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Greetings, MH! Another month, another batch of recommended tracks from the amazing ORZ team! Check them out and let us know what you think! (We apologize if some videos aren't available due to region restrictions!) @The Reverend's Pick "Lunar Regret" by BLESS THIS MESS At first blush "Lunar Regret" is just another VK song in a long history of mediocre tracks released by nobody visual kei bands. It's got all the hallmarks: the band playing in a nondescript basement, frilly black jackets, piano in the intro that isn't quite necessary, a drummer consigned to the shadows because he's not actually in the band, random stock footage of things that set a mood but don't really say anything. But then you start to notice the things that make this track a winner: a band with the patience and maturity to let the song breath and introduce elements gradually, the vocalist's unique timbre that makes you think you could actually identify him without the band's name on the screen, the chorus being catchy as hell, the guitarist Kevin Shields-ing a smart guitar solo that doesn't just ape the vocal melody, and the band interacting in natural ways in the video! (Don't get me started on this tangent... why do so many VK bands seem to only acknowledge they're sharing a stage with other people during the prescribed 'this-is-our-fanservice-minute' portion of a show?? I blame Dir en grey) I'm rooting for BLESS THIS MESS to have success and find a wider audience with the backing of their new label home Starwave. This video may have been released slightly too early to be a teaser for an album that doesn't drop until December, but if this is a taste of what's to come I'm excited for their future. Fingers crossed Yanagi stays healthy!! @emmny's Pick "症状4" by SCAPEGOAT "Shoujou (shi)" by SCAPEGOAT Back at it again, our consistency legends SCAPEGOAT are continuing to snatch the wigs firmly off our heads. They've been on a murderous streak for the past three years (*wink*), combining mid-era DIR EN GREY heaviness with Royz-core melodicism. The basis of their sound isn't new, but the band's execution is god-tier, resulting in some of the strongest songs to come out of the scene in the past few years. I had written them off for a while simply because they weren't a superlative band--they weren't 'br00tal', highly technical, virtuosic, challenging, über melodic or with shocking presence. They're a middle of the road band--but they're far from average. "Shoujou shi" is a perfect example of their trademark compositions. Haru's raspy vocals ratchet up the tension, but it never culminates in a screaming match--rather gang shouted, exclaiming 'despair" among his yells. Guitar and bass are simple, laying a firm rhythm while the band's trademark circus-y synth/guitar occupy the lead space. The structure follows like clockwork, from fist bumping riffs, blastbeats and key change to a dazzling chorus; rinse, repeat and topped off with a beautiful vocal solo toward the end. A track this good off another of SCAPE's concept mini-albums has me literally counting down for October when it drops...let's see what other medication the band have prescribed for us. @plastic_rainbow's Pick "Utopia" by Behind the Shadow Drops If you haven't heard yet, Takaakira 'Taka' Goto, the guitarist and composer of post-rock band MONO, released an album titled H a r m o n i c under a new solo project called Behind the Shadow Drops. Being less rock and metal oriented, the album breathes out an ambient and neoclassical soundscape full of melancholy with a tiny glimmer of hope, portraying much of the orchestral side of MONO. There were many remarkable tracks from the album; it was hard to pick just one track to recommend, but of the many standouts, "Utopia" presents a refreshing taste to MONO listeners. Contrary to its title, the track sounds nothing like bliss, rather expressing a desolate and haunting view of the world. The intro leads a trip-hop beat with a blaring noise in the background as an eerie drone seeps in. The guitars lament in a melody and the strings sway in a sad prayer. "Utopia" feels like you're losing your mind slowly when everything has become blurry and deafening, yet it is somehow quite soothing at the same time due to its subtlety. I'm very pleased with this new solo project of Taka and wonder if he will have anything else planned in the near future. @tetsu_sama69's Pick "puzzle" by アルルカン "puzzle" by Arlequin Overall, 2017 has been an extremely solid year for Arlequin and they seem to have no intention of slowing down or releasing anything but pure bangers. Not a trace of overwhelming bloops to be found or predictable br00tal breakdowns. "puzzle" is a sweet refined candy that you can't help but hit the replay button to get another wonderful taste. It's hard to pick out a favorite part of "puzzle" since the composition is so damn top notch and the vocals take the perfection up another level. I'm a major fan of when both guitarists play an amazing solo together, especially since Kuruto and Nao have no issues keeping up with each other to make it shine brilliantly. If you haven't already been charmed by Arlequin, then I highly recommend anything they've released this year since none of it has fallen short. @doombox's Pick's "グラスの底は、夜" by JYOCHO "Glass no soko wa, yoru" by JYOCHO Math rock isn't normally my gig, but every once in a blue moon a song gets a hold on me. "グラスの底は、夜 (Glass no soko wa, yoru)" happened to do it this month and I got sucked into the emotional ebb and flow of the track. There's a wonderful musical contrast JYOCHO has that takes their math-y, complex time signatures and put them across in a very restrained, almost minimal fashion. I can really dig their gentler approach. Maybe JYOCHO will finally be my foot in the door to dive into this genre properly, what about you? "Phoenix" by SEVER BLACK PARANOIA The boys are back with a new release and a new label, recently making the switch to Epictive Records. As one of the bands still carrying the electronicore torch they maintain a blend of metal with it that's become rare after most bands in the scene chased the popularity of more dance-able EDM or have disbanded over the years. "Phoenix" is a great showcase of all the elements that make this band great and only getting better. It's a good place to start if you've never heard of SEVER BLACK PARANOIA before, or something to hype you up even if you have. Guest Submissions: @Ada Suilen's Picks "Mademoiselle" by KAMIJO After the glorious return of his historical band Versailles, Yuuji Kamijou turns back to his solo project, where he continues to be majestic, starting from the sublime "Castrato" (where he shows a great improvement in his English). In this new track, after having tricked us with a goth industrial look, the Prince kicks out a ballad which goes back in time, recalling the nostalgic work of Lareine's best tunes and a bit of personal fascination, in a tender melody and sweet vocals, showing that Kamijo hasn't lost his 'tendresse'. "Sadistic Emotion (D'Erlanger cover)" by Kiyoharu With a thrilling line-up worth of guys like Hyde, Kiyoharu, Dir en Grey, Acid Android, Mucc and Merry among others, the D'Erlanger tribute album is a real attraction for true J-rock adepts, especially for the lineage that band has for the scene itself. All the interpretations were made different from each other, but Kiyoharu made something which no one expected: he Kuroyume-ized the famous hit "Sadistic Emotion," driving it with deep vocals and an engaging rhythm, with a sumptuous touch of nostalgia. In general, "Stairway to Heaven" is only for true J-rock lovers, so listen to it as soon as possible! _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Thanks for checking out our recommendations this month! If you have any thoughts on the list, or if you have any recommendations of your own, we look forward to seeing your comments below!

