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alchemicinkChallenge #8
In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for a beloved character, relationship or fandom.
I don't get to talk about it as much, but I consider Japanese music as one of my fandoms too. And so, for this challenge, I put together an intro primer to several of my favorite all-lady j-rock and j-metal bands. I've been meaning to make a post like this for a while now!
I suppose you could also consider this my unofficial answer to Challenge #3 (which I skipped before lol). That one was about a fandom opinion of yours that's changed. Back when I was first diving into Japanese music 20 (!?) years ago (thanks to being introduced via anime), I listened almost exclusively to visual kei bands that were made up of only men. Later, another friend introduced me to Japanese boy bands, which I also enjoyed.
But my impression of music by Japanese women was solely the overly-cutesy idol pop style of music. Which is perfectly okay, by the way, but not at all what I was interested in listening to.
Thankfully, I learned later that there are a lot of women out there creating the kind of music I do love! Over the years, I stumbled across a variety of rock and metal bands who were all women, and now it's one of my favorite genres of Japanese music.
So, here are 10 of my favorite bands featuring Japanese ladies who rock:
[Note: all these links go to YouTube. No embeds because I'm writing on my phone]
Oreskaband
This band has been together since 2003, but have had a few members come and go over the years. (This will be an unfortunate recurring theme for the rest of this post.) They're actually a ska band, and that was one of the things that got me interested in the group because I always think it's cool when bands include other instruments than just the standard guitar, bass, drums, etc. The current lineup includes a trombone player and a tenor sax player. In the past, they had a trumpet too.
I actually had the chance to see them perform in person back in 2016 when they guested at the anime convention I attended. They gave such an energetic and fun performance, and I even bought their new single that weekend.
That song was actually Fiebre! and it's still one of my favorites.
Another good example of how fun their songs can be is Free Now
They're not very active anymore, but not officially broken up either. So they may still release new music in the future.
Band Maid
I'll admit I was skeptical of Band Maid at first. A band where all the ladies are dressed as maids? Sounded like some male-gaze gimmick thing to me.
But their song Dice had me hooked with it's stellar bassline and catchy lyrics. I've been listening ever since! They've come to be one of my all-time favorite bands, and I rarely dislike any of the songs they release.
Manners is another favorite song. And one thing I really appreciate about the group is that they include English subtitles in their music videos (and English translations with their albums, which pleasantly surprised me.) Recently they even did a collab with a band from Mexico called The Warning, and the whole song, Show Them, was in English.
The group first formed in 2013 and are still pretty active. They even just released a new single this week!
Aldious
The first song I ever heard by Aldious was Dominator and I just loved the gothic vibes of the music video paired with their metal sound.
What I really liked about Aldious was that it reminded me of visual kei bands, whose aesthetic was just as important as the music. These ladies often wore what looked like prom dresses on stage, which was such a fun juxtaposition to the literal headbanging they do while performing. Here's a nice example in another one of my favorites: Go Away
The band first got together in 2008, but they've had trouble keeping a steady lineup of members, especially vocalists, and they're currently down to only three people. Not officially done -- they do occasionally get together for a one-night only performance -- but I don't expect new music from them any time soon.
Trident
This trio eventually started out under the name "Girls Rock Band Kakumei" in 2013 but after their drummer left in 2020, they recruited a new one and changed their name to Trident. Their first song under their new name was Continue
I've really enjoyed how catchy their songs are. My favorite is Spoopy (though I still don't know why that's the song title 😂). And their most recent single Haha is good too!
They're a band I listen to when I wanna feel excited and pumped up.
Hanabie
If Hanabie had been around when I was in middle/high school, I would have been obsessed with them. 14-year old Holly wanted so badly to dye her hair something bright and colorful, and sing in a screamo band 😂 The group, first formed in 2016, describes themselves as "Harajuku-core" and, they also remind me of the old visual kei days.
I've only recently started listening to them after stumbling across Pardon Me, I Have to go Now". They're still very active, and releasing new music pretty regularly. Another song that makes me laugh is Otaku Lovely Densetsu
Gacharic Spin
A brief history of Gacharic Spin: they started off as a four-member group with the debut single Lock on in 2009. But then their vocalist left, and they added a keyboardist. The keyboardist and drummer split the singing duties, but since they couldn't move around much while playing their instruments too, they decided to add some "performers" (dancers, basically) to the group. After some years, the performers left the group, and so they hired a "mic performer" (an additional new singer, basically) and added a new drummer. (So the previous drummer switched to playing guitar now instead!
It's not unusual for bands to keep dropping and adding members, but I always think Gacharic Spin is interesting for the members switching around what roles they play in the band sometimes. Neat!
