Looks like Mary's Blood's Fate is getting a European pressing. I hope it does well and other bands take notice and start giving their albums more global releases as well.

http://www.hmv.co.jp/artist_Mary-s-Bloo ... te_8070639

VanAderfia: New band

is cross vein gonna be releasing anything anytime soon?

Apparently this is a thing that's coming out tomorrow. Seems pretty polished and impressive for a debut, though I guess I shouldn't be surprised by great musicianship from Japan at this point.

Full song (have to say that several of the other album preview tracks sounded more promising, though). They definitely take the traditional look to the extreme:

Yeah, I got that one on order (shocked?) - I should have it next week. Manami (Dragon Eyes) was their first vocalist, but she left and Yuri (Albion/Tengusakura) replaced her. Members of Ethereal Sin are also in this band. Looking forward to this one though - this year has been pretty slow for Japanese metal (J-Rock/indie has been much better, same goes for last year).

Manami has a new project with Masumi (Cross Vein), Tsui (ex-Galneryus/Apsalus), etc called Innocent Material. No idea what style of music it'll be in though.

That Aredreds and new Prophesia I ordered recently - both should be ok.

If anyone would have already known about it/had it ordered, I figured it'd be you.

Yeah, I feel you on the 'slow period for j-power' thing. I'd gotten out of the loop for a while (as I often do) and I'm kinda surprised to see how little I've missed since I've been away. Any gems I've been sleeping on from the last year or so? I can only replay my Mardelas, Cross Vein, Tears of Tragedy, Octaviagrace, Mary's Blood, and Light Bringer discographies for so long!

Silex is pretty good. That's pretty much a Crying Machine reboot, with Hibiki on bass and some Canadian guy on vocals. Lovebites is pretty solid too.

All the bands I like keep breaking up or going on indefinite hiatus. Like ASRA and Disqualia are toast. Sirius Roar lost their vocalist and bassist, so they're doomed. I'm expecting a new Adrastea soon. I liked their first CD a lot, and I expect their second one to be better. Mahatma has a new CD out later this year too (I think its a re-recording of their two early CD-R EPs).

Did you ever get that last Liv Moon? Colossal upgrade over the previous album. I guess Kentaro makes everything better. Speaking of which, he's on the new Daida Laida, which I should get off my ass and play.

I've been mostly into Japan's indie scene the last year and there's a fuckload of good bands there (that's been about 90% of my listening habits the last year). Hell, most of my favorite girl-bands aren't even metal anymore.

Damn if Hibiki isn't prolific. All right, I'll check out Silex. Lovebites has been pretty high on my list since seeing LB's review, too.

Awww man, ASRA is done? I just gave their last album a listen the other day, and I still love it. They were a pretty special band. Now I really regret skipping out on that live show last year.

I remember listening to a Liv Moon album a long time ago and not being into it. I guess if things have changed for the better, I'll give their last one a shot.

If you wouldn't mind, PM me a few of your indie faves and I'll give them a listen when I get around to it. I've been craving new music lately and wouldn't mind breaking out of my shell to find it.

Hibiki left Mardelas btw. I'm still butthurt that his last recording with the band is a venue exclusive and it sold for absurd prices.

ASRA could come back, but they lost a guitarist - so I'm hoping they'll find a replacement. e:cho (I consider them a sister band) also lost a guitarist. Liv Moon's last one was really good. First song took me off guard, to put it mildly.

Sure, I'll PM you a list of faves. Some of that stuff I can see J-Metal fans taking to easily.

People, did you listen to the first song of NECROPHILE's debut full length "Awakening Those Oppressed"?
The song is called "Hysteria Siberiana" and it kills!!! If you like Death / Thrash Metal be sure to not miss this record when it comes out (September 16th, 2017 via UNHOLY PROPHECIES).

Listen to the song here: https://unholyprophecies.bandcamp.com/a ... pressed-cd

Listening to Rakshasa new album. Nice.

New Show-Ya album coming out this September 27, 2017.

what is the best Aldious album?
I like what i heard

Determination (2011)

Your nickname reminded me of guitarist from Aftermath/Tip Of The Tongue.

Ibuki starting a solo project. This can be interesting.

Zestria: New band.

Do you recognize girl on the right?

The girl on the far left looks like she really doesn't wanna be there. :V

Artwork and tracklist for Galneryus' upcoming album are out. I added the album to the site.

