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I think the key point of ggg is their lives. There are no other japanese bands with such a unique atmosphere. They started with improvisation in highfashionparalyze, having no distinct lyrics and performing just the way they feel on that day, and even though ggg now have fixed melodies and texts every new performance is still sooooo different. I think it's just the type of music you will get into bit by bit. You may feel weird in the beginning of the live if you see them for the first time, but in the end of performance all your feelings will be inside out. Maybe it's the reason they are often the last to perform at few bands events, because after their show it's really hard to switch and listen to someone else. Unfortunately, they are not selling too well, but i am happy they are not going to stray from the path and are still full of motivation and ideas to try. Definitely the best active band for me.

†

Surely members have many other projects and sometimes I see jp fans saying "oh, ggg is just a weird hobby band", but for Kazuma-san it's actually his life. He is so dedicated and excited about everything ggg, about new concepts and things he wants to try during the next recording or lives. He says the key point is to make people feel something and even if it's "wtf!" or "that's too scary!" then it's just enough. He, who is actually the sweetest person in the world, says "standing on the stage you gotta be a monster and make people shiver, otherwise it doesn't make sense, so I am not going to do something more appealing". And other members are so supportive to let him try whatever he wants. They are so unique and inspiring, I am really happy gibkiy gibkiy gibkiy happened to the Japanese music scene.

Girugamesh certainly deserved to be on the MUCC tribute album because both were senior and junior bands. Unfortunately, it's a shame that they couldn't use the band name after the disbandment. It sure is a big surprise seeing Girugamesh secretly participate on a bonus track, and it turned out to be a killer one. <3

practice by visiting random retirement homes in your area and listening to the inhabitants.

"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""confirmed"""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""

Just like the title says this is an attempt to bring back the m-h jrock awards for the year 2017 which last took place way back in 2012 and apparently ended do to lack of participation. Awards were given for best album, single, new band, etc. And all of this was decided by user votes. So I asked about reviving this and here's what @Zeussaid, Judging by all of the yearly best album/single reviews I would hope there's still some interest in something like this. So if you want to see the "Monochrome heaven J-Rock Awards 2017" then help me get this topic 50 likes and/or 50 comments by the end of the month.

Nice trolling, Yoshiki.

hi again

what's that fucking windows xp desktop background-ass looking artwork?

YUKIYA (under his full name 藤田幸也 (Fujita Yukiya)) will hold his oneman event, "藤田幸也 -YUKIYA FUJITA-" at Nagoya/Fushimi JAMMIN' on December 9 and at Osaka Flamingo the Arusha on December 10 respectively. lineup: Vo.藤田幸也 (fujita yukiya) Pianoforte:吉岡寿之 (yoshioka hirayuki) Ag&Cho.坪本伸作 (tsubomoto shinsaku) Vn.一也 (kazuya) (HOLLOWGRAM) Guest: TETSU (ENDLESS／ex.D≒SIRE)

Hey ! I've been a j-rock fan for almost 4 years. I've been a solid anime fan since I was a kid but never knew what the hell j-rock was except for anime songs XD. I stopped listening to j-rock for a while then got back into it because of a friend XD. I'm generally a MUCC fan and have gone to too many concerts for my budget while I was studying abroad in Japan but I am always open to new bands. For the past few weeks I've been really into Lynch. because Hazuki keeps popping on my twitter feed and I can't escape this boy and their music is nice XD. I always enjoy me some Sid, LM.C, BUCK-TICK, L'Arc en Ciel, Baroque and others XD. It's been a while for me to join a forum, but this one looks old school and cozy so here I am :). Nice to meet everyone ! : )

