Hello, I’d like to tell a loaded tale about a VK band of the 2010’s. A Drama of sorts lol, This is the first time I’m tackling something like this so I appreciate you taking time to read this. Thank you Zeus, reading your reviews and things of the like inspired me to do this. If listening to the band’s repertoire helps, I’ve arranged this nice lil video. It’s a long one but I feel like it’ll pair nicely with the read. It is of course their discography but arranged in a playlist that I feel flows well together. I’ve done a lot of research for this so there’s gonna be a bit in here.
So today I will be telling you the tragic tale of the band that produced it. llll-Ligro- pronounced L and then Ligro or just Ligro. At their earliest point they were just llll. (which is why it’s fine to read it either way because they just were called L phonetically.) Maybe you know some of this, maybe you don’t but either way I hope you enjoy.
History:
llll-Ligro-, originally formed by Vocalist, Hinata and Drummer, Hiro. Was a four piece band of what vk.gy calls “Loud Kei”. Focusing on more of a consistently Darker-Complex sound focused on improving technical output. They were another one of the Diru-influenced groups of the 2010’s. Most of their songs follow a twin guitar formula that if not going for the standard progression, opts for very unique odd time signatures, lots of nice shredding and distortion and complex drumming. They fired on all cylinders, an immensely expressive front-man, and musicians who knew how to play cool stuff while also being very expressive themselves. Fun fact, at a point before their formation, Hinata was a roadie for Dir En Grey.
Their concept was making music for people who wear their scars in public, hiding the scars and their true selves. The music of which being a catalyst to let them know they aren’t alone, their live performances were to facilitate a place of belonging and togetherness. Also there’s mention of a violent expression of emotion and that will be ironically hilarious for reasons you’ll find later.
Every release always felt like they were evolving which is something I don’t think many vk bands do correctly. llll-Ligro- was always an interesting group for sure but they weren’t very popular. Come to think of it, they were becoming more popular on account of the restarting of activities back in 2017. Most people in the foreign VK community have seen their name in passing or have watched their first MV Higanbana and forgot about them just as quickly because they went on hiatus right after lol. The Japanese VK Community know them for making an ass of themselves on stage but we’ll get to that soon, cause there is a bit. From the time they began their career in 2010, it has been rough. Mainly because none of the members liked each-other at all. Their first line up consisted of Vo. Hinata, Gt.Shin., Gt.Yuu, Ba.Chiaki, Dr.Hiro and this Line-Up was a MESS. None of them could agree on anything, everyone had different ideas on what a band should be, and what they should be prioritizing.
Hinata summed up how they felt about each other in an ameba post which basically boiled down to “Even if the members wanted to physically assault each other whilst we were on stage, I still want to thank everyone for their hard work today.”. Hinata was always, bluntly transparent about how much the others did NOT like each other. Not too much time later they lost Shin, Yuu, and Chiaki because of course they would. llll-Ligro- 's live-house turnout did not help these situations at all either, Hinata would take this the worst though. He had many blogs where his dissatisfaction at their abysmal turnout burned immensely. Though prefaced with bitterness he’d always swear he’d keep going, and for the longest time , in every way he could, he did. It seemed to be looking up for a short time because at the time, guitarist Anki and live support bassist Nao had joined. Anki did the bass recordings for their studio tracks at the time whilst Nao was there for live support then not too long after they gained Kazari who was a personal friend of Hinata’s. It seems like Hinata was always the one scouting for members, and it seems like he’s always had an eye for it. Anki and Kazari were exceptionally talented guitarists with no known band history before this band, everything down to how they play to how they move felt very calculated if that makes any sense. When I re-watch their Higanbana PV I can understand why Hinata chooses who he does. Every movement feels calculated and deliberate, the mood feels very creepy and at times almost ethereal. It feels like watching a movie. Hinata’s subtlety and natural expressiveness shines the most here. I wonder if he took acting classes or did he just watch Kyo for a bit and mixed his inspiration with his own vibe lol. This PV would be way cooler if they shot this outside at night in a field but, it’s already cool enough. Surely nothing could go wrong now right? Two Full time Guitarist’s, one who can play nicely in bass recording sessions whenever they couldn’t get Tatsuki from VIRULENT to help with recording sessions. A drummer whose playstyle is complex and recognizable from how complex the playing is. Then the thing happened, the incident that they’re kinda famous for.
The incident in question is the aforementioned statement of them making an ass of themselves at a live show where there were 6 people I believe or at least that’s what Hinata said in a blog post. Hinata began yelling at the few people that were there for them only because they weren’t lively, this whole meltdown was recorded in a now deleted video titled “The Visual Kei Band that yells at its customers “llll-Ligro- “.” This caused irreparable damage at the time and just like before they lost two members again, that being anki and hiro. Hiro wanted out because he figured he didn’t want to be in a band in the typical sense and wanted to just play a producing role. He discussed many times with Hinata and Kazari but their values on what a band should prioritize were very skewed, they would always ask him to reconsider because they felt he was the only drummer for the band but he just couldn’t continue. Anki on the other hand saw the writing on the walls and knew that things wouldn’t go how he feels they should go either, so initially when he posed the idea of leaving the band he told the members he wanted them to put out a statement saying that he had died. I wish I could see the look on the members’ faces because to quote Anki “I still remember the looks on their faces when I made such a request.”. They opted for a petty statement from Anki’s ameba blog stating that Ligro will be on Hiatus due to the departure of our less skilled guitarist, Anki. Shortly after Anki spilled everything on a now members only viewable post on how he was the one who posted the video of hinata yelling at people. How he just couldn’t deal with trying to continue in this band, how he respects everyone as musicians but he is done and that he’ll return to the scene but he never did. If not already screwed before they were definitely screwed now..two pivotal members leaving, going on a four year Hiatus and a departing member airing out the dirty laundry on Ameba..it seemed like the end of their run but, they persevered for a short time as 時限式:uadjet (Timed Expression:Uadjet) Pronounced (Jigenshiki Wadjet). Interesting choice for a name, it insinuates a concept i’m sure I’d be able to grasp it more if I had the lyric booklet to read. Uadjet is an Egyptian Goddess who was the matron and protector of Lower Egypt. I have the lyrics to Uadjet’s first single somewhere..I just cant find them lol.
時限式:uadjet’s period was interesting because looking at it all along, it was several things. Hinata and Kazari wanted to continue of course but they wanted to expand and truly refine their sound to the point where it felt like a natural progression of what came before. They had a few rotating members but the two who performed with them the most and participated in recording the two singles Uadjet ended up joining them later at the behest of Hinata. Jesse (gt) And Len (ba) both former NEMETH members. For the longest time Hinata insisted that it be these two specifically that will become a part of their gestalt so to speak. He explained in an interview that just watching how calculated Jesse’s moves were paired with how masterfully he played, Hinata felt that, in his words specifically “Now this is someone who understands Visual Kei”. It was always obvious that this was just a continuation, the singles are tagged with the Ligro logo and their lives would also include Ligro in the name. At no point did Hinata and Kazari consider themselves ex-llll-Ligro- so I feel like that was a sign too. Shortly after at the Joint live with THE BLACK SWAN and Geomatrium aptly named “Raphaelesque Head Bursting”. This live was the announcement of their revival and where they handed out a Clear Gravestone type object with the Uadjet logo inscribed on it. Marking the end of their timed expression and their full comeback. On this same day they dropped their song INVICTA with a new PV that was downloadable from their OHP, anki even congratulated them on their rebirth! They updated the page, and shortly after the album was announced. The interview they had shortly after the revival was of great reassurance and insight on not only how they worked in tandem with each other but Hinata and Kazari’s devotion to Ligro. Gathering members for the revival proved very difficult because even though there were bandmen who wanted to be in ligro, they ultimately felt like they didn’t have what it took to help realize Hinata and Kazari’s vision sonically. The ex-Nemeth guys were a Godsend in that respect because they ended up being exactly what Hina and Kzr wanted. Jesse and Len were begged