{"x":1610899216729,"d":[{"id":"120521370","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370?l=en-US","attributes":{"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"hide","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hide/120521370","artwork":{"width":2602,"height":2602,"url":"https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/9f/47/11/9f4711f7-f5f2-9e6d-9178-e76f84109cc4/mzl.svzhwvtv.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"121214","textColor1":"ffffff","textColor2":"ed808b","textColor3":"cfcfcf","textColor4":"c16a73"}},"views":{"live-albums":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/live-albums?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Live Albums"},"data":[]},"featured-release":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/featured-release?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Featured Release"},"data":[]},"featured-albums":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/featured-albums?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Essential Albums"},"data":[]},"latest-release":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/latest-release?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Latest Release"},"data":[]},"top-songs":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/top-songs?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Top Songs"},"data":[{"id":"1444819900","type":"songs","href":"/v1/catalog/us/songs/1444819900?l=en-US","attributes":{"previews":[{"url":"https://audio-ssl.itunes.apple.com/itunes-assets/AudioPreview128/v4/1e/32/d0/1e32d0bb-267a-f810-8955-0216685ec638/mzaf_3205726868692924321.plus.aac.ep.m4a"}],"artwork":{"width":3000,"height":3000,"url":"https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music128/v4/03/94/89/03948961-c1e6-26ce-b367-b2003bbe1624/00602577294051.rgb.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"0a0e0f","textColor1":"dedede","textColor2":"c7cac8","textColor3":"b4b4b5","textColor4":"a1a4a3"},"artistName":"MIYAVI vs hide","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/album/pink-spider-remix/1444819874?i=1444819900","discNumber":1,"genreNames":["Rock","Music"],"hasTimeSyncedLyrics":true,"durationInMillis":203827,"releaseDate":"2018-12-05","name":"Pink Spider (Remix)","editorialArtwork":{},"isrc":"JPPO01806002","hasLyrics":true,"albumName":"Samurai Sessions, Vol. 3 - Worlds Collide","playParams":{"id":"1444819900","kind":"song"},"trackNumber":10,"audioLocale":"ja","composerName":"hide"}},{"id":"1391553858","type":"songs","href":"/v1/catalog/us/songs/1391553858?l=en-US","attributes":{"previews":[{"url":"https://audio-ssl.itunes.apple.com/itunes-assets/AudioPreview125/v4/82/3c/53/823c5308-af15-dae7-fae9-cb5f09189a26/mzaf_1079374960173564099.plus.aac.ep.m4a"}],"artwork":{"width":3000,"height":3000,"url":"https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music115/v4/01/10/cf/0110cfda-bc5a-ef03-6e05-80f0c05fc260/00602567759737.rgb.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"c8c9cb","textColor1":"080709","textColor2":"121112","textColor3":"2e2e2f","textColor4":"363537"},"artistName":"hide","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/album/hurry-go-round-hide-vocal-take2/1391553114?i=1391553858","discNumber":1,"genreNames":["Rock","Music"],"hasTimeSyncedLyrics":true,"durationInMillis":293067,"releaseDate":"2018-06-06","name":"Hurry Go Round (hide Vocal Take2)","editorialArtwork":{},"isrc":"JPPO01802166","hasLyrics":true,"albumName":"Impulse -hide Tribute-","playParams":{"id":"1391553858","kind":"song"},"trackNumber":7,"audioLocale":"ja","composerName":"hide"}}]},"similar-artists":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/similar-artists?l=en-US","next":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/similar-artists?l=en-US&offset=10","attributes":{"title":"Similar Artists"},"data":[{"id":"120521417","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521417?l=en-US","attributes":{"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"hide with Spread Beaver","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hide-with-spread-beaver/120521417","artwork":{"width":500,"height":500,"url":"https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music113/v4/d4/83/7e/d4837e75-ff9d-5515-fcd1-54053c65c345/pr_source.png/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"211e28","textColor1":"edcfcf","textColor2":"eea69f","textColor3":"c4abad","textColor4":"c58b87"}}},{"id":"28547425","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/28547425?l=en-US","attributes":{"isGroup":true,"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"zilch","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/zilch/28547425"}},{"id":"888416224","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/888416224?l=en-US","attributes":{"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"X","artistBio":"X Japan is one of the most influential rock bands in Japanese history. Formed as a speed metal band in the early '80s, the group attracted attention not only for its music, but also its popularization of visual kei, a cultural/musical/fashion movement whose emphasis on outrageous hairstyles and androgynous makeup was similar to glam rock. By the early '90s, X had also woven power ballads, pop, and classical music into the band's catalog, creating a sound that helped the group enter -- and, for several years, dominate -- the Japanese mainstream.