Unsraw

^Yay! You love us a bit more than before!:p

After reading the interview:
That interview was really deep right? Usually when I read VK interviews, I don't THINK about them because they're usually pretty superficial. But Yuuki's obviously aware of what's going on in the world. So all that anger in his lyrics WAS real. I know what you mean Gaxnela about seeing him in a different way.
The end, where he said he hates cliches, even though it was, it really touched me. I don't see it as just a message for Kansai fans lol:D

Also it seems like he really acknowledges, respects, and connects with his fans. makes me want to see them live that much more.

Gax- Your comment was really interesting, and I'm glad that he's willing to talk about it right? Thanks alot for the link!
 
I was seriosly dissapointed tho their DVD... its's like this band is better on cd,not live. Byt maybe i will look at it couple of times... but it just sounds wierd? 😌
 
yeah,but their cd is still very awesome. maybe this is a band wich you have to see by your self and not watch from dvd...

I like unsraw's music videos really much. they are gr8t!! 😌
 
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Thanks for sharing the interview Gaxnela!

Yeah, after reading the interview I view Yuki in a whole new way. He really is serious about music and thinks "connecting" with the listeners and fans is very important, which makes me respect him alot more. And he really does have a sombre childhood, doesn't he? I understand his feelings because I went through that when I was young too (still am xD) but now it's alright.

And about your comment Gax, it's true about what you said about the Japanese Goverment, I always wonder why they cover it all up when the truth is laid bare.. Sometimes it makes me fume, reading about it in newspapers and stuff.. But hey, the same applies to all governing bodies. =.=
 
To Nijuy -

Well, you might be dissapointed but think of it this way: That concert was one year after their formation as a band and releasing that much music in a year is something. And of course, the songs in the album have been edited a countless number of times so you can't just imagine how they must have sounded in the recording.

lolz... XD

To Raikujin -

Well, my mom might not be as strict as your parent/s but I think we all have a share of imperfection in our families and don't worry, I am just as young as you (if your age is correctly listed) XD

I also want to know why they hide it, the truth... But you are right. ^_^



lol, nothing from them as of... now.





EDIT - Okay, I changed it now... ^_^
 
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---> Gaxnela : well,thank you for reminding me of that,there is so many thing to remember,so maybe i have mercy towards that DVD,after all that what you said was true. :-):-):-)
 
Gax- Thats raiku's post you're replying to hehe:D
My parents used to be strict, but I think now they've realised theres no point, I'l just do what I want anyway:p

Nijuy, yeah maybe it'll grow on you!
 
@Nijuy
My comment was not really forceful or a rant to your opinion. I know it wassomehow appropriate but thank you for understanding me. ^_^

@RevengeBabyYeah
Oh dear, I'm sorry... I fixed it now, ok?

Lol yeah, when your parents realize that they can't tell their what to do, they would stop... XD
 
Wow, I haven't been here in a while. BUT BUT I just bought Abel & Kein, and they are so amazing!!! Everyone go out and get them to support UnsraW!! :D
And if you get the Europe version like I did, that has both EPs combined, you get the bonus track LUST!
And as a side note, I don't think I've ever seen a band look so nightmarishly scary before...
 
^I don't find them scary, but yeah the outfits are very cool👍
I got the Euro version too, would have liked the original versions though, just for the sake of having them.
 
Lol to be honest, when I first saw their pic I was creeped out by their look. xD But after that I thought their masks and costumes are very detailed and fits their visually dark "theme" perfectly! I love their look..
 
Wahhh...

After a long time, I have internet again!!!

Anyway, to begin with, have a picture of Te-chan ^_^

eafd4bcc-1.webp


Okay, their blog is as odd as ever, with the "making babies" part (naughty boys... XD)

And they have finished recording, but as of now, there is nothing yet officially announced regarding their next release...

Gahhh!!! I can't wait!!!
 
^ Aww that's a cute picture!!

"Making babies"?! *is suddenly curious*

Lot's of bands recording and releasing now.. xDDD
 
Yeah, Tetsu is cute (all of them are) but I'm just curious as to why his eyes are always reddish...