by Hinata to join, the aforementioned begging being an admitted fact during the interview. To Hinata, this was the true llll-Ligro-. Solidifying this new formation made Hinata think of something, “I want to record a music video to this song we just made together. “ the song of course being INVICTA. The recording process of this song was interesting, the length was originally 5 minutes but Kazari settled for 7 minutes. Jesse, learning that it was going to be 7 minutes long said he almost fainted when he heard that lol. It was a hard song to play from the account of the new members and that’s understandable. There are a lot of interesting things going on throughout the entire song. If my understanding of Japanese is correct then at some point, this song was quietly released in a shorter form. Shooting the music video was interesting as well because apparently it’s shot in an abandoned hospital. Shooting outside was difficult because the winds were so strong that it was hard for the members to stand on the roof during the outdoor shots as they stated they almost fell over due to said winds and indoor shooting following suit. First, and very noticeably so, they are indoors with flaming trash drums, so that smoke inhalation and heat was kicking their ass. All of them having to bite into a seeded pomegranate, Hinata having that paint in his eyes to make it look like black tears. Seriously, his eyes look like they’re in agony lmao. They also said the place was haunted so they were on edge when they were shooting, there was an area by the stairwell they took their photos in that they said a ghost was in lol. Interestingly enough Hinata above all else owed this revival to Kazari, who he says was the reason he kept going.
There was a promise he made to Kazari back when llll-Ligro- went on Hiatus all that time ago that deepened their bond and kept the name of llll-ligro- alive. After all, it seems like Kazari was the person who shared the values and ideas he did. Both tracks on Uadjet’s last single were both a demo each of Hinata (Track 1) and Kazari (Track 2) showing what was coming. Their synergy seemed immaculate but then again, He has been by his side ever since he joined. With that, the members bidded a farewell and extended an invitation, the awaited revival live “THE BEGINNING OF THE END”. An impending announcement would be mentioned. If you’re wondering why such a name was chosen, it was because Hinata says that after this there will be no next time. I guess referring to Ligro losing members again. Then the album was announced and people were excited. It was for good reason, even though it was going to be an informal release, the live dist ver was slated to be released on the same day with a fully realized tracklist. A formal release slated for several weeks later that month.
Surely things HAVE to be fine now?! The members they had in Uadjet ended up joining them full time!(minus their drummer Hiro, who participated in studio recordings.) The sound that they achieved in the time they spent as Uadjet was on full display, a definitive style that was always evolving every chance it could. A full length album with a Finalized tracklist, which served as more fuel for their growing fire. Initially for quality concerns it was postponed so at the revival live, track 3(basket case) from the album was released as a free admission gift to attendees and track two(INVISIBLE INDIVIDUAL) was uploaded along with its lyrics to YouTube 3 days prior. Their comeback live was interesting because not only did they show they still had lots of gas in the tank, they performed a song from the upcoming album, track 4(深閑ガラス) specifically and the album’s se(blame me) as an opener for the set. Unfortunately no tereko of this exists to my knowledge. Apparently their live performance wasn’t far removed from the recordings which showed a strong sense of devotion, evolution and talent. Jesse and Len expressed that due to them joining, so many of their already existing songs were refined and reworked to fit their new sound which made the execution at the live feel more intense, like true love and care was put into everything. With things laid out like this, everything should be good right? Unfortunately again the release date was pushed back to the 23rd with the formal release slated for April. Then Hinata got acute chorditis, a condition wrought by abuse of the vocal cords. Then everything was pushed to may. As harrowing as this seemed at the moment, everyone was sure if Hinata got some rest he could come back stronger than ever, right? Well he