Dir En Grey is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in February 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, vocalist Kyo, drummer Shinya and bassist Toshiya, they have released eleven full-length albums. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for more subtle attire, but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage.
Hideto Matsumoto, known professionally as hide, was a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He achieved international fame as the lead guitarist of the rock band X Japan from 1987 to 1997 and a solo artist from 1993 onward. He also formed the United States–based rock supergroup Zilch in 1996.
Acid Android is the solo project of yukihiro, drummer of the Japanese rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. While yukihiro provides the vocals and many of the instruments himself, he also utilizes many support and guest musicians both in the studio and in live performances. The project is signed to yukihiro's Tracks on Drugs record label. To date Acid Android has released four albums and two mini-albums. The band, in contrast to L'Arc-en-Ciel, uses a harder, faster sound, more stage-lighting and mechanics to further energize their concerts.
Aku no Hana is the fifth studio album by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. It was released on cassette and CD on February 1, 1990, through Victor Entertainment. It peaked at number one on the Oricon charts and is the group's best-selling album to date. It was certified gold in the month of its release, and sold 435,080 copies in the first year of its release. The title comes from Charles Baudelaire's volume of poetry, Les Fleurs du mal.
Six/Nine is the eighth studio album by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. It was released in a clear purple case on May 15, 1995, through Victor Entertainment.
Blue Blood is the second studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then known as simply X. It was released on April 21, 1989, by CBS/Sony as the band's major label debut. Blue Blood sold more than 700,000 copies, reached number 6 on the Oricon chart and stayed on the chart for more than 100 weeks. The album's singles would also reach the top five on the chart. In 2007, Rolling Stone Japan ranked Blue Blood number 15 on their list of the "100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time".
Kiyonobu Inoue, better known exclusively by his stage name Inoran, is a Japanese musician, singer and songwriter. He is best known as the rhythm guitarist and co-founder of the rock band Luna Sea since 1986. He started his solo career in 1997. Luna Sea disbanded in 2000, and he formed Fake? with Oblivion Dust vocalist Ken Lloyd a year later. In 2005 he left Fake? and founded Tourbillon with Luna Sea vocalist Ryuichi Kawamura and Hiroaki Hayama. He rejoined Luna Sea when they reunited in 2010, and in 2012 formed Muddy Apes with bassist Taka Hirose and guitarist Dean Tidey, both from Feeder, and 8otto's vocalist Maeson. In 2011, Inoran became the first Japanese musician to have a signature model guitar with Fender.
Zi:Kill was a Japanese rock band active from 1987 to 1994. The core members were vocalist Tusk, bassist Seiichi and guitarist Ken. With their three major label studio albums reaching the top ten on the Oricon chart, Zi:Kill are regarded as an important act from the then-emerging visual kei scene. They were featured in a chapter of Karl Taro Greenfeld's novel Speed Tribes that documents the writer's time spent with the band and the events that nearly caused their break up.
"Tell Me" is the fourth single by Japanese musician hide, released on March 24, 1994. It reached number 4 on the Oricon Singles Chart. The B-side "Scanner " is a different version of "Scanner" from Hide Your Face, as it features vocals by Ryuichi from Luna Sea. The single was certified Gold by the RIAJ in April 1994, and Double Platinum in February 2020 for sales over 500,000.
Mother is the fourth studio album by Japanese rock band Luna Sea, released on October 26, 1994. It reached number two on the Oricon Albums Chart and was certified Platinum by the RIAJ for sales over 400,000. Luna Sea re-recorded the entire album and released it on November 29, 2023, through Avex Trax.
Darker Than Darkness: Style 93 is the seventh studio album by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. It was released on June 23, 1993, through Victor Entertainment. The album peaked at number two on the Oricon chart, became a certified gold seller by July 1993, and subsequently sold 213,260 copies. Darker Than Darkness: Style 93 was digitally remastered and re-released on September 19, 2002, with two bonus tracks. It was remastered and re-released again on September 5, 2007. "Dress" was remixed and used as the opening theme for the anime Trinity Blood (2005), this version was also released as a single. The album was named one of the top albums from 1989 to 1998 in a 2004 issue of the music magazine Band Yarouze.
