The Link Page

Around early 2002, I first heard Envy from an mp3 sample on the Dim Mak Records website. It immediately lit up my brain and set me furiously trying to understand where this music had come from. Living in Nashville, this really meant scouring the internet. Although, I did eventually order a few Envy CD’s through Off 12th Records (RIP), that pulled in some stuff from HG Fact occasionally.

Months later, I was planning to study abroad in Japan, and part of my preparation was to understand as much about the Japanese Underground as I could. There wasn’t a lot of information on the internet, especially in English.

But there were a few band websites. From there I could look at a band’s upcoming shows, follow the threads on their link pages, and learn more and more about what was going on. I looked at the “thank you’s” in the few releases I could get my hands on. And I looked at the band t-shirts they were wearing in photographs.

As I was researching, I started a site to collect the links I was finding and gather information about the bands. Not just for me, although I used it like an address book, but to help others that didn’t speak Japanese. The necessity of a site like this might seem weird in our current age of the internet, but no social media existed then, and search engines barely crawled all of the US websites (Here’s a Wikipedia explanation on link pages). Japanese sites were even more difficult to find unless you already knew a site’s URL. Another fun issue is that web browsers often didn’t use the correct encoding for Japanese pages, so they would end up as a bunch of illegible symbols (not Japanese). Oh! And when you did get to a page in Japanese, there weren’t any automated ways to translate the page. I had a 2000 page Japanese kanji dictionary I used to figure out what the bands were saying on their sites.

I called the link page “US/JP Underground Alliance”. By the magic of the Wayback Machine, you can still view some snapshots of it, in all its pistachio green glory. The snapshots of it didn’t start until a year after I first created it. I think I kept on updating it, even introducing a news section, for many years. There are snapshots under the first domain (http://usjp.cjb.net) and its final resting place (http://usjp.childismine.com).

Towards the end of the updating (around 2005), I was also getting excited about bands outside of Japan, and stood up pages for Asia and Europe.

Looking back, I’m really impressed with the news portion. There’s so much there that I’ve totally forgotten about. Also, it’s painfully apparent how difficult it was to access a lot of things overseas back then. There were so many new releases I knew of due to band’s websites, but couldn’t get ahold of. I still remember going to the post office to purchase an international check to send to a band or label for merchandise. Shipping was prohibitively expensive (it’s kinda back to that way again after being cheap for awhile), and getting a response from bands wasn’t very easy.

The Compilation

Skipping forward a lot in time, around 2014, I was getting re-energized by the fourth wave of Japanese screamo, and was brainstorming ways to help Japanese bands get more exposure in the west. I had the idea of a split compilation, half American based screamo bands, half Japanese screamo bands. The name? US/JP Underground Alliance.

I contacted bands I was friends with in both countries, and approached others that formed into new friendships. I tried to target some US bands that had toured Japan recently (like The Caution Children and Calculator), or were interested in touring. Looking back at the line up, I’m really impressed with how good a lot of the picks were. It still really holds up. I mean, look at this tracklist:

1. Chalmers - This Is a Highway Psalm

2. Ghostlate - your brain biased, to be melted

3. The Caution Children - Psalms

4. Hue - OFFLINE

5. Calculator - Guided By Moonlight

6. Fredelica - お前なんか誰も見てない (Nobody is looking at you)

7. Ittō - Death Frenzy

8. The Sky Above and Earth Below - All Show Me

9. shuly to 104kz - 花 (Flower)

10. Autarkeia - Bottled Air

11. Kiji - ISHI

12. Vowel - Small Trenches

For artwork, I asked my friend Derek Riley. We’d met virtually after he had contacted me about the blog I was doing at the time. We had a lot in common, from art degrees to similar tastes in screamy music, and I loved his art style. He was doing a lot of flyers, album artwork, and even the MEATCUBE logo. So I gave him the prompt and set him free. I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.

The Future?

Why am I writing this now? Partly it’s nostalgia from the old site. As I mention often on here, I’m working on the Japanese Screamo Disc Guide, which requires a lot of research. Ive gone back to the old site many times to grab contemporaneous website links to plug into the wayback machine. I’m also using a new method to collect all my research for the book, which is visible on the research site here.

And last year, I visited Japan for the first time in 22 years. It was refreshing, motivating, life-affirming. I’ll write more about it later.

Now I want to do another compilation. US/JP Underground Alliance Vol. 2. Maybe publicly announcing it will hold me accountable, haha… Anyways, keep your eyes open for that.

I Stay Here was a Third Wave Japanese Screamo group from Kashiwa, Chiba. Although most of their existence was towards the end of the Second Wave, their only release, ママのいない朝 ep, came out in the middle of 2007. Soon after that release (in February of 2008), they disbanded and reformed as the post-rock group Johann.

The two tracks on their EP definitely rely on the Envy-influenced Japanese melodic screamo sound a ton. With both tracks taking up almost 20 minutes together, there’s also a major attempt at post-rock. A year after they disbanded, their new band Johann would already release their demo, showing they were already desiring a different direction than I Stay Here took.

I had heard the title track on this EP years ago on Myspace, and somehow had saved a very low-res mp3 that has bounced around on my computers over the years. Finally getting to hear the entire EP in the best possible quality is so amazing.

I’m also curious whether they ever wrote or performed more than the two songs here. The live videos (linked above and below) only show them performing those songs. And a 20 minute set is pretty normal for most bands in Japan. So, it’s certainly possible that even though the band was around for almost 5 years, they only really finished 2 songs. Like many other screamo bands in Tokyo (looking at you, Gauge Means Nothing), they struggled to find a permanent drummer. That also likely contributed to a diminished output.

The main song was also featured (or supposed to be) on a compilation from Listen to Aylin Records from Norway. As Johann was also being included in the compilation, I’d imagine that Christer was talking to a member that carried through both.

Some of their webpages are still accessible, such as an Audioleaf page, and their Mixi community. Another gem from the Japanese underground…

2025 was another great year for Japanese Screamo. From wild stretches of the genre, to solid new entries in established sounds, this year has a little something for everyone.

Is there ever a bad year for Japanese Screamo? One of these days, I want to do a little data analysis of previous years to see what was the worst year for Japanese Screamo. Maybe mid-Covid, 2020? My vote for best year would probably be 2002, the release of my beloved: Envy’s All The Footprints…

On a personal note, I had the indescribable pleasure of finally revisiting Japan this year. It had been almost 22 years since my last visit, and the amount of changes were shocking. I was able to meet long-time friends, many for the first time IRL. And I went to a couple of amazing concerts, jumping on the bullet train in between since they were hundreds of kilometers apart. That was definitely something I couldn’t have done in my younger years (mostly due to money). I plan to go again this year (2026) and I want to make it an annual habit.

Anyways, let’s get to my favorite releases of the year. I’ll just list them alphabetically. If there’s anything in particular that you enjoyed, I’d love to hear from you in the comments! Thanks for reading.

PS: I’m still hard at work on the fourth wave article, and I’ve started the design for my Japanese Screamo Disc Guide book. Get pumped!

Asunojokei - Think Of You

I’ve been a fan of Asunojokei since their first demo. It’s always exciting to see what new spin they’ll put on their sound, as they are constantly evolving. I loved their 2022 album Island. It felt like they were coming into their own as they moved away from the blackgaze sound. Well, 2025’s Think Of You finally sees them reaching their final form. An unbelievably danceable mix of metal and J-Pop, with some screamo and post-rock sensibilities. Every listen of this album has me grooving my head and gives me chills.

Cranehillzero - 沈黙した世界の声明と衝動

The chaos of Covid led a lot of people around the world to self-reflect and reassess the directions of their lives (myself included). For some, it reignited their passion to create music. In Tsuruoka, a seaside town in Yamagata prefecture, members of the second wave screamo band Cranehill, decided to reform under a (slightly) new name Cranehillzero. After playing quite a few live shows in 2024, they released this six-song EP. I love the classic take on Japanese screamo. There are some modern touches and a progressive direction, but ultimately the Envy influence carries through the entire thing.

Crows Caw Loudly - Crows Caw Loudly

I was surprised to learn/realize last year that Crows Caw Loudly share two members with Undermark. Guitarist Nagasaka and bassist Takahashi switched instruments to join with two more members for Undermark. That’s a bit of a tangent, but last year their original band Crows Caw Loudly are back for another self-titled release. This time they bring a 12-song, double 7” of thrashy, dissonant screamo. I feel lots of The Carnival Of Dark-Split in the sound with more energy and less broodiness. These songs are rocking, chaotic, and feel a little like losing your mind (in a good way).

Inverted Clap - Struggle To Fabrication

I wrote a full review of this album last year. It’s still great on repeated listens. Chaotic Japanese screamo.

Ixtab - 差出人不明の告発

Ixtab has been on my radar for awhile. Since their first EP in 2015, their chaotic, dark screamo sound has consistently reached for new heights. I was able to see them play last year in Niigata, and it was really a revelatory experience. With a new member line-up forming around the sole founding member Toshi, I feel like they’ve finally hit upon a perfect combination. These three new tracks are intense, manic, and totally over-the-top. The group is based in the Gunma prefecture near where Tetola93 was based, and I can’t help but see parallels in their sound.

The Bandcamp release has vocal cameos from Poetry of Torch, Crows Caw Loudly, and lang. I have some copies of the cassette release in the distro, you can get that here.

My Eyes - Day By Day

When Dignity For All reformed for a reunion show in 2023, the band expressed their intent to keep playing under a different moniker. In 2025, My Eyes, their new formation, released the debut EP Day By Day. True to the members influences, they play a revival-esque form of 90’s passionate hardcore. It reminds me of the Ebullition-style of bands, but with some modern updates. This is truly for fans of the older sound, and new entrants to the genre.

Re-formation b.B - Do Not Kill

This was definitely a surprise for me. I picked it up at Otonashi Records on the recommendation of Mizutani-san. It’s a bit of an experiment, where every song has a different vocalist, and often the style of each song is tailored to the vocalist’s particular style. As a result, the genres vary between hardcore, grind, metal, rap-rock(!?), and screamo. I’m an old fan of Swarrrm, and some of the songs feature their original vocalist, which is amazing. This is an incredibly fun album. You can pick up a copy from Otonashi Records.

Serotonin Mist - Reality of Mirror

I plan to write a standalone review for this album, but to put it shortly, this is a huge step forward for screamo and hardcore everywhere. Serotonin Mist quickly dropped two demos in 2024 before releasing this full album last year. They’re combining screamo and 90’s hardcore with some infectious and genius breakdowns. I don’t want to write too much now and rehash it in my later article, so I’ll stop here. Just listen to it.

Still I Regret - Demo 2025

A surprise release from Still I Regret, who was last active in the early 2010’s. This demo is a revival in many ways. They play a sound influenced by 90’s emotional hardcore, such as Unbroken. But the vibe they create is truly channeled through decades of Japanese screamo innovation. There’s something about the tension they create in their music that is truly disquieting.

All Releases

I might have missed some, but here is (almost) every Japanese Screamo release this year (apart from those already listed). I’ll provide links where I can.

• blue sketch - Demo2025 [DL]

• Calmgale - Life [DL]

• Cissné - WILL / straysheep [DL]

• Crann / Portia Fading - Split [CD/DL]

• Dancebeach - No Name Noise [CD]

• Futafutafuta - Goodbye to your pity! [streaming]

• Fuyajoh / Never Confuse Loneliness With Isolation - Split [streaming]

• Gil Cerrone / Poetry Of Torch - Split [CD/DL]

• House Of The Blood Choir - 2nd Demo [DL]

• I Have A Hurt - 00:00.00 EP [streaming]

• I Have A Hurt / Shuto - Dirty Blanket [streaming]

• Kallidinogenase - Kallidinogenase [DL]

• Kiima Kariis - 魂の告白 [DL]

• Knivesunderthepillow - 苦しみの4章 [DL]

• Moreru - ぼぼくくととききみみだだけけののせせかかいい [DL]

• Murrumbidgees - 僕が見た世界は全て嘘に染められた [DL]

• Nesitivepunch - 寂しい世界 [DL]

• Nobody Celebrates My Birthday - 閻魔 [CD/DL]

• Off-End - Hidden Words [CD]

• Retratos De Heroina / 吶喊 - Split [CD]

• Sans Visage - Drowned/Resistance [Cassette/DL]

• Sassya- - WorldWorldWorldWorldWorld [CD/DL]

• Soccer. - Internet [CD/DL]

• Togusa - 土になるまで [DL]

• Ululou - 月蝕/動き出す世界 [CD-R/DL]

• Unmold - Unmold 1 [DL]

• Weep - Total Eclipse [streaming]

• 生活 (Seikatsu) - 生活 [DL]

• 終末回路 (Shumatsu Kairo) - 終端から引き剥がす [DL]

Edit: Thanks to Sascha and Raul for pointing out things I missed!

When I released The Absent Trail of an Echo and My Future Plagued By Surrender on vinyl in 2003, I tried to send review copies to every zine and blog that I could. I can’t remember how many copies I sent out, but it must’ve been at least twenty. Out of those, some did get picked up and reviewed.

Even though I didn’t have a part in the recording production, I’d still listened to the EP an insane amount of times before the vinyl was completed. As such, I was probably as close to it as the band members. Maybe closer, because I was head-over-heels in love with all five tracks.

So, when some of the reviews were finally printed, there were split moments of validation and shock. The reviews were either “this is the best thing ever” or “this is unlistenable”.

At this point, I’ve had over twenty years of thinking about and discussing the EP and its responses. And now, with the recent resurgence of interest in GMN, I’m again wondering which parts resonate with people, and even considering what resonates with me. Not in a critical way necessarily, just introspectively.

So, as a bit of a fun exercise, I’ve collected as many contemporaneous reviews of the GMN EP that I could find. It was interesting to re-read these with hindsight and more experience with the underground music industry, and music in general.

I hope you enjoy a short jaunt through the past as well! If you know of any other reviews, please send them my way.

Killthenoise.net

https://web.archive.org/web/20040423181204/http://www.killthenoise.net/gauge.htm

with their first release, tokyo’s gauge means nothing prove japan are no slackers on the hardcore front. much like fellow countrymen envy, they generally go for an emotive hardcore sound with strong screamo leanings. their long progressive tracks allow a great deal of expansion under this general description however, with punk, metalcore and pop-rock influences, and a lot more besides, pervading through their congested manic sound.

the numerous vocals are just as varied as the rest of the music, and although the female vocals can be a little painful sometimes, are a big plus on the whole. the fact that it’s all in japanese isn’t really that important - the majority is in the form of indecipherable screaming anyway. they definitely have a touch of oriental-tinged epicness about them, as the progressive intro to the opening track shows, and they also use some nice gentle melodic breakdowns to take the edge of the heavyness. it’s not as polished as the likes of envy, and a few of their adventurous and downright odd combinations of the heavy and sugary poppy don’t quite work - but the sheer energy this band exudes is definitely contagious, and overshadows any imperfections they may have. basically, you can’t help but like them. an impressive and unusual ep that you won’t be forgetting for a while.

poisonfree.com

https://web.archive.org/web/20040428083112/http://www.poisonfree.com/reviews/records/rev_detail.php?reviewID=977

Wow, what a fucking Bomb!!!

Every once in a while I get a record for review, which let´s grin like a maniac, making me want to thankfully kiss Phil´s and Flint´s stinky feet for giving me the opportunity to review for *poisonfree.com. And Oohh boy, this record is exactly such a boot licker!!

I could throw around with superlatives here or just tell you, that when you´re interested in emo you should be already out by the time you read this, getting your weeping face into a record store and demanding them to carry Gauge Means Nothing. They´re the best emo band I´ve heard in the last half year and this record is straight up fabulous!

Let´s forget about the quite cliché name here and jump into the musical description. These 6 persons from Japan play emo in the vein of Khayembii Communiqué mixed with some influences from old school emo bands like Jasmine. The songs are pretty long and you get 4 tracks in 27 minutes. They mostly stay away from creating those building up emo climaxes (like Indian Summer did) and neither fall into the ultra chaotic style almost all of today´s (scr)e(a)mo outfits pull off. There’s more of a punk vibe to their sound, going full throttle from the start (with the exception of the first song), throwing around an ass full of nice ideas, including the use of the coolest of all instruments: piano, violin and a triangle. Heartfelt and most of all honest vocals, reminding of classical mid 90ies emo bands, consisting of changing male and female shouting /singing / speaking and great rhythms along angular melodies round this gem up. At this point I have to especially honour the absolutely killer female vocals. They really blast away everything in their way, reminding me of the Akira soundtrack (I know this sounds strange), while sending shivers down my spine.

As far as I can see, this record was released on Endless/Nameless in Japan and I’ve Come For Your Children, who send me this copy, elsewhere.

They can be contacted via: I’ve Come For Your Children / 252 Barker Rd. Nashville, Tn 37214 USA. From what I’ve seen on their website, the label even got some more nice stuff in the making right now and with a release like this Gauge Means Nothing record I am eager as fuck hearing their future output.

Once Again: Get this, by all means necessary! The best thing I´ve come across in the past 6 months!

Andreas

Short Fast + Loud

https://archive.org/details/short_fast_loud_11/page/n39/mode/2up

Quite a release here from this Japanese screamo band. This record reeks of talent and musical genius. This band is capable of setting moods in each musical measure, going from emo laced indy punk to Ebullition political hardcore to soft piano passages to double bass heaviness. The female/male vocals work well but I prefer the female, especially during the screamo parts during the first song. You’d have to cover your ears in excruciating pain to avoid the unbelievable shrieks she can muster. The duet very well on the soft melodic bits, him screaming loud, her singing sweet and gentle. Really good for this style and it’s released domestically. Go seek sulking punks!

Collective Zine

https://collective-zine.co.uk/2007/06/13/gauge-means-nothing-the-absent-trail-of-an-echo-and-my-future-plagued-by-surrender-12-ep-2004/

Pfft, that pretentious title sounds like something Envy would come up with. Ok, Gauge Means Nothing are Japanese and scream a lot but I don’t know if Mogwai think they are cool. Personally I would much rather listen to this than Envy’s latest (overblown) opus, because it is utterly bonkers. Some might say it is trying too hard and a bit over the top (yes, it is definitely the latter), but I find this record incredibly fun to listen to. It has 4 songs spread across it’s rather fancy wax, and these songs are a ridiculous blend of fast and poppy punk and mental screaming. Into the mix comes keyboards and a high pitched girl yelling her lungs out, boys bellowing and all sorts. It has plenty of fast and catchy riffage to hook you in, but just when you think you have a handle on what’s going on (such as in the first song), the boy and girl start doing undeniably cute singing like they are in a pop punk band on Snuffy Smile. No relent though, it’ll all spazz back out before you’re ready, the opening track descending into breathless sobbing and a twinkly mellowed out finale with twee yet somehow sombre keyboard. They follow that with 3 more songs that are all impressively interesting and exciting. They mix up the various elements “” melodies, harsh screaming, fun singing, oddball keyboards, catchy riffing and come up with the full package. I guess it’s sort of like if Yaphet Kotto and a French emo band had drunken sex and gave birth to a child that had some kind of addiction to sugar or an extravagant attention defecit disorder. “Boku Wa Bikaiin” is particularly troubled, starting off all happy sounding with boy+girl harmonies before it goes into this bizarre section with all kinds of screaming and xylophone or glockenspiel playing. The song then alternates between Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for it’s duration. Cripes. It has a super catchy pop punk part with sung vocals and screeched backups, so endearing. The ending with the piano and girl vocals and the screaming and the guitar solo is just plain whacked. I give up trying to describe it. Incredible.