contacted the members days after this announcement and said he is leaving the band, he is not offering an explanation , nor finishing up recording or live performances. I wonder if he knew he wasn’t coming back when the initial announcement was made. This brought disappointment to people who were also a bit nervous about all the cancellations and then the sudden diagnoses of vocal stain. Immense disappointment. The remaining lives were finished up with a sad atmosphere. A mic being in the center position at each one. It seems like the members or maybe Kazari specifically held out hope that just maybe, he might come back. You can imagine what actually ended up happening, he didn’t come back. Live goers hoped that after the last song that this whole disbanding situation was all just a joke. Regardless, when that final live ended, Ligro ended. There was no see you next time, what would be the first time for some, ended up being the last time they’d see them as a full unit during their comeback live. A lot of people who came to that live ended up being new fans they garnered, it was a sign their popularity was rising. The male ratio was very high, which for vk is kinda surprising. To those of bittersweet luck that attended, were at least able to etch that experience into their memory. After all, the only live show Hinata attended after the announcement was their comeback live. Every other one he did not attend. Now the rest of what I’m about to get into is from Tanuki so take it with a grain of salt but, I felt as if this was of interest to include anyways. According to some of the users on the board Hinata left because he ran off with a sugar mommy who also happened to be one of their staff members? Apparently he called the band members crying about how he can’t sing anymore, and was on the thread himself from what it seems. People going and hurling insults and telling him if he can sing then finish the album, people being sure that the album is just finished and I HOPE this is a lie but apparently he attended their last live but just watching in the crowd?? If that IS true then what would possess you to do that? They include his name aswell?? Their Tanuki thread is an interesting read, true or not. It feels like some of it is but I doubt he showed up to the live though. I wouldn’t have the slightest clue being an overseas fan but I would hope he’s not that bold. I wonder though, how much of the album was actually recorded? How much could they have released even though the entire thing was cancelled? Why couldn’t we get what was finished? I mean Invicta was a track more towards the end of the album so surely, a good amount of already titled songs should be done right? If INVISIBLE INDIVIDUAL was just dropped as an apology days before and basket case was also recorded and released.. What else did they have recorded ? We will probably never know, but one thing is for certain, what was made is out there somewhere most likely with Kazari as he was the main composer. Probably on a flash drive, or an ssd or something. Probably. Maybe we’ll get to hear it one day, or at least I hope so.
Before I proceed any further though, I’d like to ask a question to you, the reader. Now I’m sure if you’re reading this you’re a visual kei fan and that means, a repertoire of a lot of your favorite bands are either disbanded or on “hiatus”. Knowing that fact, would you still recommend them to others who you think would like them? Or would you be afraid of disappointing them with the reality that some group they just have heard of aren’t even active anymore? I’ve always wanted to know others’ thoughts on the matter because of the way I feel. It’s a strange feeling because on one hand, I love it when someone else enjoys something I think is sonically magnificent but it’s also sad when they realize that there is little to listen to because visual kei bands have either slim amounts of releases or a bunch of live and secret releases that prevent you from even knowing the name half the time. Stuff like S-Ticket bonuses and the like. If you’re able to find stuff half the time, it’s for resale on a proxy site for hundreds of dollars. Ultimately as conflicted as I am sometimes I feel like it’s a necessity to share such music. If you can enjoy it with the next person, that is wonderful. It’s not like the songs weren’t meant to be heard, it just sucks that you’ll never hear more. With this band, it particularly stings because there is no one who sounds like them, no copybands in sight which is sad. I would settle for a copyband at this point.