Cosmos is the ninth studio album by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. The album was released on June 21, 1996, through Victor Entertainment. It was the group's last album released through Victor and peaked at number six on the Oricon charts. Cosmos has sold 130,000 copies within two weeks. The album was digitally remastered and re-released on September 19, 2002, with two bonus tracks. It was remastered and re-released again on September 5, 2007. The song "Tight Rope" was later re-recorded as the b-side to the group's "Alice in Wonder Underground" single in 2007, and "Sane" was re-recorded in 2012 for their "Elise no Tame ni" single. The album was heavily influenced by electronic music, as the band started gravitating towards cyberpunk music.
Koroshi no Shirabe: This Is Not Greatest Hits is the first compilation album released by the Japanese rock band Buck-Tick. It was released on cassette and CD on March 21, 1992, through Victor Entertainment. All of the tracks on the compilation were re-recorded and contain different musical arrangements, because of this some argue that it is a studio or remix album. The album was digitally remastered and re-released on September 19, 2002, with a bonus track. It was remastered and re-released again on September 5, 2007. Koroshi no Shirabe: This Is Not Greatest Hits peaked at number one on the Oricon charts. It was certified gold in April 1992, and has sold 338,000 copies.
D'erlanger is a Japanese rock band from Kyoto Prefecture, formed in 1983 by guitarist Cipher and bassist Seela. While they originally played speed and power metal, after recruiting drummer Tetsu and vocalist Kyo they switched to a punk rock sound for their debut album La Vie En Rose in 1989. Although it was on an indie label, it sold out and was reissued three times that year, earning them a major label record deal with BMG Japan the following year. They released Basilisk in March 1990 and it reached the top five on the charts. However, in December the group suddenly announced their disbandment.
Angelo is a Japanese visual kei rock supergroup, formed in 2006 by three members of Pierrot. Originally a trio of vocalist Kirito, bassist Kohta and drummer Takeo, guitarists Karyu (ex-D'espairsRay) and Giru (ex-Vidoll) joined in 2011. After 15 years and 13 studio albums, Angelo began an indefinite hiatus following two concerts at Yoyogi Daini Taiikukan on January 15 and 16, 2022.
La Vie En Rose is the debut album by Japanese rock band D'erlanger, released on February 10, 1989. It was instantly successful, having to be reissued three times that year alone. The 1991 release reached number 25 on the Oricon Albums Chart and charted for 5 weeks.
Lazzaro is the third album by the Japanese rock band D'erlanger, released on March 14, 2007. Their first release in 17 years, it reached number 32 on the Oricon chart.
D'erlanger is the self-titled fifth album by Japanese rock band D'erlanger, released on November 11, 2009. It reached number 19 on the Oricon chart. The limited edition came with a DVD of the music video for "Angelic Poetry" and other material. "Easy Make, Easy Mark" was a speed metal song the band wrote and played back in the 1980s. For 2017's D'erlanger Tribute Album ~Stairway to Heaven~, "Easy Make, Easy Mark" was covered by Dir En Grey.
Dead End was a Japanese heavy metal/hard rock band formed in Tokyo in late 1984. Following the release of their debut album Dead Line in 1986, the classic lineup of vocalist Morrie, bassist Crazy Cool Joe, guitarist You and drummer Minato was solidified in May 1987. They released three more studio albums and were one of few Japanese metal bands to have international exposure in the United States during the eighties, before dissolving in 1990.
Destrose was a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 2007. The group remained an independent band their entire career and experienced frequent line-up changes until going on indefinite hiatus in 2015. Although considered pioneers of the Girls Metal Band Boom, Destrose never achieved commercial success and is best known for the subsequent bands later formed by its many members.
