12012 - Knight mare

12012
Knight mare
2004/11/03

1. nightmare
2. 浸色
3. Aren't you dead yet?
4. Sheep
5. 灰降ル躰

Straight out of the mighty UNDER CODE lair, 12012 married all the sounds and moods perfect for a good time if you were looking for angsty visual kei at the time.

12012 was always just kind of "there" for as long as I can remember, so it's hard to pinpoint how I exactly stumbled upon them, but I distinctly remember the music video for "icy~cold city~" so that must have been one of the catalysts for me. They looked pretty cool in their cyberpunk getup and the music sounded decent too. By that time they were already relatively well-established in their (otherwise short) indies-label career, but for what we're looking at today we need to spin the clock back a bit.

The guys must have really liked the mini album format (or EP or maxi-single, depending on your definition), because that's pretty much all they released their tunes in for quite a while. To me, the crowning achievement of their early years came in the form of a three-EP concept series towards the end of 2004, of which "Knight mare" is the middle one. I'm gonna be honest, I could have chosen any of them, the quality is equally high, but I had to go with this one because it has my favorite 12012 song of all time, "Shinshoku"!

This banger bursts right in after a quick and ominous distorted intro, showing the band's strength in blending heaviness and catchiness, from the hard drivin' guitar interplay to the shouty hooks. Already you can hear some tasty atmospheric guitar effects maintaining an eerie somber mood on top of the aggression. This melancholic trace carries over and blooms fully in the next track, a dramatic hard rocker with a more restrained approach. To me, that's where 12012's greatness came from: an uncanny knack for infusing their music with a kind of beautiful gloom that lent a very particular taste to whatever that came out of their hands, but they didn't go overboard with it.

The signature style doesn't let up in the second half either. Both remaining tracks almost mirror the beginning of the EP, with a more in-your-face number and a slower but equally as devastating offering. The last song is especially elevated by singer Wataru's raw emotional performance who employs the full array of his capabilities, from whispers through sorrowful melodies to all-out screams, making for an effectively heavy ending.

After delivering their three-release winning streak, the band still had enough fire in them for a couple singles and a full-length album before inevitably "graduating" from the label, and, having been snatched up by a bigger company, starting on their journey of major-label mediocrity... Nevertheless, the old cult classics remain, and their material on UCP still represents a powerful chapter in the mid '00s underground VK scene.

Welcome back!

Oh hey, it's been a while, huh? I'm even afraid to look at the date of my last entry here (too late, argh!). I think I might have burnt through my first cycle of visual kei ABCs a bit too swiftly, so I'll try to balance it out a bit more this time around and hopefully maintain a comfortable pace.

So be on the lookout for round two, coming soon! First up, a band whose name consists only of numbers, inspired by a certain US penal code... Those in the know might already guess who it is. ;)

ZIZ - GIFT

ZIZ
GIFT
2012/05/29

1. Ö
2. RayD5
3. Ill
4. Besque
5. Kosmostill
6. Night Creature
7. Super Naked Disko
8. Sanityman
9. With Fu

Közi is a longtime favorite musician of mine, so it's no wonder I'm capping off my first cycle of ABCs with one of his projects, the cool new-wave 'n' roll of the debut ZIZ album.

MALICE MIZER was one of the very first Japanese bands I got a taste of back when I got into this whole visual kei business, so naturally I've been keeping my eyes on the members' subsequent bands and projects. I was especially drawn to the weird and quirky world of Közi from the get-go. His debut singles and first solo album "Katharsis" were already regarded as sort of modern-day classics among my peers in the online VK community (at least here in Hungary), and I ate them up too! When he announced his new band ZIZ I was all over it, and blindly ordered the CD from Amazon Japan as soon as it was available.

It was hard to predict what kind of music "GIFT" will bring, seeing how just in my own time following him, Közi had already dabbled in darkwave, industrial, indie pop, new wave, synthpop, hard rock, post-punk etc. The end result of this collaboration between musicians leans towards the rock side, that's for sure, with added spices. The most compact analogy I can think of is a mixture of the melancholic melodies of his first solo album and the more in-your-face instrumentation of his second one.

