I think one of the main reason is that VK is also centered around beauty. Like even if Kyo is climbing out of an oversized womb with fake blood and the rest they are trying to capture and present it in a way that’s beautiful, ~aesthetic~. Most of the western bands just do something (if any) for their music video, then go on stage with a Metallica tshirt and a jeans.
2 Likes
Once VK, always VK
1 Like
This may be true for some bands but literally none of the bands i listed are like that. All go with the image live as well. Except Mudvayne back in the day, but seem to have gone back to it in recent years.
Visual Kei has always been a looks thing along with being part of the scene in Japan otherwise we’d be calling artists like Marylin Manson V-Kei and he is to an extent
Yeah they need to be Japanese otherwise hair metal is VK.
VK isn’t a specific aesthetic at all…
Consider that the movement started after glam bands like Bowie and KISS toured Japan, inspiring people like Sawada Kenji.
Now consider that there are VK bands starting today who have no relation to nor interest in glam.
Also consider that VK has maybe 20 or so sub-genres which are all pretty different.
2 Likes
I think “Japanese visual rock” is a good translation. “Western visual rock” is just goth, punk, scene, glam, etc.
Although there does seem to need to be a pretty-boy sex appeal aspect. I’m not sure if a Japanese Gwar would be accepted as part of the VK scene.
3 Likes
Not so long ago we had that push for the “Japanese Visual Metal” label with the JVM Blood Roses Symphony project.
1 Like
Agree 100% tbh.
So. I remember hearing about this through maybe an interview or hearsay among fans back in the days of 2011 and earlier (lol). Back when marrow came out, the year they recorded the album, they were touring largely with Korn. And before that year, it was with the used, killswitch etc. They went to rock am ring the year before the album released and the year it was released. Think about the year of release: 2006. If the album was recorded throughout 2005-06, so many artists that Americans now consider as OG sounds and even classics actually came out heavily between 1998/1999 to 2005-7. Like in the style that closely reassembles marrow since withering is uncannily an evolution of Vulgar. And they toured with deftones the same year marrow got released too, which means the bands must’ve at least known or heard some of their music at some point. Korn, System of a Down, deftones, even spilknot and limp bizket were creating this nu-industrial, grunge ish style that evokes the use of vocal range that varies from soft to hard screams that we all love Kyo for. I’m sure this influence from the early 2000s reached the band and marrow was made. I think this is why I consider uroboros so special. It took tones from past albums and used such a controlled method that created this very diru sound that’s very them. We heard it all before in kisou, gauze, marrow, etc but earlier albums felt like it sounded separated in terms of unity of sound in the band. Uroboros lyrically felt complex as did each chord and that’s why the band showed so much of the recording progress. Uroboros feels timeless while marrow you can look up the release date and feel the era it came from. This is not to say that their older songs aren’t timeless, some are. I think people liked DSS, but Uroboros was so acclaimed at the time. But now I love DSS since it feels like they took uroboros and said let’s make this a classic and upped everything. It’s a hard album to get into, but once it clicks, DSS is amazing and I feel like maybe Archie came close to topping it. I’m still reviewing insulted world…
They rejected VK because they felt like their style and sound was not VK since their entire discography ranges from VK sounds to screamo/metal. They felt limited by remaining categorized as a VK band. I wouldn’t compare diru to the gazette, but if you do, you can see how much closely people could associate VK with the gazette rather than diru. VK is asesthetic, but pretty? Diru seems pretty because they have face cards that don’t age, but I think maybe that’s why Kyo’s makeup is bones and graphic since most VK bands to me seems pretty makeup wise.
5 Likes
Thanks for sharing! That makes sense, being around the US music community so tightly back then. It seems like they’ve found their own style right now? Though I still find it hard to distinguish/tell apart all the different music subgenres lol. There’s too many, I like to categorise diru as just diru.
1 Like
I’d like to confess my new-found guilty pleasure for Toshiya. I’ve been a Dir en grey fan for over two decades, but I must say this man is getting hotter and hotter as he age, even at the age of almost 48 now. You all have to see this. 
13 Likes
Toshiya is a very handsome man, indeed. Always from DIR EN GREY, Die also ages well too.
2 Likes
Oh yes, his photo book is such work of art. He is a very handsome guy. Won the DNA lottery haha.
4 Likes
The lord blessed us greatly when he made Toshiya 
5 Likes
Happy 21th anniversary to THE FINAL!
10 Likes
Fujieda-san I don’t feel so good…
2 Likes
I legit had a dream that instead of DIR EN GREY coming to LA, it was just Kyo and he performed some DEG tracks and mainly Sukekiyo stuff.
I woke up so confused.
With that said, A FEW MORE WEEKS BAYBEEEEE!!!
3 Likes
Ive always wanted Toshiya too show more of himself during interviews and stuff, but there have been many sunglasses in dark rooms etc through the years 
Guess it cant be helped if you are a shy boi!
3 Likes