Best J-rock Albums 2010 - 2020!!!

[CAT5 9075]

A decade ended, and a new one began this year. I don't think we've had this convo yet, so what are yall favorite J-rock albums from the decade of 2010 to 2020?

 

You can list your favorites, and you can also list albums that you simply think stand out or are at least worth a listen for J-rock fans in general.

 

I need to think on this, so i'll come back and share my favs/best later.

 

 

[zaa_zaa 208]

D.I.D - Paranoid Personality

Dimlim - Chedoara

D.I.D - Providentia

Nazare - Jingai

Nocturnal Bloodlust - Best of

Biosphia - Best Selection

ClearVeil - Anthology

The Black Swan - Ousia

CodeRebirth - Catharsis

Delacroix - Re:Do

Dezert - Kanbai Ongen-shuu - Zantei-teki Okaruto Shuukanshi ② -

The Gallo - Diavolo

The Gallo - Lucifero

The Gallo - Nero

Kuroyuri to Kage - Hinikuna Tane no Hikutsuna Me

Lynch - Best of

Rands - Kyuu Aizu

[nekkichi 6043]

Angelo - Psyche + their upcoming one is one of my most anticipated 2020 albums

Duel Jewel - Story

Mylene Farmer - Désobéissance

Labaiser - Folklore

Femme Fatale - Arcana

Lycaon - Camera Obscura

Under Fall Justice - 恨みに怨み

Unsraw - Guilty

Penicillin - Lunatic Lover

Matenrou Opera - Helios

Dexcore - METEMPSYCHOSIS

D.I.D. - Providentia (2)

Missa - 七つの大罪

Diaura - VERSUS

Articlear - 黎明期の夢

Soan project feat. Akuta - all 3 minis for good skin idk

[Jigsaw9 6783]

Some cool ones that come to mind:

 

- anything by 88kasyo junrei: These guys have been such a trip all the time, hard to choose a release. I'm just glad they exist.

- BUCK-TICK - Arui wa Anarchy: A very strong and playful album after being so long in the game. No choice but to stan.

- cali-gari makes it hard to just choose one, as I'm really fond of both their albums 11 and 13. Crazy/weird/beautiful stuff.

- Chemical Pictures - Sekai wo utta otoko: Yeah, it's a compilation of singles but wow! Creative juices and catchiness overflow.

- DIR EN GREY - DUM SPIRO SPERO: Can't forget this ridiculously monolithic album. DEG goes ham on the avantgyarudo vibes.

- Grieva - Oni to kage / Shuuen: Speaking of DEG... ;D When thinking of full albums in recent vk, I can't go without these two.

- KYOKUTOU GIRL FRIEND - Katte ni shiyagare: One of my most-played albums. A+ punky songs presented in A+ arrangements.

- MUNIMUNI - MAGICAL MOONIES: Another one in heavy rotation. The songs, the sound, the gloom, everything works.

- Psysalia Psysalis Psyche - #7: I know, it's more like a singles collection, but damn. Insanely catchy indie-rock, miss them so much.

- SPEECIES - SOVILLETTA / SEXIVIA: Always fun times with these two records. There's just something irresistible in their style.

- Vior gloire - Gloomy and wakeful night: Possibly in the top 5 of best indies-vk albums of the past decade. 'nuff said.

 

I probably missed a few other greats, but right now these are all I could think of.

[Cantavanda 141]

X JAPAN - VANISHING VISION

[Rize 1593]

I'll write down what comes into my mind.

 

Full albums/Mini-Albums

• MEJIBRAY - Slivers.exe

• NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST - ivy

• Signal - CHAIN

• DIV - Secret

• LOST ASH - LOST ASH

• BIOSPHIA - BIOSPHIA -Best selection-

• ALSDEAD - Separator

• Ayabie - 彩冷える-ayabie- 

• Lustknot. - Deeds, not words

• Shounenki 少年記 - Timeless

• Called≠Plan - BLAST BEAT BEST

• v[neu] - Restless

• girugamesh - MONSTER

• Versailles - Holy Grail

• Royz - Tears

• DIAURA - Genesis

• Kameleo (カメレオ) - Now! (なう!)

• BORN - Vigour

• NEGA - NEGAVITISM

• HAKLO - This is HAKLO#2

• MEME - 虚空を満たすエーテル

• ViViD - THE PENDULUM

• ARLEQUIN アルルカン - ニア・イコール

 

Guess mainly these are all old-releases haha

I still listen to these albums even now  

 

 

Edited November 12, 2020 by Linh-san

[Manabu 144]

TL:DR Version
Acidman - Alma
Alice Nine - Gemini
Baroque - Puer et Puella
Chanty - Chantyの世界へようこそ
Develop One's Faculties - Reincarnation
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - All that we have now
Matenrou Opera - Avalon
Radwimps - Zettai Zetsumei 

 

Honourable Mentions
Amazarashi - ワンルーム叙事詩
Miyavi - What's My Name?
Shounenki - Any EP/Mini Album

 

Spoiler

Heidi - Alpha
I feel I could put this on the list for the last track 'Kanata' alone because of how good it is,  I'm sure I've heard the verse guitar riff somewhere before but the way the drum and bass hit with it and the explosive chorus and the guitar solo. This felt like a refinement of Heidi's sound and the band at their best, catchy guitar riffs, funkybasslines, interesting rhythmic sections and switch ups, a guitarist that looks like Plastic Tree's Ryutaro.