Tracklist: 01. BLOOD 02. CREATURE 03. the whirl | lynch. is as lynch. does Either my standards have risen too high, or the floor has fallen out, but 2017 has been a symphony of bands failing to meet my expectations. No single or album has resonated with me, and I've been on the lookout for the next act ready to blow up the scene. That's why it's deliciously ironic that the one band I expect nothing new from delivered something that captures my attention, and they did it by doing what they always do. The secret to liking lynch. is to expect nothing new. A band that's been together for thirteen years knows themselves musically, and forcing change just to change is how you end up with EXODUS. Much like their departed big brother DEATHGAZE, lynch. has a defined sound they shouldn't stray far from. They went to one extreme with pop on I BELIEVE IN ME, the other into metal with EXODUS, and yet they always come back a mix of pop and metalcore that's undeniably lynch.. BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE is your standard lynch. single through and through, and I guarantee you already know how you feel about it before listening. It goes without saying that I like the two new tracks "BLOOD" and "CREATURE", but I don't remember the melody from either. "BLOOD" is your two minute banger virtually indistinguishable from "BEAST", "MAD", or "ANIMA". There wasn't ever much depth in these sub-three minute tracks and "BLOOD" is no exception. "CREATURE" is the more interesting of the two new offerings, sounding like a more traditional lynch. song, and it hides its recycled parts better. I particularly enjoy the break down near the end, but I would be lying if I said that both of these tracks could have been on AVANTGARDE and no one would have noticed. The real attraction is the re-recording of "the whirl", which is low-key one of my favorite lynch. tracks due to the dynamics between soft and heavy. This contrast is not lost in the re-recording, and is perhaps even enhanced with the clean production and the grittier metal bits. I hate to say it's the best track here, because that takes away from the impact of the new material, but it is. Don't get the wrong impression about "BLOOD" and "CREATURE" - both are fine singles and lynch. has produced far worse in the past - but that's it. A band that stays in the same musical realm for thirteen years is bound to repeat themselves eventually. The best thing about knowing what to expect is knowing what to expect, and the boys find some way to surprise me with every album. If we treat this single as a sample of what to come, the next lynch. album is shaping up to be slightly more memorable than the last. I don't even remember which of the lynch. albums is the most recent one, but that's the price one pays for consistency. Support the band! iTunes

Everyone try シュヴァルツカイン (schwarzkain) fuckin' awesome pig squeals!!!

Yoshiki confirmed in an interview last week that the album will be released on 2/30/2018

Yeah it's cool that a bunch of 40+ year old men can release music that sounds more inspired then 99% of what the new younger crowd can put out. Similar to how Swans 2010s output is better then pretty much all modern rock music despite the man behind it all being 60 years old. Gibkiy give me Swans vibes as well.

It was announced on 2017.12.01 at the "Raphaelesque Head Bursting" 時限式:uadjet's sponsored event at EDGE Ikebukuro, llll-Ligro- restart their activities from today with two new members : Gt. Jesse and Ba. 羽鳳(hao) They were on hiatus since december 2013. They will have their oneman 「THE BEGINNING OF THE END」 on 2018.03.04 at EDGE ikebukuro. Voice. ヒナタ (hinata) Guitar. kazari Guitar. Jesse (ex ZeR'0-ゼロ (ジェシー(jecy)) Bass. 羽鳳 (hao) (ex ZeR'0-ゼロ (蓮 (ren)) Renewal OHP : http://llll-ligro.info/

KRAD new single "abyss" will be released on 2018.04.04 in 2 type. They also planned their one year anniversary oneman "abyss gate" at Ikebukuro Black Hole on 2018.05.15. Tracklist : 01. abyss 02. 曼珠沙華 (Manjushage) 03. Grief of microorganisms (regular edition) DVD : abyss Music Video (limited edition)

I like to draw some band stuffs sometimes so I figured I could share them here, too. ^^ I drew Gossip's Saku a couple of days ago. I'm quite happy with it, I think it turned out pretty good. Most of the time I like drawing a bit more "cartoon-ish" and cute characters, though. Here's Mediena's Ryo and Gossip's Saku. I drew this back in August.

