Top 10 Best J-Albums of 2007

TOP 10 BEST J-ALBUMS of 2007
***in alphabetical order***

ABINGDON BOYS SCHOOL: abingdon boys school
TMR's new project was solid & exciting, with his new heavy, more visually sounding, modified band, it was a fresh start, & brought TMR back into the lime-light without sounding copy-cat, & delivering some memorable singles for 2007.

THE GAZETTE: Stacked Rubbish
The Gazette proved with "Stacked Rubbish" that they are currently one of the hottest most innovative bands on the current Viusal scene, mixing elements of classical, hip-hop, & hardcore into well-crafted Visual songs was a sheer delight & made them one of the hottest acts right now.

GALNERYUS: One For All - All For One
In a near stagnent power metal genre, Syu & Yama-B's act proved that they could stay fresh & do it better than most of their European counter parts!! Their 4th full length album was a triumph & offered a lot more variety in their musical landscape's while still maintaing a power metal edge, by using & blending elements of visual, pop, traditional, & kitsch, this was one fo their strongest efforts to date, with plenty of shred & noodleing for original fans!

GO!GO!7188: 569 (***Band Of The Year***)
GOGO struck back by launching 2 tours in the US, the 1st with the "Japan Nite" ensemble in the Spring, then with their own tour in the Summer of 2007 just months later!! They performed brilliantly (Yuu's vocals... @_@) & were so kind to their fans by making fun live content & delivering solid shows from their discography. For a favorite band of mine that I thought I would never see, nevermind have them come to my area twice, was defiantely my best J-rock experience of 2007, with meeting the girls & getting autographs as additional frosting!!... Couple that with a new more retro album, harking more toward's their early works, and the fact that "569" also included a DVD release featuring "Japan Nite" footage, & you have IMO 2007's "band of the year" by a landslide, as this act did more for me than I ever imagined possible in 2007!!

HIZAKI GRACE PROJECT: Dignity Of Crest
Hizaki's the new guitar force to be reckoned with on the Indie's Visual scene, This neoclassical inspired side-project had 3 releases in 2007, & proved to be one of the most exciting of the year & brought ex-Moi Dix Mois champion vocalist Juka back as a front man. The album made for one of the best team-ups of 2007, & now Juka's solo career has started as well, (with his prospect new act "Seventh Sense") ...& Hizaki's other project with vocalist Kamijo (Versailles) will be keeping the power & beauty that is HGP alive in different ways in the future.

L'ARC~EN~CIEL: Kiss
L'Arc's effort "KISS" in 2007 may not have done what "Smile" & "Awake" did in 2004/2005 respectively, but it is clearly one of the band's best albums to date & showcased a wide variety of musical stylings still based in the band's staple sound. They look to be continuing their mighty path in 2008, & all the fans know they will be delivering more fantastic songs for years to come.

NIGHTMARE: The World Ruler
After a quiet year in 2006, Nightmare's 2007 album release, followed by a string of hit singles made them one of the most desirable & strongest bands for 2007. This album (TWR) was fantastic, & maybe their strongest to date, with it's dark overtones & catchy meoldies... I hope to see them live in the US soon... as I hit replay on their album now...

RENTRE EN SOI: Bottom Of Chaos
Another rising band that took the year by storm is Renter!! Innovative songs with the passionate angelic vocal range of Satsuki, made them one of the most unique Visual acts of 2007. "Bottom" was both dark & agressive as well as bright & hopeful. It was the album you played again & again because it offered such a range within one band, yet the songs stayed unified in a way few albums in any rock catalog can boast. Truly one of the strongest albums of 07.

TAIA: seeds of rain
Indies Okinawa Prog act Taia was one of the most unique bands for 2007. "Seeds of Rain" was accountable for it's almost Dream Theater meets Evanescence craftmenship & earned Taia some attention this year for creating a J-Prog album worthy of note. I am hoping to see this band return in 2008 with even more Proggy-goodness & musical dexterity, while still sticking to their commercial overtones.

VERSAILLES: Lyrical Sympathy
As mentioned before, Hizaki is one of the most notable figures in 2007, & his team-up with ex-Lariene vocalist Kamijo made for a super debut in Versailles. This album featured neoclassical operas that stayed true with the band's vision of musical beauty. Kamijo tryed out a new lower vocal range that made the songs shine in a different way than his previous efforts...couple that with him also producing Juka's solo works & teaming up with Hizaki, & we have what is to be the "new band" full of veteran maestro's in Visual Rock. These guys are the new hotness.

Most anticipated song of 2008... X JAPAN "I.V."

Other favorite non-Japanese albums were..
Stan Bush - In This Life
Dark Moor - Tarot
Globus - Epicon
Coheed & Cambria -No World For Tomorrow