Re:babies

Okay, on 12/13, Around 4 pm, Yuuki had a blog entry which said something like:

Is it healthy?

I finally conceived a child this morning.
I wish to have an easy delivery.

Then on the same day, around 11 pm, Shou wrote something like:

The soul was put into Yuuki's child today.

I pray it grows up well (laugh)

(Note: that's just how I translated it using the help of excite's translator. It is not 100% accurate)

There, well, I guess that meant they were finished composing something...

But that was around eleven days ago. Right now, they are done recording and were just waiting for any announcement of a release.
 
I can't believe this thread reached page2. I am so sorry.... I was supposed to post yesterday but I fell asleep....

Oh well... ^_^

Tetsu (or shall I say Te-chi... lol!) posted yet another blog entry...

Picture (From left to right: Unknown, Tetsu, Yuuki)

f3eaa54f-1.webp


Lol! He said he imitated Shou because he was the one who put the setlists for 21, 22, 23 and 24... lol!
 
I haven't seen their live DVD release but Iave seen them "live" about 12 times, and that includes one of their first lives. I have always enjoyed them, and love their death metal. I just hope that they maintain the hard visual and "costume" angle. It seems that with every CD the hair gets a tad shorter and the costumes less detailed and heavy. And I don't know why but at Closet Child in Shinjuku, there place in the Used CD section seems to have a few too many CDs in it. Of course most of them are the pre-Unsraw CDs from Yuki's old band. Still... one wonders why so much is being turned in for re-sale.

Last ques...

I have their Best Of... CD.
Of their new CDs since, what is the best?
 
I know how you feel. I like their death look as well and wecan see their look getting more refined and less... scary. I miss their old look and hope their next look willbe heavy again like the old times...

Regarding the CDs... Maybe their are a lot of CDs from Yuuki's previous band because a lot of the songs were slow? lol I do not know but CORE THE CHILD's songs were more mellow and and sound more sad aside from Distribe.

The best of CD? Do you mean Spiral Circle?

Well, after that, If you are asking what I liked the most, it would be Calling.

Oh, and if you want to see their live DVD, alucard176 and I (ihavenoideaidunno) from Youtube upped the DVD song by song. I wasn't able to rip it fully, because it won't work if I try to rip the whole concert together so, it's song by song. ^_^

Welcome to the forum btw!
 
With regard to the softening image of Unsraw.... I guess I am not really educating or surprising anyone - or maybe I am - but 95 percent of visual bands have no interest in visual at all and put on make-up and costumes just to attract a fanbase. The more popular they become, the more they figure they can wipe it off so they can attarct a wider audience - a audience that likes their music but doesn't care for the visual. With the exception of Mana (Malice/Moi Dix Mois) and Kisaki and a few others who are true viusal performers, this is the sickening reality of VK and has RUINED the asthetic value of more bands than I care to name... Kagerou, Kagrra, Despairs Ray, 12012, and the biggest turncoats of all time... Dir en grey. All these bands use to be INSANELY visual when they started, and instead of bucking tradition and deciding to carve a name for themselves, they caved in and went *normal*. Has everyone forgotten the foundations laid by X Japan? Apparently so.

Some years ago I was interviewed in SHOXX and the editor asked me to give a closing message to VK bands. Mine was simple... there desperately needs to be a band who stops following the "get popular - take off the makeup" tradition; a band that decides NOT to follow Dir en grey and decides to lead a new path as X Japan did. This country so desperately needs a major level VK act with BALLS.... the same balls that KISS or Marilyn Manson had when they began.

Sorry.... ranting! But that is what happens after 8 years on the scene.

​
 
Unlike you, I have only been into this for 10 months (lol, you can call me a n00b...) and I am not exactly what you could call an adult but within this short time, I also have realized this sad, disappointing and painful truth. A lot of bands that start to make it suddenly lose their appearance, their own identity and brace the others where it would even be better if they are attracted by the music and not by maybe their pretty face or good looks, and not by their stand in life. And because of this, the fans from the beginning leave.

