by: Liz Ramanand 9 hours ago

X Japan and Black Veil Brides fans did some serious voting as the bands traded the lead throughout the day and night. After a record number of votes, X Japan defeated Black Veil Brides to earn their fifth victory and entrance into the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame, where they join Falling in Reverse and RED.

The band’s path to glory began when they first triumphed over the Swedes of In Flames, which was followed by a win against Jane’s Addiction. After that the band beat out Bush and abused the Used, this victory brought them to their fifth and final victorious matchup against Black Veil Brides.

X Japan’s drummer and leader Yoshiki has sent a message to Loudwire thanking the band’s fans for their tremendous support. The entire statement reads as follows:

Thank you so much to Loudwire for giving X Japan a chance to be introduced on this amazing rock site, and to everyone who listened to ‘Jade,’ liked it, and voted for it. I have great respect for all of the bands we competed against, as well as enormous respect for all of their devoted fans.

And to our beloved X Japan fans — thank you so much for your endless support.
You are f—ing amazing!
We are so lucky to have you as our family.
Keep on spreading our love throughout the world.
We love you so much!
WE ARE X!!!

Love, Yoshiki

X Japan fans have even more to celebrate since the band is in the process of recording their first full-length English-language album. In addition, Yoshiki has composed the theme for this year’s Golden Globe Awards. Now that X Japan and their single ‘Jade’ have been preserved in our Cage Match Hall of Fame, who will join them next?

To watch the video for Jade, click here

1:16 PM PST 1/11/2012 by Portia Medina

The awards show will feature new music for the first time in 15 years. “It has some classical elements and a rock vibe as well,” the Japanese rock star tells THR of his composition.

He’s one of the Far East’s biggest rock stars, and on Sunday’s Golden Globes, Yoshiki, frontman for X Japan, will take on a behind-the-scenes role as composer of the show’s new theme song.

“My inspiration was Hollywood,” Yoshiki tells THR. “I tried to combine the old glamour and the flashy Hollywood so the piece has some classical elements and a rock vibe as well.”

Working out of sound studios in Los Angeles and Tokyo, Yoshiki gathered a 35-piece orchestra along with a slew of engineers and technicians for a month of recording. “It was the holiday season, so it took longer and was a little harder to gather all those people,” he says. That may explain why Yoshiki ended up playing so many instruments himself. “I played everything — drums, bass, guitar, and piano.”

His time commitment to working on the Globes theme also ended up sidetracking X Japan’s long-anticipated English-language album. Says Yoshiki: “It’s 90 percent done. Several things happened — we just finished the world tour in mid-November and then the Golden Globes opportunity came up and I had to do it. It will be released in 2012 for sure.”

“I’M PROUD OF THIS SONG. IT’S A TOTALLY ADDICTIVE MELODY”

The X Japan drummer/songwriter and globally renowned artist was tapped to compose this year’s Golden Globes theme song. Kenny Herzog spoke to Yoshiki about the honor, why he’s excited for a Ricky Gervais teasing, and where plans for X’s next record fit into all this.

By Kenny Herzog
January 11, 2012

Like Anchorman’s Ron Burgundy, Yoshiki is kind of a big deal. It was only a matter of time until Hollywood summoned the X Japan maestro and multi-instrumentalist for something loftier than writing music for the Saw franchise (though X’s “I.V.” was arguably Saw IV’s shining moment). Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) President Dr. Aida Takia-O’Reilly—herself a native Egyptian—reached out to Yoshiki shortly after being instated in 2011. She’d hoped he would compose this year’s Golden Globes theme song and help send a message of global inclusion to the ceremony’s audience.

Naturally, Yoshiki embraced the opportunity as both a privilege and creative challenge, and a chance to continue pursuing his quest to make music that affects people from ocean to ocean. Not that it was easy. (Wrangling musicians and engineers during the holidays can be a logistical nightmare.) But as he explains below in his latest interview with Kenny Herzog(who spoke to the philanthropic hard-rock icon just after last summer’s tragic earthquake in Japan), Yoshiki is confident he delivered a song that’s fittingly grand but will make his worldwide fans no less X-static.

You just turned the Golden Globes theme into the HFPA this week. For all your and X Japan’s fans, how would you describe what they can expect?

You can hear a Yoshiki melody in it, then also there’s an element of classical music and an element of rock. I combined those together.

Did you consult songs from years past or just do your own thing?

I watched some DVDs of several years of the Golden Globes. Also, I was there last year, so I know what kind of vibe [they need].

Also, the president of HFPA gave me some keywords, like it needs to be Hollywood, needs to be prestigious, needs to be edgy.

So I listened to all those words carefully, digested in my head and then composed the song.

Is it a song you feel kicks ass beyond that grandeur and prestige?

I’ve never really done this kind of instrumental piece with an orchestra and a band together.

When I composed for the Japanese emperor, it was kind of a concerto. When I composed for the World Expo [in 2005], it had pop vibes too, but kind of a classical base.

This is a little more rock ‘n’ roll, but with classical in it. I’m proud of this song. It’s a totally addictive melody. I wanted to come up with something very catchy and still have some kind of depth.

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Multi-instrumentalist Yoshiki is a superstar in Japan. The Hollywood Foriegn Press Association chose the acclaimed front-man and drummer of the rock band “X Japan” to compose new theme music for the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.

