Which band brought you closer to the movement Visual Kei and Jrock ?

[DeborahArena 42]

Moi dix Mois have brought me closer to the movement Visual Kei and PROJECT TO EVIL have brought me closer to the movement  Jrock,  and i can't live without the music of this two Fabulous bands.💜😘 

Edited March 11, 2019 by DeborahArena

[xriko 165]

THE PILLOWS approach me at J-Rock, and 蜉蝣(kagerou) at Visual

[Gesu 1537]

Versailles were the first band I listened to, but the GazettE got me properly into it. I don't listen to TG so much anymore, but I'm thankful for them.

[Paraph 826]

MALICE MIZER, X JAPAN/hide and ヴィドール

To be more specific. I rented the X VHS a long time ago and heard Forever Love, this sparked an interest in Japanese music in general, apart from other anime themes and jpop music I liked. Ayumi Hamasaki's Boys & Girls was one of the first jmusic videos I watched, as well. From there I discovered MALICE MIZER's Beast of Blood and the rest is history. My first anticipated release and purchase was Moi dix Mois' Dialogue Symphonie.

ヴィドール is the band I followed most after my discovery of many different groups. I remember discovering visunavi for the first time and it was such a godsend lol.

Edited March 13, 2019 by Paraph

[violetchain 912]

I think L'Arc~en~Ciel was technically the first one I heard and liked, since I was watching DNA2 at the time and the theme was "Blurry Eyes", but it's a bit tricky because I didn't realize the singer was a man or what VK was until after I was introduced to X JAPAN on a hair metal forum a few months later. So I guess technically X was my introduction to VK, although L'Arc was very much my first love and the band that really dragged me into J-rock in general.

[chocobuzz 752]

SuG introduced me to vkei/jrock and Mediena was the one that finally dragged me so deep into this hellhole I can't get out anymore

[Ada Suilen 652]

The first band I've ever listened was DuelJewel (thanks to a YT suggestion), but The GazettE brought me to this scene, and I will be grateful with them forever!

[riyusama 79]

I got into VK thanks to the anime Red Garden lol their first ending song was Rock with the LM.C by LM.C it was hella good and tbh, LM.C was the one who made me venture more into the fandom. SCREW was the one who solidified my stay into VK though XD and even till now I follow the previous members of that band, like KHRYST+ and ARTiCLEAR (altho not big on this one).

 

Sadly don't follow LM.C anymore but, will be eternally grateful to them for paving the way for me to enter the Visual Kei world XD

[monkeybanana4 1732]

For VK, I first listened to bands like Nightmare, Merry, and Kagerou before being introduced to An Cafe. Although, it was Alice Nine that had gotten me into the scene. I don't listen to them as much as I used to, but they hold a special place among VK bands since they showed me the way into the scene, lol. 

 

For Jrock, I want to say it's L'Arc En Ciel, The Pillows, and Porno Graffiti (do they count?).

[suji 8317]

I think Gackt and Malice Mizer were my first exposure to vk (although I didn't really appreciate MM back then like I should've), and then I went on to listen to bands like Metis Gretel, Megaromania, and Versailles which paved my way into vk completely.

 

It's funny how my musical taste has changed since then xD

 

edit: Now that everyone's mentioning it, Nightmare was kinda my gateway to vk/jrock, along with Uverworld (who have done a bunch of OPs for anime that I watched back then) but of course I haven't cared about them ever since lol

[sleepy coffee 1476]

Dir en grey a long ass time ago for both tbh

[CAT5 9075]

I initially came into Japanese music through anison/soundtracks and JPOP.  But it was L'arc-en-ciel and HYDE around 2004/2005-ish that really spearheaded my descent into J-rock in general. They were still in the pop/mainstream/accessible realm, so it wasn't a huge divergence for me.

 

Visual Kei, on the other hand, was a bit more difficult for me to crack into, as I hadn't had much exposure to "darker" or "heavier" music at the time. But more than that, the general vocal styles that I'd been exposed to initially (DIR EN GREY, Gazette, 12012, and others i forget) were pretty much the antithesis of what I appreciated in vocalists. I just couldn't wrap my head around it (altho i've grown to appreciate and enjoy some of these styles over time). It was RENTRER EN SOI and D'espairsRay who i'd credit with getting me into the VK scene (for as much as one could say that I was actually "into the scene" haha). This was in the span of late 2005/early 2006.

 

Around mid to late 2007 is when I first began delving into the J-indie scene through bands like Ling Tosite Sigure, 9mm Parabellum Bullet, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, and Lostage...

