X Japan

X Japan was 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.

Before 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 and Toshimitsu Deyama 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 (aka Hideto Matsumoto), rhythm guitarist Pata (aka Tomoaki Ishizuka), and bassist Taiji (aka 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.

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