also don't hold them to the same esteem either, but they still had a huge impact on my life.

 

I really liked the frilly-ness of Mirage. They were pretty influenced by Baiser, then got darker in later releases before Kisaki formed Syndrome, but they are probably one of my favorite old school bands.

 

Syndrome has some cool songs as well. I like "[slæver]," "Sexual," "Cirque-Art a Partir-," "I never lose," and I think another whose name escapes me. I never got into them a whole lot when compared to his other projects.

 

I really like the low-budge / low-talent of La:Sadie's. Trashy garage post-punk/gawf is cool ok. Has nothing to do with them digivolving into Dir en Grey or being a proto-Missa album (which I think sucked, btw).

 

Rin has been love / hate for me. They have a few songs that I think are fantastic, but also a lot of songs I feel are half-assed and trying to be trendy but ending up looking like MDNA / Hard Candy-era Madonna (do molly b/c all da kidz r doin it!!) . Surprisingly, some of their slower songs are their best works, but their fast, synth Chariots releases aren't always tolerable.

 

Kisaki project relaxes me. I find it to be very calming and very nice to listen to from time to time. This kind of music isn't something I'd want to listen to frequently, but every so often I get in the mood for something super soppy with canned violin. The quality of the orchestral arrangements definitely improved with Satsuki, and their Lareine cover with Wataru is great.

 

Kisaki was only in Stella Maria for 2 demo-tapes. One of the songs he was a part of was later re-recorded ("AI-Doll"), but I don't believe I've heard the original version. I have heard the other demo he was on, "TIME LIMIT," but I don't recall it being like the rest of Stella Maria's songs. Stella Maria themselves are great, though. Love UN-TITLED, Spilt Milk, and Shi-mon. However, since Kisaki was only there for like...3~4 songs (as a support member, mind you), I really don't consider them to be a "Kisaki band." Following that logic, Anti-Feminism and E'm~Grief~ would also be Kisaki bands.

 

妃＆関西貴族 were also cool. I like the variety and how a lot of my favorite matina / ucp vocalists are featured on their Best Simulation album.

 

I've still never listened to GARDEN, Levia (which I don't think released anything), Laybial, SHEY≠DE, De≠prive, Ruby, nor 廃人黒薔薇族. 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Out of these I've only extensively listened to Phantasmagoria, and bits and pieces of the other ones, so... it would have to be Phantasmagoria for me. Plus for sentimental/nostalgic reasons, listening to them while they were still actually active, etc.

 

Other than that, Lin and Kisaki Project are a big NO for me, and I might try some moar Syndrome in the future.

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

I think it's hard for me to choose, according to my lastfm I have listened most to MIRAGE>Syndrome>Phantasmagoria>La:Sadie's>Lin.

 

I was never a big fan of Asagi's era in Syndrome. But I do like both Akira and Tomo era's in MIRAGE (love tomo & Moon-light-dance is such a classic). So I think my choice would have to be MIRAGE, even if Magomago and Syndrome comes very close.

 

I do love them all though (with exception for Stella Maria, don't think I heard anything that Kisaki was involved in with them).

 

Also the reason to why I didn't include pre-La:sadie's bands was because most of those are too rare. I think GARDEN can be found on the internet though (I know I have it on my hdd anyway).

 

But I think that just like Seraphim, I like all of them but in different ways. La:sadie's "憧憬破綻世界" is one of my favorite Kisaki songs (not sure if he wrote it but w/e).

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

Either Phantasmagoria or Syndrome. There's still something very pedestrian and basic about Syndrome that makes them not stand out very well as far other stuff from that particular era goes. Phantasmagoria on the other hand has stuff that I really like, and some that I really don't. It's also the point where I think Riku started to get boring. All in all, no Kisaki band is my thing, but I'll settle for Phantasmagoria as my final answer since they were really good at times. 

 

Never actually tried Mirage

[Gaz 1097]

phantasmagoria, but voted for lin just because they were almost as cool as phantasmagoria, and it seems like no one cares about them at all :/

[Lestat 2167]

To be honest, I wouldn't know. When a man has made such an impact on you already and then there's also all of his extensive history of musical releases to choose from, that's where it gets difficult. There's a distinct sound that man has; in earlier years you'd only have to hear one note on his bass and you'd know it was him, although unfortunately within the course of Visual Kei's destination his sound eventually faded into nothingness, which puts him more in the background or so at least I think. --- Although with his compositions there's always something I recognize as being his, his lyrics, the wailing synthesizers, they always fit right in to that cavity my heart is opened with and it only absorbs everything of him. Even though there's a repetetive theme he uses for his lyrics, it always gets to me somehow, but I suppose we all have this person we so greatly adore no matter their quality or quantity.

 

For me that's Kisaki, for me that shall always be Kisaki. No matter his band, solo projects or whatever material he puts on the market. I crave it, I need it. 

I don't label him to having only one band that's my favourite. He's my favourite, no matter where, when or what he played, and it depends entirely on my own personal mood what band of his I can currently say is my favourite of the week, since it changes quickly.

 

I love all of his projects greatly, but there's just one song that stands out above all, and that's 勿忘草 (Wasurenagusa, respectively with Jui on vocals). Mind me, I'm a 20 year old woman with a steadily maintained water reservoir, but this song literally gets me to tears every single other time I hear it. It's just one big emotional wave that passes over you and keeps you captured until the very last second. I can zone out entirely when listening to it and remain in that daze for an hour longer if I want to. 