None of the tracks on here disappoint. I bet they’d be an utter blast live. You personally might not like this, but you have almost definitely not heard anything like it. I think it’s great.

- Andy Malcolm

Maximum Rock N Roll #251

https://archive.org/details/mrr_251/page/n119/mode/2up

With tunes from the other side of the Pacific (Japan to be exact), GAUGE MEANS NOTHING is alllll over the place. On this melodic-as-fuck LP, there are keyboards, bells/chimes, metal guitar parts, piano interludes, feedback, blast beats, screaming, screeching, shouting, and singing. I don’t think I have ever heard so many different kinds of vocals on a record. There are both sung and screechy hiiiiigh-pitched female vocals, male screams/yells, the occasional growl and at one point it sounds like everyone is mimicking the melody with “ooooohs” behind the main screamer. Though there is a lot going on vocally and with the key-boards, the music is, for the most part, pretty straightforward emotional hardcore kinda like a faster paced, less epic ENVY. This is an interesting album for sure. Only 500 were pressed, so get your hands on this black marbled vinyl and look out for future Japanese hardcore releases from I’ve Come For Your Children. - Zoe Minervini-Zick

Punk Planet #61

https://archive.org/details/punk_planet_61/page/n123/mode/2up

Japanese screamo with guy (screaming) and girl (baby talking) throughout. It rips off ‘90s emo, but the screaming and silly/incoherent lyrics distinguishes it from said genre. A mellow guitar instrumental brings needed relief. (Erica Gallagher)

Impact Press #50

https://archive.org/details/impact_press_50/page/n51/mode/2up

I’m going to start this review by saying the title of this album is almost longer the album itself. Now that I have that out of the way, GMN are a hardcore band from Japan who play epic hardcore music. Imagine God Speed You Black Emperor meets Marakate at a Therion band practice. (RP)

Heartattack #42

https://archive.org/details/heartattack_42/page/n51/mode/2up

Lisa told me this was the worst Japanese hardcore band ever. Well I don’t know what the hell she is talking about. Hater. Holy shit this is the best record I’ve heard in a really long time. Dude what the fuck? I really cant describe how rad this record is. No words can do this justice. You just need to own it. For real. Most essential record of the 2000’s, These kids are the next thing. Order at will. [Out of the two of us, it looks like I will be the one to review this record. Casey certainly didn’t give it his sarcastic all. Upon listening to this LP I was shocked that it came from Japan because it was so bad. Normally, if I don’t like a record from Japan it is because of the fact that I don’t like the style. Japanese punks tend to have the good sense to not play shows until they can play well, and not put out records until they will sound good. Gauge Means Nothing did not sound good, and only got worse as it went on. They take heavy guitar chords and intense melodic moments and twist the two together in a way that can only be described as unharmonious. This is worsened by the atonal male and female vocals. Really, I was shocked that this record was so bad. There wasn’t a single song that didn’t make us cringe at the Ebullition HQ as we listened to the promo. -Lisa] CW

• March 14 Philadelphia, PA @ WKDU Radio LIVE ON-AIR

• March 15 Richmond, VA @ The Raygun

• March 16 Newark, DE @ Perkins Student Center

• March 17 Philadelphia, PA @ Be Happy House

• March 18 Williamsburg, NY @ The Trash Bar

• March 20 Allston, MA @ Regeneration Records & Tattoo

There isn’t much footage of this tour, or any of the shows. Nitro Mega Prayer’s bassist Matsu posted this tour diary:

But recently, I was searching for a video from Gauge Means Nothing and found a full show from Nitro Mega Prayer’s Richmond show!

The Gauge Means Nothing cover was especially a surprise! Ponchi (guitarist on the right) played guitar for GMN and wrote several songs on their EP. When he moved back to Kobe (from Tokyo), he quite GMN and joined Nitro Mega Prayer.

Nitro Mega Prayer’s Songs Of Hypocrisy feature a few tracks written by Ponchi. I’m guessing he joined in the middle of the writing for that EP. Some of the tracks still share a lot of DNA with NMP’s former sound.

But the split with Balboa is where Ponchi really took over and pushed Nitro Mega Prayer’s sound to new heights. Tbh, the final incarnation of NMP is top-tier Japanese screamo. The inventiveness and futuristic sound has stood the test of time. I really regret we didn’t get to see the band develop this sound more.

If you haven’t listened to it recently (or ever) you deserve to hear this again:

Also, looks like CD’s are still available from the label! And only $3!!!! What are you waiting for??

It’s another podcast episode! This one’s with my friend Derek Riley. We’re talking about Japanese Screamo, Gauge Means Nothing, I’ve Come For Your Children, Meatcube, South Korean Screamo, Dip Leg, Envy, and more!

Check out Derek’s stuff!

• https://www.instagram.com/drileydraws/

• https://cargocollective.com/driley

• https://legday.bandcamp.com/

And some links to other things we mentioned:

Previous Podcast Episode: https://nikucube.com/p/podcast-2024-japanese-releases

OMSB Podcast Episode with Ryan: https://openmindsaturatedbrain.blogspot.com/2022/10/podcast-98-ryan-lewis-cease-upon.html

NikuCube: https://nikucube.com

Gauge Means Nothing EP - https://shop.meatcube.com/products/product_e07724b3-cfe1-8c6f-748a-7dff4276147f

Dip Leg CD - https://shop.meatcube.com/products/product_c3edfa74-7d44-90f7-dc5e-6369c086c31b

Ryan’s Youtube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@ryanmurakami

Some It Air Video: https://youtu.be/XrfeNJt1kBo

After a few premature listen attempts, I finally got to soak in the new Inverted Clap album while taking the train to have dinner with Yuichi and Nakamura-san in Tokyo. More than others, this album really fits as a soundtrack to the chaos of Japanese transit.

Was this made for, or from, the constant movement and conflict of these Japanese streets and tunnels? Inverted Clap approach music with a “kitchen sink” approach. Each song phrase starts from a stylistic blank sheet. Guitar effects, singing, all out blasts, slow as mud sludge. Everything is an option and used in the right place.

The full effect echoes the chaos of the Japanese metropolis. Disparate parts, held together and orchestrated in an internally consistent harmony. The result is wholly unique. Inverted Clap doesn’t really sound like anyone else. While there are parts that have faint glimmers of Stubborn Father or Killie, the songs never linger on any one part long enough to stagnate.

I can’t help but feel the DNA of Gauge Means Nothing or Tetola93 here. While the inputs and influences are different, the formula is the same. Letting the song composition lead. When the song wants to go in an odd direction, go there with gusto. The endless novelty from this approach easily compensates for any parts that aren’t executed quite as well as they could be.

After their debut EP, and a split with Draw, this is the real, full album I’ve been waiting for. For a band like Inverted Clap, giving them the room to spread out and explore their sound in ten songs is exactly what they needed.

I’m not sure what physical medium this will be released on (for ppl who like physical media like myself), but the digital is available in bandcamp now, so what are you waiting for???

This is a translation of an interview between Akihito Mizutani (owner of LongLegsLongArms & Otonashi Records) and Yuichi Kasanuma (Gauge Means Nothing, Still I Regret, Kowloon Ghost Syndicate). Both of them our good friends that I’ve released music with for years now. I can’t think of a better pairing to chat about Japanese Screamo history.

While reading & translating the interview, I found myself learning new things about Gauge Means Nothing and Yuichi’s musical history that I never knew. While Yuichi might best be known for Gauge Means Nothing, he continued making ground-breaking music after and to this day. His approach to and passion for music and life inspires me so much!

Thanks to Mizutani-san for letting me translate and re-post this. Make sure to check out his label: Long Legs Long Arms.

Original Posts (in Japanese): Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

And, if you want to pick up a copy of Gauge Means Nothing’s first EP on CD, you can do that from me here: https://www.shop.meatcube.com/product-page/gauge-means-nothing-the-absent-trail-cd

The interview was originally posted in three parts on Mizutani’s Note blog in 2016. Personally, I think it makes for a good long-read. So tuck in and enjoy the ride!

Part 1: The 2000s Japanese Screamo Scene and Gauge Means Nothing

One of the many waves of the global emo-hardcore movement that resurfaced around the late 2010s into 2020 came to be redefined as “skramz,” while also gradually deviating from that very label. Within that context, Gauge Means Nothing—a band now being re-evaluated as a cult presence in both the 2000s Japanese screamo scene and the broader skramz world—stands out. (It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them the most highly anticipated band for a reissue—will it ever happen?)

This is a reprint of an interview conducted in 2016 with Mr. 90s himself, Kasanuma (from Kowloon Ghost Syndicate, ex-Gauge Means Nothing, P.S Burn This Letter, Still I Regret), who was active at the time in Kowloon Ghost Syndicate.

"I thought I was digging into new school hardcore, but somehow I gradually drifted away from it."

Mizutani-san (3LA): Can you tell us about your musical history so far, Kasanuma-san? Today, the music that's now called “screamo” (or “gekijou”, meaning emotional hardcore in Japan) has gone through generational breaks, and there might be people who don't know about Gauge Means Nothing and what you were doing back then. Honestly, I probably don’t know a lot myself either. Could you go over the kinds of things you've done over the years?

Kasanuma (About Gauge Means Nothing): I kind of wanted to start a band back in high school, so I bought a bass, but I didn’t really get serious about it until I entered university. At first I was just doing cover songs with the light music club, but before long, we started talking about writing our own songs. That’s how I started a band called Stand Alone with other club members.

Back then, my favorite bands were envy and Switch Style. Also, in DOLL magazine there was a special feature on “New Skool SxE”—even though it was labeled “new school,” most of the bands introduced were from labels like Ebullition and Bloodlink. So I thought I was digging into new school hardcore, but somehow I ended up going a bit off-track and started listening to bands with a more metallic and emotional vibe.

At the time, the term “screamo” or “emotional hardcore” (gekijou hardcore) didn’t really exist in Japan—we just called all of it “emo,” I think. We released a demo tape under the name Stand Alone around September 2000, I believe.

"It was simply because we had no money, and just wanted to try doing things ourselves."

Then in October 2001, after a lineup change, we took the opportunity to rename the band to Gauge Means Nothing, borrowing the name from a song by Uranus.

Even though we changed the name, we weren’t consciously trying to change our musical style. We kept playing songs that we had originally written during the Stand Alone days. But I think the metallic elements naturally started to fade out over time.

Then in September 2003, we released our very first 4-song CD, titled "The Absent Trail Of An Echo And My Future Plagued By Surrender."

For the recording, we found a public facility in Fuchu that had both lodging and a studio. We brought in our own multitrack recorder (MTR), holed up for around 13 hours a day, and did a kind of recording retreat over three nights and four days.

The cost for both accommodation and studio use was around 3,000 yen per person per day. During the day, we were in the studio recording non-stop, and even after the studio hours ended, we’d go back to the rooms and keep working late into the night using line recording setups. We really gave it our all.

Looking back now, it’s not like we were consciously trying to be DIY or anything. It was simply because we didn’t have money, and we just wanted to try doing it ourselves.

But since we didn’t have much know-how when it came to recording, we couldn’t finish everything in those 3 or 4 days. In the end, we had to continue recording on and off for about six more months—it was rough. Still, it’s a good memory now.

That 12-inch vinyl was released in the U.S. as the first title from a label called I’ve Come For Your Children, started by our friend Ryan. We met Ryan at an envy show back when he was studying abroad in Japan for a short while. He’s been an important friend ever since, and we’re still in touch to this day.

First Overseas Tour, and Japan Tour with My Precious

Then in December 2003, we went on a tour to Malaysia and Singapore with Tiala and Cohol, who had both just recently formed around that time. I had never been abroad before, and it had always been my dream to make my first trip overseas a band tour—so that was a dream come true (laughs).

We stayed for about a week and played four shows. It wasn’t a long tour by any means, but the experience itself was just incredible—truly unforgettable and one of the best memories of my life.

The following year, in December 2004, we organized a Japan tour for My Precious, who had helped us out with booking shows and finding places to stay during our Singapore trip. We played nine shows in nine days, traveling from Niigata in the north to Kitakyushu in the west. That tour was also an amazing experience.

We released a split CD with My Precious during the tour called “missing tom split cdep.” The CDs arrived just in time—on the very first day of the tour. Everyone pitched in to assemble the jackets and packaging while we were on the road. Looking back, I’m just glad we made it in time—but honestly, it was fun how everything came together at the last minute.

Of course, there were plenty of tough moments too, but everywhere we went, people were incredibly kind and supportive. Thanks to that, we managed to get through it all. I’m still grateful to everyone who helped us during that time.

"As we tried to play to everyone’s strengths, our sound ended up drifting even further from emo."

For the recording of “missing tom split cdep”, we used a proper studio—partly because of what we learned from our previous recording, and partly because we didn’t have much time before the tour. By this point, the idea of “metallic” as a keyword, which had been present in our early days, had completely disappeared from my mind.

Also, I think—maybe from the very beginning—what I wanted to do and what the other members wanted or were able to do didn’t exactly line up. So when we tried to lean into what each person was good at, the music ended up veering even further away from emo. It wasn’t until after the recording was done and I listened to the final product that I realized this—but I figured, “well, this is interesting in its own way,” and just kind of rolled with it.

When it came to musical direction, we didn’t really have any concrete guiding principle anymore. We didn’t even have the time to pursue that kind of thing. We went into recording sessions with unfinished songs—like, I’d still be figuring out the vocal melodies as we were tracking. Whatever came out in the end was just... it. Looking back now, it was incredibly improvised and spur-of-the-moment.

Our musical influences hadn’t changed much from before, but I think the bands we all liked in common at the time were things like Kiwiroll, Keep Away From Children, and The T.V. Dinners.

After that tour, it felt like we’d reached the end of something—both musically and in terms of activity. We had achieved the goals we’d set: touring, releasing music, and so on. That sense of completion was present within the band.

So, after some discussion, we decided to disband. Our final shows were on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in December 2005—Gauge Means Nothing played its farewell gigs and then disbanded.

We had one unfinished song left at the end, so we completed it and recorded it as a standalone track titled “The Last Song.” We burned it to CD-Rs and sold them at the final shows. It pushed the sound from the split CD even further—so much so that it ended up being a really strange song, something totally uncategorizable.

Looking back now, I think that was a fitting final destination for the band.

"It felt so personal, like it was about me—and I was completely fired up."

3LA: These days, I personally see Gauge Means Nothing as part of the early wave of Japanese screamo or emotional hardcore (gekijou), but at the time, were you seen as more part of the new school hardcore scene?

Kasanuma: I think when you talk about the earliest bands in Japan that were consciously playing “emo,” you’re really talking about bands like envy, Swipe, Kulara, and Wise Up—bands that started out four or five years before us.

At first, I was just completely obsessed with Switch Style, so naturally our sound had a metallic edge. I liked metallic hardcore, but when it came to playing in my own band, I was particular about sticking with regular tuning. I also loved envy, and gradually I started to want to pursue melody more than heaviness—I wanted to write songs that had that kind of melancholic atmosphere.

Also, the fashion, mindset, and tough-guy image often associated with what was considered “new school” at the time didn’t really suit me. I think that’s when I started leaning more toward emo.

Back then, I bought records mostly based on the album art or political-sounding song titles—bands like Groundwork, Struggle, Born Against, Madison, Inside Out, Refused, Unbroken’s And/Fall on Proverb, and the Some Ideas Are Poisonous compilation.

At first, I didn’t always “get” these records just by listening to them once. I didn’t have much money either, so even if I wasn’t sure I liked something, I kept listening because I had already bought it. While doing that, I’d stare at the lyrics and artwork, and somehow, over time, it all started to feel incredibly personal—like it was speaking directly to me.

Back then, I barely knew any English, so slowly reading through the booklets and trying to understand them felt like a personal journey. That process brought new discoveries and helped me feel myself growing. I began to realize, “This is the kind of music I want to hear, this is what I want to do.” And I started diving deeper into those kinds of bands.

Part 2: After the Breakup of Gauge Means Nothing: P.S. Burn This Letter, Still I Regret, and the Label. A Commitment to Music.

"I hadn’t realized it myself, but before I knew it, I was completely absorbed in it." - on P.S. Burn This Letter

Kasanuma: Tiala played at Gauge Means Nothing’s final show, and their vocalist Kakkii came up to me and said, “I can play drums—let’s start a band together.”

At almost the exact same time, a few days before the show, I got an email from Lamar, who used to play guitar in an American band called Box The Compass. He said, “I’m moving to Japan, let’s start a band.” Since the timing lined up perfectly, I figured, “Alright, maybe it’s time to start something new.” That’s how P.S. Burn This Letter began. The band name was something Lamar came up with.

We also invited Miyagi, who used to play guitar in a band called a day, and we started playing shows in January 2007. Eventually, the drummer was replaced by Nakamura from Atari. We stayed active until December 2010, I think. We did casually get back into the rehearsal studio a few times after that, but ultimately couldn’t get the band going again. After talking it through, we came to the conclusion that we wouldn’t continue.

At first, we didn’t have any set direction musically. But Lamar’s guitar playing had this unmistakably “San Francisco” vibe—understandably, since that’s where he had been active. His guitar had a unique quality to it, and we wanted to build around that.

Specifically, we avoided fast rhythms like two-beat and aimed for a more rocking, emotional sound—drawing from bands like Yaphet Kotto, Navio Forge, Fugazi, and State Route 552. That became the foundation of our songwriting.

We had four-hour studio sessions every week, and every member was incredibly focused each time. The sessions were really fulfilling, and writing songs was always a lot of fun.

Personally, I hadn’t even realized it at first, but I was completely wrapped up in P.S. Burn This Letter. I’d get insanely nervous before shows—so much that I’d surprise myself. And during the discussions about whether or not to continue the band, I ended up crying (laughs). That’s how emotionally invested I was.

The two-song single "すべては表現の中に" (Written There For All), which had been sitting unreleased since it was recorded, finally came out in June 2012. It was released two and a half years after the mastering was finished.

