[CLUB] Your UNDER CODE Fave(s)

[suji 8317]

From 2003 to 2013, UNDER CODE PRODUCTION played a big part in establishing indie bands, some to the point where they got contracts from major labels. Because of their impact, some of these bands still stick with us to this day, even as members form new bands or retire from music altogether.

 

Personally, my favorite UNDER CODE band was Megaromania. They were actually my gateway to visual kei, and later to UNDER CODE (specifically We Love UCP~), and their melodic metal tunes made me stick around for a short while until they dissolved along with the label itself. Now that I look back on them, I much rather prefer their earlier period before 2010, as they were less metal-oriented and more focused on their softcore sound. I still follow the members to this day, and thankfully only Sui is still around right now ;w;

 

Out of the many bands in the UNDER CODE roster, which ones were your favorites? Feel free to share your favorite releases, lives, memories, etc~

Edited July 30, 2017 by sheepprincessgara

[Himeaimichu 1535]

My favourite Undercode bands were Phantasmagoria and Nega.

I always loved how Phantasmagoria kinda walked the line between old school and modern (For the time). Jun and Iori were really great guitarists and even though at the time, Riku wasn't as good of a vocalist, his passion and energy made up for it. I always joked how Phantasmagoria was basically progressive kotekei, but it is kinda true in a sense.  I'm also not generally big on synths, but I feel like Phantasmagoria pulled it off pretty well. They don't feel like they're taking over the song, but are a simple part of it. 

Then there is Nega. The first undercode band I got into. I was authentically surprised when I found them. Jin isn't the best vocalist (As is with most Undercode bands, for some reason) but younger me was able to look past it. But damn, these guys were HEAVY as fuck. One of the earliest Vkei bands to go into Metalcore and Deathcore, and one of the few to go into true Death Metal a few times. But it never felt generic. However, they also made some good ballad songs, like REMINISCENCE. 

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Oh man, I don't know where to start. I think I'll just go alphabetically. xD

 

Dali: Lovedddd these guys, especially their singles and mini albums, tho their full-length wasn't half bad either. Also, as much as I liked them, everything they did after 2009 is boring garbage for me ("Tricolor Crawl", etc).

 

E'm~grief~: Lord, this was such a clusterfuck but I adored every second of it. xDDD Whether they were doing cheesy & kinky sex dungeon electro-goth or straight up ripping off Dimmu Borgir, they had something.

 

hurts: My goth-punk boiz. No frills vk punk rock that might seem plain at times, but it was totally perfect for what they were going for. Shame that they didn't last long.

 

Mar'derayla: MY ULTIMATE FAVES. They had a really cool thing going on with a dark tone but still lots of variety. Out of all the UC bands, I own the most CDs from them I think (a close-to-complete discography).

 

NEGA: This band was a real powerhouse up until their demise. It took a looooong time till I warmed up to them (cuz of Jin's vocals :p) but then I fell hard for them. I fuck with both the old style and the latter era equally.

 

Phantasmagoria: They were my first UC love if I remember correctly. Everything about them was so well thought-out and meticulously designed, with awesome catchy songs. Definitely my favorite of Kisaki's bands.

 

Vior gloire: I am still baffled how such a short-lived band could release something as utterly epic and amazing as the "Gloomy and wakeful night" album. It should become an underground vk classic in a few years imo.

 

Honorable mentions:

- 12012: pretty cool stuff, but they tanked hard for me after their first album. Everything afterwards is just bad bad bad.

- Himitsu Kessha Codomo A: bleeps and bloops and kanashii #feels in childish angura sauce, what's not to like?

- Vidoll: just like 12012, they were interesting in the beginning, then rapidly got onto my 'nope radar'.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Jigsaw9

[Tokage 5930]

Both of my faves are bands that never really seemed to fit in with the general UC aesthetic all that much...

 

Himitsu Kessha Codomo A: I was (and still am) a total whore for the bleep-bloop sound, so naturally I love these guys. I'd go as far as to say that I like pretty much every single project vo. Eiji has been involved in though, perhaps w/ the exception of Dentaku lmao. The guy's an absolute madman. Just look at some of his lyrics; songs about ghosts, a zombie jpop idol getting shot by the police, a romance between a boy & a girl with a bomb surgically planted inside her puss, jumping in front of trains, weird boys setting the girl they love on fire... Good stuff.

 

Oto-Oni: Their mixture of traditional 'oriental' + tribal sounds is simply something that's never been matched by any VK band since. One of the most unique and underrated bands on the scene for sure. 

 

Besides those two, I also always quite liked Dali's older material. Coincidentally, I started to lose interest in them somewhere around the same period as Jig. Phantasmagoria gets a honorable mention just because Fairy Times Memory was among the first ten-or-so VK songs I ever heard.

Edited July 30, 2017 by Tokage

[The Moon 989]

I really liked カレン❣ Frilly, synth-heavy, pop rock. Nao's terrible dancing in the Dusty Mirror PV is iconic.