Baroque - Puer et Puella
Potential controversial choice? I know this was a real mixed bag especially compared to their older stuff (sug life is still a banger) and whilst songs like 'Girl' are definitely on the pop side this is still a well written album and credit to the group for not only trying something new but completely owning it,  the guitar work in this is high quality and a lot of the time takes the center stage.
Damn, they even have a song with dog bark samples and it still sounds excellent. An extension of planetary secret, it still has someof those space elements like the synths but they've been refined and toned down, there are some well executed ideas running throughout.

 

 

Develop One's Faculties - Reincarnation
Another tough choice, the second album has the better singles but reincarnation is consistently good through out the entire album. The slap and pop guitar, the impeccable drum work, Yuuya's vocal display (the passionate shouting at the end of insert memory is worth hearing)
Every song felt massively different to the others whilst the group maintained their unique sound, from the heartfelt bouncey ballad of 'Ettad' to
the heavier Donald Trump prediction 'It is what it is' and jazzy ネガティブベイビー. This is an album brimming with energy, every moment feels like they've tried to make it interesting without becoming obnoxious, I can't do this album justice in  words.

 

Alice Nine - Gemini
Still a great record, whilst I liked Alpha Gemini feels like where the band should've gone after zekkeishoku. An album that's great the entire way through, each song sounding different except for the great ideas behind the gemini trilogy and honestly such good guitar work throughout the whole album.

 

Radwimps - Zettai Zetsumei 
This easily could've gone to Batsu to Maru to Tsumi to but Zettai Zetsumei has some really memorable songs as well as some nice ideas that generally are pulled off pretty well and in my opinion this was when they really started gaining popularity and came in to their own sound.

 

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - All that we have now
A very marmite group with the autotune vocals but I've always felt their keyboardist Minami is genuinely talented, they definitely lost their way
later on but the first two albums are a masterclass in the electronicore genre. This really could've gone to either album but I felt all that we have now pushed the boat out just the right amount with experimentation, some complex electronic parts, never went overboard with the heavier elements, a solid release.

 

Chanty - Chantyの世界へようこそ
Wow, what a great first album, this had me hooked straight away even if the singles were some of the weakest tracks from the album, this felt like a breath
of fresh air with a style closer to J-Indie. The singles honestly sound entirely different to the rest of the album but tracks like monorium and フライト capture a rarely seen lighter sound in visual kei. Another release where it felt like the band were really in sync with each other, Akuta had great vocal prowess, パセリ offered the bass and guitars at one of their best parts without being distracting. Whilst it could be argued the group played it safe with this release (especially considering some of their earlier material) it was a good choice with just enough flair.

 

Matenrou Opera - Avalon
Anomie was great but a bit too early for this list I can't say I've listened to an awful lot of MO after this album but this it had such a perfect blend, great choice of keyboard sounds, all the parts share the lead moments well. Some fantastic vocal displays here, from the high pitch cracks at the end of notes to the powerful vibrato and belting out of notes. Even the worst songs like San Jikan still have some really good ideas.Jolly Roger, a track so epic that I can look past the cheesy lyrics, Cross Counter, another fantastic track that even though he very clearly says "sh*t like you just don't care" instead of shout it's still fantastic.

 

Acidman - Alma
This was a tough call because whilst this album is good as a whole unit, shinsekai has one of their best and most passionate singles. This album has a great mix with a lot of the more rock and punk elements, more interesting pieces like final dance scene and the classic heart warming Alma, everything is well executed.

 

Honourable mentions
Shounenki - Any EP/Mini Album
This may seem like cheating but I couldn't not put them on here, they always had great songs but notable issues, akashic had the likes of artlessness boy but was marred but awful production, they struggled to ever release a full album of new songs. They had a lot of different styles and a very scattered discography which was arguably their crux but that doesn't change the fact they really could put out some well written tunes with such a unique vocalist.

 

Amazarashi - ワンルーム叙事詩
InB4 Boku No Hero Academia, this is a great EP that's a lot brighter than most of his stuff, it's the kind of EP you listen back to and think every song would
be on the greatest hits, I've always felt it has a certain winter feel to it (partially because of it's release date and when it got uploaded) A nice mix of acoustic guitar, piano accompaniment, soaring vocals, moving pieces as well some more relaxed moments.