The delay happened for several reasons: we hadn’t settled on song titles at the time, we struggled with deciding on the jacket design and overall packaging, and most of all, the band had gone inactive—which was the biggest factor.

Anyone who’s held it in their hands probably understands—it's more like a book than a jacket. We put a lot of care into the lyrics and wanted people to really read them, so we focused heavily on the packaging. We took inspiration from the book DIY Album Art and the Countdown to Putsch release on Mountain Collective, which came as a book-and-CD set.

Using those as references, we eventually arrived at the format we released. We also did all the bookbinding ourselves, so it was extremely labor-intensive and time-consuming. I'm truly grateful to all the friends who helped us out with it.

The title of the two-song single, "すべては表現の中に" (Written There For All), was taken from a book by Deborah Curtis, the wife of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis.

Just like the title suggests, all of us in the band poured everything we were feeling at the time—both musically and lyrically—into those two songs. It truly felt like this was it, like there was nothing else we needed to say.

“Let’s play metallic hardcore in the spirit of Unbroken.” - on Still I Regret

I think it was around November 2009 when Michinoku-san invited me to form Still I Regret, where I played drums. We practiced while I was still active in P.S. Burn This Letter.

Originally, the vocalist Sasaki-san lived in Iwate, so we started the band as a long-distance project. As for drums—I’d only really played casually back in my school’s music club, but I decided to give it a try.

The lineup was: Michinoku-san on guitar, Takashi (who was also playing in Umbrage and Inside at the time) on second guitar, Kitazawa on bass, and myself on drums. Other than Takashi and me, the rest of the members had previously played together in a band called Penance.

When we got together, the idea was: “Let’s play metallic hardcore inspired by Unbroken.” Like I mentioned at the beginning of this interview, we were aiming to channel the vibe of those early bands that had influenced us—like the ones from Bloodlink or Ebullition.

Michinoku-san wrote most of the songs, and after practice we’d often go over to his place, listen to records, and just hang out—that part was honestly a lot of fun (laughs).

We had planned to record our demo on March 11, 2011—the very day the Tōhoku earthquake struck—so of course that didn’t happen.

After some time passed, we ended up releasing the demo in July. In September 2013, Takashi left the band, and then Michinoku-san decided to return to his family home in Iwate. Since then, we haven’t been back in the studio.

Still, I’d like to record something again someday, so I hope we can turn that into reality in some form.

“In the sense that I can’t do it alone, Endless/Nameless isn’t just a label—it’s a collective.” - on Endless/Nameless

3LA: Can you tell us about your label? How do you run it? There seems to be a strong attention to detail, especially with the unique packaging of releases like Still I Regret.

Kasanuma: The main purpose of the label is to release music from my own bands.

When we first decided to put out a Gauge Means Nothing release, no labels were reaching out to us. So I figured—if I do it myself, I can do it exactly the way I want. That’s how it started.

Since then, I’ve also released material from bands other than my own—like Trikorona, the myheadswims x R3-N7 split, and Cease Upon The Capitol. That wasn’t just because their music was cool; I really liked them as friends, too, and wanted to be involved with them from the label side.

I tend to pay close attention to packaging for all the releases. I’ve always liked labels and bands that don’t stick to conventional formats, so I want to do the same with my own work.

Especially in this age where most people listen to music digitally, I feel like it’s important to focus on the physical side—to give people the joy of actually holding the music in their hands. That thought is always vaguely in the back of my mind.

Thinking about that kind of stuff is fun—but actually doing it is really tough. I always end up relying on friends to help.

That’s why, in the sense that I can’t do it all on my own, I don’t consider Endless/Nameless just a label. I see it as a collective.

3LA: We’ve only recently started carrying Endless/Nameless releases at 3LA, but surprisingly, not just Kowloon Ghost Syndicate—your older label releases are getting a great response too.

Kasanuma: That’s probably because 3LA is really strong in the emotional hardcore scene and gave the releases a big push. In the case of Gauge Means Nothing, most of the recordings have been shared online—on YouTube and elsewhere—so I think people heard them there, liked them, and decided to buy them.

I’ve been regularly restocking a few record shops that I have a good relationship with whenever they sell out, and I list stock updates on the label site, so I figured people could still buy them pretty easily. But these days, I almost never get direct email orders anymore.

I mean, for someone used to ordering from online shops and paying by credit card, going through email and bank transfer probably just feels like a hassle.

3LA: That might speak to how older distros and labels haven’t been able to adapt to the new generation of listeners—people who discover music entirely online.

Even with us at 3LA, I assumed everyone already knew about Gauge, so I only stocked a small number initially—but we got a way bigger response than expected.

I actually think this kind of thing probably happens more than people realize—there are still a lot of people who would want to know about this stuff but aren’t hearing about it. So it’s a communication issue—an issue with the scene, the bands, and labels not getting the word out well enough.

Kasanuma: Yeah, I totally agree. I used to assume that young people would reach out and order by email the same way we used to—but the reality is, they don’t.

Even in everyday life, barely anyone uses email anymore. As long as there’s stock, I do want to keep trying to get the music out there. I’ve even started thinking—maybe it’s time I finally set up a Base.in shop so people can buy more easily.

3LA: Sometimes people assume, “If it’s stocked at 3LA, it’ll sell,” but that’s not how it works. If something won’t sell, it just won’t sell. And if it does sell, we want it to sell the right way.

When older releases still resonate today as “great records,” it’s really rewarding. I actually love when non-new releases sell—it shows they still mean something.

Kasanuma: That’s good to hear. I tend to think the past gets romanticized or overvalued, so I still really hope new releases will sell.

But it’s also true that there are so many great records from the past that never got the recognition they deserved. So it’s great that 3LA is giving those kinds of works a place to be seen and sold.

On secondhand prices and collector culture

Kasanuma: Changing topics—let me ask you a question now: what do you think about inflated secondhand prices?

Personally, if something I released is selling for more than it did when it was new, I feel like maybe it should be reissued, or at least released digitally.

Of course, I know that reissues aren’t easy. But the price of a record doesn’t always reflect the content, and I’ve always thought the way value is assigned is kind of strange.

On the other hand, when I hear people say, “I hate seeing my band’s record in the bargain bin for 100 yen,” I don’t feel that way. I’m proud of the work I’ve released, but like I said, the price doesn’t equal the quality.

If someone finds my record for 100 yen and gives it a listen, I think that’s a good thing. I’ve discovered so many amazing records that way myself.

But I’ll admit—if I see my stuff being shared on file-sharing platforms, that feels… a little different.

Maybe this is just me being a grumpy old guy (laughs), but I’m fine with people sampling things that way. Still, if you like it, I’d want you to hold the physical copy, appreciate the artwork and lyrics too.

Hardcore has always been made with that full-package mindset. I believe that when people absorb not just the music, but everything around it, that’s when it becomes something more than music. That’s what that phrase really means to me.

3LA: I both agree and disagree, in a way. I don’t personally have a problem with premium prices. In fact, I think it’s a legitimate way to value art.

When something has “value beyond content,” that’s exchange value. When it’s being judged only by what it offers functionally, that’s use value.

In the world of exchange value, a 1,000-yen record might sell for 100 yen—or 10,000 yen. It’s fluid, and that system is interesting in itself.

As long as something is priced based on its use, it’s treated like a disposable item—like a pencil or eraser. New = retail price, used = lower price. That’s cost-based pricing.

But when demand exceeds supply, or the band becomes more important, or the record gains meaning within the music scene, exchange value rises. It takes on a significance beyond just the music—and I think that’s not a bad thing.

Of course, I’m against gimmicky limited pressings that exist only to inflate scarcity. But…

There are some works that retain their value even after being reissued—and that, I think, marks something truly original. For both artists and business people, there’s something deeply meaningful about creating works like that.

Nowadays, almost everything is accessible in data form. Even rare recordings are on YouTube. If you just want to listen, you can. But hardcore isn’t like that. It’s the sound and the lyrics and the artwork and the atmosphere.

That extra layer of care—what can’t be digitized—is what takes you somewhere new. And no matter how good a release sounds on Bandcamp, you can’t get all of that from a stream.

So I believe original physical releases will always have value. If they’re reissued, that reissue will carry its own kind of value. I think that whole system is fascinating.

And yeah—finding a 100-yen record that no one else noticed and discovering value in it yourself? That’s one of the most creative acts of all.

Kasanuma: That makes sense… A lot of '90s releases had things like “Pay No More Than $5” printed on the jackets, and I was really influenced by that kind of culture.

So when I see punk and hardcore records with inflated prices now, it kind of feels like authority, and I think that’s where my discomfort comes from.

But like you said, in an age where you can easily hear the music digitally, the extra value is really what’s contained in the physical record.

If I know of a cheap record that’s really good, then maybe it’s my job to help introduce it to others. I think I’ll write a little about that on note. I’m planning to keep sharing more in the future.

Part 3: On Kowloon Ghost Syndicate

This interview was conducted in 2016, when Kasanuma-san was active with Kowloon Ghost Syndicate. I didn’t just want to hear about Gauge Means Nothing and the past—I also wanted to hear about the “present” at that time.

And now, even that “present” has become part of the past.

3LA might still have a few Kowloon Ghost Syndicate releases left in stock.

#3. Unceasing Challenges – Kowloon Ghost Syndicate

After being part of many bands, Kasanuma takes on the role of lead vocals only in Kowloon Ghost Syndicate, marking a new chapter in his ongoing history.

3LA: Tell us how Kowloon came together, and if there’s a shared vision within the band.

Kasanuma: We formed in January 2013—well, that’s when we had our first studio session. The origin was that guitarist Ando started the band with drummer Shikata, and I was invited to join as vocalist. So the first session was just the three of us. The band name was already decided from the beginning.

After that, we set out to find a second guitarist and a bassist. We invited Matsuda on guitar and Shoji on bass, completing the full lineup in June 2013. Until the bassist was settled, I was filling in on bass myself. Our first show was in September 2014, and we recorded our demo in August—just before that show—and released it at the same time. In October 2015, Ryuzaki took over on bass from Shoji.

As for the vision… musically, Ando has always driven things. He writes about 80% of the songs, heavily inspired by Ottawa and Left for Dead. Sometimes we play his songs as-is; other times we tweak and rearrange things.

If there’s a common thread, it’s that the sound is generally fast, metallic, full of blast beats with occasional sludge parts—that kind of vague direction.

Another feature—like in all my past bands except Shikata (our drummer), everyone in the band takes on vocal parts and writes lyrics. Usually, I decide the theme for each song and write the first draft. Then I assign vocal sections and ask each member to write lyrics for their part.

Since I already have a sense of what everyone’s thinking through our everyday conversations, I make sure the themes don’t stray too far from their values. I’ve always loved dual or shared vocals—Switch Style was a huge influence—and I was also heavily inspired by Unicorn (the Japanese band), where not just Okuda Tamio but all members sing and write. That variety gives songs more depth, and I wanted to bring that into my own bands.

3LA: So it was Ando-san who started the band. He hasn’t really been in many bands before, right? I’d love to ask him what made him want to start one at this point.

Kasanuma: Yeah, before Kowloon Ghost Syndicate, he played guitar in a band called Soon. But I don’t think he had ever played in a band that made it to the live stage before that. Since he joined Soon mid-way, I imagine he wanted to start a band from scratch and build it himself.

3LA: This is your first time doing a one-mic, standalone frontman role. Why did you go with that style? It’s also quite a departure musically—much more metal/hardcore-oriented than your previous bands.

Kasanuma: Well, it started because they asked me to be the vocalist. At the time, I was in a phase where I wanted to challenge myself with things I hadn’t done before. I’d only ever done vocals while playing bass, so I figured this was a good chance to try something new.

But at first, I had no idea how to sing that way. The technique is completely different. You use different muscles, a different part of your body. When singing while playing bass, there are limitations—you're working within a framework—but when that’s gone, I didn’t know what to do. I was really thrown off.

Now, I think I’ve gotten the hang of it. Plus, it’s great being able to go to shows or rehearsals empty-handed. Being a one-mic frontman is awesome (laughs).

Musically, I just followed Ando’s vision. I was already into bands like Ottawa and Left for Dead, and I used to buy and listen to Coke Bust, Dead in the Dirt, and other fastcore/grind stuff through Michinoku’s distro. So it was never really a stretch for me.

Envy and Switch Style both started out playing fast. Still I Regret wasn’t fast, but it was still metallic hardcore.

3LA: A big moment for the band was your tour with Yumi, who had previously done a split with your old band. Were you still in touch with My Precious members all this time?

Kasanuma: Yes, we’ve kept in touch on social media. Back in the day it was MySpace and LiveJournal, and when those faded, everyone moved to Facebook.

We’d see each other every few years—sometimes they’d visit Japan, or I’d go to Singapore. I even saw them in Hong Kong once. And they toured Japan again in 2010, so I’d say we’ve kept a consistent connection.

3LA: How was the tour? It seemed to be really well received.

Kasanuma: The tour with My Precious was nine days, but the “Rise of the Yellow Peril” tour with Yumi was just four. So it was less than half the length.

Still, it was the first tour I’d done with my own band since then, and it was a lot of fun. It was less physically and mentally draining, too, so I think we made the most of the time we had.

We did this unusual tour format: Yumi used the Japan Rail Pass (which gives foreigners unlimited access to the JR system, including bullet trains), and Kowloon Ghost Syndicate traveled by car. I was their main liaison, and we spent a lot of time together, so we got really close.

Everyone in Yumi was relaxed and respectful—no crazy antics—so from a tour manager’s perspective, it was very smooth.

The shows were great too. I kept thinking, “More people need to see this band. They deserve more attention.” Their performances were full of passion and dynamism—just incredible. I was really inspired.

My biggest concern was turnout. Even though Yumi had released a split with heaven in her arms, that was quite a while ago and likely not widely distributed in Japan. Plus, Kowloon had just played our debut show three months before the tour—zero name recognition.

So I tried to promote hard. We did weekly Facebook posts with interviews of each Yumi member and wrote detailed introductions for the Japanese bands on the bill. I don’t know how much that helped, but the page views were good, and several bands told me they appreciated the write-ups. For longer tours it might be hard, but I think that kind of direct engagement is really worthwhile.

A major regret is that Yumi's new album was released just before the tour, so it didn’t make it to Japanese stores in time. We tried to sell it at the merch table, but the shipment didn’t arrive until after the tour. Big lesson learned.

Financially, it was a massive loss. We never expected to break even, but I still wish we could’ve given Yumi more back.

Still, they told me touring Japan was a dream come true—and that meant everything. And we had a great time too.

3LA: About the screamo scene—does it even still exist? Or has it lost its freshness for you? It seems like even foreign bands coming to Japan no longer feels rare.

Kasanuma: Hmm… I’m not sure how to even define “the screamo scene” anymore.

Personally, everything I’m involved in still feels fresh and like a challenge. If I go to a show and it’s boring, I just won’t go see that band again. That’s kind of how I look at it.

Even if people aren't musically aligned, if you gather with people who share your values, something unified can emerge—and that’s interesting.

At the same time, while it’s great that friends always come to shows, I strongly feel that we also need to reach new people.

We recently helped organize a show for Boom Boom Kid from Argentina during their Japan tour. We had Deepslauter and Your Pest Band play, too.

To be honest, all the bands were probably playing to a somewhat “cold” crowd that didn’t already know them. But everyone brought it. And Boom Boom Kid's set was incredible. The vibe was just perfect.

What struck me most was the joy on people’s faces—that was unforgettable. That wasn’t something born from a “scene,” but from each band creating something special on the day.

That’s the kind of environment I want to keep creating—where people push each other and leave a strong impression.

Boom Boom Kid – Argentine punk icon dubbed “The Maradona of Punk” returns to Japan after 5 years, touring nationwide from 10/30!

3LA: Tell us about Kowloon’s plans going forward.

Kasanuma: We already have a few shows lined up for 2016, and we’re planning to record in the spring. If we manage to release something, I’d love for us to go on tour again somewhere.

We want to write cool songs and put on shows that really leave an impact on the audience.

That said, we’re still a band that’s just getting started, so we want to build things up steadily, step by step.

Even though each of us has been playing in bands for a long time, there are still new things to discover.

Xonto’s new EP Orbis is really something different. The members all have strong screamo pedigree, but they’re reaching for something much different than usual. Darker, more chaotic, integrating riffs and noise and even… rapping? Definitely cool. I listened to this EP way too many times.

I did this interview last year and have just been sitting on it (😔 sorry guys).

I was able to get a few copies of their 2023 EP in the webstore!

Please introduce yourselves. Also, you’ve all been in many previous bands, so could you share that history?

xonto is Shirou, Yasuhiro, Shingo, and Takuya. We are mainly play in Tokyo, Japan. Shirou used to be in a band called sto cosi cosi, Yasuhiro was in a band called Regret Grief and Isolate, Shingo was in a band called tetola93, and Takuya was in a band called Maggie. Also, Yasuhiro is currently in a band called KIAZMA and THE BORNBARFRUST, Shingo is in a band called agak, and Takuya is in a band called NEKOSOGU(i) and CAL.Yasuhiro also plays acoustic live shows, and Takuya plays drums in many bands as support. Shingo also runs a music rehearsal studio. The name of the studio is studio ASYL.

What does the band name mean, and what is the history of the band?

First, I noticed that there were very few band names starting with x. And the music we like and the songs we play are very minority. We learned that xonto is a word that describes the very small world of 10 to the power of minus 27, and thought it was a perfect fit for us.

The band started around 2019. So far, we have released the sound sources “robota” in 2021 and “orbis” in 2023.

Xonto’s sound is very interesting to me. It’s clearly influenced by the Japanese emotional hardcore sound, but there are many unique sounds as well. What is the intention of the band’s sound?

Thank you! We love the Japanese emotional hardcore. However, I think xonto's sound is formed by mixing elements of the members' favorite music other than it. The way we create songs varies, but most of them start with a session in the studio.

The band’s first release, Robot A, was released in North America from Tomb Tree Tapes. How did that release come together?

As Ryan probably knows, Tomb Tree Tapes is a new cassette tape label started by Dave of Zegema Beach Records.

Shingo has been connected with Dave through tetola93 and agak releases, and Dave was also interested in xonto and decided to release it on Tomb Tree Tapes on short notice.

It all started with the release of tetola93's LP on MeatCube, so I guess you could say that everything is connected.

Your newest EP is titled “Orbis”. What does that mean?

ORBIS is a Latin word meaning "circle, rotation, orb." In a broader sense, it seems to also represent ``the sky, the world.'' I thought it was the perfect word for this work for a variety of reasons.

The new EP, “Orbis”, was released on CD, hand-assembled, and self-released. It also appears that it hasn’t been released on streaming services. What is the intention behind this kind of release?