Right away we are greeted by a warm fuzzy electronic whirlwind of an intro courtesy of synth-player and sound manipulator Yugami, which builds up the anticipation nicely. Then it's off to the races with the chunky new wave rock 'n' roll vibes of "RayD5" (ready go!) exploding into our ears. The prominence of distorted guitars continues on the next tracks too, with some more kooky and off-kilter (at times almost jazzy) compositions. No matter how weird things get though, Közi always drops a few catchy vocal lines to bring us back home safely. This catchiness is even more prominent starting from the middle of the album, with songs such as the soaring, ethereal "Kosmostill", the bouncy earworm rocker "Sanityman" or the mechanical and melancholic closer "With Fu".

Needless to say, all the musicians are in top form while presenting their ideas in these tight little arrangements. Besides the brilliance and songwriting craftsmanship of Közi, the aforementioned Yugami always provides a neat (and comfortably analogue-sounding) electronic treatment that shifts the songs in interesting ways. I also have to give a big shout-out to my main man Chargeeeeee on the drums. The dude is a beast, constantly coming up with fun beats that also pack quite a punch. This is nowhere more evident than in the band's live performances, of which I luckily experienced one in the year this album came out. Whether on record or at the livehouse, it's always a good time with these guys!

This concludes my first cycle of visual kei ABCs, I hope you had fun reading. I'm gonna take a bit of a break now to gear up for round two. I might try some new things next time format-wise or maybe I'll go over an omnibus (various artists) album before starting again, who knows. Thanks for sticking with me so far, see you soon!

Youka - SEEK

妖花
SEEK
1992/11/21

01. Still as yet
02. I・H・Y
03. VICIOUS CIRCLE
04. Part for life
05. AN ETERNAL
06. ALONE TIME
07. Manipulate
08. CruSh
09. SEELA
10. IN MIRAGE

Even though their name hasn't exactly lived on like some of their peers, Youka managed to deliver a potent mix of visual kei melodrama and heavy metal fire on their sole album.

Last year I got it into my head to check out some bands on the old Free-Will roster, as I wasn't too familiar with those early groups. I browsed through stuff like COLOR, Kamaitachi and the like, and I must say I wasn't too captivated by what I heard... but Youka stood out. I'd already heard good things about them from online acquaintances so the seed was planted. Seeing how they released only one full-length, it was an easy choice to pick.

On top of having only one album and just a handful of demos, none of the members went on to do anything after they disbanded either, except for their first bassist who rose to fame as the vocalist of CASCADE, so that's an interesting bit of trivia I guess (he's not the one who plays on this record though).

As soon as you hit play, the guys assault your senses with a good ol' fashioned aural attack of scorching distorted guitars and fast-paced drumming. What really cuts through though is that delicious thick bass! That, and some cleverly sprinkled sparkly-clean guitar notes already signal that this won't be typical heavy metal.

The general formula of the band might seem quite clear-cut at first, but they inject their mostly uptempo metallic tunes with a certain elegant finesse and passion similar to the more standard VK bands of the time. This adds a welcome sense of depth to the mix. It also helps that the production quality is quite excellent, very powerful and clean-sounding for a record that's almost three decades old. There's not much to say about the individual songs, they blend together as a cohesive unit without any noticeable dips in quality.

If I would have to place the style and general vibe of "SEEK", it would fall somewhere between the raw old-school heavy metal vein of early X and the more sophisticated, intricate compositions and mysterious aura of DEAD END. In other words, you could say it's atmospheric visual heavy metal with slightly proggy tendencies? Quite ambitious, but something like that. It's definitely an album that's worth seeking out for at least one spin if you enjoy the traditional metal side of visual kei. You won't be disappointed!

