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X Japan Time after time, you try to find yourself... Members Vocal: Toshi Guitar: hide Guitar: Pata Bass: Heath Bass: Taiji (left group) Drums/Piano: Yoshiki No jrock site would be complete without a mention of X Japan, quite possibly the greatest Japanese band of all time. Even people who don't listen to Japanese music have heard of them. What can I say that hasn't already been said? X Japan is the reason I started listening to jrock. They are still the pinnacle that all other bands try to measure up to. Yoshiki, the god, er man, that wrote most of X Japan's lyrics/arrangements is best known for his dramatic, powerful ballads. These are admittedly wonderful, heart-wrenching epics. However, X's head-banging metal music is the reason I love them. These songs manage to be both loud and yet strangely melodic. The tone can range from angry to bittersweet to utterly despairing, but the effect is always perfect. Toshi has an amazing range, and he is able to shout with the best of them. hide, who has his own shrine on this site, was a phenomenal guitarist, as was pata, and their duets are stunning. Heath is certainly one of the great bassists of all time, and it's worth your time to listen to his part and ignore the others at least once. Yoshiki... I have never seen or heard a musician who puts as much emotion into playing as this man. Whether it's on drums or piano, he gives every fiber of his being over to the music. The lyrics... yes, they are sometimes overly dramatic. Some people have gone so far as to call the ballads "corny," but that is an unfair statement. There is a lot of raw, charged emotion in these songs, and a lot of pain. Yoshiki has never had an easy life, and it shows in the lyrics. There is a sort of poetic simplicity in the way Yoshiki expresses his pain, and I appreciate that. X Japan (along with Luna Sea) are considered to be the fathers of "visual kei." In their early years, X Japan had it all: huge hair, tons of makeup, leather and fishnet, you name it. Toward the end, they toned down a bit. However, they were always revolutionary and unique. If you like the following bands, you might also enjoy X Japan: Luna Sea Malice Mizer (a stretch, I know) Glay (Yoshiki manages them.) Vanishing Vision Blue Blood Jealousy Art of Life (mini-album) DAHLIA Art of Life Dahlia Tears Endless Rain Forever Love Kurenai Orgasm Rusty Nail Omae O Korosu Standing Sex Weekend Drain Scars X Voiceless Screaming back to index |
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