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X - Jealousy concept art by Screaming Mad George of Nightmare on Elm Street fame and leader of his own band!

X or now known as X Japan had their name changed and it was all my fault! The first X cd I bought was Blue Blood just about as they were getting big. Their style is epic and grand before there was epic style metal but they weren't just metal. They had a punk influence in them and it can be heard by the phenomenal drum playing by the band's leader Yoshiki.

Yoshiki had a sort of split personality. He had the meloncholy pianist side where he sounds like a modern day Mozart. I kid you not. And then he has the angst driven rage of an explosive drummer. I don't think anyone in the anuals of drumming has come close to his rage and speed and showmanship. Other members of the band included the psychotic Hide. His guitar playing was wild and he played up his insane side on stage. It was a sad day for Japanese Rock or Rock in general when he decided to take his own life after X Japan's breakup around 1999. X Japan has still been healing it's wounds after their breakup and their tragic loss of a gifted guitarist. Taiji another bassist vituoso was in the band but left after their name change. He did show up in Loudness for a bit and started his own band Dirty Thrashroad. He is an accomplished acoustic guitarist as can be heard on their track Voiceless Screaming. Taiji was replaced by Heath after their name change.

X Japan - Art of Life cover after their name change!

What happened with their name change was I was playing their Cd Jealousy at where I used to work where some didn't like my musical tastes but one customer asked when I was playing X's song Silent Jealousy who was this I responded X. He said that's impossible because there was another band called X. X the Los Angeles punk band laid dormant for a while but he represented them when he contacted X the X in Japan to go through a name change since there is already a band called X. And when they released their epic 29 minute song Art of Life they had undergone their name change to X Japan.

I talked to the customer if he had anything to do with their name change and he said he contacted them to enforce their name change. I didn't believe it one of my favorite bands with the coolest of coolest names had to go through a name change. Sorry to X for the name change to X Japan. In Japan X Japan is a legendary band and I collected most of their cds and cd singles. They constantly sell out at the Tokyo Dome concerts in Japan and have legions of fans in Japan and elsewhere. They have plenty of imitators after the Visual Band boom happened in Japan after X. Psychedic Violence and Crime of Visual Shock !!!! Now X Japan is back after being silent after 9 years after the death of Hide. I can't wait for their next album. They are featured on Saw IV with a new music video and song titled IV dedicated to Hide. X was also in the American movie Tokyo Pop about an American in Japan experiencing the Japanese music scene starring Diamond Yukai from the Red Warriors and Carrie Hamilton the daughter of Carol Burnett. Also X I think were the inspiration of the anime X by Clamp. X being the anime where angels and demons are fighting in modern day Tokyo. Here is the intricate and epic song masters X or now known as X Japan and its all my fault really. Sorry X!

X - Love Replica feat Hide
X - Yoshiki keyboard and drum solo
X - Voiceless Screaming feat Taiji
X - Kurenai
X - Xclamation
X - Blue Blood
X - Silent Jealousy
X Japan - Art of Life
X Japan - Crucify my Love
X Japan - White Poem
X Japan - IV
X Japan - Tears
X Japan - Forever Love
X in the Movie Tokyo Pop
X 1999 Clamp Anime Movie Trailer