Worldwide Metal: Japan
In this edition of Worldwide Metal, I travel to the land of the rising sun Japan. A country that is full of people, ahead of the world in technological development, and one country (along with Korea) helping promote the influence of J & K-pop into the United States. Many acts like Dir En Grey, Babymetal & X Japan show that Japan does have a metal scene, but what about the more extreme side of metal? Is there any good acts that people need to learn about or check out? From my research, I have found a bunch of good extreme metal acts, as well as one iconic black metal act that you should definitely check out if you haven’t. So, let’s dive in and explore what Japan has to show for itself in the land of extreme metal.
The first band i’ll be covering is black/thrash act Sabbat. With eleven albums, their most recent being Sabbaticult in 2024 and countless splits and EPs since the band’s formation, the band is an unstoppable source of productivity since forming in 1984. With the thrash/speed metal influence of acts like Motörhead and Venom, but adding the hostility and aggression of black metal, the band is a perfect marriage of the two. A good band to check out for fans of bands like Midnight and Hellripper.
Next we delve into the darkness and bleakness of funeral doom metal with Average Misanthropy. A one member project helmed by Kyohei, the band merges the blasphemic and unholy traits of black metal to the dirge-like pacing of funeral doom that embodies the hopelessness and depression the genre is known for. With the band releasing two albums in 2019, The Days of Lethargy and Interminable Rumination, the project continues to push how deep and dark the band dives down the rabbit hole.
Next we head into the land of crossover/thrash with Nagoya, Japan’s Punhalada. Formed in 2012, the band delivers a brash, underground performance with their combination of classic thrash sound you’d get from Hirax and S.O.D. I discovered the band with their 2022 record Sobrevivente, which delivers that nostalgic 80’s demo-like quality, combined with aggressive and pissed-off energy you’d get from the early Napalm Death records with the band’s vocalist Geovanny. If you want that deep underground, high intensity speed with a don’t give a damn attitude, this would be the band to check out.
Next up is symphonic black/death metal act Ghost Cries. Mixing the blasting drums, epic and soaring keys, to a beautiful marriage of gutturals and clean singing. A sound that would make fans of Fleshgod Apocalypse and Septicflesh very happy. Three albums into the band’s lifetime, with the most recent being 2021’s Purgatorium, the production quality is such a large scale and matches the epic grandeur the band delivers on the album. I’m a huge fan of the symphonic death/black metal genre and this is something that definitely made me happy to discover and worth checking out if you are into that genre combination.
The last band I’ll be covering today is one of the most famous extreme metal acts to come out of Japan, the black metal/avant-garde act Sigh. A band that has a deep history in black metal as being the first band signed to Deathlike Silence Productions, the label owned by late Mayhem guitarist Euronymous. Since the band’s debut album in 1993 Scorn Defeat, the band has deviated from traditional second wave black metal and has pushed what extreme metal can sound like. Incorporating operatic elements, progressive rock, jazz, death metal, folk and second wave black metal, the incredible musicianship from this act is a feat to behold. An eclectic discography, Sigh has a little something for everybody with each release and still going strong for over thirty years.
That’s going to do it for my time visiting Japan. Did you dig some of the bands I featured in this edition? Were there any bands you think other readers should check out? You can also let me know what country I should travel to next, so I can stamp my metal passport on my journey to discover Worldwide Metal.
