Vivarush New Video on YouTube

Kerberos Entertainment has added a new video featuring Vivarush to its official YouTube channel. The video includes a song track sample of music from the band's new single release titled "Tenshi to Akuma no Xmas," out on December 5.

Vivarush single spot on YouTube here

Aiolin New Videos on YouTube

Aiolin has added two new videos to their official YouTube channel. The new uploads include a live acoustic version of the song "Faded" and a live version of the song "Remember The Name."

"Faded" acoustic track on YouTube here
"Remember The Name" on YouTube here

[ORICON RANKINGS] Visual Kei Bands

Here's how some visual kei bands are holding out on the charts this week.

CD SINGLE -Weekly Ranking- (December 4, 2017)
#3   WINTERDELICS.EP/ GLAY
#43 R-P-S/ jealkb
#47 Stargazer/ JAKIGAN MEISTER
         
CD Album -Weekly Ranking- (December 4, 2017)
NO LISTINGS

CD Indies Single -Weekly Ranking- (November 27, 2017)
#2   DIRTY X DIRTY/ Codomo Dragon
#5   Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Tokyo~/ Golden Bomber
#7   ANTHEM/ Royz
#8   Tsumi to Batsu/ RAVE
#9   Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Hokkaido~/ Golden Bomber
#10 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Osaka~/ Golden Bomber
#12 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Saitama~/ Golden Bomber
#13 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Kanagawa~/ Golden Bomber
#14 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Chiba~/ Golden Bomber
#15 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Aichi~/ Golden Bomber
#16 Mou Muri./ Merry Badend
#17 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Fukuoka~/ Golden Bomber
#18 Jyo no Ka/Oborozukiyo/ Kiryu
#19 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Hyougo~/ Golden Bomber

 CD Indies Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 27, 2017)
#3  PANTHEON-PART 2-/ Matenrou Opera
#15 Devil's Proof/ Deviloof

ORICON STYLE Rankings here

SchwarzKain Member Departure

SchwarzKain has announced that guitarist Keisuke will be leaving the band and retiring from music activities after their live show at Shibuya VUENOS on December 18. The band plans to continue activities with the remaining four members. In a personal comment, Keisuske states that visual band life did not suit him, and he felt that with the negative feelings he had, he wasn't able to contribute to the growth of the band. He concludes by saying that he will not stop playing guitar, but he feels that SchwarzKain will be his last full-time band.

SchwarzKain announcement here

Fixer New Releases 1/17/18

Fixer has announced that they will be releasing a new single and DVD on  January 17, 2018. The new single will be titled "ARBITER," and it will include three song tracks. The new DVD will be a MV collection titled "Anima." Track details for both are available on the band's OHP.

Fixer OHP here

DUALUZ New Release & Spot on YouTube

DUALUZ will release their second single on December 13. The new single will be titled "Insult us," and it will be released in one type with three song tracks. The band has added an audio sample video spot for the single to their official YouTube channel.

DUALUZ OHP here
"Insult us" video spot on YouTube here

the Raid. New Release Spot on YouTube

the Raid. has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The new video features and extended PV and sound track spot for the band's upcoming "Omen" release. That CD will be out in stores on December 13.

the Raid. Release spot on YouTube here

AllS Comment on YouTube

Vif Music has added a new video featuring AllS (formerly ALSDEAD) to their official YouTube channel. The new video features members talking about their recent mini album release titled "Do or Die," and their upcoming live shows in December and April.

AllS comment on YouTube here

MIYAVI Appointed UNHCR Ambassador to Japan

MIYAVI was honored last week to be appointed by the UNHCR as Japan's first Goodwill Ambassador. The UN Refugee Agency, a UN program that protects and supports refugees, appointed the guitarists in a special ceremony held on November 20 in Tokyo. A press release issued by the UN Refugee Agency recounts how the musician was introduced to the cause and how he has visited several areas to provide comfort and hope to refugees there. MIYAVI is a passionate advocate for refugees and hopes that his music can raise awareness of their needs. The full press release can be read in Japanese and English on their UNHCR's website.