Personally, I've liked them best with their current lineup. Their songs Mindset and I wish I really got me hooked. And Kachi Kachi Yama is one of my top favorites. (It's so catchy!)
They're still active, though I think they announced that they were going to take a step back this year and do more individual things. They've been pretty busy in past years, so I don't blame them for taking a break to rest.
On a sidenote, sometimes they team up with Fuki from Unlucky Morpheus for a side band called Doll$boxx. They don't release new music anymore but they have been touring together recently!
BiSH
BiSH called themselves "a punk band without instruments" which is funny because they're really just an alt idol group. But I really liked their music, so I'm including them anyway.
They first formed in 2015 and later disbanded in 2023. Their songs ranged from really sweet to really provocative. (One of their singles is called "Final shits") You really never knew what you were gonna get with BiSH.
Some of my favorites included Stereo Future and In Case...
East of Eden
East of Eden is quite a new band compared to the others on this list. They formed in 2023, and I really don't know too much about them yet.
But they have a violinist in the group, which I think is a fun addition for a rock band!
Their songs aren't very memorable, in my opinion, but I do enjoy them. Here's Judgement Syndrome and Chasing the Moon
Nemophilia
I can't remember how I stumbled across Nemophilia, to be honest. YouTube probably rec'd them to me. But I love singers who scream/growl their songs, so I was immediately hooked.
Rise is my absolute favorite, but I also like songs like Seize the Fate. They also did a lot of covers of American metal songs too, if you're into that kind of thing.
They got their start in 2019, but one of their guitarists recently left the band. They're still continuing as a four-member band since then, and have re-released new versions of some older songs.
Exist Trace
Lastly, perhaps my overall favorite because they were the one exception to my male-centric listening focus in the beginning of my Japanese music journey. And that's because Exist Trace was a visual kei band too. I remember thinking the bassist looked terrifying, and therefore she was my favorite 😂 (she still is, by the way)
They started off with very rough, growly vocals as well, like in Resonance. But they've mellowed out a bit over time. But not too much!
Some of my other favorites include Diamond and Ginger.
They first formed in 2003, and are still going strong today. They don't release a lot of new music, but they tour pretty regularly. (When they performed on Halloween this past year, they all dressed up as characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. They're just a lot of fun!)
These are just a few of my favorite bands, but there are so many more out there, covering so many genres. Perhaps you'll find someone you like too!
In your own space, write a promo, manifesto or primer for a beloved character, relationship or fandom.
I don't get to talk about it as much, but I consider Japanese music as one of my fandoms too. And so, for this challenge, I put together an intro primer to several of my favorite all-lady j-rock and j-metal bands. I've been meaning to make a post like this for a while now!
I suppose you could also consider this my unofficial answer to Challenge #3 (which I skipped before lol). That one was about a fandom opinion of yours that's changed. Back when I was first diving into Japanese music 20 (!?) years ago (thanks to being introduced via anime), I listened almost exclusively to visual kei bands that were made up of only men. Later, another friend introduced me to Japanese boy bands, which I also enjoyed.
But my impression of music by Japanese women was solely the overly-cutesy idol pop style of music. Which is perfectly okay, by the way, but not at all what I was interested in listening to.
Thankfully, I learned later that there are a lot of women out there creating the kind of music I do love! Over the years, I stumbled across a variety of rock and metal bands who were all women, and now it's one of my favorite genres of Japanese music.
So, here are 10 of my favorite bands featuring Japanese ladies who rock:
[Note: all these links go to YouTube. No embeds because I'm writing on my phone]
Oreskaband
This band has been together since 2003, but have had a few members come and go over the years. (This will be an unfortunate recurring theme for the rest of this post.) They're actually a ska band, and that was one of the things that got me interested in the group because I always think it's cool when bands include other instruments than just the standard guitar, bass, drums, etc. The current lineup includes a trombone player and a tenor sax player. In the past, they had a trumpet too.
I actually had the chance to see them perform in person back in 2016 when they guested at the anime convention I attended. They gave such an energetic and fun performance, and I even bought their new single that weekend.
That song was actually Fiebre! and it's still one of my favorites.
Another good example of how fun their songs can be is Free Now
They're not very active anymore, but not officially broken up either. So they may still release new music in the future.
Band Maid
I'll admit I was skeptical of Band Maid at first. A band where all the ladies are dressed as maids? Sounded like some male-gaze gimmick thing to me.
But their song Dice had me hooked with it's stellar bassline and catchy lyrics. I've been listening ever since! They've come to be one of my all-time favorite bands, and I rarely dislike any of the songs they release.
Manners is another favorite song. And one thing I really appreciate about the group is that they include English subtitles in their music videos (and English translations with their albums, which pleasantly surprised me.) Recently they even did a collab with a band from Mexico called The Warning, and the whole song, Show Them, was in English.
