Few bands cast as wide a shadow as X JAPAN, a rock outfit whose speedy, virtuosic guitar solos and hooks screamed in perfect pitch helped pioneer the visual kei genre. Coming together in the early ‘80s, they took the chugging sound of heavy metal and upped the ante, adding in ample pianos, strings, and spoken word interludes. X JAPAN's driving rockers—such as “Blue Blood” and “X”—are made all the fiercer with their throaty singing and shout-along choruses. And they also shine on ballads such as “ENDLESS RAIN,” thanks to an emotional vocal delivery that transforms longing into a stadium anthem.