 A new web-shop specializing in Visual Kei merchandise has unveiled its web store and has started to accept orders and pre-orders for hard-to-find items merchandise! After seeing the high demand for band goods that are often difficult to get outside of Japan, Chaotic Harmony formed to make importing such items easier while also supporting the bands directly. Chaotic Harmony already has some merchandise available form bands such as Femme Fatale, Kaya, MeteroiD, Chanty and Avanchick.
To celebrate their soft opening, Chaotic Harmony is offering a limited time discount which you can get by using the code 'VKEI10' at checkout. This code will be valid for a 10% discount until March 9th. All purchases during this time will include a flyer of a band, in which some cases may be signed depending on the artist. Please note that orders will be delayed in shipping as Chaotic Harmony's team will be in Japan to keep their stock up to date and to further expand their inventory. This means that all orders made after March 9th will not be able to be shipped until April 9th. During this time customers will still be able to reserve, pre-order items, and check on updated inventory online. Inventories can be checked on their website or through their social media accounts listed below. We look forward to the future of Chaotic Harmony and hope that everyone supports the bands they love buy making their purchases through this amazing outlet! -Tomina Webshop: www.chaotic-harmony.net Facebook: www.facebook.com/cha0ticharmony Twitter: www.twitter.com/cha0ticharmony  It was recently announced that vocalist NOAH of visual kei band Avanchick will be providing guest vocals on the upcoming full-length album from Lightning Strikes. Lightning Strikes is a band that first formed in 1986 but went on hiatus in late 1987 only to be recently revived with an all-star line-up. Besides NOAH's involvement, Lightning Strikes will offer an assortment of instrumental talent on this release including Nando Fernandez (Hangar), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Kiss, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol, Yngwie Malmsteen, Black Country Communion), Rob Math (Seal, Toni Braxton, Leatherwolf), Cat Tate (Snew, Red Again), and drummer Karpis Maksudian. The latter two are from Lightning Strikes first run in 1987. NOAH will be featured on two songs, the first being a traditional Japanese song originally recorded in koto by Masayo Ishigure called, "Doki no Sakura". The vocal style of "Doki no Sakura" will also include enka style vocals, a style that incorporates traditional Japanese vocalizations. The second song to feature NOAH is a song originally written by Karpis in 1986 titled "Kamikaze". NOAH hopes to spread the love visual kei to the rest of the world by participating in this project He will also to be the only Japanese artist to participate in the Lightning Strikes project and has stated that he is honored and hopes that it will be well received. Not stopping with big names involved in this project, this release will be mixed by Roy Z (Judas Priest, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bruce Dickinson, Helloween, Sepultura), and will also feature former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin as a guest on two songs. The album is to be expected May of this year. Expect to hear more about this from A-To-J Connections as it develops! Official Website: avanchick.jp Blog: ameblo.jp/avanchick-noah Twitter: twitter.com/avanchick_noah Lightning Strikes: facebook.com/Lightning-Strikes   Oklahoma's very own Tokyo in Tulsa brought exciting news for Visual Kei fans in regards to their line-up of guests this summer. Visual Kei band, MeteoroiD, will be joining their guest list this year as their first debut in the US. MeteoroiD, formly known as METEOROID, has been rocking stages in Japan since 2013. After a switch in their line-up, the band officially changed their name to MeteoroiD in 2014. Since their name change and Line-up change, the band has released 4 singles and a 'Best of' album. Along with the announcement of the bands participation with Tokyo in Tulsa, MeteoroiD has posted a special video to their fans overseas. MeteoroiD - Tokyo In Tulsa Announcement The convention has been scheduled to take place July 15th-17th of 2016 at the Cox Business Center and DoubleTree Hotel in Downtown Tulsa. General 3-day passes, 3-day Sakura VIP memberships, and music passes can be purchased through the conventions site here.
Expected events exclusive to MeteorioD will include a live performance, Q&A panel, meet and greet, and a VIP Sakura Club dinner. Aside from the bands participation at Tokyo in Tulsa, a giveaway has been announced. While the first chance to win prizes was on December 19th 2015, two opportunities remain. Items that are obtainable as a whole prize include a Limited Edition copy of "Tori Kago no Sarasoju wa Shika no Hana [w/ DVD]", Regular Edition copy of "Tori Kago no Sarasoju wa Shika no Hana", and a photo set featuring each of the members. Since December 21st, fans can enter to win these prizes by filling out a form at: http://woobox.com/ngwyh3. To increase your chances of winning, you can obtain more entries by sharing their post on Facebook, which can be found here. To be an eligible winner you must be at least 13 years of age and have a valid shipping address in the United States. [Editor's Note: This contest has since ended too.] For more information about Tokyo in Tulsa and further announcements regarding MeteoroiD, check out their websites: MeteoroiD: meteoroid-web.com Tokyo in Tulsa: tokyointulsa.com  It was announced recently that X Japan would pause activities due to the health of PATA, their guitarist. PATA was admitted to ICU January 15th and diagnosed with a life-threatening condition that included a severe blood clot. Though PATA has been released from ICU and his condition has improved, doctors have expressed their thoughts against flying until he has made a full recovery. Due to the doctors requests and discussion among X Japan, it has been decided to suspend their current show commitments. Along with the postponement of their performances, they have also postponed the release of their album which was due to hit shelves on March 16th of this year. Their show for SSE Arena Wembley has been rescheduled from the original date (March 12th 2016) to March 4th 2017. All tickets that have been purchase will be honored for admission to the new 2017 date. For more information about the postponement, or to inquire about tickets you may have purchased, click here (http://www.xjapanmusic.com/WAform.html).
