Dir en Grey’s Kyo on the Cover of "ROCK INK!"

Lately the cover of the July issue of “ROCK INK! – ROCKER’S TATTOO NEXT ROUND-“ has been revealed and it’s no other than Dir en Grey’s Kyo who covers the magazine!

The magazine features photos taken by Shigeo Kikuchi who's working as photographer since 1986. Up until now he has taken photos for more than 300 CD- and DVD jackets of punk, rock and heavy metal bands!
On July 11th the July issue of “ROCK INK! – ROCKER’S TATTOO NEXT ROUND-“ will hit the stores including photos of Dir en Grey’s vocalist Kyo showing his range of tattoos. The photos were taken by Shigeo Kikuchi before Dir en Grey announced their hiatus due to Kyo’s voice conditions.

Other artists featured in the magazine are SLIPKNOT’s Corey Taylor, MERRY’s Nero, THE BLACK HORN’s Okamine Koushu, IRON MAIDEN’s former member Paul Day and many more.

If you’re interested in tattoos this is surely something to keep an eye on!


Sc: JA

Sadie Releasing New DVD and Single in July

Being active for 7 years now Sadie will release a DVD including 13 PVs that have been released since their formation. The DVD titled "CLIPS-13" will hit the stores on July 11th and costs 2940 Yen.

The following PVs are included:
01 .Meisai
02. Silent Eve
03. Crimson Tear
04. a holy terrors
05. Grieving the dead soul
06. Ice Romancer
07. Kagerou
08. ever
09. Dress
10. Cry More
11. -toge-
12. Juggernaut
13. Rosario

But there is more! Sadie announced the release of a new single titled “METEOR”! The release date is set for July 25th but further details aren’t announced yet.


Sc: JA

YOSHIKI Unveils Wax Figure at Madam Tussauds Hong Kong

X JAPAN's YOSHIKI have joined the ranks of Asian superstars Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and other famous international figures by having his own wax figure at the renowned Madam Tussauds Wax Museum.

Yoshiki personally attended the event on Mar 26th at The Peak in Hong Kong. A lot of fans attended the event despite the bad weather and there were even shouts of "I love you!" in Mandarin for Yoshiki. The heavy-metal rocker even put the finishing touches by applying his trademark heavy eyeliner on his wax figure.

The measurements for Yoshiki's wax figure started during the London and Paris leg of their X JAPAN's tour last year. It took three months for the figure to be completed with the help of a creative team consisting of 20 people.

Yoshiki's wax figure is expected to be in display in Tokyo when Madam Tussauds Tokyo branch officially opens in 2013.


Sc: JA

An Cafe Announces 2012 Mini-Album!

More Nyappy news coming your way! Oshare kei band An Cafe will release a new mini-album on August 8th!

The name and tracks of the mini-album have not been revealed yet. Regular edition releases will be CD only, while the limited edition will include a DVD featuring comedy footage, a PV and its making-of, and a photo of a band member.

This release comes a month before the band’s two-day ‘ANCAFESTA’12 SUMMER DIVE‘ concert at Yoyogi National Gymnasium. Afterwards, An Cafe will embark on their ‘2012 NYAPPY GO AROUND THE WORLD III' tour in November.


Sc: JA

DIR EN GREY Documentary Live Stream

DIR EN GREY will be stream a documentary film about their legendary two-day concert at Nippon Budokan, which took place on January 9th and 10th 2010.

"DIR EN GREY UROBOROS at BUDOKAN The MOVIE" will be broadcast worldwide on a special USTREAM channel three times: at 2:00 pm JST and 10:00 pm JST on the May 27th, and 6:00 am JST on the May 28th. Access to this broadcast will cost 720 yen (roughly $9). The program will be screened with English subtitles only. Below you can find a viewing hours for other countries:

Japan:
Sunday May 27th 14:00
Sunday May 27th 22:00
Monday May 28th 06:00

New York:
Sunday May 27th 01:00
Sunday May 27th 09:00
Sunday May 27th 17:00

Los Angeles:
Saturday May 26th 22:00
Sunday May 27th 06:00
Sunday May 27th 14:00

London:
Sunday May 27th 06:00
Sunday May 27th 14:00
Sunady May 27th 22:00


Sc: JMW

Versailles World Tour 2012 – Holy Grail – Grand Final ~Château de Versailles~

Versailles concluded their world tour with a mix of rococo inspired outfits, fast guitars, potent drums, hot bass lines and versatile vocals.


Versailles set C.C. Lemon Hall aflame for their 2012 World Tour Grand Final. The memorable live brought together great music and dramatic staging with songs for all tastes. Many male fans stood out in the crowd among Lolitas, housewives and wizened fans ready for some serious headbanging.

