X-Japan

The music of X-Japan is an eclectic mixture. The band's repertoire ranged from soft and tearful ballads like "Crucify My Love" and "Endless Rain" to more shocking and hard-driving speed metal numbers such as "Rusty Nail" and the 12-minute "Rose of Pain." Formed in Japan in 1982 as simply X, the group lengthened its name within several years, partly to reflect a change of style that was beginning to become more internationally oriented, as well as a change from its original lineup.