Like any good story, visual kei's earliest days are shrouded in mystery. What bands were doing ten years ago aren't what bands are doing today, and the willingness to think outside the box and experiment is another one of those qualities of the scene that keep me interested. This mix of old and new is why visual kei as a scene never remains stagnant for too long. All of them incorporate different singing techniques, imperfections, and vocal ticks cultivated from whatever is currently popular mixed with years of previous bands laying the foundation for the style. Then there are vocalists that are.unique, and I'll leave it at that. And on the other end of the spectrum, we have some vocalists who make up for what they lack in delivery and emotion. There are some truly talented, amazing singers in the scene making great music. Vocalists deserve a special shout out here too. It's not always well-received, and there's no guarantee that a band will do as well if they try, but it keeps things fresh and sometimes, the change in direction is more than welcome. This isn't as novel within the realm of visual kei, but I can't think of many American bands that will drastically switch their entire aesthetic and musical output while keeping the same band name. There are times that bands switch genres through their career as well. I've heard visual kei bands play rock, jazz, alternative, electronica, ska, blues, punk, metalcore, gothic metal, power metal, and various combinations of these in different proportions - sometimes within the same track! It's a great way to open up to a new genre in a familiar context. There's a flavor of the decade that many bands will lean on for easy success, but there are just as many bands that buck the trend and do something else. Bands dress however they want to dress and play whatever they want to play. It's one of the few mysteries of the scene that keep me coming back. If you give it a chance, odds are you'll find a band with a look that resonates with you. I'm always intrigued by the wide variety of interpretations that come to visual kei there's bands inspired by cultures around the globe, androgynous pretty boys, leather fetishists with creepy face masks, suits, fashionistas, circus freaks, goths (VK goth > American goth sorry), demons, vampire aristocrats, doctors, patients, zombies, cripples, dynasty warriors, galaxy space wizards, and more. What visual kei is a bit of every scene that musicians draw influence from. Even Western attempts at the visual kei style fall short, with their hard, angular faces unable to sell that skinny, androgynous look. Black metal gives me a similar vibe, with the shock lyrics, photo shoots, and face paint fails to impress me. Blame the low-res washout polaroid band pics, bad reputation, or the fact that I don't enjoy looking at buff men in skimpy outfits. I was never sold on the look of glam metal. Metal is no stranger to face paint, strange fashion choices, wigs, and stage theatrics, but no scene brings together aesthetics and music better than visual kei. As dumb as it sounds at first, mixing fashion with music is a very addicting combination.
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