The stage was simply adorned, red roses covering the amplifiers and microphone stands while a wide screen dangled from the central wall. A loud roar shook the venue as the lights dimmed and the screen came to life flashing pictures of the members as they made their appearance. In their rococo inspired wardrobe YUKI, MASASHI, TERU, HIZAKI and KAMIJO made their entrance to Prelude.

Kicking off the show with MASQUERADE the band showed great confidence and vigor on stage. A masquerade mask appeared on the screen for the intro and soon after three black clad figures appeared behind the band dancing on a high platform placed behind the drums. Visually it was a very well accomplished piece that set the mood for the show, with the crowd following the hand choreographies while the band twirled in unison to the word “Masquerade.” With a smile KAMIJO addressed the crowd for the first time shouting out “Welcome to Versailles” before adding in French “Bonjour!” Obviously amused, the fans repeated the words back and wasting no time the band proceeded to Philia now without the extras. With HIZAKI on the lead the show fired up, the four men at the front taking advantage of the stage as they moved energetically.

The crowd moved to Judicial Noirbefore night and darkness enveloped the hall, welcoming Thanatos. The song appropriately named after the Greek god of death brought a sad yet demanding tone with it. KAMIJO defied and questioned death with every word, his plea turning into a growl as the song built up to potent drums and hot bass. Anger was appeased by desire in the lively Libido, KAMIJO and TERU gracing the crowd with some hot fanservice as they danced to the sensuous lyrics.

The still unnamed New song got a good response from the audience who pumped fists vigorously to the beat. MASASHI skillfully delivered some fiery bass lines while the song switched from fast to slow like a wave. The previous song’s dramatic ending made the transition for the epic DESTINY – The Lovers – very smooth. Colorful roses in full bloom sprouted among the crowd in a visually stunning piece for the heartwarming ballad. The guitars and drums speeded off as the song grew in strength, the front man putting all his passion into the lyrics.

Alone on stage KAMIJO took the lead for the epic ballad Love will be born again, his voice warmly embracing the hall to a melancholic piano. As the song approached its climax the others returned. Like the hopeful morning sun a yellow light grew brighter on stage, anticipating the new beginning expressed by the title.

With the front man gone the remaining four dove into some instrumental pieces, first with Holy Grail – Amoroso to a sorrowful piano and violin, followed by Threshold. The guitars and bass mingled perfectly with the powerful drums in these epic pieces that left the crowd in awe. To red lights the vocalist returned for DRY ICE SCREAM, gracing the hall with a fiery performance that got the crowd pumping fists to deafening shouts of “Oi!”

The show lightened to Flowery, flowers invading the giant screen while HIZAKI skillfully jumped with his 18th century multilayered long dress. Intricate guitar solos set the tempo for the dancing, KAMIJO twirling around the room as he danced first with TERU and then with HIZAKI. From ball-dancing to moving across the stage like a madman KAMIJO went with Glowing Butterfly. The heavy growls and stronger beat eased the transition to the new song Rhapsody of the Darkness. The song was accompanied by the three extras who now wore red belly dancing inspired costumes. In a positive attempt to create a different atmosphere, the dancers ended distracting fans from the song itself with their flashy and repetitive moves.

With the dancers gone the band got back to work with Vampire. Red lights accompanied the dramatic intro, opening the way for the guitar and bass solos. The band showed endless energy, moving constantly as they encouraged the crowd to follow the choreographies. One of the night’s highlights was definitely the classic The Red Carpet Day. Welcoming the final song with a vibrant yell KAMIJO incited the crowd to yell and pump fists. All hell broke loose as the hall moved like one to the thunderous drums and ardent guitars.

An unusual encore demand soon started with the fans yelling out “We are, Versailles” instead of the habitual “encore.” Returning promptly the band made some warmly welcomed announcements before diving into the sweet ballad Remember Forever. Again the colorful roses sprung from the crowd, adding intensity to the performance and testifying the close connection between the band and their fans. The whole venue sang as one in one of the night's most memorable moments. “Let’s dye the venue in the color of roses!” KAMIJO exclaimed with a growl before the hall was engulfed in red for Aristocrat’s Symphony. YUKI pounded the drums vigorously as he set the pace for the choreographies while KAMIJO moved back and forth with the crowd. The string trio took the lead for the grand finale, taking the song home with impressive instrumental lines.

