Alcy (al-SEE); Even broken glass has its shimmer.

(1992-1994 lineup)

(1995-1999 lineup)

(2000-2001)

Formed in January 1992, Malice Mizer (マリス・ミゼル, pronounced mah-lease me-zehr) is among the most well-known and influential Japanese visual kei rock bands.

Taking cues from classical music and French pop, among other unlikely genres, Malice Mizer had a very distinct and innovative sound and image which constantly evolved over the course of the band's diverse lifetime. Their peak of popularity hit at the time of their Merveilles album, which took a bit of an electronic direction, especially on tracks such as "Ju te Veux"and the bondage anthem "Illuminati".

The band is as much of a theatrical presentation as musical - their videos and stage acts feature elaborate costuming and thematic elements which serve to enhance the songs themselves, and the band also released two movies - silent films featuring the band's compositions as soundtracks.

There were three major, defining eras of the band, each with a different vocalist: Tetsu until 1994, who was replaced by Gackt, who left the band in 1999 to start his solo career. Klaha took over as vocalist until the band's "indefinite hiatus" was announced in December 2001. Also in 1994, original drummer Gaz was replaced by Kami, who died in 1999 of a subarachnoid hemorrhage - after this, no drummer was credited as an official band member.

Gackt is now particularly notable as one of Japan's top selling male solo artists of all time. Klaha was previously known as a member of darkwave band Pride of Mind; after Malice Mizer's hiatus he also released solo works. Founding member Mana (perhaps best known for his development and popularization of gothic lolita fashion) went on to Moi Dix Mois, which has also achieved success. Rumors of a reunion abound; it has been confirmed that all members of the final lineup are again in contact with each other.


「月下の夜想曲」("Gekka no Yasoukyoku", translates to Moonlit Nocturne)


"Illuminati"


「虚無の中での遊戯」 ("Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi", translates to Nihilistic Game)


"Gardenia"


"Garnet"

Haunting melodies, exquisite storytelling, lush dark imagery. Luci'fer Luscious Violenoue (Violenoue is pronounced viola-new) is the most notable female artist in Japanese visual kei and gothic music. After getting her start as the frontwoman of Gille' Loves in 1986, later renamed to Fiction (note: this is not the same Fiction as in Buzznet's music database), the androgynous performer started her solo career in 1994 with the release of 病める薔薇、或いは癒さない傷口(Yameru bara, arui wa iyasanai kizuguchi - translates to Dying rose, a wound impossible to heal).

Her enchanting epic tales carry such themes as lost love, vampires, and mythological/historical references (including the moving World War II-era "Lillie Marlene"). Many of her lyrics and writings can be found translated to English on the largest western LLV fansite, http://luciferluscious.com (which I also credit for the header image found here).

With only a limited production budget (all of her solo works, as well as much of her work with Gille' Loves/Fiction, were self-written, self-composed, and self-produced) and less than state-of-the-art tools to work with, she was able to achieve stunning works that any musician should be able to respect and feel inspired by. Sadly, little is known about this woman of immense talent, even in her home country of Japan. She disappeared from the music scene in 2006 with the closing of her official fanclub - though on an open note, hinting that she will be seen again.

"Sweet Sweet Dream" "In a manner of speaking" 「Luciferというな名のお人形」 ("Lucifer to iu na no o-ningyou", translates to "The doll called Lucifer"), with Fiction

"Airport"

"Lillie Marlene"

"Requiem"

"Wendy"

"Velvet Goldmine"

"Sand Castle"

"Eternal You"

Apologies for the low quality of the videos. For some more MP3 tracks, you can find her on Myspace here: http://www.myspace.com/luciferluscious