As of late it seems like there’ve been a lot more all-girl bands popping up in Japan. No, I’m not talking about the happy-go-lucky pop groups such as AKB48 and the like, I’m talking about the all-female hardcore metal bands.
Okay, well maybe they’re not that hardcore, but they’re at least a little hardcore (I promise). I’ve heard a handful of pretty decent bands from the genre lately and I’ve collected some of them here for you today. There’s not too much to say about each of them, so just scroll down, give them a listen, and (hopefully) enjoy.
Dazzle Vision
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVG_bBJU94A']
Dazzle Vision is a four member hard rock band with hints of emo, pop, and heavy metal making for a pretty unique sound. They’ve been around since June of 2003 and have been on a handful of tours since then. They released their first album Origin of Dazzle in November of 2006, and their latest album, Shocking Loud Voice, was released on May 4, 2012.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oy3tJAQ2Rrw&feature=relmfu']
Okay, so Dazzle Vision isn’t an all-female group. You got me. But you have to admit that girl is pretty badass all on her own. Sometimes I think Dazzle Vision is pretty cool, but other times the music seems kind of sloppy or not really “in the groove.” I don’t really know how to explain it, but maybe you’ll know what I mean. It could also be due to the band going through so many lineup changes, perhaps the members just haven’t quite gotten used to each other yet. What do you think?
Exist†trace
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PTC3zoXMrIg']
And now onto the all-female groups as promised. Exist†trace is an all-female visual kei band. They started out in 2003 and received lots of attention for their harsh and dark sound in their earlier releases, but have since moved on towards a more melodic tone which is kind of too bad for hardcore metal fans, but oh well.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=epyg2LzGq5s&feature=related']
Like I said, their songs range from relatively melodic (top video) to super duper harsh (bottom video), which is even too harsh for me I think. They certainly are capable of a wide range of sounds though. Which do you like best?
Cyntia
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g09UK5hNO34&feature=related']
Cyntia is relatively new to the music scene and I couldn’t find too much regarding the band other than this website here (which is in Japanese). Their sound is pretty good though and they’re arguably the cutest group out of the bunch, don’t you think? I’m looking forward to seeing their new stuff as it’s released.
Aldious
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgmZI1M9jz0&feature=relmfu']
Aldious is another all female metal band. They started to form in 2008 and have been collecting members and releasing new songs ever since. That’s pretty much all you need to know about Aldious, really.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bc40MuAO7ig']
I think Aldious is a pretty strong entry into the all female heavy rock band genre in Japan. They’ve got solid music and good vocals to go along with them. Not bad. Not bad at all…
>.>
And then of course there’s Baby Metal.
[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4QbAXXXOJF8']
So tell me, which one of these bands is your favorite? Know any other good Japanese heavy rock bands with all female members or at least a female front(wo)man? Share in the comments!
(Also, if you hate metal, I sincerely apologize. Better luck next week.)
Saturday Timewaster is a weekly post that features Japanese videos, music, images, or games that will certainly waste your time (some weeks more than others). We hope you enjoy!