Let's wish PATA a smooth recovery! 
It’s a warm Friday night in Little Tokyo, Los Angeles and there’s already a line of anxious fans at Xenon (Japanesque Rock and Shibuya Style which regularly holds events) waiting for doors to open at 8:00 PM. They’re gathered here on October 23rd for the appearance of Tomo, guitarist for Japanese Rock band Rhedoric. Rhedoric is a relatively new band that started in 2015 with 5 members who have played in bands such as Delfina Ma'riage, Carat, and 12012. The band just recently debuted with their new label Universal Records in Japan and their first album, “Jiggy” released October 14th, 2015. Tower Records in Japan has already sold out of their album and they’re scrambling to print more. “Jiggy” also recently debuted on iTunes in both America and Europe - a true testament to the faith their company has in their worldwide appeal. Upon entering, fans promptly took seats as close as possible to the TV centered in the front of the room where music was pouring from a singular flashing speaker. Once the crowd had settled down, it became apparent that the music was 30 second clips of every song from Rhedoric's album “Jiggy”. After the album had played through, the playlist immediately launched into the music video for their single “Guilty”, a catchy rock song with a memorable chorus. The video is set in a classical looking white building and the filmography style highlights the band’s black rock clothing and musical prowess of each band member. Building on the excitement generated by the video, Justin (manager and event director of Xenon) brought out the LA guest for the night - Rhedoric's guitarist Tomo. Standing at approximately 5’8”, Tomo is wearing a black collared shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pink v-neck T shirt underneath. His blonde hair swept over the (Jimmy Choo) sunglasses that he never removed once. Tomo’s entrance is greeted with enthusiastic applause and as it dies down, Justin proudly announces that as a special surprise and treat, several of the other Rhedoric members would be Skyping in as well. He then flips open the MacBook connected to the aforementioned television and proceeds to Skype call the other members: Yuuji, the vocalist, and Yusuke, the guitarist. Yuuji has on a wide-rimmed black fedora and a white strip around the middle which complements his white and blue checkered dress shirt. Yusuke is also sporting a fedora, his a deep red - matching his simple dark red T-shirt. Justin proceeds to introduce the two members, pointing out that Yusuke was the bassist for 12012 before starting up Rhedoric. The bassist, Shigure, is in Taiwan supporting another band and was absent for the Q&A session.
With the introductions complete, the main event could begin: Q&A with the band members. To start the session, Justin had the band members ask the audience questions. Yuuji took a brave stab at the first question by asking the crowd, “What kind of music do you listen to usually?” Replies ranged from Miyavi, VAMPS, Visual Kei (Gazette, Dir en grey) to some fans admitting that they don’t listen to a lot of American bands. That last answer prompted Yuuji to follow up with, “What bands are popular in the US?” The audience replied with Deftones, Nirvana, Senses Fail, and System of a Down. At this point, Justin stepped in and asked Rhedoric what bands they listen to. Yusuke said that he liked Hoobastank and Yuuji answered with Linkin Park. Yusuke took the next question and he wanted to know what time was it then in Los Angeles. Once he discovered that it was about 9 at night, he followed up with “What are you going to eat for dinner?” The overwhelming answer was ramen (Daikokuya, Orochon, and Mr. Ramen). Yusuke laughed after Orochon was stated and he explained that his friend in Japan owns Orochon. The third question came from Yuuji and he wanted to know where is everyone in the audience was from in LA or America in general. The audience started sharing the wide range of areas that they came from for the event - Santa Monica, Long Beach, and Riverside. When one of the audience members state that she was from Hollywood, Yuuji jokingly asked if Hollywood if she lived between the H and the O on the Hollywood sign. Amidst the giggles that followed this question, the fan replied that she actually lives next to the O and the D which aroused even more laughter. Yusuke then asked the fans, “Do you guys think Rhedoric will have a lot of people attend a live show in LA?” A rousing chorus of “Yes you can” came from crowd, the band greatly appreciated this show of support. Continuing the topic of a US tour, Justin asked the audience, “Where do you want to see them play?” Immediately hands flew up - fans wanted to see them at the El Rey Theater and House of Blues. When Yuuji discovered what the capacity was for those venues, he playfully asked the fans to be in charge of booking and to buy 800 tickets. While the fans were still chuckling over that, another fan suggested the Whisky A Go Go in Downtown LA. Yuuji saw this as an opportunity to continue a previous joke and immediately took it - he replied, “The after party is going to be at the house in Hollywood between the O and the D, right?” 