i was hoping they'll be getting at least 6 months/a year's break because 1) they deserve it 2) i'm broke

This was such an insane year for them. Fans probably had to work 2x as much too to afford all the stuff they released. 5 albums I think, not counting the tribute? And all the touring? Wow

If there's one band on Earth who deserves a break, it's MUCC. And it's only three months, so it's all good.

i may have fallen for the gallo <3

lynch. new single, "BLØOD THIRSTY CREATURE" (3 types, CD&DVD) will be released on November 8. [tracklist] 01.BLØOD 02.CREATURE 03.THE WHIRL [limited copies edition (数量限定生産盤), 6667 yen] [Blu-ray DVD] 「TOUR‘17『THE SINNER STRIKES BACK』FINAL -2017.8.11 at 日比谷野外大音楽堂- Live映像（完全ノーカット版）」(Complete Uncut Edition) + Bonus footage ("『THE JUDGEMENT DAY』 -2017.4.18 at 新木場STUDIO COAST- Live映像 (3 songs) + "CREATURE" Music Video) + LIVE "MOON" DIRECTOR'S CUT - HAZUKI ver. - | - REO ver. - | - YUSUKE ver. - | - ASANAO ver. -) ※ Special package specification, photo book included, audio commentary (secondary audio) [limited edition, 5000 yen] <DVD> "TOUR‘17『THE SINNER STRIKES BACK』FINAL -2017.8.11 at 日比谷野外大音楽堂- Live映像" * Special package specification [regular edition, 1389 yen] CD only

i thought the announcement was pretty ridiculous at first, too. but then i realized that a large chunk of their audience are people who WILL freak out if they don't hear any announcements/see any activity on social media for a couple weeks without an explanation, and being considerate of that audience makes a lot of sense.