I don't really know but I don't think Mana, Kisaki and the like are counted simply because they are centered on themselves and are not on a band. I'm just trying to say that the reason why a lot of VK bands turn out like that is simply because they are a band; While most of them want to just play from their heart, at least someone would either want something else from the band or lose confidence in their music because of their appearance and I think that's the reason why certain bandmembers leave a band or why a band disbands.

When VK bands lose their appearance and go plain, does it mean that they become greedy and want more money by attracting more people? Does it mean that they just get tired of their costumes? Does it mean that they are too old and should just "grow up"? Does it mean that they feel confident already that they don't have to wear anything unusual to gain attention? Does it mean that they have lost their passion? Does it mean that they can't show the truth of their music anymore so they just stop dressing up? Does it mean that their music is not telling the truth anymore? Does it mean that there is nothing different with their music now? Does it mean that they are afraid that their current fans would leave them if they go back to their old self? Does it mean that they are full of lies?

Seriously, I don't know.

I'm not saying that I'm expecting every band to become like this because that would be the last thing I want to happen. Like you, I am looking for a band that would be able to change how the industry works and tthe balls to make every band realize the true and most pure purpose of being VK.

UnsraW is still a young band and I hope that they won't change. ^_^

Please??? T_T

lol, I ranted too. Now I feel bad for the other people in this thread...




GUYS, COME BAAAACCK!!!!!! XD
 
this is an interesting discussion...

i've liked vk for 5.5 years now, and i've seen some changes too... and i'm not even completely sure of my opinion on this. i'm impressed with bands that retain their visual image, even when trying to make it overseas, because it really IS ballsy and challenging. you have to have guts to just say "@#$% the stereotype of what a band and what a male is 'supposed' to look like", especially in such a brutal field as the music business.

on the other hand, i'm a fan of the music first. the clothes, in the end, don't matter much to me, except as something pretty to look at, and a reason to buy those damn expensive magazines. true, costumes give the band character and add another dimension to their art, and as someone who literally thinks in visuals only, i can appreciate that. but i love UnsraW's music, even if they dressed in potato sacks. and in the end, i think they'd agree with me. the music is the reason i like UnsraW, and the visuals are a bonus... so i guess my opinion is, appreciate the bonuses while they last, but that also is just that-- a bonus, and not even the reason you liked the band in the firs place. stay loyal to the music, not the look.

and i'm going to say it, as much as it pains me too: the visual kei era is coming to a close. it may be years before it ends, but we're no longer in its climax. this is sad, as the vk movement spurned a lot of bands that wouldn't necessarily have been successful otherwise to have a chance, because it was 'trendy' to like tiny bands. and this was good, and i'll be heartbroken when it ends. UnsraW seems to be going strong, and i don't want them to be pulled down with vk if it does fall, so in anything that will keep them producing music, i support them.

then there's also the Dir en grey case study. i dont want to turn this into a post about diru, so i'll keep this short only because its a good example. bands grow and change... maybe not "grow up", but evolve into something different. when the clothes start holding you back in terms of creating your art (not necessarily 'selling out'), i see no reason to keep them. it would be worse to keep the clothes without the intensions, you know? that would be selling out to me. theyre just clothes, and the reason theyre a band in the first place is to express their artistic vision. so vk is no longer a part of that. i dont blame them. the reason i believe vk is dyeing is because it's lost its integrity... it really isn't about artistic vision anymore... it's about looking pretty in order to get a fanbase a squealing girls. visual kei has become the new "boy band" movement, and that ruins the art for the bands that really do believe in vk. im not pointing fingers, but it's there. UnsraW is one of those bands that believes in visual kei... so honestly, i wouldnt blame them for getting the @#$# out of it.

in general regards to UnsraW, though, they are still a youngish band, and they've pretty much proven themselves... though the costumes might seem lighter now, they are still there in a big way, and there's always the possibility that with a new release, they'll become an even bigger presence. so keep faith, i guess, because it's really not that bad.
 