\r\nBefore signing with a major label in 1988, X was one of the country's first independent acts to achieve national success. Childhood friends Yoshiki Hayashi (drums/keys) and Toshimitsu Deyama (vocalist/guitarist known as Toshi) formed the band as high-school students, and Yoshiki established his own label, Extasy Records, to release the group's material. With lead guitarist Hide (born Hideto Matsumoto), rhythm guitarist Pata (born Tomoaki Ishizuka), and bassist Taiji (born Taiji Sawada) filling out the lineup, X released several singles and one full-length album, 1988's Vanishing Vision, before signing with Sony toward the end of the decade. The group's major-label debut, Blue Blood, appeared in 1989.\r\nBlue Blood went multi-platinum on the strength of three hit singles. The band's follow-up effort, Jealousy, was similarly popular, becoming the 12th best-selling album of 1991 despite its mid-year release. With the intention of breaking into international markets, X lengthened its name to X Japan (a decision meant to distinguish the Japanese group from the similarly named American punk band) and signed a new contract with Atlantic Records. The guys also hired bass player Heath (born Hiroshi Morie) to replace the departing Taiji. Drawing from the classical background of Yoshiki -- who'd emerged as the band's leader -- X Japan returned in 1993 with Art of Life, a symphonic album consisting of one long, eclectic, 29-minute track. Yoshiki also released a second symphonic album in 1993, working with producer George Martin to produce classical arrangements of several X Japan songs. Released later that year, Eternal Melody became the best-selling classical record in Japanese history. Meanwhile, Hide, Heath, and Toshi all released their own solo discs, with Hide's Hide Your Face enjoying the most popularity.\r\nWhen X Japan returned in 1996 with Dahlia, the band both looked and sounded different. With the exception of Hide, who continued to favor the visual kei style, the musicians had largely abandoned the use of outrageous hairstyles and flashy costumes. They'd also pushed their sound into smoother territory, favoring ballads like \"Forever Love\" that highlighted Yoshiki's piano playing and Toshi's vocals over fast, furious rock songs. Even so, Dahlia proved to be one of X Japan's most popular albums to date; four singles topped the Japanese charts, and another song, \"Tears,\" peaked at number two. \r\nX Japan had become a national institution by the mid-'90s, but the band nevertheless pulled the plug in September 1997, with Toshi announcing his desire to leave the group and pursue music on a much simpler scale (a decade later, he revealed that he had actually gone bankrupt after being \"brainwashed\" by a cult). Several months later, the band held its farewell performance at the Tokyo Dome on New Year's Eve. \r\nIn the months that followed, Hide quietly emerged as the band's busiest alum, playing shows in support of his second solo release, Psyence, and even forming an American-based side project, Zilch, with members of Spread Beaver, Queens of the Stone Age, Killing Joke, and the Professionals. On May 2, 1998, Hide was found unconscious in his apartment and later died, the result of an apparent suicide. \r\nNearly ten years after Hide's death, X Japan began laying the foundation for a reunion. Former Luna Sea guitarist Sugizo, who'd helped popularize the visual kei movement alongside X Japan during the '90s, was brought aboard as the group's newest member, and the band began holding rehearsals in mid-2007. By the end of the year, they'd recorded a new song, \"I.V.,\" and an international tour followed. In 2010, during a two-night run in Japan's Nissan Stadium, the band briefly reunited with founding bassist Taiji, who passed away the following year after complications resulting from an attempted suicide. The band continued to tour the world and record new music, but a follow-up to Dahlia still hung in limbo.