| Another solid effort but it doesn't stand out as much as it could. With the head of a human, a bird's torso, a long, flowing tail, and a voice said to surpass all the gods and angels in Nirvana, the fantastical creature known as the Kalavinka is the inspiration behind 陰陽座's fourteenth album, 迦陵頻伽 (Karyobinga). 陰陽座's known for taking heavy amounts of inspiration from Japanese folklore and incorporating it into their music - even though they sound more like Iron Maiden than anything else - so this is a positively peculiar route to follow after their recent focus on Japanese deities and folklore. The Japanese interpretation of the Kalavinka is portrayed faithfully on the album cover; vocalist Kuroneko's upper torso is dressed as a winged Bodhisattva and her lower half is birdlike. It's both a gorgeous sight and a lofty proposition. I'm torn on 迦陵頻伽. On one hand, the feel and flow of the album are all too familiar. I peg it as some hybrid of 金剛九尾 (Kongokyuubi) and snippets of their last two albums because of the pacing and atmosphere. 金剛九尾 ranks among my least favorite of their albums, but to its credit, 迦陵頻伽 is much more polished and straightforward, as if MATATABI had a destination in mind when composing. On the other hand, there is lots of carry over from 風神界逅 (Fuujinkaikou) and 雷神創世 (Raijinsousei), which I regard as near perfect. It's not as ambitious as their last effort, and at times it feels like they're marking boxes off a checklist, but this consistency is why they've never released a bad album. An opportunity to incorporate some Indian and East Asian influences into more songs was missed and would have greatly opened up their sound, but I can look past that. If it didn't appeal to you before, this will not change your mind. Where this album impresses me is how the mystic, haunting atmosphere of their earlier eras returns. It's no longer as dark or ominous, but still present and mysterious. Opener "迦陵頻伽" really catches what I'm trying to describe here, and it's got one of the catchiest choruses in their repertoire. Centerpiece "人魚の檻" is a masterful emotional manipulator that's hogged my repeat button for the last few weeks. Those in need of a fix of heavy metal should check out "廿弐匹目は毒蝮" or lead single "愛する者よ、死に候え", and "轆轤首" is the token track where they buck all expectations and try something new. It's tone reminds me of "無風忍法帖" and it's one of my favorites of the album. The canned strings of "轆轤首" were a curious choice, and "御前の瞳に羞いの砂" sounds suspiciously familiar, but I'll admit these are minor quibbles. 陰陽座 is in the midst of a second renaissance after the release of 2012's 鬼子母神 (Kishibojin), breaking a streak of tepid albums with a concept so beautifully realized that it still sounds fresh today. 迦陵頻伽 stabilizes this upward trend, and while it's not the best thing ever it's pretty good. Support the band! CDJapan

I really don't get why japanese bands feel like they need to disclosure every single break they have. Western bands often go radio silence for very long periods of time and nobody could care less... really, what's 3 months to a band so accomplished as MUCC?

they should bring back those 2 new members they had for like a week and have them be the temporary replacement mucc while the real band goes on holiday imo

Make it 6 months. They deserve to rest a bit.

Tribute tracklist is out! ・風と太陽 / cali≠gari ・謡声（ウタゴエ） / 氣志團 ・溺れる魚 / gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy ・ブリリアント ワールド / 鬼龍院翔（ゴールデンボンバー） ・ニルヴァーナ / GRANRODEO ・EMP / Ken（L'Arc-en-Ciel） ・最終列車 / THE BACK HORN ・大嫌い / THE ORAL CIGARETTES ・暁闇 / シド ・ガーベラ / sukekiyo ・アカ / DEZERT ・ハニー / BAND-MAID ・Mr.Liar / ヒステリックパニック ・流星 / Plastic Tree ・CLASSIC / FLOW ・フライト / BREAKERZ ・アイアムコンピュータ / POLYSICS ・家路 / MERRY ・リブラ / 矢野絢子 ・茫然自失 / lynch. ・ハイデ / ROACH ・蘭鋳 / ROTTENGRAFFTY I cannot wrap my head around SID doing 暁闇.

