I showed two of my friends DADAROMA’s “oberou sakana” today, and they love it so much! I was wondering what specific songs to introduce to them because I want to forcefully shove them down the vk rabbit hole
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If you’d like to take a historical approach, I made a YT playlist a while back with all sorts of cool stuff from the '80s to the late '00s or so, in chronological order. 
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My goal here is to squeeze as many distinct sounds into as few recommendations as possible, so your friend gets a very wide introduction into all of what visual kei can be.
ACE
I will never not take the time to recommend Anonymous Confederate Ensemble whenever the opportunity arises. NUDE is a fantastic song and violin is not a common sight in visual kei!
SYNDROME & D
I will always take the time to recommend people try out 90’s visual kei (or anything adjacent to it, really) because there’s nothing on this planet that sounds quite like it. I think Syndrome is a good introduction. With Asagi’s powerful vocals, it makes a great introduction to D if your friend wants more.
KAGRRA,
There’s always room for Kagrra,. Always.
VERSAILLES
Power metal is also not a common sight in visual kei. Versailles was a pretty cool band with some talented cats. May as well send them down that pipeline now.
XANVALA
Need a quick reminder of what the scene is currently up to? These cats are growing on me. It helps that I like one of the bassist’s older bands.
UNLUCKY MORPHEUS
I’m a sucker for violin, power metal, and female vocals, none of which is particularly widespread in visual kei. These guys don’t get the props they deserve because they came up in the doujin scene, but they kick serious ass.
WAGAKKI BAND
Not particularly visual kei, but very visual and with a strong, traditional sound. Awesome stuff here if you’re into that kind of sound.
VIORED
I got this many recommendations in without bringing up some 00’s core. It was a huge part of the scene for a while. Should probably touch on it at some point. These guys had crazy guitars. Were kind of inspired by Dir en grey, but could do their own thing. If the vocalist didn’t run away, they could have done big things.
X
No list would be complete without recommending X. YOSHIKI is still such a figurehead in the scene today. And the okeshou style has a sound all it’s own that should not be overlooked. X could rock! That’s why people waited on that album that never materialized for years. Have some Kurenai.
LUNA SEA
ROSIER is a classic everyone should listen to at least once.
DIR EN GREY
OBSCURE is a cult classic. And also a rite of passage. And also a good song.
THE GAZETTE
How could I pick just one GazettE song? This list needs some more heavy songs.
Others can fill in some more. I think I covered a good variety of sounds while keeping true to the spirit of waterboarding your friend with visual kei.
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Maybe some classics that got a lot of people into vk:
D’espairsRay - Born
D’espairsRay - Reddish
Dir en grey - Obsure (are you really into vk before this ritual of seeing that MV?)
Saku
The GazettE- Ugly
The GazettE - Taion
Malice Mizer - Beast of Blood
Sadie - Meisei
Sadie - Rosario
I also could see some Mejibray - DECADANCE - Counting Goats … if I can’t be yours
Jiluka - Kumari
XAA-XAA- Nozokitai
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My recommendations ONLY 90/00s vk bands
Plastic Tree
For a better introduction to Plastic Tree, I recommend the early releases such as リラの樹, Strange fruits -奇妙な果実- and Hide and seek album.
アヲイ (AWOI)
Such great band of 2000s vk
Dio -distraught overlord-
No words to describe how DIO is awesome!
cali≠gari
GULLET
RENTRER EN SOI
UnsraW
HE SHOULD LISTEN UnsraW 
Megaromania
Newbies need to know them 
Phantasmagoria
ClearVeil
Lycaon
ALSDEAD
DELUHI
ＶａｎｅｓｓＡ
ギルティア
マーディレイラ ~Mar’derayla~
Well i can spend the whole night with more recommendations lol i hope he like more kote kei & Koteosa
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only the top class:
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That thread is such a nice trip down memory lane 
I don’t need any recommendations for friends (I guess all hope is gone 
), but it is nice to revisit forgotten songs, see favorites again, etc.
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