Again Versailles bade farewell, returning one last time in response to the shouts of “We are, Versailles” for two of the band’s most impressive works. The powerful Faith & Decision with its long instrumental moments, fast guitars and dramatic lyrics made quite an impact both visually and musically. The Revenant Choir closed the set with the hall singing as one in a perfect ending for the band’s 2012 world tour, thousands of shinny silver stripes falling from the sky for the grand finale.

Stay tuned for more adventures in Versailles epic world of rococo inspired outfits, fast guitars, potent drums, hot bass lines and versatile vocals.


Set List
SE. Prelude
01. MASQUERADE
02. Philia
03. Judicial Noir
04. Thanatos
05. Libido
06. New song (unnamed)
07. DESTINY – The Lovers –
08. Love will be born again
09. Holy Grail – Amoroso (new song)
10. Threshold
11. DRY ICE SCREAM
12. Flowery
13. Glowing Butterfly
14. Rhapsody of the Darkness (new song)
15. Vampire
16. The Red Carpet Day

Encore 1
01. Remember Forever
02. Aristocrat’s Symphony

Encore 2
01. Faith & Decision
02. The Revenant Choir


Sc: JMW

the LEM Releasing First Mini Album

Visual Kei band the LEM will release their first mini album titled “∞-infinity-“ in June!

From December 2011 to April 2012 the band had a five-month consecutive release campaign where each month one of the members released a song available for download. These songs and a brand new song titled “∞-infinity” can also be heard on the LEM’s new mini album “∞-infinity-“ that will come out on June 27th!

Tracklist:
1. COSMIC JOURNEY
2. under the beautiful
3. over and again
4. LoveDistance ni hanabata wo
5. kimi wo utaeba
6. ∞-infinity

To commemorate the release the band will hold some instore events in Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya.


Sc: JA

ViViD Reveals Title and Tracklist for First Album

A few weeks ago ViViD announced the release of their very first album for June 27th. Now finally the title has been revealed: Infinity. Also the full tracklist of the CD and the covers are available. Check it out below!

Tracklist
[CD]
1. live your life
2. BLUE
3. REAL
4. memories in white
5. calling
6. kakera
7. Natsu fuu～endless love～
8. explosion
9. Yume ~Mugen no Kanata~
10. RIDE on time
11. FAKE
12. Message

The Regular Edition will feature a bonus track titled “EVER” and the Limited Edition comes with a DVD but the content is not yet revealed.

What do you think about the tracklist?


Sc: JA

Downer Releasing Rare Track Album

Visual Kei band Downer announced the release of a rare track album titled „setlist“ that will include 13 songs. All songs have already been released within the past four years and will be re-mastered for this new album. It will hit the stores on June 6th and you can buy it for 3150 Yen.

This is the tracklist:
1. haigyosou
2. glitter gauge
3. jaku
4. low unplugged
5. satsuki kaoru hana to ame
6. MP-M
7. aizomaru koro
8. stereo snow
9. nerva
10. Re:storation
11. Code[DIVE]
12. second head banging-4mix-
13. MinD SwiMeR

You can listen to a preview of "nerva" on their official website.
And if you buy the album and go to their one man live “dazzlin’ mid Tokyo” at Shibuya WOMB on June 16th you will receive a special off-shot DVD!


Sc: JA

ex-NightengeiL Vocalist Forming New Band

Despite the daunting news of NightingeiL disbanding on the 3rd of June, Kon will continue on even after the band is no more. Recently, on Kon's blog, he talked about his new project in the works.

He will be revealing more details about his project in the coming future, but for now we only know that he will be starting a new band! The band will be named CELL, and will not be a solo project, as he had said other members will be included.

They already have a schedule planned, seemingly to be one each month starting in July and ending in November. However, there is a special perk to attending these oneman lives. If you attend, you will be able to purchase a one track CD. Each live will have a different CD availble, but all will be a one track only CD.

07/13 Ikebukuro Edge
08/11 Ikebukuro Edge
09/16 Ikebukuro Edge
10/20 Ikebukuro Edge
11/18 Ikebukuro Edge

In December, they plan on releasing their first full album entitled saigo, nokoshite kotobo. No further information is given on the album, however, make sure to check back for updates!


Sc: JA

Kiryu Airing 100th Oneman Live on NicoNico Douga!

Kiryu has recently announced that they will be performing their 100th oneman live! To celebrate the occasion, Kiryu will be airing the show live on Nico Nico Douga!

The oneman live will be broadcasted on the 3rd of June at 6:PM (JST) at Kanagawa's Kawasaki Club Citta. It's right in the middle of the band's nationwide 47 prefecture tour entitled after their recently release Shuka Ensen. The link to the page which you can watch the show is located here.

