X Japan's repertoire should be enough to bury anyone's prejudices against "heavy metal" bands a hundred feet underground. There is something for everyone to enjoy in their sometimes fiery, sometimes velvety works of art. But whether they are fast or slow-paced and even in their gloomiest moments, few can deny the beauty and complexity of their pieces.That particular style is nicely represented in their 1993 single: Art of Life, which is a whopping twenty-nine-minute (the live version going over thirty-four minutes) roller-coaster ride of emotions endlessly fluctuating from heavy to melancholic but flowing smoothly none the less. Hardly any band would dare to try such feat, even fewer would actually pull it off and, if you allow me this assumption: none could do it remotely as well.
With violins and piano played when the moment is just right, arrangements are flawless more often than not. Having taken piano lessons from the age of five, Yoshiki not only times these arrangements right but also plays them giftedly. Aside from the actual composition, my favourite aspect of X Japan's music is Yoshiki's insane drumming skills. Listening to Silent Jealousy and X, I can but wonder how such rhythms are even possible. Next in line is hide's guitar. Once again, either fast and furious or soft and sorrowful, his skills combined with a mysterious personality made him the most popular member of the group. I have a hunch his hair styling played at part in that, too. The visuals are a bonus to fans of colourful hair, shocking get-ups and androgeny.Yoshiki's dream had always been to become a rock star. He will have to wait until 1980 at the age of sixteen when he somehow managed to convince Toshi, who was heading for medical college, to start a band with him. Many members joined and left X (as it was called then) and it is only seven years later that Yoshiki found musicians who had what it took.Thus, Pata, hide and Taiji (former guitarist) joined X and released Vanishing Vision, their first album. It did not take much time for people to recognize their talent and their second and third album, Blue Blood and Jealousy, both were accompanied by unprecedented popularity. Taiji gave his place to Heath in 1992, which also corresponded to the band's name change. Trying to reach an eastern audience where a band named X already existed, they changed theirs to X Japan. The band and their spiffy new name kept the hits rolling until their fifth and final album, Dahlia.In 1997, X Japan fans were shocked to hear the band was splitting. Seventeen years of success is a long time and the departure of vocalist Deyama Toshimitsu (Toshi) triggered the inevitable. Yoshiki has since had a thriving solo career (Violet UK) and owns his own record company called Extasy Records. Pata and Heath teamed up again to start a new band named Dope HEADz. Pata also found a second home in Ra:IN, a mostly instrumental new trio. hide's subsequent solo career as a lead singer and guitarist tragically ended prematurely when he was found dead by what appears to be suicide. His legend and that of his former band lives on and probably still will for decades to come.
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X-Japan Rose Of Pain Live At NHK Hall.. width="425" height="350" ..X-Japan Vanishing Love.. width="425" height="350" ..X-Japan Orgasm '88.. width="425" height="350" ..X-Japan Orgasm 1986.10.25 ORGASM Meguro Rokumeikan.. width="425" height="350" ..X-Japan Kurenai Jun, Hikaru last live '86.. width="425" height="350" ..
