To rockhardridefree...

I noticed you're a newcomer to the forum, a fellow J-music enthusiast and presumably gamer (I see you have Charlotte from Samurai Shodown/Spirits as your avatar).

Could you give a list of your favorite bands in J-Rock/Metal, and the like?

X Japan is still my number one since I like all their songs. Boowy is another in the pop-rock vein that never really put out any crap. I've listened to tons of major and obscure VK bands and to really cite a band as my favorite, I have to enjoy listening to the majority of their catalogue and not just one or two particular albums in question (unlike some bands).

I would've mentioned that Dreams Come True is another important band in my life, but they are more of a high-quality J-Pop group and not in the rock/metal/punk vein. That would be best saved for the general music subforum.

I really like Dead End, too. This was another influential group you may know during the early VK boom. Influenced L'arc, believe it or not. I would say all their stuff is pretty solid.

Loudness is a good example as well, and among the most known to western metal-heads. They have such a large catalog that there are a few weak tracks here and there but they've still managed to rock.

Janne da Arc is one band that is more of a pop-rock group with anime and game music influences, but they have a significant element of hard rock/metal in many of their songs. I like the distinct contrast of that in their sound.

Sex Machineguns are a pretty fun group that I would also need to mention.

Also enjoy some tracks from Seikima II.

Yes I am a gamer, Samurai Shodown and KOF are great games from SNK. ~
Anyway I still enjoy the classics: X Japan, Earthshaker, Seikima-II, Dead End, Starless, Metalucifer, Gargoyle, Doom, Skywings, Anthem, Bow Wow, Sabbrabells, Loudness, Dir en Grey, Dead Pop Stars, Malice Mizer, Onmyo-Za, Mandrake Root catalog
Other bands I love (mostly VK or all girl): Versailles, Galneryus, Jupiter, Kamijo, Moi dix Mois, Secilia Luna, G∀lmet, FullMoon, e:cho, Mary's Blood
d=(´▽｀)=b

Wow - that's a listing !

My knowledge of Japanese metal begins with Loudness and ends with E-Z-O, so I'm just gonna smile and nod and move onto something else.

Nice list. I'll add Japanese thrash metal band United to the list. I'm new to X-Japan but enjoying them and will be adding more to NLTM.

Looking forward to reading your reviews of X Japan's other albums, Ult. They were one of the first bands I ever really loved. Be warned, though, that Dahlia is the most ballad-focused record, somewhat like the polar opposite of their debut, Vanishing Vision. However, it's more like listening to classical music than something like "Every Rose Has Its Thorns". That put it in a league of its own.

Tracks like "Crucify My Love" were as instrumental in winning me to X as their heavier stuff like "Kurenai".

Love The Anthem album Heavy Metal Anthem with Graham Bonnet...

Apparently, Luna Sea (one of the most influential and amazing visual j-rock groups ever) remade their first indie album in its entirety and released several versions. The original edition had that very abrasive, ear-piercing lo-fi punk sound that many underground bands had in the 80s. The remake was to celebrate their roots in light of their recent reunion. One particular version includes an actual cassette tape, which contains tracks from the late 80s demo. But the fact that they are reprinting it on the same format that it was originally published for is pretty cool. This is the limited edition set:



Visual kei bands were big on demo tapes during the 80s/90s. The big name bands have some demos that fetch a high price. Some of this material you'd hear before the bands went more mainstream/pop was incredibly eccentric. Very unusual tracks can be heard that have a very post-punk feel to them. Let me cite an example. Garnet was the band before Kuroyume, another well-known visual group. Before they signed to any labels, they did stuff like this: