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"OBSCURE" is one of the most graphic and notorious music videos ever crafted within visual kei, catapulting the band back into the spotlight after a sudden stylistic shift sent their fans into a frenzy. It's famous for both its shock value and its strong anti-abortion stance. Abortion isn't a dinner table conversation in any country, but I've always sensed that there's an extra level of taboo attached to this topic in Japanese circles. So naturally, Dir en grey went the extra mile with some of the best CGI 2004 could buy. Is there some actual meaning behind this imagery, or is it all shock value? Watching it back now, this video isn't as extreme as a younger, more impressionable me thought. I discovered that there's mostly memorable segments, but most of the video is the band rocking out in a dingy room with bodies hanging from the ceiling. These also are the least offensive parts of the video too, unless you have a particular hate for vomit, leather, or white contact lenses. And if you do, how are you a visual kei fan? Anyway, the room resembles a hospital or a jail, although it's probably the back of an old fishing warehouse. There's nothing else to really discuss here. I tried my hardest to weave together a story that makes sense. The closest I can get is depictions of their anguish over this topic and how it's treated, which could be all they were going for. The main scenes cycle throughout the course of the video, and each of these scenes seem unconnected to the others. To sum it up: there's a demon orgy, robot cocks, a monk ripping a baby's head apart covered in ofuda screaming to the Lord of Light, a dissected half robot/woman creation on a table with a mad doctor, circus performers, depictions of the band as monsters mutilating themselves, and of course the infamous demon geisha eating the apple baby head. The meaning of some scenes are obvious: the orgy depicts sexual irresponsibility, the circus is about how the topic is treated as a joke, and the doctor and robot is supposed to resemble abortion and the act of playing god. Several elements appear in different contexts, such as the geisha and baby heads. The woman on the table is shown as not in control of her body, the doctor with the huge forceps symbolizes the invasiveness of the procedure, the ofuda which covers the monk is meant to ward off evil, and the constant depiction of monsters and demons is meant to associate abortion with bad omens. The rest of this music video is pure shock value and there's no real meaning to anything. One thing I should mention before wrapping this up is that Dir en grey threw some serious shade at men in this music video. During the orgy scenes, the women have bare faces but the men are all covered with masks. I have several interpretations of this. One parallel I immediately noticed was to (surprisingly) porn, where it's all too common for the woman's face to be visible but the man is a secondary figure, and videos are associated with the woman and not the man. On a deeper level, it's also commentary on the unequal burden pregnancy puts on women. The men literally "don't see" what happens when they orgasm (hint: the women stop enjoying the orgy and start bleeding out their mouths with pained expressions on their faces), they don't have to deal with it, and they can carry on not caring, mouths transfixed in a smile. I dug deeper into the whole mask angle, and discovered that in Japanese mythology, oni masks refer to the belief in a spirit world in which demons carry out their roles of punishing the unjust and evil, as well as spreading disease. Double dip on the whole "spreading disease" = "venereal disease" bit if you want, but I don't think it goes that far. I think Dir en grey feel that men who do this and don't care are literally demons and worse than the women, but clearly the whole eating the baby's head idea also associates certain kinds of women with demons too. The band themselves aren't exactly human either, with Shinya's deformed body and Kyo's lovely tentacle mouth, so perhaps the band thinks everyone is a demon and that everyone is responsible? As far as PV's go for visual kei bands, this one is near the top in terms of effort and production values, even for today's standards. I'm sure there's more left to be discussed. What do you think?

Pitty will get his revenge one by one, slowly but surely.