[BrenGun 2261]

Well...

actually I won't call out any visual kei band....

 

Of course I got in because of Gackt, dir en grey, pierrot, janne da arc, rice, raphael...

Yet I gonna go more back...

 

I've no freaking clue how all artist are called,

 

But there isn't just 1 or 2 artist who took me to the world of visual kei, nope

 

 

When I discovered anime on German TV and when internet was introduced to people homes, (Yes kids, it was something brand new)

I started to download anime opening songs...

From that I went to manga/anime forums and a j-pop forum. and on that j-pop forum I also discovered J-rock and Visual Kei.

A few people shared music from dir en grey, gackt, janne da arc, rice, raphael, etc.

However sadly that forum isn't around under us and nobody here seems to know that j-pop forum which was surely the biggest Japanese sound source forum before TW/MH.

 

 

So after all, I just thank the jpop artist for getting me on that forum to discover a bunch of jrock/visual kei artists.

And of course thank you anime  

[Alsdead14 191]

Nightmare was the band that brought me to the VK scene. I was looking up for percings ( I wanted one at the time) and found a picture of Hitsugi on google. Then I learned he was in a band called Nightmare and decided to check it out, and I loved it. It was back in 2006, my first song was Akane. I checked the comments on that video on youtube and found out about Dir en grey which became one of my favorite band then I discovered the GazettE. I downloaded lots and lots of stuff between 2006-2010. I remember using the college's wi-fi to download on brasilian blogs haha. As for J-rock it was One Ok Rock, back when they actually made rock music, in 2010. 

Edited March 11, 2019 by Alsdead14

[yomii 834]

19 minutes ago, Alsdead14 said:

Nightmare was the band that brought me to the VK scene. I was looking up for percings ( I wanted one at the time) and found a picture of Hitsugi on google. Then I learned he was in a band called Nightmare and decided to check it out, and I loved it. It was back in 2006, my first song was Akane. I checked the comments on that video on youtube and found out about Dir en grey which became one of my favorite band then I discovered the GazettE. I downloaded lots and lots of stuff between 2006-2010. I remember using the college's wi-fi to download on brasilian blogs haha. As for J-rock it was One Ok Rock, back when they actually made rock music, in 2010. 

omg akane and brazilian blogs are literally my youth

 

my first band was alice nine. the funny thing is that i got to know them accidentally: i was searching naruto's akatsuki amv on youtube and instead of that watched alice nine's pv lol. since then i got totally absorbed by vk fantasy and never watched naruto again...

 

Edited March 11, 2019 by yomii

[Triangle 345]

1 hour ago, CAT5 said:

I initially came into Japanese music through anison/soundtracks and JPOP.  But it was L'arc-en-ciel and HYDE around 2004/2005-ish that really spearheaded my descent into J-rock in general. 

 

Retweet, double click yes yes yes! I still get emotional when "Link" comes in.

 

I think the ones who actually made me look into v-kei were Nightmare (Death Note was my shit when I was a kid XD). And then, Miyavi (with his dope ass guitar and his smile, yeah I had quite a type when I was younger haha) came in and rocked my world.

But, probably the ones who actually coined in my head the term "visual kei" were An Cafe. 

 

In other words, Kaname caused this mess to happen, I am ready to sue.

[Miku70 214]

I got to VK by animes and I discover GACKT, I don't like it.

And I were  10 or 11 years old , I listen The GazettE , because my little sister like them in this time and I don't like them until 2010 🤣. I discover  Miyavi, SuG and LM. c to.

 

My  really first band is An Cafe, and I discover them to read a rock magazine of my sister during the time the old computer start .  This computer is really slow.

This band represent many important things on my personnal life.

[colorful人生 2777]

While much of my interest in J-genres were founded on VGM, early-to-mid 00's internet, and anime via CTN/Toonami (shoutouts to the now defunct "Toonami Jetstream"), it wasn't until the YouTube + Google Videos era ('06+'07) where I really discovered bands. Got into indies bands in '08 and '09 w/ bands like Cold Kitchen and OCEANLANE. It was initially hard to get into Visual Kei ('09~'10) b/c it honestly weirded me out. It wasn't that long ago (in the US) when homophobia was the norm and any semblance of makeup was considered "gay" (esp. in the south w/ like 90% devout Christian friends), and I had that shared perspective. It didn't take long to embrace the genre, and it helped me come into my own (and formulate my own opinions) in my teenage years. 

