L~Lotus~ is a five-piece band comprising of three ex. as milk members – 蓮華 (Renka) on vocals, saki and Takayuki on guitars, masato on bass, and YUJI on drums. They officially began their activities on March 6th and have released three digital singles to date: 「worry」 on May 19th, 「snow」 on May 26th, and 「tree」 on June 2nd. The members of L~Lotus~ sat down with us to answer a couple of questions, so give it a read to get to know them better! We’d like to thank JapanFiles... Read→
-LEON- is a five-piece band from Gunma comprising of Yuji on vocals, Shin and Koya on guitars, Yamato on bass, and Masashi on drums. Mixing Asian cultural influences with visual rock, -LEON- has a heavy, modern sound with a distinct, ethereal flavor. On December 13th, the band released their first three track mini-album, 「REGULUS」 along with a PV for their song, 「Kokou ni Tou Tsuioku no Kagen no Tsuki」. The members of -LEON- took time to answer a few of our questions, so take a read through... Read→
GLACIER is a five-member group from Okinawa, comprising of Makoto on vocals, Nao on lead guitar, Koujirou on rhythm guitar, Aki on bass, and Yuuki on drums. The band formed in July 2007 and made their major debut a year later on July 23rd. They have released a full album and six singles to date with their seventh single, 「愛の降る街」 (Ai no Furu Machi) which is the third installment of a 7-month digital release project, coming out on June 30th through JapanFiles and on iTunes. The members... Read→
O-PARTS is a two-man unit that started in June of 2009, formed by vocalist sho-ka (ex. Vogus Image) and bassist Jun (GaGaaalinG, ex. WAIVE). On August 20th, they released their first maxi-single entitled 「向日葵」 (Himawari) which included four tracks, all of which made it into the top ten of the Oricon Indies ranking. On May 26th, their second maxi-single, 「煌[kou]」 was released and will be available through JapanFiles from June 6th. Both sho-ka and Jun took time out of their busy schedules... Read→
In 2002, Kaya made his vocal debut in the Mana produced two-man unit, Schwarz Stein. In 2004, Schwarz Stein disbanded, and departing from the label the band was signed to, Kaya became a free singer. Using “aesthetics” as his main theme, Kaya conducts his activities with the goals of “the revolution of the aesthetic senses” and the “liberation of sexuality” in mind, and manages his own lyrics, CD jacket designs, make-up and costume designs as well as the organization... Read→
born is a five member band that began together under RENNY AMY, which was active from August 2005, until December 31st, 2006. Shortly after, the same five members created D&L, and eventually changed their name to ‘born’ on April 9th, 2008 with the sponsored event at Takadanobaba AREA called “born presents 「bug scremo vol.01」”. About a week later, they released their first demonstration single, entitled 「Dust pain」, which was followed by the tour, 「Abnormal skin’s」. Since... Read→
砂月-Satsuki- began his solo career on February 14th, 2009, after spending seven years as the vocalist for RENTRER EN SOI. His first solo release, 「AWAKE」 came out via his online shop on May 9th, and that month he also started his 「AWAKENING TO MOONLIGHT」 tour, which even made a stop in Los Angeles, California. His next release, 「CRYSTAL」 was out on August 21st, which was followed by his 「PEER INTO YOUR CRYSTAL HEART」 tour, where he preformed in both Tokyo and Las Vegas, Nevada. ... Read→
Guess Eros is continuing on with a new era of XodiacK! Not to long ago he was left alone when the other members left the band. Even though a small image can be seen on the mobile site, someone on Last.fm has posted a slightly larger and colored image of the new look! Again, he is keeping an air of mystery regarding some possible new members utilizing masks to keep their identity secret.
What do you think?
Thanks to Iria for sending this in to us!
XodiacK have announced that Hizuki, Agito, Yahiro and Chiri have all left the band.
They have updated their official MySpace with the following announcement:
Important announcement
At this time, Hizuki, Agito, Yahiro and Chiri, having reached the end of their tenure, retired from XodiacK and went back to their prior human form. Please look forward to the their future activities.Each member’s comments will be published on this blog.
