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Review: BLAZE’s album “DETERMINATIONS.” unleashes sentimental, brutal soundscapes

Apr 2, 2026

BLAZE unleashed the album “DETERMINATIONS.” on February 18. Previous releases were sold exclusively at live shows in Japan. However, DETERMINATIONS. is the first complete album available to fans worldwide, acce...

Interview: Exploring HYDE’s heavy music and imagining “Moon Child 2” movie

NBT and Nori

Mar 30, 2026

Interview

Despite the rising cost of touring, HYDE remained determined to complete his two-year world tour "HYDE LIVE 2025 WORLD TOUR", culminating in a finale in Stockholm, Sweden, on November 23, 2025. For this show, ...

Interview with Fukuro: inspiration fueled by touring the world

Sizergyia and afaenia

Feb 1, 2026

Interview

In the small pool of visual kei and visual kei-adjacent bands being brought overseas, there's Fukuro with its self-proclaimed "piano-rock" sound. Embodying said sound, all while wearing suits and ties, are voca...

Report: HYDE celebrates birthday with “HYDE Orchestra Tour 2026 JEKYLL” global livestream

Erica

Jan 31, 2026

Releases, Report and review

On January 29, HYDE celebrated his birthday with a special orchestral performance at Tokyo Garden Theatre. The show was streamed worldwide via Live Viewing Japan and simulcast in theaters across all Japan’s 47 ...

Interview with CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE: Vocalist Chi- on whooping up second full-length album

Aya and Nori

Jan 24, 2026

Interview

Experimental alt-pop vocalist Chi- and fellow “creatures” Whoopies No. 1 and No. 2 of CHAMELEON LIME WHOOPIEPIE blend vibrant creativity in their latest album Whoop It Up "DELUXE Edition". For the very first ti...

Interview with Crystal Lake: Entering a new era with “The Weight Of Sound”

NBT and afaenia

Dec 21, 2025

Interview, Releases, Tour and event

Crystal Lake have been touring relentlessly this year, and we managed to catch up with them back in May while they were in Stockholm, Sweden. During our conversation, we talked about the band’s new lineup and t...

Interview: Inside exist trace’s first full album in 11 years, “WHO I AM”

Erica and afaenia

Nov 27, 2025

Interview, Releases

One of the pioneering all-female bands in visual kei, exist trace (stylized as exist†trace) has returned with “WHO I AM”—their first full-length album in 11 years, released digitally worldwide on November 19. T...

Interview with Sawano Hiroyuki: Inside the mind behind iconic anime soundtracks

Jorge M.

Nov 10, 2025

Anime, Interview

Sawano Hiroyuki, a music composer with a worldwide recognition, from creating soundtracks for games and anime to TV dramas and movies. With a long trajectory in the industry, he has shouldered music creation fo...

Review: coldrain’s EP “OPTIMIZE” fuses heartfelt lyrics and brutal soundscapes

Jorge M.

Nov 6, 2025

Releases, Report and review

Amidst their ONE MAN JAPAN TOUR 2025, coldrain unleashed their fifth Extended Play, OPTIMIZE. The five-track collection dropped on October 24 and marks the band's debut release under German label Century Media ...

Report: Experiencing the world’s biggest anime song event, Animelo Summer Live 2025!

NBT

Nov 3, 2025

Anime, Report and review

As a big fan of both anime and Japanese music, I have always been interested in attending even more events that fuse these two themes. With Animelo Summer Live 2025 “ThanXX!”, or simply "Anisama", celebrating i...

Interview with ASH (ASH DA HERO): Shaping the future sound of Ultraman

NBT and Jorge M.

Oct 26, 2025

Interview

Vocalist ASH from ASH DA HERO, a fan of the Ultraman series since childhood, recently lent his voice to Ultraman Omega's opening theme "BRIGHT EYES" and ending theme "Missing Link". With Ultraman being part of ...

Interview: D’ESPAIRSRAY reborn after 15 years, stronger than ever

Erica

Oct 17, 2025

Interview

After nearly 15 years away, the internationally beloved rock band D’ESPAIRSRAY shocked fans with their long-awaited revival. The band storms the stage at CROSS ROAD Fest on November 15, 2025, then tackles their...

Interview with DEVILOOF: Fulfilling a long-awaited promise to overseas fans

NBT, Mazohyst_Kyo and Omatsu

Oct 11, 2025

Interview, Tour and event

After years of anticipation and overcoming many hurdles, Japan’s brutal metal band DEVILOOF is finally heading to Europe for a tour! With the tour "properly" kicking off next month, we took the opportunity to c...

Video interview: Mellows forges “cute” with “metal” – JROCK NEWS 10th anniversary

afaenia, Erica and NBT

Sep 13, 2025

Interview, Online Concert, Tour and event

Meet Mellows, a musical juggernaut that combines "cute" and "metal" , as part of JROCK NEWS' 10th anniversary celebration. The milestone will be marked with a live concert and livestream event "PULSE vol.1" at ...