Who are they, the Japanese titans of Visionary Kei - a little excursion into the big names

С glam rock everyone is familiar with, and many people love this genre and its representatives! And now imagine this direction in Japan? What does it sound like, what do the bands look like, what do they do to attract the public in general? You probably already know about the style Visual kei. If not - our article will be interesting to you at least as a curious experience, a kind of "discovery"!

The world's critics have dubbed "Vijual-kay." the Japanese equivalent of glam rock. It is a genre of Japanese music that incorporates the best traditions of Western "glam rockers", especially Kiss. It was born in the early 80's on the basis of J-Rock, which was combined with glam rock, metal and punk rock. It turned out to be something unique, peculiar... But the inhabitants of the Land of the Rising Sun "got it", as they say. Today Visual kei is one of the most influentialand revered at home and all-consuming genres.

The highlight of this trend is, of course, bright and unusual make-up and very extravagant outfits. It is worth noting that the Japanese have their own idea of male beauty: male representatives of "Visual-key" often look like girls! And if in other countries it may be considered as an unacceptable image, as if a guy identifies himself "with girls", in Japan everything is exactly the opposite! There, such a refined and colourful image is associated with a real "hero-lover", a ladies' man. In general - a complete romanticisation of men in women's clothes.

Today we decided to get acquainted with this interesting and very impressive genre. Or rather - with the most colourful and successful of its representatives!

X Japan

The band was founded in 1982. Some of the pioneers "Vijual-kay" - in Japan. X Japan have become legends of their time and genre! Today they are the most influential band in their direction, whose repertoire is rich in both powerful metal hits and passionate ballads....

In fact - X Japan was one of the first to popularise the catchy in Japan. "glamorous" style: bright make-up, crazy hairstyles, extraordinary outfits... According to the members' own confessions - they tried to look so outrageous on purpose, in order to shock the people who came to their concerts! And their plan worked: the band quickly became the talk of the town, which brought its members a contract and very successful recordings from a commercial point of view.

The Gazette

A band with a modest name "The Gazette." is capable of surprising you with its appearance alone! It was founded in 2002, but 20 years have been more than enough to conquer the Japanese scene, in particular - to become the kings of the Japanese scene "Vijual-kay.".

But The Gazette are not used to "sitting" within one genre: the participants are constantly experimenting with musical directions, "flitting" from hard rock to funk and so on!

La Sadies

La Sadieswhich has since morphed into Dir en greywas one of Japan's most popular "visual-kei"! It was a very ambitious band, which, alas, ceased to exist in 1997, after only a few years of a successful career.

Rumour has it that the break-up was caused by internal strife and a large pressure on the label's part.

Nightmare

This is probably one of the most popular bands on our list. Formed in the early 2000's, Nightmare has remained afloat to this day!

The band is in high demand in its native Japan: it is often invited to make recordings soundtracks to anime, for example, and the concerts are always sold out.

D'espairsRay

An ambitious project with a sad story that proves: friendship is possible in the music business! Creativity D'espairsRay can be characterised as an expression of despair and hope. Besides Visual kei, these guys are famous for their bold experiments with punk, pop, metal and even electronica!

The band toured the world several times and generally enjoyed a suggestive a success! Alas, her story was cut short at the height of her fame: vocalist Hizumi lost his ability to sing due to throat problems, and the remaining mates decided to end the project's activities.

Luna Sea

Another pioneers of the genre, which it would be inexcusable not to mention.

With a 10-year pause and personal differences, Luna Sea have managed to maintain their status as legends in Japan and, at the same time, the love of their fans. A highly successful band with a multi-million circulation and a rich history of live performances in front of crowds of thousands.

Malice Mizer

This group has had an impact colossal influence hundreds of followers!

Not just the outward image, but also the sound Malice Mizer is unique: there are classical elements, bold improvisation and romantic Renaissance tones... Although at the end of their career the band was more focused on dark gothic rock.