Regards
XodiacK Management
The same message has been posted on their OHP, but instead it says to check the member’s individual blogs for their comments — none of which have been posted yet.
On the OHP, it says that the band’s next live will be sometime in April… guess we’ll have to wait to see where Eros goes with it!
Source: Official MySpace, OHP
We’ve been talking about and rooting for the band XodiacK since they first popped up on the scene. Now the band has released their first full pv.
What do you think of it?
Source: youtube
A press release from HearJapan that XodiacK fans may be interested in.
Yokohama, Japan – January 15, 2010 – Galaxy rockers XodiacK have returned from the limitless depths of the universe to deliver their new album Shinrabansho -Setsuri to HearJapan!
XodiacK made their debut to the world on HearJapan last year with their maxi-single Owari no Hajimari. Since then the band has been hard at work channeling the divine power of Eros, using their own elemental powers of earth, aqua, flame and blast to bring Shinrabansho -Setsuri to life. The album features songs written individually by each member of the band. This adds to the depth and variety of the album and will keep listeners on their toes from start to finish. Their style is dark, heavy nu-metal that hits all the traditional vis-kei metal marks. Their vocals jump from guttural growls to elegant crooning and their songs all have a sprawling cosmic energy.
Along with eight songs, the release also comes packed with extras like large photos of each band member and a DVD image (just burn it to a blank DVD) for their newest music video. All of this and a 5% discount, less than the average album price!
XodiacK’s Shinrabansho -Setsuri is on sale now at HearJapan for ¥1,140 | $12.83 | €8.85
======
Links:
XodiacK
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/group/XodiacKShinrabansho -Setsuri-
http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/Shinrabansho_Setsuri
As we talked about here, Xodiack was planning on releasing their first full album on December 16th.
The band has posted the following message on their OHP regarding their first album:
1st Album 「神羅万象-摂理-」 (Shinra Banshou – Setsuri -) Postponement Notice
On December 16th, we planned to simultaneously release our first album, “Shinra Banshou – Setsuri -” in 46 countries worldwide. However, due to circumstances relating to releasing the album simultaneously overseas, we have to postpone the release date.
Instead it will be released on January 13th, 2010.
We sincerely apologize to everyone who has been waiting for this for a long time. However, we do intent to still release the album on December 7th at our free oneman show, and if you are attending, please feel free to purchase the album.
We have changed the information [about the release] on our fliers and website, so that there are no mistakes.
Even though the release has been postponed, it’s still something for fans to look forward to! The band has also updated their OHP with the tracklist and cover art! Once again, the title is 「神羅万象-摂理-」 (Shinra Banshou – Setsuri -) and it will contain eight tracks for 2940 yen:
1.侵羅万象-冒涜- (Shinrabanshou – Boutoku -)
2.黒い太陽 (Kuroi Tayou)
3.君に降る絶望の雨 (Kimi ni Furu Zetsubou no Ame)
4.君悲ノ鳴声 (Kimi no Koe)
5.MasK
6.HELLRAISER
7.Vorte-X-
8.真羅万象-再生- (Shinrabanshou – Saisei- )
Source: OHP
I think it’s been on Visunavi for quite some time already, but I totally forgot about it !
Anyway, after a demo and a digital-single (through Hear Japan), XodiacK’s next release will be an album ! These guys really want to get big, and not only in Japan !
This first album will be called 「神羅万象-摂理-」 (Shinrabanshou -Setsuri-) and it will apparently go on sale on December 7th, for their first (and free) one-man live at Takadanobaba AREA !
Sources : Visunavi, OHP
Hey guys, Big Ern, doing what I do best. Have you guys heard of that new Ameba craze “PIGG”?（ピグ）If not, you should check it out if you already have an Ameba account. (You can check it over here) Anyways, it’s basically like an interactive online site, much like habbo hotel (Big Ern remembers habbo hotel, I was the cutest bunny online!) So, what about this site? Did you know that some of your favorite jrockers can be found on there?!? I’m not kidding! People like SATO from Mello and Agito from XodiacK even go online!