UNHCR press release here

the Raid. New Video on YouTube

the Raid. has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The video features over 11 minutes of offshoot footage from the band's December 24th show at ZeppDiverCity.

the Raid. Offshoot digest on YouTube here

[Music Tip] Visual Bands on iTunes

Some Japanese labels are beginning to test the waters and expand their visual bands' albums into the global market. Today I will share a list of artists and albums that can be found on iTunes in the U.S. Many of these are new releases for 2017 that were released in the U.S. market concurrent with or shortly after the Japanese releases. Today's post will not include links to specific albums; however, I do recommend that if you have a favorite visual artist or band, you should check your local iTunes online to see if that band is available in your country. Be sure to check both the band name and the name of the album, single, or song you want. Sometimes iTunes does not have a proper spelling or catalog listing of the CD or artist, even though they are available through the online store. Checking both ensures you don't miss finding what you want.

Found on iTunes in the U.S.
A9/PENDULUM
A9/Re:Born
AllS/Do or Die
Arlequin/puzzle
BUCK-TICK/BABEL
Chanty
CLOWD/Butterfly Effect
dexcore/The Dead Sea
Initial'L/VISION
lynch./BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE
MERRY/MOLOGY
MUCC/Coupling Best II
MUCC/Shin Homura Uta
MUCC/Koroshi no ShirabeII This is NOT Greatest Hits
MUCC/Shin Tsuuzetsu
NoGoD/Arlequin
NoGoD/proof
Purple Stone
Rides in Revellion
SHIN/GOOD MORNING DREAMER
THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S/Jougen no Tsuki no Orchestra-Stella Note Magic-

Editor's Note: This list is definitely NOT a complete listing of what you can find on iTunes. Know about more bands? Comment to let me know. Can't find the ones listed here? Comment to let me know and I will find the links for you.

THE MICRO HEAD 4NS Join Gan-Shin Records

Gan-Shin Records announced this week that visual band THE MICRO HEAD 4NS is the newest group to join their label. Gan-Shin is a music company that brings J-Music to European audiences. The announcement was made one day before the band released their newest single, "Jougen no Tsuki No Orchestra - Stella Note Magic-," and the company announced that it was pleased to release that single simultaneously with the Japan version. Gan-Shin has also added a short comment and music spot video for TMH4NS to its official YouTube page.

Gan-Shin OHP here
TMH4NS comment on YouTube here

Vivarush x IGGY Video Spot on YouTube

Kerberos Entertainment added a new video featuring Vivarush and IGGY to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes artist photos of the two bands and promotes their upcoming two-man live tour that starts in February 2018.

Vivarush x IGGY PR video on YouTube here

Azero New Video on YouTube

Azero added a new live stage performance clip to their official YouTube channel. The video features the band's performance of "Aho" from their October 8th oneman live at Ikebukuro EDGE.

Azero live clip on YouTube here

A9 New Live DVD Release 12/27

A9 has announced that they will release a new live DVD on December 27. The new release will be titled "13TH ANNIVERSARY LIVE 'ALICE IN WONDEЯLAND'" and it will be released in DVD and Blu-ray formats. Track details are available on the band's OHP, and a video spot is available on their YouTube channel.

A9 video spot on YouTube here
A9 OHP details here

Azero Live Stage Clip on YouTube

Azero added a new live stage performance clip to their official YouTube channel. The video features the band's performance of "Kuso" from their October 8th oneman live at Ikebukuro EDGE.

Azero live clip on YouTube here

[ORICON RANKINGS] Visual Kei Bands

Here's how some visual kei bands are holding out on the charts this week.

CD SINGLE -Weekly Ranking- (November 27, 2017)
#11 BABEL/ BUCK-TICK
#18 DIRTY X DIRTY/ Codomo Dragon
         
CD Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 27, 2017)
#33 PANTHEON-PART 2-/ Matenrou Opera

CD Indies Single -Weekly Ranking- (November 20, 2017)
#2   ANTHEM/ Royz
#3   Re:quiem/ DOG in The PWO
#8   Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Tokyo~/ Golden Bomber
#10 Hikari/ Anfiel
#12 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Osaka~/ Golden Bomber
#13 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Hokkaido~/ Golden Bomber
#14 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Saitama~/ Golden Bomber
#15 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Kanagawa~/ Golden Bomber
#17 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Aichi~/ Golden Bomber
#18 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Chiba~/ Golden Bomber
#19 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Fukuoka~/ Golden Bomber
#20 Yanya Yanya Night ~Odoroyo Hyougo~/ Golden Bomber

 CD Indies Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 20, 2017)
NO LISTINGS

ORICON STYLE Rankings here

REVINE Album Release Spot on YouTube

Crow Music TV has added a new video featuring REVINE to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes a sound sample of tracks from the band's upcoming best album release titled "Rin'ne Tenshou." That album will be released on December 27.

