Traxan

How many members will quit before it's released?

Miku's guitar looks killer https://bandmaid.tokyo/contents/364081 New single "Different" is releasing in December 2020! It's going to be the opening theme for a TV anime (terrestrial broadcast) starting in January next year. The new album is coming out in January 2021! This will be their first release following their move to the label Pony Canyon. "BAND-MAID NIPPON BUDOKAN OKYU-JI" takes place February 11th, 2021 (Thu / Holiday). official ticket preorders are starting! Don't miss out on BAND-MAID's world domination! [Merchandise Info] BAND-MAID - Single "Different" Release date: Wednesday, December 2nd, 2020 Item Number: CRCP-10453 List Price: 1,000 Yen (Main Product) *plus tax Retailer: Nippon Crown *Details to be unveiled at a later date. BAND-MAID NEW ALBUM　 Release Date: January 2021 (Expected) Retailer: Pony Canyon *Details to be unveiled at a later date. Nippon Budokan O-Kyuji Performance February 11th, 2021 (Thu / Holiday) Nippon Budokan Opens at 5:00pm / Performance starts at 6:00pm Details: https://bandmaid.tokyo/contents/326310 Official ticket preorders have started! Available to order from September 28th (Mon) at 12:00 until October 4th (Sun) at 11:00pm

But what about new music?

I swear some of you people treat these girls like Yoshiki... at least I understand his dislike but what do you have against them?

New music (another mini LP, third in a row), new look, same old lezzies. :) NEW MINI ALBUM 「The Only Garden」 2020年7月29日(水) exist†trace OFFICIAL WEB SHOPにて販売スタート！ http://exist-trace.shop/ 
 【収録曲】 1. EXISTENCE 2. I’m still not dead 3. アカシア 4. selection 5. POWER OF “ONE” (vocal retake ver.) 6. Garden 【商品形態/価格】 ●CD + The Only GardenオリジナルTシャツ
¥5,000-（税別） ●CD
¥2,000-（税別） 【期間限定 先行予約特典実施！】 先行予約受付期間内に「CD + The Only GardenオリジナルTシャツ」を予約購入された方には、
特典として『メンバー直筆サイン入り最新フォト』をプレゼント！ 先行予約受付期間：7/1(水)19:00〜7/10(金)23:59
 ※期間内にご予約された方は、発売日にお手元にお届けします。 ※CDのみには特典はつきません。

Not VK, not even Japanese, but I took WAY too long to get into Nevermore. I first saw them at a concert in 2000 when I went to see their opening act, In Flames. But I didn't appreciate them until after they broke up in 2011.

I wouldn't recommend ANYONE move here. $2000 a month in rent? Eternal traffic jams? Homeless everywhere? It's not worth it and you'd have to have a hole in your head to trade Tokyo for LA.

ADHD pop rockers released a new album on 3/11, called "Gold Dash," the first in two years and first to feature the new lineup. Along with that came a music video for the title track. Hana is sporting quite the tattoo. I'm seeing more and more musicians sporting tats, I guess the stigma is fading. This new lineup represents a significant change in personnel. Hana moved out from the drumkit to play guitar and sing. Now a two-guitar band, their songs are getting a little heavier. A young drummer named Yuri was added about one week after she was announced as the new drummer for Bridear. For a while it was thought she would do double duty, then she bailed from Bridear. That musta pissed them off but who can blame her? GS is a successful band and Bridear can't keep its shit together. And I'll say this, Yuri is quite the drummer. Hana was no slouch but Yuri is better. GS now has four singers: Hana, Oreo, Tomo, and the newest addition, 18 year old Angie. On some songs she just runs around the stage while here she takes lead vocals. I'm getting some MAJOR Armmy vibes from her.

Midori from Lovebites actually responded to a DM. It was shortly after the NAMM show in January. As she was flying out of LAX she said she wanted to live in LA. I said no you don't. I live here so I know. She asked me why not. I said it was filthy and overrun with homeless, which is true, not to mention grossly expensive and no decent mass transit. So none of the good things about living in Tokyo. She never responded but I was shocked just to get that initial reply.