Thinking back on everything though, everything surely felt like it was leading to something grand and everything just ended. The aftermath of the Disbandment brought an amount of disappointment I thought I wouldn’t be feeling when it came to something like this. Disappointment to an immeasurable degree, dare I say betrayal? Well more specifically, my expectations feel betrayed. I know I’m not the only one, from Japanese fans to other Overseas fans, all the time spent waiting, anticipating, for things to end like that. Was this doomed from the start? Maybe, maybe not. Shortly after though, the members went to do other things, Jesse and Len going to a band called Kaminari. Some of the stuff in the first release feels like leftovers from the canceled ligro album but the vocalist is having such a hard time, bless his heart. They published it so fast it HAD to have been stuff that was unused because instrumentally, it’s kinda the same vibe. Same drums too it sounds like. Kazari, who I thought would retire, went onto join a band with Karasuna Mei and several other popular bandmen but he didn’t stay long. It feels like he wanted to still do music but not the pseudo ktk music and I understand. Gulu’s main composer was Rito and Kazari was just kinda there. After the whole debacle with Hinata and having to just pull everything to a screeching halt, I can imagine it would lower your morale. Kazari in particular was very excited to be back in their full glory, it seems like when Ligro bit the dust, so did his motivation. Poor guy. He vanished and the members didn’t know if he was okay, they contacted him shortly after and he requested to leave. I hope he considers returning one day. I know the way Hinata left was a bit distressing but, not being able to sing anymore after trying so long to keep singing is rough. It felt like his heart was truly in it, I’m sure he took it the worst. His older brother, Habaki (Geomatrium) expressed his worry for Hinata publicly on his Twitter account at the time, wishing he could’ve sung in his place to help out. I hope one day if not already, he has regained his ability to sing, not for the listener but for himself. If just to sing along with his favorite songs or just to hear that he can at all, he was really into singing, I hope he’s doing well..Len however is still active in the scene in a band called NüA. Jesse retired shortly after joining Lavitte after being a support for so long. He said llll-Ligro- would be his last band but things of course didn’t pan out so I feel like he too was unfulfilled with not being able to continue their activities. The new members were so hyped to be a part of their Gestalt, until the last moments it’s all they could think about as expressed in their old tweets. Len’s tweets from back then are the only surviving ones sadly. With things ending with the way they did for them, to some it feels like too much to want a return one day. I don’t think so though, because to this day I STILL want Tomurai. Another reason is it’s visual kei, if all the tanuki stuff is true, people have come back from the abyss in the scene. Utena from DEGENE used to be a complete menace to all of the members, and fast foreword to Lyrica and people love him. Kyo underwent vocal surgery and is still able to do his thing in DEG and still sounds great. I feel as though if Ligro would’ve continued they would’ve been the next DEG. That is a bold claim yes but, to me the talent in Ligro is so abundant that it would be hard to come to any other conclusion. As I mentioned earlier, they had an immense focus on constant improvement and that shined through a lot of their material. Certain songs received entirely new versions, one of the most notable being, 虫かご. 虫かご was one of their first songs that for one of their first was pretty alright, didn’t think they’d give it the D.I.D. treatment and give it a nice facelift. The version in question is the Ideological Suicide version, 蟲籠.
They both are the same song but Mushikago is better than Mushikago.(lol) The revised version is way heavier and the drumming feels way more beefier, it’s intense. Hinata’s signature whistle screaming is on full display, I refuse to believe he didn’t get some kind of vocal coaching from Kyo at some point because that shrill escalating sound he makes is simply unreal. There’s a moment around the mark 1:13. He starts a small bout of raspy vocalizing that escalates into this sound that’s akin to a cicada mixed with a whistle. Good stuff. His growls are nothing to shake a stick at either, low and gritty, paired with his distinct high pitched shriek makes for a memorable listening experience. Everything is intense here, it calms down only for a small while but it ramps straight back up towards the end. Closing out on a gravely and low growl. I like when visual kei bands have dramatically expressive frontmen. His low notes when he sings the chorus give a very sinister and eerie vibe.
“Passing through the Tori Gate will bring our reunion. If you’re telling me not to follow you then at least let me hate you. “-彼岸花 (llll-Ligro-)
彼岸花 shines the best in all of those aspects. It’s wild, it’s creepy and it’s a testament to their skill. It’s one of if not their most popular track since a lot of their stuff is rare. This was my introduction to them way back when and it stuck with an at the time, young and impressionable me. “What’s this?” I thought. An ensnaring music box like tune mixed with a high pitched droning hum and static interference. Then I heard his voice and thought huh, he’s only gonna be able to sing well and not scream, the acting is gonna be cheap, blah blah. Then the members started to appear one by one as the song started and they started jamming. EVERYTHING was clicking and then I heard that whistle scream and was amazed. At that point I hadn’t heard a person make a sound like that, I was used to listening to OZ and Kiryu at that point. This had such a different vibe, it felt like watching a movie. I felt like I was getting the thing they were going for, sonically the song gives off this feeling of something decaying, in somewhere dark. Guess what the members start doing after the chorus? I wonder how they’re so mindful of their surroundings and to not spit up fake blood on their instruments, kazari not changing his blank facial expression but still energetically swinging and thrashing, Hinata doing his abrupt and sudden moves, anki jamming out with that malicious look. Hiro looks hilariously sad in most shots except for when his one visible eye gets dead fish big. Anki looking like he was about to throw up while playing has always been one of my core memories but then shortly after Hinata stole the show. He did this thing where he kinda clasped his hands together and charged up his scream? He looked so into it, most PV’S have parts of the song that won’t match the intensity of the expression in the song or sometimes it’s the complete opposite and they’re not emoting enough. There was none of that here, every sound he makes matches every expression. Everything feels so natural it’s almost scary. If he wanted to portray that trademark insanity of vk, he got his point across. There’s a crazy look to him and I think that’s really cool.