Now how cool is that? You can get the chance to talk to a jrocker! Big Ern is thinking of joining. You guys should too.
On February 24th, at the Shibuya Cinema Rise in Tokyo, they had a special private showing of 「REPO! the Genetic Opera」. As we’ve talked about before, YOSHIKI was involved in the movie, but a few of our favourite artists showed up at the special screening!
Included on the guest list were D’espairsRay, Kaya and XodiacK! Here is what each of the artists had to say about the film.
D’espairsRay: It’s a movie that fuses images and music for a new sensation!
Kaya: I became stimulated by the beautiful collaboration of images and music.
Xodiack: With music, images and a story that all match, the film depicts an extremely deep, beautiful, and violent view of the world.
The movie will be released in Japan on March 21st. For more information about YOSHIKI’s involvement, make sure you check out this post.
Photos from the event were published with the article on Livedoor.jp.
Source: XodiacK OHP, Livedoor.jp
XodiacK has changed their OHP address, and the members have each started up their own blogs!
You can check out their new site by visiting http://www.xodiack.com/
As for the member’s blogs, follow the links below:
Eros – http://ameblo.jp/xodiack-eros/
緋月 (Hizuki) – http://ameblo.jp/xodiack-hizuki/
アギト (Agito) – http://ameblo.jp/xodiack-agito/
千李 (Chiri) – http://ameblo.jp/xodiack-chiri/
八尋 (Yahiro) – http://ameblo.jp/xodiack-yahiro/
Source: Former OHP
Hello, hello again. Yes, it’s already time for another review. From what I’ve heard back, many of you disagreed with my last DELUHI review. I’m glad that people expressed their own opinions in the comments! Please continue to do so.
Today’s review is the debut single from XodiacK, aptly titled ～終わりの始まり～ (~owari no hajimari~/~The Beginning Of The End~).
2009.01.01 – Download Only Single – Unknown Catalog Number – ￥428
XodiacK has interested me since I learned they were distributing their first song for free online. Not to mention the mystery around the members themselves. I also like that the band has elemental themes, for some reason. Anyway, on to the review!
Track 1. 黒い太陽
(kuroi taiyou/Black Sun)
Right off the bat, the band launches into some heavy riffing. Initially I was extremely unimpressed because it sounded like I had already heard this song from about 20 different bands. Eros growls throughout the verses, before singing clean in the chorus. The chorus is where he really shows his wonderful range and it’s also the point at which I became hooked. Whenever he sings clean, it’s simply beautiful. I’ll say it now: Eros is now up there with 団長 (danchou/NoGoD) in terms of being one of my favorite visual singers. The rest of the song isn’t extremely remarkable, but it holds up for being the first song this band has ever released.
Track 2. 君に降る絶望の雨
(kimi ni furu zetsubou no ame/The Rain Of Despair That Falls On You)
I don’t even know where to begin with this one. It starts off with a chugging bass line accompanied by pick slides and some chords from 緋月 (hizuki) and アギト (AGITO). By the time Eros comes in we’re back to some basic punk palm muting and then metalish riffing. Pieces of the song gradually fall in place, and finally the prechorus hits. It sets up the chorus which is a heart wrenching performance by Eros which includes some falsetto. After the first chorus 八尋 (yahiro) gives us the pleasure of a bass solo, which is then followed up by a pleasant guitar solo. Eros’ angel like voice returns and sets up one final chorus before the boys all bring the song to a close. This is definitely my favorite song from this band. It’s really amazing.
Track 3. 君悲ノ鳴声
(kimi NO koe/Your Voice)
Starting off slow with some soft vocals, it suddenly takes a turn and becomes dark, heavy, and slow. As one of the guitarists riffs, the other plays a somewhat haunting distorted melody. It really sets the atmosphere between the verses. The song slowly evolves and builds up to the first chorus, where Eros builds his vocals up amidst the riffing. He finally hits a bout of falsetto before the song heads in a harder direction. All the instruments build up while Eros begins screaming before the guitar solo launches. While not extremely technical, it definitely fits the song. The song returns to it’s beginning before hitting us with a final chorus and vanishing just as fast as it came.
