X JAPAN NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES, 2010: YOSHIKI'S VIDEO GREETING TO FANS. INTERVIEW WITH DJ CHIHIRO & DEE LEE OF VANISHED EMPIRE, TOKYO GOTH BAND.
Get ready, pirates… X Japan is setting sail for our North American shores for the very first time in th’ history books! The legendary Visual Kei band will be touring US and Canada, September 25 to October 10 ( join the official Facebook Page for dates, ticket information and updates). Mastermind Yoshiki has just released a video message to his fans:
Why should you see X Japan in concert? Because they’re a monumental band: the LA Times compared the group to U2, but I think that doesn’t do them justice. X Japan’s vision — from their Visual appearance to hide’s guitar work and Yoshiki’s passionate presence — created a revolution in Japanese rock music. And the songs: they hold up. No matter how many times you revisit it, the opening piano strains of Endless Rain will send shivers up your spine.
Moreover, you should get tickets ASAP because… your favorite Jrock bands need you. If we want Dir en Grey, Miyavi and their cohorts to keep touring outside Japan, we must show our support. So let’s give X Japan a huge welcome! You can find out more about their tour on the official site. Of course, I’ll be reviewing one of their shows, so keep checking back.
Speaking of forward-thinking bands… one of Japan’s spookiest spooks, DJ Chihiro, has paired up with Dee Lee and created a dark electro / Goth band, Vanished Empire. Their latest songs and image are based on H. P. Lovecraft’s myth-cycle, Cthulhu Mythos. With the help of my evil minion Kanae, I picked their brains…
La Carmina: What does Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos mean to you? Has it influenced your music?
Chihiro: I entrust the details to Dee Lee, but I have wanted to create music based on sinister and scary things that come from unreal world. Lovecraft’s Mythos is very attractive material for me.
Dee Lee: I started to write new songs since late 2009. Back then, I didn’t specify themes or materials. But while composing I realized “Oh this is Azathoth’s anthem!” After I finished composing, I thought I must compose other songs for other deities from Cthulhu Mythos. This is why I decided make Cthulhu Mythos trilogy.
La Carmina: Lee, what draws you to Nyarlathotep?
Dee Lee: Nyarlathotep is the messenger of outer gods and I wrote the message from outer gods in the songs this time. I think Nyarlathotep took control of me for his purpose.
La Carmina: How did you come up with your band’s name? Is it inspired by the Russian movie “Vanished Empire”?
Chihiro: The name “Vanished Empire” was the temporary title of one of our songs. Back then, we had no band name and I thought the words “Vanished Empire” were really good for our band. I thought these words can express our musical direction. So we used this as our band’s name instead of a song title. Therefore it is not related to Russian movie.
La Carmina: Can you tell me about your process of creating music? Who is responsible for what?
Dee Lee: Usually I make first draft, record a demo version and send it to Chihiro. After, I incorporate Chihiro’s ideas. I always compose music before I write lyrics. But this time I had to peruse Lovecraft’s mythos and make music and lyrics at same time. So I spent a lot of time on the process. While I was making songs for this trilogy (mainly March and April), I was going insane from insomnia and nightmares. I think Cthulhu sent messages from R’lyeh.
La Carmina: Your album was released by Darkest Labyrinth. What made you decide to work with this label? Do you collaborate or perform with other Darkest Labyrinth bands?
Chihiro: I have been associated with Kiwamu (owner of Darkest Labyrinth and member of GPKISM) and trust Darkest Labyrinth as the best in the Japanese Gothic scene. Spectrum-X (they are also a label mate) remixed our song in our first album “Theater Of Tragedy.” There are a lot of talented bands on this label, so I would like to collaborate with them.
La Carmina: What are your goals for this year? How has your sound evolved?
Chihiro: We will release a EP based on the Cthulhu mythos in this year. And if we can, we would like to go to tour with this album.
Vanished Empire’s music will be deeper and darker.
Dee Lee: The title of new EP will be “The Unnamable Symphony”. Our recording work is in progress. I think we can announce release dates and detail soon… I hope! This will be the most blasphemous CD in our history.
La Carmina: If could perform with anyone, who would it be and why?
Chihiro: I love the bands like Alien Vampires, Siva Six, and Leather Strip so I would like to perform with them someday.
Kanae may be incompetent as an evil minion, but she’s mad talented as a visual artist. She created the photo manipulations of Vanished Empire to reflect their new image (and that’s her in the bottom row of the above photos).