I miss her, too, but you know, the new girl R!n is a huge improvement over Re:No. And she speaks fluent English. At their US show, she sang some parts in English.

They were inactive for months, and before that, doing one show a month. Then again, Rami has been doing 3-4 shows a YEAR since her return in 2015.

https://ameblo.jp/rami-vocal/entry-12577567071.html if Google Translate is doing its job: the Artist Known As Rami is now Rami the Requiem. She is teaming with Mary's Blood support guitarist for two types of shows, called Rami the Acoustic and Rami the Requiem. Both sets were solo material, not a single Aldious song. She plans to do shows with Unlucky Morpheus and Exist Trace (who are finally active after several months off) and plans an album for April 1. More relevant to this place, she is looking.... verrrrrry different. And the rest of the band looks rather goth. Beyond Yashiro I don't know who any of them are.

Wow, no mention of Maximum the Hormone aka Japan's System of a Down?

You are correct, sir.

NAMM, or National Association of Music Merchants, is a massive trade show that takes place every January in Anaheim, California (right across from Disneyland). 100,000 people descend on the overcrowded Anaheim Convention Center and if you want to run into your favorite musicians, that's the place because they appear at the booth for the companies they endorse. Midori and Miyako of Lovebites were in various booths but didn't play as a band because the other three were in Japan. ALdious, though, made their American debut at this show in the ballroom of the Hilton Hotel, which is right next door to the Anaheim Convention Center. They still had Narumi, filling in for new mother Toki. As far as I know, the only endorsee of the band was drummer Marina Bozzio, who spent time at the DW Drums and Sabian cymbals booths. BTW the reason for the plastic wall around Marina is to muffle her drums so she doesn't overpower the guitars and vocals. I know D_Drive were also at the show but haven't seen videos. Here's a few of Aldious, who appear to have won over the audience. Best sounding/looking video of "We Are/Dominator" "We Are" up close "Believe Myself" "Deep"

Kyary Pamyu Pamyu will bring her weirdness to the hipster-fest that is Coachella.

It only took 10 years but Aldious is coming to the US to play a concert at the massive NAMM show in Anaheim, California. The show takes place every year in late January and is for musicians what CES is for consumer electronics geeks. Every instrument maker is there. Last year, Miyako of Lovebites and Iron Bunny were there. The show itself is only open to music industry people, but there are several concerts that take place in and around Anaheim as part of the show, including memorial concerts to Randy Rhodes and John Bonham. Aldious will play one of them at the Hilton hotel right next to the Anaheim Convention Center, where the show is held. Narumi will play in place of Toki. I suspect she may become a permanent member. I have attended the NAMM show. It is a fucking madhouse. The OCCC is WAY too small and it should have moved to LA a decade ago. But if you want to run into your favorite musician, that's the place to be. I suspect Marina's dad helped out, since he got her her endorsements with DW, Sabian and Vic Firth.

Can you name another VK musician, or any Japanese musician for that matter, with the level of international recognition as Yoshiki? After him, who from Japan is known? Akira from Loudness is worshiped by guitar nerds, Baby Metal has some profile, Lovebites are growing popular in Europe but none of them come close to Yoshiki's profile.