Arrived today Two more, then I'm done for the year (until something rare pops up~)

they have changed to new band "HoutS" at Hs' last live at 2018/4/6. Vo.T@K has changed his stage name to @-atto-, Gu.のぶお。 (Nobuo.) has changed his stage name to 零 (Zero) and Dr.masato has changed to Ba. Vo.@-atto- Gu.樹奴 (Junu) Gu.零 (Zero) Ba.masato

Guest bassist schedule: 4/22(日) リウ(メトローム (Metronome)) 5/01(火) SHINGO☆(SEX MACHINEGUNS) 5/03(木.祝) KOUSUKE(Unveil Raze) 5/04(金.祝) KOUSUKE(Unveil Raze) 5/05(土) SHINGO☆(SEX MACHINEGUNS) 5/12(土) リウ(メトローム (Metronome)) 5/13(日) リウ(メトローム (Metronome)) 5/14(月) リウ(メトローム (Metronome)) 5/19(土) 結良(Kra) 5/20(日) 結良(Kra) 6/01(金) 結良(Kra)

Doesn't matter, it just doesn't make sense to me. Why does this thread even exist then? As a bait? Do people get off of doing something like that? "huehue I downvoted a random picture on a random website, that'll hurt him huehuehue". Some people on this forum must lead very sad lives.

@AliceParanoid Since I see Slot and don't know anything else, I'm gonna assume that all the rest is also obscure russian emo metal DADAROMA - モルヒネ#2 Dance Gavin Dance - The Jiggler MEJIBRAY - Crazed Brain DEZERT - リリィさんの美容整形術 Codomo Dragon - Epilogue George Michael - Careless Whisper Jiluka - ZONE G-Dragon - One of a Kind Protest the Hero - Tidal Develop One's Faculties - Hope

While not a band within the genres mentioned in the OP, I'm still gonna post this band as they're black metal. Wigrid! The debut album were highly influenced by Burzum, and I would guess especially Det som engang var and Burzum/Aske. Albeit with a more depressive twist to it all. The second album is also very Burzum influenced, but it's slower and contains much more traditional depressive black metal riffing similar to what you'd hear in Strid, Nidhoggr and Nyktalgia. I'll have to go with Hoffnungstod as the best of the two albums, but both are absolutely amazing. Hoffnungstod is a modern classic and one of the best black metal albums of the 2000's imo. The reason I had to post this is because I am a huge fan, and I am gonna get dressed and walk up to my local mail office and pick up Discography Box Part II, which is the second tape box that collects every Wigrid and Elfenblut (pre-Wigrid) material, with the exception of the two tracks from the latest split release. I liked the first one a lot, so I will be pleased about getting this too. Like the first box it also contains a 3" CD with a track.

I started watching "Just Because!" last night, an anime from Autumn 2017 for this season of Spring 2018 and i managed finish 8 episodes in a row overall since story is kinda touching me really, even though this anime is actually an original anime with a serialized novel that also came out on Autumn 2017.

Shining - I'm not the biggest fan of Shining, but I can appreciate the stuff released before The Eerie Cold and the move towards more progressive and rock-esque music quite a lot. But I've always felt like Niklas Kvarforth was a pathetic subhuman and this gig didn't change anything. The band sounds awful, they act pathetic and the entire gig was really embarrassing. My two friends who loves the band agrees, but they were even more negative than me. Says it all. Uada - This gig was just too good. The sound was amazing, the band looks cool and their brand of melodic black metal that sounds like a mix of Mgla and Dissection really does it for me. Superb gig! So my favourite gigs of Inferno: Uada, Grave, Electric Wizard, and to my huge surprise, Emperor.

tickets for their oneman live "怨ミ晴ラサズオクベキカ" at 2018/05/03 at LIQUIDROOM ebisu are SOLD OUT they will hold their 4th oneman "さよなら" (Sayonara) at 2018/09/24 at Zepp Tokyo It's insane !

@doomboxI'm such a n00b I only know 4minute out of your list but I know that I trust your taste enough to give your choices a chance when I'll be in the mood <3. As for me : 1. MUCC - 茫然自失 2. MUCC - Sentimental (from the Cover Parade album) 3. EXO - Cosmic Railway 4. (The Scholar Who Walk The Night OST ) Jang Jae In - Secret Paradise 5. MUCC - 翼をください (Demotape ver.) 6. MUCC - 廃 7. 10cm - Beautiful 8. Lynch. - Prominence 9. Lynch. - Melt 10. Monsta X - Shine Forever Wow my playlist should learn what shuffle is for a change, I swear I have more bands and groups on my phone XDDD

Looking forward to the guy from Lolita23q coming back xD

still got me. guess I was vulnerable to all that distracting shock value poo poo at the time.