 

Miyavi - What's My Name?
Oh Miyavi, you tried to sellout twice and failed both times but here you are on my list. In my opinion the last great Miyavi album, an entirely new experience with a more minimalist approach, it felt raw but so big with it's focus on mostly a single guitar and drums, admittely it's not as goodas his earlier works but by limiting himself it really brought more focus on his guitar work, sadly the limitation did leave a few songs feel a bit empty.

 

[violetchain 912]

Good Morning America's "Mirai e no Spiral" album is always one of the first ones to come to mind for me when this topic comes up. It's one of the few releases I can think of where I can look at the tracklist and remember exactly what every song sounds like. It's just so solid from start to finish.

 

 

Also,

Suck a Stew Dry - Loveless Letter

Frederic - OWARASE NIGHT

AA= - #4 (Technically it's two albums called # and 4, but I still can't decide which one I like better, so...)

LEGO BIG MORL - NEW WORLD

BALZAC - Blackout

Edited November 29, 2020 by violetchain

[123Sandman321 377]

D.I.D. - Providentia (3)

 

 

THE BLACK SWAN - OUSIA

CodeRebirth - CATHARSIS

Codomo Dragon - Gekokujou.

DELACROIX - Re:do

DEZERT - TODAY

DIMLIM - CHEDOARA

FIXER - FIXER I

GHOSE - Chigirie

JILUKA - XANADU

Kuroyuri to Kage - Hinikuna Tane no Hikutsuna Me

lynch. - D.A.R.K. In the Name of Evil

RAZOR - Okite

the GazettE - DOGMA

 

 

If I ever find the time, imma add my thoughts on all of them

Edited November 12, 2020 by 123Sandman321

[Paraph 826]

DIAURA - VERSUS

Kagrra, - 百鬼絢爛
Vidoll - Monad
Vior gloire - Gloomy and wakeful night
12012 - SEVEN
amber gris - AROUND CHILDREN
emmuree - lightless

Moi dix Mois - D+SECT
umbrella - ダーウィン
Matenrou Opera - Human Dignity
Lycaon - MASOCHIST RED CIRCUS
VELVET EDEN - Double Twelve
VELVET EDEN - blanc et noir

Edited November 13, 2020 by Paraph

[Anne Claire 392]

I haven't listened to a lot of Japanese artists as of late but the releases that i remember that stood out to me are:

…。【サイレンス】– psycho:lens (i just love the hell out of this album, it's sooo damn good)
Boris – Dear (i like it, enough said   still have yet to catch up with their more recent releases though)
385 – 脳みそあらおう (because how can i not mention anything by my bass queen MIYA here, like c'mon)
Snarekillsnation – Bisui (one of the best experimental albums that i've ever heard imo)
emmurée –  EMMURÉE (out of all the albums they released over the past decade, i enjoyed this one the most but the other albums are great too)
cali≠gari - 14 (enjoyed this album much more than 13 tbh)
sans visage – moments (a must listen if you want to get into japanese emo/screamo scene)
skillkills – The Shape of Dope to Come (well, i could've picked any other record by this hip-hop trio ngl but i like this album the most, so... yeah)
downy – 第5作品集『無題』(their best record of the 2010s imo)
arai tasuku – Alice (i think this album is a perfect start if you want to get into j-ambient stuff)
Melt-Banana – Fetch (at this point i would consider this album a must listen classic ngl)
Hiromi Uehara – Spark (Fantastic jazz record)
八十八ヶ所巡礼 (88kasyo Junrei) – i literally could pick any record of theirs 'cuz all of them are just that good but let's go with 凍狂, i guess.

[Furik 832]

YES! This past decade has been my FAVORITE! For real. 2000-2010 was much fun but I felt like I enjoyed this decade the most. And this was probably the "golden era" for me where artists were in their prime musically and a lot of new artists came out of nowhere and made good impressions. So, here's my list in alphabetic order. Bold releases are my ultimate favorite of the decade. I picked five.

 

-OZ- - ROUGE

12012 - Self-Titled

12012 - DEICIDA OF SILENCE

9GOATS BLACK OUT - TANATOS

ALSDEAD - Separator

ALSDEAD - IDEA

DEATHGAZE - BLISS OUT

DIMLIM - MISC. (hate me all you want)

DEXCORE - 月9コア (ゲツクコア)

DEXCORE - [METEMPSYCHOSIS.] (Disc 2)

DIR EN GREY - ARCHE

EAT YOU ALIVE - The world is mine

Fear, and loathing in Las Vegas - PHASE 2

the GazettE - TOXIC

the GazettE - DOGMA

girugamesh - Gravitation

kannivalism - helios.

