Top 10 Best Japanese Metal Bands
Japan has one of the most unique and diverse metal scenes in the world, blending traditional influences with cutting-edge experimentation. Whether you're into the blistering speed of power metal, the brutal intensity of death metal, or the dramatic flair of Visual Kei, there's something here for every kind of metalhead.This list is all about the greatest Japanese metal bands, and your votes decide the rankings. Got a favorite? Make sure it gets the recognition it deserves. If you think a band belongs at the top, vote them up.
And don't worry about sticking to just one style. The list covers everything: 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. If it's heavy and from Japan, it belongs here.
Babymetal is a Japanese metal idol band. Their line-up consists of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Yui Mizuno as "Yuimetal", and Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal". This band is... Uh... Man, I can't even figure out what to say. Three teenage girls singing J-pop vocals and dancing to metal music. Fusing the two really makes for an interesting and oddly catchy 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.
Dir En Grey is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1997 and currently signed to Firewall Div., a sub-division of Free-Will. 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, and neo-classical metal. All the while, the members incorporate the peak of instrumental skillsets of the scene.
The depth, emotional power, and political and social contexts of their songs are unmatched by any of the other top-scoring J-Rock/J-Metal acts with similar international acclaim.
X Japan is a Japanese heavy metal band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. 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 spectacular and extremely influential. But in the end, X Japan had to win. They shaped the Japanese music scene, and their diversity and virtuosity are 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.
Maximum the Hormone (Japanese: マキシマム ザ ホルモン, Hepburn: Makishimamu Za Horumon) is a Japanese heavy metal band from Hachiōji, Tokyo. Their lineup has consisted of vocalist Daisuke-han, drummer Nao, guitarist Maximum the Ryo-kun, and bassist Ue-chan since 1999. Each member alternates... read more I love their diversity and virtuosity!
The Gazette, originally known as Gazette, is a Japanese visual kei rock band from Kanagawa formed in early 2002. The band is currently signed to Sony Music Records. Go and listen to their DIM album, and you will know how great they are.
Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in 2001 by Yama-B (original vocalist) and Syu (guitarist). The band now consists of Syu (lead guitarist and backing vocalist), Masatoshi Ono a.k.a Sho (lead vocalist), Taka (bassist), Yuhki (keyboardist) and Morishita Fumiya (drummer). Galneryus are best... read more 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 three! Both the singers are great and the music is divine. Listening to a song of Galneryus gives off a feeling of intense satisfaction.
Intestine Baalism is a death metal band hailing from Tokyo/Kanto, Japan. The band was formed in 1991 as "Euthanasia" and changed 1992 their name to "Intestine Baalism", which is a term for the Sumerian god of the harvest... read more 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, like "Banquet in the Darkness" and "Agony in the Stone Chamber."
If you are not into melodic death metal or death metal, you might skip this, but if you are: 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!
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.
Saw them here in Vegas and it was a blast. My husband saw them in Japan years ago.
They brought the genre to Japan.
The Newcomers
Not only my favorite Japanese band but also one of my favorite metalcore bands.
Great band!
Easily the best band to come out of Japan. For those unfamiliar with them, check out Domestic Booty or Bound to Break.
Fastkill is a Japanese thrash metal band that was established in Tokyo in 1996. They have a reputation for fast-paced compositions and aggressive musicianship, capturing the essence of 1980s thrash metal. Over the years, the band has built a strong fan following in Japan and internationally, contributing... read more
Boris is a Japanese experimental band formed in 1992 in Tokyo and composed of drummer Atsuo Mizuno, guitarist/bassist Takeshi Ohtani and guitarist/keyboardist Wata, with all three members participating in vocal performance.
Deadly Spawn is a Death Metal band from Tokyo, Japan, which was formed in 1997. One of the members was a former guitarist in Japanese Death Metal band Intestine Baalism, which explains the somehow similar sound... read more This is pretty much Intestine Baalism 2.0. If you like old-school death metal with a melodic twist like old Dismember or Intestine Baalism: This is your music!
Imperial Circus Dead Decadence (ICDD) is a Japanese metal band with a lot of different influences. The band was formed in 2007 in Fukuoka. They have released 2 EPs and 2 full-length albums so far, which are received well among fans of Japanese extreme metal, especially their second full-length "Kuruoshiku..."... read more Easily my favorite band on this list. They have such a unique sound, particularly their vocals. I can think of seven different vocal styles they use right off the top of my head (there are probably a few more styles I could think of if I actually listened through all their albums right now).
They also have a habit of including orchestral versions of some of their songs on their albums as a little bonus since their 2014 EP. I'm pretty sure the band has 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. Because their style of music is so unique, it's hard to classify them as anything particular (their Bandcamp site classifies them as symphonic black metal, FYI). I have no words that could adequately describe how awesome this band truly is.
My favorite album of theirs 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 work has always been better over time.
Detroit Metal City is a fictional death metal band from the Japanese manga and anime series of the same name, created by Kiminori Wakasugi. Despite being fictional, the band's music has been produced and released in real life, attracting a following among fans of the series. Their music is a satirical... read more
Vomit Remnants is a Brutal Death Metal band from Tokyo, Japan, which was formed in 1997 and are currently signed to Unique Leader Records. They released besides 2 EPs and 2 split-albums only one full-length called "Supreme Entity" so far and are rather unknown among metal fans... read more You like slam? Then check this out! Much brutal. Very slam. Such death metal. Wow.
Gotsu Totsu Kotsu is a Death Metal band from Tokyo/Kantō, Japan. Formed in 2000, they released 3 full-length albums so far, which all had success in the underground scene, but are still very little known in the metal community. Their band name comes from the name of an ancient samurai, which they also... read more 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, they haven't released a single bad album.
Come on... they deserve some respect... they are the pioneers 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 has all talented members.