Metal Reviews

I find this a highly interesting musical phenomenon. Japanese bands, lacking the cultural stigmatization of breaking conventional musical taboos, are able to combine different musical approaches that would be unheard of in the west. The cream of the crop is by far X-Japan, although I'm discovering new bands that I really like, for example The GazettE and the Sex Machineguns.
Any other fans, apart from the well known X-Japan fanboys?

I fucking love the Sex Machineguns.

I've been following the Japanese scene for a fair few years now, though my interest over the past year's but cut short due to my lack of internet. It's a shame, as there usually are good bands in there.

Though I must say, the two J-Rock bands that are becoming rapidly popular are two of my least favourite :S. Go figure.

Wasn't the thing about visual kei just that it was a bunch of completely divergent bands using the same sort of visual style but just doing their own thing in terms of actual music? Y'know, rather than all the bands that used the image mixing up their varied styles?

Or did I get that all wrong?

I know a little about this, as described in my review for the Versailles debut:
http://www.angelfire.com/music5/metalcd ... EVIEW.html

It's a bit unusual...


To my knowledge, it doesn't have anything to do with musical style, just appearance.

Actually, as fas I concerned, Visual Kei is just about the artists' appearance, rather than a kind of subgenre. According to my understanding, this term was first introduced and coined by the guitarist of X Japan HIDE, who passed away several years ago. They tend to imitate the make-up of Western Glam Rock bands or something...
You will find out their music is mainly about power metal or speed metal plus some different materials. They are all great musicians but too effiminate for me.! By the way, X Japan rules! They are really outstanding!

GazettE is great.
Malice Mizer is good.
Versailles is good.
Acid Black Cherry is awesome.
Earlier Dir en grey fits the category of Visual Kei. Gauze and Macabre are excellent albums.
Gackt also does some good stuff.
Unsraw is heavier, and pretty good too.
Girugamesh is pretty generic, but they have some good songs.
D'espairs Ray is also worth checking out.


My only thing is that sometimes Visual Kei bands, besides looking frankly ridiculous can end up sounding like homosexual people chewing bunny-flavored bubble gum. L'arc~en~ciel and An Cafe are two bands that are guilty of this. Ugh.

But what I find interesting is that being in Japan, without the cultural musical history, stigmas and taboos, bands end up putting together genres that would be difficult to find combinations in the western world, yet they still work. An example of this is Filth in the Beauty by GazettE.