The group first formed in 2013 and are still pretty active. They even just released a new single this week!
Aldious
The first song I ever heard by Aldious was Dominator and I just loved the gothic vibes of the music video paired with their metal sound.
What I really liked about Aldious was that it reminded me of visual kei bands, whose aesthetic was just as important as the music. These ladies often wore what looked like prom dresses on stage, which was such a fun juxtaposition to the literal headbanging they do while performing. Here's a nice example in another one of my favorites: Go Away
The band first got together in 2008, but they've had trouble keeping a steady lineup of members, especially vocalists, and they're currently down to only three people. Not officially done -- they do occasionally get together for a one-night only performance -- but I don't expect new music from them any time soon.
Trident
This trio eventually started out under the name "Girls Rock Band Kakumei" in 2013 but after their drummer left in 2020, they recruited a new one and changed their name to Trident. Their first song under their new name was Continue
I've really enjoyed how catchy their songs are. My favorite is Spoopy (though I still don't know why that's the song title 😂). And their most recent single Haha is good too!
They're a band I listen to when I wanna feel excited and pumped up.
Hanabie
If Hanabie had been around when I was in middle/high school, I would have been obsessed with them. 14-year old Holly wanted so badly to dye her hair something bright and colorful, and sing in a screamo band 😂 The group, first formed in 2016, describes themselves as "Harajuku-core" and, they also remind me of the old visual kei days.
I've only recently started listening to them after stumbling across Pardon Me, I Have to go Now". They're still very active, and releasing new music pretty regularly. Another song that makes me laugh is Otaku Lovely Densetsu
Gacharic Spin
A brief history of Gacharic Spin: they started off as a four-member group with the debut single Lock on in 2009. But then their vocalist left, and they added a keyboardist. The keyboardist and drummer split the singing duties, but since they couldn't move around much while playing their instruments too, they decided to add some "performers" (dancers, basically) to the group. After some years, the performers left the group, and so they hired a "mic performer" (an additional new singer, basically) and added a new drummer. (So the previous drummer switched to playing guitar now instead!
It's not unusual for bands to keep dropping and adding members, but I always think Gacharic Spin is interesting for the members switching around what roles they play in the band sometimes. Neat!
Personally, I've liked them best with their current lineup. Their songs Mindset and I wish I really got me hooked. And Kachi Kachi Yama is one of my top favorites. (It's so catchy!)
They're still active, though I think they announced that they were going to take a step back this year and do more individual things. They've been pretty busy in past years, so I don't blame them for taking a break to rest.
On a sidenote, sometimes they team up with Fuki from Unlucky Morpheus for a side band called Doll$boxx. They don't release new music anymore but they have been touring together recently!
BiSH
BiSH called themselves "a punk band without instruments" which is funny because they're really just an alt idol group. But I really liked their music, so I'm including them anyway.
They first formed in 2015 and later disbanded in 2023. Their songs ranged from really sweet to really provocative. (One of their singles is called "Final shits") You really never knew what you were gonna get with BiSH.
Some of my favorites included Stereo Future and In Case...
East of Eden
East of Eden is quite a new band compared to the others on this list. They formed in 2023, and I really don't know too much about them yet.
But they have a violinist in the group, which I think is a fun addition for a rock band!
Their songs aren't very memorable, in my opinion, but I do enjoy them. Here's Judgement Syndrome and Chasing the Moon
Nemophilia
I can't remember how I stumbled across Nemophilia, to be honest. YouTube probably rec'd them to me. But I love singers who scream/growl their songs, so I was immediately hooked.
Rise is my absolute favorite, but I also like songs like Seize the Fate. They also did a lot of covers of American metal songs too, if you're into that kind of thing.
They got their start in 2019, but one of their guitarists recently left the band. They're still continuing as a four-member band since then, and have re-released new versions of some older songs.
Exist Trace
Lastly, perhaps my overall favorite because they were the one exception to my male-centric listening focus in the beginning of my Japanese music journey. And that's because Exist Trace was a visual kei band too. I remember thinking the bassist looked terrifying, and therefore she was my favorite 😂 (she still is, by the way)
They started off with very rough, growly vocals as well, like in Resonance. But they've mellowed out a bit over time. But not too much!
Some of my other favorites include Diamond and Ginger.
They first formed in 2003, and are still going strong today. They don't release a lot of new music, but they tour pretty regularly. (When they performed on Halloween this past year, they all dressed up as characters from The Nightmare Before Christmas. They're just a lot of fun!)
These are just a few of my favorite bands, but there are so many more out there, covering so many genres. Perhaps you'll find someone you like too!
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Date: 2025-01-17 06:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-01-17 06:19 pm (UTC)