X Japan is a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive sound with an emphasis on ballads. Besides being one of the first Japanese acts to achieve mainstream success while on an independent label, the group is widely credited as one of the pioneers of visual kei, a movement among Japanese musicians comparable to Western glam.
Luna Sea is a Japanese rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of make-up and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successful and influential bands in the visual kei movement. Throughout the mid-1990s they used significantly less make-up, and after a one-year break in 1997, came back with a more mainstream alternative rock style and toned down their on-stage attire. They disbanded in 2000. In 2003, HMV Japan ranked Luna Sea at number 90 on their list of the 100 most important Japanese pop acts.
Yoshiki Hayashi, known as Yoshiki, is a Japanese musician, songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the leader and a co-founder of the visual kei rock band X Japan, for which he is the drummer, pianist and main songwriter. He has been described by Billboard as a "musical innovator" and named "one of the most influential composers in Japanese history" by Consequence of Sound. Yoshiki's solo career includes several classical studio albums and collaborations with artists such as George Martin, Bono, will.i.am, Jennifer Hudson, St. Vincent, Stan Lee, Roger Taylor and Brian May of Queen, Gene Simmons and KISS, Nicole Scherzinger, and Sarah Brightman.
Extasy Records is a Japanese record label founded in April 1986 by Yoshiki Hayashi, co-founder of the heavy metal band X Japan. The label's first release was X's 1986 single "Orgasm".
Yūne Sugihara, born Yasuhiro Sugihara and better known by his stage name Sugizo, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, composer and record producer. He is best known as the lead guitarist and violinist of the rock band Luna Sea since 1989.
Hiroshi Morie, known exclusively by his stage name Heath, is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter. He is best known as bass guitarist of the rock band X Japan. He joined the group in August 1992, replacing Taiji Sawada who left earlier in the year. Heath stayed with X Japan until their dissolution in 1997 and reunited with the band in 2007.
Art of Life is the fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on August 25, 1993, by Atlantic Records. The album consists solely of the 29-minute-long orchestrated title track, which was written and composed by Yoshiki entirely in English and recorded with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. It topped the Oricon chart and has sold over 600,000 copies. The album is the band's first after changing their name from simply "X" and the first to feature bassist Heath.
Blue Blood is the second studio album by Japanese rock 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".
The discography of the Japanese heavy metal band X Japan consists of five studio albums, six live albums, one remix album, eleven compilations, one soundtrack album, 23 singles, and around 22 live video recordings.
"I'll Kill You" is the debut single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then named X, released in June 1985.
"Orgasm" is the second single by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, then named X, released on April 10, 1986.
"I.V." is a song by Japanese rock band X Japan, released on January 23, 2008, as a digital download. It was the group's first new material since "The Last Song," released almost a decade earlier in 1998. "I.V." is the main theme for the American film Saw IV, which was released on October 26, 2007.
Image is the second studio album by Japanese rock band Luna Sea, released on May 21, 1992. It is their major label debut on MCA Victor, reached number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart, and charted for 14 weeks. In 2000, it was certified Platinum by the RIAJ for sales over 400,000.
Luna Sea is the debut studio album by Japanese rock band Luna Sea, released on April 21, 1991 by Extasy Records. It sold over 30,000 copies by July 1992. After reuniting in 2010, Luna Sea re-recorded the whole album and released it on March 16, 2011 through HPQ.
Skin is a United States-based Japanese visual kei rock supergroup founded by Japanese musicians Yoshiki, Gackt, Sugizo and Miyavi in 2007. The group's debut performance was on June 29, 2007 at Long Beach Arena, California. Although they had announced more activities, including a live tour and releasing a record, no new activities have occurred.
"Love Song" is the fourteenth single by Japanese rock band Luna Sea, released on November 8, 2000. It turned out to be the band's last single, as they held a press conference on the day of its release and announced they would be disbanding. They later reunited in 2010, and released "The One -Crash to Create-" in 2012. "Love Song" reached number 4 on the Oricon Singles Chart, and charted for five weeks.
"Scarlet Love Song" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, written by Yoshiki. Created to be the theme song of the 2011 animated film Buddha, the version from the movie was released on June 8, 2011 as the band's first single to feature newest member Sugizo on guitar.
"Born to Be Free" is a song by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan, released on November 6, 2015.
The untitled X Japan album is an unreleased studio album by Japanese heavy metal band X Japan. Initially planned to be half new songs and half re-recordings of old songs, this was abandoned at some point in its 10 years of production in favor of all new material. Several different release dates were announced in that time, but the album remains unpublished despite drummer and bandleader Yoshiki confirming its completion in September 2018. However, several songs reported to be on it have been made commercially available digitally. If released, it will be X Japan's first album of new material in over 26 years, their first since reuniting in 2007, and their first to feature newest member Sugizo.
The Last Rockstars is a Japanese rock supergroup formed in 2022 by Yoshiki, Hyde, Sugizo, and Miyavi. The four members announced their collaboration in November 2022, and released their first self-titled single in December of the same year. In January 2023, the band performed their debut tour in Japan and the United States.
