Made in Japan--Our New Spotlight Feature! 8/27/2012 2:17:42 PM by David L
Looking for obscure metal bands in Japan is not so difficult, especially if you live here and are in touch with the underground metal scene. To the rest of the world, Japan has only produced a handful of bands that are recognizable to the average metal head. Let's see, there are Loudness, Dir En Grey, X-Japan, EZO, Coffins, and maybe a few others that metal elitists can point out quickly. On the contrary, Japan has produced many stellar metal bands that (unfortunately) will remain in Japan's underground scene without ever getting heard elsewhere on a wide scale.
That's where this column – Made In Japan – comes in. I will focus on spotlighting the many awesome underground Japanese metal bands, with hopes they reach the worlds' metal masses!
The first band I would like to recognize--OGRE. I've known and have been friends with this band for about 13 years now. Although they only have 3 official releases out and have endured many lineup changes, their message has remained unchanged, and that is to play brutal thrash metal without compromise. Their first release, which hit the streets in Japan sometime in 1999, still stands the test of time with its ferocious, brutal riffing and monstrous bass attack. One of my favorite songs on that album, Betrayer, was also made into an official band video just a couple of years ago. This song represents the band at their best and showcases their ability to create raw, hateful METAL! Enjoy! \m/ --Grim
