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It’s been a crazy year for visual kei band Matenrou Opera. So far in 2016, the band has released a single, embarked on a two-month long tour, and performed at the annual Anime North convention in Toronto, Canada. Announced in mid-May, the news of guitarist Anzi’s departure on July 22, after eight years of work with the band had many fans of Matenrou Opera astonished and saddened. His reasons for departure were that there was a ‘difference in beliefs.’ All four of the other members confirmed that Matenrou Opera will continue activities without him.   All-female rock band exist†trace will broadcast a live concert from Japan on July 28, 2016 at 8:30pm (Japan time). Fans worldwide can view the band’s performance with multi-camera views from Tokyo’s Future SEVEN live house by using smartphone apps available at the iTunes store. (China) Modernsky Now https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/zheng-zai-xian-chang-zhuan/id979095986 (Worldwide) Video Clipper https://itunes.apple.com/app/video-clipper-maruchianguruderaibu/id1053782735 https://clipper.events/v1/static/existtrace20160728  exist†trace is currently touring Japan in support of their latest CD release, THIS IS NOW. The band’s song “Neo Japanese Heroine” has been streaming on Japan’s Yahoo! Sports as the theme song of the Japan Women’s Football League (Nadeshiko League). In June 2012, over 27,000 viewers from around the world tuned in to Nico Nico Douga to watch exist†trace’s live-show event “Just Like a Virgin” from Tokyo’s renowned live house Shibuya O-WEST, which was later released on DVD and screened in theaters worldwide by Live Viewing Japan. -Kelsey  exist†trace Are:
VOCAL: Jyou GUITAR and VOCAL: miko GUITAR: Omi BASS: Naoto DRUMS: Mally For More Information Website: http://www.exist-trace.com/ Twitter: http://twitter.com/existxtrace_19 Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/existNET Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/existtrace/201341433235814  DIR EN GREY’s new single “Utafumi” will be released on July 27th. There will be a Limited Edition Live CD and DVD set for sale, as well as Limited Edition CD and DVD set, and finally the Regular Edition CD. Tracklists for each are as follows. Limited Edition Premium Live (CD+DVD): [CD] 1. Utafumi (詩踏み) 2. 空谷の跫音 [Collaboration] 3. Revelation of mankind [REMIX] [DVD] ARCHE -「a knot」LIMITED EXTRA-2016.2.12 LIQUIDROOM 1. 咀嚼 2. The inferno 3. 禍夜想 4. Behind a vacant image 5. Revelation of mankind 6. 鱗 7. Chain repulsion 8. Un deux 9. 激しさと、この胸の中で絡み付いた灼熱の闇 10. 羅刹国 ＜IN-STUDIO FOOTAGE＞ 11. 詩踏み (Scenes From Recording) Limited Edition (CD+DVD): [CD] 1. Utafumi (詩踏み) 2. 空谷の跫音 [Collaboration] 3. Revelation of mankind [REMIX] [DVD] ARCHE -「a knot」LIMITED EXTRA- 2016.2.12 LIQUIDROOM 1. 咀嚼 2. The inferno 3. 鱗 ＜IN-STUDIO FOOTAGE＞ 4. 詩踏み (Scenes From Recording) Regular Edition (CD): [CD] 1. Utafumi (詩踏み) 2. 空谷の跫音 [Collaboration] 3. Revelation of mankind [REMIX] DIR EN GREY - Utafumi Preview Note: The MV preview is unfortunately not available in the US DIR EN GREY has become more casual in appearances over the past couple years, and many fans have expressed excitement over the fact that they seem to be moving back toward their older look. See below!
-Kelsey
 Did you know that back in 2011 a handful of VKei artists covered Disney songs? Not only are the songs catchy and easy to sing along with, but they’re very good covers! I’ve linked them below, so check them out!
01. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (Fantasia) – NIGHTMARE 02. Friend Like Me (Aladdin) – NIGHTMARE 03. Beauty and the Beast (Beauty and the Beast) - Kawamura Ryuuichi 04. Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride (Lilo & Stitch) – PENICILLIN 05. Chim Chim Cheree (Mary Poppins) - Plastic Tree 06. This Is Halloween (The Nightmare Before Christmas) – Sadie 07. Can You Feel the Love Tonight (The Lion King) – Aoi 08. Supercalifraglisticexpialidocious (Mary Poppins) - THE KIDDIE 09. When You Wish Upon a Star (Pinocchio) - NINJAMAN JAPAN 10. Heigh-Ho (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) – CASCADE 11. You'll Be In My Heart (Tarzan) - DASEIN -Kelsey  Five member visual kei band Kiryu just released the long awaited PV for “Hyakki Yakou百鬼夜行 ”, straight off from their newest album release of the same name. If you’re a current fan of Kiryu, you can see that they’ve stayed true to their roots of mixing traditional Japanese music, Japanese lore, and heavy rock together! Their fifth album will be released June 29th and will have three different versions. Definitely check out the PV to get a taste of their newest album! For information on Kiryu, check out their website at http://www.kiryu-web.net/ -Paloma (alpacqueen) Are you excited for June 29, 2016? Well here are four reasons why you should be!     TЯicKY has a new album called Ikasu Ze! Summer Slider/いかすぜ! サマースライダー. No preview available, but here’s his website!