X - BLUE BLOOD

X
BLUE BLOOD
1989/04/21

01. PROLOGUE (～WORLD ANTHEM)
02. BLUE BLOOD
03. WEEK END
04. EASY FIGHT RAMBLING
05. X
06. ENDLESS RAIN
07. 紅
08. XCLAMATION
09. オルガスム
10. CELEBRATION
11. ROSE OF PAIN
12. UNFINISHED

Arguably one of the most influential and well-known bands in what became the visual kei scene, X JAPAN (or X, as they were still known back then) released a beast of an album in the shape of "BLUE BLOOD"!

Of course it was inevitable to find out about X JAPAN as soon as I got into listening to VK. Their music was all over the then-popular mp3 rotation sites, a music video here and there, and obviously tons of photos of these strange and colorful spiky-haired gentlemen. I have to admit, I wasn't too impressed with Toshi's vocal style at the time, to me he sounded like a chain-smoking Tina Turner imitator on a particularly rough night... but the more songs I tried from them, the more I got used to it and finally accepted it.

My relationship with their album "BLUE BLOOD", iconic as it may be, was also a peculiar one. It took me a few years to fully appreciate and embrace its sound, for example. Compared to the Western heavy metal bands I listened to, I thought the album sounded weak, muddy and especially powerless in the guitar mix. I had to attune my ears to this different vibe, and nowadays I can enjoy and really get lost in the album. Even so, sometimes I can't help imagining how it would feel with a more in-your-face master... but enough about my useless whining, let's put this bad boy on, haha!

Everything about "BLUE BLOOD" is epic in scope, which is appropriately introduced with the grand symphonic metal intro transitioning with a cool spoken-word bit into the title track. The band makes it clear that when they're really rockin' out they go all the way, thrashy speed and blistering guitars included. I think this type of song has to be my favorite from them, when they just go full-force heavy metal. Luckily we get some more of this on later tracks such as the eternal live staples "X" and "Kurenai", or the bangin' quickie (no pun intended) "ORGASM". These tunes totally satisfy my inner metal nerd.

As I've mentioned, the album moves on quite a wide scale, so we don't just get speed metal assaults, but more mainstream sounds as well. "WEEK END" is the ultimate catchy high-energy rocker that would feel wasted in the hands of anyone else but the X guys, but they manage to elevate it with tasty tempo changes and a sense of theatricality that it's impossible not to be immediately drawn to it. "ENDLESS RAIN" is another big hit, one of the early examples of the endless (hah!) sappy ballads that Yoshiki & co. would go on to be known for in their later years. It's fine, but I'm not won over completely.

Finally, it's worth mentioning that there's also an interesting experimental side to "BLUE BLOOD", one that doesn't rear its head often, but just enough to keep things interesting. Our first taste comes in the form of the instrumental "XCLAMATION", a groovy tribal number that brings a mystical and exotic atmosphere, showcasing a different side of the guitar and bass department in particular. The other example is when the symphonic bombast promised in the album's intro reaches its climax with the mighty "ROSE OF PAIN", a 12-minute metal odyssey that foreshadows even greater heights of composition the band would go onto.

To me, this is where "BLUE BLOOD" ends, a suitably over-the-top closer to a grandiose record (and let's forget about that ballad at the end). As the years went by, I've always had different preferences when it comes to my favorite X album, usually varying between this, their debut or "Jealousy". However, there's no doubt that "BLUE BLOOD" is the perfect introductory experience for newcomers because of its variety and the number of classic songs. If you haven't given it a spin yet... what are you waiting for?

WITH SEXY - Couleurs

WITH SEXY
Couleurs
1997/11/11

01. SLEEPLESS (MOONLIGHT)
02. RAIN COLORS
03. Distance
04. Nostalgy
05. Merry-Go-Round
06. 微笑みの約束～someday somewhere～
07. WITH YOU
08. ETERNAL DANCE
09. December White Breath
10. CALL
11. BRAND NEW KISS

Okay, let's take it back to the '90s! This band was quite active in the decade of time they were around and they did it all with love, with passion, with...sexy (wink).