\r\nIn 2016, after years of continual delays, X Japan officially announced their sixth studio album and accompanying documentary, We Are X; however, in early 2016 Pata was rushed to the hospital for treatment of a severe blood clot, and although he was discharged, the album was again delayed. The documentary and its accompanying soundtrack saw release in 2017. We Are X debuted in the Top Five of the Oricon charts and broke into the U.K. Top 30, peaking at number one on the U.K. Rock & Metal Albums chart. To celebrate the release, X Japan premiered the film before performing a headlining show at Wembley Arena on March 4, 2017, 40 years after Yoshiki and Toshi joined forces with their first band in 1977. ~ Andrew Leahey","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/x/888416224","artwork":{"width":659,"height":659,"url":"https://is5-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music123/v4/10/c1/32/10c1320a-45cc-3e7d-d10f-c2a4e9da17fc/pr_source.png/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"1b1714","textColor1":"f4d1b3","textColor2":"d2bca3","textColor3":"c8ac93","textColor4":"ae9b87"}}},{"id":"254545979","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/254545979?l=en-US","attributes":{"artwork":{"width":2400,"height":2400,"url":"https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/77/64/31/7764316b-b5d3-b418-17d7-72a6923ca2d0/mzl.pcilxfym.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"4c5c8d","textColor1":"f2f1f6","textColor2":"edeef3","textColor3":"d1d3e1","textColor4":"ccd1df"},"origin":"Chiba, Japan","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/x-japan/254545979","genreNames":["Rock"],"artistBio":"Formed in 1982, Japanese heavy metal band X JAPAN pioneered the glam-inspired visual kei movement and went on to sell more than 30 million records.\n\r\n∙ In 1988, influenced by speed metal and glam rock, they released their debut album, Vanishing Vision, which topped the Oricon Indie Albums chart.\r\n∙ X JAPAN was started by childhood friends Yoshiki Hayashi and Toshimitsu Deyama, who originally called the band X, but they changed the name to avoid confusion with the legendary L.A. punk group.\r\n∙ Rolling Stone Japan named 1989’s Blue Blood—which produced the hits “Endless Rain” and “Kurenai”—one of the 100 Greatest Japanese Rock Albums of All Time.\r\n∙ They’ve maintained a vigorous touring schedule for more than three decades and were voted Best Live Band by the heavy metal magazine Loudwire in 2015.\r\n∙ We Are X—a documentary about the band’s history and impact—premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival.","isGroup":true,"bornOrFormed":"1982","name":"X JAPAN","editorialArtwork":{"storeFlowcase":{"width":4320,"height":1080,"url":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features19/v4/9e/82/92/9e829249-75bb-d0b1-59c9-7a6613f5b830/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"111217","textColor1":"ffffff","textColor2":"d3b9c5","textColor3":"cfcfd0","textColor4":"ac98a2"},"subscriptionHero":{"width":4320,"height":1080,"url":"https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features22/v4/84/4e/23/844e23c6-9930-db49-ebbc-966ab5aba44c/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"111217","textColor1":"dcbab4","textColor2":"e0b98e","textColor3":"b49894","textColor4":"b79776"},"bannerUber":{"width":4320,"height":1080,"url":"https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features22/v4/89/45/95/894595ff-1715-2a76-4391-b72869a8db8e/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"111217","textColor1":"dcbab4","textColor2":"e0b98e","textColor3":"b49894","textColor4":"b79776"}}}},{"id":"76035150","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/76035150?l=en-US","attributes":{"artwork":{"width":2400,"height":2400,"url":"https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/80/8c/e1/808ce1de-68e9-e0e1-8936-9a804d5433aa/mzl.rvcronoc.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"d1d1d1","textColor1":"0b0b0b","textColor2":"242424","textColor3":"333333","textColor4":"474747"},"origin":"Kanagawa, Japan","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/luna-sea/76035150","genreNames":["Rock"],"artistBio":"With a taste for big hair, gothic makeup, flashy costumes, and stage theatrics, alt-rockers LUNA SEA helped launch Japan’s glam-inspired visual kei movement in the ’90s.\n\n∙ Known for his six-string wizardry, lead guitarist Sugizo incorporated psych-rock influences on the Top 10 hit “Rosier,” which won Best Promotional Video at the 1994 Japan Record Awards.\n∙ Singer-songwriter Akino Arai guests on “In Silence,” from their Platinum-certified 1996 album, Style, which was the theme song for the Japanese broadcast of Chicago Hope.\n∙ Moonlighting as a solo artist, frontman Ryuichi Kawamura went full J-pop with his 1997 chart-topper, Love, which sold more than 1 million copies the week it was released.