LACK-CO. - 離脱る (Both A and

Lycaon - Royal Order

lynch. - I BELIEVE IN ME

lynch. - EXODUS EP

MEJIBRAY - THE" 420 "THEATRICAL ROSES

My BACTERIA HEAT IsLAND - 日進月歩

My BACTERIA HEAT IsLAND - 青空ギロチン

NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST - GRIMOIRE

NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST - ZēTēS

Sadie - COLD BLOOD

UNiTE. - STARTiNG OVER'S

XodiacK - 神羅万象 -摂理-

[Axius 2019]

OH boy where do i begin with this. the 2010's era is basically my favorite era of music. For v-kei in particular my favorite era had to be 2010-2013. Amazing stuff came out during these two years. In 2012, Diaura made genesis, awoi made Aoi the second, D.I.D. created there first album, Zin. formed, Xepher formed, versailles was still a thing, susaku was still around, signal created chain and undertake, Sel'm, screw, sadie, lustknot,III-Ligro, Greiva, delacroix, And essectric agent, The 3rd brithday, scarlett, cemical pictures, crazy shampoo, alsdead, nega, oz,  was still around, Mejibray made sasidgate, D - made Danzai no gunner, Codomo dragon was just starting out.  That is just that year alone there is soo much to type but Starting with first album for this list is my favorite album.

 

Note: There is no set order to this list.

 

 

Favorite albums:

1. Awoi - Aoi~The second~ 

This album is amazing to me no matter how many times i listen to this i never get tired of it. I usually go to this album if im upset or if im in the mood for awoi. Each song has a unique vibe to it. Deep screams and melodic transitions amaze me every time. I cant think of a song i dislike in this album at all not even a little bit.  

 

2. Awoi - Best CD 

This is a compilation album of course. All the works that are just has good as Aoi~The second~  some better then others. For disc 1 all the A side tracks in this are very good and deserve there place on this album. My thought for this album are similar to aoi the second. There is a bit more hardcore songs on the 2nd CD which is always welcome. I love the way they compiled this list they include remasters from live favorites, hardcore screams and melodic tunes. They got you covered in almost every way. Its all amazing. Only songs i feel like they should of added was: フェル, 深き胎動,  水鏡 , アンブレラ. Specifically  水鏡 , アンブレラ are so good they deserve remasters. I dont understand why they didnt. Overall amazing album. 

 

3. Sadie - Decade (Limited ed.)

This is a 4 CD album. So ill just comment on the band overall. This CD hits a lot of good songs sadie has to offer. From old ones like Meisai which they remastered to 

雪月花. This band does a amazing breakdowns and riffs that make this band worth it. Some of this album sucks like the songs to put on here from Gangsta but most of this album is worth a listen. 

 

4. Mejibray SM # 1 (2nd press) 

Why second press you may ask. Well you hear the bass slap a bit better i just love Koichi. He bass riff are just amazing. Also this album just takes me back to the old memories. The days when i had a crappy 500 mb ipod and listened to mejibray in crappy 128 kbps with 2nd gen ipod headphones >.<. These songs will remain a special place in my heart. There not a single song that i dislike on this tracklist. 

 

5. Born - Independance Black (Limited ed.) 

This band oh god this band. Why did you leave Kufumi whyyyy 😥. They were soo freaking good. After the Vigor album everything just slowly went down hill. Anyway off topic. This album complies the best songs they have made with all the good old songs from the AHM album and a release from renny amy. I think rasen is new but either way. I love that this band mixed the old works into this masterpiece of an album. I didn't realize in the singles they slowly threw in remasters of some of there songs from AHM. These were so good Chemical Romance,  Innocent Bullet, Rotten cherry, White harmony, Innocent Bullet they should have threw in 涙彩の花 that would have made it complete. This band mixed aggressive vocals with amazing riffs and made it work over time. Independence Black shows of there talent very well. 

 

6. DADAROMA - スタンチク 

You know i didn't think id put dadaroma on here but i did. This album was good it gave us all the good songs from dadaism 1 and just said we are going to make an album that just kicks out a lot of bass and awesomeness. Two songs i dislike: トレンドアイデンティティ, ベルカとストレルカ(Re recording Ver.) The first one uses way too much mono tuning and a bit chaotic. Lastly, the original  ベルカとストレルカ was better whyyyy you do dis. They basically removed the low screams replaced it with high screams and just the execution of the original is better. His hardcore and meldoic vocals are amazing. Also includes one of the best drummers who left this band RIP*

 

7. BLESSCODE - BLESS YOU -Complete best-

There isnt a single song i dislike from this album. This mans vocal range is amazing as well. Dispite this band not having much screams it really has a lot of catchy songs that get stuck in my head. Mix this with techno and riffs that are memorable. Imperial City has to be my favorite but then again there are so many to chose from. 

