Hey everyone! Sorry for getting this done late. If this wasn't just a hobby, I'd probably fire myself for being so lazy. A lot has been going on lately. Slowly working on getting the Crohn's in check. It still sucks, but it's not nearly as cruddy as it was a few months ago.And there's some good news: I've been interning at Brick by Brick these past couple months. Really eager to learn what's what once I've proven myself a capable worker. LOTS of wonderful shows coming up, so if you're a metalhead or punk in Southern California, this is the place to check out.
Now with niceties out of the way, let's talk Japan. Now I'm sure that as soon as you saw that country as this Metal Metal Land destination, a very specific image popped into your head. If you're a westerner, you probably envisioned anime and tentacle porn. I hate to break it to you, but what you're picturing is far from the norm.
The culture of mainstream Japan is not the culture pop culture would have you believe. After a chat with a friend-- a history major-- I've learned the the sensibilities of modern-day Japan are very similar to that of mid-twentieth century America. Tradition is deeply ingrained in the mentality of men and women. Men are supposed to work and women are supposed to take care of the home. When it comes to sex, there is a sense of repression; not only is porn censored (much to my chagrin) but the birth rate in Japan is actually dropping significantly, with many speculating because the men are working too damn much to even think about doing the nasty business.
Much like 1950s America, conformity is valued in Japan. If you stray from the path, you are an outsider. Anime and manga? They're regarded as children's activities and it's fucking weird for adults to indulge in them. Those scenes in Japanese porn where women are groped on buses? That stems from the real life problem of rapes being significantly under reported because of the stigma of rape; they're afraid to put that shame on their family. Panty-dispensing vending machines? Not really a thing. These are the things that get noticed by the West like the loudest guy in the room
TO THE MUSIC! Now, because of this repression, the younger generation of musicians feels a great need to express itself, often times in an wild way. The visual kei and J-pop are perfect examples of an the aesthetic extremity of these musicians. Dir En Grey and BabyMetal have succeeded in blending these styles with metal to form something sonically epic.
BabyMetal's explosive rise has raised the question of whether Japan will be a new hub of interesting metal acts or if this is its one shot at glory. However, the island country has been producing amazing bands from the beginning. The Flower Travellin' Band helped plant psychedelic seeds in their fertile soil so that others may sprout. Loudness and X Japan brought their brand of traditional metal to arenas while the underground gave birth to a plethora of weird and evil acts. Want something to get wrecked to? Put on some Coffins, Abigail, Gallhammer, or Sabbat. Crave something a little more brooding? How about some Sigh, Church of Misery, or Boris? Need something fun and crazy? Look no further than Sand and Maximum the Hormone.
With so much interesting stuff going on, it's no wonder Marty Friedman moved across the Pacific! Now let's get down to it and take a look at who else the Land of the Rising Sun has to offer us...
Corrupted
Osaka
Sludge Metal
Barbatos
Tokyo
Blackened Thrash
Tokyo
Experimental Rock and Grindcore
Tokyo
Thrash Metal
Osaka
Metalcore
Tokyo
Death Doom
Tokyo
Grindcore
Kobe
Deathgrind
Osaka
Heavy Metal
Nagoya
Grindcore
Tokyo
Melodeath
Tokyo
Experimental Sludge
Nagano
Progressive Metal
Tokyo
Symphonic Metal
Tokyo
Death Metal
Tokyo
Symphonic Black Metal
Tokyo
Symphonic Power Metal
Shiga
Melodeath
Kanagawa Prefecture
Funeral Doom
Osaka
Power Metal
Tokyo
Symphonic Metal
Tokyo
Heavy Metal
Nagoya
Stoner Doom
Osaka
Electronic Melodeath
I gotta say this was one of my favorite Metal Metal Lands to do. Some really wonderful stuff in here I hope you'll enjoy. While some them I find quite aesthetically goofy looking, the sheer talent of some of these bands is a real slap in the face; all are serious contenders that I wish would get some loving on this side of the Pacific. If I have any Japanese readers looking at this, let me know if I missed anyone important or totally screwed up my analysis on metal over there.
Have fun perusing this list, ladies and djent-lemen. I'll try to not to make my next posting like three months late.
Stay heavy, my friends.
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