Kanae made these spectral images for the Japanese band Despair. They recently played at the Goth party Lunatic Sabbath, where Kenny Creation’s band performed and Yukiro danced.
Kanae is from Tokyo but currently attends school in New York; I think her artwork reflects both sensibilities, from the perspective of darkness and beauty. You can see more of Kanae’s photo manipulations on her website. To hear “the most blasphemous music in history,” check out Vanished Empire’s MySpace.
Who’s getting excited for X Japan? Which songs are currently on your playlist?
Japanese Word of the Day: Aseru = Discolor
Song of the Day: Vanished Empire – Hellfire Within Me
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LA CARMINA
25 Comments
I’m so looking forward to the X Japan tour….. I already have tickets for LA!!!!
I’m really looking forward as welL!
I can’t wait for X!!
Going to finally see X Japan on saturday!!
Eeek! You’ll have to tell me all about it.
I will!! wish you were coming to the la show!
Saw him at anime central!!
Endless Rain = favorite song ever. Can’t wait for the first! <3
Yarrr so soon!
Ah…X Japan…the ballads, the riffs which just pierce through your heart and soul, the 20x trill and the release of the power chord, the insanely long hair (back from their old days), and most of all…
hide!!!!!! HIDETO MATSUMOTO LIVES ON and WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE ON NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS! I love Sugizo – but sorry he definitely is no replacement for hide, and in actuality he isn’t a replacement of hide, for he is X Japan’s 6th member. Then again I would consider him the 7th member…I still think Taiji sama is X!!! as well.
We are… X- we are…X!! – we are…X!!!!!!!!!!!!
(sigh!) sorry…but to be honest it just doesn’t feel the same anymore when they had their last live back in 1997 and later on hide sama passed away. It just doesn’t.
Did you hear the guitar solo in their song, Jade? It’s just not…the kind of solos I remember from hide. It’s nice and technical but it lacks feeling and a soliloquist-like story such as the solos of hide sama so beautifully expressed. Don’t get me wrong, I still love the song though – just… – why the hell wasn’t I born earlier to see them damn it?
And I would love to go to a concert…but I got to concentrate on finishing my educa-blaaggarrgjrgjrjghgrhrghrhhrhrh!!!! -_-
Vanished Empire? NEVER heard of them BUT HAVE NOW thanks to you. I’ll definitely check them out.
“I was going insane from insomnia and nightmares.” – I don’t doubt it AT ALL. Seriously whenever someone is wrapped around an idea especially when they’re working with a friend or colleague, they CAN NOT sleep over it. They just HAVE TO EXPRESS their idea in anyway, talk about it for as long as possible and so on. It just never leaves their heads. And you do get nightmares, but the worst part is that YOU HAVE 0 idea of what the nightmares were about LMAO.
Looking forward to their “most blasphemous CD.”
And Kanae is amazing…as psychotic and horrific those pictures look – they truly have such a beautiful romantic feel to them. I think it has to do something with the tint of red…but I’m just hoping she never stops making beautiful art!
OH MY GOD…NO NOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!Please tell me that I’m in a nightmare – please tell me that I’m living in a nightmare – OH GOD FOR GOD- *burst into tears*D’espairsRay is not really going into an indefinite hiatus are they?!?!?! Hizumi has throat problems too?!?!? OH GOD…WHAT are you doing up there taking all these beautiful singers away *sobs away*GOD DAMN IT!!!! GOD F***ING DAMN IT, what is this world coming to?!?!
Where’s my favorite band now?! My most cherished favorite band?! For FUCk’s sake DAMN IT!!!
Don’t you dare take Ruki sama’s voice away as well…because then I know 2012 is for real.
(sigh!) can someone help me?
I know… >__> just did a post about it… auggghh….
Ruki is better now so… let’s hope all goes well!!
hide… sighhh >__> Today’s word of day, Setsunai, sums it up…
Kanae is very talented – she’ll go far!
I am so excited for the concert. I would be harassing you and Rose in BC but…I can’t go into Canada at the moment xDDD (Passport expired…) So I will have to live with it in seattle!
So soon!!
Excellent post!! I wish I’d written it!! I hung out with Chihiro & his g/f a few times at izakayas when I was there, along with Takuya etc..but of course, they have little English, so conversation was through my mate Brendan.
Chihiro is the nicest, scariest-looking person ever haahah.
ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn
Awesome!!!
I met Yoshiki at ACEN in the backroom party. Quite the fashionable guy I must say. Was very surprised they played lalapalooza.
scaring and beautiful
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