Something I've finally realised about modern VK...

[Lestat 2167]

I think it's becoming more and more clear with thoughts like this that Visual Kei by itself isn't a genre, but a statement or movement. It similar to fashion; it changes every season and whether you like the latest trends or not, it's what you'll have to bear with. You can wear your old clothes for another year, or you're following the movement with pleasure. It's why I rather wait this movement of Metalcore out until groups to my interest are coming out in small waves again, and until then I stick with what I know.

 

If you take music genres apart, the essence of them doesn't change much. Thrash metal will remain as such, Death metal will remain as such, as is similar with a lot of other genres. Surely, new groups form and different sounds can be implemented in their compositions, but the core remains there. Visual Kei has established itself around a lot of such genres and we can only wait until one of the few trends in the rotation is chosen as number one again. And you like these genres or not, it's not as simple as selecting a few bands that might sound a little different for some people. If someone doesn't like Metalcore, let them dislike it. There's no chance that pushing it under their noses and saying they'll get by will change their opinion all that much.

[Zeus 7997]

I think it's becoming more and more clear with thoughts like this that Visual Kei by itself isn't a genre, but a statement or movement. It similar to fashion; it changes every season and whether you like the latest trends or not, it's what you'll have to bear with. You can wear your old clothes for another year, or you're following the movement with pleasure. It's why I rather wait this movement of Metalcore out until groups to my interest are coming out in small waves again, and until then I stick with what I know.

I said something very similar a year or two ago. You're onto something.

[mahoujin 395]

Your complaint is nothing new. I've had similar thoughts about vk and other things and it's usually that:

1. The thing is a nostalgia thing, so getting into new stuff just doesn't feel the same (bands/artists I used to follow and lost track of, trying to watch new Disney movies as an adult, etc...)
2. I'm having bad luck and just trying the wrong songs/bands
3. I'm going in with a bad mindset, determined that I won't like it and that something has to "prove me wrong" in order to get a fair chance
4. I legitimately am not into something (but that doesn't make it bad!) 

I've been listening to visual kei for a while and like a fair amount of older stuff, but I also listen to a lot of new visual kei as well. Since I don't know you or what you like, it would be hard for me to make recommendations. I can say that there are plenty of new bands I do like and plenty that I don't, but also that I feel the same way about older visual kei bands. Also, indies bands now that you just don't get or consider generic may just be having their 5 minutes of fame and will fade into complete obscurity, just like many old indies bands you're probably not counting in your bias towards older vk.

 

I've also taken a break from vk and gone to branch out into different scenes/genres when I start feeling bored, then get bored of those, then come back and see what's new with vk. I think that's pretty normal and healthy, anyway. 

[kyoselflove 2680]

Can ya'll just make a 'VK sucks' section on the forum so all these damn threads can go there?

[hariwenjiyu 23]

Personally, I still listen to VK bands. However, every year the number of new and upcoming bands with originality seem to be less and less.

Last year, I spent amonth or so searching for those "diamond in the rough" VK bands and found a few. My tastes may very from yours, but I share the same sentiments about finding more unique and creative bands.

 

(I am going to steal Lestalt's formatting, hope that's okay)

 

● アルルカン - They are a self-proclaimed “新世代名古屋系” band that are trying to bring back an updated version of Nagoya-kei.

● DADAROMA - Heavy and inventive band from Yoshiatsu (ex- Crazy Shampoo).

● DIMDIVISION - If you like 9 GOATS and the like, you might want to check them out.

● DIV - An EDM-rock/pop-VK/metalcore band. Their newest album has them going in a new direction, which is fresh.

● SRASH NOTES GARDEN – A hybrid VK band with singer-songwriter elements. I found out about the band on Sakanagatoreta's blog site (A middle-aged Japanese VK fanboy). You might want to browse his site to check out minor VK bands that a lot of people might not be talking about yet. He literally reviews almost everything that comes out. http://ameblo.jp/sakanagatoreta/entry-11797369774.html

 

A9's side project, DIAWOLF, is also really different.

[YuyoDrift 1540]

Can ya'll just make a 'VK sucks' section on the forum so all these damn threads can go there?

 

Like a "bands you hate with a passion?" thread?

[seikun 317]

Hmm, what to say... Perhaps that most Visual Kei bands lack the spirit that older bands used to have. The creation of a character oR certain personality that distinguised members in a band, the weird and playful personalities, etc.

 

Look at Lareine, every member was a character and they deliberately played with femininity. Mana-sama, a mysterious silent being who communicates via a middleman and all Malice Mizer members also being weird and elegant, etc. Missalina Rei's vocal ARISU ARISUGAWA who was something like a weird crazy little girl having some fun around. Kyouka (Aliene Ma'riage) conceived by Mast and Ray, "menatlly asolated".

 

All that playfulness, those characters, those personalities are pretty much something of the past. Perhaps all it could be created to enrich Visual Kei was already done and nothing new can rise from the ashes...

