Let's talk about GIRL BAND POP ROCK HEAVY METAL.

Been listening to Light Bringer and enjoying it. The lead singer from DOLL$BOXX does the vocals here. It's more traditional power metal with less fun vocals but it's pretty good and it shows her vocal range a bit more

Japan is a weird and wonderful place you guys. All this music is great for it's own reasons.

I wonder if people in Japan are as dis-interested with this music as we are with Top 40s music in North America.If so, I propose a trade.

I probably feel the same as I do about anything else involving either "Metal" or "Pop". I'm not interested in the least.

I can never understand the lyrics in metal.

Not bad, not sure if I'll listen to them much since I don't understand Japanese. Then again I listen to Eluveitie, which is a folk metal band (screaming, guitars, flutes, bagpipes, violin, hurdy gurdy) and they have a lot of lyrics that are in a dead language.

I point and laugh at that Babymetal video.. love it! Wish I had the link for this growlmetal vocaloid somebody made using Rin iirc, heavily distorted "singing" but genuinely great stuff.

What about some Gallhammer and Onmyo-za.

Alright - fuck you dude. I've had that first video you linked in my head all day... I think I'm down the rabbit hole.

@fistfulofmetal: they're very clearly not playing the instruments in that first video and that bums me out so much

Edit: actually the guitarist and bassist aren't ever actually playing anything approximating the music in any of the dollboxx videos. just snagged their album from what.cd and then deleted it once i realized this :(

@galloughs: I wouldn't dismiss any band for not playing properly in a music video. From what I've seen, it's clear the drummer, lead singer and pianist are legit. I just saw some of their live-ish videos, and I think they're all legit:

The old man grump in me looks at most of this stuff and can only see record executives wringing a gimmick for all it's worth.

Also, we're talking Japanese metal exports and nobody has mentioned Sigh? For shame.

@galloughs: Like what the other guy said, bands not actually playing in a music video is pretty common. They use the studio recording and overlay it over a faux performance. It just seems they're bad at fake playing.

I have no doubt they are legit. You can find plenty of videos of the drummer playing. She's the real star of the band.

So after 2 weeks of falling down this rabbit hole I think the best thing to come out is finding Gacharic Spin. I mentioned them earlier in the thread but to put more context, they're essentially the drummer, guitarist, bassist, and keyboardist from Doll's Boxx in their own band. And I believe they've been around longer it's just they hadn't put out a full album until this year.

They're incredible. I've been listening to their album Delicious just as much as Doll's Boxx and I think the quality rivals it. There's so much energy and enthusiasm from these girls and across the board they're just an incredibly talented bunch. I've watched some live performances and they just have so much stage presence.

Now I will admit some of the songs on their album I don't enjoy as much. Only really two and both of them are basically the "pop-cutesie". It's never been my thing. It's the reason I haven't been able to get into one band someone recommended, Scandal. Too produced and again, cutesie.

But the rest of the album is great. I lead singer who is also the drummer is the star of the band and manages to deliver great vocal melodies along side solid drum work.

I really hope they get to making another album. I will buy everything they put out.

Gacharic Spin is pretty good. The old singer was really not that good, and while the drummer can definitely sing, she has nothing on Fuki of Doll$Boxx and I think that's why I got so into them. I think the two work together really, really great though, as heard on Doll$Boxx's Monopoly. I'll have to check out the rest of Gacharic Spin, since everyone who likes DollsBoxx seems to be into them as well. Dude, you've put me onto the weirdest searches...

One thing to keep in mind is that they put out a 'mini' album awhile back with a different lead singer. I've listened to some tracks from it and IMO the band is better with Hana as the singer.

Also I need to get a better understanding of the japanese music industry. Gacharic Spin has been around for a few years and has put out a single album, a "mini" album and music videos for like every of their songs. Is that normal?

Well hell. This is pretty great. Like Boris levels of great.

The Japanese music industry is pretty weird. I used to follow it a while back, but it was the pop "idol" scene which is operated way differently it seems to rock/metal. I can only speak from what I've seen, but the bands that do music videos (PV they call it - performance video) for most/all of their songs are usually a once-off sort of thing. Not implying Gacharic Spin is - but I fear Doll$Boxx may very well be a once off "experiment".

Being a big fan of rock, heavy rock and metal, I don't see it really being any of those things....

