A collection of hit songs and classics that opened the door to 1990s Visual Kei

supercarCASCADE

CASCADE “Supercar” Official Music Video

This is CASCADE’s fourth single, released in November 1997, where pounding programmed beats fuse with high-energy guitars.

It features a sparkling sound that overturns the visual kei image, drawing on technopop and new wave influences.

Sung by TAMA with a crystal-clear high tone, the lyrics depict a love story set in a city aglow with winter illuminations.

The bittersweet mix of yearning and exhilaration—wishing to fly off with someone you love to a future planet—makes your heart ache in the best way.

It was also used in a Himalaya TV commercial, enhancing the cheerful mood of the season.

It’s lovely to sink into the bittersweet memories of that time while listening to the classic album “80*60=98,” which includes this track.

Put it on during a winter night drive and your spirits are sure to soar.

so….D’ERLANGER

SO…

This is a D’ERLANGER track notable for its gothic, decadent atmosphere.

It’s one of the songs included on their first major-label album, Basilisk, released in March 1990, and kyo’s languid vocals convey the protagonist’s emotions as they waver within a fleeting, precarious relationship.

The sense of nihilism and impatience lurking beneath the beauty is sure to deeply move listeners.

In 2010, it was re-recorded for their self-cover collection a Fabulous Thing in Rose.

How about giving it a careful listen on a night when you want to step away from everyday life and sink into a slightly sentimental mood?

Precious…LUNA SEA

Precious…

It’s a song brimming with rough-hewn charm, honed on stage since their indie days and beloved by fans.

The sound—where the decadent beauty of gothic rock fuses with the impulsive energy of punk—can be called the very essence of LUNA SEA’s early drive.

As the title “Taisetsu na…” (“Precious…”) suggests, RYUICHI’s emotive vocals earnestly convey the longing and pain for an irreplaceable presence that has been lost.

The track is included on their debut album “LUNA SEA,” released in April 1991.

Though an indie release, it became a signature song on a landmark record that sold over 30,000 copies in its first pressing.

If you want to step into the dark, multilayered world of ’90s visual kei, why not open that door with this track?

EveLaputa

Eve

This is a song that conjures up a fleeting yet beautiful scene from the last night before a breakup.

Over a fantastical sound woven by intricate guitar work, Aki’s high-toned vocals resound with aching poignancy.

It lyrically depicts the brief sparkle and pain within a relationship that’s coming to an end, drawing you into its dramatic world.

Released in May 1997 as Laputa’s second single, it was used as the opening theme for TBS’s COUNT DOWN TV.

Peaking at No.

33 on the Oricon charts, the track raised the band’s profile and was later included on the mini-album “E—Emadara—Madara.” It’s a perfect masterpiece for sinking into alone on a sentimental night, or for immersing yourself in the uniquely decadent aesthetic of ’90s visual kei.

seraphMALICE MIZER

Seraph – Malice Mizer

This is a track distinguished by its noble, full-bodied programmed sound crafted by guitarist Közi.

The lyrics portray a forbidden longing for an angelic being and a fierce inner struggle so intense that the singer wishes for their very existence to be erased because of this love.

Such pure, heartrending expressions of love are bound to profoundly move listeners.

The song appears on the mini-album “mémoire,” released in July 1994, a classic that was limited to 3,000 copies at the time.

It offers a glimpse into the origins of MALICE MIZER’s tragic yet beautiful aesthetic.

On a quiet night, it might be lovely to sink into this grand tale as if you were reading a piece of Gothic fiction.

QueenROUAGE

ROUAGE – Queen

Shifting from a dreamy intro to piercing, razor-sharp guitar riffs, this is ROUAGE’s major-label debut that epitomizes the Nagoya scene.

The world the song paints—evoking the glamour of a solitary “queen” and the loneliness and inner conflict lurking behind it—is striking, isn’t it? KAZUSHI’s vocals, resonating from deep within, further accentuate its decadent beauty.

Many listeners will likely relate to the duality of light and shadow that everyone carries somewhere in their hearts.

Released in April 1996, the track also reached living rooms nationwide as the ending theme of TV Asahi’s music program “mew.” It’s the perfect song for nights when you want to step away from the everyday and immerse yourself in a slightly dark, decadent tale.

Fallen Angel BLUEΛucifer

Λucifer Fallen Angel BLUE

Even knowing it’s a forbidden love, I can’t stop yearning for them.

That searing passion is what Λucifer captured in their debut release from September 1999.

Used as the opening theme for the TV anime “Kaikan Phrase,” the song reached No.

16 on the Oricon chart, with lyrics by Yukinojo Mori and composition by TAKUYA.

Over fierce guitars and driving drums, vocalist MAKOTO sings of an angel’s torment and ecstasy as they fall because of love.

When you want to fully immerse yourself in the decadent yet beautiful aesthetic of visual kei, this track is guaranteed to set your heart trembling.

For many, this work became the gateway to their music—leading them to pick up the album “LIMIT CONTROL,” don’t you think?