Here's to hoping it's better than Under the Force of Courage. I really hope these guys have a few more great tunes left in them.

Under the Force of Courage was vastly superior to the last Mary's Blood.

Anyway, the cover and track-listing for the new Ningen-Isu is released:



1.虚無の声
2.風神
3.超自然現象
4.月夜の鬼踊り
5.もののけフィーバー
6.宇宙のシンフォニー
7.太陽がいっぱい
8.痴人のモノローグ
9.悪魔祈禱書
10.悪夢の添乗員
11.地獄のヘビーライダー
12.異端者の悲しみ

I see Crick already added it to M-A. I probably should pre-order it soon. Looks like the limited edition has a bonus live DVD again.

Nahhhh. "Change the Fate" on its own shits on most of everything else that came out in 2016. Under the Force of Courage in its entirety wilts before it.

"Change the Fate" and "Queen of the Night" are good, but the rest of that album was pretty average and going through the motions. I don't think either shit on most of 2016 though. I'd take most of Under the Force of Courage over either of them, tbh. Shit, I'd take most of Vetelgyus over either of them.

The first album, "Deep Exceed."

I'm looking forward to the new Concerto Moon album, Tears of Messiah. It will feature Terra Rosa mainman Masashi Okagaki handling the keyboards, so that makes it even better. It would be great if Norifumi Shima would get back together with Kosaku Mitani, Ichiro Nagai, and/or Toshiyuki Koike, as they played a huge part on defining their classic sound in the late 1990s. Takao Ozaki and Osamu Harada seem like they're done with music for good. In fact, I spoke with Harada not too long ago about how much I dug his playing on Fragments of the Moon, and then I was told that he hadn't been into music since exiting the band in mid-1997, and he was only just getting back into it since 2016. I'm not sure if and when he'll ever do anything musical again, but it's still nice to know that he's giving music another go. His English was also perfect, which was a huge relief on my part.

Songs from their debut album and their latest album (2015):


Speaking of Concerto Moon, has anyone checked out Zenith? That was the band that originally featured Ozaki and Harada, right around the time that Shima was playing in Crystal Clear. Both bands just merged and became Concerto Moon after the success of the first Make It Shine CD.

Advance song for the upcoming Galneryus album

The song Ultimate Sacrifice has 5 parts and this video ends right in the middle of a guitar solo so I assume it's only a fifth or a quarter of the whole song.

Already sounds better than anything off of the last album, so that's reassuring.

Eh, idk about that one. While UtFoC isn't a favorite of mine there are some truly stellar moments on the disc and I don't think anything on this song portion beats them. It sounds like a return to the Angel of Salvation era to me which is kinda good kinda bad.

That's why I'm excited--Angel of Salvation (tied with The Flag of Punishment) is my favorite album of theirs.

Obviously, album will be interesting

New Ningen-Isu PV.

Yeah Lovebites and Ningen Isu, two albums I'm really looking forward to. I wish the Lovebites album was all new songs though instead of having the EP songs in there, but at least it won't hurt the album's quality since those songs are all great. Can't wait to hear the rest of the new ones though.

Octaviagrace and Galneryus I'm looking forward to as well, those should be in shipping process any day now. New Mahatma and The Uncrowned soon too. Paranoid Void's upcoming full-length is my most anticipated album from this year by a mile though.

What are some good Japanese black metal bands to check out? Really only familiar with Gallhammer and some early Sigh.

I wasn't blown away by Octaviagrace's album (I liked the forceful, ear-piercing sound of the EPs much better), but their songs are quite nice, so I'm expecting good things from this. Galneryus also, if they can just pretend the two previous albums never happened.

Already? It hasn't been that long since their debut right?

Also, new Erebos full-length coming out in November. I don't know if anyone else really noticed them when they released an EP last year but they're kinda like early Arch Enemy. They've got one of the guitarists of Galmet on vocals. Looks like they actually lost one of their guitarists shortly before they started recording so I'm a little trepidacious about how this is going to sound.

https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Erebos/3540419506

That Uncrowned is only a 3-song single or something. I wish they'd re-record that Actroid CD. Shal is so much better than Anna.

I'm kinda on the fence with Erebos. I own the debut MCD and its ok at best. I'll have to hear a trailer before deciding to buy, but I'm kinda disinterested in melodeath in general these days. Shit, that latest No Limited Spiral I've barely listened to.

Album trailer for Ultimate Sacrifice. It sounds pretty great honestly.

Digging it, as expected.