\n∙ The band ditched its flamboyant style and punk influences for a straightforward alt-rock sound on 1998’s Shine, which won Rock Album of the Year at the Japan Gold Disc Awards.\n∙ During a 10-year hiatus in the 2000s, Sugizo joined visual kei vanguards (and former mentors) Japan X, and Kawamura formed pop-rock outfit Tourbillon with rhythm guitarist Inoran.\n∙ Legendary British producer Steve Lillywhite called it a “huge honor” to work on 2019’s Cross, the band’s first release to top Billboard Japan’s Hot Albums chart.","isGroup":true,"bornOrFormed":"1989","name":"LUNA SEA","editorialArtwork":{}}},{"id":"74567097","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/74567097?l=en-US","attributes":{"isGroup":true,"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"Kuroyume","artistBio":"Top-level stars of the golden age of visual kei, Kuroyume (\"Black Dream\") are comparable with X-Japan and Luna Sea in terms of influence on the J-rock scene of the '90s and 2000s. Teetering on the verge of black metal in their early days, the band later learned to combine pop appeal with a healthy doze of radicalism in both sound and image, serving as a source of inspiration for artists like Merry and Dir en Grey whose vocalist, Kyo, used to be Kuroyume's roadie, an influence mirrored in his fashion and makeup style, drawn on the looks of its frontman Kiyoharu.\r\nKuroyume was founded in 1991, when Kiyoharu, ex-member of Sus4 and Garnet, joined up with his former Garnet bandmate Hitoki (bass). The lineup also featured guitarist Masaru, but he soon left, resurfacing in Oblivion Dust, with his position in Kuroyume taken by Shin. The group's first demo tapes date back to 1991, and in 1992 one of those, Ikiteta Chuuzetsuji, was reissued on a CD, showcasing the band's dark metal sound. Kuroyume shifted to rock on their second release, the album Nakigara Wo (1993), which still had a gothic vibe, but was more accessible, and provided the song \"Shinainaru Death Mask\" for the group's first promo video. Kuroyume also played live a lot, sharing the stage with such acts as L'Arc-en-Ciel and Silver Rose.\r\nThe indie days were over in 1994, when Kuroyume were signed by Toshiba EMI, the band's first record for the label being the single \"For Dear\" and the album Mayoeri Yuritachi (both 1994), followed by the EP Cruel (1994), which marked a move in the poppier direction. This didn't sit well with Shin, who left in 1995, concentrating on his other band, Vinyl, and although he had been that band's main songwriter, Kiyoharu and Hitoki decided to continue without him, working as a duo and writing the music themselves. Kuroyume capitalized on their new mainstream rock sound with successful albums Feminism (1995) and Fake Star (1996), the latter bringing them an MTV Video Music Award for the song \"Pistol.\"After that, Kuroyume showed their spirit again, reinventing themselves as a punk rock band on Drug Treatment (1997), which became a million-seller. Another punk album, Corkscrew, followed in 1998, but it proved to be their last: in 1999 the band was suspended for an indefinite period. Hitoki's health issues were cited, but it seemed to be a pretext for creative differences, because both members launched their solo careers, Hitoki's most notable new band being Piranaheads, and Kiyoharu establishing SADS and then proceeding to work solo under his own name. He collaborated with Sugizo of Luna Sea and Kirito of Pierrot, and created his own label, on which he produced Merry. He even started his own clothing and accessory lines. In January 2009, Kuroyume got together for a one-off gig at the Budokan, which marked the official disbandment of the group. \r\nA short few years later, however, the duo got back together again, signing with massive J-Pop factory Avex in 2012 and releasing the peculiarly titled album Headache and Dub Reel Inch. The band's time away hadn't hurt their fanbase and the album was a big seller despite ambivalent reviews. They swiftly followed up with Kuro to Kage (\"Darkness and Shadows\") in early 2014, which was a better album with a more straightforward punk-metal feel. Kiyoharu carried on his solo career in parallel, releasing the album Under the Sun in 2012. ~ Alexey Eremenko","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/kuroyume/74567097","artwork":{"width":1500,"height":1500,"url":"https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features/v4/b4/c7/1b/b4c71bcd-2261-14b2-e3b8-27cf561b4274/mzl.mgswfxgg.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"040404","textColor1":"e0cab9","textColor2":"d6c5b0","textColor3":"b4a295","textColor4":"ac9e8e"}}},{"id":"73617069","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/73617069?l=en-US","attributes":{"artwork":{"width":2400,"height":2400,"url":"https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/b3/25/54/b3255453-0c72-90f6-ec16-81861d9c35ad/mzl.cooxcbkb.