MH's favorite whipping boy is getting the YouTube Originals treatment. ------------ "Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star", a new documentary series, is slated to premiere on YouTube Originals — the global, streaming platform from YouTube where you can discover original series and movies from today's hottest talent — in March, 2020. Yoshiki was hand-picked by YouTube Originals as part of a select group of internationally renowned artists such as Paul McCartney, Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande, BTS, Robert Downey Jr., Will Smith, Katy Perry, Demi Lovato, Mark Ronson, Dwayne Johnson and Taylor Swift. The six-episode series marks the first documentary program from a Japanese artist to be featured on YouTube Originals. "Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star" follows Yoshiki's many facets as a composer, rock drummer, classical pianist, and fashion designer and approaches the sometimes challenging behind-the-scenes reality of when music and passion intersect. "Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star" offers a glimpse into the life of an artist who is active on the global stage. Yoshiki commented that he hopes to inspire viewers as much as possible by discussing "why I became a musician, why I continue to be active, why I continue to exist." On Wednesday, November 13, Yoshiki appeared as the surprise guest at YouTube's Brandcast Japan 2019, hosted by Google at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan, and it was announced that all six episodes of Yoshiki's documentary program "Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star" will be available for streaming on YouTube Originals starting March 2020. Watch the trailer for the documentary which was revealed during Yoshiki's appearance at YouTube Brandcast Japan 2019 below. YouTube Originals develops quality, original content for YouTube's streaming platform such as documentaries, movies, and live events featuring popular artists, creators, and productions from around the world in partnership with YouTube. "Yoshiki - Life Of A Japanese Rock Star" will be streamed on Yoshiki Channel International.

https://www.charaexpo-usa.com/ CharaExpo USA is a Japanese anime and games convention organized by Bushiroad, an entertainment conglomerate that does anime, manga and videogames, plus it owns the New Japan Pro Wrestling company. It held its inaugural event in November 2018 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Orange County and is returning to the same place next month. What they do is kinda cool and rather impressive. The show is centered around the BanG Dream project of animes featuring all-girl bands and runs live performances of the bands, and the seyuu also perform as their anime alter ego. So the voice actress for Roselia's singer also sings live, and so on. Even more impressive is that the guitarist and drummer of Roselia didn't play instruments when they started in 2016 and took them up as part of the show. So they have only been playing a few years. Two of the three BanG Dream bands will be at the show, Roselia and Raise a Suilen (which is a curtain, apparently). There is a third band in this project, Poppin Party but they are not on the bill. Roselia are a pop/rock band with a gothic flavor, particularly in their outfits. Raise a Suilen are a little different. They can be rock or pop but with a distinct EDM sound. They have a DJ among the members but are fronted by a bassist/vocalist (who is beautiful). Tickets are $17 per day or $30 for both days, which is quite cheap. There will also be a New Japan wrestling event but no details. I regret not going last year as Jushin Liger, my favorite wrestler ever, was on the bill and he's retiring in January.

She messes with her hair a lot. Some people on JMF speculated she might be mixed.

It's a boy, born 10/31, weight 3.9kg. An 8 pound baby delivered by a 5', 90-something pound woman. Damn that must have been tough.

By that point we might all be dead. But it is kinda funny they are following a pattern set out by Morbid Angel.

All-girl Iron Maiden clone power metal band Lovebites have announced a new album and shown off a new look to go with it. Album title: ELECTRIC PENTAGRAM Street date: January 29, 2020 Formats: - LIMITED EDITION TYPE-A: CD + Live DVD "CRUSADERS STANDING AT WACKEN - LIVE IN GERMANY 2018" - LIMITED EDITION TYPE-B: CD + Double live album " INVITATION TO THE THEATER - LIVE IN TOKYO 2019" - STANDARD EDITION: CD including one of 6 special stickers randomly (first press only) . CD 1. Thunder Vengeance 2. Holy War 3. Golden Destination 4. Raise Some Hell 5. Today Is The Day 6. When Destinies Align 7. A Frozen Serenade 8. Dancing With The Devil 9. Signs Of Deliverance 10. Set The World On Fire 11. The Unbroken 12. Swan Song And they debuted a new look. I don't know if this is typical Japanese stoicism or if they aren't feeling it. I know I don't dig it. I can't imagine them performing live in those shoes. The band is currently in England for a tour opening for DragonForce.

Well we can add F Chopper Koga of Gacharic Spin to the list of musicians with hearing problems. She was just hospitalized with sudden deafness in one ear.