Debut song of an 80s visual-kei band
Visual kei bands, with their glamorous and sometimes decadent aesthetics that captivate many, have enduring popularity among both men and women.
Many visual kei bands debuted in the 1980s, but how much do you know about their debut songs?
Here, we’ve put together a roundup of debut songs from 1980s visual kei bands.
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Debut songs of 80s visual-kei bands (11–20)
LONELYZI:KILL
Formed in 1987.
A powerhouse band that released music through YOSHIKI’s Extasy Records and successfully headlined the Nippon Budokan twice.
Their debut track, retaining its dark and weighty worldview, delivers a richly layered sound befitting a band that, in both name and substance, represents its era.
I’ll Kill YouX
Here is the indie debut song by X Japan, a band that can now be called a national presence and one of Japan’s most iconic groups.
It opens with a rather violent intro, and its beautiful yet powerful harmonies and sense of speed speak to the band’s unwavering stance that remains unchanged to this day.
Song of WaitingDER ZIBET
Wouldn’t issay’s translucent vocals and the group’s melancholic flavor be the standout points? This “Song of Waiting” also carries a singular sense of urgency and a dry atmosphere you won’t find elsewhere, drawing the listener into a dreamlike feeling, as if being led to the middle of a desert.
Mr. GazimeGASTUNK
They are true originators: a band that was pivotal in Japan’s hardcore scene and, at the same time, exerted enormous influence on numerous visual kei bands such as X JAPAN, DEAD END, L’Arc~en~Ciel, and Kuroyume.
Their debut track has a one-of-a-kind flavor that fuses metal and punk—a truly shocking release.
Crazy SadismGARGOYLE
Gargoyle’s debut track, whose grand thematic scale and dazzlingly diverse songwriting make it far too expansive to be simply categorized as “visual kei.” Its intensely passionate, straight-from-thrash-metal riffs and guitar solos—so fierce they can feel almost violent—whipped not only V-kei fans but also guitar kids into a frenzy.
OVER ALIVETHE ZOLGE
This is the landmark debut release from THE ZOLGE, known as pioneers of the visual kei scene.
Released in August 1984, it wasn’t a studio recording but a flexi-disc that captured the raw energy of their live performance from June that same year.
The pounding guitar riffs and breakneck rhythms are pure, unvarnished punk.
It feels like a desperate cry that goes beyond even the state of “being alive,” seizing your heart in its grip.
Following this release, they went on to produce works such as the mini-album “Crisis My Guest.” When you’re tormented by an inescapable sense of stagnation, this sound—sheer condensed primal impulse—will surely give you a powerful push forward.
Debut songs by visual kei bands from the 1980s (21–30)
BYE-BYEuchōten
This is Uchoten’s major-label debut, which stood out with a unique presence as one of the “Big Three” of the indie scene.
Over a square beat and a simple, looping synth riff, KERA’s vocals resound quietly.
The song seems to depict meetings and partings, and a farewell to that “something” at the core of those relationships.
The lyrics, understated yet piercing with a hidden melancholy, make you inevitably overlay them with your own past.
Released in September 1986 alongside the album Peace, it’s a landmark work.
On the eve of an ending, rather than sinking into mere sentimentality, you may want to reflect on the meaning of the time that has passed.
Listen on such a night, and its philosophical questioning will sink deeply into your heart.