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"000000","textColor1":"f7f6fb","textColor2":"f6172d","textColor3":"c6c5c9","textColor4":"c41224"},"origin":"Japan","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/buck-tick/73617069","genreNames":["Rock"],"artistBio":"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 Cocteau Twins and KMFDM to Clan of Xymox and Spread Beaver along the way (though usually outside of their main jobs).\r\nThe group, initially named Hinan Go-Go, was started in the town of Fujioka in 1984 by Imai Hisashi, who couldn't even play any instruments at the time, and Higuchi Yutaka, who played bass. Imai chose the guitar, and the two completed the lineup with their high school friends Hidehiko Hoshino (guitars), Sakurai Atsushi (drums), and Araki (vocals). At this stage, the bandmembers limited themselves to covers, mostly of the radical Japanese hardcore band the Stalin, and began working on their attire and makeup. Within the same year, the group changed its name to Buck-Tick (derived from the Japanese word for \"firecracker\"), moved to Tokyo, and began writing original songs. Yutaka brought his older brother Yagami Toll into the fold, fresh out of his own disbanded act, SP. Yagami filled in as the drummer, and Sakurai took over as the vocalist, Araki getting the boot because of his lack of skill. Since then, Buck-Tick's lineup hasn't changed.\r\nBuck-Tick began playing Tokyo clubs, still taking great care in their appearance (of special note were their foot-tall dyed hairdos), and debuted with their first LP, Hurry Up Mode, in 1987, released on the indie label Taiyou Records. Soon the major labels began courting Buck-Tick, and they signed with Victor, which promised them the most freedom and was rewarded by the band's second album, Sexual XXXXX! (1987), which reached number 33 on the Oricon charts despite being a major-label debut. Another CD, Seventh Heaven, followed in 1988, and for the next album, Taboo (1989), the band traveled to London, which lent its darker atmosphere to the record, allowing Buck-Tick, who were into pop-punk at the time, to shed the status of short-term pop wonders without losing their popularity. \r\nThe band scored some appearances on TV shows and in commercials; even Imai's arrest for LSD possession in 1989 (his sentence was suspended) didn't stop them: in 1990, they released the Baudelaire-inspired Aku No Hana (Flowers of Evil), their best-selling album that fully delved into goth sounds and cemented their popularity. Its release was preceded by a gig at the Tokyo Dome in front of 50,000 people -- shows of this size became a yearly event for Buck-Tick. The three subsequent albums that came out between 1991 and 1995 stuck close to the dark visual kei sound, drifting toward philosophical, conceptual topics but still enjoying success. In 1990 the band also released a disc of symphonic covers of their songs performed by the Berlin Chamber Orchestra, and in 1992 re-recorded their tunes for a greatest-hits compilation.\r\nBuck-Tick hit some tumultuous times in 1996, when they went \"cyberpunk,\" introducing electronic influences on their album Cosmos. The same year saw Sakurai almost die of peritonitis during a photo shoot in Nepal, and in 1997, the band changed from Victor to Mercury/Polygram, which released Sexy Stream Liner, another cyberpunk album with some Theremin thrown in. The single \"Gessekai\" (1998) was used in the anime series Nightwalker, which introduced the band to a Western audience, but for the next several years, Buck-Tick eased up the pace, releasing their next LP, One Life, One Death, in 2000, dabbling in side projects, and switching to BMG in the meantime. The band picked up steam in 2002-2003, releasing thematically connected albums Kyokuto I Love You and Mona Lisa Overdrive, the latter drawing its name from a William Gibson novel and serving as a closer to Buck-Tick's cyberpunk period. \r\nAnother year of solo work followed, and then came a head-on charge into goth music and a visual goth style for the album Juusan-Kai Wa Gekkou (2005) and its supporting tour, which featured an elaborate stage show involving a clown and a ballerina. In 2005 the band's 1993 song \"Dress\" was featured in the anime series Trinity Blood, and in 2006, Buck-Tick recorded the song \"Kagerou\" for the anime series xxxHolic, and also indulged in a major celebration of the 20th anniversary of their first major-label appearance, including an ambitious tour and a cover album that featured Abingdon Boys School and members of Luna Sea, Glay, and Thee Machine Gun Elephant, among others. Buck-Tick released another album, Tenshi No Revolver, in 