Anything alternative in Japanese goes under these two labels.. the variations we know as Industrial/Gothic Metal/Nu-Metal/Rock and shit all fall under this.
Visual Kei artist do usually focus alot on an (unique) appearance, as one could presume from the 'Visual' part.
Gotta love it.
It's basically a bit the same as with Glam Rock.
I'll add in some pics of the bands too. Some appear quite Gothic to you, but that's really a Visual thing in this case.
MALICE MIZER was my first visual kei band I came across.
My mate Cylor pointed them out to me, with their album MALICE MIZER - Bara No Seidou.
I fell in love with it. It is exactly what I think gothic music should sound like.
Having fallen in love with MALICE MIZER I quickly continued trying their stuff out.
Merveilles is very unique. Has some great songs on it, like MALICE MIZER - ILLUMINATI, which fucking rocks, this album combines French Pop music into something really cool heh..
Having heard the band split up (by reading on www.wikipedia.com) into several side projects made me discover other great artists/sounds.
Videoclip MALICE MIZER - Gardenia Videoclip MALICE MIZER - Beast of Blood Videoclip MALICE MIZER - ILLUMINATI (Obscene so not for kiddies)
Like Gackt for example.
He was the first vocalist in MALICE MIZER, and can sing extremely well.
I'm in love with his album Gackt - CRESCENT.
It's a really great j-rock album IMHO.
I love the song Gackt - Lust for blood, it's fucking awesome. And sounds very simular to gothic metal bands like Lacuna Coil.
Recommendation: Mizérable, Lust for Blood, Kimi ga matteiru kara, White Eyes, Oasis
Videoclip Gackt - Mizérable
Afterwards I found out that Mana, one of the founders of MALICE MIZER, made a band called Moi dix Mois.
It's a completely logical sequel to where MALICE MIZER left off.
The album Nocturnal Opera/Dix Infernal sounds very much alike to Bara No Seidou's MALICE MIZER's Hakai no Hate or Beast of Blood.
Quite awesome album, yet not as breathe-taking as MALICE MIZER - Bara No Seidou; or atleast it was for me.
Another artist from MALICE MIZER went to his sideproject Eve of Destiny.
Having heard the track (which is very reminiscent to MALICE MIZER - ILLUMINATI) Eve of Destiny - Nervous and Innocence left me wanting for more.
But then again I quite like industrial.
I also found out that Mana, from Moi dix Mois also has signed an industrial band called Schwarz Stein to his independent label.
I recently picked up the album Schwarz Stein - New Vogue Kids which sounds quite brilliant, it's really deep trancy industrial stuff. Gotta love it.
And more recently I've gotten some stuff from a band called X-JAPAN, apparently the band who made Visual Kei as it is now.
X JAPAN - Jealousy has caught my attention.
I really like the sound of it. X-JAPAN sounds basically a bit like the Japanese version of erhm.. Speed Metal/Classic Metal like Iron Maiden etc.
Recommendation songs: I'LL KILL YOU, Standing Sex, Silent Jealousy, DAHLIA, Endless Rain (ballad).
Videoclip Endless Rain (Lol @ Hairstyle)
Other artist I'm getting right now is LUNA SEA, I already have 1 album (which is MOTHER).
LUNA SEA - Loveless and LUNA SEA - Ray are 2 songs which do sound great, really ethereal, off-worldish..
Try the albums MOTHER, IMAGE and STYLE.
Recommendation songs: Ray, LOVELESS, Rosier, Face to Face
Videoclip LUNA SEA - Rosier
Oh and I'd almost forget Dir en grey.
They're just rocking! Their a Nu-Metal band if put in Western categories.
Dir en grey - CHILD PREY and Dir en grey - Clever Sleazoid simply own!
Find their albums: Withering to Death and Vulgar, they rock.
Videoclip Dir en grey - CHILD PREY Videoclip Dir en grey - CLEAVER SLEAZOID
I tried Gazette's album Gazette - NIL. It's rocking, their very diverse.
One song sounds a bit like Slipknot, the song Gazette - Maggots
Not bad at all heh.
I also got some songs DéspairsRay.. they sound quite simular to Dir en grey.
I think their really nice.
EDIT: Updated with videoclip links and some extra recommendations.
Edited by Kazyumi, 30 April 2006 - 07:59 AM.
