11) Develop One's Faculties
Develop One's Faculties started activities in Tokyo in 2014, and they released their first single in December of that year. They've been solidly booked for live shows ever since. The vocalist is the ex-vocalist for Minerva and cocklobin, and he has a unique vocal style that blends range and vibrato for a smooth, dreamy listening experience. The guitar tracks are amazing, and both members have the ability to play outstanding acoustic music on slower tracks. If you're looking for a band who can play both power ballads with emotional lyrics and upbeat guitar-driven feel-good songs, give this band a try. They are currently touring with other bands from this list, Belle and Chanty. DOF will release their second full album, "Bukakkou na Machi to Boku to Kimi," on February 7, 2018.
12) Dezert
DEZERT formed in 2011 and released their first single in March 2012. They haven't really published that many releases compared to other bands who've been around as long, but the music they produce is deep. If you're looking for a band that puts internal pain and struggles to music, this is the band for you. Their most recent MV release sounds like a pop ballad, but the lyrics are still about internal struggles. The bass and drums in their music do a great job of propagating that atmosphere of dark undercurrent, even when the guitar is driving the melody home. The vocalist is the perfect match of music to vocal talent because his quiet, liquid voice can draw you in with smooth melody and then tear you apart with screams. Their videos are usually dark, both in monochrome colors and smoky tunnels and in tone, and they put human vices right out there for everyone to see. Their most recent single, "Bokusatsu Hero," was just released on October 25, 2017.
13) Leetspeak monsters
Leetspeak monsters is the only high-concept band on my list, not because of their particular visual style, but because of their music. Their concept is that they are four monsters who came from a graveyard and formed a rock band, and they aim to produce theatrical music and videos to give fans wonderful nightmares. Though they've been a band for much longer, I believe they formed this concept in 2016; however, I can't find definitive proof of their exact formation date. The lyrics are about what you'd expect from a monster-themed band--think hyde's HALLOWEEN JUNKY ORCHESTRA--but it's the music quality that's noteworthy. The bass quality is awesome, and the members all gel into some good, solid rock rhythms. The vocalist's mix of English and Japanese is also incredible... some of the best I've heard in visual music. His pronunciation is spot-on. The music is fun, catchy, and does indeed promote the theatrical quality music they aim to produce. If they ever ditch the monster concept, I think they'd do equally well at basic rock. Their most recent release was a mini album titled "Storyteller in the Strange Night," released in September 2017.
14) REIGN
REIGN started activity in 2013 and released their first single in 2014. They started strong, releasing several singles in 2014 and 2015, before several members left and forced them to slow. A new member joined, and they picked up steam again in 2016. This band has an interesting style of frenzied lyrics and layered group vocals backed by theatrical visuals. They also use driving instrumentals to keep the energy going. I also like in particular that they add in slow breaks that include acoustic guitar tracks. They balance the fast and slow pace well. Their most recent release was a single titled "CRIMSON" that came out on September 20, 2017.
15) Rides In ReVellion
Rides In ReVellion is a band in Osaka that formed around 2015 and is working with V Star Promotion to get their music out there to a wider audience. They played overseas for the first time at Anime USA in 2016. They call their music style "HARMONIZED TIME PARADOX," where they mix elements of past visual kei with modern sounds. They mix strong melodies and digital effects to produce interesting songs that feel old and new at the same time. The vocalist has a soothing, mellow tone that matches the style perfectly. Their look is old-school vk, with big hair and leather. They haven't produced many single releases yet, but keep your eyes on them for future tracks. Their most recent release was a mini album titled "THE LIGHT" that came out on October 4.
16) Shellmy
Shellmy is a band that formed in 2013 and started strong with a single titled "Maverick.exe," but like REIGN, they lost some members and entered a hiatus period in 2016. They came back slowly, with a newly stylized name, darker concept, and a completely reset discography. Now their music is hard to come by, but it's worth hunting down for the quality. They tend to favor darker songs about troubled youth, and their videos features cutaways between actors and the band or special effects and the band that fit the pace and tone of the song. The vocalist has a deep voice, and the songs often feature rapid-fire lyrics and a kind of spoken-word cross between rap and monologue that makes you feel like he is personally confiding his thoughts to fans. The bass tracks in their songs are also fabulous and worth a close listen. Their most recent release was a single titled "Straw Doll" that came out on November 1, 2017.
17) umbrella
umbrella
is a band from Osaka that is currently working with Danger Crue
Records, and they've been around since 2010. They're not a new band, but
they don't get nearly enough attention outside the Osaka scene. They
have clean, emotional vocals, solid instrumentals, and they can do both
ballad and upbeat tracks with equal skill. Their sixth single, "Kan,"
was just released on October 18, 2017. "Samidare" from 2012 is a particular favorite song of mine.
18) Villers la ville
Villers la ville is a band currently working the Osaka scene who opened their official website in 2016. Before that, they were playing live house venues in Osaka. They are gaining steam now with two official single releases and a variety of free-distribution live sound source tracks. This band has an old-school visual kei sound with guitar-heavy tracks and rapid-fire drums, but they mix in interesting digital sound effects and vocals that enhance the melody. They often create lyrics that talk about people in pain or people who have loved and lost reaching out in the dark to find light. Of particular note is the vocalist's use of a healthy mix of English-language lyrics. The band's next live show is at Kyoto MUSE HALL on December 26, 2017. Their most recent single release was titled "May cry out" that was released on September 21, 2017.
19) Xaa Xaa
XAA XAA is a band that started activities in 2014. This band's vocalist has a deep, impressive voice that is really well suited to emotional lyrics and ballad tracks. He has the ability to add almost whispered spoken tracks and plaintive choruses to any song they do and have it rip your heart out. Their guitar track are also particularly good a enhancing the emotional elements of the songs. Drums and bass are understated, but still impressive. Their most recent release was a single titled "Asagao ga Naiteru" that was released on November 22, 2017.
20) Zon
Zon
is currently working with Planet Child Music, and they've been around
since 2015. Their style is fast, upbeat rock tunes with really good
guitar and bass tracks. Their next release will be their first mini
album, "anima," out on February 7, 2018.