I was initially quite surprised to learn that WITH SEXY formed way back in 1989, since I always thought of them as more of a mid '90s band (but you learn something new every day I guess!). I managed to get my hands on the "Scene 1" omnibus album and that's where I first heard them via the '89 original version' of their song "SEPIA". It was quite a shock reading '89 on a record otherwise filled with newcomer bands from 1998, haha! Also bittersweet to think that by the release of that compilation they were already practically disbanded. Lucky for us though, in their time they managed to pump out quite a few demotapes, a whopping five-single release campaign and a full-length to crown it all.

With "Couleurs" being the band's only full album, naturally my attention gravitates towards this release. While the singles mostly contain material reused from their early '90s demo days, the full-length comes at us with all brand-new tracks.

The sound is pretty typical of mid '90s VK, with lots of pretty guitar melodies, fun rhythmic arrangements and an overall light atmosphere. The songs tend to lean on the poppy side, bringing to mind the more 'airy' textures of major-label Nagoya kei bands of the time, but also evoking a hint of '80s beat rock catchiness. In short, if you're looking for some crazy kote-kei, this isn't the place, haha.

The compositions flow together beautifully to make a seamless whole, so it's a bit hard to name any standout tracks. Not to say that the album is repetitive, but WITH SEXY did seem to have a certain formula that they didn't deviate from, that's for sure. The track that currently occupies my mind is "Merry-Go-Round", an uptempo number with excellent clean guitars and a passionate vocal performance. Another killer one is "CALL", a subdued ballad-like tune (and you know I must be serious, 'cuz usually I dislike ballads!).

The whole release is a joy to listen to if you enjoy the softer visual kei of the '90s. The musicianship is top-notch, the vocalist can actually hold a note, and together they crafted some solid songs. Even if you don't track down their myriad of singles and demos, "Couleurs" is definitely worth your time. It's sad that this was WITH SEXY's swan song, as next year they already called it quits. Well, at least they went out with a bang!

Veritas en void - AKASHIC LENS

Veritas en void
AKASHIC LENS
2013/03/20

1. IRIS
2. DAMNED
3. Siren
4. Lumen
5. Ubiquitous
6. Augulatio

Veritas en void is one of those curious enigmas of the visual kei underground: a group of young musicians that managed to craft a polished and mature sound right from the start, yet they've somehow always remained relatively unknown.

I can't even recall how I stumbled upon this project but I have a strong feeling I might have gotten their CD from RarezHut as a blind buy, only relying on a short sample or description. To this day, I don't really know all that much about these guys, other than they released this debut mini album and then they dropped a few more releases which I haven't been able to dig up anywhere... In any case, it seems like I struck gold with this mini, so I was immensely glad I got it when I had the chance.

Just by looking at the cover art, design and song titles, you might think of the elegantly mystical vibes of 9GOATS BLACK OUT, and you're not far off the mark! Veritas en void play a sort of sleek-sounding, slightly gothic and very much artistic type of VK, heavily incorporating the more melancholic tones of classic Nagoya kei. The production and mastering gives the material a bright glow and crystal clarity that lets the tunes flow freely like a temperamental river, perfectly suited to their style of music.

The band presents quite a variety on this short record. We begin with some comparatively heavier guitars in the opener "IRIS" followed by "DAMNED". Even here, the focus isn't on the chugging as you would expect, but more on achieving a balanced mix of aggression and fragility. From here we switch it up a bit with two of my favorite tracks. "Siren" gives all the VK bands who thought they could do that jazzy swingy rhythm a run for their money, bopping along with effortless grace, while "Lumen" takes us to groovy but hectic territories with its versatile guitarplay and ever-changing vocal delivery. These are the highlights for me, but the rest of the songs do a fine job as well.

It's really unfortunate how Veritas en void (known only as VERITAS from 2017 onwards apparently) has never garnered much admiration or popularity within the scene because they could easily beat any random flavor-of-the-moment band on any given day with their songwriting chops, tight playing and vocal skills. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that they'll be able to reach wider audiences in due time, without compromising their artistic vision, to get the recognition that they deserve.