-Kelsey  Avanchick is a relatively new Visual Kei band circulating lately. A-To-J had the pleasure of being able to chat with the band’s vocalist NOAH on Skype at a special livestream held out one of our panels at this year’s Anime Los Angeles in Ontario, CA. Ever since, I have been closely following them as a new band that has piqued my ears with a sound that is full of delight and intrigue! They’re definitely one of the up-and-coming bands that I cheer on as I watch them grow. Now, members NAH, Otake, Rey, Kagari, and Hyu-ga have released the new PV for their recently released sixth single, “Jinsei Game”. I’ve kept up with their previous release “Tanin no Fukou wa Mitsu no Aji”, so I’m eager to see what they deliver next. The PV opens with aggressive guitar play followed by the appearance of five dark figures. We see the members clad in dark robes playing cards, an act that is rather symbolic considering the title. As the opening progresses, the white and gold setting of the PV compliments the band’s purple and red outfits as they play. The opening was already catchy and made me anticipate what Avanchick had to deliver. NOAH adds in his own rendition of “Ode to Joy” in the opening verse. This really shows of NOAH’s singing capability and range as I can sense a bit of opera-like influence as he sings. The guitar riffs that play as NOAH sings mix well together throughout the song. From watching previous PVs, I’ve noticed that NOAH usually has a little dance incorporated into his performance. That aside, the rest of the band also bring a high amount of energy into the mix. This PV also indulges in the cliché of having a random Western woman be featured. In this case she deals the cards to the game that the band is playing. Speaking again of the cards, the concept of “game” and chance seem to be closely tied to the song’s title as we see the band’s take on the concept of “Jinsei Game”. The chorus at first didn’t strike me as anything special, but after the second chorus I believe that’s where it picks up. I ended up singing the chorus to in my head after watching this PV. Following a second view, I started to really notice other things that stood out. The mix of Kagari’s bass line and Hyu-ga’s drumming was a big highlight for me. When it transitioned to Hyu-ga’s double bass pedal drum solo, it instantly became my favorite part. This song really allows Hyu-ga’s drumming skills to shine! I feel that it had more of an impact on the whole song rather than Rei’s Guitar solo. I couldn’t help but pay fuller attention to the drums as I listened to the song again. I’m excitedly happy to see Avanchick back at it again with new music to listen to! I hope to hear news of a new album from them soon enough. Though Avanchick is still a fairly new band that is still finding their footing in the Visual Kei scene, I’m always happy to see new up-and-coming bands like them progress and find their own type of sound that defines who they are. =Paloma (alpacqueen) For more information on Avanchick, check out their website: http://avanchick.jp/  For today's Throwback Thursday article we take a look at SEX VIRGIN KILLER. SEX is one of my personal favorite bands and they bring an interesting mix of old-school visual kei aesthetics with more modern musical stylings. Their debut release "SEX or DIE" is one of the best, and most overlooked, contributions to Japanese rock/metal in the 2000s and I am going to share my thoughts on this amazing 5-song EP release! (Note: At the time of this release SEX VIRGIN KILLER was known/stylized as "SEX -virgin killer-" I have used the current version for the sake of consistency.)  Track List 1) I.BA.RA 2) Vagina Fucker 3) Aigan Doubutsu 4) SEX or DIE 5) Nothingness "I.BA.RA" starts off innocently enough with a simple lone vocal track and some ambient noise, it doesn't take long for the song to kick into gear though. This song is a nice introduction to SEX VIRGIN KILLER's sound. We get some good mid-tempo thrash, complete with a very catchy melodic chorus, and the song rounds itself out nicely with some amazing guitar work that sounds amazing even for the EP's otherwise slight muddy production. I should note here that while the production isn't the best, the mixing is fairly on par and we get to hear most of the instruments (including much-forgotten bass) quite clearly. "Vagina Fucker"'s drum roll-laden intro set a more heavy tone and we get a bass-heavy, rhythm-driven track here. Before we go further we must talk about this particular song title choice and what it means for the song's lyrics. Lyrically the song is pretty out there and that's to be expected from a song called "Vagina Fucker", but you have to love the drawn-out somewhat odd pronunciation of the shouts of the actual words "vagina" and "fucker" which come in a call-and-response type chorus. This trade-off chorus style is indicative of SEX's style. I personally think this is the weakest song on the release, but it does stand out a bit thanks to some interesting song structure complete with tempo changes and good old fashioned heavy riffing.  "Aigan Doubutsu" is a bit different than the rest of the tracks on "SEX or DIE". Unlike the thrash metal sound of the others, this one owes a bit more to the melodic power metal style and features an interesting break where we get that rare bass solo (with some spoken bits placed over it) before we shred and riff our way back to the main track. I haven't mentioned vocals much here because they're not really the focus of SEX VIRGIN KILLER's style, but they actually shine on this track. It is also one of the longer tracks on the release and has that sort of "epic" metal track feel to it. Now we move onto the title track. In my opinion "SEX or DIE" is a classic in Japanese rock music and should get more attention than it does. One of the heaviest songs on the EP, it is fast and heavy on the galloping riffs. The lyrics are strong and we that trade-off chorus where the English doesn't have the distortion we saw in "Vagina Fucker". The bass is strong here and the solo section takes one's breath away and comes with some headbang-friendly riffs in the bridge. Who can hate a song with a title like "SEX or DIE"?  "Nothingness" closes out the EP in good form and is a nice mix of all the styles we have heard so far on "SEX or DIE". It is both hard and melodic and the amazing guitar solos are juxtaposed with more interesting song structure complete with even more tempo changes then we've seen before. The song's progression repeatedly goes fast to slow in a way that I love and the whole thing speeds into itself back up until we arrive at a nice finish. I mentioned "Aigan Doubutsu" as having that "epic" song feel and that's the case with "Nothingness" as well. While it doesn't have the outright catchiness of "I.BA.RA" or "SEX or DIE" its probably the best written and produced song on the release. It's also worth noting that this is "SEX or DIE"'s longest song. There you have it! If you haven't checked out SEX VIRGIN KILLER then there is no better place to start then "SEX or DIE"! Be sure to keep an eye on A-To-J Connections in the future as we will be bringing you lots more from SEX in the future! -Manuel (alavic_222) For More Information: Official Website: http://sexvirginkiller.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Sexvirginkiller Twitter: https://twitter.com/SexVK_staff SEX VIRGIN KILLER - I.BA.RA  Today we will be taking a look at J-Rock band "ZERO MIND INFINITY". Forming back in 2015, the band generated quite a lot of buzz in a short amount of time. Mostly because the band consists of veterans in the music industry. Consisting of ex DELUHI members vocalist "Juri" and bass player "Aggy" followed by ex 12012 member guitarist "Sakai Hiroaki". The band also includes ex Sel'm guitarist "John" as well as ex REIGN drummer "Kaji". Because of the familiar names the band has a high expectation coming from fans at every angle. So stay tuned with us to see how this unfolds! All social media will be put below! 'Til next time my fellow J-Rock enthusiasts! -Hikaru
For More Information Official Website: http://www.zeromindinfinity.com/ Band Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/ZMI_OFFICIAL Vocalist Juri Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Juri_Vocal Guitarist Sakai Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/hsakai12012 Guitarist John Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/john_0721 Bassist Aggy Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/Aggy_neutral Drummer Kaji Official Twitter: https://twitter.com/REIGN_KAJI  Today I’d like to take a moment to show you guys some groups that I listened to once upon a time that have since disbanded. Some of these maybe you have heard of before and some maybe you haven’t! Either way, I hope you enjoy and maybe get interested in a band you’ve never heard before. spiv states  spiv states was formed as a duo in 2009 with Jun (ex-Se’lavy, Mar’derayla, and Phantasmagoria) on vocals and guitar, and Iori (ex-Se’lavy, Phantasmagoria) on guitar. Their first single “Viva Sonic” was released in December of 2009 and their second single “Flavor” was released in August of 2010, and it featured former Plastic Tree drummer Hiroshi Sasabuchi. In September of 2010, Iori had to leave the band due to a herniated disc in his back and from then on the band featured Jun and support members. In July 2011 they released the mini-album “Futari no Hoshi” which featured the song “Always”, a tribute to the 2011 earthquake and tsunami. In 2012, Jun left the band to start a new group with vocalist Jui (ex-Vidoll) called GOTCHAROCKA. In all spiv states released five singles and two EPs. spiv states - FLAVOR Hime Ichigo  Hime Ichigo was born at the end of 2004 and their debut live was in March of 2005. During this live their first single was distributed to the fans for free. The group consisted of Suzuya on vocals, Jun and Reina on guitar, Ruka on drums, and Jin on bass. The band gradually gained popularity by playing lives in their hometown, and in 2006 they released another single. In early 2007 they played their first one-man live and on the same day their maxi-single was released. They played several shows with other bands, and even did a show in Rio, Brazil. In 2009 they announced they would disband after their one-man in Tokyo due to different musical preferences. It is said that Suzuya then moved to the band トランスノート (trance note). In all the band produced two albums and four singles. Hime Ichico - Re:Alice YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz  YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz (YFCz) was a band formed by Gackt in 2011. It consisted of Gackt on vocals, Jon (a native of California and Seattle) on co-lead vocals, Chachamaru on lead guitar and backing vocals, Takumi and You on guitar, U:Zo on bass, and Shinya (ex-Luna Sea) on drums. In 2012, the band conquered both Europe and Japan with a tour and planned on touring in both North and South America. Unfortunately, in July of 2012, the band broke up due to members feeling they couldn’t reach their own goals. Their last live was their Budokan live called "Camui Gakuen, Sparkly Male Cram School, Happy Birthday Live, Don't Cry, Let's say Sayonara with Smiles" on Gackt's birthday. In all the band produced one album and two singles. YELLOW FRIED CHICKENz - ALL MY LOVE -Kelsey
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