I mentioned that Japanese power metal could be bizarre and off-putting back in my Beginner’s Guide to Japanese Power Metal. But for all the bands I mentioned and described, there really wasn’t that much in the realm of bizarro. Pretty much all the bands had rather accessible music with little to no genre experimentation. I’m going to delve a bit deeper into that offshoot of JPM in this part.
I got requests for this second part to go over such bands as Skywings, MinstreliX, Jupiter, and Destrose, but those are honestly just bands that most people will discover through natural listening of any of the bands in the first part. But what you won’t come by naturally are these bands. There’s going to be a lot of genre fusion here, and I’m not just talking about metal. Some of these bands mix elements from EDM, post-rock, folk, ambient, and vocaloid music. Hell, some of these bands will make you question my sanity for their inclusion, but I promise you that all these bands have at least some of their roots in power metal. If for nothing else, it’s a good antithesis to the idea that power metal is derivative and generic. There won’t be much in the way of trve power metal, à la Manowar, but for those open-minded to genre experimentation, I hope this will be an informative list of bands.
Maybe I can go over some of the aforementioned, more traditional-sounding, bands later on in a third part, but hopefully this can be a bit more fun. If for nothing else, I hope you hear something that you’ve never heard before. The end result is a little more than just polarizing, but this strange feature of Japanese power metal is one that gets frequently overlooked by many Western metalheads that desperately needs some attention. It’s frankly just amazing what some bands are doing with their music, and a little more excitement in power metal can never be a bad thing. Hopefully I can make you question the true boundaries of power metal with these bands.
Once again, there will be two sections in this article: a male-fronted and a female-fronted list, both with 4 bands in each. I’ll still be including fan-favorite tracks with each artist, so some “normal” power metal might slip through the cracks (gasp!), but I’ll make sure to highlight particular genre fusions with each artist.
Male-Fronted
Kamijo
I thought I may as well start this list off with a decently-well known artist that I referred to in the last article. While most prominently known as the singer of the now-on hold band, Versailles, Kamijo has been busy for the past two years putting out singles and EP’s, usually with a dark symphonic sound not unlike Versailles. Only recently has he been throwing some curveballs in his music, most notably in his single, Moulin Rouge, with a heavy swing music backbone. His EP from 2014, Symphony of the Vampire, is an absolutely great showcase of some of the strongest symphonic power metal from that year, but for the sake of this article, I’m including him for his notable deviations from standard fare. With a new debut album under his belt, Heart, I have no idea what to expect from Kamijo in the future, and that’s half the fun of JPM.
Fan-favorite tracks:
Vermillion-D Alice Syndrome
This one’s a bit harder to describe, so that’s how you know when you’re doing it right. Metal Archives describes V-DAS as “Death/Power Metal”, and they’re not kidding. This isn’t just like Children of Bodom or Norther, where melodic death is fused with power, but this is straight-up brutal death metal mixed with symphonic power metal, almost like a more melodic Fleshgod Apocalypse. It’s really a strangely cohesive and coherent sound that has resulted in one spectacular album and several equally-interesting and engaging EP’s. The Touhou, rearranged music from Japanese shoot ‘em up games, style will definitely be new for most people, and the little girls on the album covers may be off-putting, but the music is so incredibly well-produced and different that it absolutely demands a listen.
Fan-favorite tracks:
Followbane
Followbane is a two-man effort from Kyoto that attempts to answer the question, “What would Versailles sound like if they made melodic black metal?” It treads the line between extreme metal and power metal, but what really makes them stand out are their symphonic compositions. With frequent piano hooks and Castlevania-like majesties backing up the breakneck-speed music, it’s also some of the cheeriest Japanese metal you’ll hear, which stands as a great juxtaposition to the black metal shrieks that make Followbane so unique. Now five albums into their discography, there’s quite a bit of listening available to anyone who fancies a band that can rival Starkill in composition and can excel in the Japanese style of metal.
