BUCK-TICK

Patriarchs of visual kei, Buck-Tick may not get as much international recognition as their counterparts X-Japan do, but they certainly have done no less for the development of the style, and have achieved stardom in their native country in the process. A versatile band, Buck-Tick moved from optimistic pop-punk and new wave to goth music and hard rock, dabbled in electronica, and returned to rock again, with bandmembers collaborating with musicians ranging from the Cocteau Twins and KMFDM to Clan of Xymox and Spread Beaver along the way. ~ Alexey Eremenko