 

8. Jigsaw - Day of Showing the Same Number

This band is so unique. The instrumental stops they do are addicting. The anticipation of unique vocals this singer interesting. He has like 2-3 different screams and like changes his voice in weird way. Its really cool. These songs are also pretty catchy and memorable. (Sorry for my bad descriptions its hard to explain i did my best lol)

 

9. Diaura - Incomplete

This band has show time and time again one of the best deep vocalist and unique styles that ive seen. This compilation is really one of the best representations of that. Some of their remasters of their works are amazing some not as much but still good.  This really album shows what this band did before and brings that to life. I just which they put メビウスリング on this album and remastered it.  

 

 

10. Nocturnal Bloodlust - Best album

What is there not to like.

 

 

Theres a lot of honerable mentions because theirs a lot of stuff i wanted to fit on here that are amazing too. 

 

Honorable mentions:

REVIVE - 人身 供 儀

Ive recently got into this band. I feel as tho they are underrated. I picked this album up not liking it at first but as i started to listen more it became one of my favorite mini albums. The ancient Egypt vibe i get from this mini is amazing. Combine that with catch bass riffs and amazing vocals done by haru. His vocal range amazes me. I cant wait to see their next release they teased it with Mummy and SacRiFice -サクリファイス-. (I still want to hear that goddanm album they have 😤)

 

R指定 - 死海文書

I WANT TO BE IN A LIVE WITH THIS SONG PLAYING 予言. The vibe this song gives goodness.  When i first heard this song i was like i have to get this album no freaking way. This era of R-指定 i loved a lot they have a lot of good stuff. The melody of this album gives most for there new songs on here are just stunning. Most of this album is a compilation of some of there works from 2016-2018. I feel as tho this album brings out the voice more and makes it stand out. He also gotten just slightly better at making melodic songs. 

 

Fixer - ER's

This album really complies the best from fixer from both the 1st album and the 2nd and more. Im so mad the old drummer left this band. 

 

Lustknot - Deeds not words

This singer deserves a metal for his vocals. He has such a beautiful gift of a voice. Mix that with the change up's this band does. They also throw in a few catchy songs in here too. 

 

Libravel - Tsuioku

Ex-guitarist of avanchick deserve this love. Him and sou make a good duel guitarist for this band making this album really stand out over your typical music. The techno and syth they use for this mini is amazing. Who ever mixed and mastered this did a good job. (Now time to figure out where the bassist went. 

 

 

 

 

 

[JukaForever 758]

Coincidentally this makes 10 years of listening to J-Rock for me. In no particular order of greatest just that they all get replayed a lot during their time:

• VII-Sense - The Reminiscence of War
  • All the other ones in the list will be true albums but I am starting with this because Juka is Forever. It is just 5 songs but I think all 5 songs are great and probably best represents what Juka could have sounded like in a VK band in which he has proper input in the direction of a band.
• Kamijo - Symphony of the Vampire
  • This is the first album that I have heard that is just so coherent. Most of the songs literally blends in one after another. Kamijo does more of this with Sang but this was the first one where I actually replayed it a lot just for this factor.
• Versailles - Holy Grail
  • This is the first album in which Kamijo has the most natural tone to his voice and I loved very song sung in the album with it.
• Calmando Qual - Black Sheep
  • This album perfectly blends good and dark vibes. This is also the cleanest the band sounds in production quality.
• Sel'm - Illegal other side
  • The most chuggy of a band I will listen to but this one is perfectly in balance throughout the entire album.
• yazzmad – picturesque
  • This band is my favourite for easy listening sessions and this album is chock full of songs like it.
• absentmindedness - absentmindedness, 2700マイルの恋人, 「SHE」
  • All three have the same quality. If I were to describe their main sound, it is like a fast paced shoegaze, super easy to space out and still have your auditory senses stimulated.
• Cyntia - Lady Made
  • Just good ole Shoujo metal IMO but really the song compositions are just so good compared to most other all-female metal bands.
• Destrose – Destrose
  • Every song is dope in this album, IMO this is Marina’s best vocal work and also the best all-female metal band album
• FLiP – 未知evolution, XX Emotion, LOVE TOXiCiTY
  • Had to re-listen to these girls, they have a sizable discog and I tend to randomize all their songs in a playlist. After replaying them, it is quite clear that all of their albums are all the same quality of a banger.
• DOLL$BOXX - Dolls Apartment
  • IMO Fuki's best work overall in vocals, every track just bangs.
• Gacharic Spin - Delicious
  • Back to back with Dolls Apartment, the combo was insane at that time. While the band has released another 3 equally great albums, this is the album that confirmed that they were the shit.
• SCANDAL - Temptation Box
  • Release right at 2010. Loved this album, I prefer the "youthful" sound of this era compared to what they have now. I played the shit out of their first 3 albums.
• Syu – Vorvados
  • Galneryus tend to have a distinct sound due to the combination of keyboards and Syu’s guitar work. This album is probably what a Syu band would sound like without keyboards in every song. Except for the ballads all the songs have a harder edge to them.
• Galneryus – Resurrection
  • This album just had a sense of an inspired comeback to it and it is also their first album with a new singer that completely changed how they would sound in the following years
• Anthem – Heraldic Device, Burning Oath, Absolute World
  • All 3 albums are equally great 80’s heavy metal in the 2010’s

[Tanishi 598]

Develop One's Faculties - Reincarnation

  -  sounded fresher than anything else vk at the time and still sounds fresh today.