Putting the jokes aside, Yuuji decided to ask a more serious question, “Do you guys like Japanese culture, right? What kind of parts do you like about it?” The audience gave a wide range of responses, everything from shiba inus (breed of dog), Godzilla, cherry blossoms (hanami), kabuki-cho (a type of Japanese traditional theater), to nomikai (drinking party). Yusuke was particularly excited by the last response and he admitted that he also loves drinking. The last question of this segment was from Yusuke and he wanted to know if the fans had anything that they wanted Rhedoric to specifically do/see from them if they come to the US. Fans replied with “Stage dive!” and “Wear a takoyaki (octopus balls) hat!” but by far the most amusing answer was fan service. The band was confused by this since they didn’t know what fan service was. The fan who gave the answer bravely gave a short explanation of what it was, amongst a lot of giggling from her and the audience as a whole since this was by far the most sexual question of the night. She explained it as playing their instruments close next to each other on stage. After much nodding and murmuring of “naruhodo” (I understand), Yuuji simply stated “That would be hard to do” and the crowd burst into laughter. Once the laughter settled down, Justin announced that the fans would now be able to come up and ask the band questions of their own. When he then proceeded to ask, “Who wants to go first” a young girl in the front popped up and asked the band, “What do you want to do when you come to the states?” Yuuji replied with the classic answer of shopping but Yusuke gave a more smooth answer and said, “I want to meet you, and everyone!” This was of course followed by applause by the fans who appreciated the love that Yusuke was giving them. After the first question, Justin asked Tomo to move from the couch where he was sitting to up next to the TV so questions could be directed to him as well. This was a smart move because the next question was definitely applicable to all three band members. “What do you want to eat in LA?” Tomo promptly replied with “Mexican food” to which Justin asked, “Do you often eat Mexican food?” Tomo explained that not surprisingly, Mexican food is not common in Japan so he unfortunately does not eat a lot of Mexican food. Yuuji proclaimed that he wants to eat In-N-Out since he hasn’t had it since he came to the states two years ago (but he stated that during that time he ate it every day). 
The next fan to stand up went by the name Claudia. Instead of a question, she shyly told Yusuke that he has a nice beard and she requested that he never shave it. Claudia then turned to Yuuji and said that he has a nice voice. Both band members seemed to be extremely flattered by the compliments and Yusuke promised to not shave his beard. Nora asked the next question. An adorable petite blond who looked to be high school, she hesitantly asked “Do you like natto?” Yuuji replied almost instantaneously, “I LOVE it!” and Yusuke said that he also loves it, especially with egg and green onion. Justin then turned to the crowd and asked, “Do you guys love natto?” Nora appeared highly excited at Justin’s question and she proudly announced that she eats natto every morning with sauerkraut. This was followed by proclamations of “Really?” and “Ewwww” from the crowd since that is not a food commonly eaten with natto. Next, a small Korean girl with short black hair, Jaime, asked the band, “I’m going to Korea in February and while I’m there I’m planning to visit Tokyo, Japan for 2 days. Do you have any recommendations on what I should do to best spend my time there?” Yusuke gave the most detailed response by saying that Jaime should visit Asakusa since there are a lot of temples and there are rickshaws which she can ride in. Nancy stepped up to the band after Jaime and asked them, “Besides America, is there another country you want to tour?” Yuuji, with a huge smile on his face, said “We want to go everywhere in the world! We’re really hungry to do tours”. Tomo followed up with a rather unexpected response. He said, “I want to go somewhere safe, where I won’t get shot” which led to laughs from the crowd. The next question came from Isabela. She wanted to know what were some of the hardships that the band had to endure while making music. Yusuke replied with a rather damper reply of, “Every day we face hardships”. Yuuji explained Yusuke’s response further by stating, “We have to keep our “hunger” so every day is like slamming into the wall for us. We’re working hard to spread out from Japan and once we achieve that, hopefully we will be successful”. After that sobering question, Isabel followed up with, “What are your favorite things to do in Japan?” Yuuji replied with a laugh in his voice that he could drink all day because the bars never close in Japan. 
After this question the connection breaks and the Skype call with Yuuji and Yusuke drops. Justin very patiently proceeds to get his MacBook charger to restart the call and while he is working, he directs the audience to ask Tomo questions. One of the fans took the opportunity to ask Tomo, “Where do you want to go in the US while you’re here?” Tomo, pulling a Yusuke-eque smooth answer says, “I want to see everyone - that’s why I’m here, it’s for you guys”. Another fan shouted out, “What’s your favorite band?” and Tomo replied with Yellowcard and Rhedoric to which the audience giggled at. Then came the big question of the night, how did Tomo join Rhedoric. Just as he starts to answer this question, the connection comes back and the Skype call is up again. Everyone claps and Yuuji waves his hands energetically in the air to signal his happiness at being able to see everyone again. Once everyone has settled down, Justin explains to the band that Tomo was just about to explain how he started playing for Rhedoric. As the band leader, Yusuke steps in to explain, “I stopped playing with 12012 because I felt like I wasn’t able to do what I wanted to do or express what I wanted to express honestly and truly. This is why I quit. I was doing a lot of other projects for a while but I soon found the best way to express myself was through music. That when I decided that I wanted to play in a band again. It was at this point when I met Tomo and we decided to do something together since we had the same feelings and thoughts about music. I was in a rough place before and I still am but now I have good thing going”. After that emotional charged answer, a brave fan voiced the thoughts that the rest of the crowd felt, “I’m so sorry it didn’t work out with 12012 but I’m happy that you’re in Rhedoric now”. The last fan question of the night was from Eunice, a small girl with jet black hair, and her adorable Cocker Spaniel mixed dog, Hama. Upon seeing the dog, Yuuji asked “Does the dog have a question?” which of course brought forth giggles from the crowd. Eunice replied an upbeat voice, “I was just wondering, do you have pets?” Yuuji paused a second to think and then he replied with, “Growing up, I had a shiba inu but right now I don’t have any pets”. Yusuke gave quite a different answer of, “I don’t really want to have a pet because I hate to see the pet die before me” to which the audience softly murmured “Ahh” in understanding sympathy. Tomo however, announced that he has a cat which completely suits his sly and reserved personality.