Fan-favorite tracks:
D
Yes, that’s actually their name. They answer the question, “What would Versailles sound like if their songwriter dropped some acid?” Aside from the musical comparison, both bands are also huge proponents of the visual kei appearance. What sets them apart is the inclusion of growls as a secondary source of vocals, their bizarre song progressions, and spontaneous folk influences. With a massive discography and an equally large number of styles that they’ve employed, it’s quite safe to say that D’s best selling point is the variety they offer and the competency they execute their music with. As one of the biggest bands in Japan’s metal scene, they’re almost required listening for anyone who truly wants to immerse themselves with Japanese metal and visual kei.
Fan-favorite tracks:
Female-Fronted
Kokumaromilk
Encyclopaedia Metallum lists one of Kokumaromilk’s lyrical themes as “bizarre”. That’s a good intro sentence, I think. Some may call it “avant-garde”, and others might call it “experimental”; I just get confused and enjoy it. It literally sounds like nothing any band in Europe or USA has ever released. There’s traditional Japanese incorporations, folk inclusions, symphonic pieces, gothic atmospheres, ambient tracks, lounge passages, and vocaloid influences, and that’s just on the most recent album. The craziest thing about all of this if Kokumaromilk’s music is still undeniably metal. It doesn’t tread the line between any other genres. It truly is one of the most bizarre metal projects I’ve ever heard, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit their music is entrancing.
Fan-favorite tracks:
Denkishiki Karen Ongaku Shuudan
More colloquially known as Denkare, their music could stand shoulder-to-shoulder with D. With a cast of anonymous musicians and singers, it’s no wonder that fans have been speculating fervently as to the identities of any involved parties. Their vocaloid similarities will definitely be a point of contention for most metalheads, and their occasional metalcore vocals will not sweeten the deal, but both are rather small hills to wrestle with, as Denkare’s music is absolutely unmatched. They write music for manga comics in Japan, so you might wonder why they keep their identities a secret…
Fan-favorite tracks:
Yousei Teikoku
I can’t answer as to why Denkare’s members are kept anonymous, but I can tell you that the lead singer of Yousei Teikoku, Itsuki Yui, is almost universally suspected to also be the lead singer of Denkare. Both bands share a very similar sound, with Yousei Teikoku, which translates to “Fairy Empire”, being quite a bit heavier and visceral. I could describe them as a gothic version of LIGHT BRINGER, and it’s for the same traits as Denkare that I’ve placed them in this list. Even without considering their look or their vocals, Yousei Teikoku is definitely the kind of thing you would only ever come across in Japan.
Fan-favorite tracks:
Rokugen Alice
In stark contrast to Yousei Teikoku’s fast and intense music, Rokugen Alice makes the most relaxing and calming power metal music I’ve ever heard. Of course, they have their most standard-fare power metal tracks scattered throughout the massive discography, but the duo’s notability comes from their deviation from the usual up-tempo Japanese metal. I struggle to think of a single style that they haven’t explored at least once in their many albums, and yet my favorite tracks, as well as many fans’ favorite tracks, are their soothing power metal tracks. That’s an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one.
Fan-favorite tracks:
- “被検体一号 エドワード”
- “夢語り”
- “SKY HIGH”
I’ve probably ruffled some feathers with some of these bands; I’ve probably indirectly insulted Manowar in more ways than one; some of you are probably about to call me a “weeaboo”, but the fact of the matter is that there’s a huge (I had difficulty picking which female-fronted bands to include since there are so many) untapped and underground power metal scene in Japan that doesn’t get nearly enough attention. It’s undeniable that more than a few people feel like power metal has become generic and too safe over the past decade or so, and it’s crazy to think that Japan has been doing such zany experimentations with their music this whole time. If anything, I hope I’ve made you aware of a subsect of power metal that goes unnoticed far too often, and, hopefully, I’ve made you a fan of a new band today. Special thanks to Daryl Atkinson who helped me on my search to find some of these bands.
