Heavy metal bands in Japan have experienced much upheaval over time. Many groups have come and gone; but certain ones have established themselves within the scene.
Babymetal has gained worldwide attention with their blend of heavy metal and J-pop. Other bands such as Ladybaby and Deadlift Lolita also bring humor into the genre with their risque outfits and strange imagery.
1. Murasaki
Murasaki is a purple-clad female squid from Heian period who can detect people’s personalities and social status through scent. Additionally, she communicates using ventriloquism with her plushie friend named Bebeby.
Born into a lower class family, she rose quickly through the ranks to serve the imperial court as lady-in-waiting, eventually writing one of the world’s first novels – The Tale of Genji. Many believe she found inspiration for it during her stay at Ishiyama-dera on Lake Biwa.
She often takes a cynical view of life and tends to assume the worst about others, finding it hard to comprehend Yomi and Ikaruga’s friendship, yet agrees to assist because she knows they may need her in time. Knowing others count on her makes her stronger.
2. Crowley
Crowley is one of Japan’s most underrated power metal bands, boasting an incredible vocalist and technically accomplished instrumentalists that could rival any metal group worldwide. Unfortunately they disbanded just as they were reaching stardom status.
They represent the Kansai scene which flourished during the early ’80s and was heavily influenced by 70’s western bands, unlike its counterpart, Kanto scene which emerged later and was more influenced by Visual Kei and other Japanese phenomena.
Atmospheric features an intriguing sound, drawing influences from trash metal, death metal and guttural vocals to create their unique sound. Not afraid to experiment further or explore more experimental territory – sometimes even moving into Post-Rock territory at times – these songs tend to be longer and epic compared with some other bands on this list.
3. Sabbrabells
The 1980’s witnessed an abundance of exceptional metal bands that emerged from Japan. Some, such as Anthem, Loudness or X Japan managed to achieve success internationally while others became lesser-known cult bands outside the country. Sabbrabells was an exceptional band from Urawa, Saitama and Kanto that unfortunately disbanded shortly after releasing their third release – an unfortunate development considering this record has more creative flair and momentum than most bands manage to accomplish in an entire career. Listening to Hell’s Rider evokes memories of Black Sabbath, Golden Earring and Pink Floyd all at the same time, with its haunting atmosphere and intense psychedelic elements. Powerful riffs, catchy melodies and technically impressive drumming make this track one of the greatest metal classics ever! Don’t pass up this must-listen for all metalheads – it definitely deserves recognition as a timeless classic!
5. Earthshaker
At times of great tremors in Nishai, its mountains would shake loose in avalanches that left valleys submerged beneath thickets of dust. From that settling dust would emerge Earthshaker – an unusual creature composed of stone and spirit who was not visible but felt by every living thing around him; his name was Raigor Stonehoof and his drive for knowledge drove him forward in life.
This song leans more heavily toward rock than metal, featuring Jon Lord-inspired organ work and an uptempo beat – yet remains hard and heavy!
Earthshaker first made its Monster Jam debut alongside Megalodon in 2017, competing in both Triple Threat Series East and Stadium Championship Series Yellow competitions under England. Due to limited time available for developing a fiberglass design for Vancouver 2019, however, Earthshaker had to use a cardboard right-side panel during its Vancouver show instead.
6. Sniper
Japanese metal is distinct from its western counterparts in many ways. Bands often draw influence from many different western bands into their sound and create an eclectic stew, while some take more specific influences like black and gothic metal into account when creating music.
Marino was one of Japan’s earliest metal bands, drawing inspiration from NWOBHM and being ahead of their time stylistically. Although only active from 1979-1981, they left an indelible mark long before many bands higher up on this list ever formed!
Jurassic Jade were one of the earliest metal bands to feature female vocalists. Their style of thrash metal was similar to Anthrax and Megadeth, yet with more groove in their songs.
7. Wolf
In many legends and folktales, wolves are depicted as protective protectors who help travellers along their travels. Some stories even involve them raising abandoned children!
Japanese mountain areas once abounded with wolves until the nineteenth century when highly ritualised hunts became widespread and began using poison, hired hunters, and bounty systems to get rid of them quickly and without ceremony.
Hiroshi Yagi runs a non-profit organisation dedicated to proving that Japanese wolves still exist, and believes he will one day produce real evidence that these species exist today. Additionally, he believes they and humans can coexist if both sides understand each other better.
8. Doom
X-Ray emerged in Japan during the 80s for only a brief stint, yet made an indelible mark with their chaotic yet riff-based take on Death Metal. Their music continues to be released today and former members have gone on to form bands like Greenmachine (whose desert aesthetic definitely inspired Kyuss and Boris) and Eternal Elysium.
Corrupted are another fantastic Japanese act producing jaw-breaking Doom Metal. Over the years they’ve gone through many changes but their music remains undeniable and their back catalogue should not be missed if this genre interests you. Most recently they’ve also experimented with experimental Metal Fusion that uses elements from traditional Japanese music as evidenced on their 2018 album Pi Lu Shi Na. The results are fascinating and make Corrupted must listens for fans of Doom Metal music alike.
9. Novela
Defiled are another classic Japanese old school band who have maintained their style since the 1980s. Listening to them can be great fun; their fast approach to old-school death metal and high shout of their vocalist add a lot of energy and fun!
Although they weren’t widely popular outside Japan, they provide an ideal entryway into Japanese metal music scene. Their sound features melodic death metal with strong melodic and brutal death elements as well as some thrash influences.
They were one of the pioneering bands to feature female vocalists – an innovation at that time that made waves throughout metal culture – making them a fantastic option if you prefer more extreme sounds than what many metal bands today offer.
10. Sabbat
On some releases, they display more thrash- and traditional metal-influenced sounds; furthermore they are known for their theatrical stage performances.
Originating in 1983 as Evil (12), they eventually changed to Sabbat in 1984 after Gezol established Evil Records and released early recordings under this imprint.
Following numerous line-up changes, the band achieved their initial peak with Dreamweaver (1989). Following its release tensions within the group escalated quickly, leading to their demise as an original lineup. Mourning Has Broken (1991) marked another breakthrough – Zorugelion replaced Elizaveat as both studio and live member and continued creating new material; during this phase they reached their most desirable state – in full control of their musical destiny and having found their ideal drummer in Samm.