In 1999 Gackt, for reasons never fully clarified, left to work solo, causing a big scandal and a lot of angry finger-pointing on all sides. The band shot a short video in France, frequented the TV channels, and got their own radio show, but the happy days didn't last. The third LP Merveilles (1998) hit number two on the Oricon charts, and during the subsequent tour, tickets to the Budokan gig sold out in two minutes. Their second album, Voyage Sans Retour (1996), allowed them to have their first nationwide tour and got them a deal with Nippon (in 1997). They swapped gothic image for more elaborate and colorful "historical" attire and crossed Baroque music with French pop and darkwave, which brought them commercial success. The classical era of Malice Mizer arguably began with the inclusion of the new vocalist Gackt in 1995. At the time the group, bent on dark themes and French romanticism, expanded its live shows to include dance and pantomime, and that led to vocalist Tetsu leaving Malice Mizer, although he stayed on good terms with the band, who included his songs in their set lists later on. Malice Mizer premiered their first song, "Speed of Desperate," only in 1993, and after that Gaz was replaced by Kami, who played on the band's first album Memoire (1994), which was released on the Mana-founded label Midi:Nette it sold out and was re-released as Memoire DX. The band was founded in 1992 by guitarists Mana and Kozi, whose views on humanity, malice and misery were then shared by Tetsu (vocals), Yu~ki (bass), and Gaz (drums). ![]() Their career was short and tumultuous, if successful, but perhaps that's only appropriate, considering that the band's name - made of French words for "malice" and "misery" - stands as an answer to the question "What is human?" They were the most theatrical, ambitious, and romantic band of the pack, both in their shows and professed philosophy, as well as music, which, despite its commercial aim, incorporated elements from darkwave, metal, techno, classical music, synth pop, and early gothic rock. Even in the flamboyant world of Japanese visual kei, Malice Mizer managed to stand out.
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