90's vk inspired music trend in the scene

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

So it's been about 10 years since we saw the first real 90's vk inspired band form*. For me personally this was a breath of fresh air since I was never that into the nu-metal thing that was going on during the mid-2000's. What's your opinion on the matter? Do you prefer these bands to other active bands in the scene?

During the last 1-2 years a lot of these bands have decreased, why do you think that is? Would you prefer if bands like Grieva, Ru:natic, La'veil Mizeria etc would continue playing (and maybe even formed a label and giged more together)?

 

Some bands that I include in this wave of "revival kei":

Ru:natic

RounoiЯ

Sadiesmarry

La'veil Mizeria

Vallquar

Madieduor

Grieva

Diaura (early)

Gossip (kinda)

CELL (I guess..?)

Crucifixion

Gauzes

Under fall justice

 

Anyway, feel free to discuss this movement in the scene in general here, or any of your favorite bands from this movement. (I probably forgot some bands that plays this style as well so feel free to namedrop more lol).

 

 

* 10 years since Ru:natic formed, the only band I can think of that was earlier than that is Sadiesmarry but I'm not entirely sure when they started. 

[hyura 465]

I think the first bands of this 'homage 系' nature I remember were the likes of metis gretel and that was just around 5 years after the original era was over. So one could also argue that it never actually really died out. 

 

As for 90s inspired bands in general : it's great that they exist because I love the genre. (and I know I'm not the only one) however, I almost always feel something really hectic about the music of bands like la'veil mizeria or under fall justice or even metis gretel. Like they always play a little faster than the original, sing a bit more frantic. There is always some really overexcited synth melody playing in the background, too. The calm melancholic part is missing. 

[Karma’s Hat 3107]

For me the greatest hurdle was always that these revival bands still carry a lot of the baggage from the scene's general development, with one of the best examples being Grieva who's indebtedness to newer vk bands always shone through under the surface ( not really in a good way either, their best tracks were always the most old school ones ). Although on the other hand with some bands this might have even been a plus, like Gossip who early on just played early Gazette but with a frenetic energy that probably wouldn't have been possible before metalcore made its mark in the scene; and in the same breath I'd call the almost equally recent nu-metal revival far more successful than the turn of the century one. Bands like Kuroyuri, early Dezert and so on who took that macabre 2003~ vk mood to a mid to late 2000's style and killed it for a hot minute, and I'd go as far as to say that the finest moments of, let's say early Dezert, were better than anything in that style post- MUCC's nu metal period maybe; whereas I'd be a lying man if I said that any of the not explicitly nu-metal bands came even close to their forbearers. Even the worst things from Syndrome's first period are in a whole another league, save for Metis Gretel who came in so early that I always forget they were  even a part of the revival moment. 

 

Listening now to the La'veil Mizeria PV song which is not bad, but it still has that ersatz quality to it that I just can't ignore. It's sort of the same, just worse.

 

 

 

[Peace Heavy mk II 7200]

I am fine with this trend / sub-scene. I like that style of music a lot, and it's nice to be to sort of experience it having missed the boat when the scene was actually like that for real. I appreciate the newer trend of doing this with more recent acts as well (Mamireta, Virge, Mediena, kinda-sorta early Pentagon).

 

It seems like Starwave is trying to really cash in on this lately, although their groups seem less like nostalgic throwbacks and more like cheap knockoffs. I was going to write a ~official~ ORZ post about what works for nostalgia bands and what doesn't, but I kind of forgot that I started putting something together.

 

 

 

 

To echo what Dispo said, these throwback bands have a similar feel but never quite hit the same level of "goodness" that the groups they're trying to emulate had (save Metis Gretel, which imo doesn't really seem like they were trying to copy something so much as be inspired by early campy gothic acts). The homage-kei* groups especially, where there could be some added benefit to more "inspiration" rather than "reimagining" (this sounds like Diru vs. this is 4 melodies from Diru deep-cuts strung together).

 

 *I differentiate homage-kei by using it to refer to groups that quite literally copy and paste themes / aesthetics from older, more famous groups. Grieva, Gossip, Dezert, Ru:Natic, + Crucifixion were / are. Cell, Diaura, Vallquar, BugScream, UFJ, + Rounoir were / are not.  

[merchenticneurosis 441]

I'm cheering for all of this, the only kind of "scene" i really want from vk anyways. Nothing else really excites me that much.

[merchenticneurosis 441]

Also i fucking miss Madieduor/Vallquar, i miss them hard clinging church bells.

[Lestat 2167]

The last admirable release of the revival-scene must have been Grimoire by forCroiX-フォークロア-  in 2016 — they release such a terrific album only to disappear right after? Pity. 

 

Nowadays I only somewhat keep up with Crucifixion and ラヴェーゼ (labaiser). The trend with these bands is to quickly vanish and it saddens me because I am generally not that interested in the current heading of the Visual kei scene. I may be hopeful and see Mirage's semi-revival spark up some fireworks with the younger musicians, like it or not but they are still incredibly important and looked up to.