Best album spot on YouTube here

LEZARD New Single Release 1/30/18

LEZARD will be releasing a new single on January 30, 2018. The new single will be titled "Ikiru" and it will be released in three types. Track details haven't been posted yet.

LEZARD OHP here

FEST VAINQUEUR New Album Release 2/14/2018

FEST VAINQUEUR has announced that they will release their second concept album on February 14, 2018. The new album will be titled "GENEARATION 2 ~7Colors~," and it will be released in three types. Track details are on the band's OHP. The band has brought in seven guest drummers and produced a new song with each one. Drummers include Hideki Aoyama (BABYMETAL), Jun-ji (BULL ZEICHEN 88),  Satoshi "JOE" Miyawaki (Spread Beaver),  Toshi Nagai (GLAY),  Kazami (Clavier), Dainashi, and shuji (Janne Da Arc).

FEST VAINQUEUR OHP here.

Anli Pollicino New Best Album & Live DVD

Anli Pollicino has announced that they will be releasing a new best album on January 31, 2018. The new release will be titled "Perfect Package of Anli Pollicino," and it will be released in two types. Track details are on the band's OHP. The band also announced that they would be releasing a DVD of their live show at Shinjuku Blaze on November 19. Details and the release date haven't been decided yet.

Anli Pollicino OHP here

DAMY New Video on YouTube

DAMY has added a new video to its official YouTube channel. The video includes a full-version MV for the song titled "chilled." from the upcoming single of the same title. The "chilled." single will hit stores on December 6. The video also includes information for the band's upcoming live shows and single track details in the description area.

DAMY "chilled." MV on YouTube here

JAKIGAN MEISTER New Video on YouTube

Timely Ch has added a new video for JAKIGAN MEISTER to its YouTube channel. The new video features an MV spot for the soloist's song titled "Stargazer" from the upcoming release of the same title. "Stargazer" will be released on November 22.

"Stargazer" MV spot on YouTube here

Bankitai New Video on YouTube

Bankitai has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The new upload includes a lyric video for the song titled "Tenjou Tenge."

Bankitai video on YouTube here

vistlip New Comment & Short MV Preview

vistlip has added a new comment for overseas fans to its Facebook page. The new comment tells fans about the video for the song titled "Timer," and provides a link to the short-version video on YouTube. The comment explains that the song was written by guitarist Yuh, and the video features a variety of filming techniques and modern street dancing that enhances the song's hard but melodic feel. The full comment is on Facebook.

vistlip comment here
Video on YouTube here

Codomo Dragon New DVD Release 1/24/2018

Codomo Dragon has announced that they will be releasing a new live DVD on January 24, 2018. The new DVD will be titled "10th Oneman Tour Final 'Dokumushi Kyoshu' 2017.09.02 Toyosu PIT," and it will sell for 5,741 JPY.

Codomo Dragon OHP here

SuG New Video Spot on YouTube

SuG has added a new video clip to their official YouTube channel. The new video features live footage and member comments for their final performance at Nippon Budokan and their upcoming DVD release. That DVD will be released on December 20.

SuG video on YouTube here

THE SOUND BEE HD New Single Release 1/17/18

THE SOUND BEE HD has announced that they will release a new single on January 17, 2018. The new release will be called "ENDLESS DEAD," and it will include five song tracks. A track listing and a MV spot are available on You's Ameba blog.

You's blog announcement here

i.Rias Lyric Video on YouTube

Planet Child Music has added a new video featuring i.Rias to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes a lyric spot for the new song "Santa Crews Magic" from the one coin single of the same name out on November 22.

i.Risa lyric video on YouTube here

[ORICON RANKINGS] Visual Kei Bands

Here's how some visual kei bands are holding out on the charts this week.

CD SINGLE -Weekly Ranking- (November 20, 2017)
#20 ANTHEM/ Royz
#24 Re:quiem/ DOG in The PWO
#25 BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE/ lynch.
#26 It/ vistlip
         
CD Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 20, 2017)
#11 SAMURAI SESSIONS vol.2/ MIYAVI

CD Indies Single -Weekly Ranking- (November 13, 2017)
#4   Ii Kusuri to, Warui Kusuri/ DADAROMA
#10 Jyo no Ka/Oborozukiyo/ Kiryu

 CD Indies Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 13, 2017)
#6   JACK IN THE TOY BOX/ Mix Speaker's,Inc
#10 Jakuniku Kyoshoku/ Lack-Co

ORICON STYLE Rankings here

KAMIJO Live DVD Release 1/31/2018

KAMIJIO will be releasing a new live DVD on January 31, 2018. The new DVD will feature performances and new songs from the artist's live show at Tokyo Zepp DiverCity on July 19, 2017. Track details are available on the artist's OHP.

