 We were recommended two strong contenders to watch this year, both bringing something fresh to the scene. Azavana Azavana Azavana, while essentially a new band, there is no doubt it’s built on top of Ashmaze! After Ashmaze’s vocalist Souma left, the band brought in former VIRGE vocalist Ryo and reformed as Azavana. Since then, the band released not only original songs, but new renditions of Ashmaze songs too. The addition of Ryo showcases his bellowing vocals and prolonged vibrato, creating a darker atmosphere that lingers throughout, and provides more depth to Azavana’s intense and metal-driven melodies. 201 Goushitsu (201号室) 201 Goushitsu 201 Goushitsu (201号室), also known as “Room201”, officially began their activities in May 2023. Despite being a relatively new band, they have already released a handful of tracks, including the single Lychee (ライチ), which features a Hatsune Miku vocal version for its YouTube release, influenced by bassist Shinna, who goes under the name “Tact” in the Vocaloid scene. The band offers a versatile sound that shifts from chaotic to refined jazz and funk. Though the band thematically embraces a menhera (“mental health”) style, their music contrasts with rich, soulful energy, complemented by touches of lo-fi and chillwave influences. After considering several names, they ultimately settled on “201 Goushitsu”, a name that was also approved by Lime, the vocalist of Kizu, who dismissed many of the earlier suggestions. With aspirations to perform at the legendary Nippon Budokan stage, the band aims to popularize visual kei to the general public, to make it a key part of Japanese rock, while preserving its core essence. (Back to top) Long-time readers will recognize these three picks, but it’s interesting to see which bands stand out from the perspective of a littleHEARTS. staff member, someone involved in the visual kei scene on a daily basis. Here are the top three visual kei bands they recommend to the overseas audiences. 3. BabyKingdom BabyKingdom BabyKingdom stands out in the visual kei scene with their playful energy and vibrant aesthetics. If you’re after catchy pop rock melodies and theatrical performances, look no further! 2. ZeroHz (零[Hz]) Zero[Hz] Zero[Hz] brings a bold, edgy vibe with heavy riffs and a modern sound. With stylish guitar and wistful vocals, their powerful performance leaves a lasting impact. 1. vistlip vistlip A true senpai-band, vistlip has been in the scene for nearly 20 years and is still going strong! Their nostalgic visual kei sound and signature vocals remain at the core, delivering pop rock with a sense of empowerment and determination. (Back to top) Since these bands are already well-established, we’ll leave you with a gallery grid showcasing the selected picks in no particular order. Click the respective band name to read more: (Back to top) BAROQUE has been on hiatus since 2020, so the staff was hesitant to recommend them, instead mentioning BAROQUE as a personal favorite. However, based on guitarist kei’s social media activities, he remains active with multiple projects—be sure to follow him on X (formerly Twitter) if you’re interested! BAROQUE (Back to top) We visited the littleHEARTS. store in Shinjuku ALTA around closing time, giving us the opportunity to take photos with ease. These photos were taken around the end of 2024.
){kind=link}
Curated From jrocknews.com Check Them Out For More Content.
“littleHEARTS.”, a well-known chain in Japan catering to the visual kei scene, is a haven for fans, offering CDs, exclusive releases, and merchandise. It is truly a gem, as many other similar stores in Japan have sadly closed. Unfortunately, its Shinjuku ALTA location met the same fate, closing its doors when the mall officially shut down last month on February 28. Though the closure was announced in 2024, seeing such an iconic landmark disappear remains bittersweet.
To commemorate the store, and given littleHEARTS.’ active role and involvement in the scene, we thought it’d be interesting to ask a staff at the shop for their top visual kei band recommendations for overseas fans!
Before we dive in, keep in mind that these picks don’t represent littleHEARTS. as a whole—these picks are the personal favorites of one friendly staff member who kindly took their valuable time to chat with us. They also intentionally skipped obvious names like DIR EN GREY, the GazettE, and so on.
Since we discussed multiple categories with the staff, we’ve divided this coverage into several sections. Feel free to jump to the one that interests you most.
Jump to:
- Rising visual kei bands to watch in 2025
- Top 3 visual kei bands recommended by staff
- Popular visual kei bands you should still check out
- Staff’s personal favorite band
- Photo tour: Inside “littleHEARTS.” Shinjuku
We were recommended two strong contenders to watch this year, both bringing something fresh to the scene.
Azavana
Azavana
Azavana, while essentially a new band, there is no doubt it’s built on top of Ashmaze!
After Ashmaze’s vocalist Souma left, the band brought in former VIRGE vocalist Ryo and reformed as Azavana. Since then, the band released not only original songs, but new renditions of Ashmaze songs too.
The addition of Ryo showcases his bellowing vocals and prolonged vibrato, creating a darker atmosphere that lingers throughout, and provides more depth to Azavana’s intense and metal-driven melodies.
201 Goushitsu (201号室)
201 Goushitsu
201 Goushitsu (201号室), also known as “Room201”, officially began their activities in May 2023. Despite being a relatively new band, they have already released a handful of tracks, including the single Lychee (ライチ), which features a Hatsune Miku vocal version for its YouTube release, influenced by bassist Shinna, who goes under the name “Tact” in the Vocaloid scene.
The band offers a versatile sound that shifts from chaotic to refined jazz and funk. Though the band thematically embraces a menhera (“mental health”) style, their music contrasts with rich, soulful energy, complemented by touches of lo-fi and chillwave influences.
After considering several names, they ultimately settled on “201 Goushitsu”, a name that was also approved by Lime, the vocalist of Kizu, who dismissed many of the earlier suggestions.
With aspirations to perform at the legendary Nippon Budokan stage, the band aims to popularize visual kei to the general public, to make it a key part of Japanese rock, while preserving its core essence.
Long-time readers will recognize these three picks, but it’s interesting to see which bands stand out from the perspective of a littleHEARTS. staff member, someone involved in the visual kei scene on a daily basis.
Here are the top three visual kei bands they recommend to the overseas audiences.
3. BabyKingdom
BabyKingdom
BabyKingdom stands out in the visual kei scene with their playful energy and vibrant aesthetics. If you’re after catchy pop rock melodies and theatrical performances, look no further!
2. ZeroHz (零[Hz])
Zero[Hz]
Zero[Hz] brings a bold, edgy vibe with heavy riffs and a modern sound. With stylish guitar and wistful vocals, their powerful performance leaves a lasting impact.
1. vistlip
vistlip
A true senpai-band, vistlip has been in the scene for nearly 20 years and is still going strong! Their nostalgic visual kei sound and signature vocals remain at the core, delivering pop rock with a sense of empowerment and determination.
Since these bands are already well-established, we’ll leave you with a gallery grid showcasing the selected picks in no particular order.
Click the respective band name to read more:
BAROQUE has been on hiatus since 2020, so the staff was hesitant to recommend them, instead mentioning BAROQUE as a personal favorite. However, based on guitarist kei’s social media activities, he remains active with multiple projects—be sure to follow him on X (formerly Twitter) if you’re interested!
BAROQUE
We visited the littleHEARTS. store in Shinjuku ALTA around closing time, giving us the opportunity to take photos with ease. These photos were taken around the end of 2024.