Treble Magazine PL&D HND 2015 A2 1 | Page 18

In 1992 , X Japan had conquered their homeland , and stood on the cusp of globa sic , a whiplash-inducing combination of intricate rock ballads and muscular s was harder then , as well — a daunting prospect , kind of like scaling Mount Ever to take two steps out of base camp .
A decade passed , the band broke up , and their mercurial lead guitarist , hide , leader and chief songwriter YOSHIKI struggled with depression , little things their first taste of X Japan in the movie X / 1999 , Rintaro ’ s gorgeous , barely-c ending theme , “ Forever Love .” Rising interest in J-rock and its visual kei su fans looked for new music beyond the boundaries of the pop charts . But X Japa of new fans amount to anything ?
That question was answered by YOSHIKI himself , as he appeared at Otakon 2006 . wind of odd projects came next — a J-rock supergroup that only played one show , Genetic Opera . Somewhere in all this , Toshi , the band ’ s lead singer , called Y ing to happen . It had to .
Now , some 22 years after their big trip west , X Japan are standing at a cross theaters and music halls , not quite grand enough for the theatrical approach
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