There is hope for people who are unable to watch the show live. 30 minutes before the show, you can click on the option to do a timeshift(The yellow button with the clock on it) which will allow you to watch the show at a later date. However, do keep in mind they will not keep it available forever, so make sure to watch the video asap. Also, you will have to have a Nico Nico Douga account to participate, so make sure you register!

Kiryu's 47 Prefecture Tour [ Shuka Ensen ]
04/29 Okinawa Sakurazaka Central
05/03 Saitama HR Saitama Shintoshin VJ-3
05/04 Chiba Kashiwa PALOOZA
05/06 Tokyo Shibuya O-EAST
05/12 Tochigi HR Utsunomiya VJ-2
05/13 Gunma Takasaki Club FLEEZ
05/18 Aichi Nagoya ElectricLady Land
05/20 Osaka BIG CAT
06/03 Kanagawa Kawasaki Club Citta
06/07 Tottori Yoneko Aztic Laughs
06/09 Shimane Izumo APOLLO
06/13 Yamaguchi LIVE Rise SHUNAN
06/15 Oita DRUM Be-o
06/17 Kumamoto DRUM Be-9 V2
06/19 Saga GEILE
06/21 Nagasaki DRUM Be-7
06/24 Fukuoka DRUM Be-1
06/26 Kagoshima SR HALL
06/28 Miyazaki SR BOX
07/01 Ehime Matsuyama Salon Kitty
07/03 Kouchi CROSS POINT
07/05 Tokushima Club GRIND HOUSE
07/07 Kagawa takamatsu DIME
07/08 Okayama LIVEHOUSE IMAGE
07/14 Shizuoka Hamamatsu FORCE
07/16 Mie Matsuzaka M'AXA
07/19 Shiga B-FLAT
07/21 Fukui CHOP
07/22 Kyoto MUSE
07/25 Wakayama CLUB GATE
07/27 Nara NEVERLAND
07/28 Gyogo Taiyou To Tora
08/03 Hokkaido CubeGarden
08/04 Hokkaido CubeGarden
08/07 Iwate Miroka CHANGE WAVE
08/08 Aomori Quarter
08/10 Akita Club SWINDLE
08/12 Miyagi Sendai JUNK BOX
08/14 Yamagata MUSIC Shouwa SESSION
08/16 Fukushima CLUB #9
08/21 Toyama Soul Power
08/23 Ishikawa Kanazawa AZ
08/25 Gifu-city BRAVO
08/27 Nagano JUNK BOX
08/29 Yamanashi Koufu CONVICTION
09/02 Ibaraki Mito Light House

Two Day Finale
09/16 Tokyo Zepp Driver City
09/17 Tokyo Zepp Diver City


Sc: JA

Ayabie's Aoi Starts New Solo Project

Ayabie vocalist Aoi will be starting a new solo project. The project is a band named 168 -one sixty eight-. This is Aoi's 3rd solo project since August of 2010 when 4 members left Ayabie.

The band will be releasing their first single, "Setsugekka", on August 8th. The song will be used as the theme song to the upcoming film "Happiness in Little Place" which Aoi stars in.

The band will hold their first live performance on July 29th at Akasaka BLITZ. Tickets go on sale via Lawson Ticket on June 1st, while the general public can start buying tickets on June 16th.


Sc: JA

Nightmare Announces Coupling Tour with baroque!

At Nightmares most recent tour final at ZEPP Tokyo, Nightmare have announced quite an outstanding piece of information on their future plans.
It has been revealed that the band will be going on tour with baroque along Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka for three performances. The coupling tour will start at the end of July and fans definitely need to make sure to get tickets!

While Nightmare are hardly ever on tour with other bands, it seemed that their perfect match could only be baroque, who fully took up activities again recently.

Please see the information below for details!

"Nightmare vs. baroque NATURAL BORN ERRORS"

07/31 (Tue) Nagoya CLUB DIAMOND Hall
08/01 (Wed) Osaka, Namba Hatch
08/04 (Sat) Tokyo, Hibiya Open Air Music Hall

[Advanced Ticket Sales]
05/18 (Fri) 21:00 to 05/27 23:00 (JST)

[General Tickets Sales]
START: 2012/06/30


Sc: MJP

ViViD Charming 6,000 Fans in Two Days at Release Event!

On May 16th, ViViD have just released their latest single "REAL" and to celebrate this last single before their album release, all members have participated in a special event at the Laforet Museum in Harajuku, Tokyo on May 19th and 20th.

The event titled "Weekend Cinderella - Love Chair for Two - Great Mission" allowed fans to share a sofa with the ViViD members and talk to them directly for a limited time. At that time the staff was dressed as butlers and gave the fans the feeling of being princesses, making it an outstanding event.

