One of the many things I like about Malice Mizer is the way they can fool everyone into falsely preconceiving their music style. Looking scary by many people's standards, they prove through and through that appearances can be either deceiving or transparent and that the only way to find out is to listen... one song at a time

The main composer, Mana, is the principal cause of Malice Mizer's unmatched miscellany. It doesn't matter if it is heavy guitar or soft violin arrangements; Mana is neutral in every sense of the word. Indeed, cross dressing has rarely looked that good and the queen of Japanese music has inspired many with not only music but style and charm, as well. As much as I try to consider visuals as a simple bonus, they really go to great lengths to fusion both aspects in one single art. Their shows include theatrical performances and each album and single comes with a brand new wardrobe, more outrageous and beautiful than the next.

Malice Mizer's story is a long and tragic one. It started in 1992 when Mana and Közi recruited Yu~ki, Tetsu (vocals) and Gaz (drums). Rarely present at reunions, Gaz was excused from the group a year later to be replaced by Kami. Since Mana was devoted to his music, any lacunae from fellow band members was not tolerated for very long. Annoyed with Tetsu’s poor vocal array, he was given the boot in 1995, right after the release of the band’s very first album, Memoire. Gackt was recruited later that year to present vocals up to par with Mana's standards. Two albums, Voyage Sans Retour and Merveilles, were released under his reign and engendered unmatched popularity.

I picked up my first Gackt CD, Moon, out of curiosity spawned from the amazing box art. I was basically expecting an album where everything revolved around the, albeit incredible, vocals of this ex-Malice Mizer member and didn't think Gackt's composing skills could come remotely close to that of his former band's leader, Mana. I even went as far as to think he might turn out to be an imperfect clone of his former band.

Having alleged to still be good friends with every member of his past band, his exceptional and multiple talents may help explain his unexpected departure from Malice Mizer. His musical genius was most likely put to waste in Mana's shadow and he wanted to soar using his own wings.

Gackt's parents were extremely strict. As a child, he was forced to practice piano two hours every day, watching and listening to pre-selected television shows and music. "It sure paid off," you say? Perhaps. But he hated it. Slowly breaking free from his parents' grasp, he started discovering new sounds and aspirations. He joined his friend's band in high school as a drummer. The band's vocalist left and Gackt jumped on the occasion to try something new. Discovering a new talent and passion in singing, he joined an emerging band in 1995, Malice Mizer, which also recently lost its vocalist. Gackt seemed to have breathed new life into the band with his suiting voice and optimism.

喜欢mana

恩！不错的乐队！有mana在