We want those who hold the pieces we create to feel the same attachment to them. It also means that we respect the works of our predecessors. So, it may be an old idea, but I decided to make it so that only those who own the work can enjoy it.

Xonto was formed prior to Covid. How did the band continue during that period?

Like everyone, it was a tough period. We had a remote meeting where we discussed various ideas for songwriting and future directions.

It seems like the music scene in Japan has mostly recovered after COVID-19. What are the lasting impacts of COVID-19?

Some medical workers are still unable to return to music activities. The reality is that there are still quite a few people suffering from the aftereffects. I don't know if it's because of the coronavirus, but prices are rising rapidly, and overseas records are becoming quite expensive.

What is your dream tour for Xonto? With what bands and where?

I would like to perform in various places around the world. But in that case, it would be better to use a streaming service. we are worried about that.hahaha

What are the future plans for the band?

Create new songs and create new sound sources. And maybe performing in various places in Japan and around the world.

どうぞ自己紹介をしてください。また、皆さんは以前多くのバンドに所属していたと思いますが、その歴史を共有していただけますか？

xontoはシロウ、ヤスヒロ、シンゴ、タクヤの4人です。我々は主に日本の東京で活動しています。シロウは以前sto cosi cosiというバンドを、ヤスヒロはRegret GriefとIsolateというバンドを、シンゴはtetola93というバンドを、タクヤはMaggieというバンドをそれぞれやっていました。またヤスヒロは現在THE BORNBARFRUSTとKIAZMAというバンドを、シンゴはagakというバンドを、タクヤはネコソギとcalというバンドをやっています。その他にヤスヒロはアコースティックライブをしたり、タクヤは沢山のバンドでサポートとしてドラムを叩いています。シンゴは音楽のリハーサルスタジオの経営もしています。スタジオの名前はstudio ASYLです。

バンド名の意味は何ですか、またバンドの歴史について教えてください。

最初にxで始まるバンド名が少ないことに注目しました。そして私たちの好きな音楽や演奏する楽曲はとてもマイノリティなものです。xontoは10のマイナス27乗というとても小さな世界を表す言葉だと知り自分たちにとても合っていると思いました。

バンドは2019年頃に始まりました。今までに2021年に「robota」2023年に「orbis」という音源をリリースしています。

Xontoのサウンドは非常に興味深いです。日本の激情ハードコアサウンドの影響を受けていることは明らかですが、独自のサウンドも多くあります。バンドのサウンドの意図は何ですか？

ありがとう！私たちは日本の激情ハードコアが大好きです。しかしxontoではそれ以外の各々の好きな音楽の要素もミックスされることにより今のサウンドが形成されていると思います。私たちの曲の作り方は様々ですが、多くはスタジオでのセッションから始まります。

バンドの最初のリリースである「Robot A」は、北米でTomb Tree Tapesからリリースされました。そのリリースはどのように実現しましたか？

おそらくライアンもご存じの通り、Tomb Tree TapesはZegema Beach RecordsのDaveが新しく始めたカセットテープ専門レーベルです。

シンゴはtetola93やagakのリリースなどでDaveと繋がりがあり、Daveはxontoにも興味を持ってくれ急遽Tomb Tree Tapesからのリリースを決めてくれました。

それもこれもtetola93のLPがMeatCubeからリリースした事が始まりで、全ては繋がっていると言えるでしょう。

あなたの最新のEPは「Orbis」と題されています。それは何を意味していますか？

orbisは「円、回転、珠」を意味するラテン語です。広い意味では「天空、世界」なども表すらしいです。様々な理由から今回の作品にぴったりの言葉だと思いました。

新しいEP「Orbis」は、CDで、手作業で組み立てられ、セルフリリースされました。また、ストリーミングサービスではリリースされていないようです。このようなリリースの意図は何ですか？

私たちは私たちが作る作品を手にした人たちにも同様に愛着を持ってほしいと考えます。また先人たちの作った作品にリスペクトを込めているというのもあります。だから古い考えかもしれませんが作品を手にした人だけが楽しめるようにしようと思いました。

XontoはCovidより前に結成されました。その期間中、バンドはどのように続けましたか？

みんなと同じようにそれは大変な期間でした。私たちはリモート会議で曲つくりのアイデアや今後の方向性など色々な相談をしました。

日本の音楽シーンはCOVID-19の後、ほとんど回復したようです。COVID-19の長期的な影響は何ですか？

医療従事者の中にはまだ音楽活動に復帰できない人がいます。またまだ後遺症に苦しんでいる人が少なからずいるのも現状です。コロナの影響かは分かりませんが物価がどんどん上昇していて海外のレコードなどはかなり高額になっています。

Xontoにとっての夢のツアーは何ですか？どのバンドとどこで行いたいですか？

世界の様々な場所で演奏してみたいです。でもそれならストリーミングサービス利用した方がいいよね。私たちはそれで悩んでいます。笑

バンドの将来の計画は何ですか？

新しい曲を作って新しい音源を作る。そして日本や世界の様々な場所で演奏することかな。

I’ve had the MeatCube online store closed for many years. Moves, lack of organization, all sorts of reasons kept it in hiatus.

But! It’s up again, finally! All the MeatCube and I’ve Come For Your Children releases are available. As well as all the releases from Soul Ameria Records from the past few years (all designed by yours truly).

In celebration of the store opening, use the code REOPEN2025 to get 25% off everything! This’ll be active until July 1st, 2025.

Check it out here: shop.meatcube.com

Also, this is a new store platform, so let me know if you run into any issues.

Thanks everyone for all your support through the years!

Wow, this Third Wave discography sure took awhile to put together. These bands had easier access to the internet and technology, so they weren’t shy about burning CD-Rs and creating profiles on mixi or audioleaf.

Take a listen to some of the essential releases from this wave:

Third Wave Screamo Essentials Playlist [YouTube]

In order to research this Japanese Screamo Disc Guide, I’ve been filling an Airtable database with just about every detail I can find. There’s a lot more information than what I can include in this guide, so I’ve set up a web front-end for people to explore on their own. It’s a work in progress, but take a look!

Nikucube Research

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment below!

Third Wave Screamo Full Discography

4hou8pou [Kitakyushu/Fukuoka]

• 生きるという事 (CD | 2004)

• 4hou8pou (CDr | 2004)

• HistoryRepeatsItself (CDr | 2004)

• JUNK TAPE (Cassette | 2004)

• Various - My Vision's Like An Old Film. Shaky (CD | 2005)

• split with Sanbon-ashi (CD | 2005)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.28 (CD | 2006)

• split with Infro (Cassette | 2007)

• Show Around!!! (CD | 2007)

ALLie [Aichi]

• Various - 4-Way Split (CD | 2008)

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2008)

• EP (CDr | 2009)

• Avalanche (CD | 2010)

• Alt Eisen (7" | 2010)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.50 (CD | 2010)

Akatsukibakudann [Sapporo]

• Various - シンポジウム現代 (CD | 2007)

Akutagawa [Yamagata]

• Various - Channel (CD | 2004)

• Various - Yamagatacity Underground (CD | 2004)

• アクタガワ (CDr | 2005)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• 君と僕 (CD | 2006)

• akutagawa (CD | 2006)

• Akutagawa (CDr | 2006)

• Various - Juana Vol. 1 (DVDr | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• Various - Juana Vol. 2 (DVDr | 2007)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Cosmicnote Sampler 2009 (CD | 2009)

• dawn (CD/LP | 2011/2019)

• split with malegoat (7" | 2014)

• Various - Cosmicnote10 (CD | 2014)

• Various - Stiffslack 7inch Select (Cassette | 2020)

• Various - WARP TREE (Digital | 2020)

• Various - Juana Vol. 4 (DVDr | ?)

Anote [Sendai/Yamagata]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2008)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2009)

• Various - Apple Chair & Banana Desk Sampler (CDr | 2009)

Arbusto [Tokyo]

• The Saga (CDr | ?)

Birth [Kofu/Yamanashi]

• Iro EP (CD | 2007)

• Y.P足らず (Cassette | 2007)

• split with Words Weeds (CDr | 2007)

• Mistake Of Pain And Three Pieces Of Compulsory Education (CD | 2008)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate (CD | 2010)

• Live In Kofu Bodega ~Hate Yourself And Love The Fate Disk Union Limited DVD-R~ (DVDr | 2010)

• イシヨ (CD | 2012)

• イシヨ [Too Smell Records 特典] (CDr | 2012)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.61 (CD | 2012)

• キョウイクのセイカ (Cassette | 2012)

• split with Mynameis... (CDr | 2013)

• split with Mynameis... (CDr | 2014)

• 貝 (Cassette | 2016)

• 理屈的な誰かと理想的 (CD | 2017)

Blue Ray Dance [Aichi]

• 偶然の産物 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Breaking Concept (CD | 2011)

• Blue Ray Dance (7" + CD | 2013)

• Demo (CDr | ?)

Bullet And Travolta [Iwate]

• 3Songs Demo 2011 (CDr | 2011)

Chakkamen [Tokyo]

• 1st Demo Tape (Cassette | 2001)

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2002)

• 2nd Demo Tape (Cassette | 2002)

• Promotion Video (VHS | 2002)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2003)

• Various - 6-Way Split Cassette (Cassette | 2003)

• 4th Demo (CDr | 2004)

• 3rd Demo (CDr | 2004)

• Various - Trust Your Souls Vol.4 (CD | 2006)

• The 5th Demo (CDr | 2006)

• キカガクテキシテン (CD | 2010)

• キカガクテキシテンDEMO (CDr | 2010)

• Various - Japan 2015 (CD | 2015)

CiaoFinal [Aichi]

• Various - 280夏祭り (CD | 2004)

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2006)

• CiaoFinal (CDr | 2007)

• Various - 4-Way Split (CD | 2008)

Color Of Distortion [Tokyo]

• Lost (CDr | ?)

Develop One's Potential [Fukuoka]

• Demo (CDr | 2006)

• Various - Fall To Pieces The Compilation Of Emo -The Genuineness (CD | 2008)

Discotortion [Sapporo]

• Various - We Love Butchers (Indie Version) - Bloodthirsty Butchers Tribute Album (LP/CD | 1999)

• split with The Sun (CD | 2003)

• Demo 2004 (CDr | 2004)

• "Damn" (CD | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.25 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Less Than TV Basic Concepts: Strange (CD | 2007)

• Various - Hardcore Ball 9 (2xCD | 2010)

• 空谷ノ歪音 (CD | 2011)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol.4 (CD | 2011)

• 暴妖 (CD | 2014)

• split with Crypt City (7" | 2015)

• 影切 (CD | 2017)

• Various - Dope-Guns-'N-Fucking In The Streets Volume Fourteen (Unknown | 2018)

Document Not Found [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2007)

• split with A Picture Of Her (CD | 2009)

Doopamin [Kumagaya]

• split with Torinote (CDr | 2006)

• Doopamin (CD | 2007)

• Various - 4-Way Split (CD | 2008)

• 1st Demo (CDr | ?)

• Promo Demo (CDr | ?)

Encounter Group [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2006)

• Encounter Group (CDr | 2008)

Ephll [Miyagi]

• Vengeance Is A Lazy Form Of Grief (CDr | 2010)

• Various - I Pray -A Benefit For The Great East Japan Earthquake- (CD | 2012)

Eureka [Nagoya]

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2009)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate (CD | 2010)

Eye [Yokosuka]

• Disillusion Attacker (CD | 2010)

• Various - Breaking Concept 2 (CD | 2012)

F--ca [Tokyo]

• 5秒 (CDr | 2009)

• Family Portraits E.P. (CDr | 2009)

Flex [Sendai]

• Various - Stand Our Ground 2008 (CD | 2008)

• 2009 3 Songs (CD | 2009)

• Various - Breaking Concept (CD | 2011)

• split with Jualalai (CD | 2019)

For Us To Get The Light [Shizuoka]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2006)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2007)

• split with Exoforce (CD | 2009)

Fouryearstoolate [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2008)

• Good-Bye EP (CDr | 2008)

• Fouryearstoolate (CD | 2013)

• Demo 2017 (Digital | 2017)

Ganesha [Yokohama]

• A Twist Of Fate (CDr | 2006)

Heaven In Her Arms [Tokyo]

• Various - oto Records (2xCD | 2003)

• Demo (CDr | 2004)

• split with In Between (CDr | 2005)

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• Various - One Hand Stands Another (CD | 2005)

• split with Tomato Steal (CD | 2006)

• Heaven In Her Arms (CDr | 2006)

• Demo (CDr | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• split with Killie (CD | 2007)

• 黒斑の侵蝕 (CD/LP | 2007/2008/2017)

• split with Cleave (Cassette | 2007)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.37 (CD | 2008)

• 被覆する閉塞 (CD/Cassette/10" | 2009/2011)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.44 (CD | 2009)

• 幻月 (CD/LP | 2010)

• split with Aussitôt Mort (10" | 2011)

• split with Yumi (7" | 2012)

• split with Cohol (CD/LP | 2013/2014)

• 白暈 (CD/LP/Cassette | 2017)

• Various - All Areas Volume 198 (CD | 2017)

• 解放戦線 Liberation Front Vol. 4 2017 Tour Reports (CD | 2018)

Hemp Coaching Juicer [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2005)

• 全部つながっている (CDr | 2008)

• split with ハイテンションセックスガール (CD | 2010)

Henoa [Tokyo]

• three Loves (CD | 2009)

• Demo (Unknown | ?)

Here,There And Everywhere [Kyoto]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2008)

• 「曖昧」二居ル感情 (CDr | 2009)

Hir. [Sapporo]

• Various - Channel (CD | 2004)

• 1st Demo (CDr | ?)

Hitsujikazoeru [Yokohama]

• Demo (CDr | 2003)

• MAKE YOURSELF THREE TURN ROUND AND DANCE TILL DEATH!!! (CDr | 2004)

• KokO_Wa_dOko_dA (CD | 2006)

• FOUR TRACKS FOR REVENGE (CD | 2011)

• 3 songs demo (CDr | 2015)

Holden [Kitakyushu]

• Incipient (CDr | 2008)

I Stay Here [Tokyo]

• ママのいない朝 ep (CD | 2007)

• Various - Crossing Oceans on Waves of Sound (Digital | 2013)

In The Unknown [Kochi]

• Various - In Everyone (2xCD | 2009)

• Various - Deep Leap 2010 (CD | 2010)

• split with Madpress (CD | 2011)

Infro [Kitakyushu]

• split with Kirin (Cassette | 2003)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... (CD | 2004)

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2005)

• Various - Awkward Kidz Issue 10 (CDr | 2006)

• Melody (CD | 2007)

• split with 4hou8pou (Cassette | 2007)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.35 (CD | 2007)

• I (CD | 2009)

• split with Thirsty Chords (7" | 2011)

• Various - Planswemake (CD | 2011)

• Various - Plans We Make (CDr | 2011)

• Various - Breaking Concept 2 (CD | 2012)

• 逆さまレッテル (CDr | 2012)

• Various - Things Fall Apart / Tall Ships Set Sail / Infro / Shizune 4 Way Split (CD/LP | 2014)

• Signal (CDr | 2017)

inthenaMEoflove [Tokyo]

• Sakura (CDr | 2006)

• Tokyo EP (CDr | 2008)

• Monochronicle (CD | 2009)

• Various - Friend of Mine Compilation Special Edition [Speak For...] (CD | 2009)

• Various - 黄昏賛歌3 (2xCD | 2011)

• Decade-Anthologies Past+Present (CD | 2011)

• Various - Further Platonic Sampler 2014 (CD | 2014)

• split with Sirmo Stad (CD | 2014)

Irrigation [Tokyo]

• Demo #1 (CDr | 2007)

• Irrigation (CDr | 2008)

Juki [Tokyo]

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2009)

• split with Anrietta (CD | 2011)

Killie [Tokyo]

• 精神異常者の感受性とまじめさで救えない密室 (Cassette | 2005)

• 地下から抜け出したい地下から抜け出したくない地下から抜け出せない (CD | 2006)

• 契約解除 (CD | 2007)

• Afterall, The Opinion Of One In A Hundred Million Will Not Reach Anyone (LP | 2007)

• split with Heaven In Her Arms (CD | 2007)

• Offering A Sacrifice That Presents And Indicates Mournful Resentment of Today (CD + Cassette | 2008)

• split with Off Minor (2xCD | 2008)

• Vol. 2 Live (DVD | 2008)

• Ecology (Cassette | 2013)

• split with Swarrrm (LP | 2017/2018)

• 犯罪者が犯した罪を視覚的に再審する (DVD | 2018)

• Retrial Of The Criminal Begins / 犯罪者が犯した罪の再審始まる (LP/CD | 2018)

• killie180917 (CD | 2019)

• 匿名希望の手紙 (Digital | 2019)

• 殺しの呪文 (7" | 2020)

Kitten [Tokyo]

• split with Midnight Parade (CD | 2011)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate Volume 2 (CD | 2012)

Life Is Not Comingback [Tokyo]

• Various - ラスト・ワルツ (CD | 2007)

Madpress [Takamatsu]

• wail from the bottom (CDr | 2005)

• Before C.A.E (CDr | 2008)

• Various - 死国 / Shikoku Raw Punk Compilation 2009 (CD | 2009)

• Various - In Everyone (2xCD | 2009)

• split with In The Unknown (CD | 2011)

Mizm [Yamagata]

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2007)

• Various - Juana Vol. 2 (DVDr | 2007)

• Various - Juana Vol. 3 (DVDr | 2007)

Mother [Kyoto]

• 3 Songs (CDr | 2011)

• The Living Dead (CD | 2012)

• The Living Dead Film Stars (DVDr | 2012)

• 叛物質 - Anti Matter - (7" | 2013)

• 半物質 [Version A] (Digital | 2020)

• 半物質 [Version B] (Digital | 2020)

Mynameis... [Nagano/Tokyo]

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• split with The Inrun Publics (CDr | 2005)

• split with The Inrun Publics (DVDr | 2005)

• 東京プラスチック (CD | 2006)

• split with Birth (CDr | 2013)

• 明日檜 (CD | 2014)

• Various - More Smell For Music (CD | 2014)

• split with Birth (CDr | 2014)

Nagare [Matsuyama]

• Demo (CDr | 2008)

Necome [Tokyo]

• 鱗の中のアリス (CDr | 2010)

Nothing, Nothing, Nothing! [Sapporo]

• Various - Hardcore Ball 7 - Japanese Hardcore Compilation (CD + DVD | 2006)

• Various - Hardcore Ball 9 (2xCD | 2010)

• Sorrow Continues Constantly (CDr | 2010)

• Various - Breaking Concept (CD | 2011)

Nudies Goe [Aichi]

• ココロの瓦礫 (CD | 2010)

P.S. Burn This Letter [Tokyo]

• Written There For All (7" + CD | 2012)

Permanent [Tokyo]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2007)

• rensA (CDr | 2007)

• Various - gekijyo mountAin DVD (DVDr | 2008)

R3-N7 [Osaka]

• Feel My Electric Wave (CD | 2003)

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• Deep Kiss In The UK (CD | 2005)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 2 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Awkward Kidz Issue 10 (CDr | 2006)

• split with Myheadswims (CD | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• Various - Indies Issue vol. 33 (CD | 2007)

• Rebel And Rusty Knife EP. (CD | 2009)

• split with Stubborn Father (CD | 2012)

• Various - Tribute to MoriMori - Somewhere in Time (CD | 2019)

Redeyesandlights [Tokyo]

• 走馬灯のようなdemo (CDr | 2006)

• 走馬灯のようなdemo2 (CDr | 2007)

• split with Regret Grief (CDr | 2007)

• Various - gekijyo mountAin DVD (DVDr | 2008)

Regret Grief [Tokyo]

• split with Redeyesandlights (CDr | 2007)

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2007)

• ニセモノ demo (CDr | 2009)

• 音熄 demo (CDr | 2009)

• demo 運命は斯く扉を叩く/君死に給うことなかれLive ver. (CDr | 2010)

• Live at Warp H25.10.04 (Digital | 2013)

• 神隠し/Abduction(Demo19.7.14) (Digital | 2014)

Rerain [Tokyo]

• Demo 2006 (CDr | 2006)

• Various - 4-Way Split (CD | 2008)

S-Explode [Saitama]

• Various - Grand Menu (CD | 2003)

• Trip Out By Euphoria (CD | 2007)

• split with Kill In 3°C (CD | 2008)

• Various - gekijyo mountAin DVD (DVDr | 2008)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate (CD | 2010)

• Various - 4 Way Split (Cassette/LP | 2010)

• split with Not Great Men (CD | 2014)

• 1st Demo (CDr | ?)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | ?)