UnsraW - Spiral Circle ～COMPLETE～

UnsraW
Spiral Circle ～COMPLETE～
2007/01/24

01. end of finale (Introduction)
02. Dust to Dust
03. -9-
04. Maria
05. IN THE FACT
06. 休眠-おやすみ-
07. Karma
08. [REW]
09. Gate of Death
10. 嗤い鬼

To my knowledge, UnsraW were one of the first visual kei bands to bring that sweet sweet modern heaviness to the forefront, at least they sure were the most noticeable. Their first 'expanded' mini album still holds up.

Back in the day it was pretty hard not to acknowledge UnsraW since they came right out the gate with their creepy decadent masks and facial accessories added onto their otherwise typical dark VK look. In other words, we just had to check them out! At that time they only had two maxi-singles, and boy what a potent kick in the head those were. It almost felt like listening to a fairly regular contemporary indies band, but they upped the heavy factor juuust a notch to make it all sound brutal but still digestable. Note that this was years before the whole deathcore craze so UnsraW was pretty much the heaviest a band ever got up to that point, from what I could perceive of the scene at that time.

Of course it wouldn't be visual kei without the recycling and re-releasing of material so in short order the band graced us at the end of 2006 with their mini album "Spiral Circle"... which was just the two singles' tracks with an intro tacked on (and a short DVD). They didn't stop there though: come 2007, they surprised us with a new release called, uhh, "Spiral Circle ～COMPLETE～". Yep. This time they were a bit more generous and added one brand-new track and two songs they had carried over from the vocalist's previous band CoЯe The Child. I didn't know much of that old band anyway, so it was completely fine by me. Thus, the definitive album of UnsraW's potent beginnings was born.

The guys make it clear right off the bat that they're taking no prisoners. After a largely forgettable electronic hype-up intro, they tear into those heavy but catchy bounce riffs on "Dust to Dust", building on the nu-metallic VK tropes of the time, elevated by Yuuki's relentless growls and screams. It's a competent introduction, but the best is yet to come! Once you hear that vaguely metalcore-esque guitar lead in the intro to "-9-" you know you're in for something badass. This is one of the best songs to show how masterfully UnsraW moved across the melodic-to-heavy spectrum.

Maybe it's not a big surprise, but I think that the most memorable tracks on here are those that had already been released on the band's two debut singles. Next to the already mentioned "-9-", other notable highlights include the manic and agitated "[REW]" again showcasing Yuuki's brutal vocal antics, and the mysteriously lingering "Gate of Death" that explodes into bursts of aggression. I must give props to them for adding the extra tracks though, as "Oyasumi" turns out to be a breath of fresh air with its sombre melancholic atmosphere, a palate cleanser in the midst of the surrounding all-out aural assault.

To me, this album encapsulates the core sound of UnsraW, but that doesn't mean they went downhill from here. To the fans' delight, the band continued with their signature style and released a few more bangin' tunes, most notably concentrated in the "Calling" mini album and the "Abel/Kein" collection. These milestones, "Spiral Circle" included, capture the golden years of the band, fleeting as they were. Nevertheless, the old records of UnsraW still remain strong as ever!

THE HAKKIN - Bansei

THE HAKKIN

晩成

2014/05/14

1. 四千年のLOVER

2. Tokyo Lung

3. 禁じ手

4. ニウ神経衰弱

5. 震えた口唇に最後のKISSをしよう

6. NO NO モチベーション

Full disclosure, I don't know if this band identified as visual kei, but anyway... THE HAKKIN is very close to my heart and it hurt a lot when they disbanded. They were a really special little project with a cool retro sound that made them stand out from the typical acts.

If I recall correctly, my first encounter with THE HAKKIN was thanks to some cool person who linked one of their Youtube promo videos in the chatbox of the late great Monochrome Heaven forum (R.I.P.). It was love at first listen! The catchy upbeat new wave sound was an instant hook, even if the production was demo-level (nevertheless, this band's demos sounded better than a lot of other young groups' professional releases). From then on, it was a painful and slow process of obtaining their live-limited demo CDs one by one through Japanese auction sites, but it was all worth it!