DEG - Dum Spiro Spero

  -  not as good as Uroboros but the highs of this album (about half of it) are great.

DIAURA - Incomplete

  -  has most their best songs and Yo-ka's vocals sound super smooth. Cool mixture of old school and new school sound.

Dimlim - Chedoara

  -  the pv tracks are still the best but it's all good.

gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy - Fujouri Shugeki and In incontinence

  -  experienced old man musicians at the top of their game. Hard to pick one out of these two albums.

IX NINE - NIRDVANDVA

  -  mainly the first disc. Nice blend of metal, electronic, and sadboi atmospheric stuff.

The Gallo - Diavolo and Lucifero

  -  the vibration of Jojo's vocals is really addictive to listen to and the music is really catchy but never gets old. I blasted these two albums everyday for ages.

Tokusatsu - 5 Nengo no Sekai

  -  Ootsuki Kenji at his best. Has the Sayonara Zetsubou Sensei openings and a bunch of other really great songs.

Wowaka - Unhappy Refrain

  -  mathy vocaloid rock. RIP.

 

Special Mention:

 - llll ligro - Tomurai: the 17 minutes of this that got released before it died was super good. RIP.

 

Honorable mentions:

- AINS stuff (Grieva, Kuroyuri to Kage, Gossip, Diaura): nearly everything off this label up to 2018 was really good.

- D.I.D - Providentia

- Kiryu - Mugen Hoyou and Shuka Ensen

- The god and death star's stuff

[Takadanobabaalien 3607]

I figured it'd be difficult to make a complete list that I will actually like, so here's the first releases that comes to mind:

 

Grieva - Shuuen

Grieva - Oni to kage

Kuroyuri to kage - Hinikuna tane no hikutsuna me

Gossip - Demodori kichiku saiko yarou (saihan)

Arlequin - Near Equal

Dezert - Title Nashi

Lin - Chaotic Resistance

the Gazette - Dogma

Dir en grey - Arche

Diaura - Focus

Matsutake Works - Yowai hitotachi

Diaura - Genesis

Devil Kitty - Mesubuta kaitaishinsho

Avelcain - Avelcain

Vior gloire - Gloomy and wakeful night

Mamireta - Shiin single series

 

Missing a tons, no doubt. This was what I could get from the top of my head in a minute. 

[monkeybanana4 1732]

It's been ten great years of listening to more J-rock/VK! The list was what I could think think of. It's in no particular order.

 

Put it under a spoiler cut since it got a bit long ^^;

 

Spoiler

 

Develop One's Faculties - Reincarnation

Yuya's amazing vocals and the guitars make this a spectacle album worth listening to. It has a variety of songs and you never feel tired of it.

 

Alice Nine - Gemini

The three parts to the Gemini song was a neat take from Alice Nine. It's also got some heavier songs that I wish they would have made more of. King & Queen is a personal favorite of mine.

 

Kagrra, - 百鬼絢爛

The last album they released. It was a good farewell album for the band after being together for more than ten years. Listening to it makes me nostalgic for their music every time.

 

Mejibray - Slivers.exe

Mejibray was known for releasing a ton of works with varying quality, but I think this one still stands the test of time. It's got the popular PV song, Slivers.exe, and shows exactly the talent this band had.

 

XodiacK - 神羅万象-摂理-

Originally checked out this album because of the song, 君に降る絶望の雨. The cheesy, cheap-budget-looking PV drew me in, and the rest is history.

 

Screw - Duality

A drastic change from their previous style, which some may not like as it veers more into the pop rock territory. However, it was one of the first albums I listened to by them, so it has a special place in my music library.

 

Dolly - トロイメライ

A lot of good choices to choose from, but I went with トロイメライ since it's got some of my favorite songs from them. The softer sounds and the vocals work perfectly as with all of Dolly's releases.

 

D=out/Doubt - CARNIVAL浮世

People dislike Kouki's nasally voice, but I like the charm of it (so sue me). I enjoy the combination of songs and the album artwork represents the kind of tone and theme they seemed to be going for in this album.

 

Blood Stain Child - Epsilon

I don't listen to much of BSC, but it was one of their albums I happened to come across. I'm not sure if it's the best or the worst in terms of their discography, but I like to listen to it every now and then.

 

vistlip - Gloster

A difficult one because I love both Gloster and Chronus as Gloster contains heavier songs while Chronus is a nice balance of tracks. However, I decided to go with Gloster since it's the one I have more memories with. But Chronus is definitely another album you don't want to miss!