Sewi [Kyoto]

• Demo (CDr | 2006)

• 罪滅ぼしEP (CDr | 2008)

• 最期の晩餐 (CD | 2010)

• 過剰の恋 (DVDr | 2010)

• split with 弦鳴 (CD | 2013)

• [ 冤 - en ] (CD + DVDr | 2013)

• Various - Further Platonic Sampler 2014 (CD | 2014)

Sharppeii [Tokyo]

• Various - Spill The Beans!! (CD | 2006)

• Sharppeii (CD | 2007)

• ExLibris (CDr | ?)

Shift [Yamagata]

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• Smile.OK (CD | 2006)

• Various - Radio Cookie Scene 0030 July / June 2006 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.26 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Juana Vol. 1 (DVDr | 2006)

• Various - Less Than TV Basic Concepts: Strange (CD | 2007)

• Various - Tomorrows Gone Magazine Vol.4 (CD | 2007)

• Shift (CD | 2007)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.32 (CD | 2007)

• Various - Juana Vol. 2 (DVDr | 2007)

• split with Deepslauter / Tiala (CD | 2008)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.39 (CD | 2008)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Apple Chair & Banana Desk Sampler (CDr | 2009)

Smell [Tokyo]

• 可能性だけ信じて (CD | 2006)

• 海と少年 (CD | 2018)

Spiral Chord [Sapporo]

• Spiral Chord (CDr | 2003)

• Various - A Case Of RFTC Junkies -Tribute To Rocket From The Crypt- (CD | 2003)

• DEMO 2003 (CDr | 2003)

• Various - 日本のロック名鑑② (DVD | 2004)

• DEMO COMPLETE (CDr | 2004)

• DEMO SHELTER (CDr | 2004)

• DEMO TIME BOMB (CDr | 2004)

• 脳内フリクション (Unknown | 2005)

• Various - The Curse Of The Damned ~Tribute To The Damned~ (Unknown | 2005)

• Brainburst Brigade (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Power Stock - Live DVD (DVD | 2007)

• サ・ヨ・ナ・ラ・セ・カ・イ (CD | 2008)

• Special Dvd-r For Tower Records (DVDr | 2008)

• Special Dvd-r For Disk Union (DVDr | 2008)

• Various - Straight Up Days (3xCD | 2010)

Sui [Fukushima]

• Under The Water (CD | 2010)

Superme [Nagano]

• Meaning Time (CDr | 2005)

• Superme (CD | 2009)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate Volume 2 (CD | 2012)

Suspect Galore [Tokyo]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2007)

Sweef [Yokosuka]

• Demo 03 (CD | 2005)

• Various - All Mixed Up! 2 (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Out Of This World 3 (2xCD | 2007)

• Love & Hate (CD | 2008)

• Various - ...Out Of This World 4 (CD | 2009)

• 幻 (CD | 2009)

TG.Atlas [Asahikawa]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2002)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2003)

• split with What Ever Film (CD | 2007)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 3 (CD | 2007)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Stigma (CD | 2009)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.46 (CD | 2009)

• KOIWAZURAI (CDr | 2009)

• Various - Breaking Concept (CD | 2011)

• Heartbeat (CD | 2013)

• Various - シントウ (CD | 2014)

• Lost In Puzzle City (CD | 2017)

• split with illMilliliter (7" | 2020)

Tenho [Fukuoka]

• 1st Demo [Anything] (CDr | 2006)

• 3rd Demo (CDr | 2007)

• Various - Fall To Pieces The Compilation Of Emo -The Genuineness (CD | 2008)

• split with Standing On The Shoulder Of Giants (CD | 2009)

• Toki (CD | 2012)

Test Mustard Disco [Fukuoka]

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 2 (CD | 2006)

• The Bell Rings Backs Off The Brain (CD | 2006)

• Various - A Japanese Compilation CD-R (CDr | 2007)

• Test Mustard Disco (CDr | ?)

The Cops Are Inside Us [Okinawa]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2006)

• 2nd Demo (CD | 2007)

• Square Room (CD | 2009)

• Square Room Bonus DVD-R from Disk Union (DVDr | 2009)

• The Cops Are Not Dead (CDr | 2010)

• split with Sonoray (CD | 2012)

• Various - Affirmative Compilation (2xCD | 2012)

• Various - Relative Distance (CD | 2013)

• Various - シントウ (CD | 2014)

• split with perpetual motion machine (Cassette | 2016)

• Various - Come Together! Vol​.​2 (CD | 2017)

The Rainrains [Mie]

• Map EP (CDr | 2006)

• Neutral E.P (CDr | 2008)

• Half Ear (CD | 2008)

The Sunsetboulevard [Tokyo]

• Monkey And I (CD | 2002)

• Various - Sunsetlines 2003 (DVD | 2004)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.19 (CD | 2005)

• Long Way Around (CD | 2005)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 3 (CD | 2007)

• Sample CD #01 (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Tokyo Americana (CD | 2010)

• Nonsense (Digital | 2012)

The World Was Lost [Yamanashi]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2010)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2012)

Theorem [Kyoto]

• Vol.1 (CDr | 2007)

• Vol.2 (CDr | 2007)

• A Theory Of Sacrifice (CD | 2009)

• Various - You Name It. (2xCD + DVD | 2009)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate (CD | 2010)

• 煤煙 EP (CDr | 2011)

• Various - Doors Volume 2 (CD | 2013)

• Theorem (CD | 2019)

This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive [Tokyo]

• 1st demo (Cassette/CDr | 2008)

• Masturbate On D.I.Y. (7" | 2009)

• 歌詞を読まない世代へ継ぐ (CD/Cassette | 2009)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.47 (CD | 2009)

• 33℃ (CD | 2011)

• Yaeka (Cassette | 2011)

• Various - Breaking Concept 4 (CD | 2012)

• split with Play Dead Season (CD | 2015)

Thread Yarn [Tokyo]

• Spin A Yarn EP (CD | 2005)

• tokyo limited tape (Cassette | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.44 (CD | 2009)

• Burn Up The Existence (CD | 2009)

• Various - Breaking Concept (CD | 2011)

• split with Middle (7" | 2011)

• Rugged EX (CD | 2013)

• split with Slavedriver (7" | 2016)

• Flux (CD | 2019)

• Various - Stiffslack 7inch Select (Cassette | 2020)

To Overflow Evidence [Iwaki/Fukushima]

• Various - Stand Our Ground 2006 (CD | 2006)

• split with 辻斬 (CDr | 2006)

• Demo (CDr | 2006)

• split with Stick It Out (CDr | 2006)

• Various - Tomorrows Gone Magazine Vol.4 (CD | 2007)

• You & Me (CDr | 2008)

• Photograph Painted Out With Color (CD | 2008)

• Various - gekijyo mountAin DVD (DVDr | 2008)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - You Name It. (2xCD + DVD | 2009)

• 太陽 (CD | 2009)

• Live 2009 (DVDr | 2009)

• また空をみるために白紙に描く日々の事 (CD | 2011)

• Untitled (DVDr | 2011)

• Various - Stand Our Ground 2012 (2xCD | 2012)

• Portrait (CD | 2013)

• split with nim (CD | 2014)

• Clear (CD | 2017)

• 2009 - 2013 (CD | 2017)

• Various - Keep and Walk 10th Anniversary Compilation (CD | 2017)

• split with Hopeless Raven (CD | 2019)

• Various - ...Out Of This World 6 (CD | 2019)

• Seep (CD | 2023)

Tomato Steal [Kanagawa]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2002)

• Assert, “Everything Will Be Nothing”. (CDr | 2003)

• split with Nervous Light Of Sunday / Deathcount (CDr | 2005)

• split with Heaven In Her Arms (CD | 2006)

• Tomato Steal Dvd Ver. (DVD | 2008)

• Tomato Steal (CD/10" | 2008/2009)

• Various - Cosmicnote Sampler 2009 (CD | 2009)

Tone [Nagano]

• Demo (CDr | 2009)

• split with inco. (CDr | 2010)

Union Of Snakes [Tokyo]

• Vol. 2 (Digital | 2010)

• Vol. 1 (Digital | 2011)

• Vol. 2.5 (Digital | 2012)

Unripe [Okinawa]

• Demo (CDr | 2007)

• split with Midnight Parade (CD | 2009)

• Various - Affirmative Compilation (2xCD | 2012)

• Various - Relative Distance (CD | 2013)

• Definition Of Hope (CD | 2024)

Was [Sapporo]

• Various - シンポジウム現代 (CD | 2007)

• split with Volcano Kekava (CD | 2008)

• 夢見る頃を過ぎても (CD | 2009)

• Various - 黄昏賛歌3 (2xCD | 2011)

• Scrap And Build (CD | 2013)

Z [Tokyo]

• 御壁 (LP/CD | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.47 (CD | 2009)

• 新今日 (CD | 2009)

• Various - Supported By Catune And Morec. (CD | 2010)

• Various - What A Hell Fukushima (CD | 2011)

• ZETSUTOU (CD/LP | 2012)

ハイテンションセックスガール [Osaka]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2006)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2007)

• 3rd Demo (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Hate Yourself And Love The Fate (CD | 2010)

• split with Hemp Coaching Juicer (CD | 2010)

• ハイテンションセックスガール (CD | 2011)

冴返る [Tokyo]

• Demo 1 (Digital | ?)

• Demo 2 (Digital | ?)

反好旗 [Yokohama]

• 22世紀の快楽者 (CD | 2008)

• 反好旗 (CDr | 2009)

• 八の目の芽 (CD | 2011)

• Live & Music Clip (DVDr | 2012)

• 反好旗 (CDr | 2012)

• split with Seth (CD | 2013)

• Various - Lit Up (CD | 2013)

• Neverfade (CD | 2014)

• Reflection (Cassette | 2016)

• Various - Kappunk 2016 Autumn (DVD | 2016)

Jesse Mowery

Check out Jesse’s things.

https://www.instagram.com/messejowery/

Jesse’s old band and my old band did a split! Over 15 years ago!

Releases we discussed

Cofun - The Long Excuse

Pile Of Hex - Liquescence

eto’o - 2nd demo

Undermark - Undermark

Buy it here: https://1020distro.thebase.in/items/94737802

Yureka- AltX

Envy - Eunoia

Yukue - パレードよ、もう一

The Anchors - Festivals

Buy it here: https://1020distro.thebase.in/items/91666655

Like the previous wave, the Third Wave built off the sounds and activities of the wave before it. Although direct interaction was minimal, the continuing rise of Envy’s international popularity (they would first tour the USA in 2005) definitely raised the accessibility and visibility of Third Wave Screamo bands in Japan. Many Third Wave bands would capitalize on this, taking on an air of professionalism (sometimes approaching elitism) the scene hadn’t really seen before.

Killie and Heaven In Her Arms were at the forefront of the Third Wave. Both had a strong international focus, facilitating releases from France’s Salvation Records, Switzerland’s Ape Must Not Kill Ape Records and England’s Dog Knights Productions. They also took over from Envy as Japan tour hosts for some of the world’s biggest screamo acts, such as Ampere, Funeral Diner, La Quiete, Daitro, Kaospilot, and City Of Caterpillar.

Although both groups were Tokyo-based, as was typical from the cutting edge of music in Japan, the Third Wave saw another defining presence that would shape much of the Screamo scene developing outside of Tokyo, Ehime Prefecture’s Impulse Records. Founded in 2003 by Akihito Ikawa (drummer of Forget Me Not), the label has consistently released albums, splits, and compilations featuring some of Japan’s best underground bands, mostly from outside the Tokyo region. Almost half of the Third Wave Notable Releases come from Impulse Records’ catalog.

Impulse Records also released entries in several series that featured some of the best Screamo groups from the Third Wave. The Breaking Concept series featured 5 Screamo artists per volume, two tracks each, and had five volumes released. The compilation series Here Comes The Bottom Line… was also notable, receiving three volumes in total. These followed the typical compilation format, where around 10 bands would provide one track each. Stylistically, these compilations were more of a grab bag, with a few bands from the Screamo scene thrown into each. Finally, while short-lived, the Doors series, which only reached two volumes, featured four examples each of the best un-diluted Japanese Screamo and emo bands active at that time.

The Third Wave also introduced another new trend: large festivals. While these were usually a blend of bands from different genres, Impulse Records would organize festivals primarily featuring Screamo groups from around the country. These festivals combined the style of more mainstream summer music festivals with the community focus and genres from year-end shows that bands like Gauge Means Nothing hosted during the Second Wave.

As for the musical styles prevalent during the Third Wave, there were significant evolutions of some of the most recognizable sounds that came from the first and second waves.

Killie, Heaven in Her Arms, and Henoa further developed the classic Japanese Screamo sound, ala Envy, but took it to a darker place, with shorter songs (mainly) and even more intensity.

For the more punk-influenced Screamo style that Sawpit and 1000 Travels of Jawarhalal created, quite a few bands, such as Infro, Mother, and Eye, would adopt and expand on this sound. Infro especially would turn out to be incredibly prolific (even to this day), based out of the same region as 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal (the southern Japanese island of Kyushu).

Finally, bands like Mynameis… and Allie introduced intricate songwriting and melodic singing to the Japanese Screamo sound that brought a totally different vibe to the genre. The passion, intensity, and frenzied instrumentation were still there, but Japanese folk-influenced melodies infused a sense of nostalgia into their songs.

Towards the end of the Third Wave (around 2012), although the more prominent groups such as Killie and Heaven in Her Arms would continue, the largest cohort of groups would cease activity. Impulse Records, the strongest sponsor of this wave, would also dial back their release schedule, as the label founder opened a physical record store and live house (Too Nice Records).

Notable Releases

Killie - 地下から抜け出したい地下から抜け出したくない地下から抜け出せない CD [2006-06-30]

Killie formed from the ashes of several Second Wave bands. For that reason, they seem nearly fully mature on their debut EP. From the music to the lyrics to the recording to the packaging, everything about this release follows a consistent and complete vision. Musically, Killie takes elements of emo-violence, Envy, and aggression to create a new style that lives up to their name (‘kirai,’ which is phonetically the same as Killie, means hate in Japanese. Their name also can be read as “kill lie,” for a nice dual meaning).

Looking at Killie only through their music does a disservice to their total activity. They were fiercely independent, reminiscent of Envy’s career. Killie didn’t merely follow what their seniors did but tore up the script and started anew. While both Killie and Envy would play many shows together in later years (Killie’s bassist, yOshi, would even join Envy on guitar in 2019), Killie spent their most active early years focusing on hosting shows and bringing foreign bands to Japan, bolstering the Third Wave scene.

Mynameis… - 東京プラスチック CD [2006-10-08]

Somehow intense and passionate and uplifting all at the same time, Mynameis… aren’t the most prolific, but they are singular. They merge elaborate songwriting with classic Japanese Screamo. One of the real innovations here is the inclusion of melodic singing, usually at the top of the lungs, with a different style than those of groups like 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal. What strikes me about the album is the confidence of vision that every song has. It’s approachable but deep, hectic but beautiful. It doesn’t surprise me that not many bands could follow the example that Mynameis… laid out.

Birth - Iro EP CD [2007-08-17]

This seven-track EP covers enough ground to be an album. It takes inspiration from bands like 3cm Tour, but lets the songs reach more aggressive conclusions. Birth would expand on this sound over the next decade, adding even more dimensions while maintaining the same three-piece lineup. Notably, Birth was also one of the first Screamo groups in Gifu Prefecture and created a lively scene there, hosting many out-of-town bands and live shows.

Heaven In Her Arms - 黒斑の侵蝕 CD/LP [2007-10-05]

After a rocky start as the band experimented with different styles over several demos, Heaven In Her Arms debut album would truly break new ground in the Japanese Screamo oeuvre. Black metal and hardcore sensibilities are mixed with epic Japanese Screamo (ala Envy) to a delicious degree. The melodic sense is also quite dark, compared to the typical passionate approach, which also comes from a metal influence.

Notably, for its initial release, this album would be released on vinyl by Switzerland’s Ape Must Not Kill Ape Records, a well-known Screamo label. This was another step towards the international recognition of the Japanese Screamo scene. Heaven In Her Arms would follow this album release with several European tours over the years.

Infro - Melody CD [2007-11-07]

While some of the earliest examples of the Japanese Screamo punk subgenre relied on relatively simplistic melodies, Infro would add complicated song structures and dynamic instrumentation to the sound. In this debut album, their songs tells stories with the music, as each instrument takes independent paths through complex melodies. Infro demonstrates a dueling-guitar style approach to instrumentation, where the bass and drums holds down the main song structure, along with the vocals, but the two guitars would do almost anything to avoid playing in the same space. This effect makes for an especially elevated headphone experience. An early release from Ehime’s Impulse Records, this album would embody the type of boundary-stretching Screamo that the label would come to be known for.