Until now, ViViD has already done events where they patted their fans on the head or massaged their shoulders, which certainly raised expectations as to what kind of event this would have been.

"Usually we don't get so many chances to be this close to our fans, therefore it was a lot of fun this time. I would like to do something like that again in the future." Shin said with a wide smile.

For the release a number of in-store events are planned to be held all over the country and all members of ViViD are scheduled to participate!

5th Major Single "REAL"
Release Date: 2012/05/16

[First Press Complete Limited Edition A] (CD+DVD)
Price: 1,890 Yen (tax in)
ESCL-3890~3891

[First Press Complete Limited Edition B] (CD+DVD)
Price: 1,890 Yen (tax in)
ESCL-3892~3893

[Bonus Track Version] (CD)
Price: 1,260 Yen (tax in)
ESCL-3894

Sc: MJP

MUCC's 15th Anniversary Album

MUCC will release a new album on June 9th to celebrate their 15th anniversary.

Titled Aishuu no antique, the album will contain re-recorded versions of songs which appeared on band's two oldest albums, Antique and Aishuu. The CD will also contain another version of the song Kokonoka plus a demo version of the song Aka. The album will come with a 34-page booklet.

Aishuu no antique will be released on the date of MUCC's Anniversary, June 9th. On this day, the band will also hold a special concert titled MUCC vs ムック vs MUCC at Makuhari Messe. The concert will be divided into three parts, each of which will symbolize five years of band's career:

「1997～2002 – Misshitsu -」(Room locked from the inside)
「2002～2007 – Shisei -」 (Life and death)
「2007～2012 – Kodou -」 (Pulsation)

The concert will start at the symbolic time 16:09, and will last four hours.


Sc: JMW

D=OUT Releasing New Mini Album „high collar“

No time to rest for Visual Kei band D=OUT! Earlier this month the band has released the single “aisuru hito” and now they’ve already announced something new! On August 15th their mini album “high collar” will go on sale in three types. The track list isn’t available yet but there are some other details revealed.

Limited Edition Washoku Version includes a CD with 6 songs and a DVD including PV, making-off and the first part of their FESTA NIPPON!!-tour. Limited Edition Youshoku Version also includes a CD with 6 songs and a DVD featuring a different PV, making-off and the second part of their FESTA NIPPON!!-tour. Regular Edition Chuuka Version includes 2 CDs with 6 songs each. Every version will costs 2940 Yen.

The week before the release of “high collar” D=OUT will hold a FC-only tour giving concerts in Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and Nagoya.
And at the end of the year, on December 30th, they will celebrate their 5th anniversary year with a live titled “THE FINAL” at Yoyogi National Stadium 2nd Gymnasium.


Sc: JA

News from GOTCHAROCKA

On April 30th it was announced that Jun (SPIV STATES), Jui (ex-Vidoll) and Toya (ex-Charlotte) have formed a new band called “GOTCHAROCKA”.

Since that day they’re updating their website with new information on a regular basis. The first update was about an event called “CATCH ME, IF YOU CAN!!!”. The band will perform at several live events but they won’t reveal where and when. That means if you're going to a live in Japan this June you might be able to see GOTCHAROCKA performing.
Their first official live will be at Shibuya O-EAST on August 18th where they will perform together with AYABIE, Kameleo, guild, Kra, SCREW, DuelJewel and v[NEU].

But that’s not all! The latest update is about their very first release! Their single “Gotcha6ka” (pronounced as “Gotcharocka”) is scheduled to be released in July and comes in two versions: The first version will be sold only at their lives and the second version can be ordered through the band’s official web shop that will open on July 1st. This is the track list:

Live Only Limited Edition
1. Gotcha6ka
2. 4 minutes for you
3. JapanesQ

Mail Order Limited Edition
1. Gotcha6ka
2. 4 minutes for you
3. 7th Xanadu

The next update is on May 26th!


Sc: JA

Girugamesh Reveals "Zecchou BANG!!" Details & Tracklist

Girugamesh will be releasing a new single titled "Zecchou BANG!!" on July 4th. Details about the single and its tracklisting have been revealed.

The single was produced by TAKUYA from JUDY AND MARRY. TAKUYA and the band had great chemistry together while working on the single, though eager fans will have to wait to hear the product of their work.

The new single will come in a regular edition and 2 limited edition. Limited Edition A will include a bonus CD with live tracks "Tokyo Sadistic ~Buttooshi 13days~" tour. Limited Edition B will include an exclusive photobook.