It's the most wonderful time of the month! Let's give thanks to our favorite musicians and highlight some spicy cuts from this month. Check it out and fill out the list with yours below! @tetsu_sama69's Picks "Monster" by 戦国時代-The age of civil wars- Granted there were most likely some very mixed reactions when 戦国時代-The age of civil wars- were announced because of the random make-up of band members but with a group full of well experienced musicians with a splash of ex.SIAM SHADE members how can one go entirely wrong. 戦国時代 may end up being a temporary group in the long run but their first mini-album 初陣－First battle－ (Uijin－First battle－) is surprisingly stuffed with energetic and catchy songs that shouldn't be missed. "Monster" is one of the heavy darker themed tracks on the mini-album and sticks out mostly for its fantastic musical composition. "Monster" is a song that infuses heavy metal with traditional Japanese instrumentals spiced with pop-rock that has a bass line that'll get stuck in your head for days. The instrumentals go from energetic to headbanging at the drop of a hat and the vocals go from screaming to melodic so smoothly. The previews do no justice to 戦国時代-The age of civil wars- making them sound as if they are just another generic traditional themed pop-rock group, but they'll surprise you if you give them a chance. "春雪ノ頃" (Shunsetsu no Koro) by Schwartz:Mist I was in no way prepared for how much I was going to enjoy this at all. But once I heard that explosive grindfest of an opener I knew I was in for a treat. "Shunsetsu no Koro" is an amazingly solid song brimming with energy and emotion. Especially the breakdowns at the start and end of the track can only be described as a headbanger's best friend. Vocalist 心 (Shin) (ex. LucieN) has a fantastic voice able to deliver harsh powerful screams and gritty clean vocals that hit me in all the right places. Surprisingly what really makes "春雪ノ頃" stand out for me is that there's no guitar solo but if you listen there are some spectacular riffs from Guitarist 環 (Tamaki). If you have a thirst for some more from Schwartz:Mist after hearing "春雪ノ頃", you should definitely check out their first mini-album "S.M" and enjoy this great band! "Imitation" by DEXCORE Visual kei refuses to be a letdown this year with powerhouse band DEXCORE. If you weren't already hooked on them from their past releases then "Imitation" is a perfect song to get you into this band. With the addition of guitarist haku since their previous single, the band has grown exponentially. There's a serious amount of depth to "Imitation" layered with shockingly vibrant vocals and explosive instrumentals. DEXCORE has set the bar for the current scene of 'br00tal kei' a bit higher by delivering a song that's anything but generic. There's nothing held back in this storm of drums and waves of breakdowns that burst forth with vocal shock waves. Drummer Naoki (ex. DEATHGAZE) seems to have gone out of his way to make sure that DEXCORE sounds a step above anything he was involved in previously and it's a blessing to anyone who listens. I'm seriously looking forward to full release of "Imitation" and anything else DEXCORE brings in the future. @emmny's Picks "LAW'S" by Kiyoharu I'm kind of new to the cult of Kiyoharu, so I was shocked to find out this was an old song, re-composed and arranged for an upcoming "rhythmless" remake album, with other Kuroyume, Kiyoharu, and SADS tracks. The original "LAW'S" closely resembles newer SADS material, but Kiyoharu's recent work tends to overlap stylistically, regardless of the project the song falls under. If you're wondering how this eight minute remake of a five minute song manages to even remotely resemble the original--you're totally right, theres no comparison. Kiyoharu and co. turn the edgy punk-styled track into a floaty ballad, anchored by gripping and rough vocals from the legend himself. The progression of the track is amazing, with delicate acoustic guitars giving way to more fullbodied instrumentation, ending with a good few minutes of Kiyoharu just wailing on the track. The imagery of the video is slow and erotic (or is it just sad?); the kind of shit you'd see a cabaret musician playing, with their cigarette smoke trailing into the air after last call rush dies down--but in the best way. In visual kei we're used to seeing good talent go to waste with bad taste, but it's a privilege to constantly see a talented musician making such carefully calculated stylistic decisions, as evident in the uniquely sultry arrangement in "LAW'S". "夜想" (Yasou) by Virge Virge, the project born out of the ashes of Mediena and Malisend continues to drop bop after bop, showing just how much Shin's (FKA Rino, ex-bassist for Malisend) compositional prowess has improved. The aforementioned bands piqued a lot of of interest on here, mostly because of their fairly strong early-00's revival sound. The trend continues with Virge, splicing equal bits of Phantasmagoria-style melodicism and the harsh guitars/bass of mid-era D'espairsRay to great effect, as seen with "Yasou". The band understand the importance of good, simple riffs and an even better chorus, using this ethos to frame their music. My only complaint before was that songs came across as a little 2D, or flat in their structures. They've read my mind (wwww) and addressed that with "Yasou", as it goes through a fair bit of shifts, showing off a more adventurous style, although the palette is the same as we've gotten to know the band for. The