While I am just the most superficial guy in town I guess.... my motto is simple: NO VISUAL... NO INTEREST.

When a visual band stops being visual, I stop buying CDs, and that is the God's honest truth. I was a HUGE fan of Kagerou and Despairs Ray from the beginning, but when they dropped the visual... I left the next day and never looked back.

To me, VK is all about the synergy of energy and image. I don't speak Japanese and don't really care what they sing about anyway. My interest extends to the "energy" aspect of their music and the visual medium it is played out with - their costumes and on-stage performance. That is all the juice that I need. VK is kinda like pro-wrestling for me, though I don't go to pro-wrestling. Nobody goes to pro-wrestling for the Olympic style sport of it. They go there to release tension, watch showmanship, and listen to guys rant and rage. Testosterone.... it's all about raising it.

** Quick side note before I forget ***
Gaxnela... you're certainly no noob for being a 10-month fan. In contrast.. I am a "get-a-life / loser" for still listening at 45 and enjoying VK convo with 20-year-old girls. Jesus... I just cannot grow up!!! And yeah... I know there is a well-earned name for it, but I don't wanna hear it.


"Mid-life crisis??":p

Oh sod off you marshmallowy git!!!

Anyway.... one thing that VK bands have to face upon the least bit of fame.... is their management. These old men who finance the bands have major pull in the band's image. Rumor has it that the Key Party band, Neil (pronounced.. Nail), who were one of the first indies heavy VK bands to make it major before the millennium, broke up after one major release CD (Razor)because they were - reportedly - told by their management to stop being visual.

The reason for why a band doffs its image can be vast and complicated. The bottom line remains this... so many VK bands were inspired by Marilyn Manson, yet none thus far have had the balls to reach Marilyn's level of dedication to the art. As I have heard so many times before in response to this whole debate...

In America and Europe, Goth visual is lifestyle; in Japan it's a costume.
 
The other people in this thread probably feel somehow intimidated by this rant/discussion...

So, If you want to skip my rant and go to the good part, scroll down my post until you reach a heart!

And I just finished sending a birthday letter to Tetsu yesterday (which made it in 5 seconds before 12am Japan time, so I'm still not late!) and then I saw Bunshinsaba's rant which made me sad and think that maybe I should have included my previous post (and of course use a translator!)...

I will just keep it short now.


I am faithful to this genre or movement or whatever you call it because if it weren't for Visual Kei, the genre, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't have known this band (and other bands of course). In music, I look at the visuals as a standard along with the music itself, not a bonus because this is in fact, Visual Kei. If I was not looking for how they look like, then why am I listening to Visual Kei? If I just want some plain heavy metal or rock, then I would just listen to some American or European band. There are somethings that can't be expressed by music alone and I think that's why this movement or genre was created. We might not be able to understand what the lyrics try to say (even with the translations because Yuuki writes in codes or something that require me to ask my friend... lol) but because of their make up and costumes, we can achieve a better understabding of where the band is coming from. I feel that because of their costumes, their music stops souning generic and even with your eyes closed you can feel the difference.

When I was days old into this, I was amazed at how the different bands looked like and I knew that they were coming from somewhere I can't reach and I had this feeling that if I listen to them, they would take me there and I would understand why everything went that way. To me, Visual Kei is not about getting popular, it's not about attracting more fans, it's about being sincere. It's about telling the truth. It's a f*cking lifestyle.

About the management/record label, It is one more of the painfil truths in this scene. Record labels that have very visual bands have give very little in return (they don't seem pay bands a lot) so bands switch to a bigger or a more popular record label but once they get there, they have to drop their visual attitude and bring more money in by attracting a bigger fanbase.

I don't know, but it seems like the whole world is against Visual Kei that it is hard for the bands to pursue their Visual attitude.

And I also don't get it why Visual Kei just seems to be like an excuse to wear costumes and make up if it is in fact a lifestyle.



WAHHHHHH!!!! I said it would be short but it ended up being long!

Sry guys...

@Bunshinsaba
Thank you for trying to make me look better... XD

Mid-life crisis? Of course not!

