SethItari 24 Posted June 12, 2016 I was surprised to see one of my favorite Japanese bands (probably my second favorite active Japanese post-hardcore group behind SiM) was not yet up for discussion here (apologies if they are, I search 3 variants on their name including abbreviation). Fear, & Loathing in Las Vegas So - Vocals, Programming Minami - Vocals, Keyboard, Programming Sxun - Lead Guitars, Vocals Taiki - Guitars, Vocals Tomonori - Drums, Pitched Percussion Kei - Bass Stylistically the band has roots in post-hardcore, but have since further embraced the electronic elements brought in by Minami's sampling and synthesis to perform a wider array of different genres, incorporating strong elements of EDM, Jazz, Chiptune, and Pop-Punk and Deathcore in their more recent works. Vocalist So has been actively using hard tuning on his vocals since the band's first releases, but the band has since evolved to take full advantage of this sound, using less subtle hard tune and both mono and poly lead vocoders on his voice to achieve their signature sound today. Sxun, who typically has the least vocal processing live, does most of the talking and would appear to be the voice of the band between songs. So also programs and maintains his own vocoders live, seemingly through discreet midi signal controllers. My opinions: I won't lie, I initially started listening to Fear, & Loathing in Las Vegas as a bit of a joke, convincing myself that I was entertaining myself by listening to one of the weirdest rock bands out there. This outlook quickly evolve through repetition into genuine appreciation for the band, especially when I realized how they manage to pull off such a chaotic sound live (outside of the studio) and still make it sound fun, catchy, and not completely messy, which can be rare in their brand of chaotic post-hardcore, even without the hurdle of so much programming and the required punctuality that comes with it. Unfortunately I have never been to one of their live shows in person, though I have seen similar bands perform live and it leaves me no doubt that seeing Fear, & Loathing in Las Vegas' live set would be an amazing experience, and I've seen their Animals II DVD which only makes me dream of seeing their performance all that much more. 3 Flame-X, doombox and freesia reacted to this Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
MidnightJaguar 5 Posted August 7, 2018 INSANE BAND Saw them live at GIGA Rock Festival in Osaka last weekend. Unfortunately a short set, but it was astounding. The whole band has incredible stage presence and Minami was wild! (He's a mind-blowing acrobat haha). Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
