HYDE, born Hideto Takarai in Wakayama, Japan, started out in music as the vocalist of L'arc-en-Ciel. He debuted as a solo artist in 2000. Notably, his solo image is both Darker and Edgier and more Visual Kei-oriented than his image in his work with L'Arc: while some of his early solo work is quiet, soft ballads (and occasionally one will still pop up now and then) most of his solo work tends toward being Hard Rock with some occasional Heavy Metal, and the Protest Song and Religion Rant Song of all types are familiar territory. His solo work can be best compared to a Japanese Marilyn Manson and also draws heavy inspiration from the darker periods of Atsushi Sakurai of BUCK-TICK. After several solo albums, he joined up with KAZ Iwaike (ex. hide solo, Oblivion Dust) and occasionally Ju-Ken (ex. GACKT) and formed Vamps.
Discography:
Singles:
- Evergreen -2001
- Angel's Tale, -2001
- Shallow Sleep, -2001
- Hello - 2003
- Horizon -2003
- Orenji no Taiyou - 2003, duet with GACKT
- Glamorous Sky (lyrics and guitar) - 2005
- Season's Call -2006
- As Vamps:
- Love Addict - 2008
Studio albums
- Roentgen and its English version - 2002
- 666 -2003
- Faith and its English version - 2006
- As Vamps:
- Vamps -2009
- Beast -2010
- Sex Blood Rock And Roll - late 2013
- Bloodsuckers -2014
Hyde and his solo works provide examples of the following tropes:
- Author Appeal: Exploring religion and the Religion Rant Song, anti-war songs, vampirism.
- Ax-Crazy: Quite a few of Hyde's solo songs have centered around this theme, often fused with Religion Rant Song. Some notables are Prayer and Masquerade from 666, Jesus Christ and Dolly from Faith, and "Satsugai."
- Cover Version: Of everything from Mötley Crüe's "Live Wire" to the Britpop band Shampoo's "Trouble."
- Darker and Edgier: Pretty much every bit of his post-Roentgen output. Roentgen was actually Lighter and Softer than his L'Arc-en-Ciel work, but once he entered Hard Rock with Hello, his solo work has been consistently this to L'Arc.
- Dramatic Shattering: The Hello, Countdown, and Trouble PVs. Often combined with fire.
- Expy: Marilyn Manson, Atsushi Sakurai, Miyavi, on occasion, and BUCK-TICK. Among other Goth Rock acts.
- Fanservice: It can be argued this was the very idea of Vamps.
- Gratuitous English: He occasionally indulges in this, though his English skills have improved.
- Guyliner: Hyde almost always has at least some eye makeup.
- Harsh Vocals: Hyde is definitely far more capable of this than most of his L'Arc work would indicate.
- Heavy Meta: Glamorous Sky, as it is a song about being a musician made for Nana, an anime and live action film centering around a musician. Mission could also qualify, as could Sex Blood Rock And Roll. All of these overlap with Rock-Star Song as well.
- Intercourse with You: Sweet Vanilla, Midnight Celebration, Made in Heaven, Love Addict, Sex Blood Rock And Roll, Devil Side
- Long Runner: Hyde has been an active musician in some way or other since his debut in 1990 with Jerusalem's Rod, and his solo career has spanned around 12 years in and of itself.
- Metal Scream: There's quite a few examples in almost too many of his solo works to list. Suffice it to say anything that isn't from Roentgen or a ballad probably has at least one.
- Number of the Beast: 666.
- Ode to Intoxication: Midnight Celebration, Made In Heaven, Angel Trip
- Our Vampires Are Different
- Performance Video: Almost all of his singles have these. Hello and Countdown are some of the best.
- Protest Song: LOTS AND LOTS of them, often overlapping with Religion Rant Song as his career went on, only becoming fewer with Vamps. A few examples:
- A Drop of Color from Roentgen was a slap at forced conformity, racism, and heteronormativity.
- Countdown is a stealthily veiled Green Aesop - to change and/or escape Gaia's Lament.
- Prayer is a Religion Rant Song from the perspective of a religiously-motivated killer.
- New Day's Dawn is a Religion Rant Song of the "religion is a bad influence and false" variety.
- Masquerade is a Religion Rant Song of the Rage Against the Heavens and Nay-Theist and Smite Me, O Mighty Smiter variety.
- Jesus Christ is a God Is Evil and Jesus Was Way Cool (yes, both combined) Religion Rant Song possibly from the perspective of the Virgin Mary.
- Dolly is a condemnation of For Science! being fused with war in the military industrial complex with overtones of Science Is Bad.
- It's Sad is a bitter rant about the state of humanity as it is "tried" in a courtroom.
- Vampire Depression is a lament about the world being a Crapsack World.
- Religion Rant Song: See above. Pretty much all of 666 and Faith with the exception of a couple of songs to each album could be considered some variant of this.
- Self-Titled Album: Vamps
- Vampires Are Sex Gods: One of many in a crowded field in Visual Kei (in competition with Atsushi Sakurai of BUCK-TICK, GACKT, and Yoshiki Hayashi)
- Visual Kei: Hyde and Vamps are definite parts of the scene. His association with the scene, however, is somehow tainted by his main band, L'arc-en-Ciel, which is known for being against the label.