[Prologue] Now Gather 'round, everyone—witness the comedy about to unfold. Whether you choose to mock or mourn it, the choice is yours; the curtain has risen. - INVICTA (llll-Ligro-) 弔
INVICTA is a great look into how far they came, a testament to all the time they spent honing an already honed craft. Beginning with an almost triumphant type synth that becomes an underlain melody throughout with that trademark Ligro Twin-guitar sound but instead of a sense of looming dread, it’s a cold sound..It evokes this sense of familiarity and something new at the same time. Like meeting an old friend, seeing how much they’ve grown. The Bass rolls in and it’s more noticeable than ever and it’s GOOD. The bass was probably the weakest element of their songs before uadjet because it felt less complex compared to everything else. His plucking and slapping skills are refined, he spoke in their interview about trying to interweave fundamentals of funk and things of the like and I can hear it to a degree. The mix is way better, a testament of that time spent as uadjet. There’s a sense of grandeur here, their true magnum opus. The acting is still good! They’re really fun to watch in motion, Hinata is so dramatic, Kazari always carries this blank expression but his moves always remain fluid and wild. Len and Jesse may have reused their costumes from Nemeth but they fit the overall vibe. I’m glad they aimed to have different outfits that fit the same vibe. The rapidfire lyrics tell a story about “Playing the fool”. It’s all such a grand display of how far they came as artists and it makes me even more disappointed that we didn’t get the album. Every time I watch their mv’s I always catch something I didn’t before, watching everyone individually is difficult with how slick the moves are.
It’s a shame that INVICTA isn’t as popular as Higanbana but that’s probably due to them fizzling out like they did..makes me truly wonder though, how much is recorded? I’m willing to bet it’s at least 10 out of 14. They just had songs they dropped as two apologies and two more that were performed live. One that was the MV track that was also track 9. There had to be more. Basket case is very bittersweet all things considered because the end of the song transitions to a long distorted noise that is supposed to lead into the next track. The noise, oddly enough, is saddening. It feels like a “to be continued!” to the other half of a story we’ll never get the satisfaction of finishing. Even if Ligro was of Hinata’s creation and he left everything to everyone else, couldn’t they have just released what they had finished? Would it be unethical to release those things considering the legality? It would be better if they did release the rest of what they finished, maybe the goodbye would’ve stung less. I remember reading a quote from forever ago that stuck with me, “they surely have one of the most if not the most unfortunate and musically unfulfilled arcs in visual kei”. They were on their way to greatness with not only potential but realizing and tapping into said potential. With everything in mind I don’t think it’s impossible for us to hear everything in some form someday. You never know, Hinata may come back someday..I mean bandmen have come back from worse…WAY worse. Damn near the abyss. It’s sad that he got acute chorditis, being able to sing like that and then losing your voice when you come back from the circumstances they did, I can imagine would be dismaying. I do feel like he didn’t want things to end like that, hell no one did. The new members couldn’t stop thinking about Ligro up until the last moment, wanting to deliver this album because they were excited about what they were making at the time. It’s all very unfortunate but maybe someday we’ll be able to see him come back. Maybe through a series of coincidences, or maybe under a blue moon, either way I’ll be waiting. Unlikely, doesn’t mean impossible.
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Kazari was just as cool in Gulu gulu, althought it was a for a very short while and then he dipped again )