With that, the Q&A was done and now it was time for some final words from Yuuji and Yusuke. Yuuji started off by saying, “Tomo and I actually came two years ago to the US but hopefully the next time we come to the US, the rest of the band will be with us. So please support us until then and when we do come, I want to have a huge party for everyone!” A large and highly warranted “Awwww” emitted from the audience and a fan piped up asking, “What is an American gift that you guys want to receive? I’m very into giving gifts to bands and I’d like to give you guys something when you come to the US”. Yuuji uttered a crowd favorite answer by stating, “The best gift is to see everyone in person...and for everyone to bring all their friends as well” which was greeted with a mixed reaction of “Aww” and giggles. Determined to have the last word, Yusuke said in his best impersonation of Arnold Schwarzenegger, “I’ll be back!” with his hands raised for emphasis. The audience mimicked him and waved their arms in solidarity. It was at that point that everyone realized that this was the last few moments that they would have Rhedoric and fans began to cry out “Thank you”, and “Arigatou gozaimasu” ("thank you" in Japanese). The frantic waves of goodbye were reciprocated wholeheartedly by Yusuke and Yuuji. And with that, the Skype call was over and fans were left to wait until the undecided date when they would return to the US. Almost as if the Skype call was a signal, Tomo stands up and moves the clothes mannequin in front of him so as to block him from the crowd. The crowd giggles and Justin announces that Tomo is now going to ask some of his own questions to the audience. Tomo begins with, “In Japan, when you eat something oily people drink tea to cleanse their palate but what do people do in America?” Jaime replied first by saying that people either drink tea or eat mints to which Tomo responded with an immediate “No”. Christina answered next with drinking Coke and Tomo again gave a resolute “No”. After the back-to-back rejections, a brave fan gave the answer of “Oolong tea” and Tomo relented with a simple, “Good”. The next response was mugi-cha (a type of Japanese green tea) and Tomo finally gave an energetic “Good!” Starting to win the crowd over with his clever responses, Tomo moved on to his next question, “I have some break time while I’m in America, what do you suggest I do?” Eunice suggested the old LA Zoo; there’s no animals but you can walk around and see the cages. Jaime followed up with a Horror House at a theme park since it’s close to Halloween but Tomo said “Nooooo, that’s too scary. I’m easily scared which is why I didn’t want to tour in a place where I could get shot”. That response began to connect the dots with Tomo’s personality, he is not only clever but obviously a bit shy on trying new or scary things. Christina chimed in next with the thought of walking around Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Tomo answered with a straightforward, “Oh sounds good, I think I’ll go”. Another fan said that she would suggest the Museum of Horror but since he hates scary things it might not be a good idea. To no one’s surprise now, Tomo said obstinate “NO” to lots of laughter. Another fan mentioned that there’s a natural history museum, science center, and rose garden in LA that Tomo should look at if he has the time. While Tomo said that it sounded interesting and he wanted to go, he immediately said “No” yet again when the fan specified that there was a new a mummy exhibit on display. Finally used to this playful banter, the audience went crazy with laughter. Slightly changing the course of the conversation, Tomo began to tell a story from two years ago when Tomo was in the US. Tomo is very big on health and he works out a lot. So one morning he forced Justin to wake up early so that they could go jogging. To which Justin chimed in that he wasn’t happy to be woken up so early. While the crowd was still bemusing the adorableness of the story, Tomo launched into one last story for the night. He explained that during that same time two years ago, he and Justin went to Redondo Beach to eat hamburgers. After they were done eating, Tomo forced Justin to hold french fries and run down the beach. Naturally, seagulls began to chase after Justin for the fries and Tomo just stood laughing and taking pictures while Justin ran for his life. After finally reaching a culmination of shared laughs and an understanding of one another, the fans were prompted to sing Happy Birthday to Tomo (whose birthday would be a few days later). As the song progressed, all the love and happiness that gathered in each fan’s heart during the event could be clearly felt. After the last line was song, Justin told the fans that CD’s were on sale and that they could take pictures with Tomo. 