KAMIJO OHP here

R-Shitei New Single Release 12/13

R-Shitei will be releasing a new single on December 13. The new release will be titled "Doku Mawaru," and it will be released in two types. Track details are listed on the band's OHP.

R-Shitei OHP here

Codomo Dragon Comment on YouTube

ViSULOG has added a new video featuring Codomo Dragon to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes comments from member about their "DIRTY x DIRTY" single release, the music video, upcoming tours, and a ViSULOG Nico live that they did on November 10. The video concludes with a short MV spot feature.

Codomo Dragon comment on YouTube here

0.1g no Gosan New Single Release 1/9/2018

0.1g no Gosan will be releasing a new single on January 9, 2018. The single will be titled "Yuugai Menhera Doll," and it will be released in three types. Track details aren't available yet.

0.1g no Gosan OHP here

Royz New Video on YouTube

B.P. Records has added a new video featuring Royz to its official YouTube channel. The video includes a full-version MV for the song titled "ANTHEM."

Royz on YouTube here

Shellmy New Video on YouTube

Shellmy has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The video features a full-version MV with lyrics for the song titled "Straw Doll."

Shellmy video on YouTube here

RAZOR New MV Spot on YouTube

Timely Ch has another new video featuring RAZOR to its YouTube channel. The new video includes a long MV spot for the song titled "Kienai Itami" from their upcoming mini album release titled "the CORE."

RAZOR MV spot on YouTube here

Neverland New Release Announcements

Planet Child Music has added a new announcement video for Neverland to its official YouTube channel. The video announces that the band will release their second live DVD, titled "IV," on January 10, 2018. They will also release their second full album on April 25, 2018. The album release will be followed by a new oneman tour.

Neverland announcement video on YouTube here

Gremlins MV Spot on YouTube

Timely Ch. has added a new video featuring Gremlins to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes a long video spot for the band's upcoming sixth single release titled "RIN." That release hits stores on November 29.

"RIN" MV spot on YouTube here

AllS New EP Release 11/22

AllS have announced that they will release a new EP on November 22. The new EP will be titled "DO OR DIE," and there are sample tracks and a lyric video available on the band's OHP. Some tracks for previous single releases are already available to download via iTunes in the United States. For availability in other countries, please check your local iTunes store.

AllS OHP here

Royz Comment on YouTube

ViSULOG has added a new video featuing Royz to its official YouTube channel. The new video features members commenting about their upcoming live events and their recent "ANTHEM" single release.

Royz Comment on YouTube here

Far East Dizain Comment on YouTube

Vif Music has added a new video featuring Far East Dizain to its official YouTube channel. The new video includes members talking about their upcoming two-man live event with JILUKA on December 20.

Far East Dizain comment on YouTube here

RAZOR New Trailer on YouTube

Timely Ch has added a new video for RAZOR to its YouTube channel. The new video includes a sound sample trailer for the upcoming mini album release called "the CORE."

RAZOR trailer on YouTube here

[ORICON RANKING] Visual Kei Bands

Here's how some visual kei bands are holding out on the charts this week.

CD SINGLE -Weekly Ranking- (November 13, 2017)
#43 Ii Kusuri to, Warui Kusuri/ DADAROMA
         
CD Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 13, 2017)
NO LISTINGS

CD Indies Single -Weekly Ranking- (November 6, 2017)
#1   Jyo no Ka/Oborozukiyo/ Kiryu

#4   Bokusatsu Hero/ DEZERT
#7   Mushigoe/ THE BLACK SWAN
#11 Kawazu/ Kizu
#12 S.Y.U.E.N W.A.R.S/ Lolita 23q
#18 Ajna -SgVer-/ JILUKA

 CD Indies Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 6, 2017)
#11 EVIL MAD SCIENCE/ The THIRTEEN
#12 Dotoku Allergy/ SCAPEGOAT

ORICON STYLE Rankings here

RAZOR Video Spot on YouTube

Timely Ch added a new video for RAZOR to its YouTube channel. The new video features a lyric video for the band's song titled "Kimi wa Ima mo Azayaka ni" from their upcoming release titled "THE CORE." That mini album will be released on November 22.

