The Weekly Quickie: SCREW, ViViD, SCANDAL, MEJIBRAY, The Black Swan, ALSDEAD, The Kiddie, the:Ø, The 3rd Birthday, MUCC, Anisong World Tour, LiSA, X-Japan

 I'm baaaaaaaaack!  And, boy do we have a lot to catch up on.  So, let's get to it, shall we?

SCREW has announced a hand full of new releases for the upcoming year. Their tour final held on December 28 at AiiA Theatre will be released as a DVD. This was their final performance with all five members. No release date yet, but I’m sure you guys want it. The group will continue on with four members with the release of a mini-album titled, Konsui on April 22, followed by a second mini-album, Kakusei, sometime in August.

Review: The Black Swan - The Hopeless

About the Band:  The Black Swan, founded by ex-NEGA frontman, Jin, officially started activities in March of 2014.  He is joined by guitarists Itsuki and Makoto, bassist Rena and drummer Len.  Their homepage describes them as a group that "...are sure to cause a sensation even in the scene where the true meaning of Visual Kei is dead."  With a dark look and violent sound that sets them apart from the crowd, I can't say they're wrong.  Released October 15, The Hopeless is their first single.

The Weekly Quickie: VAMPS Halloween Party, ViViD, Magistina Saga, Crossfaith, XENON, The Black Swan

It's almost Halloween!  So, guess what that means.  It's VAMPS Halloween Party time again!  This year's party, spanning over two weekends and five days, will include performances from DAIGO, Momoiro Clover Z, Kishidan, Tommy heavenly6, May J. SID, Nogizaka46, MUCC, Silent Siren, Golden Bomber and, of course, VAMPS.  The first three days will be at Makuhari Messe Oct 17-19 and the final two days at Kobe World Hall Oct 25-26.  The party will also feature performances by the special live band, Halloween Junky Orchestra, made up of performers of all participating groups.  This is going to be VERY cool, so if you happen to be in the area, you should really check it out.  If you need to purchase tickets from overseas, they are available at NEXUS Ticket Center.

The Weekly Quickie: TAG, THE MICRO HEAD4NS, MINORI, Shin, Yoshiki, D.I.D.

HOLLOWGRAM vocalist Ryo has announced his third release with his collaboration project, TAG.  Called Synapse Wall, this six track release promises a more electronic, industrial feel than we are used to from his previous projects.  Synapse Wall will release on July 30.  You can grab it, along with their previous releases, from iTunes or AmazonMp3.

The Weekly Quickie: ViViD, TSUKASA, D=OUT, The Black Swan

Ever wondered how to get the attention of your favorite band member?  ViViD drummer, Ko-ki, has all the answers.  He has decided to use his blog to give the fans insight into the inner workings of bandman life.  He's calling the project バンドマンのためになる話 (Useful Bandman Talk).  The information, however, doesn't come free.  The price:  RETWEETS!  The more retweets his blog posts get, the more in detail he will go, so make sure you follow him on twitter and hit that button!