Fans started to mull around Xenon, just talking or buying the CD’s. Most fans were eagerly waiting in a line to take pictures with Tomo. Upon reaching him, Tomo would prompt them with the question, “How would you like to take the picture?” to which all of the girls replied that they wanted to hug him. The platonic yet endearing hugs that ensured between the fans and Tomo were a physical proof of the new bond between the band member and his supporters. That shared connection will be sure to stay strong until the day that Rhedoric is able to perform in the US. For More Information RHEDORIC Website: vestimitation.com RHEDORIC Official Overseas Facebook: facebook.com/rhedoric.oversea.official RHEDORIC Twitter: twitter.com/RHEDORIC Tomo Facebook: facebook.com/egawa.tomo Tomo Twitter: twitter.com/tomo1108gt Rhedoric - Guilty PV Rhedoric - WORLD PV  For my 2015 song of the year, it's a toss up between the masterpiece "Supreme Pain for the Tyrant" by Taiwanese metal band Chthonic and the gorgeously orchestrated "Quasar" by Japanese indie band The Lost Control. Let me explain the relevance. "Supreme Pain for the Tyrant" came out on the 2013 "Bu Tik" album and features an amazingly choreographed MV that tells the story of the band members traveling back in time to assassinate members of the Kuomintang -- then rulers of current day China -- as they collaborated with Nazi Germany. CHTHONIC - Supreme Pain for the Tyrant MV Aside from being a standout piece in the band's repertoire of songs that shed light on the darker parts of Taiwanese history, the song itself is beautifully composed. It opens with haunting chords courtesy of keyboardist CJ, soon joined by drummer Dani's driving beats and and the guttural roar of front-man Freddy Lim, who is running for Legislature this year. OH YEAH. THAT'S HAPPENING. This song was centerpiece during the Boxing Day concert celebrating Chthonic's 20th anniversary and fundraising for Freddy's campaign (and fundraiser they did, ending at a staggering 300% on Taiwanese crowdfunding platform FlyingV). The final chorus, a rousing "Let me stand up like a Taiwanese" was a fitting capstone to the politically charged gathering, which saw over 20,000 fans in person and tens of thousands more streaming online. It was also the song I sang at a karaoke contest this year! So it holds a special place in my heart <3  Second song of the year is "Quasar" by The Lost Control (TLC) because THERE IS AN ELECTRIC CELLO and also this band is really awesome. Not only do they have an awesome sound -- a medley of hip-hop, metal, alternative, punk, and EDM -- all the members are actual functioning members of society with real jobs. They just make amazing music on the side. The song starts with some funky electronics by Jim (who also does guitar and backing vocals) before going full on rock with TATSUKI on guitar, Ray on the cello and Masaya on Drums. Katy rounds out the sound with a solid bass. The whole thing is a pleasant solar space-y rock experience. Quasar comes on a single with "Dying Flowers", another amazing piece, and you can listen to samples of both on the band's soundcloud and are available for purchase on iTunes. TLC just made its U.S. debut this year, playing at Whiskey a Go Go in Los Angeles in September, where A-to-J was lucky enough to meet up with them. The band itself is based in Tokyo, Yokohama and they play regular gigs in the area. If anyone is lucky enough to be in Tokyo, their next concert is coming up on the 30th of January, 2016 at Liveholic. They've also just come out with another single: Burn/Way Down which are also available on iTunes. You can check out their official site here : http://tlclol.wix.com/thelostctrl Or on Facebook http://tlclol.wix.com/thelostctrl The Lost Ctrl - QUASAR (Live) So yeah! There's my top songs for 2015. Hope everyone enjoys wishing everyone a happy 2016 :)
More Chthonic: On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chthonictw Merchandise: https://ciongzo.com Website: http://chthonic.tw/ -Darice  “Wings Flap” is the newest single from the legendary Japanese rock band, L’Arc~en~Ciel. It’s the first single in a year and four months from the band and it officially released on December 23rd, 2015. With it’s uplifting lyrics and memorable chorus, it is by far my favorite song from 2015. The song starts off with a mechanical sounding noise that sets the underlying melody for the rest of the song. Hyde chimes in with the English lyrics, “Wings flap in the night”. This introduction establishes the entire mood of the song. The precluding tune reoccurs throughout the song and is most predominant during the chorus (which lends itself to making the chorus a particularly catchy one). The theme of “Wings Flap” and flying is also a continued and expounded on with Hyde later stating, “I wanna fly fly fly high”. The musical mechanics of the song are also profoundly perfect. Hyde’s voice is consistently clear and strong over the music and his ability to still hit the high notes at the age of 46 with his tobacco smoking tendencies is something to be truly admired. The rest of the instruments, bass, guitar, drums, all blend together flawlessly to support the melody. And in true L’Arc~en~ciel fashion there is a rather short guitar solo towards the end of the song, highlighting the musical prowess of the guitarist, Ken. “Wings Flap” is an overall crowd pleaser - if you are a fan of L’Arc~en~Ciel’s older songs you will enjoy the melody and if you are a fan of their more recent rock style (as seen most closely in their “Smile” album) then you will also like this new single. But besides this, the thing that sets the song truly apart from the rest of the 2015 songs is the motivating lyrics. In English, Hyde sings, “I believe in the changing of seasons...I reset...I find a new gate to freedom”. A fierce emotion of wanting to immediately amending one’s life path and put it on new, higher course is embodied through the last line of the song, “I’m ready to fly high”.  