wandering.legy said:
Ok, really newbie question coming up, so be warned: what's visual kei? I've heard people use it in relation to bands like Dir en Grey, but still don't know what it really means....
Visual Kei literally means Visual Style. It's a term used for bands that put great emphasis on the visual side of performing music. There are many sub-genres of Visual Kei because the styles can be so diverse from band to band. Visual Kei usually implies intricate costumes, hair styles, and makeup as well as more theatrical stage play then you would normally find with typical rock bands.
The best example of Visual Kei, in my opinion, is Malice Mizer. Although X (Japan) started the whole "Visual Shock" thing one of the first bands to take the idea and really run with it was Malice Mizer.
Oh, another thing, (with the exception of Oshare Kei bands like An Cafe) Visual Kei artists tend to deal with darker, more sinister and extreme themes like vampirism and the macabre in general. These themes lend themselves more to the heightened theatrical feel of Visual Kei then, say, "oh, she broke my heart" or "let's PARTY!" songs.
Sometimes it can be hard to define what is and what isn't Visual Kei and weird grey areas have therefore arisen, like Dir en grey for instance. Be careful when calling a "grey area" band Visual because some people view the genre in a very negative light and will bite your head off for it (hence why I had to clarify that I was not calling Laruku Visual Kei). Because the genre is so extreme many people actively hate it and it's fans. I, personally, luffle Visual Kei.