DIR EN GREY
The five guys - Kyo, Kaoru, Die, Toshiya, and Shinya - have been in the same exact band since 1997 and never thought of stopping - some of course have side projects, but DIR remains stable and unbreakable.
Back in the late '90s, they were the absolute poster boys for Visual Kei. Massive hair, insane outfits, crazy makeup, playing this weirdly addictive mix of dark rock and gothic melodrama. The Visual Kei always is about over-the-top looks and they definitely lived up to it, creating adictive hits, which would get people going for weeks. I remember how hard it was to get a DIRU album in Poland. We listende from weird places - but it was worth it.
Around the mid-2000s, they possibly looked at each other and said, "Let's stop playing around and just terrify everyone."
They completely ditched the glamorous look, down-tuned their guitarsand started making some of the most chaotic, oppressive progressive metal you'll ever hear. Albums like Uroboros and DUM SPIRO SPERO are are so positively unsettling and expressive - and with grow of internet, the access to their music got easier.
Kyo must be one of most moving vocalists ever. He will start singing a gorgeous, heartbreaking opera line to turn to a guttural growl that sounds like a demonic being. On stage, sings but also screams, gags, claws at himself, and looks like he’s undergoing a full-blown exorcism. I have never had chance to go to their gigs, but that would be a dream, like stepping into a delicious abyss.
They don't make radio hits, they don't care about trends, and they never tried to fit their sound to get big in the West. Still, they have a very faithful fanbase worldwide.