L’Arc~en~Ciel Vocalist: Hyde  L’Arc~en~Ciel Guitarist: Ken  L’Arc~en~Ciel Drummer: Yuki  L’Arc~en~Ciel Bassist: Tetsu   Tracklist: 1) Guilty 2) MEET,HE,LIGHT 3) Call my name 4) Critical 5) Monster 6) Kakukai ~Core Break~ 7) possibility 8) Melancholic 9) Truth 10) WAKE UP.STAND UP 11) possibility (Acoustic) (Hidden Track) 12) Katasumi no Sekai (Bonus Track) 13) You make *Demo* (Bonus Track) RHEDORIC consists of 5 members: Yusuke Suga (ex-12012) and Tomo (ex-Delfina Ma'riage ) as guitarist, Yuuji (ex-Carat) as vocals, and Naruka (ex-Carat) on drums. Shigure is the bassist and he also has played bass for Kamijo as well. RHEDORIC started out as The RHEDORIC when they first debuted as an indie band. As of recently they are contracted with Universal Music Japan and have released their first major album, Jiggy. The first press having dropped last year as an indies release. I have to say that I just love this album. From the second that the first note ranged through the speakers Jiggy has situated itself at the top of my list. Listening through the whole album you can hear how much work was put into it. from songwriting to production The sound of everything is just amazing.  Each song compliments each other so well and creates a perfect aesthetic for the whole CD. The way that Jiggy is formatted keeps the listener interested and integrated. For the opening song they chose “Guilty”. This track perfectly conveys RHEDORIC's style while, at the same time, not being too overbearing. It intrigues you to continue listening, drawing you in further. Guilty is a light version of their normal style which gives you a small taste that makes you yearn for a bigger bite. “MEET,HE,LIGHT” comes in as the second song with a very strong opening. Off the bat you hear an amazing harmony of Yuuji's, the vocalist, vast vocal range layered like a beautiful sandwich. With the use of harsh vocals and mind numbing guitar solos, this track is like a complete 180 from Guilty. A difference however that is not displeasing. “Call my name” and “Critical” continues with this trend. Then out of the blue comes this electric styled song, “MONSTER. This track has a complete different sound from the rest of the album. If the song were by itself, you would not expect this track to have the same origins as the rest. However, in a way, it keeps everything refreshing. Without this track the style would have been repetitive but again the listener is urged to listen on. “MONSTER”'s music style and placement further shows how well planned Jiggy is. The next few songs are: “Kakukai ~Core Break~”, “possiblility”, and “Melancholic”. For those who have been following this band for awhile will find these tracks very familiar. I was fortunate enough to buy The RHEDORIC's first CD, Katasumi no Sekai, back in the summer of 2014. All these songs were in that album but as I listened more there is a very notable difference, in a positive way. Everyone one of them sound like they have been re-mastered to sound better as well as fit better into the aestheticism of the new album. Melancholic was my favorite song in the first album and I was very ecstatic that it was worked into this one. possibility has a bass solo that is to die for while Kakukai ~Core Break~ will forever by my RHEDORIC classic.  I find that “Truth” and “WAKE UP.STAND UP” are the perfect complement for each other. Both these songs balance themselves so well. In my head I see these two as the perfect opening and ending to an epic anime. “WAKE UP.STAND UP” lives up to its name well. Whenever this song comes up, I cannot keep myself from jumping up and dancing. My most favorite part of Jiggy would have to be its bonus track selections. They worked “Katasumi no Seka”i, a track from the previous album, again into Jiggy. The demo version of “You make is” listed as the last track. For those who listens carefully will find that there is a hidden song not found on the track list. Right after “WAKE UP.STAND UP” is the acoustic version of “possibility”. This track caught me totally off guard and is definitely my favorite track on the whole album. Throughout the whole song it highlights how amazing Yuuji's voice is and how small differences, like instrument and tempo, can greatly differ the tone of the song. With the addition of “possibility”'s acoustic version it shows how RHEDORIC doesn't cut corners with their art. I know that it is becoming redundant about much I love this album but I cannot convey my feelings enough, Jiggy is one of the best I have heard in a long time. The whole album from art, format and sound shows an attention to detail. Nothing about this album is unintentional and from their hard work created something amazing. Whether you play everything in order or on shuffle, everything flows together with graceful ease. The album is available in the US digitally on both iTunes and CDBaby. Look forward to a video review soon!
RHEDORIC has released a new song titled “WORLD” so be sure to check it out. Please continue to support this amazing band as they are working on a follow up album to be released soon. The recently set up a fundraiser on Indiegogo in order to raise money to perform in the United States. This amazing band would love to perform for their North American fans and would love to integrate their help. Through donations fans will be able to have an active role in bringing RHEDORIC to the United States. Each donation level will allow fans to receive rare merchandise that cannot otherwise be easily found. A small token of appreciation from RHEDORIC for your support and dedication. For more information a link can be found here. Please check out the amazing interview that we were able to have with RHEDORIC's guitarist, Tomo which can be found here. ~Eunice (Yume no Yumi) All pictures from RHEDORIC's Facebook page. RHEDORIC Is: Vocals: Yuuji Guitar: Tomo Guitar: Yusuke Bass: Shigure Drums: Naruka For More Information RHEDORIC Website: vestimitation.com RHEDORIC Official Overseas Facebook: facebook.com/rhedoric.oversea.official RHEDORIC Twitter: twitter.com/RHEDORIC Tomo Facebook: facebook.com/egawa.tomo Tomo Twitter: twitter.com/tomo1108gt  A-To-J Connections recently sat down and interviewed Tomo (Ex-Delfina Mar'riage) from RHEDORIC on his third trip to this US. The purpose of this trip was to host a special in-store meet-and-greet at XENON LA in Little Tokyo and to promote RHEDORIC in the hopes of following up with a US tour! A-To-J: Please introduce yourself. Tomo: I’m RHEDORIC’s guitarist, Tomo, nice to meet