huge bass tone (almost sounds like slap but isn't, reminds me of Reita's best tones) clashes perfectly with Ryo's dazzling vocal delivery, and new drummer Aru's contributions are noted as well with great rhythm work. If you're not stanning--despite how much coverage we give them here--you are totally missing out. "歪" (Ibitsu) by VRZEL Believe it or not, for all the "INSIDE BEAST", Gazette-lite clones we've gotten over the past few years, we now have a "Taion" to balance it out. The opening is the heaviest section the band have ever done, alternating between grinding alt-metal riffs and eerie wailing clean guitars over whispers. This is the most obvious section recalling "Taion"; the rest is all VRZEL for better or worse (I'm purposely ignoring the gratuitous gazethot interlude). This goes on for a full minute before clean vocals even come in, building up a tense atmosphere. The rest of the track moves at a lurching pace, bordering on heavy-ballad territory, anchored by Cion's wailing vocals. VRZEL took a risk releasing such an intense, five-and-a-half minute track as the promotional lead for the album but it paid off. The brutal fiend in me wishes they went for an even darker concept, dropped the guitars to A# and MUCC'd it away, but VRZEL stayed true to their image while rendering a quasi-challenging track for their fans. I've always been in the corner cheering on Cion's compositional prowess, and I'm happy it has culminated to such a solid track--a merger of old and new. @qotka's Pick "十五" by キズ Featured on the Kizu's 2nd single, Kawazu, "Juugo" is another display of power from one of the fastest growing, strongest newcomers on the scene this year. Ask anyone who's had to FIGHT for tickets to their one-man. While this b-side doesn't offer anything too different from the rest of the recorded material they've put out so far - if anything, it shows consistency and careful building of their sound and image as a band - it's here this month for simply being the fun track it is and for having those sweet, anthem-like qualities. If you're on the lookout for a dramatic, non-cynical power metal banger to indulge in, this is your new jam. From its restless, rapid verses to its uplifting, theatrical chorus, this zero bullshit 3-minute track hits the spot. Video bonus: showcases how frighteningly GORGEOUS their gya are. @The Reverend's Pick "哀絶綺譚 feat. 祈狂 of La'veil Mizeria" by 魅裟 I think I must have a thing for music box-y intros in VK. Dir en grey's "Cage" and Avelcain's "死化粧" are two of my favorite songs ever; and despite it's obvious flaws I'm really enjoying the newest from 魅裟 (missa) this month. Missa and 祈狂 (Kikyo) from La'veil MizeriA team up for "哀絶綺譚" (Aizetsu kitan), the best of three simultaneously released digital singles from Missa on a vanity label with the most VK name ever; Malformed Maria Records. Certainly the most surprising thing about this single is that, despite combining members of Insanity Injection and La'veil MizeriA, it's a not-quite-ballad obviously attempting to be unironically *pretty*. That piano/vocal melody will absolutely get stuck in your head if you let it, and the guitar tone is a bit amateur but quite tasty. The fake drums are a bit of a turnoff, and I maintain that a song really needs a reason to be over five minutes; but if Missa keeps releasing these digital singles with fun special guests during his other bands' downtime, he may be able to carve out a niche where many have failed in the realm of 'VK solo acts'. @Zeus's Picks "the whirl" by lynch. No band in the visual kei scene nails re-recordings as consistently as lynch. does for me. A lot of this is because lynch. have never deviated too strongly from the sound that defines them, and their retake of 2007's "the whirl" is everything I never knew I wanted from the song. The heavier parts are grittier, the softer parts more delicate and emotional, and the transitions between them hit just as hard as I'm used to. While sonically everything has been pushed to the extremes, the rough production brings everything together like a caressing smack to the face. The improvement on the drums is worth the price of admission alone, and let's not even get into the improvements to Hazuki's voice. After a multitude of A-B-C comparisons, this is my favorite out of the three versions floating around; the original on underneath the skin has flat production and the version released on THE BURIED sounds too sterile for my tastes. Normally I'd say something snarky, but I don't even mind that the ten year old track is the prime attraction on lynch.'s newest! "五月雨" (Samidare) by 左迅×弐×愁×Яyo 2017 has been kind to "五月雨", as this is the second successful reinterpretation of an early visual kei classic. "五月雨", released on TRIBUTE OF MUCC - 縁 [en] -, is a secret track credited to 左迅×弐×愁×Яyo, but it's pretty much girugamesh, and I will refer to them as such for the rest of the blurb. girugamesh will never steal "五月雨" from MUCC, but they can certainly add this to their live repertoire and I wouldn't be mad. They successfully made this their own song, preserving the original feel of the song while effortlessly adding their signature elements to it. I delayed posting this list just to add it. Listening to girugamesh's cover of "五月雨" gives me feels of them at their best with a tinge of angura I never knew they had in them. If I wasn't already pining for their return, this solidified it. Anyone who misses girugamesh needs to sample this song. Thank you for reading everyone!