 

J-rock:

No Regret Life - Sign

UVERworld - Timeless 

Janne da Arc - ダイヤモンドヴァージン (Diamond Virgin)

One Ok Rock - 感情エフェクト (I started with "Beam of Light", but I vastly preferred Kanjou Effect)

Crossfaith - The Artificial Theory For The Dramatic Beauty

 

Visual Kei:

ギルガメッシュ(Girugamesh) - Girugamesh (self-titled)

シド (SID) - 星の都

Royz - eve:r

xTRiPx -  [-Re:evolutioN-] + Siesta

vistlip - Strawberry Butterfly

ユナイト (UNiTE.)- ミドルノート

Edited March 11, 2019 by colorfuljinsei

[seikun 317]

PIERROT, Noir fleurir, Baiser were the main bands for me. I was already exposed to Japanese music and Visual Kei years back but that very moment when I was totally conquered by the music was in 2005 when I listened to Noir fleurir's Omocha no MIISHA and Baiser's Flora and I fell in love with these songs, this kind of music and the aura around Visual Kei bands instantly.

 

Some may now understand why I'm frustrated with the current scene.

Edited March 11, 2019 by seikun

[Ozileras10 371]

SID! It was the first Jrock band I heard. From them I learned about Vk even though they weren’t a vk band at that time and then I got into Vk properly from The GazettE. I don’t listen to SID that much nowadays but they have a special place in my heart for introducing me to the gem that vk is.

[Doesn'tEvenGoHere 121]

I was introduced to Jrock by L'arc en Ciel and their shit ton of anime openings. But I only dabbled in Jrock and was much more into Jpop (in my defense I was only 12/13) until I listened to The Gazette. The Gazette were the band that really got me into it all. My favorite band is now Nightmare, but I also still stan the gazette.

[merchenticneurosis 441]

Hmm.

 

Dir en grey was the start of everything at age 13.

After that it's all been a downhill:

 

Occasional obsessions between the years:

 

愛狂います

キス＆ネイト

新興宗教楽団NoGoD

random vk bands i thought were cool because of photoshop

 

After ventured in to the abyss nowadays i "pretty much only" listen to kote-kei, or bands with a "darker atmosphere".

 

All-time faves/highlights that will never-die:

 

Madeth gray'll, 弥叉, AZALEA, Lamina, Sugar Folkfull, Saruin, Metis Gretel, CANARY, Madieduor/Vallquar, Dollis Marry, NEGA, パニックちゃんねる, Marderayla, early Merry,  Marusa, Hannya, Kagerou, early 12012, everything HIRO ever did: Visage, gossip, Varyll, not sure about Verxina (sorry!), VanessA, SCISSOR, Ru:natic, Puppet Mammy, Misery, MADARA, GULLET, GHOST and the list goes on...

[NICKT 147]

Gackt's songs in Dirge of Cerberus got me to notice Japanese music as a whole, whilst trying to find more music by him I came across a lot of visual-kei blogspots, I grew fond of bands like lynch. and DEATHGAZE very quickly.

When I moved back to my home town several years ago, I decided to branch out my music tastes from just visual stuff, there was a topic posted here that was about introductions to non-visual rock groups and I found one ok rock and man with a mission.

(Gackt also took me to Kamen Rider, one of the opening themes was by Shonan no Kaze, they had a song with Salu and he had done a song with Ken the 390 and T-Pablow which ended up with me bingeing on Bad-Hop and Aklo for almost a month straight.)

It's all connected...

[-Tetsu- 379]

for me it was Nightmare when I stumbled over Death Note and their opening and ending was the first thing that caught my attention so I've looked them up. Gotta say that Hitsugi is still pretty much my inspiration and his looks were my goals all along. Sadly somehow lost completely the motivation to check on the newest stuff by them and I've most probably missed all their last releases 🤷‍♀️

the Gazette followed soon after but not following them anymore since ... uh, DIM I guess and sold all my stuff I had by them haha.
I don't know much about the bands that came after those two but there were a lot at the same time ... Dir en grey (don't listen to them any more and gave all my stuff to my mom because she loves them lol), DEATHGAZE, UnsraW, Miyavi and (shame on me) An Cafe definitely were under the first bands I've listened to.

for non vk bands it was Crossfaith back in 2012 when they came to Germany for the first time. We were like 20 people max at that concert but damn, it was goddamn awesome and I've only missed one of their tours so far. But tbh, I have no clue which bands followed, they were just ... there one day.