One of the first bands from Japan I was exposed to was L’arc~en~ciel (ラルク アン シエル, or “The Rainbow” in French), and the first album of theirs I heard was “Ark.” My first impression was that Hyde, the lead singer, sounded a lot like Geoff Tate, the lead singer of Queensrÿche. My second impression was that this band pretty much rocked as well or better than many American bands, even if I couldn’t understand what they were singing.
It just goes to show that music appreciation is universal. You don’t have to understand the lyrics to appreciate the passion behind the music, and L’arc has that in spades.
Here is my favorite song from that first album: Butterfly Sleep.
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