you. A-To-J: This is your second time doing a meet and greet at XENON, what did you think of the first one? Tomo: This is actually the third time being at an event. The first time I was involved with CELL in the summer so it’s three times. It’s always fun at these events. A-To-J: So you were also in LA recently for the VNITED MUSIC FEST, can you tell us how that was like? Tomo: I really enjoyed the heat and hype from the audience in L.A. A-To-J: Can you also tell us about your friendship with Kenzi from ANTI FEMINISM and Kon from CELL? Tomo: CELL’s Kon and Kenzi from ANTI FEMINISM are my seniors. Originally I was in Kenzi’s record label and so he’s like the “father” of the music industry to me. A-To-J: Does that mean Kenzi’s also older than you? Tomo: Umm… our age… A-To-J: You’re the youngest right? Tomo: That’s right, I’m the youngest! “Very young!” (In English) A-To-J: 18 right? Tomo: Yes, I’m 18! (Laughs) A-To-J: Can you tell us your plans about this visit? Tomo: First of all, this interview and other interviews are the reason I’m here as well as some secret plans. A-To-J: How many interviews have you been in today? Tomo: This is my second. A-To-J: RHEDORIC recently went into a major label, can you tell us about this? Tomo: I haven’t really thought of much about being either indies or major, we’re just taking this opportunity because it was given to us. RHEDORIC hasn’t really changed from being the same old RHEDORIC. A-To-J: What are some of the differences being under a major label? Tomo: It’s not just us anymore, there are many other people that are helping us now and doing things for us, such as managing the schedule. Since there are more people involved, I feel like we can produce better music. A-To-J: What was the inspiration for the album, JIGGY? Tomo: Since RHEDORIC was founded, we’ve been releasing limited singles and we were releasing what we had collected up. We wanted to release what we thought was RHEDORIC’s “best”. So we put this on this album and wanted to release it to the public. A-To-J: It has all of your best songs? Tomo: Yeah, it’s almost like a “best” CD. A-To-J: What is your favorite song from the album and why? Tomo: My favorite song is “Guilty” because there’s a music video and it’s the lead song for JIGGY. I feel like the song is filled with all the good parts of RHEDORIC so I like it.  A-To-J: Can you tell us how RHEDORIC was formed? Tomo: I wonder how RHEDORIC was formed… I was originally Yusuke’s friend and we went out drinking often. It started off as us wanting to do something fun and interesting. I forgot about the details already (Laugh) A-To-J: What do you mean by “interesting”? Tomo: We wanted to do something in music that was interesting so I was just helping him with that “project” at first and when that project finished, we formed RHEDORIC. A-To-J: By the way, what kind of things do you drink with Yusuke-san? Tomo: Beer, shochu… A-To-J: Asahi? Sapporo? Tomo: Asahi only! A-To-J: What about the shochu? Tomo: We drink potato shochu. We also drink Japanese sake and tequila. A-To-J: Tequila too? That’s pretty dangerous stuff! Tomo: Yeah it is! I can’t even drink it nowadays. I just drink bourbon now. A-To-J: What bourbon do you like? Tomo: I drink a lot of Jim Beam. Even in Japan there’s a good amount of Jim Beanm A-To-J: Can you tell us about the songwriting process? Tomo: Yusuke does most of the songwriting. I do it sometimes as well. We do the songwriting and then the other members arrange it a bit. That’s how we complete the song, that’s the “RHEDORIC style.” A-To-J: If you had to describe RHEDORIC’s style of music to someone who hasn’t heard it before, how would you describe it? Tomo: I want to tell them “just give the music a listen!” (Laughs) I don’t think 10/10 people will love it but we hold pride in the music we make as RHEDORIC. There is a lot of variety in the songs so if you listen to all of them, I think you’ll find at least one you’ll like. A-To-J: How is RHEDORIC different from your previous bands? Tomo: The one thing that is very different is that the qualities of the songs are high. We also put in more passion into the music. A-To-J: You didn’t feel that the past bands you were in were passionate? Tomo: I think the past bands I was in was good at music and we liked what we did but in RHEDORIC, we go past just liking what we do, all the members care about the music we make. I consider us to be a professional group and it gives me as well as the other member’s stimulation. It’s very different from the past bands I’ve been in. A-To-J: Can you tell us about your fashion today? Tomo: Where should I start? (Laugh) Well for the accessories, the main brand is Chrono Hearts. Bracelet is from 13 Designs. Sunglasses are Jimmy Choo. They cost 400 dollars. I think both of the shirts are Japanese brands. A-To-J: Why do you like those brands? Tomo: I like shiny things so many of these accessories are shiny. When you get older, you start to like shiny things! Also It’s pink! A-To-J: Isn't that weird for a guy to like pink so much? Tomo: Yeah. (Laughs) It's nice from time to time isn't it? I really like pink. There are a bunch of pink things at my house in Japan. In the kitchen all the goods are pink. A-To-J: Do you like cooking? Tomo: I love cooking! I can cook anything. The most recent thing I made was guacamole. I also made my own tortillas. A-To-J: So you must be enjoying LA! Tomo: I really do love it here. This is my third day being in LA but I’ve already had Mexican food three times! A-To-J: That’s too much! Tomo: It is a lot (Laughs) A-To-J: Any place in particular that you went to go eat at? Tomo: Just places that were close and also Mexican areas. I really do love Mexican food. But before I came today, I ate hamburgers and I’m really full. I’m also a little sleepy but I’m ok! A-To-J: What’s your favorite genre of music? Tomo: Recently I’ve really liked alternative rock. I also like “Pop Punk” genre especially the foreign bands that perform it. Some of the bands I like are Sum 41 and Yellowcard but I really do love a lot of different bands in the genre. I also really like Bon Jovi. A-To-J: What’s your favorite Bon Jovi song? Tomo: "You Give Love A Bad Name". A-To-J: So do you sing these songs at karaoke? Tomo: No, because I