Overall Rating: 9.5/10
Summary: XodiacK is a band to keep your eye on. For presenting us with such quality songs with their debut single, we can only hope they’ll continue this trend. Pick up this single, it’s worth it!
That one went nicely! You can pick up this single exclusively from HearJapan by clicking here. The single comes with a bunch of high quality pictures as well. Totally worth it. Per usual, feedback and suggestions on future reviews are welcome! Post in the comments or email to kyourei[AT]gmail.com if you’d like!
Last night Xodiack unveiled themselves at their countdown live aptly titled, “New Years World Rock Festival”. This was the first time the band revealed themselves in their entirety. This concert will be aired on Fuji Television on January 11, 2009 (Sunday) at 12:45 a.m. The special will be a full 3 hours and will feature footage of the entire event including Xodiack. The program is called, “YUYA UCHIDA PRESENTS 36th NEW YEARS WORLD ROCK FESTIVAL CHALLENGE!!”
Besides Xodiack, the concert will also include footage from Before Christ Butterfly who are also available on HearJapan as well as Kabuki Rocks, ME-ISM, RISING SUN, and more. TO see future Xodiack concerts in Japan check out their Official MySpace.
Hear Japan also posted a small preview. They look pretty cool right?!! So exciting!
{edit}
Seems like they also posted the members real names and bios! Check them out here with more photos! They also have a concept of elements which is cool.
Source: Hear Japan
Nathan from HearJapan set this to us for everyone to check out! Make sure you do, because also revealed is XodiacK — a hot up and coming band to the visual scene.
Yokohama, Japan – January 1, 2009 – HearJapan is kicking off the new year in style with two new visual kei debuts. Both revolve around the letter ‘X’ and both are awesome. In a huge contrast, HearJapan is bringing a legend of the visual kei scene as well as a newcomer to the visual kei world.
The first group to go on HearJapan in 2009 is the legendary X Japan. HearJapan was at X Japan’s first show at a live house for almost 20 years for their New Year’s Eve countdown concert. A detailed live report of the concert was put up in the Artist News Section that details the transition the band had to make to adapt to a completely new concert environment for one of Japan’s most famous artists. With special insight from the management of X Japan, HearJapan provides the most detailed look into this concert available in English. It appears as if HearJapan isn’t currently selling any X Japan music for download at the moment. At the end of the live report there was a vague message that possibly hinted at a future release or past release. The live report also says to come back in a day or two for pictures of the concert!
If you are looking to download some new visual kei look no farther than the 1st release listed on HearJapan’s homepage. The first album of 2009 to be sold on HearJapan is an exclusive visual kei release from one of the scene’s most up and coming bands, XodiacK. XodiacK first made a splash by releasing their demo single, “Kuroi Taiyou” exclusively on HearJapan for a free download. Despite being a demo of an unheard of band at the time, the single got rave reviews and was downloaded over 500 times on HearJapan! XodiacK went into the studio to record a superb quality version of “Kuroi Taiyou” plus two brand new songs that just give us a further glimpse into this band’s full potential.
In fact, when “Kuroi Taiyou” initially released XodiacK was shrouded in mystery and the only glimpse of the band was a picture of the band wearing masks to conceal their true image. XodiacK revealed themselves at a New Year’s Eve live in Tokyo and are now revealing themselves to the world via HearJapan. With the release of their first maxi single, Owari no Hajimari you can now see the amazing look of these power wielding divine entities from a parallel universe. With the full purchase of the release at a mere 428 yen, you will be overloaded with 13 high quality pictures of the band. The release and pictures can only be found at HearJapan through an exclusive deal. Owari no Hajimari will not be released by any other means than HearJapan. Check out the samples of all three tracks as well as a new video of the band that is nothing short of spectacular and dark.
