X JAPAN

Formed in 1982 in Tateyama, in Chiba Prefecture, around YOSHIKI and Toshl, X JAPAN first established itself under the name X on the Japanese rock scene of the late 1980s, before adopting its current name in 1992, at a time of opening to international audiences. The band developed a sound that blends speed metal, heavy metal, hard rock, glam rock and symphonic passages, with a songwriting approach based on alternating very fast tracks, melodic refrains and piano ballads. This aesthetic, associated with a theatrical image, helped to structure the codes of visual kei. After the independent album Vanishing Vision in 1988, X followed with Blue Blood in 1989, Jealousy in 1991, then X JAPAN published Art of Life in 1993 and Dahlia in 1996. The band's trajectory is marked by several lineup changes, then a split in 1997. Reassembled in 2007, X JAPAN resumed concerts in Japan and abroad, with SUGIZO on guitar and violin from 2009 alongside YOSHIKI, Toshl, PATA and HEATH. X JAPAN has performed both in large Japanese venues and on international stages such as Madison Square Garden in 2014 or Coachella in 2018. Since the 2018 concerts, the band's public activity has remained intermittent, while HEATH's death in 2023 again marked its history.