can’t sing in English (Laughs) A-to-J: If you can’t speak English, why did you come alone? Tomo: Even if I can’t speak English, I have Justin! I can live because Justin [Justin from NAMELESS and XENON LA] is here. A-To-J: How did you become friends with Justin? Tomo: I met Justin when I came here before and we became friends. Whenever I come here, we hang out after I finish my work and we drink. A-To-J: Drinks like Jim Beam? Tomo: We actually drank Japanese sake yesterday. Justin: Why are you interviewing me? (Laughs) A-To-J: Do your favorite artists inspire your music? Tomo: I’m not really sure but since I listen to my favorite bands a lot, I probably do get inspired as I make songs. I don’t really think about copying their style or anything, I just enjoy listening to their songs which is a completely different thing from making my own songs. A-To-J: What is your dream venue or event to perform at? Tomo: I really want to perform in Slipknot’s festival. I really like Slipknot and especially the vocalist in the band so I want to perform with him as well. I want to meet Ozzy Osbourne because I really like the MTV show “The Osbournes”. If it’s in Japan, I want to play at Budoukan. A-To-J: What would be your dream collaboration? Tomo: Like I mentioned, I would like to collaborate with the vocalist in Slipknot. A-To-J: In English? Tomo: Of course! I also want to collaborate with Paul Gilbert from Mr. Big. If it’s someone famous, it can be anyone!! (Laughs) A-To-J: So even Britney Spears is okay too? Tomo: I’m not too sure about Britney Spears… A-To-J: What are next year’s plans both for yourself and RHEDORIC? Tomo: We will be releasing a new mini album on 12/31 of this year so we’ll be doing a release event tour within Japan. We hope to do a tour overseas including America if possible. A-To-J: There’s been a lot of talk about non-Japanese bands are calling themselves “Visual Kei”, what do you think about this? Tomo: I think its fine. I think it means they respect J-rock and our music so it makes me happy. I think they can even say it more proudly! A-To-J: What is your definition of Visual Kei? Do you consider RHEDORIC as Visual Kei? Tomo: What do you guys think? A-To-J: I definitely think that it’s considered Visual Kei, but we also think it should be up to the bands. Tomo: I think that’s fine. Whatever you feel of RHEDORIC is what you should think of RHEDORIC. We don’t want to define what we are within people and we’re ok with whichever you think we are. If you think we’re not Visual Kei, that’s fine and if you think we are, that’s great too. A-To-J: Where should we go to find out more about RHEDORIC? Tomo: We have a Facebook and a website. [Links Below] A-To-J: Lastly, do you have a final message for your fans? Tomo: It’s really an honor that people from overseas have interviewed us about our new album, “JIGGY” and I’m very happy. I really want to perform lives for our fans as RHEDORIC and have a fun time with everyone. We really want to make better material in the future so we would like fans to keep up to date with the details. We are planning to tour overseas someday so please come see us! A-To-J: Thank you for your time! Be sure to check out both RHEDORIC and Tomo on the links below! Also be sure to pick up their first album, JIGGY, available digitally in the US! A Review for "JIGGY" can be found here. For More Information RHEDORIC Website: vestimitation.com RHEDORIC Official Overseas Facebook: facebook.com/rhedoric.oversea.official RHEDORIC Twitter: twitter.com/RHEDORIC Tomo Facebook: facebook.com/egawa.tomo Tomo Twitter: twitter.com/tomo1108gt The above interview was conducted by Eunice Wang and Darice Chang (who also provided on-site translation) with photography and direction by Manuel Figueroa. Post translation by Tiffany Fujii.   The GazettE never fails to impress their worldwide fan base. They are back with an entirely new album as well as a brand new music video for their recently released song "Ugly." Being two years since their last album was released, the band is back with an in-your-face CD, including a blood drenched PV putting the seven deadly sins in a spotlight of their own. The band has also adapted a new and darker makeover along with a heavier general atmosphere thus concieving the unique new album "Dogma". "Ugly" includes heavy screams that remind the fans of the band's older music, which most of us can agree we absolutely love. It's the perfect video that surpasses our expectations. From headbanging lives to blood showers, it's all there. Expressing extremes such as gluttony, envy, and pride, the video puts these words into action. It shows a bold, but seen before, side of the band. Their talent goes a long way with this one leaving fans in shock and in love. This video quickly became one of my personal favorites, and it seems like one of the most popular among new fans and old. The tone of the song itself is angry which creates a great overall image that perfectly matches the harsh vocals blasting with emotion. The Gazette has switched over to a more Gothic vibe since their last few releases. The members have all since adopted new looks as well. Using darker makeup and clothing, they've created a more mysterious tone for themselves.  The PV expresses most of the seven deadly sins. This includes a clip of a nun committing adultery, an obese man metaphorically killing himself with food, and a young girl crying with the word "envy" written on a mirror in front of her. These are just some of the scenes featured in the video that make it well worth watching. I find these pieces add a very artistic and emotional touch to the general atmosphere.
Each scene is also throughly expressed by introducing blood as the main form of action. This makes the video violent and somewhat gory helping it become beyond interesting and dark. Overall it seems the Gazette is back and stronger than before. Their talent is truly never ending. -Kaz Since Youtube isn't allowing the video to be seen in the US, here is a convenient link to it on Facebook Gazette - Ugly PV |
Search
Contributors◆ Badman
◆ Emily ◆ Janette ◆ Manuel ◆ Megan ◆ Rose ◆ Rubi ◆ Sylvia ◆ Tiffany Support Us On Patreon!
Archives
August 2024
|
RSS Feed
© 2014-2024 A-to-J Connections. All Rights Reserved.