2007, reverting back to a straight alt-rock sound, which was to be explored further on the LP Memento Mori, scheduled for February 2009. ~ Alexey Eremenko","isGroup":true,"bornOrFormed":"","name":"Buck-Tick","editorialArtwork":{}}},{"id":"74563003","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/74563003?l=en-US","attributes":{"isGroup":true,"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"Sex Machineguns","artistBio":"Sex Machineguns, whose name was meant to indicate they're tougher than the Sex Pistols, became the prime keepers of the heavy metal flame in Japan in the late '90s and 2000s, blending Florida thrash and early German speed/power metal and spicing it up with violent lyrics and extravagant fashion statements, courtesy of the flourishing visual kei scene. The beginnings of the band date back to 1989, when it was a project of two university students, Anchang (vocals and guitar) and Mad Power (drums). After graduation, Anchang moved on to become a regular office worker, and the real story of Sex Machineguns didn't start until 1995, when Mad Power pushed him to revive the band, adding bassist Noisy and guitarist Sussy to the lineup. Sex Machineguns debuted with the EP Live Fire in 1997, and soon received a record deal from EMI. Mad Power left soon after the band got signed and was replaced by Speed Star Sypan Joe, who, in turn, quit in 2000 citing health problems, but still started his own group, Dasein, in 2001. His post was taken over by Clutch J. Himawari, formerly of CleiR. Meanwhile, Sex Machineguns had their major-label debut with the single Hanabi-la Daikaiten (1998), and then released their first studio album Sex Machinegun (1998). It charted at number 29 and was followed by Made in Japan (1999), which began the band's streak of five Top Ten records (including the live CD Burning Hammer, 2001, and the best-of Machineguns Get-Together, 2003). True to heavy metal ethos, Sex Machineguns toured like crazy, selling out the Budokan in 2000. The intense lifestyle became too much for Sussy by 2001 after the band's third album, Barbe-Q Michael, but the newlywed dropout was replaced by C.V. Panther of CleiR.\r\nThe fourth album, Ignition (2002), charted at number eight, but in 2003 Sex Machineguns suddenly announced their disbandment, throwing another Budokan gig as a way of waving goodbye. Noisy and Clutch defected into punk, and Anchang tried to establish a solo project, but in 2004 he, along with Circuit V.Panther and Speed Star Sypan Joe, resurrected Sex Machineguns. The bass was handled by Samurai W. Kenjilaw, who used to play in Cali Gari as Kanjirou. Their mid-2000s efforts Heavy Metal Thunder (2005) and Made in USA (2006), however, didn't create as much commercial fuss as before, charting at number 22 and number 29, respectively. Made in USA was, unsurprisingly, recorded in America, where Sex Machineguns debuted live at the time. In 2006 the band broke up for the third time in its history, with all members but Anchang going on to form Cycle, and the mastermind himself dabbling in another side project before returning to Sex Machineguns again. The band, now a trio including Ryotatsu Kuwae (guitar) and Ken'ichi Imai (drums), released three digital singles in 2007 and its seventh studio album, Kyameron, in 2008. The album charted at a modest number 39. ~ Alexey Eremenko","genreNames":["Alternative"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/sex-machineguns/74563003","artwork":{"width":2400,"height":2400,"url":"https://is3-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/19/ae/2c/19ae2cca-3968-65ac-b7ce-3321b9bceafa/mzl.ggzpvdfr.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"2c0d0b","textColor1":"ecd8ae","textColor2":"dec688","textColor3":"c5af8d","textColor4":"baa16f"}}},{"id":"74567332","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/74567332?l=en-US","attributes":{"isGroup":false,"editorialArtwork":{},"name":"Hotei","artistBio":"At age 14, Japanese guitarist Hotei was mesmerized by a poster of T. Rex’s Marc Bolan, which inspired him to purchase his first guitar.\n\n∙ Hotei cofounded the popular ’80s Japanese rock band BOØWY and was also one-half of the duo Complex.\n∙ Two of his albums have topped the Japanese charts—1991’s Guitarhythm 2 and 1996’s King & Queen—and he’s had multiple Top 10 singles, including 1995’s pop-rock chart-topper “Thrill.”\n∙ A massive British music fan, he performed “All the Young Dudes” live with David Bowie in 1996 and “Respectable” with the Rolling Stones in 2014.\n∙ He is also a noted film composer, contributing songs to 1998’s Fear And Loathing In Las Vegas and the theme for 2014’s Lupin the Third.\n∙ Quentin Tarantino selected Hotei’s dramatic, horn-heavy “Battle Without Honor or Humanity” to be heard before an epic fight scene in 2003’s Kill Bill Vol. 1.