I literally got into Lynch. because of "Creature". I'm so here for this song and that made me search for more songs from them and currently I'll admit Sorrow won a weak spot in my heart. I'm all about that bass in that song unfghh Lynch. makes me sound so trash and I love it. They became my guilty pleasure in few days XD.

this thread is exhausting

^ There are lots of non-Japanese bands calling 3-song (or sometimes even 2-song) releases EPs tho. But yeah, calling 3 songs an EP is kind of a stretch, nevertheless.

You can add multiple questions per poll.

Even if this doesn't become an official thing you could still do a poll. Don't know how many people would vote though. I know last year there were some releases I really liked that weren't on the official list.

Can someone please tell Japanese bands that NO, a 3 songs CD isn't an EP, but a single?

Welcome! I'm sure you'll feel right at home.

VERSUS is packedT with BOPS, I'm addicted!!! while they should be ARRESTED for taking my weave and leaving with it, I hope they land a major contract after this album; they are truly too good for youkicker's bussiboy factory, and I hope king records DISBANDS nogod and signs those guys up as a replacement.

@HotaruFilth thanks for all of this info.

Yay for junno! I missed him. I'm excited for this now. lol

@HotaruFilth That's awesome to hear I've actually never heard a live recording from them or seen them live of course. I'd also like to add to your thought, look at how different they're take on MUCC's song 溺れる魚 is just for example.

It's been confirmed that this Junno is ex-boogieman, and he's back after a 7-year hiatus!

yesterday i finally got the time to listen to DEVILOOF's first full length for the first time *by now i listened to it 4 times completely* and i love it - imo they didn't changed that much to their sound - and about that few singing parts - still i really like them cuz the more variety the better. thats why i started listening to Vk - don't need a band were every single song sticks to the same genre - gets boring quite fast.

Ambient #restaurantKei is real

Official track list revealed: 1. Hold You Down 2. Brand New Days 3. 誓い文 (Chikaibumi) 4. piece of a broken heart 5. The LUV 6. Miss Moonlight 7. 闇火 (Yamibi) 8. Ride the Beat, Ride the Dream 9. Thousand Years 10. Limit 11. So Sad 12. BLACK AND BLUE Not really sure what to think.... The names doesn't sound like LUNA SEA at all... Oh well. The album will be played 2nd december from 00:58 on TBS Count down TV in Japan. (http://www.tbs.co.jp/cdtv/)

well they gotta spend the holidays with their grandkids. It's hard to rock a guitar when your scooters battery keeps dying

I'm pretty sure that Vo.アスカ (Asuka) is ex-オルガ (ORGE) Vo.yuta. He's been in sessions with the other members and they look quite similar.

kazuma is jarboe, aie is gira

what about their stuff as highfashionparalyze? (it's the same fucking band idc what vkdb tells you ok) this project got much better when they balanced improv/compositions further towards compositions imo the nagoya kei true fan initiation is going to see gibkiy live and having kazuma blast all the microscopic hairs out of your ear canal by blowing a whistle at full force into the mic

Aie is def. the real, true & undisputed nagoya kei KING. No contest whatsoever. (also remember when people thought Nagoya Kei = heavy & brutal back in the days? fuck that era)

Shit... that was very fast

Were they they 2000's tribute band? If so, booo I wanted to try them out If not, RIP I guess

Been a while since I showed my ugly visage around here. Just got back from an awesome gig, and got this new beanie, it's so comfy & warm <3

Have to draw a teeny tiny tangent line from this to just strange translation choices. While replaying Final Fantasy XV recently (still on it, even without the updates the game is still like 60+ hours) and I have a very basic grasp on Japanese, but I could tell that some of the choices they made in the translations were just... odd. Mostly because they usually changed the tone of the conversation completely from one end to another. As an example, after a decently tough fight with a level 51 bandersnatch, Prompto follows up the battle with a statement: "生きてる! (I'm alive!)" to which Noctis responds with "おめでとう (Congratulations)." However, how they translated Noctis's response was "Enjoy it while you can." I just... don't understand why they decided on that. I mean sure, congrats could be taken as subtle sarcasm, but "Enjoy it while you can" is nothing if not in-your-face mocking. I have not played the game in English, but have they just completely revamped the personalities of the chocobros? Another reason for me to avoid the English voiceacting, because apparently the subtitles for the original Japanese voiceacting are the same as the English voiceacting. I would ever play it like that only because I've kinda grown fond of Ignis's English voiceacting and his superduper posh British accent. And also because "That's it! I've come up with a new recipe!" makes me giggle.

I like the cover:

do they talk about us there?

This has to be the most ridiculous name change I've ever seen in vk, lmao. Damn.