Check out the single's tracklist below:

CD 1

1. Zecchou BANG!!
2. Zecchou BANG!! (Utau no wa Anata version)

CD 2 (Limited Edition A only)

1. Never Ending Story
2. CRAZY-FLAG
3. bit crash
4. stupid
5. Mouja no Koushin Fujunai (L)
6. Break Down
7. sunrise
8. evolution
9. Omae ni Sasageru Minikui Koe


Sc: JA

the GazttE Reveals Release Date for New Album "DIVISION"

the GazettE previously announced the release of the 6th studio album "DIVISION" in January. 4 months later, the band has revealed the album's official release date.

"DIVISION" will be released on August 29th. Further details about the album have not been revealed.

Before releasing the album, the GazettE will be holding a nationwide house tour titled "STANDING LIVE TOUR12 -HERESY PRESENTS- HETERODOXY" in July. Afterward, the band will embark on another tour titled "LIVE TOUR12 -DIVISION- GROAN OF DIPLOSOMIA 01" in October. You can check out the band's tour dates here.


Sc: JA

Girugamesh Announce New Single!

After nearly two years of no new recordings, rock band Girugamesh have announced that they will be releasing a new single this July!

To prepare for the release, the band will embark on a nationwide tour called "Sadistic Year 2012" on July 7th. The tour will hit a total of 15 cities starting in Chiba and ending in Osaka.

No further details have been revealed, but JpopAsia will keep you updated!
.
.
Sadistic Year 2012 Tour
July 7 (Sat) @ Chiba LOOK
July 13 (Fri) @ Shibuya O-EAST
July 15 (Mon) @ Kanazawa RAZ
July 17 (Tue) @ KYOTO MUSE
July 19 (Thu) @ Fukuoka DRUM Be-1
July 21 (Sat) @ Hiroshima Namiki Junction
July 22 (Sun) @ Okayama IMAGE
July 24 (Tue) @ Nagoya Electric Lady Land
July 26 (Thu) @ Mito LIGHT HOUSE
July 30 (Mon) @ Sapporo KRAPS HALL
August 1 (Wed) @ Sendai darwin
August 2 (Thu) @ Niigata GOLDEN PIGS RED
August 4 (Sat) @ Kobe VARIT.
August 5 (Sun) @ Osaka UMEDA CLUB QUATTRO


Sc: JA

DIR EN GREY UROBOROS at BUDOKAN the MOVIE On USTREAM!

DIR EN GREY has announced that they will be streaming UROBOROS at BUDOKAN the MOVIE worldwide on USTREAM! The schedule will be announced on the 21st of May.

The movie will feature clips from the band's legendary two day show at Nippon Budokan on the 9th and 10th of 2010. The band's album UROBOROS came to life at this show, and they will share it with the rest of the world through their documentary.

Not much is released at the moment however they have uploaded a trailer, and included the staff credits as well, so make sure to check it out below!




Staff credits:
Director: Yuichiro Iwaki
Project: Sun-krad / Shirogumi Inc.
Producers: Atsushi Inoue / Yuichiro Iwaki / Yuji Akiyama / Shuichi Minamino
Music: DIR EN GREY
Editing: Shirogumi Inc.
Production: Sun-krad / Shirogumi Inc. / Musashino Ad Inc. / Presidio Corporation


Sc: JA

Golden Bomber's Kiryuuin Sho Presenting Indian Movie "Robot" for All Night Nippon

On May 12th, the collaboration between the Indian movie "Robot" and the Japanese radio program "All Night Nippon" will be presented and on may 9th a special event had been held before that. At this event, Golden Bomber's Kiryuin Sho had been assigned the presenter.

"My heart was pounding really loudly. I was very nervous." Kirisho said.

The original catch-copy of the movie had been "I don't quite know why, but it's interesting", however, for the event a new catch copy had been searched and other options had been presented at the happening. Among them were for example "With emphasize on it being interesting we blew 100,000 Yen" or "We did it with out thinking and without consulting anything."

"It becomes interesting immediately, so it was fun in my free time. Since it's an Indian I thought it would be about dancing the whole time. However, it was unexpectedly an exciting action movie." Kirisho explained.

If you have the chance, how about checking out the movie if you come across it!


Sc: MJP

Second Single from Black Gene For the Next Scene

Ex-VIDOLL bassist Rame's new band, Black Gene For the Next Scene, have announced the release of their second maxi-single.

Titled Namida-kHz-, the single will be released on July 11th in five versions: three regular and two limited. All five editions will contain the title track and the B-side Fear Dance. The regular editions will be CD-only and will each contain a different bonus track, while the limited editions will each come with a DVD. The Type A will feature the music video for Namida-kHz-, while the Type B will instead feature live footage.


