WAntic Café is a Japanese pop rock band formed in 2003 and signed to Sony Music Japan. Their visual image is oshare kei, and they describe their music as "Harajuku Dance Rock". The group has released six full-length albums, two compilation albums, and four EPs. On September 1, 2009, the band announced that after their live show on January 4, 2010 at the Nippon Budokan, they would suspend activities and put the group on hiatus, however they stated they will not disband. In 2012, after a two-year break, the team announced the resumption of activities. In June 2018, the band announced the departure of all members but Miku and a hiatus beginning in January 2019.
WAural Vampire is a Japanese group led by EXO-CHIKA (vocals/lyrics) and RAVEMAN (music) from Tokyo, Japan.
WThe Back Horn is a Japanese rock band, formed in Tokyo in 1998.
WBalzac is a Japanese punk band formed in 1992 in Kyoto. The band was founded by singer and songwriter Hirosuke Nishiyama, who has remained the only constant member of the band since its creation. Since the beginning, Balzac was highly influenced by the sound and image of the famous horror punk band The Misfits and, especially during the very early years, Glenn Danzig's Samhain, adopting and combining the musical and visual style of both bands to create their own. The band often stays away from the "campy" horror lyrics and image found in most horror punk bands, as the lyrics by Hirosuke tend to be more like dark poetry and, though not always serious, deal with themes of darkness, loneliness and fear.
WD is a Japanese visual kei metal/rock band formed in 2003 by Asagi, Ruiza and Sin, after their previous band Syndrome disbanded. D's music includes heavy guitar songs, as well as melancholic ballads and even medieval music and folk dance from around the world. Their lyrics focus on love, human nature and esoteric themes, such as spirituality and the relationship between persons and nature, and their costumes are closely related to the stories they tell. Their styling matches their music: fantastical, gothic and elegant.
WD'espairsRay was a Japanese visual kei rock band active from 1999 to 2011. The lineup of Hizumi on vocals, Karyu on guitar, Zero on bass and Tsukasa on drums remained the same, with the group having released four full-length records, three EPs and thirteen singles. Outside Japan, D'espairsRay have toured Europe and North America and had domestic releases in those territories.
WDir En Grey is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. With a consistent lineup of guitarists Kaoru and Die, vocalist Kyo, drummer Shinya and bassist Toshiya, they have released ten full-length records. Numerous stylistic changes have made the genre of their music difficult to determine, though it is generally considered to be a form of metal. Originally a visual kei band, the members later opted for more subtle attire, but have continued to maintain a dramatic image on stage.
WDuelJewel (デュエルジュエル) is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in January 1997.
WGakuto Oshiro , better known by his mononymous stage name Gackt, is a Japanese musician, singer, songwriter, record producer and actor.
WGirugamesh was a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in 2003. The name is sometimes stylized with a metal umlaut as girugämesh and is derived from the Final Fantasy character. They disbanded on July 10, 2016.
WHangry & Angry-f is a Japanese female pop and rock duo created in 2008, consisting of former Morning Musume members Hitomi Yoshizawa ("Hangry") and Rika Ishikawa ("Angry").
WHideto Takarai , known by his stage name Hyde, is a Japanese musician, singer-songwriter, record producer, and actor. Best known as the lead vocalist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel since 1991, he is also the lead vocalist of Vamps and has a solo career.
WL'Arc-en-Ciel is a Japanese rock band, founded in Osaka in 1991. With a reported 40 million records sold, they were the first Japanese act to headline at Madison Square Garden. In 2003, they were ranked 58 on a list of the top 100 Japanese pop musicians by HMV Japan. While they first got their start as a visual kei band, they have not had any association with the movement since their major label debut in 1994.
WMerry is a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in Tokyo in 2001. The current member lineup consists of Gara on vocals, Yuu and Kenichi on guitar, Tetsu on bass, and Nero on the drums.
WMix Speaker's, Inc. were a Japanese visual kei rock band formed in early 2006. Their members were Aya, Seek, Keiji, S, Miki, and Yuki (Egurigori). Mix Speaker's, Inc. rapidly gained popularity throughout the winter and spring, appearing on the front cover of the visual magazine, Cure Magazine in May. Among their distinguishing marks were the two lead singers, Miki and Yuki, and elaborate monster and fantasy themed costumes.
WMoi dix Mois is a Japanese visual kei gothic metal band, founded in 2002 by Mana after Malice Mizer paused activities. The guitarist and sole songwriter has been the only constant member in a series of lineup changes, and the band's material is released on his own record label Midi:Nette.
WMucc is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki in 1997. Named after a character from the children's TV show Hirake! Ponkikki, the band is also known by the nickname "69" since the numbers six and nine can be pronounced "mu" and "ku", respectively, in Japanese. As of 2019, the band has released 14 studio albums, two live albums, three EPs, 41 singles and 21 home videos, some of which were also released in Europe.
WNightmare is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Sendai. Formed on January 1, 2000, it has consisted of Yomi, Sakito, Hitsugi, Ni~ya and Ruka for the majority of their career. They enjoyed mainstream success with the inclusion of their songs "The World" and "Alumina" in the Death Note anime and are considered a major act in the visual kei scene.
WSID is also the abbreviation of Indonesian punk band Superman is Dead
WVamps is a Japanese rock duo formed in 2008 by Hyde and K.A.Z. Only a year after their founding, Vamps performed its first international tour, ten dates in the United States, and in 2010 they went on their first world tour. Originally signed to Hyde's own record label Vamprose, every release the band has had to date has reached the top ten on the Oricon music chart. In 2013, the group changed labels to Universal Music Group's Delicious Deli Records and produced their worldwide debut release. After several tours and collaborations with Western acts, Vamps worked with outside producers and songwriters for the first time on the 2017 album Underworld before temporarily ceasing all activities at the end of that year.