Metal Anarchy

Marilyn Manson recently joined X Japan onstage at Coachella, and now it appears he will be guesting on the band’s new album as well. Yoshiki confirmed the news during a recent interview with Consequence Of Sound. He also revealed that the effort should be out in “late summer or early fall.”

Yoshiki said the following about the album:

“Recording’s done pretty much, we just have to mix it. It’s pretty edgy. It’s eclectic. Even though people want to say X Japan’s heavy-metal or hard rock, the album is very eclectic and a wide range is covered. I hope this album can contribute in bringing rock to the mainstream. I think I’m pretty confident.”

The effort has been in the works for almost 10 years, and a 2016 release was originally planned until it was shelved after guitarist Pata suffered from a serious medical situation. Yoshiki continued:

“I know it’s a long time, but when you listen to the sound you’ll understand why it took that long. 99% of the songs are in English and it’s our first record targeting a worldwide audience.”

He also added:

“This is the evolved version of X Japan, regardless of what happened in our past, it’s a new album. It’s sentimental because we had 2 deaths since our previous record. I have been influenced by so many types of music, hardcore punk-rock to classical, and everything in between, but I try to focus on the rock side which is my strength. I also try not to think about what people and X Japan fans want. Today, artists can speak to fans directly through social media, don’t get me wrong, their opinions are extremely important, but to create art sometimes you have to be selfish in your own way.”