The Cops Are Inside Us - Square Room CD [2009-05-22]

Aside from representing the small underground scene on the distant island of Okinawa, The Cops Are Inside Us also managed to carve out a unique place of their own in the canon of Japanese Screamo. Never straying too far from many of the techniques of melodic hardcore, they provide enough diversity and epic melodies to blend the two effectively. The intensity of each song doesn’t let up either. At six songs, Square Room is the closest thing to an album that The Cops Are Inside Us would ever release, and it serves as the most complete record of their sound. While the songs aren’t evenly paced or particularly well-balanced, when they hit on a part that works, it really works.

Henoa - Three Loves CD [2009-09-19]

A short burst of over-the-top, emo-violence from a supergroup of the times. Featuring members of Heaven In Her Arms, Enslave, Enforce, Cohol, The Black Line Fever, and Mynameis…, Henoa is the real deal. Unfortunately, this three-song EP is their only official output. Inspired by the contemporary wave of European Screamo and emo-violence, such as Louise Cyphre and La Quiete, Henoa merged those dynamics and rhythms with Japanese melodies. The product is a counterpart to Killie’s approach, and I wonder how much of an impetus they provided. Henoa produced something incredibly different, but even with this single release, I can’t help but imagine what the scene would have been like if Henoa had continued to grow.

ALLie - Avalanche CD [2010-03-12]

Avalanche is ALLie’s first and only album. From Aichi, one of the prefectures in northern Japan, ALLie had a unique sound like other non-Tokyo-based screamo groups of this era. They blended the melodic sensibilities of Mynameis… with even more intensity. The vocals range from passionate singing to frantic singing as the songs move from epic to chaotic. Despite inheriting many of the traits from earlier Japanese Screamo bands, ALLie created a sound all their own that was approachable but original.

Four of the tracks from this album were also released as an EP from the UK’s Dog Knights Productions. Unfortunately, as the band dissolved after the album’s release, there wasn’t a follow-up European tour.

Eye - Disillusion Attacker CD [2010]

Not content with his output in Mynameis…, Miyazima Daichi founded the group Eye to create music more in the vein of 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal. Despite this shift in direction, Miyazima’s songwriting is still remarkably similar in quality with Mynameis…. Despite any similarities, Eye has a distinct sound, heavy in reverb and vocal harmonies, that focuses even more on melody. Some of the tracks on this 6-song EP even dabble in arena rock and garage rock tropes. Dual male and female vocals are liberally applied at the perfect moments, leading to some song transitions and phrases that still give me chills all these years later.

Various - Breaking Concept CD [2011-03-25]

The first entry in a split series from Impulse Records that eventually reached six volumes, Breaking Concept gave label founder Akinori Ikawa the opportunity to highlight some of Japan’s brightest while theming each volume. This first collects five groups that were all Screamo adjacent. Each band contributed two songs. Flex, from Sendai, creates noisy, angular post-hardcore anthems. Nothing, Nothing, Nothing!, from Sapporo, play nostalgic, mid-tempo Screamo. Blue Ray Dance, from Nagoya, offer a dissonant and chaotic Screamo that borders on grindcore at some parts. TG. Atlas, also from Sapporo, attempt to blend art-punk and odd time signatures with dissonant Screamo. And finally, Threadyarn, from Fukuoka, play smart and unexpectedly chaotic post-hardcore that combines clean singing with passionate screams.

The entire run of the Breaking Concept series is truly essential for a holistic view of the Japanese Screamo and Emo scene in the early 2010’s. All the subsequent volumes keep up the quality and diversity that this first one established.

To Overflow Evidence - また空をみるために白紙に描く日々の事 CD [2011-08-03]

After several demos and EPs, this is To Overflow Evidence’s first album. They’ve become one of Japan's most active and long-running screamo bands and kept their sound remarkably consistent throughout their discography. This album is the best manifestation of that sound. Slow to mid-tempo melodic Japanese screamo. The influence of Envy in their melodic viewpoint is clear, although To Overflow Evidence tends to have a more consistent dynamic range, mostly crafting their songs around epic melodies played with screaming over it. When the group attempts to vary their sound, it’s often not as successful as their trademark standard.

Madpress / In The Unknown split CD [2011-08-21]

Two standout screamo groups from Japan’s smallest major island, Shikoku. I personally consider it a tragedy that this is the only significant release for both of these bands. Madpress is a three-piece that plays epic screamo with lots of dynamics. What really sets them apart is the brilliant songwriting and mood they create with their songs. They let the songs evolve naturally before wrenching them back in line. In The Unknown offers two incredibly well-crafted epic screamo tracks. While not as finely composed as Madpress, In The Unknown still offers a strong point of view with their tracks.

ハイテンションセックスガール - ハイテンションセックスガール CD [2011-12-22]

ハイテンションセックスガール (trans. High-Tension Sex Girl, hereafter HTSG) are a three-piece from Osaka with a short discography. Both this and their follow-up, a split with Hemp Coaching Juicer, were released by Impulse Records. These four songs demonstrate the variety and creativity of the group. The guitar riffs, especially, are completely unexpected from a screamo group, being extremely fast and complex. The rest of the band plays with odd timings and busy beats that almost trip over themselves from complexity. This is one of my personal favorites from this wave.

Mother - The Living Dead CD [2012-11-02]

Kyoto’s Mother present their only album here, a true masterpiece and melding of both the punk sound and epic Screamo sound. By taking some of the stylings of 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal and wrapping it in longer, epic songs, they’ve created a sound with drive and elevation. These 7 tracks also give them a chance to explore the sound, with several tracks blending together to add to the epic feel. Mother would follow this album by releasing another EP and some songs digitally, but unfortunately, they split soon after. Luckily, the members all stayed active and went on to form other similar bands (Nostalgic Four Past And Cigarette End, Suckville, Give Me Back!).

Third Wave Bands

• 4hou8pou

• Akatsukibakudann

• Akutagawa

• ALLie

• Anote

• Arbusto

• Birth

• Blue Ray Dance

• Bullet And Travolta

• Chakkamen

• CiaoFinal

• Color Of Distortion

• Crying For The Moon

• Develop One’s Potential

• Discotortion

• Document Not Found

• Doopamin

• Encounter Group

• Ephll

• Eureka

• Eye

• Flex

• For Us To Get The Light

• Fouryearstoolate

• Ganesha

• Gendo Death

• Heaven In Her Arms

• Hemp Coaching Juicer

• Henoa

• Here, There And Everywhere

• Hitsujikazoeru

• Holden

• I Stay Here

• In The Unknown

• Infro

• inthenaMEoflove

• Irrigation

• Killie

• Kitten

• life is not comingback

• Madpress

• Mizm

• Mother

• Mynameis…

• Nagare

• Necome

• Nothing, Nothing, Nothing!

• Nudies Goe

• P.S. Burn This Letter

• Permanent

• R3-N7

• Redeyesandlights

• Regret Grief

• Rerain

• S-Explode

• Sewi

• Sharppeii

• Shift

• Smell

• Spiral Chord

• Sui

• Superme

• Suspect Galore

• Sweef

• Tenho

• Test Mustard Disco

• TG.Atlas

• The Cops Are Inside Us

• The Rainrains

• The Sunsetboulevard

• Theorem

• This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive

• Thread Yarn

• To Overflow Evidence

• Tomato Steal

• Tone

• Union Of Snakes

• Unripe

• Was

• Z

• カナデ (tr. Kanade)

• ハイテンションセックスガール (tr. High Tension Sex Girl)

• 冴返る (tr. Saekaeru)

• 反好旗 (tr. Hankouki)

Proofreading and support from Derek Riley.

I started this newsletter/blog a year ago with a roundup of Japanese Screamo releases from 2022. I hope others enjoy these lists, but they’re mostly for me. During the year, it can be easy to forget a passing tweet about a new release or a video that popped up on YouTube. This kind of annual ritual reminds me to go back and catch up on the year’s releases. And with that, I bring it to you as well.

After another year, the world of Japanese Screamo continues to chug along. While there are some stand-outs this year, we’re still in a seemingly quiet period. Ostensibly, we’re in the fifth wave of Japanese Screamo (starting around 2017), but I still feel that this wave hasn’t quite seen its defining releases yet. For sure, the coronavirus caused a huge disruption to the Japanese music scene. All live shows stopped for a long period, putting many livehouses in danger of permanent closure. Many bands broke up as well since they couldn’t practice anymore.

Still, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also mention the hyper-accelerationist impact that the internet has had on modern music. There’s just so much music these days that I have trouble imagining how bands can innovate and stand out. Have we reached the end of Japanese Screamo? What’s in store for 2024? Who will be the break-out groups from this current stable? These are all questions I still ask myself but can’t answer yet.

Let me know if I missed anything here, and I hope you find something you’ll love here!

My Faves

Nhomme - 一​​​種​​​の​​​過​​​音

Nhomme has been on the edge of my radar since I heard their track on the 4-way split with Asunojokei, Pale, and Tochu-Kaso. Their output has been sparse, so I could never quite narrow down what they were going for. This EP, however, is a manifesto of sorts. 3 pure tracks of odd-tempo instrumentality that collapse into emotional bursts before pulling back. This feels like where 3cm tour would’ve gone if they’d listened to more Messhuggah and stuck around. Also, I’m a sucker for extraordinary packaging, and Nhomme didn’t disappoint with 一​​​種​​​の​​​過​​​音.

Xonto - Orbis

Secretly a bit of a supergroup, Xonto released their sophomore effort (following up Robot A from Tomb Tree Tapes in 2021), Orbis, this year, coalescing on a more unique and focused sound. Initially, I thought the group was heading for the same Japanese screamo sound, maybe a little darker. But with Orbis, their true shape finally comes out. Mixing heavy riffs, dissonant melodies, and alternately rapping and shouting vocals, Xonto is creating something new.

不夜城 (Fuyajoh) - Placenta

Fuyajoh’s debut EP is all over the place. Influences from the breadth of Japanese Screamo are clear, with some metal and rock thrown in for good measure. The performances aren’t that tight, and some of the parts are derivative, but there’s refreshing about the variety and presentation here. I’ve found myself listening to this quite a bit more than most other things on this list.

Küchenherd - Demo

With the recent re-release of the Tristan Tzara discography, we may (I hope) start seeing a worldwide emo-violence revival soon. If so, Küchenherd will be leading the charge. Founded by members of Sano Ex Machina, Angry Son, Cofun, and Gensenkan, they truly capture the full European emo-violence sound while still sounding unique. This is only a demo, but hopefully, there will be much more to come.

Oaktails - What I Think / What I Love

Heavily influenced by modern Envy, Oaktails fully delivers with a 45 minute album of pure Japanese Screamo. Many other bands who follow the same path usually end up with bland melodies that don’t hold up to multiple listens, but this album is much better than that. The variety of sounds the band moves through over the course of these 10 tracks makes for a very fun listen, even if it’s not necessarily breaking new ground. A solid album for any Japanese Screamo fan.

Mauerfall - III

Japan has plenty of crust bands but isn’t particularly known for much neo-crust. Well, I guess there aren’t actually a ton of neo-crust bands anywhere, to begin with, but considering how much 3LA has pushed the subgenre in Japan, I would’ve expected more to sprout up. Bands like Sekien and Framtid come to mind. But Mauerfall is another Japanese neo-crust group that has mostly operated in the shadows. After 2 EPs, they’ve finally released their first album, III. Weirdly, they also dropped their vocalist for this release. But after tightening up their songwriting skills and playing, you hardly miss it. Yes, this is Japanese instrumental neo-crust, and it’s pretty excellent.

Even more Japanese Screamo from 2023…

Albums

Asthenia - 9 songs

Death (Dead) Death Death - Tornado

Don Karnage - You & I

Kokeshi - 冷刻

Moreru - 呪​詛​告​白​初​恋​そ​し​て​世​界

Never Confuse Loneliness With Isolation - January 7th, 2019

Play Dead Season - Goat

Seek - KOKYOU DE SHINU OTOKO

EPs & Demos & etc.

Biliardo / Pyre - post marked stamps #4

Cold Winter - ​『人​間​と​い​え​ば​？​』​『​愚​か​！​』​『​で​す​が​…​』

Don Giglio - Control

Farewell Note To This City - 1st Demo

Fredelica - 覚​え​て​る​こ​と

不実 (Fujitu) - 2023 Demo Tracks

HAERERE / herside - split

MEIAN - 遠​ざ​か​る

Raika - Hope

Rapunzel - Demo

Ryouishi - shinryakusurushishatachi

Soccer - IV

To Overflow Evidence - Seep

吶喊 (Tokkan) - 5songs

Weep - The Attack Before The First Light

V/A Slow Down Records Summer 2023 Compilation (Pirlo tracks)

[日本語のテキストは以下の通りです / Japanese text below]

Dignity For All will be performing a reunion show on November 5th, 2023 in Sapporo, Japan. This will likely be their last show ever, so attend if you can! (I wish I could 😫)

I’ll be honest: hearing that Dignity For All would be playing a reunion show over 20 years after they disbanded got me so excited. There’s a lot around this, but a big part of that emotion is that Dignity For All was one of the first bands in the Japanese underground scene that I discovered in 2002. Dignity For All had released a split 7” with the American group Jejune on the label Big Wheel Recreation. This was easy enough to find in the US, so I was able to get my hands on it.

Years later, Gotō-san, who plays guitar in Dignity For All and runs Soul Ameria Records, was one of the first people who traded with my label. His kindness and spirit of collaboration were inspirational, and we still collaborate today.

In 2020, Dignity For All released their discography on vinyl from Slow Down Records. You can also listen to it on streaming platforms:

In the lead-up to their reunion show, Gotō-san and Fujiyama-san answered a few questions. The following lends insight into Dignity For All’s present and past and what Emo has become in Japan.

Please introduce yourselves.

Fujiyama: I’m Fujiyama. I’m in charge of vocals and guitar.

Gotō: I’m Mana Gotō. In Dignity For All, I am responsible for the guitar.

It’s been almost 25 years since Dignity For All broke up. Why are you doing a reunion show now?

Fujiyama: I am currently the vocalist for a band called O.U.T (Our Unwanted Troubles), and we have this charity event called ALIVE! that we organize. We did it twice before the pandemic, and now, after four years, we’re going to hold the third one on November 5th. While searching for bands to join the event, I thought about what else I could do, besides O.U.T, to help. I came to the conclusion that it might be interesting to try doing Dignity For All once more.

How did the reunion show come together?

Fujiyama: Gotō-kun had been active in releasing our discography in 2021, and I believe he was receiving responses to that effort, so I approached him first. He was enthusiastic about it, and we thought that if we were going to do it, we should do it with the last members of the band. So, I reached out to Gotchi (bass) and Teru (drums). There might have been some hesitation at first, but somehow, we managed to get all the members from that time together.

Gotō: When I first heard about it, I thought it sounded fun! The release of the discography motivated me a lot, and I had no doubts about it.

What have the band members been up to since Dignity For All was last active?

Fujiyama: I am currently involved with ANMA, nothing,nothing,nothing!, Bored to Death, CUT BACK, and the aforementioned O.U.T. Teru, our drummer, was with the SUN. Gotchi, our bassist, hasn’t been in a band since Dignity For All.

Gotō: After Dignity For All stopped activities, I was active with Moukou Tokkyuu and And No Time. Moukou Tokkyuu released a CDR through Ryan’s I’ve Come For Your Children. Now, I’m working remotely with a former member of Norway’s You Could Be A Cop on Nomos Amata. Additionally, I run a label called Soul Ameria Records.

Emo has become more popular in Japan since Dignity For All was active. What do you think about the state of Emo in Japan today?

Fujiyama: I think this is a significant difference, but Dignity For All was active as a hardcore band. I believe the bands that are referred to as “emo” these days probably don’t consider themselves as such. Back when we were active, there was always a desire to do something social or for the scene. With the bands known as “emo” now, I don’t feel that they have the same way of thinking. They seem to be just normal rock or pop, which of course isn’t bad in itself. On the other hand, if there are political “emo” bands in Japan now, I’d like to know about them.

Gotō: I’m not sure about the current emo scene. Do bands like the emo bands of the ‘90s even exist now? It might just be that I’m not aware. The emo of that time and today’s emo are probably different, and when you think about it too much, you start to wonder what emo really is. What I think of as emo might not be considered emo by someone else. But I would be happy if a band that misunderstands what ’90s emo is popped up someday. That’s how much I was influenced by ’90s emo. Bands like Undermark and Asthenia have that kind of vibe.

Was there anything you wanted to do with Dignity For All, but haven’t achieved yet?

Fujiyama: Actually, until the discography was released, we hadn’t put out any solo recordings, so I wanted to try that. Also, I would say touring. I think there were reactions we couldn’t get in Sapporo that definitely existed elsewhere.

Gotō: I would have wanted to go on tour. I also wanted to release music under foreign labels like Artmonk or Simba. It may have been a personal issue, but it was difficult back then because of so little information. However, various experiences are still valuable to me, and if I start something new, it will be stimulating and lead to growth, so the excitement never ends.

Were there any issues remembering the old songs or getting used to playing instruments again?

Fujiyama: Perhaps the guitar parts I play are simple, so once I got down to it, it might not have been too much trouble. But what I do think is that it made me realize once again that I’m not very good at playing the guitar, haha.

Gotō: Hmm, it was very tough. I started practicing the guitar after listening to our old recordings, but they were surprisingly fast, and I couldn’t play them. It made me realize just how lenient I’ve been with myself. I’m still practicing now!

Hokkaido seems to have a very vibrant underground scene. Why is that?

Fujiyama: I’m not exactly sure why, but maybe because we didn’t have as much information coming in as we do now, everyone was crazy about their interests. From there, a kind of vitality to do something arose, and maybe that’s been continuing ever since.

Gotō: Hokkaido/Sapporo is far from the central part of Japan, so I have the impression that it formed a unique scene back when the internet wasn’t widespread. Yes, I think there were many movements of wanting to do something. Fujiyama-san was also distributing music from overseas bands and starting a label.

It might be a common story everywhere, but looking back now, I think everyone was doing something quite creative.

I was so excited to hear that you’re writing a new song. How did it come about? Are there any plans to record it or produce a new release?

Fujiyama: From the beginning, when this reunion came up, I was thinking that if we were going to do it, we should play new songs. That’s because I’m somewhat critical of bands that reunite; just playing old songs all the time lacks artistry, and also, it feels a bit strange to me to sing the emotions of my twenties as a fifty-year-old. I really wanted to do about two songs, but due to time constraints, we could only make one. We’re recording that song and will sell it at the live event on November 5th.

Will Dignity For All continue after the reunion show?

Fujiyama: We will make the live event on November 5th our last. As mentioned before, dragging on a band from the past indefinitely is a no-go for me. I am currently in O.U.T, after all. However, I think it’s good to start a new band with these members. If there’s the motivation to create new songs, I think it’s perfectly fine to continue under a new band name as a new band.