\n∙ 2015’s Strangers, his first internationally released album, featured guest vocals from his idol Iggy Pop, as well as members of Rammstein and Bullet for My Valentine.","genreNames":["Rock"],"url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/hotei/74567332","artwork":{"width":3471,"height":3471,"url":"https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Music114/v4/90/47/67/90476736-43aa-952a-7404-fa5089a28fe9/pr_source.png/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"2d1e1b","textColor1":"e1afa0","textColor2":"d6a194","textColor3":"bd9286","textColor4":"b4877c"}}},{"id":"705683182","type":"artists","href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/705683182?l=en-US","attributes":{"artwork":{"width":2400,"height":2400,"url":"https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features114/v4/71/58/83/7158839a-7211-e954-7870-e5a82eff5fa3/mzl.nehkxytu.jpg/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"2d1610","textColor1":"e8e3dc","textColor2":"d8a192","textColor3":"c2bab3","textColor4":"b68578"},"origin":"Hakodate, Hokkaidô, Japan","url":"https://music.apple.com/us/artist/glay/705683182","genreNames":["Rock"],"artistBio":"GLAY is one of Japan’s greatest J-rock bands, an outfit that has parlayed one trendy moment into decades of enduring relevance despite changing tastes. Formed in Hakodate, Hokkaido, in 1988, GLAY included some teen members who had known each other since elementary school. They grew up just as “visual kei”—a flamboyant underground movement that was as much an aesthetic as a musical genre—began to surface into Japan’s mainstream, and they embraced it all: the makeup, clothes, and music influenced by David Bowie, Kiss, Twister Sister, and others. Led by guitarist, composer, and lyricist Takuro Kubo and fronted by vocalist Teru, the group moved to Tokyo after graduation, acquiring bassist Jiro in 1991. Success did not immediately follow, but they signed to a label in 1993 and released their debut album, Hai To Diamond, a year later. That release, with its driving rhythms and closely controlled dual-guitar squall, set the tone for the band’s later releases: There are echoes of the driving joy of 1994’s “Two Bell Silence” even on 2017’s Summerdelics. And Takuro’s lyrics—which owe a debt to John Lennon in their forthrightness—were always given pride of place. The group ultimately moved away from visual kei but retained their unique sound, drawing massive crowds to their live shows and remaining one of Japan’s best-selling artists into the 21st century.","isGroup":true,"bornOrFormed":"1995","name":"GLAY","editorialArtwork":{"originalFlowcaseBrick":{"width":1778,"height":600,"url":"https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features5/v4/93/46/54/93465490-a8fd-e764-761e-b5e325631fe6/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"ecf7f9","textColor1":"000606","textColor2":"282e24","textColor3":"2f3637","textColor4":"4f564e"},"subscriptionHero":{"width":4320,"height":1080,"url":"https://is4-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features4/v4/60/13/62/60136271-b8a9-b209-c8c7-eaf3c81c4258/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"e8f3f8","textColor1":"000606","textColor2":"22261d","textColor3":"2e3637","textColor4":"4a4f49"},"bannerUber":{"width":4320,"height":1080,"url":"https://is2-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Features1/v4/7f/fe/8d/7ffe8d7e-64b8-8bf1-9afc-b2cd1f47e04c/source/{w}x{h}bb.jpeg","bgColor":"e8f3f8","textColor1":"000201","textColor2":"363128","textColor3":"2f3233","textColor4":"5a5852"}}}}]},"appears-on-albums":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/appears-on-albums?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Appears On"},"data":[]},"top-music-videos":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/top-music-videos?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Top Videos"},"data":[]},"playlists":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/playlists?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Artist Playlists"},"data":[]},"compilation-albums":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/compilation-albums?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Compilations"},"data":[]},"singles":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/singles?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Singles & EPs"},"data":[]},"full-albums":{"href":"/v1/catalog/us/artists/120521370/view/full-albums?l=en-US","attributes":{"title":"Albums"},"data":[]}},"meta":{"views":{"order":["featured-release","latest-release","top-songs","featured-albums","full-albums","top-music-videos","playlists","singles","live-albums","compilation-albums","appears-on-albums","similar-artists"]}}}]}