By Gordon Tokumatsu

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By: Christy Grosz
Published: Thu, January 05, 2012, 2:56 PM

Yoshiki, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist and leader of one of Japan’s most successful rock groups, X-Japan, will compose the theme for this year’s Golden Globe Awards show.

“Yoshiki is a world-renowned musician and composer of enormous talent and versatility, who in addition to being a rock superstar has composed for film and television,” said HF{A president Aida Takla-O’Reilly. “As an international organization dedicated to creative achievements, the HFPA is delighted to have a global musical artist of Yoshiki’s stature create the theme for the show.”

“I’m a classical pianist and a rock drummer, so it was natural to create something beautiful that also has an edge,” Yoshiki said.

But the real question is, will Yoshiki take a few cues from Golden Globes host Ricky Gervais? Gervais does, after all, know a thing or two about music….

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by: Liz Ramanand 5 hours ago

X Japan have been blazing through the Cage Match and today they are going for their fifth and final victory, which would propel their song ‘Jade’ into the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. After beating the Used yesterday, will they be able to win once more against today’s challenger?

Black Veil Brides take the Cage Match by storm with their anthem ‘Fallen Angels’ off of their latest album ‘Set the World on Fire.’ The band is currently on a massive tour with D.R.U.G.S. in South America, Australia and Europe. For a full list of tour dates, go here. And check out Loudwire’s exclusive interview with frontman Andy Biersack.

Will Black Veil Brides rise to the occasion with ‘Fallen Angels’ or will X Japan continue to crush the competition and become Cage Match Hall of Famers? Get in on the action and vote for your favorite song below:

To vote, click here

by: Liz Ramanand 5 hours ago

X Japan are on fire as they took down Gavin Rossdale and the rest of Bush in yesterday’s Cage Match. Will this veteran Japanese rock band be able to come out on top against today’s challenger?

The Used head into the Cage Match with their brand new single ‘I Come Alive’ off of their fifth full-length studio album ‘Vulnerable,’ which is due out March 27. The disc will be released via the band’s own label, Dental Records, and is produced by Goldfinger frontman John Feldman. Check out Loudwire’s review of the tune here.

Will the Used and their fans come alive to beat out reigning champs X Japan? You decide — listen to both tracks below and vote for your favorite:

To vote, click here

Yoshiki, the classically trained multi-instrumentalist and leader of one of Japan’s most successful rock groups, X-Japan, will compose the theme for this year’s Golden Globe Awards show. The announcement was made by Hollywood Foreign Press Association president Dr.Aida Takla-O’Reilly and dick clark   productions  executive  Barry Adelman.

The 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards airs on Sunday, January 15, 2012, around the world and live coast-to-coast on NBC with the pre-show from  4:00-5:00p.m. (PST)/7:00-8:00p.m. (EST), and main telecast from 5:00-8:00 (PST)/8:00pm-11:00p.m., (EST), hosted by Ricky Gervais from the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

“Yoshiki is a world-renowned musician and composer of enormous talent and versatility, who in addition to being a rock superstar has composed for film and television,” said Dr.  Takla-O’Reilly. “As an international organization dedicated to creative achievements, the HFPA is delighted to have a global musical artist of Yoshiki’s stature create the theme for the show.”

Added Adelman, “We look forward to incorporating Yoshiki’s music into the production of the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.”

“The Golden Globe Awards are extremely prestigious, but the show is also edgy,” said Yoshiki, who attended the awards presentation for the first time last year. “I’m a classical pianist and a rock drummer, so it was natural to create something beautiful that also has an edge.”
Yoshiki, considered Asia’s most influential music artist and biggest rock icon, is also a songwriter, drummer, and a classically-trained pianist. His rock group X Japan has sold 30-million singles and albums combined and filled the 55,000-seat Toyko Dome a record 18 times. Now the band’s popularity is spreading throughout the world, having recently completed a sold-out World Tour, performing in North America, Europe, Latin America, and South East Asia. In 1999, Yoshiki composed a piano concerto and performed it with a 77-piece orchestra to celebrate the tenth year of the Emperor of Japan’s reign.  In 2005, Yoshiki composed the theme song and conducted the Super World Orchestra at the opening ceremony of the World Expo.  Previously, Yoshiki also recorded a classical album co-produced and arranged by acclaimed Beatles producer Sir George Martin and performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Recently, the legendary Stan Lee created a Super Hero based on him, and for the first time, a Hello Kitty product line is named after a person – “Yoshikitty.”

In 2010, he launched his non-profit organization Yoshiki Foundation America , which continues to donate to various charitable organizations, including supporting Japanese Earthquake victims.  Follow Yoshiki on Twitter (www. twitter.com/yoshikiofficial), www.yoshiki.net and www.xjapanmusic.com.

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by: Liz Ramanand 7 hours ago

In Flames fans have lit the fire for the band’s success in the past few Cage Matches. Yesterday, the Swedish band’s tune ‘Where the Dead Ships Dwell’ beat out Trent Reznor’s version of ‘Immigrant Song.’ Will they be able to do it again against today’s challengers?

X Japan have been rocking Asia and other parts of the world for about 25 years and they enter the Cage Match with their first worldwide single ‘Jade.’ The melodic metal band, which is led by golden-voiced singer Toshi and drummer Yoshiki (pictured above), is in the process of recording their first full-length English-language album.

It’s a massively talented, international match-up between these Swedish and Japanese rock acts. Who will come out as today’s victor? Get in on the action by listening to the songs and voting for your favorite below:

To vote, click here

For more information, click here