Gotō: We are still considering that, and nothing has been decided yet. But if we can start something new with this lineup again, I think it will be very easy. Coming up with new things is always fun.

Any last words for long-time fans and new fans?

Fujiyama: Occasionally, people from outside Sapporo tell me they like Dignity For All, and I’m happy to hear that kind of response. I hope they will also pay attention to our individual activities and look forward to what we each do in the future. Thank you very much.

Gotō: In 2021, Slowdown Records released a discography that received a lot of feedback from people who knew about Dignity For All at the time and those who discovered us through it, for which I am very grateful. I don’t know what the future holds, but personally, I still have not lost my dedication and passion for music, so I intend to keep challenging myself. Thanks to Ryan for conducting the interview and to everyone who read this to the end. Thank you!

Dignity For Allは2023年11月5日に日本の札幌で再結成ライブを行います。これが彼らの最後のショーになる可能性が高いので、参加できる方はぜひ足を運んでください！（私も行けたらいいのに😫）

正直なところ、Dignity For Allが解散から20年以上経って再結成ライブを行うと聞いたときは、とても興奮しました。その感情の背後にはいろいろありますが、大きな部分は、Dignity For Allが2002年に私が発見した日本のアンダーグラウンドシーンの最初のバンドの一つだったからです。Dignity For Allは、アメリカのグループJejuneとBig Wheel Recreationレーベルでスプリット7インチをリリースしていました。これはアメリカで簡単に手に入るものだったので、私はそれを入手することができました。

数年後、Dignity For Allでギターを弾き、Soul Ameria Recordsを運営している後藤さんは、私のレーベルと取引をした最初の人の一人でした。彼の親切さと協力の精神は触発的であり、私たちは今でも協力し合っています。

2020年、Dignity For Allは、Slow Down Recordsから自身のディスコグラフィーをアナログレコードでリリースしました。ストリーミングプラットフォームでも聴くことができます。

再結成ショーに向けて、後藤さんと藤山さんはいくつかの質問に答えました。以下の内容は、Dignity For Allの現在と過去、そして日本でのエモがどう変化したかについての洞察を与えます。

どうぞ自己紹介をお願いします。

藤山：藤山です。ボーカルとギター担当です。

後藤：後藤マナです。Dignity For Allではギターを担当しています。

Dignity For Allが解散してからほぼ25年が経過しました。なぜ今、再結成ライブを行うことになったのですか？

藤山：僕は現在、O.U.T（Our Unwanted Troubles）というバンドでボーカルをやっていて、そのO.U.Tの企画するALIVE!というチャリティイベントがありまして、コロナ前に2回やって、今回4年ぶりに3回目を11月5日に行なう事になりました。それでバンドを探している時にふと自分はO.U.T以外でも何か協力できる事があるんじゃないかと考えて、行き着いた答えがDignity For Allをもう一度やってみてはどうだろうかという事でした。

再結成ライブはどのように実現しましたか？

藤山：2021年にリリースされたディスコグラフィーに関して、後藤くんがいろいろと動いてくれたのもありますし、それに対するレスポンスなんかも彼がきっと受けていてくれたと思いましたので、まず最初に後藤くんに話を持ちかけました。彼はやる気で、やるならやはり最後のメンバーかなって思ったので、ゴッチ（ベース）、テル（ドラム）に声をかけて、ちょっと皆悩むところはあったかもしれなかったけど、なんとか当時のメンバーは揃いました。

後藤：最初に話を聞いたときは、面白そう！って思いました。ディスコグラフィーのリリースによって自分の中で色々突き動かされたし迷いはなかったですね。

Dignity For Allが最後に活動してから、バンドメンバーはどのような活動をしてきましたか？

藤山：自分は、ANMA、nothing,nothing,nothing!、Bored to Death、CUT BACK、そして前述のO.U.Tを現在やっています。ドラムのテルはthe SUNをやっていました。ベースのゴッチはDignity For All以降は特にバンドはやっていなかったです。

後藤：僕はDignity For Allの活動が止まってからは、蒙古特急やAnd No Timeで活動していたよ。蒙古特急はライアンのI‘ve Come For Your ChildrenからCDRをリリースしてもらいました。

今は、ノルウェーの元You Could Be A CopのメンバーとリモートでNomos Amataをやっています。

それから、Soul Ameria Recordsというレーベルを運営しています。

Dignity For Allが活動していた当時に比べ、エモが日本でより人気になってきました。今日の日本のエモシーンについて、どう思いますか？

藤山：これは大きく違う事だと思うんですが、Dignity For Allはハードコアバンドだと思って活動していました。今のエモと言われるバンドはおそらくそういう意識は無いのではないかなと思います。昔活動していた時は常に社会的に何かをしたいとか、シーンのために何かをしたいと思って行動していました。今のエモと言われるようなバンドを知ってもそういう意識は感じられないと思います。普通のロック、ポップスでしかないのかなと。それはそれでもちろん悪くはないですが。逆にポリティカルなエモバンドが現在日本にいれば教えて欲しいです。

後藤：今のエモシーンについては良くわからないかな。そもそも90年代のようなエモバンドは今は存在しるのかな？僕が知らないだけかもね。当時のエモと今のエモは違うだろうし、あんまり考えるとエモってなんだろ？てなります。僕の思うエモは違う誰かにとってはエモではないかもしれないし。でもいつか、90ｓエモ？って勘違いしてしまうバンドが現れたうれしいな。それくらい、90ｓエモには影響を受けたよ。UndermarkやAstheniaなんかも雰囲気がそれですね。

Dignity For Allとしてやりたかったけれど、まだ達成できていないことは何ですか？

藤山：実はディスコグラフィーがリリースされるまで、単独音源というのが出ていなかったので、それを出してみたかった。あとはツアーかな。札幌では得ることの出来なかったリアクションがきっとあったと思う。

後藤：ツアーに行きたかったかな。海外のレーベルからもリリースしたかったよ。ArtmonkやSimbaからとか。これは凄くパーソナルな事なのかもしれないけど、インプットされる情報が少なかったから当時はとても難しかった。でも色々な経験が今も生かされてるし、これから新しい事を始めるならまた自分にとっては刺激や成長に繋がるからまだまだ楽しみは尽きないですね。

昔の曲を思い出すのに苦労したり、楽器の演奏に慣れるのに時間がかかったりしましたか？

藤山：おそらく僕の弾くギターは簡単なので、やってしまえばそこまでの苦労はなかったかも。ただ思うのは自分はギターが下手だなって改めて思いました 笑

後藤：んー、とても苦労した。当時の音源を聴いてギターの練習を始めたけど、意外と速くて弾けなかったよ。いかに普段、自分に甘いかを思い知ったよ。今も練習しているよ！

北海道はとても活気のあるアンダーグラウンドシーンを持っているようですが、その理由は何ですか？

藤山：理由は特に分からないんだけど、今みたく情報が入ってこない分、みんなそこそこにマニアックだったんだと思います。そこから何かやってやろうという活力が生まれてきて、それがずっと続いているのかも。

後藤：北海道/札幌は日本の中心部から離れているから、ネットが普及していない当時では独特なシーンを形成していた印象を持っています。そう、何かをやってやろうみたいな動きは沢山あったと思います。

藤山さんもやっていたけど海外のバンドの音源をディストロしたりレーベルを始めたりと。

どこにでもある話なのかもしれないけど、今思うとみんな凄いクリエイティブな事をやっていたんだなーって思います。

新しい曲を書いていると聞いて、とても興奮しました。どのようにしてその曲が生まれたのですか？ それをレコーディングしたり、新しいリリースを出す予定はありますか？

藤山：どうせやるなら新しい曲をやらないと、ってこの再結成の話が出た最初から考えていました。なぜなら自分はわりと再結成するバンドに否定的な部分もありまして、いつまでも昔の曲をやっているだけじゃ芸が無いですし、そもそも20代の感情を50代の自分がそのまま歌うという事も少しおかしく感じます。本当は2曲くらいやりたかったけど、時間も無く1曲しか作れませんでした。そして、その曲をレコーディングして11月5日のライブで販売します。

再結成ライブの後も、Dignity For Allは活動を続ける予定ですか？

藤山：今回の11月5日のライブをもって最後とします。理由は前述のようにいつまでも過去のバンドを引きずって継続させるのは自分の中ではNGなんです。現に僕は現在O.U.Tをやっていますし。ただ、新しいバンドをこのメンバーでやるのは良いと思いますので、やる気があれば新しい曲を生み出していってバンド名も変えて新しいバンドとして続けるのなら全然それは良い事だと思います。

後藤：その事は今も検討しているし、どうなるかはまだ決まっていません。

でも、またこのメンバーで新しい事を始めることが出来たらそれはとても簡単なことだと思います。新しいことを生み出すことはいつだって楽しく思えます。

長年のファンや新しいファンへの最後の言葉はありますか？

藤山：たまに札幌以外の人なんかがDignity For Allが好きですと言ってくれたり、レスポンスがある事が嬉しいです。出来ればそれぞれの活動にも目を向けて欲しいと思いますし、今後のそれぞれの活動にも期待して欲しいです。本当にありがとうございました。

後藤：２０２１年にはSlowdown Recordsからディスコグラフィーをリリースして当時のDignity For Allを知っていた人や、初めて知ってくれた人たちから沢山の反響をもらってとても感謝しています。

今後はどうなるかわかりませんが、個人的にはまだまだ音楽への拘りと情熱は失っていないので色んな事に挑戦するつもりです。

インタビューをしてくれた、ライアンと最後まで読んでくれた方々には感謝です。

ありがとうございました！

Here are a few recent releases on streaming services from Japanese screamo bands. Many of these bands were new to me, and I find that’s mostly because they don’t all run in the same scenes as the bands I follow. Even the fact that they are on streaming services is outside of the norm for Japanese screamo.

Oaktails - What I Think / What I Love [2023]

Oaktails was a big surprise. I discovered them from a show they played with Alt Of The Society earlier in the month. While they typically stay in the mid-tempo, epic screamo range, they have some genuinely innovative parts (such as the first section of Your Scent). As a result, I’ve spun this album quite a few times and have them on my radar now.

RIFYL: To Overflow Evidence, Envy, Alt Of The Society

不夜城 (Fuyajoh) - Placenta [2023]

I heard of Fuyajoh when 3LA got their latest EP into the distro. These five songs truly rip. This is noisy, epic, melodic Japanese screamo at its best. The songs have a real direction, and despite owing a lot to early 2000s screamo, they seem to pull it together into something that feels new and fresh. The production plays well with different guitar tones you don’t normally hear in screamo (the high riff in Cloister). This kind of experimentation makes me excited about what the band does next.

RIFYL: Killie, Yarmulke, Envy, Cease Upon The Capitol

RiTTLEBOY - Isolation [2021]

Another group I found playing a show with Alt Of The Society and Oaktails. RiTTLEBOY released their debut in 2021 and plays an aggressive style of screamo that can border on emotional hardcore sometimes. There’s a little bit of everything for everyone in their songs, ranging from fast melodic parts with screamed vocals to swirly epic parts with spoken word. What I appreciate is that their music never shies away from hitting straight at that early 2000s Envy sound (intro to 最後に笑うのは). Bands aiming for more mainstream acceptance, as I assume RiTTLEBOY is, usually water down their music. That isn’t the case here.

RIFYL: Alt Of The Society, Envy, Shuly To 104kz

Fall Of Tears - Never Forget, Never Regret. [2022]

Fall Of Tears can be a bit confusing as you listen. They have definite post-rock songs that build to a screaming crescendo. But they also seem to release singles and songs that are purely almost “indie pop”. As a five-piece group, the post-rock screamo sound is likely their true incarnation, but the barrage of different-sounding releases is a little off-putting. This EP is pretty excellent from front to back, so I’m looking forward to a full album, hopefully soon. They introduce much more poppy and sentimental melodies into the post-rock screamo sound that provides a very different feeling.

RIFYL: Envy, Toe

The Second Wave has many excellent releases to check out. If you read through the essentials list in a previous post and wanted to hear them all together, here’s a playlist of the 15 essential releases from the Second Wave of Japanese Screamo:

Second Wave Screamo Essentials Playlist [YouTube]

The Second Wave of Japanese screamo bands were much more prolific than the First Wave (as you can see below). This full discography took a lot of research and even resulted in a few new bands being added to the list (e.g. Emprise, Nice Middle).

I’d love to hear your thoughts, so leave a comment below!

Second Wave Screamo Full Discography

+8 [Tokyo]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2004)

• Various - Electrical Diskahoric Soundtrack (CD | 2006)

• ALUMINIUM (CD | 2007)

1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal [Kitakyushu]

• 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal (CD | 1999)

• 4Songs Demo (Cassette | 1999)

• split with Minority Blues Band (CD/LP | 2000/2021)

• split with Bowfura (CD | 2000)

• Owari Wa Konai (CD/LP | 2003)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• split with Aghast (10"/CD/CDr | 2004)

• Various - The Bastards Can't Dance - A Tribute To Leatherface (CD | 2004)

• Various - Dixiéme Anniversaire De Fragment Music Assieds-Toi Et Écoute Bien / Un Pulso A La Escena Volumen Cinco (2xCD | 2004)

• Various - Punk Rawk Explosion #14 (CD | 2004)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• Owari Wa Konakatta (CD + DVD | 2016)

24inch [Aichi]

• 24inch (Cassette | ?)

3cm Tour [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2002)

• split with Umbra (CD | 2003)

• split with After Forever (CD | 2004)

• Various - A Crucible At The Small State (CD | 2005)

• The Day Light Embraces The World, Maintaining Its Distance (2xCD | 2007)

• 4 seasons 12 months (CD + DVD | 2008)

• split with Mirror / Balloons (DVD | 2013)

Aeroscream [Sapporo]

• Various - The Cycle Of The Moon (CD | 1997)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• Never Stop! (CD | 2004)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.13 (CD | 2004)

• Various - 黄昏賛歌3 (2xCD | 2011)

• split with Peach Fuzz (CD | 2015)

After Forever [Chiba]

• Demo Tape (Cassette | 1999)

• Demo 2000 (CDr | 2000)

• Demo 2002 (CDr | 2002)

• Various - My Notebook Is Full Of Scribbles (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• split with 3cm Tour (CD | 2004)

• split with Khmer (LP | 2013)

• Discography (CD | 2021)

Amok [Mie/Kyoto]

• 1st Demo (Cassette | 2002)

• 2nd Demo (Cassette | 2003)

• Emersion Downfall Acoustic (CD | 2004)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• 3rd Demo (CDr | 2005)

Anchor [Niigata]

• キズ (CD | 2001)

• Demo (Cassette/CDr | 2001)

• split with Stubborn Father (7" | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.47 (CD | 2009)

• Various - IMC Killer Tunes (CD | 2012)

• 深層 = Shinsou (CD/Cassette | 2016/2017)

• Various - Till Your Death Vol. 3 (CD | 2016)

Anode [Tokyo]

• Anode (7" | 1999)

• Various - A Reason For Living 1999 - Japanese 32 Bands Comp.!! (3xLP | 1999)

• Anode (2x7" | 2001)

• Anode (7" | 2004)

• 孤高の存在 (CD | 2007)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.35 (CD | 2007)

• Various - Cosmicnote Sampler 2009 (CD | 2009)

• 負の新種 (CD | 2009)

• Demo (Cassette | ?)

Arrastrandose [Tokyo]

• Demo 2001 (Cassette | 2001)

• Various - New Found Hope (CD | 2002)

• Various - Tokyo Hardcore Documentary (VHS | 2002)

• 陽の色褪せた場所から (CD | 2004)

• Various - Real Shit From The Underground (CD | 2004)

• split with マシリト / 小手 (CD | 2005)

• split with Vagerke (CD | 2007)

Beirut5 [Osaka]

• Postal (Cassette | 2000)

• Cube Of Void (CDr | 2001)

• split with Beryneck (CD | 2002)

• A Machinic Exodus (CD | 2003)

• Various - Radio Cookie Scene 0016 March / February 2004 (CD | 2004)

Beryneck [Nagoya]

• Beryneck (7" | 2001)

• split with Beirut5 (CD | 2002)

• Trio Ensemble (CD | 2002)

• Various - 狂イ咲ケ Meets Revolution (LP/CD | 2004)

• Beryneck (Cassette | ?)

Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow [Osaka]

• 1st Demo Tape (Cassette | 2001)

• Wish For The Sky (Cassette | 2001)

• split with Nitro Mega Prayer (CD | 2002)

• Various - Heartstrings (CD | 2002)

Bright And Dark Side [Tokyo]

• split with Underdrive (Cassette | 2004)

• split with Shoutmoskva (CDr | 2006)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 2 (CD | 2006)

• split with Underdrive (Cassette | ?)