 

Royz - Tears

It was tough choosing between Revolution to New Age and Tears since both are good releases. But I ended up choosing Tears since it feels even more fleshed out and refined. It also feels like there's more flavor and variety here.

 

9Goats Black Out - Calling

Unfortunately, Thanatos is a little bit early for this topic. But Calling is a fantastic album, and I highly enjoy the vocals and instrumentals. Such a shame they were such a short-lived band.

 

Diaura - Genesis

This was another tough one between Gensis and Incomplete. However, I think I'm going with Genesis because of the overall flow and feeling of the album. I think nostalgia plays a huge part. Incomplete is still a fantastic work, though!

 

Galeyd - Infitium

It doesn't contain their popular song, Precious Heart, but it's the first release from the band and Meku's guitar playing and composition made it unforgettable.

 

Versailles - Holy Grail

A great selection of tracks that makes the album an awesome journey every time I listen to it. Kamijo's vocals here are fantastic as well!

 

Moran - jen:ga

With Hitomi's voice, Shizna's memorable guitar work, and all around flavorful compositions, it's one of my favorite albums. Not to mention it's got a wide variety of songs, making it hard to ever feel worn out after listening to it.

 

和楽器バンド - ボカロ三昧

I wasn't sure if I should include them here seeing as these songs are technically from popular Vocaloid songs and not their own compositions. But the combination of modern rock and traditional Japanese instruments always tickles my soul.

 

Jiluka - B.A.L.U.S.

Tough, but I went with Balus since it's the first release I listened to by them, so I'm quite fond of it. For a great updated sound on their songs, Xanadu is also a great choice!

 

キズ - おしまい

I'm cheating for this one since it's technically only a single, but I think it oozes with Lime's unique voice and qualities that makes the band stand out.

 

DIMLIM - Chedoara

Such stellar talent and shining abilities jammed all into one album. Sho's vocals rock in this release.

 

Slothreat - Allium

I was half-tempted to put down both Allium and Themis since I think they're both equally fantastic. Decided to go with Allium because it made me an instant fan of their works.

 

 

Here were some other ones I thought after compiling the list:

 

the Gazette - Dogma

Sadie - Cold Blood

Fixer - ERs

Razor - Red Invisible

DIV - Secret

Matenrou Opera - Indies Best Collection

Born - Independence Black

 

I probably missed a lot, but these were the ones I could think of.

 

 

 

Edited November 13, 2020 by monkeybanana4

[suji 8317]

MERRY - Beautiful Freaks

MERRY - NOnsenSe MARkeT

Marco - ららら

Marco - 穴二つ

Marco - セイゾンノシルシ (it's a mini-album, but it's fucking good, pls check it out!!)

Ariabl'eyeS - 黎明シンフォニア

GRIEVA - 鬼ト影-オニトカゲ-

Megaromania - Megaromania

Versailles - Jubilee

LIV'ERT - LIV'ERT

Lin - Independent Maze

forCroiX - Grimoire

Labaiser - Folklore

Moi dix Mois - Reprise

Femme Fatale - Arcana

KISAKI PROJECT - 壊 詞 ~an ideal of beauty Desperate~

Virge - Gracia

MARIA'N † ROSA - ROSARY

 

I've been into visual kei for almost 10 years now, goddamn! These are all the releases that came up in my head, I'm sure there's more ;w;

[plastic_rainbow 2162]

well, after doing some digging here's the list i came up with, there were quite a few i had forgotten about. as always, i'm separating vk and j-indie. i surprisingly had a lot of s/t favorites on the j-indie end.

 

9GOATS BLACK OUT - TANATOS

baroque - peur et puella

baroque - sin division

cocklobin - iris

cocklobin - chronus

Dezert - Title Nashi

gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy - In incontinence

the god and death stars - Dawn of the God (all of their albums were great but i prob listened to this one the most)

Kannivalism - helios

kebyou - dokushin

my bacteria heat island - mimic

Plastic Tree - Ammonite

Plastic Tree - Ink

...silence - dreamer dreamer

...silence - psycho lens

 

Asunojokei - A bird in the fault

Asunojokei - Awakening

Behind the Shadow Drops - Harmonic

the dresscodes - s/t

dummy-xD - s/t

for example you sell the sea - s/t

FOX LOCO PHANTOM - garden

FOX LOCO PHANTOM - dare ga tame ni oto wa naru

Ling tosite sigure - still a sigure virgin?

Ling tosite sigure - I'mperfect

THE NOVEMBERS - to (melt into)

THE NOVEMBERS - Rhapsody in Beauty

qujaku - pretty much everything by them

PELICAN FANCLUB - s/t

SHISHAMO - s/t

THE TEENAGE KISSERS - Virgin Field

World's End Girlfriend - Last Waltz

 

edit: whoops, apparently got the year wrong on one of them....