Sc: JMW

Kiryuuin Shou Releasing Autobiography

Kiryuuin Shou, vocalist of Visual Kei air band Golden Bomber, announced the release of his own book!

It’s titled “Golden Bomber no vocal da kedo nani ka shitsumon aru?” (engl.: “I am the vocalist of Golden Bomber, any questions?”) and costs 1800 Yen. The release date is set for June 20th – Kiryuuin Shou’s 28th birthday. According to his blog the book is an autobiography but it’s written by the vocalist himself.

Back in February bandmember Darvish Kenji relased his book “Best of Obama Blog” that includes the drummer’s blog entries as well as photos.


Sc: JA

Solaris.★ Releasing First Mini Album

Earlier this year Visual Kei band Solaris.★ lost vocalist and guitarist but found new members in April. Now they’ve announced their first release with the new line-up.
The band’s first mini album is titled “ContRast ryuuseigun” and will drop on July 18th. For 2625 Yen you’ll get a CD including 5 songs and a CD-EXTRA including a PV.

track list
1. SUPER NOVA
2. tsubasa
3. hoshizora no shita de
4. wish
5. MonoChrome

On August 18th Solaris.★ will celebrate their first anniversary with a One man at Shinsaibashi Soma in Osaka!



Sc: JA

Versailles Releases their New Single "Rose"

Versailles recently revealed their brand new look, and now to go along with that new look they reveal more details on their upcoming single "Rose." The single releases on June 20th and is available in two versions.

The first version of the single is a 5th Anniversary Box set with the single's CD along with a DVD; this special set costs 5,555 yen. The second version of the single is the regular edition, which includes only the CD, costing 1,200 yen. See the track listings below for more details.

CD Track listings [Included with both types]
1. ROSE
2. -ayakashi-
3. Love will be born again (Japanese Version)
4. THE RED CARPET DAY

DVD [Included only in the Anniversary set]
1. History of the Descendant of the Rose
2. Live from World Tour 2012 Holy Grail – Grand Final ~Chateau de Versailles~ 2012.2.12 (MASQUERADE / Judicial Noir / Thanatos / DRY ICE SCREAM!!![Remove the Silence] / Flowery / Vampire / Remember Forever)


Sc: JA

ALSDEAD Announces „FLASH BACK“

More than one year after the release of their last single “Into The Void” ALSDEAD announced a new single! The release is titled “FLASH BACK” and will drop on July 11th. It will be available in two types: The limited edition will include a CD and a DVD and the regular edition will be CD-only.

This is the track list:
Limited Edition (1575 Yen)
[CD]
1. FLASH BACK
2. 404
[DVD]
FLASH BACK PV

Regular Edition (1365 Yen)
[CD]
1. FLASH BACK
2. 404
3. Saigo no uso

And the band made another great announcement: They will hold their oneman live titled “ALL SCARS REMAIN” at Ikebukuro EDGE on April 5th.


Sc: JA

D=OUT Reveal "Aisuru Hito" with Translations in 10 Languages

On May 2nd, D=OUT released their latest single "Aisuru Hito" and the music video that has now been revealed comes with subtitles in 10 different languages. With translations into English, Chinese, Spanish, German and more, the video also contains the Japanese lyrics written out in Latin letters for everyone to sing along with.

D=OUT had in the past been touring Europe a couple of times, while recently being mainly active in Asia. Due to popular demand and the great amount of support from overseas, they have been able to release the video in favor of their fans.

"We are really happy that D=OUT are that loved from people around the world. We are a live band and at some point we would like to take a tour a round the world where we can use these 10 languages." Kouki commented on the release.



Sc: MJP

New Single from vistlip

Visual kei band vistlip will release new single on July 4th.

Titled B, the single will be released in three versions featuring the title track and the B-side PERFECT CRIME. The regular edition will be CD-only and will come with the bonus track GizenMASTER[Re:birth], as well as the instrumental versions of the first two songs.

The limited "vister" edition will come with a DVD featuring the PV and making-of for B, while the limited "lipper" edition will be CD-only and will come with the bonus track Little Fabre. All three versions will also contain a trading card randomly selected from ten different kinds.


Sc: JMW

ViViD Will Release Their First Full Album

After being active for three years ViViD finally announced their first album! The title is not yet decided but the band already revealed the release date: June 27th. The long-awaited album comes in two versions: A Limited Edition including CD and DVD that will cost 3400 Yen and a Regular Edition that is CD-only but includes a bonus track and will cost 3059 Yen.

The track list isn’t revealed yet and it’s also unknown how many songs their first full album will feature but it will include all singles since their major debut single “Yume ~ mugen no kanata~” that was released in January 2011 and “kakera”, the coupling song of ViViD’s 3rd single “FAKE”.