As this is only day 2 of a 4 day series, check back for more visual kei updates in the next two days. While HearJapan is starting off 2009 with an small X, expect that to grow into the a massive collection of the best and coolest Japanese artists for fans worldwide.
——————————-
What is HearJapan?
HearJapan is a digital music store that sells MP3s of all kinds of
Japanese music. With an English-language interface, international
credit card purchasing capabilities, and exclusive materials from some
of Japan’s most important, up-and-coming and established bands, it is
has become a go-to resource for music lovers worldwide.
Who are XodiacK?XodiacK made their debut on HearJapan with their first demo, “Kuroi Taiyou” or black sun. XodiacK describe themselves as galaxy metal. They came from a parallel universe sharing one soul and they have two existential beings. The concept behind these divine beings revolves around the destructive power of a massive awe inspiring universe-like force.
X Japan Live Report:XodiacK – Owari no Hajimari
Thanks to staplegunman for sending this in; XodiacK has announced over their MySpace that they will be revealing themselves at their New Year’s Eve live. In other words, those mysterious masks are coming off once 2009 rolls around, saying “Our time for appearance has come.”
Also on their MySpace, they have posted a video here promoting the live.
source: MySpace
Nathan from HearJapan sent this over to us! Check it out!
For November 5th, HearJapan has two very special visual-kei releases for the fans. The first being the new GaGaalinG mini-album entitled Alice (http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/ALICE). Alice is packed with 4 new songs and completes another addition to HearJapan’s visual-kei catalog thanks to all the user support we have been getting. It is also a shift to a major label, UP-FRONT WORKS, and HearJapan is the first store that UP-FRONT will sell in the mp3 format in its history. While HearJapan will soon be featuring more and more big name artists in the near future through legal downloads, HearJapan will still shine the spotlight on a lot of the great up and coming artists rising up out of Japan.
On November 5th, our other Visual-kei release will focus the light on one such band. Although almost everything about the band is a dark secret, HearJapan is letting a little light shine through by offering their debut single on HearJapan for free. That’s right. All you have to do is register to HearJapan and download Kuroi Taiyou (http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/Kuroi_Taiyou) by XodiacK (http://www.hearjapan.com/store/group/XodiacK) . This free single will only be offered in a limited time so make sure you pick it up while it is still available. The single will be taken down once the band reveals themselves to the world. Also, by downloading the single you will get to see an as of yet unseen picture of the band that will blow you away.
HearJapan also has another visual-kei related announcement. HearJapan has officially changed its policy in regards to upcoming visual-kei releases. Before we would only add an album to our list once we had the songs and album artwork to upload. This let everyone sample the music before it came out to help their purchasing decision. However many users requested a form to preorder the album months in advance. We are now offering the ability to do this. We are starting with the upcoming D’espairsRay single “HORIZON” (http://www.hearjapan.com/store/album_info/Horizon). You can preorder it now one month in advance for 10% off the normal price.
We know that especially for XodiacK, a lot of people were commenting on how they were looking forward to them and here’s your chance!
There is a band we would like to bring to your attention. The name of the band is XodiacK. There aren’t a lot of details on the band at this time. We can tell you that this band is something to keep an eye on. More details on the band will be available in 2009 (that is when it says all will be revealed). You can check out some samples on their myspace page. Everyone should check them out and tell us what they think!
The members are currently listed in the following way:
MASK CODE:∞.null=Ewigkeit
MASK CODE:Ⅰ.eins
MASK CODE:Ⅱ.zwei
MASK CODE:Ⅲ.drei
MASK CODE:Ⅳ.vier
Listening to the samples I can honestly say that this is a band I am looking forward to hearing more about. Don’t worry, we will keep you updated on this band. We hope everyone is just as excited as we are.
Links:
http://sound.jp/xodiack/x/top.html
http://www.myspace.com/xodiackofficial
Welcome to Shattered-Tranquility.net! Your one stop source for all the latest news on Japanese visual bands!
Aspiring to bridge the gap between overseas fans and Japanese artists, we do our best to provide you with the most up-to-date and information packed news from the scene.