Edited November 15, 2020 by plastic_rainbow

[Yuri 30]

I actually have quite a lot of albums I enjoyed last decade. First which come up on my mind:

 

Dir En Grey - Dum Spiro Spero
Arise In Stability - The future that amnesiac draws
Coldrain - THE REVELATION
Coldrain - The Enemy Inside
Lunetia -ECILA
Reol - 虚構集
girugamesh - Gravitation
「Story of Hope」 - Historia
Unlucky Morpheus - Unfinished
Unlucky Morpheus  - Rebirth Revisited
I Promised Once - New Blood
Serenity in Murder - The Highest of Dystopia
Serenity in Murder - The First Frisson Of The World
Undead Corporation - Flash Back
Undead Corporation - No Antidote
大凶作 - ライブでよくやるやつ
MergingMoon - Kamikakushi
MORRIGAN - Xiss in the Dark
SiM - SEEDS OF HOPE
A Ghost of Flare - Aerials
Messgram - Eternal Craving
Babymetal - Babymetal
Fear From The Hate - Cursed Screamers For All The Frozen Tears
Imaginary Flying Machine - Princess Ghibli
KEEP YOUR HANDs OFF MY GIRL - WAIT & SEE
Head Phones President - Stand in The World
Gyze - Fascinating Violence
Pentagon - WANDERLUST
ストロベリーソングオーケストラ - 月蝕のサーカス

[Hindy Junior 73]

Here's the first releases that comes to mind:

DIAURA - GENENIS
DIAURA - FOCUS
DIAURA - Triangle
MORRIGAN - Tranquilizer
MEJIBRAY - THE '420' THEATRICAL ROSES
Black Gene For the Next Scene - Dance to Rave
Purple Stone - Aka to Ao
The LOTUS - Zoltax
NIGHTMARE - NIGHTMARE
NIGHTMARE - SCUMS 
 

 

[potpourri 24]

9GOATS BLACK OUT - TANATOS (2010)

凛として時雨 - still a Sigure virgin? (2010)

ヴァルナ - COMPLETE (2011)

メメント・モリ - 自虐的洗脳国歌悪趣味表現集ー演目記録ー (2011)

DIR EN GREY - DUM SPIRO SPERO (2011)

Diaura - GENESIS (2012)

愛狂います。- 愛狂います。2006-2012 (2012)

NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST - GRIMOIRE (2013)

DIV - ZERO ONE (2013)

DEZERT - 「タイトルなし」 (2014)

黒百合と影 - 皮肉な種の卑屈な芽。 (2015)

黒百合と影 - 臓器のノゾキ穴。 (2016)

sick2 - ENIACMANIAC (2017)

まみれた - 逝 (2018)

DIMLIM - CHEDOARA (2018)

NAZARE - 荊海 (2018)

−真天地開闢集団−ジグザグ - はじめてのじぐざぐ (2018)

甘い暴力 - 体験盤 (2019)

DIMLIM - MISC. (2020)

[Egnirys cimredopyh 54]

sukekiyo - Immortalis

sukekiyo - Vitium

sukekiyo - Adoratio

sukekiyo - Infinitum (I’m sorry but they are amazing)

Dir en grey - Arche

Dimlim - Chedoara

Creature Creature - Phantoms

Buck-Tick - Atom Miraiha No. 9

9Goats Black Out - Tanatos

12012 - The Swan

 

 

[Bear 1817]

To be quite honest I haven't heard a lot of j-rock/vk albums released in this decade. But I'll give it a shot anyway.

 

Kagrra - Hyakki Kenran

Grieva - Oni to Kage

 

Yeah, I guess that is my top jrock/vk albums of the decade. I do however have a huge list of non-jrock/vk albums that I absolutely love:

 

Sigh - Scenes from Hell

Sigh - In Somniphobia

Sigh - Graveward

Sigh - Heir to Despair

Sabbat - Sabbatrinity

Evil - Rites of Evil

Abigail - The Final Damnation

Fastkill - Bestial Thrashing Bulldozer

Tiger Junkies - Green Tea or Die

Framtid ‎– Defeat Of Civilization

Angus Dei - Ad Portas Serpentium

Birth Ritual - Turn Up the Evil

Parasite - Zankyo

 

 

And that would make it 15 altogether. Mainly albums, with the exception of Angus Dei and Tiger Junkies which are both EPs, and Tiger Junkies is just half Japanese as the other member if American. But that's fine, just because it's too god damned good.

 

Edited December 2, 2020 by Bear

[nekkichi 6043]

On 11/13/2020 at 7:41 PM, suji said:

MERRY - Beautiful Freaks

MERRY - NOnsenSe MARkeT

thank u for repping merry on this list - I couldn't recall a single recent track of them while writing mine, and apparently in the month that passed since no one else did

 

I hope I'll get into some nostalgia re-listening over this winter season.