X-Japan: Reunited?
Toshi, ex-vocalist of famed, legendary (insert fangirly adjective here) band X-Japan wrote an entry in his blog last March 21, about meeting with an “old friend in Los Angeles”, which led to a “new project [that] is about to start soon.” In the JRock fandom, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who he was referring to: Yoshiki Hayashi. X-Japan’s founder, leader, drummer and pianist. (read: rock icon.)
X-Japan’s Forever Love.
Did you know that this song has been sung in Tagalog by a guy named Jerome Abalos? The song is entitled “Tanging Sa Iyo.”
Is the world ready for a (semi-) revival of the band? X-Japan is undoubtedly one of the most influential bands in the Jrock fandom. One of the biggest bands of the 80’s and the early 90’s, these boys have come up with 5 studio albums, more than a dozen singles, various compilations, and were among the most popular faces of the visual kei era. Oh, and the hair, man, the hair! Anyway, I remember crying buckets after watching their last live (Tokyo Dome, Dec. 31, 1997), considering that I wasn’t even a fan of the band then, although it was downhill for me after that. ^^ It was also one of the biggest and hardest shocks to the music world when Hideto “Hide” Matsumoto, their lead guitarist, died in 1998.
I guess what’s important to note here was that it was Toshi’s departure that eventually led X-Japan to disband. And to know that he is working once more, with Yoshiki, on a project that he thinks Hide brought to them would give any true-blue fan one tidal wave of nostalgia. I am not sure whether Pata (rhythm guitarist) and Heathe (bassist) will be back with them as well, considering that these two have music careers of their own. But then again, for a fan of X-Japan, a 2/5 band of this skill is better than a total ex-X Japan.
Credits to Aural Candy, where I first read about this wonderful news.
March 30, 2007
Great news! ^_^
Dunno how Yoshiki’s going to squeeze this in with the YOSHIKI×Gackt×SUGIZO(×miyavi?) super band, though…
March 30, 2007
Hi Vizard! Yeah, I was thinking about the superband project as well (I can’t wait~). Maybe this one with Toshi is just a one-time project? (I hope not.) I have this weird idea of Yoshiki pulling Toshi into the superband project as well, but with that line-up already, that’s just. . .whoa~ And what are they gonna do with two vocalists? LOL.