Hinata Haruka with 969BAND - Senbonzakura
This video is the perfect intro to this article as it contains all the elements that make up Idol Metal music. Japanese tunes, cute girls and growling guitars -sometimes growling cute girls as well.
In my introduction post to Steemit I mentioned that I have been drawn to the dark side and I now listen, almost exclusively, to Idol Metal. The scope of this article is not to explain what Japanese Idols are or how Idol Metal came to be but to present my five favourite groups from this style of music. So, without further ado lets move to the music.
Babymetal
Babymetal are one of the pioneers and the most popular Idol Metal group. They were formed in 2010 as a sub-unit to the Idol group Sakura Gakuin. They began gaining popularity on their own though and after Suzuka Nakamoto, the lead singer, graduated from Sakura Gakuin they became a stand-alone group. One can write a series of articles about Babymetal and what they have accomplished before even finishing school but this article is about the music.
The first song is the one that I first heard from them. I was shocked, let it stand for a week and then I watched it again. From that moment on I was hooked and my life as a Wota began. The second video is a live rendition of a song that was written for them by Dragonforce.
Necronomidol
Necronomidol is an ultra dark Idol group. Their music is a combination of classic Heavy Metal, Black Metal, Dark Wave and of course, Idol music. The most distinctive element of their music though is the dreamy vocals (remember, a nightmare is also a dream) which create a haunting soundscape that earns them the title of Dark Idols. Their manager is Ricky Wilson, an American living in Japan. For this reason, they are also the most accessible​ group to western fans.
They were the first group I discovered after Babymetal. My first experience was with the video for the song Atai No Tsumeato -a black metal dirge so kvlt that it would make many Norwegians run crying to their mamas! The first song I will present is Psychopomp, which was filmed in Aokigahara, the suicide forest. The second one is Abhoth, in which they terrorise the unsuspecting residents of Tokyo after they brought the wrath of God upon the city.
Passcode
Passcode was the group that was the most difficult for me to get into. Their total disregard for the term "consistency" meant that not only the rhythm but also the style of music would change in rapid succession within a song. Their music, a combination of electronic music and hardcore, sounded a mess that I couldn't understand but somehow I liked.
Remember when I wrote in the beginning about growling cute girls? That applies to Passcode as one of them has a fantastic growling voice. They are not the only group that does it or even the first one who did it but it helps expand the diversity of their sound. Both videos I present here are from their latest album.
JyuJyu
JyuJyu are another dark -cursed Idol group. Their whole concept revolves around the idea of the Curse. I feel that anything I may write about them won't do justice to their music. Although it sometimes doesn't appear so heavy or dark on face value, it has an underlying ominous mood that brings out a feeling of anxiety and despair in the whole composition. Anyone who likes dark music should like JyuJyu.
Their concept of cursed idols seems to follow them is their actual career. Their lineup changes always led to a reboot of the project and it has prevented them from translating their potential into something tangible. Nevertheless, you can say goodbye to all joy in life and let your soul be consumed by the black curse of JyuJyu
Noroi Hajime (The Beginning of the Curse)
Kumo No Ito (Spider's Thread)
Malcolm Mask Mclaren
Malcolm Mask Mclaren got to my top 5 after the final dissolution of Fruitpochette. The reason I picked them over other groups is because their music is FUN! After the last major change in the lineup, they began describing their style as Easycore; hard as any X-core style of music should be but also easy to relate to.
All this comes out at their lives. I have never been to an Idol concert but if I could go to only one, It would be a Malcolm Mask Mclaren show. That's why I picked the second video to be a live. The first video was the first song I listened by them.