My friend's mom is in a mid-life crisis and I tell you, it's sofa king bad that she barely sees her children because she is busy going out and worrying about them the least and blames her oldest daughter for her own short comings.

You are not immature at all!

Visual Kei is more of an acquired taste... lol



<3

I just want to say that we have been slightly off topic so to make my post useful, I just noticed that UnsraW's blog IS being translated! By lysalie28! ^_^

lol... I know I suck. You can find it by joining the UnsraW community in Livejournal.

You can also find the translations of the Q and A thingy for Plug Vol 1 in The Last quarter.

Go to the translations and you can see the different links of the interview per member. They also have lysalie28's blog translations their but just join the community because that's where the translations are written anyway and I don't know how the fansite is oftenly updated. lol

Well, no updates yet...gahhhhhh...
 
bunshinsaba- its actually funny that you mention pro-wrestling, because i love it! i understand where youre coming from now because you like VK in the same way that i love TNA impact wrestling... so yea... i personally just like it from a different place... oh, and it's not a midlife crisis, dont worry... i guess youre just cooler than other people your age XD i think it's weirder that a girl in high school likes professional wrestling, actually XDDDD

gaxnela- our statements seem kind of contradictory, but i actually agree with most of what you're saying. the visuals you can almost hear through the music... its like a story that's come to life... that's become 3-D. but im still a music purist, i guess, and i like the music in that i wouldnt just switch out UnsraW or Dir en grey or Sadie for an american band if they didnt have the sparkly costumes just for the language. i disagree when people say "oh, you dont know what they're saying", because true, we dont speak japanese, but you can feel the emotions, which are what music is about. there's this range of colors and feelings that ive received from this music... so i guess to me, i call a band visual if they evoke a visual response in me... its hard to explain x_x ack. but my point is, dont throw away music because its not in english, because you can still tell what its saying, what its expressing. music is like the communal human language, and thus i really dont believe in language barriers in it. also, visual kei is more than costumes [TO ME], its about if the band has some sort of visual embedded in the music as well... like, everyone knows Dir en grey no longer dress in visual kei style, right? but i still think theyre a very visual band... i mean, the music evokes these amazingly clear visuals in your head... besides, you can tell as a band they think visually, as when they release singles, they also release promo artwork with those singles... its like that "something more" of VK costumes, except in a different medium... plus theyve hired this artist that they work with a lot, and the art really fits with the work. i could go into more, but again, this isnt the Dir en grey thread XD in UnsraW's specific case also, i kind of see their costumes as a whole as symbolic. im probably reading waaaay too much into this, but you know their whole masks thing? the masks as slowly becoming less pronounced and dramatic, as do the clothes, and it almost seems to me like stripping off the layers/social and personal "masks" to reveal the truth... like the ugly mud of society covering everything, but every once in a while you catch a glimpse of beauty underneath, or even in the "mud" itself. i see this in the lyrics too, i guess XD ok, thats enough hypothesizing for now...

america/europe vs. japan SLASH lifestyle vs. costume~ i actually think its the other way around. who else outside of marilyn manson maintains a lifestyle/image comparable to VK? the glam metal bands or yesteryear dont even come close to the sorts of things VK artists shimmy into... sure, marilyn manson is extreme, but he's also one man and we're talking about a MOVEMENT in japan... as a whole, i think japan still wins in the extreme-o-meter, and if you look at some of the artists like mana or kisaki or ANYONE in the lolita thing (hard core rules involved there) or whatever, it is a lifestyle, definitely. it's also something you'd never see in a million years here... not on that scale.
 
^ I don't want to go uber deep into this but I understand what you are saying. lol

Before anything else,

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!


Anyway, Yuuki has a new blog entry concerning the details on their B-side oneman (in suits) 5 days from now...

Nothing yet about the next release...

I have a feeling it would be announced on their oneman... Now that you think about it, I'm guessing their setlist would be the songs from KEIN, the songs from their new release, Warai Oni, and maybe LUST (lol). Of course, there wouldbe some of their older songs as well (Please put Dust to Dust...........)
 
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