Notice of suspension of activity 2, Oct. 2017 From 2018, we will suspend the expiration of our activities for the first time in the history of the band. "We will definitely come back! About three months ,,," http://55-69.com/news/82257

every vk costume change is basically paid dlc, in a way

inb4 next band, 「Insert coiN」, announced soon

rage quit

ha ha hey fellow gamers, i guess you could say something like...... they're....... ; ) only real gamer's survive......

So I guess it's a game over for them. :/

Mucc making an important announcement on twitter: Mucc: "We're going on hiatus, starting in 2018..." European fans: omg, how long will they be on a break? A year? Two years? Five? Forever? *freaking out* Mucc:"...for three months. We apologise." European fans: what. Mucc: what. Me: *facepalms* just take your break. Go on holiday, do something fun, for God's sake.

It's soooo tempting that BLESS THIS MESS released Lunar Regret PV too early. Like 4 months in advance. I can't really wait for December.

Introducing Halloween lucky bags! Lucky bags are on sale now, but only for the month of October! Each bag COULD contain randomly selected items from the following artists: A9, Avanchick, Chanty, DaizyStripper, Femme Fatale, heidi. Jin-Machine, Kiyoharu, Kuroyume, lynch., MeteoroiD, sads, SuG, and SHIN! $20 lucky bags will contain over $35 in value. $40 bags will contain over $75 in value. $60 bags will contain over $115 in value. AND each bag will contain a complimentary take-free magazine! You can also select ONE artist that you'd most like to see included in your bag! Artists are available only while supplies last! Get your lucky bag here!

Band Members : (From left to right) Drum / Boss : Issei (ex: D.I.D.) twitter Bass : Tsubasa twitter Vocal : Sho (I really hope Sho can have his own Twitter lol) Guitar : Ryuya (ex: Deviloof) twitter Guitar : Retsu twitter Discography : (2017.06.03) Mini-Album : VARIOUS 会場限定盤 (2017.08.23) Mini-Album : VARIOUS 通常盤 (2017.08.23) Mini-Album : VARIOUS 初回限定盤 (2017.10.21) Live-Dist. : 記憶、紺碧の微笑み (2017.12.27) 1st Single : THE SILENT SONG DIMLIM - アハレワタ PV : OHP Official Twitter

黒ユナイト have published a new look. They also announced a CD which will be released this winter.

Starwave Records will hold a year-end event at Ikebukuro Ruido K3 (Capacity : 150 seats) on 31/12/2017 (open : OPEN 11:20 / START 11:50) & 01/01/2018 (OPEN 1:30 / START 2:00 / CLOSED 5:00) - 31/12/2017 bands participants : - FIXER - シュヴァルツカイン (SchwarzKain) - Scarlet Valse - ラヴェーゼ (Labaiser) - 未完成アリス (Mikansei Alice) - UNDER FALL JUSTICE - THE SOUND BEE HD - La'veil MizeriA - BLESS THIS MESS - DARIAN MARIAN - クロノ×クラウン (Chrono X Crown) - LARZ - NvM - DIVEIN - バロムナイツ (Varom Knights) - ノクト (Nokuto) - DatuRΛ - 01/01/2018 bands participants : - FIXER - シュヴァルツカイン (SchwarzKain) - Scarlet Valse - ラヴェーゼ (Labaiser) - 未完成アリス (Mikansei Alice) - La'veil MizeriA - BLESS THIS MESS

Yeah I guess I should, really enjoyed Anaesthetist back then but never really got around to listen to the whole thing! Definitely, he always had his own thing going on, but he sounds better than ever now. And yeah, he has some really clever things in his lyrics! I really like his approach to social and political topics, seems so down to earth and still conveys a good message (I mean basically it's just "have some empathy"), stuff like "I don't wanna take my country back, I wanna take my country forward" is great in its simplicity. Overall, I'm glad to see they are aging well! It's kind of a funny story how I got into them haha. My brother was super into Take To The Skies back then and I thought it was rather ridiculous, I had my "huh it's not metul" phase back then. Since I was working for a metal webzine back then, I got the promo CD for Common Dreads and decided to pick it up so my brother could take a listen, too. Somehow, I ended up loving the album and have been enjoying them ever since!

