The Lowdown:
Why do I like X Japan? Well, most of the X Japan songs that I like were composed by the drummer, Yoshiki. He tends to produce very eclectic-sounding songs that combine the guitars and bass of a more "retro" rock song with violins and orchestral compositions. To say the least, Yoshiki's compositions sound very symphonic. That he actually arranged symphonic versions of a lot of X Japan's songs (performed by the London Philharmonic) says a lot about him already.
Furthermore, Pata and Hide are among the most talented J-Rock guitarists around (In Hide's case, he WAS one of the most talented guitarists - he died a few years ago). Their skill makes for some really good solos that don't sound like shredding. X Japan's stuff tends to be more heavy than most of the other bands that succeeded them, but it isn't really Nirvana-heavy, either. The most "heavy" songs (that I've heard) would have to be X and Kurenai.
Sadly, X Japan disbanded after a spectacular final concert. Hide died a few years later, so any hope of an X Japan revival has been squished. Pata and Heath have formed a new band, though, called Dope Headz, which I haven't checked out yet, and Yoshiki is dabbling in a lot of genres, including techno and jazz. I'm sure we can expect more greatness from them :D
|
