Suicide, surgeries, Beyonce ... X Japan has faced them all to stage their comeback

X Japan is trying its luck again to penetrate the elusive American market. Photo: Filepic

More than 25 years after X Japan first attempted to conquer the American market, the metalheads are trying again – and recent events, at first glance, would not appear auspicious.

Yoshiki, the fiercely energetic drummer and principal songwriter of the rockers who were superstars in 1980s Japan, last year urgently underwent surgery on a neck severely damaged from years of headbanging.