The Weekly Quickie: MeteoroiD, The 3rd Birthday, MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, MORRIE

It's not unusual in the visual kei scene for a band to make drastic changes to their image, but few are as drastic and complete as the recent reboot of MeteoroiD.  If you follow the band, you already know that their guitarist, Yutori, left the group back in September and was replaced by Mikado.  It seems the change in lineup has inspired a change in...well, everything else.  The technocolored, electropop band, METEOROID has become the dark, metal-inspired MeteoroiD.  They are so committed to the change that they have even removed their previous discography from their ohp and set any previous PV releases on their YouTube channel to private.  They have also announced the release of three consecutive singles:  Sokubaku on January 23, Fukushu on March 11, Kuroshoubi on May 13.  Check out the preview above to get a taste of their new sound.

The Weekly Quickie: Mix Speaker's, Inc., SuG, Maximum the Hormone, UCHUSENTAI:NOIZ, DOG in the PWO, BABYMETAL

We reported a couple of weeks ago on the addition of vocalist NIKA (ex-MoNoLith Keita) to the Mix Speaker's, Inc. lineup.  On November 14, Mix Speaker's, Inc. released a demo on their YouTube channel of a new song recorded with their new lineup.  They will perform their first live with Nika on December 7 at Shinjuku BLAZE, kicking off a short one-man tour titled "Ghost House."

The Weekly Quickie: Knot Fest, Sailor Soldiers, BREAKERZ, LYCAON, lynch., MIYAVI

Planning on going to Knotfest this year?  No?  Well, I suggest you change your plans as some very awesome Japanese rock will shaking the stage in San Bernardino, California.  MAN WITH A MISSION, ONE OK ROCK and MAXIMUM THE HORMONE will all be taking the stage on 10/25.  Now, that is a killer lineup if I ever saw one.  If you are in the area, I HIGHLY recommend you go.  These three bands alone are worth the price of a festival ticket.

I've been seeing a TON of buzz on the net about the new Sailor Moon series that started up recently, but did you know there was a band?  It's called Sailor Soldiers and includes some familiar faces such as KillKills bassist Ery and Exist Trace guitarist Miko.  I expect some pop-metal goodness from these girls.  At the very least, some epic cosplay.