new member Panther! not intended for Sugizo fanboys and girls..

[andy.]

@wick: thank you very much!

[Wick]

@ForeverFades I can't disagree. Still while Sugizo is technically good enough, Panther is much and much better.

Compare this video of Pata vs Sugizo to the second video I posted here of Mikan no Uta which is Anchang vs Panther..

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4j-J_DeNcQ[/youtube]

Come on..it's bad. Sugizo and Pata didn't do a great job. In Love Replica even wrong notes were played.
It makes me think that Panther really is too good (check the opening of the SM Show Finale. that's how to play together ).

Sugizo's image and experience aren't questionable but Panther isn't bad either. He'll turn 41 in some days and this is how he looks now (the one on the right):




I think it's a close call between Panther and Sugizo. Like I said Sugizo is probably better suited for the direction they're heading now but it's also a matter of taste who to prefer.

[Matthias]

If Sugizo wouldn't have joined them I very much doubt they would have asked Panther, the chances would have been higher that Richard would have been the new guitarplayer.

And plays circles around everyone mentioned.

[Neru]

And plays circles around everyone mentioned.

If there is something that I learned from my short experience as a guitarist is that most of the time everybody has the right to judge technique, but no one has the right to judge musicality.

I personally am no fan of Vai's playing and I find much more pleasuring some simpler songs but there is no doubt that he is very innovative and a very experienced guitarist.

[Wick]

hehe Matthias, it's not about who's the most talented guitarist but who is suited for X Japan or do you think Steve Vai is a good option

btw Panther is a Steve Vai fanboy. The "V" in Circuit.V.Panther stood for Vai and I think he has more or less the same pick-ups as Vai.

[ForeverFades]

@Wick- I kinda feel ya there, Sugizo's guitar playing wasn't all that great on that little battle, but I don't think it shows a lack of skill rather a poor essence of improv.  I mean, I know plenty of talented guitarists, musicians in fact, who can sing/play their heart out but when it comes to on-the-spot make up time, it's like "...Can I get some sheet music..?"  Some people just aren't good improvisational musicians.

Funny thing is, I'm not even a Sugizo fanboy or anything. XD  I wasn't a big Luna Sea guy or anything, I mostly just like how X-Japan is still being kept in the family.  I remember reading an article by some guy who was hating on Yoshiki because, during the time, Yoshiki was getting guitarists from lots of different outside sources like ex-Limp Biskit and GnR.  He was saying that he should just get Sugizo and call it a day but Yoshiki was more focused on getting new fans rather than keeping X what it should be.

Like I said, Panther is a great guitarist and probably would've done a lot for X-Japan if hired on, I don't think he'd like sitting out for backtracked guitar solos but eh whatevs.

[Wick]

@ForeverFades

I can see your point. We're pretty much on the same line now

Like I said, Panther is a great guitarist and probably would've done a lot for X-Japan if hired on, I don't think he'd like sitting out for backtracked guitar solos but eh whatevs.

I also agree on that. That role is probably better for Sugizo lol

I'm obviously not a big fan of Sugizo but I still respect him and he's not bad..well not really

[Matthias]

hehe Matthias, it's not about who's the most talented guitarist but who is suited for X Japan or do you think Steve Vai is a good option

I think he's a pretty unlikely option. Seriously, of course Steve was not a serious suggestion.

The best suited guitarplayer imho for X Japan is Sugizo. He's got the skills, he knows the members of the band, his songwriting isn't that bad and he seems to have no problem with the hide-guitar-backing-tracks (although I'd like hime to step up and play all himself). I don't know who else has been shortlisted for the guitarspot, so it's hard for me to say 'Him or him would have been better'. Miyavi is also someone I wouldn't have been that surprised if he'd have been involved in the X Japan reunion, but I'm not sad it didn't happen.

[kevc]

haha the thought of circuit v panther in X just made me jizz my pants. X japan is one of my fav bands of all time, but Anchang and Panther wrote some of the most epic dual guitar solos I have heard in my lifetime, tons of emotion and creativity. How sexy would it of been if panther joined and gave a new spin on some of the solos of the old songs. As much as I like the old solos I love hearing fresh spins, changin a few notes here and there really bring a song back to life again and keep it from boredom. Just like what they did in SMG, many of their songs solos changed over the years and became more epic each time. One can only dream though lolol

btw totally forgot i could go on the internet to talk about x and smg. glad to see others out there love smg and circuit v as much as me

[Wick]

It's nice to see that more people like the idea of Panther with X Japan . It seems that I'm not the only one getting annoyed sometimes by Sugizo's playing.

When I first started discussing things like this, most would say Sugizo was the best among hide and Pata. Even that hide was the most unskilled.
I'm happy to see comments like the ones from the Sugizo vs Pata video that recently got some thumbs-up's:

[petersonzoya]

I never really heard anything of Sex Machineguns, tough I've read some stuff about them, but on the topic, there are in fact many guitarists technically better than sugizo, some of them are "unemployed", I don't know whats the relation between Yoshiki and Panther but when working with him, you need to be PATIENT (IMO), and if he hired someone that is not close to him, he would probably jump off the boat pretty quick, so just like you said, he made the right choice on picking Sugizo, not only he is an old friend of Yoshiki but he is also very well known among X fans.

[Wick]

I never really heard anything of Sex Machineguns

he made the right choice on picking Sugizo

Well..how do you know he made the right choice if you haven't heard anything of Sex Machineguns yet...perhaps that would change everything

I did say Sugizo was the best choice, but in comparison to other guitarists that were likely options (not including Panther) and for the direction the music of X Japan is heading now.

[xjokerx]

^
^
^
lol, why you even bother replying to a spammer, the guy obviously only wanted to spread his website links, see his signatures "floor polisher". Lately, these spammers getting very good, they summarize people's comment and make it their own so it looked "stay on topic".

[Wick]

damn..how much do they get paid to do that It was on topic though

edit: now I see he just copied Neru's comment..I feel like an idiot. Can these posts be removed?

[donaldbotham]

“Whatever you like or dislike sugizo,This advice is so bad that really sounds like a joke.Panther is not as famous as sugizo in mainstream music zone， Yoshiki has a relationship based on friendship and acquaintance with sugio,not only know him.If you say so, then syu ,daita,ace shimizu,whichever guitarist I like,are they available to take hide's place in XJAPAN?”

[jonathanjack]

Looking at his style though including the violin playing and his history (Luna Sea discovered by hide and he played with them at a live when the band was still called X) he's a good option for X Japan. It's just my opinion that I rather would have seen Panther as their lead guitarist. Not only because of his excellent playing (there are idd other guitarist that are technically more advanced then Sugizo) but also because of his image thats sometimes quite visual kei and his new guitar which I said reminded me of a guitar of hide.

[Matthias]

“Whatever you like or dislike sugizo,This advice is so bad that really sounds like a joke.Panther is not as famous as sugizo in mainstream music zone， Yoshiki has a relationship based on friendship and acquaintance with sugio,not only know him.If you say so, then syu ,daita,ace shimizu,whichever guitarist I like,are they available to take hide's place in XJAPAN?”

While that is probably true, I don't think (and hope) that is a reason why they should (or not) pick a guitarplayer.

If Sugizo would have declined to become the new member of the band they still could have asked Richard Fortus, they also did share a stage together Not 100 % serious about that, although I think he's great.

0:00 - 1:00 & 5:00 - 8:00
0:00 - 4:29

[Wick]

haha Matthias, you made the same mistake as I did (replying to a spammer that copied an earlier post).
Thanks, I feel less dumb now

but ok on the topic..I'm a big Guns fan but with Slash. I think Guns without Slash is almost like X Japan without hide. The main differences are that Slash is ofcourse better known for his guitar playing and in Japan the image is often cute instead of cool/relaxed. So, I haven't seen much of the new Guns. I knew that Dj Ashba could play a few notes but I underestimated Richard Fortus..he has his own way of playing and does it with a lot of feel. Sugizo could learn much from him. I like that Fortus plays Knockin on heavens door in a different way then Slash and Izzy did. The vid you showed about the James Bond theme is less impressive. I prefer the Godfather theme of Slash.

Like Sugizo, I think Fortus isn't great for power metal. If X Japan would play more power metal Panther would definitely be the best but for the slower stuff with more improvisation Fortus would do a good job. Better then Sugizo for sure. Only the image of Sugizo suits X Japan more but that's just my opinion. For popularity in the US Fortus might be better in that as well.

[Matthias]

Damn, these spambots are getting more and more clever 

Well, his cv with bands like GNR, Thin Lizzy and Love Spit Love obviously doesn't scream Power Metal, so yes if X would wanted to create power metal music Panther probably would be a better fit as Richard. Not too sure about the popularity thing. He may be better known in the US than Sugizo, but he's not someone the wide public knows.
That he is friends with Yoshiki and Sugizo may be helpfull if he decides it'd be a cool thing to play a gig or two with them ... maybe even together with GNR  I should stop dreaming.