With that said, I do love heavy rock/metal bands with female lead singers.

Ain't no Sex Machineguns, but it's pretty cool.

I would not be at all surprised if he had a hand in writing most of the rest of the song as well. It is very Arch Enemy style. :) This video is hilarious. NO MUH HAIR MUH FLYING V NOOOOOO!!!! D:

@gnatsol: That entire band is wearing costumes almost identical to Skullomania.

@subwayd: I was going to but then I realized this is about pop music with some metal in it ... not worthy of Sigh D: (or to get worked about it)

Edit: Yeah Lightbringer is more how I like it \m/

I think that was some of the worst metal I've ever heard. Also I think the guitarist in the Gacharic Spin video is faking it...and I'm talking about the one that is supposedly filmed at a "live" club. Anyway...just no. And it's not because I'm not a fan of metal, I went to a Katatonia/Cult of Luna show last night and it was awesome. This kind of stuff is barely metal, it's some kind of weird cosplay otaku nonsense. Sorry dude, just no. Absolutely awful.

I feel like the target audience here is Japanophiles and not people who are really into metal.

One word: horrible.

I don't listen to too much metal nowadays, as in none but I love Japanese music, so I thought I would read through this thread.

Now I am obsessed with BABYMETAL. Thanks a lot guys.

Although it's somewhat fun to listen to, the thing with J-Pop metallic hybrid isn't necessarily appealing personally and feels underlying business-directed. It's like how a lot visual kei-based bands play on the basic formula of having something heavy and something pop-like; less business oriented and more on sounding the same.

I rather be listening to metal or related stuff from Japan that seems to do it for the music including Boris, Gauze, Coffins & even Dir en grey at the least.

I'm jealous of that lady's PRS guitar in the first 2 videos.

Yup.

lol you're welcome.

I actually just now finished watching the video and the loli's attempting to sync up with their guitars during the solo was hilarious. I love how they were tapping during obviously picked riffs. lol

Side note to all, this is definitely metal. It's j-metal. Only difference is they prefer adding in Major tones or resolving to it and keeping their female frontwoman singing just like a j-pop band. Of course, I'm sure there's more traditional metal out their in Japan.

I just love how unique their solos get in some cases. Like Abingdon Boys School. Hiroshi and Sunao kill it in most of their songs with how they change their tonality/chordal progression. I think they even change keys..... but in a good way. heh

Now that I think about.... Some Jap Djent would be interesting. :D

exist†trace is my favorite female band (give Annunciation ~the heretic elegy~, Liquid, Ambivalence, and Funeral Bouquet albums a listen)

Ganglion (vocalist doesn't always sound like this but it's my favorite song because of it)

GO!GO!7188 (not metal or anything, and the drummer's a guy but fuck you, they're great)

And obligatory female-vocal-lead bands: Wistaria

Inugami Circus-Dan

Honorable mention(?): Blood Stain Child, I haven't listened to them much, they had a female vocalist, but they've changed so many times I don't know what's going on.

@wolfgame:

Try to find some of Aushvitz, Syu's (Galneryus' lead guitarist) old band. He did vocals for it as well.

This entire thread makes me want to put a gun in my mouth.

Admittedly most of the latter content I've posted here isn't Metal any more. Gacharic Spin is pop-rock for the most part. But if you are trying to say that DOLL$BOXX isn't heavy influenced by Power Metal than you're pretty much kidding yourself. It follows the same melodies and beats that fit right into the genre. As I mentioned earlier, the lead singer comes from a more traditional Power Metal band, Light Bringer, so it makes sense she brought those elements in with her. I'm not saying that it's straight up Metal through and through but the influence is there and it's a part of the ingredients that make up the music.

Your personal stance on the music itself it neither here nor there I guess...

Also I'm not seeing how you think the guitarist is faking. You can find plenty videos out there of them playing live and it all looks pretty legitimate. But whatevs I guess.

@zero_ is probably right, DOLL$BOXX seems like a one-off experiment. Especially when you read how the band formed. It was basically just a random meeting at some live shows I guess. That's fine, the album is quality and can live on it's own. I really need to see more stuff from Gacharic Spin. Not everything on their album is my thing but the stuff I like I really like. Sucks that I probably will have to wait another year or so before I get any new material.

I have the weirdest boner right now.