This has done me a heckin surprise. Spyro 2 was literally the first game I ever played. I think I was 9 or something, maybe 10. I have such fond memories of playing the game and watching my dad complete the game for me because I couldn't do it. I loved it. I played it so many times afterwards. And now it's gonna be part of my life again, in HD remastered graphics. Even the games that I wanted to play and never did, which are 1 and 3. Just hope that they keep the original soundtrack and maybe just remaster the tracks too, because especially Spyro 3 had some kickass tunes (Fireworks factory anyone?)

Nice news...I hope we can get to listen this one Speaking about the upcoming album, i hope they keep the same "vibe" from the last EP,but I'm also expecting some...hmm...some "diversity" from a track to another,idk if you guys understand what I mean

he's out x

Amen. Ghost Bath were way better when we had no idea who they were and everyone thought they were from China.

I honestly don't want Kuloe to go since he's my fave, but if he does I don't have a good reason to ditch the band since that probably wouldn't affect the music whatsoever. I want to throw a fit over this but can't find a good reason to

You mean when he actually had a band?

Yeah, Ära Krâ isn't too bad. Didn't like them at all upon first hearing them, but a few years later I tried again and liked it quite a lot. A good and interesting mix of black metal, metalcore and post-rock. Show Me Wolves and Funeral Sutra are other bands that blends black metal and metalcore in a pretty good way.

This has always frustrated me a little. I don't know if Yuya is mad or a genius! I tried to work out the lyrics for 'this is "芸術" ' which are alot like those in "my world", google translate picked some up but each part I tried was a different language... I might have to go back to it some time and see if I can come up with anything >.< I just adore this band though and the mysterious lyrics only pulls me in more lol

Finnish power!

under pouring rain and in line to buy a band's t-shirt I'll be forever scared to use and ruin

People paid money to see this 1 like = 1 prayer

3Gatsu no Lion might seriously be one of my favorite series ever.... this second season just raised my enjoyment of it to a whole new level. I can't wait for it to return. I urge people to please go try it, honestly one of the best shows I've seen in a very long time.

People saying Lime proved he has range in this latest Kizu single, and I'm like, ma dudes WHERE? he's like full C5 Tenor all the freakin time, it's borderline maddening

Love the Crucifixion vibes!

sorry Satsucki but this is only a

This answers my question of whether or not he has a band.

lol this is a collector's edition for AK stans who stopped following while he was gone now they have an excuse to go to a signing session with him & that's the only reason it exists

Based on the oneman tours D'espairsRay could do before their first disbandment, I think it's fairly safe to say they had a decently large fanbase in Japan. Also, as for being the target of dislike overseas, I'm not sure if we were in different circles or what but I distinctly remember them being quite hyped from an early stage, just the fact that they were one of the earliest bands to come to Europe back in 2004 should be proof that they received popularity fairly early here, the shows sold very well too. I think bangya circles are kind of misleading often as well, because most people have one or at most two bands they hardcore follow and don't usually care much for other bands, so you can often end up thinking that it's representative of the VK fanbase as a whole. Sort of like how overseas VK fans have no idea who GLAY is since they don't have any fans, but in Japan they're one of the biggest VK bands around. It becomes a closed group culture of sorts, just like there are bands that are/were hyped on here that had next to no following in Japan.

Hi, I'm new here. Brief intro, my nick derive from always using the 3rd stall in the restroom.

I post here and people downvote lmao

[tracklist] 01. ZERO 02. SOCIAL NETWORK SERVICE (English ver.) 03. WITH BEAT I GO ON 04. REBOOT 05. FREEDOM 06. VAMPIRE'S MOON 07. SOCIAL NETWORK SERVICE (Japanese ver.)

setlist: GAMEOVER with マルコ (marco)