Greatest Japanese Metal Bands
Vote! Vote! VOTE! I want to see your opinions! It can be Heavy Metal, Power Metal, Progressive Metal, Symphonic Metal, Visual Kei, Alternative Metal, Experimental Metal, Nu Metal, Metalcore, Death Metal, Doom Metal, Neo-Classical Metal, Funk Metal, Industrial Metal, Speed Metal and even Folk Metal.This band is... Uh... Man I can't even figure out what to say. 3 teenage girls singing j-pop vocals and dancing to metal music. Fusing the two really makes for an interesting and oddly catchy and listenable combination. They've actually become a huge hit here in the States, with their debut album going high up on the charts and hitting #1 on the iTunes metal charts. They've even been praised by well-known metal artists like M. Shadows of Avenged Sevenfold, Matt Heafy of Trivium, Marty Friedman, and even members of Metallica have reacted positively to them. I'm a diehard metalhead who's listened to everything from Avenged Sevenfold to Black Sabbath to Dying Fetus to Satyricon, and I can say that this is probably one of the best metal acts to come out of Japan.
It is hard to find words to describe the creative spectrum that Dir en Grey has made their own. Their compositions range from old school heavy metal to progressive, alternative metal, experimental, neo-classical metal while all the while the members incorporate the peak of instrumental skill- sets of the scene. The depth, the emotional power, the political and social contexts of their songs still search its equal and can hardly be matched by any of the other top-scoring J-Rock/J-Metal acts with similar international acclaim.
I love Loudness, I like Maximum the Hormone, I like Galneryus, I like Versailles, I like Area51, I like Dir En Grey, I like EZO, and I like Aion. I was actually undecided between Loudness and X Japan, as both are spetacular and extremely influential overall. But in the end, X Japan had to win. Overall, they shaped the Japanese Music Scene, and their diversity and virtuosity is beyond belief. Some of the most talented musicians ever.
R.I.P. hide and Taiji
Long time band despite going inactive for a while but still a great band. Of the Japanese bands I listen to, I put them at number one no questions asked.
How is that baby metal crap ahead of these guys?
I love their diversity and virtuosity!
Go and listen their DIM album. And you will know how great they are.
One of the best neoclassical power metal bands out there. Both singers that have been in the band are very great at their singing, the atmosphere in the music gives it an almost holy feeling that would make it sacrilegious to defy it, and Syu is an awesome guitarist.
Galneryus is the best power metal band out there. It deserves a place among the top 3! Both the singers are great and the music is divine. Listening to a song of galneryus gives off a feeling of intense satisfaction.
One of my favorite Death Metal bands. They combine Melodic Death Metal with Old-School Death Metal, which sounds very interesting and brutal. Listen to some of their songs and you'll fall in love with them: e.g. "Banquet in the Darkness", "Agony in the Stone Chamber".
If you are not into Melodic Death Metal or Death Metal you might skip this, but if not: Give them a try!
Wish more people knew about them. Also wish they would bring out more albums.
What 47!? they are one of the best death metal bands in the world!
With all due respect, Yes they're started this but their music especially the guitar riff is too flat & bland as the western 80s glam band. And the leader also the guitarist Akira Takasaki seems to have any shredder syndrome problem, have great skill but can't process interesting music. That's why they never reach Stadium-act level as X Japan (eventhough X Japan is a lot heavier band).
Akira Takasaki is an excellent guitarist. I like every member of this band and really like when Taiji Sawada was in Loudness. X Japan and Loudness are my two favorite Japanese bands.
Easily the best band to come out of Japan. For those unfamiliar with them, check out Domestic Booty or Bound to Break
Are you kidding me. BabyMetal is at number 1 while the gods Boris sit back here?!?!?
This is pretty much Intestine Baalism 2.0.
If you like Old-School Death Metal with a melodic twist in it like old Dismember or Intestine Baalism: This is your music!
Easily my favorite band on this list. They have such a unique sound to them, for example, their vocals. I can think of 7 different vocal styles they use right from the top of my head (there are probably a few more styles I could think of if I actually went and listened through all their albums right now). They also have a habit off putting the orchestra versions of some of their songs on their albums as a little bonus since their 2014 EP. I'm pretty sure the band themselves have classified themselves as "Symphonic Decadence Metal" (don't quote me on that), but since that's actually a made up genre (obviously), they would most likely fall under the symphonic extreme metal genre, but because their style of music is so unique it's hard to classify them as anything particular (their bandcamp site classify them as symphonic black metal FYI). I have no words that could actually describe how awesome this band truly is.
My favorite one of their albums is their second full-length album with their latest EP being a close second.
Insane song composing skill.
You can really see the progress, their works always been better from time to time.
You like Slam? Then check this out!
Much brutal. Very slam. Such Death Metal. Wow.
Samurai Death Metal with Slap Bass, what else do you need?
This is like the Red Hot Chili Peppers of Death Metal or Maximum The Hormone of Death Metal. Only that they haven't released a single bad album.
Come on... they deserved some respect... they are the pioneer for Japanese black/thrash metal... and still one of the best... and no SIGH?
Black metal scythe is a classic.
Siam Shade is awesome. A band that always believed in its sound and with all talented members.