“If those guys were born in America, they might be the biggest band in the world.” This was what Gene Simmons, the bassist of the legendary rock band Kiss, said when asked about the band, X Japan. This interview is included in the recently released documentary, entitled “We Are X,” about one of the most influential visual kei bands of Japan.
Having won the Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Editing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition, what was really in this band called X Japan?
The Beginning
X Japan is a Japanese heavy metal band considered to be one of the top bands in Japan. The band was formed in 1982 by childhood friends, Yoshiki Hayashi and Toshimitsu (Toshi) Deyama .
The two formed the band in 1978 when they are just 11 years old. They originally named the band, Dynamite and eventually renamed it to Noise, but they disbanded in 1982. , they formed a new one and named the band as X. They started to perform actively on the streets of Tokyo.
After the several changes on their line-up, the band released their debut album in 1988 entitled Vanishing Vision. Their line-up included Taiji Sawada as the bassist, Hideto Matsumoto as the lead guitarist, Pata for rhythm guitars, Toshi as the lead vocalist and Yoshiki as the drummer.
After the success of the release of their second album Blue Blood in 1989, X Japan continued to release albums including Jealousy in 1991, Art of Life in 1993 and Dahlia in 1996.
On December 31, 1997, the band made a farewell concert held at the Tokyo Dome. The band members had their own separate ways afterwards, including the death of Hide in 1998. Yoshiki then became busy with his own recording studio, producing music, not only for himself but also for several artists.
After a decade, Yoshiki and Toshi decided to create a song for Hide, and there sparked the X Japan passion in their hearts. In 2007, they reunited to release the new single and to have a tour.
We Are X
In 2016, X Japan promised a comeback album, but instead released the documentary that was considered by Newsweek as “among the most uplifting music docs (they have) ever seen at Sundance.”
The documentary film entitled “We are X” premiered on January 23, 2016 at Sundance Film Festival. The film won the Sundance Film Festival Award for Best Editing in the World Cinema Documentary Competition and South by Southwest’s Audience Award for Excellence in Title Design.
Aside from the Sundance Film Festival, the film also had its world premiere at the Wembley Arena in London on March 12, 2016. It was also given a license for distribution in the United States. It was released in Japan on March 3, 2017.
The Decline of the King
On May 9, 2017, it has been announced that Yoshiki needed to undergo an emergency cervical artificial disc replacement. He was diagnosed with a cervical foraminal stenosis in July 2009 due to his intense drumming style.
Yoshiki posted in his Instagram account, dated May 9, 2017, “I think my body is breaking down. I’m sorry.” Fans of the band were rattled by the news. But instead of losing hope, the drummer seemed to get strength from them, by having another post in his IG account,
“I'm not facing this alone. You're with me.”
The surgery was scheduled on May 16, 2017. This led to the cancellation of the We Are X world tour, scheduled starting July. The Yoshiki Premium Dinner Show, slated for August and September this year, were also cancelled, including their summer world tour.
However, the injury cannot stop a child of music from doing music. The band decided to convert the metal tour into an acoustic one, to still accommodate Yoshiki in the performance. They had the We Are X Acoustic Special Miracle: Kiseki no Yoru (Miracle Night): 6 Days Tour.
Since Yoshiki was still recovering from his recent surgery, instead of playing drums, he played the piano for all the X Japan songs.
Photo by Georges Seguin. Licensed under Creative Commons.
In the trailer of We Are X, Yoshiki said, “Why am I here? Why am I in this world? I almost feel like I was looking for a reason to die.” However, despite of the ups and downs that X Japan has been through, the band proved that they deserve to be acclaimed as the “band that challenged (the) conservative Japanese society”. And despite everything that happened, they are still here, making a legacy in the world of rock music.
Banner photo by Lucle. Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons.
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