I watched this, so now you have to too

I know people give SID a lot of (mostly unwarranted) shit, but they've released some stellar stuff even during their mainstream period:

From their announcement, it appears that 0801弐209XX6 (former band of most of the members) will also perform at their live on November 20.

Please return with a new band : /

don't put that out in the universe please

Now that's a loaded question! Haha! I'll start by admitting I haven't listened to all of their albums. I don't even have all of their albums, though I am tracking them down slowly but surely. The earliest ones can be the trickiest to get my hands on. Unlike many other bands, I got into them with their 2006 compilation album. I didn't really know what was "new" and what was "old" when I was listening, and the first track I ever heard was "Manji" because I recognized the symbol so I decided to start there. My favorite album by them has to be 2007's "Maoutaiten", although I think that this album surpasses that just slightly. I hear a lot of praise for Garyotensei but that album doesn't do too much for me I think a lot of the hype has to do with the anime tie-in and the 20 minute 3-part epic near the end that they never tried before. With rose-tinted glasses I can confidently say they do the epic saga better in later albums. Some of their albums around the turn of 00's weren't that great either but even at their worst Onmyo is 70%.

cue like 20 more "is this the end of visual key?!?!?!?!?!" threads

Wow, this is such a heartfelt goodbye letter to their fans. I think this "Shadow" Rayka talks about is a reflection of himself - his insecurities, his fear of failure, his expectations and self-judgement. This song is a hope that REALies won't simply fade away and be forgotten. Even though they were disbanding, and seemingly being overwhelmed by that Shadow, his "voice" would be a reminder, a message for anyone who believed and enjoyed their work, that REALies was there, and hopefully still is in their fans hearts. thanks again for fulfilling my request!

he's a better and more varied vocalist than Lmao, I'm shooketh nightmare should retire yoni and hire ha

i dont know if I need a lobotomy or a bottle of holy water after watching that video.

⇆ why

cover artwork:

Uhm this is a tough decision xD to be honest I mostly like the older albums. I'm not sure if it will be possible to hear them all, but I'd really like to hear: Escapism and Nyappy in the world (this were the first two song I have ever listened of them <3 ), Kakusei Heroism, Smile Ichiban Ii Onna, Maple Gunman and you?

Geez everyoneones so critical Let them release some music first lol I like it for a first look i think they did a real good job

Setlist @ 9/29: 1.時ノ中 (toki no naka) 2.感情雨 (kanjou ame) 3.闇裂く羽 (yami saku hane) 4.繰り返す優しさ(Kurikaesu yasashi-sa) 5.盲目の僕 (momoku no boku) 6.枯れた瞳 (kareta hitomi) -Dr.solo- 8.渇きの扉 (kawaki no tobira)（Unplugged） 9.傷痕を残して (Kizuato o nokoshite) 10.永遠の零 (eien no rei) 11.マスカレード (masquerade) 12.鳥籠 (torikago) 13.哀しみの記憶 (kanashimi no kioku) 14.憧憬 (shoukei) ENCORE 1.闇裂く羽 (yami saku hane)（Acoustic） 2.渇きの扉 (kawaki no tobira) 3.感情雨 (kanjou ame) ENCORE２ 1.憧憬 (shoukei) 2.渇きの扉 (kawaki no tobira)

oh, right, D.I.D. I already forgot inside of me demos happeneds I guess I stan a lil bit same with, like idk, yumeleep, zicross, and dexcore

Seeing all the comments on social media makes me wonder why the average visual kai fan still blindly hopes for gigs at provinces when in most countries it's 90% certain it's going to be at the capital, unless you're Germany. "Oh, not in my unknown little town. Not gonna go then." Dude, it's pretty obvious if they go to the UK IT'S GONNA BE LONDON. Plan ahead and be grateful they are going to your country at all or just shush. The band is not going to magically invest more money in more dates within a single country, unless they're Sana or Satauki.