 

And before I ramble on (which is likely to happen when about him), so this is where I end it.

[TheBistroButcher666 228]

MIRAGE for sure. Loved Akira! Dat dark and dreary voice oomph oomph! But Tomo also has a soft spot in my heart. Also the change between Tomo and Akira wasn't nearly as drastic as say Tatsuya and Asagi. I like Syndrome as well but preferred Tatsuya era over Asagi. I don't think they really composed any songs that really utilized Asagi's strong voice except for maybe Arubino.

 

Phantasmagoria I feel put KISAKI on the map though, at least with foreign fans. If it wasn't for Phantasmagoria I think KISAKI wouldn't be as well known as those other minor indie label owners like Tomozo or something. He'd just be known as that guy that was in that old Deg band. Again strictly from a western perspective. Where's Inartistic at when you need em?? I remember he summed up Phantasmagoria quite well but tl'dr: You shouldn't underestimate the impact Phantasmagoria had on the indie circuit, sure their later new material revival release circlejerk was pretty lack luster and looking back at their music, it wasn't THAT amazing but it sure got people pumped the fuck up. Basically Phantas showed up in 2004 and was all like FUCK YALL DIS IS HOW YOU DO VISUAL KEI!!

 

SO BASICALLY PHANTAS AS MY SECOND THIRD FAVOURITE

[seikun 317]

I would say La:Sadie's and Syndrome right after it and then Phantasmagoria.

[Senedjem 510]

garden

[lichtlune 915]

for me either syndrome or mirage i love them evenly for different reasons. phantasmagoria's music is really good but i don't listen too them much also i don't like riku's voice.

 

Ahhh I've been listening to 情景 a lot lately

[visualcrisis 7]

Phantasmagoria for me. I like Lin also. I love Riku's voice.

[digi 192]

I really liked syndrome. Still do, and always will. All of their sons just kind of...captured me, for lack of a better word. I still find myself listening to some of their songs. 

 

Next up....would probably be MIRAGE. They just have a certain 'charm' about them.

 

 Lin were pretty disappointing compared to Kisaki's other bands. Mago was pretty nice. I'm not a huge fan of any of the Kisaki projects feat. (insert random bandoman name here). They were okay though. I had to really be in the mood for a sappy song, in order to listen to any of those though.

 

On another note, that project with Rame and Kisaki was pretty damn interesting lol

[hyura 465]

Where is Kisaki to Kansai Kizoku?

I love them.

 

Well. Even including them I'd still chose Syndrome because they combine everything I like about Kisakis different projects without going too much into one direction.

 

They are Romantic like Mirage, but with more edge.

They're dramatic like Phantasmagoria but while Magomago dramatized so hard they eventually became a satire of themselves (not meant in a negative way!) Syndrome still feels like a rockband, not the opera.

They have a lot of the indies appeal of La:Sadie's and Kisakis other 'old' bands but in a 'pro' way without the demotape-quality.

They use LOTS of voice effects and synthesizers but they do it well. Unlike Lin.

They have the most touching ballads. Kisaki appearently loves ballads but most of the time the emotions don't seem real, the compositions are too generic and they don't touch me at all. Kisaki Project falls into that category.

[one-eyed waiter 28]

Definitely Syndrome, the Tatsuya era in particular; I love going back to their discography. They had a somewhat generic rock approach but there was just something about the instrumentals coupled with Tatsuya's not-quite-in-tune voice that brought a sort of sense of anxiety to the songs, powerful stuff. Also, this era is probably the most presence Kisaki's bass has had. They did have mishaps (兎と羊, 衒学主義者の自称, Realize, SAD MASK, 情景, the vogue song) but pretty much everything else is brilliant. Just listen to the original SLEPT DOLL.

Strongest moments: affected you, 涙ノ下弦・・・, SLEPT DOLL, deep sky, 蟷～Last child～, Nostalgia, 〔slǽver〕

 

The second era was imo not as good as the first one, but it's still really good. One particular thing is that the Syndrome-2 songs seem homogenous, like parts of a bigger picture, sharing a kind of a dark goffic ambience, and dats cool.

Strongest moments: 薔薇姫, 小夜時雨, 幻の一夜, アルビノ, 永訣-わかれ-

 

After Syndrome I'd have to pick Phantasmagoria. Exquisite, really catchy compositions that never went overboard with the synthesized elements and amazing guitar work, definitely quality over quantity though, hehe.

Strongest moments: Camouflage, Unknow zero distance, 狂想曲～Cruel Crucible～, 神歌, Material pain

[Sakura Seven 593]

Kisaki Project. 

[beni 2149]

Kisaki Project. [2] Where I first heard of Kisaki, so I most fond of Kisaki here due to that reason really.

[evilcoconut 109]

I like Lin, but Phantasmagoria will always be my fave.

[herpes 1597]

stella maria because he had the sense to leave them and let them become great

[thedroppingsky 1]

Phantasmagoria hands down.

The others are great as well, but...

[blackdoll 907]

megaromania 2.0 and it was sui, misery's and the other guys band really. he was just a puppet that didnt work out.

[Yuuya Miyagi 57]

I like Phantasmagoria the most

but Lin is good too when the vocalist is riku for me 

[Keiyuu 745]

Definitely 1st era MIRAGE. Beautiful compositions (mostly thanks to YAYOI) and I absolutely love TOMO's voice.

[desparejo86 160]

Syndrome, kids. Syndrome.

 

 

 

Why are there only live tracks on youtube? Kisaki fangirls must have dwindled.