Greetings akai SKY, thank you for the opportunity! Before we begin, would you please introduce yourselves?   Ryuusei: My name is Ryuusei and I’m the singer for akai SKY. Hayashi: Hayashi here! I’m on lead guitar. Umi: I play bass. Jinra: I play cowbell… and drums.   I...

  Rising from the ashes of their past, the pioneers of the Chinese visual rock scene–Silver Ash are officially back in action after an eight-year hiatus. With a new electrifying sound and line-up, the band embarks on an explosive fresh start, their April 6th, 2013 single...

  With the perfect blend of American alternative sound and Japanese pop melody, Californian Jrockers, akai SKY possesses and presents the best of both worlds. This especially holds true in their latest explosive release– Heart, Attack!, which is definitely something worth paying...

With striking visuals seeking to shock and terrify people, NIGHTMARE was born in January 2000–when most of the members were still in high school. Originally starting out as an X Japan and Luna Sea cover band, NIGHTMARE has become one of the most successful bands in the visual kei scene....

Throughout the course of Visual Kei history, there have been a number of independent labels that set the stage for some of the biggest names in this genre. Often used as a stepping-stone to ignite careers, these labels become landmarks and first homes to bands that have set the genre on fire....

In the early 2000′s, it was hard not to hear the dark and soul wrenching sounds of Rentrer en Soi as they entered the visual kei scene in 2001. Making their way and reaching popularity in the visual kei world, vocalist Satsuki made his presence known. Following ReS’ disbandment in...

There comes a time when a group enters the scene with such elegance, passion and dedication that it exudes from their music. SURGE~ outofdesperation is one of these bands. With each note and every word a beautiful darkness fills your ears and takes hold of your soul. As you listen, it is easy...

  I once read a saying: “There are bands that feel your pain, and there are bands that play it for you.” (Yun, Josephine. Jrock, Ink.: A Concise Report on 40 of the Biggest Rock Acts in Japan . Stone Bridge Press, 2005. Print.)  LUNA SEA embodies both. Originally named...

  It is hard to describe the impact of any one musician, this case is no exception. Year after year, the legend and legacy of hide still remain as strong as ever. There has never been just one word that could describe hide’s music. Instead, he created a world of music that was...

  Enter the world of Nyappy, a world created by the harajuku dance rock kings of Antic Cafe (a.k.a. An Cafe). They have returned from their hiatus that was announced just three years ago on August 1, 2009! An Cafe is an explosive, popish and danceable oshare kei band with...

  Imagine a world where art is transformed into music as each note is written as an extension of the God of Music. This is the world RK Rosebud has created. Although RK Rosebud considers themselves a rock band, listeners enter a world of rock fused with jazz, classical, rap and...

(above picture was taken from Mana’s official blog) When you think of Visual Kei, you think of certain musicians. There are a number who have already or are currently making their mark in the scene. If there were a list of such musicians, it would just keep growing, evolving as...

When I first heard of Malice Mizer, I was drawn in for a few reasons. One of them being the different personalities in the band and their music as a whole. At any given moment, each member of the band had my attention. Before Malice Mizer, I payed most of my attention to the vocals...

Music is universal. And to me it has always been the way I have been able to connect to people. I know that this is true for a lot of people that I talk to and a good portion of people in general no matter what they listen to. I guess I’ve always been open to music as a whole. I have...

“Though you are like a rose and you will bloom again. This I honestly believe. For this reason I am sending you Versailles.”   I remember the day I met him, it was a mistake but it still makes me smile. I won’t go through every detail on how I met him and how we ended up connecting...

On March 11, 2011 a devastating 9.0 earthquake hit Northeastern region of Japan, triggering a massive tsunami along with a series of aftershocks and a nuclear crisis leaving in its wake destruction beyond comprehension. In response to the tragedies, GACKT, a multi-instrumentalist music...

Dada of Velvet Eden has taken a moment of his time to answer a series of questions from Visual Keios for our readers in response to his views on the Visual Kei scene and about his music. Firstly, let’s talk about you and your history in Velvet Eden. Formed in 1998, what has been some...

Known for his work behind the scenes as a composer and pianist and now for his solo work with the album release of “Palette” in 2011, Kouji Ohsumi took time to answers a series of questions for our readers. For those not familiar with your work, will you please introduce...

First off, I would like to thank you for this opportunity for this interview. Will you please introduce yourselves and each other for our readers. We are Rose Noire, which is made up by siblings Louie and Jill. The sound is really complicated because of the mixture of various music genres....

The story of Rose Noire, a sibling duo Goth band that bases their sound in classical music, was formed by Louie(Vo.) and Jill(Violin), while attending Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. In 2007, they won a prize at the sony-zoom demo tape competition....

I was thinking to myself that I should introduce myself. My name is Rita. I’m 24 and I have been listening to jrock, jmetal and Japanese music in general for almost 10 years now. My family is from Thailand but I was born and raised in the States. I first got introduced to Japanese...