[JamesR 119]

I really like the revival scene - same goes for all the 'nu metal revival' bands like Damy, Dezert, Kuroyuri and Piglow In Gloomy. Hell, I even think there's some overlap between the two sounds...

[Himeaimichu 1535]

I like this revival of sorts, but at the same time, I feel like it's way too focused on Diru's sound, as well as the Soleil and Matina sounds. It'd be cool if we got some Zi:Kill or Justy Nasty worship. Or even a Shazna inspired band, idk. Ever since Grieva disbanded, I've for some reason kept up less with the others, such as Crucifixion. 

I'd really like to see an Early 2000's revival scene. The only band like that we have is GossiP, and they're too GazettE based, imo. They definitely have the ability to branch out, but they don't. I'd like to see more Kagerou, Gill'e Cadith, and Panic Channel worship out there. But that's just me and my taste

[ahnchc 309]

I really like La'Veil Mizeria because of that whole "revival" look. I think the track 「泡沫」 on their 「寂滅饗筵」mini-album definitely reflects the sound that was popular in the 90s and early 2000s for VK also.

[Zeus 7997]

On 5/1/2018 at 7:15 AM, Takadanobabaalien said:

So it's been about 10 years since we saw the first real 90's vk inspired band form*. For me personally this was a breath of fresh air since I was never that into the nu-metal thing that was going on during the mid-2000's. What's your opinion on the matter? Do you prefer these bands to other active bands in the scene?

During the last 1-2 years a lot of these bands have decreased, why do you think that is? Would you prefer if bands like Grieva, Ru:natic, La'veil Mizeria etc would continue playing (and maybe even formed a label and giged more together)?

 

Some bands that I include in this wave of "revival kei":

Ru:natic

RounoiЯ

Sadiesmarry

La'veil Mizeria

Vallquar

Madieduor

Grieva

Diaura (early)

Gossip (kinda)

CELL (I guess..?)

Crucifixion

Gauzes

Under fall justice

 

Anyway, feel free to discuss this movement in the scene in general here, or any of your favorite bands from this movement. (I probably forgot some bands that plays this style as well so feel free to namedrop more lol).

 

 

* 10 years since Ru:natic formed, the only band I can think of that was earlier than that is Sadiesmarry but I'm not entirely sure when they started. 

I want to answer your question with another question (ha!): why did the sound die out to begin with?

I don't have any good answers for that but there's a reason why the sound of the scene transitioned at the end of 2000. My best guess is that people were bored with the sound as it was done to death for at least 10 to 11 years, and that's enough time for a generation of old fans to cycle out and a new generation to come in. Think about how many fans that were around in 1999 stuck around until 2009, and how many of them will still be around in 2019. There are probably a handful left on this forum and that number dwindles each passing year.

 

The sound of VK changing is like the meta for a multiplayer competitive game changing after a new patch - it's anarchy and almost anything goes until the meta stabilizes. It seems like visual kei transitions every decade into a new sound (with the exception of the current decade, where it seems like the scene is still in flux). That freedom at the beginning of each transition is approximately around the same time these revival-kei bands came into popularity, so I feel comfortable in saying that at that time bands were searching for the next big sound and some bands took the philosophy of "you must look back to go forward".

 

On the same note visual kei bands have a short shelf life, so it also makes sense that some bands that form around the same time disband around the same time. Not always, but it would support your observations about bands like this decreasing. The more similar they sound, the more competition they face, and the more likely they are to face the same pressures and problems, and one of those problems could be that the revival kei movement didn't have as many teeth as we think. And the answers to "Why?" for that question is because I think the sound still isn't popular and doesn't have the same appeal as metalcore, which is a genre of influence that refuses to die in visual kei. I said it in a different topic but it applies here too. I think the way that fans digest visual kei from the 90's is different from the way we digest visual kei in the 00s because one music style is "easier" to get into than others, which could also explain why a handful of these bands slowly transitioned away from that sound as their career matured. The clamor for nostalgia of the old days by fans isn't enough to pay the bills and eventually hard decisions had to be made.

 

My final opinion on the matter is something I see happening in the scene now: some band or someone needs to find the next big sound that will shape visual kei for the next decade to come. I like the revival kei movement but the scene at large can't go back a decade in sound. It must move forward. That's why I enjoy seeing so many different bands under the visual kei umbrella try new things to see if they work.

[merchenticneurosis 441]

I'm not in any way against new bands or the neo kei-sound, but it feels soulless and empty for me. Lyrics feel like trash and basic aishiteru-shit is just useless for me... I think there were better and interesting new bands and sounds until 2012-2013, or about so. I'm rooting and hoping with my heart for the good future of vk, but i also very openly wish for the honest revival of 90's sound and older bands. Even i wouldn't mind some bands copying bands in existence. *cough cough* 

We had some of those already.

 

Obviously the world is spinning and so is the world of vk, so we need to accept certain facts. Nevertheless we all have our desires and dreams with every genre  

The kind of metal scene is pretty properly represented atm, imo. Bands like DIMLIM and SARIGIA and many other hardcore stuff are cool to listen to, but there's something missing for me personally.