RAZOR video on YouTube here

GREMLINS & RAZOR Show Airs 11/14

GREMLINS and RAZOR will be making guest appearances on a Nico Nico web show on November 14. The "Nico Viju" show will air at 19:00 JST (convert time here). Time shifting is available for Nico Nico registered users who are not able to watch the show as it airs live.

Nico Viju airs here

Golden Bomber New Videos on YouTube

Zany Zap has added new videos featuring Golden Bomber to its official YouTube channel. The new uploads feature live stage performances of "Dakara Bye Bye" at Yokohama Arena and "Dakishimete Schwartz" at Nippon Budokan.

"Dakara Bye Bye" on YouTube here
"Dakishimete Schwartz" on YouTube here

the Raid. Video on YouTube

the Raid. has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The new upload features a full-version MV for the song titled "Omen" from their December 13th mini album release of the same title.

the Raid. MV on YouTube here

Sick2 Furitsuke Video on YouTube

Sick2 has added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The  new video features band members demonstrating furitsuke choreography for the song titled "Tresor."

Sick2 furi on YouTube here

Vivarush New Single Release 11/7

Vivarush has planned three consecutive months of releases, and they've announced that the second in the series will be released on November 7. The new single will be titled "Kuwazugirai." and it will contain two song tracks. A single release spot is available on YouTube.

Vivarush spot on YouTube here

lynch. Comment on YouTube

ViSULOG has added a new video featuring lynch. to its official YouTube channel. The new video features members talking about their upcoming "BLOOD THIRSTY CREATURE" single, their tour information and more.

lynch. comment on YouTube here

PIERROT & DIR EN GREY New DVD Release 12/12

PIERROT and DIR EN GREY recently teamed up for their "ANDROGYNOS" tour, and they have decided to release a couple of live DVD and Blu-ray sets for fans. There will be a video set featuring PIERROT and a separate set featuring DIR EN GREY. All versions will be available after December 12, and pre-orders are already being accepted. Details can be found on the ANDROGYNOS website.

ANDROGYNOS web here

THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S MV Spot on YouTube

THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S added a new video to their official YouTube channel. The new video features a video spot for the new single titled "Jougen no Tsuki no Orchestra~Stella Note Magic~," due out in stores on November 22.

MV Spot on YouTube here

CLØWD Comment Video on YouTube

Danger Crue has added a new video for CLØWD to its official YouTube channel. The new video features a comment from the band about their upcoming 3rd anniversary live show at TSUTAYA O-WEST and their sixth single release.  

CLØWD comment on YouTube here

Yusai Vocalist Missing

Yusai, having recently announced that they will release a new single titled "Mikuzu to Narite" on November 22, has updated their OHP with a sudden announcement that vocalist Amane has disappeared. The vocalist recently missed a scheduled live show and has not made public appearances since that time. The other band members and his family are currently searching for him, but they have no other news to share. For the time being, scheduled live in-store appearances will continue with the remaining members. The band and staff also apologize that they are not able to refund tickets for missed appearances.

Yusai OHP here

GOTCHAROCKA Announces New Releases

GOTCHAROCKA has updated their OHP with news about two new releases. On December 6, the band will release a new live DVD titled "Hi-Stupid dragger 2017.08.18 at TSUTAYA O-EAST." Then in February 2018, they will release their first best album, titled "GOTCHABEST." Specific details aren't available yet on their website.

GOTCHAROCKA OHP here

MIYAVI Album Trailer on YouTube

MIYAVI has added a new video to his official YouTube channel. The new video includes audio samples from the artist's new "SAMURAI SESSIONS vol.2" album, out on November 8.

MIYAVI trailer on YouTube here

[ORICON RANKINGS] Visual Kei Bands

Here's how some visual kei bands are holding out on the charts this week.

CD SINGLE -Weekly Ranking- (November 6, 2017)
#13 Jyo no Ka/Oborozukiyo/ Kiryu
#28 Bokusatsu Hero/ DEZERT
         
CD Album -Weekly Ranking- (November 6, 2017)
NO LISTINGS

CD Indies Single -Weekly Ranking- (October 30, 2017)
#1   Kawazu/ Kizu
#10 Kuda/ umbrella

 CD Indies Album -Weekly Ranking- (October 30, 2017)
#5    EDEN? Blu-BiLLioN

ORICON STYLE Rankings here