X Japan - Forever Love (The Last Live) [HQ | 高质素]

X Japan was like the KISS or Queen of Japan - their live material blew away anything they had done in the studio! Anybody who has seen clips of them can testify that it really is extraordinary seeing these 5 guys whip 50,000+ fans into a frenzy with just the opening chord of "Kurenai." Brilliant.

That being said, their last show as a group together was an emotional one. Nobody wanted to see these guys break-up, and if you see the videos, they all cry at one point or another. After watching them, I sort of did, too.

Despite that, everybody is at the top of their game. Toshi's vocals soar as usual, and compared to the studio works, they aren't as dominating. hide's and Pata's synchronized guitar work are superb as always, especially on "X." Heath may not be a radical as Taiji, but he is an impressive bassist, nonetheless. The real star here is Yoshiki, though. He has not one, but 2 drum solos, and they are an absolute marvel to here. How he managed to play through this entire recording, I'll never know. His piano playing is also superb.

The track list is like a "best-of X Japan" showcase. Each track is either as good as the album version or better. Ballads like "Endless Rain" are made heart-wrenching because of the impending departure. My favorite track here, without a doubt, is "Forever Love." To this day, I have heard more passion put into a ballad than this. It truly is an absolute joy to hear, but is just as saddening knowing that hide would pass away not long after.

If one happens to come across it, I highly recommend you pick up. You don't need to know the language. Music is the universal language.

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