Thankfully, the band soon released their first longer record, which was the mini album "Bansei"—or "Bansay", as it's stylishly written on the front cover, haha. This compact disc perfectly captures everything that THE HAKKIN was about. The ingredients are quite simple, building from a pop-rock sound with elements of new wave and synthpop in the spirit of the '80s. The arrangements blend the worlds of soft visual kei and J-pop into a fun mixture that sometimes feels like listening to old osare kei, and other times it sounds like it's straight from an '80s pop countdown TV show. An interesting tidbit: the members previously played in VIDEO GLAMOUR, and just like there, I can hear some echoes of cali≠gari influence here too.

Of course, they didn't coast along purely on their influences, as evidenced by the quality of their compositions. The songs themselves are expertly crafted and full of catchy bits, in a sort of retro way that aims for a happy atmosphere but due to its use of bygone tropes, ends up being profoundly bittersweet. I'm a sucker for this type of mood, so naturally I love every track on here. My standout favorites would have to be the disco-rock banger "Kinjite" with its loveably cheesy synths and vocodered vocal hooks, and "Furueta kuchibiru ni saigo no KISS wo shiyou", a dramatic uptempo number full of longing and passion in the chorus (moving closer to the VK-sphere).

Sadly the guys only released one more album after this one, and then in short time they disbanded. In any case, I hope they're doing well (I know the vocalist brought some of VIDEO GLAMOUR's music to digital platforms since then, which is a welcome gesture!). I'm keeping my fingers crossed that we'll get to hear some more tunes like these in the future. Until then, I'll keep spinning THE HAKKIN, 'cuz there's no future like a retro-future!

Signal - CHAIN

Signal

CHAIN

2012/05/17

1. ATOMIC No,666

2. Just for today

3. Lovers:Psycho

4. Gerbera

5. unleash from chain

6. Animosity

7. The Last Judgement

When it came to marrying balls-to-the-wall metalcore aggression with visual kei melodies, Signal could do it like no other! Their mini album is a true metallic delight with a fiery spirit that begs to be played over and over again.

When I first heard Signal on their debut single they already presented a surprisingly well-formed sound right out the gate. From what I recall that period of time (late 2000s, early 2010s) was when the whole metalcore boom sort of reached the VK scene. That meant everyone and their little bro was trying to come up with their best watered-down-enough version of an already generic heavy-fast riff like there was no tomorrow, so naturally one was inclined to proceed with caution when checking out new bands, but luckily enough Signal managed to put substance into their craft.

I feel like they were one of the few bands who managed to 'stay real' so to speak when playing this type of metalcore-influenced music, i.e. their tracks always flowed very well and didn't sound like they were just checking off boxes in a gimmicky way. Maybe that's because they were one of the earlier groups to adopt this style so they went into it with genuine respect and conviction... who knows.

One thing's for sure though, just like their first few singles, their first and only mini album "CHAIN" contains a careful balance of hard-hitting metallic riffs, harsh vokills and a distinctly visual kei sense of melody and song arrangement. Almost every track on here has the characteristics of an instant crowd favorite to mosh or headbang to. Their razor-sharp riffs and relentless rhythms go into almost thrash metal territory on more than one occasion, but they also like to change up the pace with tastefully placed grooves and gentler, more melodic passages.

Vocalist Yuri goes all-out with amazing growls, squeals and screeches, but he can also hold his own in the singing department without fail, greatly enhancing these tunes. As already mentioned, the guitarists and the rhythm section perform their hearts out as well, which makes it all the more sad that none of the members went on to do anything of value (or of much interest) later... but what's important is that here in Signal they put together something special, I guess.

Ultimately, the record has a very uniform sound but not to its detriment. On the contrary, I feel like every song is on the same extremely high level of quality. It's hard to put this into words, but when you hear the vocalist sing or growl and the instruments doing their thing, it just sounds like there's a passion behind it that elevates the whole experience. You could say Signal's spirit burned brightly and their art remains as proof of that.