More details such as title and full track list will follow soon.

ViViD will release their 5th single "REAL" on May 16th that will also be featured in the album.


Sc: JA

New Visual Kei Band: GOTCHAROCKA

UN (ex-spiv states, ex-Phantasmagoria) had recently revealed that he was to take part in a new project, where he would perform as a guitarist but not as a vocalist. It has just been announced that JUN will play guitar in a new band called GOTCHAROCKA, along with vocalist with Jui (ex-Vidoll) and guitarist Toya (ex-Charlotte). Jui had also recently tweeted about an announcement of a new band, which was in relation to the start of GOTCHAROCKA.

JUN's blog entry detailing the new project GOCTCHAROCKA can be found here. The band's official homepage already features a sample of the band's music playing in the background.

More details about the band, including line-up confirmation and members' new images, will be revealed through GOCTCHAROCKA 's website on May 11th.


Sc: JMW

DaizyStripper Releasing New Mini Album and Appearing at Animethon

It’s still takes some time but DaizyStripper already announced a new mini album that will be released in August.
“HUMALOID” is the title of the release that will drop on August 1st. Each of its three versions will include a CD featuring 6 songs but the tracklist is not yet available. Type A comes with a DVD featuring a PV, Type B comes with a DVD featuring live footage and Type C will be CD-only.

But there is more great news! It was revealed that DaizyStripper will perform at Animethon 19 – an anime convention in Canada that will take place from August 10th to August 12th. It’s the first time for the band to visit Canada and will certainly be a highlight in their 5th anniversary year!


Sc: JA

Angelo Announces New Single "RIP/MOMENT"

Angelo has recently announced the release of their 9th single titled "RIP/MOMENT". They have set the release date of this Double A-Side Single for June 27th and also revealed the track list:

Limited Version Type A (1890 Yen)
[CD]
1. RIP
2. MOMENT
[DVD]
RIP PV

Limited Version Type B (1890 Yen)
[CD]
1. RIP
2. MOMENT
[DVD]
MOMENT PV

Regular Edition (1260 Yen)
1. RIP
2. MOMENT
3. The Crime to Cradle

Starting on May 18th Angelo will go on their nationwide tour “Angelo Tour 2012 “The outer wall of brilliant colors”” which includes 13 lives and ends on June 30th at NHK Hall.


Sc: JA

New Live Releases from NIGHTMARE

Visual kei band NIGHTMARE have announced the release of a new live album and DVD for June 6th.

Both releases will feature material from the final show of the band's NIGHTMARE TOUR 2011-12 Nightmarish reality tour, which was held at Nippon Budokan on March 2nd. The CD will be available in one version, while the DVD will be released in two types.

The regular edition of the DVD will consist of two discs, while the limited edition will come with a bonus disc as well as a photobook. The full tracklists and the content of the bonus DVD will be announced closer to the release date.


Sc: JMW

Third Part of '90s Visual Kei Cover Album

The third instalment of the CRUSH! V-Rock cover album series has been revealed, titled CRUSH!3-90’s V-Rock best hit cover LOVE songs-. This follows on from the previous cover albums, released in January and November 2011, and is set for release on June 27th.

This third album features fourteen songs with the theme of love, originally released in the '90s by visual kei artists, covered by fourteen different visual kei artists. It includes the session band CRASH 49, which is made up of ν[NEU]’s Mitsu on vocals, Guild’s YOSHIHIRO and -OZ-’s Aki on guitar, NoGoD’s Karin on bass and D’s HIROKI on drums. The full tracklist is as follows:

01. AYABIE – ESCAPE (MOONCHLD cover)
02. ALSDEAD – Illusion City (SEX MACHINEGUNS cover)
03. Inugami Circus-dan – Rusty Nail (X JAPAN cover)
04. uchusentai NOIZ – KISS ME (KYOSUKE HIMURO cover)
05. KAMELEO – Zurui Onna (Sharam Q cover)
06. Kaya – Yurenagara... (Laputa cover)
07. CRASH 49 – Kanojo No "Modern... (GLAY cover)
08. SARSHI – VENUS (Chisato cover)
09. Scarlett – HURRY GO ROUND (hide with Spread Beaver cover)
10. DIV – WHITE BREATH (T.M.Revolution cover)
11. defspiral – ROSIER (LUNA SEA cover)
12. Makoto – Eternal Flame (SOPHIA cover)
13. MEJIBRAY – Cage (DIR EN GREY cover)
14. Lin -the End of Corruption World – Insomnia (ROUAGE cover)


Sc: JMW