 

Also really loved Dali (til the very end - their weird melancholic pop era stuff is some of my favorites) and hurts, but there's not really a band on the label I hate.

 

Speaking of, does anyone have any CindyKate or hurts they can upload? I can't find any working links, and miss them both.

Edited July 31, 2017 by The Moon

[Jigsaw9 6783]

4 hours ago, The Moon said:

Speaking of, does anyone have any CindyKate or hurts they can upload? I can't find any working links, and miss them both.

I'll hook you up with hurts in PM~

[Tokage 5930]

Does anyone remember that band called VAGERKE? They were like the one non-VK 'conventional' metal band signed to some UC sub-label. I remember seeing them on some UC v/a live dvd yeaaaars ago. Talk about being the label's black sheep lol

 

Edited July 31, 2017 by Tokage

[Ikna 1225]

^I do, because I thing I dled their stuff in the past. But yeah, they aren't the most popular and have since been forgotten.

 

Which I feel happened with a few of UCP more unconventional bands, as well as some of their early groups. Most people do not remember Karen or Lamina either. Though as far as I can gather VAGERKE were also signed to one of Kisaki's many (tax evasion) sublabels, so essentially not really an UCP band. That may have contributed to people not caring much about them, lol.

 

There were actually a few bands signed to a shady UCP sublabel or managed/produced by UCP. Inartistic gathered quite some good info about it on his UCP fanpage and it's interesting to see and read how complicated and a big mess that whole label history and management is. 

 

Personally I like Matina and its bands more than UCP, but that's because I like the Matina sound more. Early UCP was the shit however, mostly becvause it was a direct continuation of Kisaki's former label. Mar'derayla and early 12012 had that late Matina sound, which made them pretty amazing.

 

So while I prefer MIRAGE and Syndrome over Phantasmagoria, the latter still holds a special place because I discovered them before and exposed me to that label. Some of their songs are indeed classics and wonderful to listen too, but the problem with kisaki's songwriting is that he recycles and rehashes melodies and whole chunks of songs way too often. Also re-releasing the same song or album a hundred times. Wheras other bands on that label shit out one single after another full of new material, Mago just managed to have a hand full of songs in an entirety of a four year lifespan. 

 

Second Mard'derayla, absolutely amazing blend of oldschool with the emerging 00s sound. Still need to buy their CDs though (that reminds me to save my $$)

 

HISKAREA was also in that vein. Sadly didn't release much and weren't actrive for long (I guess they had to die to make Mago happen). Riku had an awesome and unique voice back then. Towards the end of Lin he kinda got bored, at least his singing seemed like that to me. 

 

Speaking of Riku, I never really bothered with UCP chariots. No idea why, since they were regarded as Phantasmagoria 2.0. Recently listened to their newer songs. It's nice, but def more like contemporary VK (some would say better, as they are no longer doing what they always done). Riku sounds more motivated too. 

 

Also agree that early VIDOLL and 12012 were flawless and amazing. VIDOLL had such a unique sound up until their first full lenght and pretty much until they departed from UCP. The early EPs especially are so different than anything else that has been put out in the scene. I will never understand why they ditched that and became generic and replacable. Same with 12012.

 

NEGA is so-so for me. I really, really have to be in the right mood to stomach their songs, and yeah, that's mostly because I am not a huge -core fan (except hardcore punk, but that's like we all know a different genre entirely) and damn, Jin's voice sure is grating. And as I can hear from the Black Swan previews he hasn't really gotten any better either.

 

Quite a similar case for brodiea. Though they are so crappy in a lovanble way, that i truly like them. But I remember that back in ye olden days on MH and lastfm people really gave their fans some shit, lol. They were pretty much the VARJA of UCP.

 

 

[plastic_rainbow 2162]

i still don't know a whole lot of ucp bands, but ClearVeil was my favorite right off the bat. in fact, they were one of my top fave vk bands back then and i still love them a hell lot. saki was an amazing vocalist, and even tho his screams are kinda strange sometimes, he can really put his soul into it when he does it well. when i listened to 'crime' again a while back i was like damn...... ;__;

i liked the majority of their songs and they had some great guitar riffs. i think nozomi still has his skills down, but just wasn't in the right band after ClearVeil disbanded, which was the brighter oshare kei band carat. i always thought his guitar playing worked better with a darker sound and saki's vocals (they were previously in the same band clorican as well). he's in ORCALADE now tho so i'm looking forward to hearing more of that heavy guitar playing again.

 

my other favorite was the short-lived Zodia. they only put out six songs but damn they're all so good. they're known for sounding like D'espairsray, but darker with their own flavor.

 

listened to a bit of Himitsu Kessha Codomo A back then too. they had a fun sound with a tinge of melancholy. i loved eiji's deep and emotional vocals.

 

i think i'll take this time to check out the others i missed. some i couldn't get into back then, but i'll give them another shot......sometimes you just gotta find the right song.

Edited August 16, 2017 by plastic_rainbow