 

Probably most fans of Visual Kei today are not really interested in the theatrical side of Visual Kei to tell the truth...

[Deathtopi4 428]

Hmm, what to say... Perhaps that most Visual Kei bands lack the spirit that older bands used to have. The creation of a character oR certain personality that distinguised members in a band, the weird and playful personalities, etc.

 

Look at Lareine, every member was a character and they deliberately played with femininity. Mana-sama, a mysterious silent being who communicates via a middleman and all Malice Mizer members also being weird and elegant, etc. Missalina Rei's vocal ARISU ARISUGAWA who was something like a weird crazy little girl having some fun around. Kyouka (Aliene Ma'riage) conceived by Mast and Ray, "menatlly asolated".

 

All that playfulness, those characters, those personalities are pretty much something of the past. 

Meto, Izumi, and Kamijo the emo vampire cry in a corner, whimpering "notice me senpai..."

[seikun 317]

Meto, Izumi, and Kamijo the emo vampire cry in a corner, whimpering "notice me senpai..."

 

[Thorathora 8]

On 11/15/2015 at 3:22 PM, Peace Heavy mk II said:

Try Sleep My Dear, they're good for you.

Coming from smeone who really doesn't like today's VK, this is so true. Sleep My Dear is amazing. 

Edited April 18, 2016 by Thorathora

[wesjrocker 21]

On 11/16/2015 at 3:54 PM, Velocantide said:

I was just listening through some VK top lists of 2015.

This may not be very representative, but... UGH. Sorry, just in case I'm going to offend anybody here.

I am not surprised that, despite their skills and dedication, half of that stuff sounds so fucking similar. Maybe because they're in the same key, using similar chord progressions. But I think to myself: Damn, VK has gotten stale as hell. The chorus is mostly just a nod to their other material. I don't even know how or why they produce B-sides on top of that. MEJIBRAY had two funny examples, just showing the chorus, and ugh. Same key, similar chord progression.
This just shows me why I've gotten sick of VK. There might be a few exceptions, but they're what they are: Exceptions. Listening to 30 samples of different songs basically tells me: Hey, here we are. Lyrically, we use the same tropes over and over, just worded differently. The prettier you are, the better. There's like two notes that are different in our main melody than in our previous single. Wow.
The rest of the song may sound different, but it all sounds so damn similar.
It's not that it sounds bad, it's just getting indistinguishable. I used to be able to tell these bands apart, but now I simply can't. It's just like a big pile of mashed potatoes without taste, nor salt. That's BORING.

Seriously, no wonder I've gotten away from it. Same formula everywhere. It's as if every single band is aiming to make their song usable for an anime intro or outro. IT ALL STARTS TO SOUND THE FUCKING SAME.

I know it's close to impossible to innovate in a certain genre, but these bands aren't even trying. They're just using the same means to an end over and over and over and over. And people are still wondering why VK has lost so much popularity overseas? Well, you know, cool/pretty looks/makeup aren't everything. The music has to be recognisable. And whatever I heard just now is just something utterly and completely replaceable.

They all need to step out of their comfort zone ASAP, or else they'll be deadweight over here in Europe. I keep hearing of new bands all the time, and out of 100, maybe 2 to 5 are interesting. That makes for a really awful statistic, peeps. It's horrible, and I'm starting to get ashamed about the fact that I used to like this.

I suspect the main reason is the horrid music industry in Japan. But somebody has to counter it. I'm sure that some bands try, but they just fail to get recognition due to their innovation. But this scene needs just that in order to survive. Otherwise, it's pretty much dead - and only clings to hardcore fans buying their Type A, B, C, D, E, special edition singles for ridiculous prices.

 

It just doesn't give me anything anymore. Does anybody feel the same? Can somebody name me artists that are exceptions to this rule? Please elaborate.

Thank you kindly.

 

TL;DR: Excusing myself upfront. Stating that VK is stale as fuck nowadays. Or maybe I didn't notice before, and now I do. Captain Obvious. Moved on. Asking for your thoughts.

I agree with everything you said and I still think that it is important to discuss this even though we read this kind of topic many times.

The most recent visual kei scene has changed a lot and isn't like the old one;  It has lost its spirit  and/or concept, maybe for most of the bands. Of course there may exist good bands but I just don't have the patience I had before to invest my time and look for them; If you go to websites like club-zy.com, you'll notice that bands are too similar to each other in terms of visual and sound.

I still listen to the old bands I enjoy but I've also tried to "expand my horizons" and moved a bit from the vk scene and I've found out that it was a good thing to do; Now I've discovered amazing bands like 凛として時雨 and Spangle Call Lille Line.

Even though it's totally different from what I used to listen, these bands make good music and that is what it matters at the end of the day, good music and art.

I think this topic covers many more things, it's not just about visual kei scene, but the way the world wide web works nowadays, social media platforms, it's all too superficial for people like us that prefer to actually talk about something and know each other, I think that facebook just doesn't bring people together. That's why a forum or an old style of social media platform is better (livejournal, ... ).