Butch [Fukuoka]

• split with High-Hopes (7" | 1999)

• Break It Make It (CD | 2000)

• Green CDEP (CD | 2001)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... (CD | 2004)

• Partition (CD | 2004)

• Various - After All, It's All Bollocks : Fukuoka City Punk-Rock Compilation (CD | 2005/2006)

Cleaner [Saitama]

• Various - oto Records (2xCD | 2003)

• Shikisai Tenkan (CDr | 2003)

• 03,09,27 (CDr | 2003)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• split with Gantz (CD | 2004)

• Various - This Is Your Life (LP | 2004)

Cloudegg [Tokyo]

• 1st DEMO ep (CDr | 2000)

• 2nd DEMO ep (CDr | 2000)

• 3rd DEMO ep (CDr | 2002)

• 4th DEMO ep (CDr | 2002)

• Various - oto Records (2xCD | 2003)

Debase And Degrade [Tokyo]

• To Err Is Human (CDr | 2003)

Dip Leg [Okayama]

• split with Struggle Minds (CD | 2001)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• The Sympathy Without Love (CD/Cassette | 2004/2005)

• Various - What'd You Expect For Free? (Vol. 23) (CD | 2005)

• Various - Sound Or Music Continuo (CD | 2005)

• No One Is Hurt In A Place Of Love (CD | 2006)

• Various - This Is Not A Break Up (CD | 2006)

• Various - Awkward Kidz Issue 10 (CDr | 2006)

Egoist For Men [Tokyo]

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• God Martini / Egoist For Men (CDr | 2003)

• Pearl Wink ★ Testa Di Ali (CDr | 2004)

• split with Neoteny (CD | 2005)

Elevation [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2003)

• A-Hospitality (Live at Heaven's Door 2004.07.23) (CDr | 2004)

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.24 (CD | 2005)

• Neotext (CD | 2005)

• Kyusyu Limited Edition (CDr | 2005)

• Video (VHS | 2005)

• Various - Electrical Diskahoric Soundtrack (CD | 2006)

• Various - 真珠 Jerk Off Rec Compilation (CD | 2006)

• F.A.B.L.E. (CD | 2007)

• Various - Central Point Of... 3 (DVD | 2007)

• Various - A Place In Space (CD | 2008)

Emprise [Sendai]

• Light Emanates From Here (7" | 2003)

• Green Caterpillar And Peace - Inthe (CDr | 2008)

End All [Sapporo]

• Various - Each Other Ground (CD | 1998)

• Seven Lies.Eight Wishes (CD | 1999)

• Various - There Is Hard Core Making A Entry In 2000 (3xCD | 2000)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.31 (CD | 2000)

• Various - Straight Up Records Sampler Vol. 2 (CD | 2000)

• Demo '01 (Cassette | 2001)

• Various - Sapporo City Hard Core Ism (2xCD | 2002)

• split with No Hitter (CDr | 2002)

• Demo 2002 (Cassette | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• Various - Inspiration From Forest (CD | 2003)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

Enforce [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2001)

• Various - My Notebook Is Full Of Scribbles (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Surplus Suppression 3 (CD | 2002)

• Limited Introduction Demo (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

Five Kinds Square [Yokohama]

• Demo (Cassette | 2001)

• split with The Ladderback (CD | 2002)

• Various - Enigmatic Progressive Sampler Vol.2 (CD | 2002)

Flash Light Experience [Osaka]

• Demo (Cassette | 2003)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• Alpha (CD | 2004)

Forget Me Not [Ehime]

• 響き消える (Cassette | 2003)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... (CD | 2004)

• split with The Oxide (Cassette | 2004)

• 3songsCDep (CD | 2005)

• Various - My Vision's Like An Old Film. Shaky (CD | 2005)

• Various - Doors (CD | 2006)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• 3つの終り (CD | 2009)

• Various - 震災復興支援音盤 (CDr | 2011)

• Water (CD | 2013)

• Various - Confidence (2x7" + CD | 2017)

Fountain Of Rich Aroma [Tokyo]

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 2 (CD | 2006)

• Fountain Of Rich Aroma (CD | 2007)

• split with Imozoku (7" + CDr | 2009)

• Demo (CDr | ?)

Gauge Means Nothing [Tokyo]

• Demo (Cassette | 2000)

• Various - What Color Do You See? (Cassette | 2000)

• Various - My Notebook Is Full Of Scribbles (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Inspiration From Forest (CD | 2003)

• The Absent Trail Of An Echo And My Future Plagued By Surrender (LP/CD | 2003)

• split with Tiala / Cohol (Cassette | 2003)

• split with My Precious (Cassette/CD | 2005)

• The Last Song (CDr | 2005)

Habit [Tokyo]

• Various - Electrical Diskahoric Soundtrack (CD | 2006)

• Society Lost (CD | 2009)

Harogen Lump [Kobe]

• 1st Demo Tape "Self Determination" (Cassette | 2000)

• 2nd Demo Tape "Imaginate Solid Option" (Cassette | 2001)

• Various - Enigmatic Progressive Sampler Vol.2 (CD | 2002)

• un-ground Peace (CD | 2003)

• Various - Go-Go Sessions (CD | 2003)

• Harogen Lump The Movie 2003 (VHS | 2003)

I Eat Me [Osaka]

• Demo (CDr | 2003)

• Various - Tribute to MoriMori - Somewhere in Time (CD | 2019)

Imozoku [Tokyo]

• split with Fountain Of Rich Aroma (7" + CDr | 2009)

Joy [Niigata]

• Sound With Joy (CD | 2004)

• ジョイは危険予知。 (CD | 2005/2007)

• Various - Tokyo Sound System 2 (2xLP | 2005)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.21 (CD | 2005)

• Various - 鬼人奇才 (CDr | 2005)

• split with Exithippies (8" | 2006)

• split with Rise And Fall (CD | 2006)

• Various - Less Than TV Basic Concepts: Strange (CD | 2007)

• Various - Tomorrows Gone Magazine Vol.4 (CD | 2007)

• バンド・ウィズ・ジョイ (CD | 2007)

• Various - Tokyo Sound System 1+2=3 (2xCD | 2007)

Kana-shibari [Tokyo]

• Demo Tape (Cassette | 2002)

• Live And Demo Tracks(02) (CDr | 2002)

• Live Tracks(02) (CDr | 2002)

• 金縛り高円寺20000V (CDr | 2002)

• A Nation Of Fisherman In Search Of A Hook (CDr | 2003)

• Various - This Is Pop! (CD | 2004)

• Miereneuken (CDr | 2004)

KiLLi [Yokohama]

• A GiFT FROM iNSOMNiAC (CDr | 2004)

• split with Wet The Bed (CD | 2005)

• Various - SCHOPS vol.1 (CD | 2006)

Lhasa [Tokyo]

• split with Raein / Daïtro (CD | 2004)

• Everlasting Days (DVD | 2006)

• Demo (CDr | ?)

Myheadswims [Tokyo]

• Young Democratica (CDr | 2005)

• split with R3—N7 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Indies Issue vol.33 (CD | 2007)

Nemo [Tokyo]

• Nemo (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Less Than TV Love Song Compilation - Tomodachi < Koibito ≤ TV (CD | 2003)

• Various - This Is Pop! (CD | 2004)

• Recorders (CD | 2004)

• Nemoの見た4つの悪夢 (CD | 2004)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• split with Niumun (CD | 2007)

• シンカイシャク55355 (CD | 2008)

• split with Tiala (CD | 2008)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Meteonight (DVD | 2010)

Neoteny [Tokyo]

• Demo Tape (Cassette | 1999)

• Neoteny (CDr | 2000)

• 僕の三日月 (CDr | 2000)

• split with Egoist For Men (CD | 2005)

• Discography (Digital | 2020)

Nice Middle

• Various - Enigmatic Progressive Sampler Vol.3 (CD | 2003)

Nitro Mega Prayer [Kobe]

• Nitro Mega Prayer (Cassette | 2001)

• split with Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow (CD | 2002)

• Various - Surplus Suppression 3 (CD | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• The Reason Of Hers Smile (CD | 2003)

• Various - Gods Child Music 2004 Sampler (CD | 2004)

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• Songs Of Hypocrisy (CD | 2005/2006)

• split with Balboa (CD | 2005/2006)

• Various - Will You Check This Picture? (DVD | 2005)

• Various - The New Scheme Scene 1: "Camellia" (DVD | 2005)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Cosmic Note & Imperium Recs Spring 2006 Label Sampler (CD | 2006)

• Various - Trust Your Souls Vol.3 (CD | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• Various - Cosmicnote Sampler 2009 (CD | 2009)

Note [Tokyo]

• Milkstand In Urban Station (CDr | 2004)

• I Left A Note For My Friend Who Was Out (CD | 2006)

Realized [Sapporo]

• Demo Tape (Cassette | 2001)

• 2001.11.18 at Klub Counter Action (CDr | 2001)

• Various - Sapporo City Hard Core Ism (2xCD | 2002)

• 1st (CD | 2003)

• 2nd (CD | 2004)

• Live (CDr | 2005)

• 3rd (CD | 2007)

• split with Enslave (LP | 2008)

• 2nd (reissue) (Cassette | 2008)

• Single (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Hardcore Ball 9 (2xCD | 2010)

• split with Compulsion To Kill (Cassette/CD | 2016/2017)

• 4th (CD | 2020)

Remainasit [Tokyo]

• Various - Nameless Flames (CD | 2003)

• Various - Nameless Flames (VHS | 2003)

Revival Sleep [Kobe]

• Various - Doors (CD | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

Rhetorical Parade [Tokyo]

• Black Sheep Black Spring (CDr | 2006)

Rise And Fall [Sendai]

• Various - Deny The Report 4 (CD | 2002)

• Rise And Fall (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.10 (CD | 2003)

• Ill Dance My Dance (CD | 2003)

• Various - Japanese Stereotype : How About You? (DVD | 2004)

• split with Joy (CD | 2006)

• Demo (Cassette | ?)

Same Place Empty [Nagoya]

• 1st Free Demotape (Cassette | 2002)

• Various - Daytrip Video Schedule : 2003年1月号 (VHS | 2003)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2004)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 2 (CD | 2006)

Snore [Tokyo]

• Various - Nameless Flames (CD | 2003)

• Various - Nameless Flames (VHS | 2003)

• 哀しみの終わりへ... (CD | 2004)

Sora [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2004)

• Various - Doors (CD | 2006)

• Various - Electrical Diskahoric Soundtrack (CD | 2006)

• 耳鳴りとその訳 (CD | 2008)

• Special DVD For Disk Union (DVDr | 2008)

• いつかのテープレコーダー (CD | 2009)

• 灯台の上で待つ (CD | 2012)

Strange Over The Sun [Kitakyushu]

• The City Is Changing For Better Or Worse (CD | 2003)

• Various - After All, It's All Bollocks : Fukuoka City Punk-Rock Compilation (CD | 2005/2006)

Stubborn Father [Osaka]

• A Road That Leads To Nowhere (CD/Cassette | 0/2002)

• 1st Demo (Cassette | 1999)

• See Your Way (Cassette | 2000)

• split with Anchor (7" | 2002)

• Various - This Is The Life Vol. 6 (CD | 2002)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• Various - 毘沙門 = Bishamon (CD | 2004)

• Various - Friends In Need (A DIY Compilation To Benefit A Shelter For Homeless Animals In Moscow, Russia) (CDr | 2005)

• The Game For Bridging The Gap (CD | 2006)

• Various - Real Japanese Underground 2007 (3xCD | 2007)

• split with R3-N7 (CD | 2012)

• 2002-2012 (Cassette | 2014)

• split with Trikorona (CD | 2014)

• split with Altar Of Complaints / SeeK / Thetan (LP | 2015)

• Stubborn Father (CD/2xCD | 2019/2021)

• Various - Tribute to MoriMori - Somewhere in Time (CD | 2019)

The Black Line Fever [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2003)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• The Black Line Fever (CDr | 2005)

The End [Sendai]

• Various - Zero - Spirit Not Dead (CD | 2002)

• The End (Cassette | 2004)

The North End [Tokyo]

• The North End (CD | 2003)

• Various - Enigmatic Progressive Sampler Vol.3 (CD | 2003)

• 1st demo CD-R "白い世界" (CDr | 2003)

• Various - 果実 (CD | 2003)

• 3songs (CD | 2005)

• 4songs (CD | 2006)

• Various - Out Of This World 3 (2xCD | 2007)

• 幻想平和にさよなら (CD | 2008)

• I Am Japanese! (CD | 2008)

• Reading Mix (CD | 2009)

• Various - ...Out Of This World 4 (CD | 2009)

• LIVE MIX 2010 LIMITED EDITION (CDr | 2010)

• LIVE MIX 2010 LIMITED EDITION VOL.2 (CDr | 2010)

• LIVE MIX 2010 LIMITED EDITION VOL.3 (CDr | 2010)

• LIVE MIX 2013 LIMITED EDITION (CDr | 2013)

• LIVE MIX 2013 LIMITED EDITION FOR OSAKA (CDr | 2013)

• Various - Cosmicnote10 (CD | 2014)

• Balance (CD + 7" | 2015)

The Oxide [Shimonoseki]

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... (CD | 2004)

• split with Forget Me Not (Cassette | 2004)

• Not Expression Already (CDr | 2004)

The Sun [Sapporo]

• Pop Silence '02 (CD | 2002)

• split with Discotortion (CD | 2003)

• Various - Inspiration From Forest (CD | 2003)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.24 (CD | 2005)

• Twist, Swingin’ & Percussion Instrument (CD | 2006)

• Various - Hardcore Ball 7 - Japanese Hardcore Compilation (CD + DVD | 2006)

• Various - A Japanese Compilation CD-R (CDr | 2007)

• Q (CD | 2007)

• 3 Songs (7" | 2008)

• Various - Cosmicnote Sampler 2009 (CD | 2009)

• Mass Of The Dead Songs (CD | 2009)

• Various - Hardcore Ball 9 (2xCD | 2010)

• Twelve Inch Six Songs (LP + CD + All Media | 2012)

• split with My Chord (7" | 2013)

The Urban Department Of Monotone [Tokyo]

• split with Grass Under Stars (CDr | 2004)

• Monochrome Landscape EP (CDr | 2004)

• 1st Demo Tape (Cassette | ?)

• 2nd Demo Tape (Cassette | ?)

• 足跡の上 (VHS | ?)

Tiala [Tokyo]

• split with Gauge Means Nothing / Cohol (Cassette | 2003)

• 2 Song Demo (CDr | 2004)

• split with Utarid (CD/7"/Cassette | 2004/2005)

• Various - The Central Point Of... 2 (CD | 2005)

• 2 Song Demo 2005 (CDr | 2005)

• Heap (CD | 2007)

• split with Nemo (CD | 2008)

• split with Deepslauter / Shift (CD | 2008)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.39 (CD | 2008)

• Various - Post Flag (CD | 2008)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Get Drunk More Fuck -A Tribute To Dead Kennedys- (CD | 2010)

• Dirty Floor In Bright (CD | 2010)

• Various - Shinon Mindshocking (CD | 2010)

• Various - More Smell For Music (CD | 2014)

• Epitome (CD | 2015)

Umbra [Tokyo]

• Myeyeslie (7" | 2002)

• split with 3cm Tour (CD | 2003)

• 5 songs discography (CDr | 2004)

• Various - A Crucible At The Small State (CD | 2005)

What Ever Film [Yamagata]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2002)

• Various - oto Records (2xCD | 2003)

• 2nd Demo (CD | 2003)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

• Various - Yamagatacity Underground (CD | 2004)

• What Ever Film (CD | 2005)

• Various - Yamagata Underground Festival - Do It (DVD | 2006)

• Various - Juana Vol. 1 (DVDr | 2006)

• Various - Article Of Parade (2xCD | 2007)

• split with TG.Atlas (CD | 2007)

• Various - Here Comes The Bottom Line... Vol. 3 (CD | 2007)

• Various - Juana Vol. 2 (DVDr | 2007)

• Various - Yamagata Music Fes. Do It.2008 Special Sampler CD-R (CDr | 2008)

• Various - Stand Our Ground 2010 (CD | 2010)

• Various - Confidence (2x7" + CD | 2017)

• フミシメテススメ (LP | 2017)

Wreck [Tokyo]

• Demo (CDr | 2005)

Yarmulke [Kyoto]

• Yarmulke (CD | 2006)

• One Theater In Square (CD | 2008)

• Yarmulke (DVDr | 2008)

• The Complete Discography (2xCD/2xCassette | 2021/2022)

Zegen [Hamamatsu]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2005)

• 2nd Demo (CDr | 2005)

• Various - Paradise Drivin' (CD | 2006)

• Anosakakoereba (CD | 2006)

• World Wall Beyond (CD | 2007)

いくら僕がぎゃーと叫んでも空は高い [Tokyo]

• 1st Demo (CDr | 2006)

• Various - ラスト・ワルツ (CD | 2007)

• Silent Space (CD | 2008)

んぬっぺ [Saga]

• 海溝 (CDr | 2002)

• Various - Live&Club Space Daytrip 無料配布Cd付スケジュール 2003年1月号 (CD | 2003)

• Various - Decade of 助川徳郎 (CDr | 2004)

• 包容 (CDr | 2004)

I compiled a YouTube playlist of all the notable releases from the First Wave.

First Wave Japanese Screamo Essentials Playlist [YouTube]

One major purpose of the Japanese Screamo Disc Guide is to provide a roadmap for collectors and completionists to acquire the relevant releases from these bands. To this end, the guide will include a full (as complete as possible) discography of all the bands that contributed to screamo in Japan.

I have a pretty substantial collection, but there are many things (especially demos) that I don’t have complete information on. If there’s anything you see that’s missing or has incorrect information, please let me know!

And with that, here’s a discography of all the First Wave bands.

First Wave Screamo Discography

200MPH

• split with Cowpers (CD | 2001)

• Various - DVD ROCK 魂! ～エモーショナルロック編～ (DVD | 2003)

• 200MPH (CD | 2009)

• 200MPH Special Dvd Not For Sale (DVDr | 2009)

• Sampler 0606 (CDr | ?)

Atomic Fireball

• Youki (2x7" | 1995)

• Various - エレキの節穴～Electricholeye (2xCD | 1995)

• split with Faith Of Blind (7" | 1996)

• Negative (LP | 1996)

• Various - Analog Grotesque (CD | 1996)

• Belief (7" | 1997)

• Various - Digital Catastroph 1997 (LP/CD | 1997)

• Various - Skate All Day Drink All Night (7" | 1998)

• Various - Passed Days (CD | 1998)

• Various - DEA (LP | 1998)

• Strange Ways (LP | 1999)

• split with Frodus (7" | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.21 (CD | 1999)

• Various - dea (CD | 1999)

• Undivided EP (CD | 1999)

• split with Swarrrm (CD | 2001)

• Understand Demo (Cassette | ?)

Black Film Dance

• Various - Sapporo City Hard Core Ism (2xCD | 2002)

• John's Lp (CD | 2002)

• Various - Deny The Report 4 (CD | 2002)

• split with The Carnival Of Dark Split (CD | 2002)

• Demo (Cassette | ?)

Bomb's Not Food

• Various - Hard Core Ball ₂ Believe My Self Till The Last (CD | 1997)

• Various - Cool Or Sucks? (Cassette | 2000)

Bonescratch

• Various - No Fate (CD | 1995)

• Diaglam (CD | 1996)

• split with In/Humanity (7" | 1996)

• Various - Hard Core Ball (Close Your Reality) (CD | 1996)

• Various - Sweeping Away Sampler Vol.2 (CD | 1996)

• End Of Slide (CD | 1997)

• split with Sawpit (7" | 1998)

• Last Words Gone (LP | 1998)

• Various - Straight Up Records Sampler (CD | 1998)

• Various - Hard Core Ball 3 - Nothing Action Nothing Have (CD | 1998)

• Various - A Reason For Living 1999 - Japanese 32 Bands Comp.!! (3xLP | 1999)

• Various - Bloodsucking Freaks 2001 (2xCD | 2001)

• Various - Straight Up Days (3xCD | 2010)

• What's Up? Demo (Cassette | ?)

Cowpers

• Cowpers (7" | 1995)

• Metal Bowl CD (CD/LP | 1995)

• Various - Hard Core Ball (Close Your Reality) (CD | 1996)

• 4Giga (CD | 1996)

• split with Stuntman (7" | 1996)

• Various - Japanese Homegrown Vol. 2 (CD | 1996)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.5 (CD | 1996)

• Various - Digital Catastroph 1997 (LP/CD | 1997)

• Various - The Cycle Of The Moon (CD | 1997)

• Curve 2 (7"/CD | 1997)

• split with Him Kerosene (7" | 1997)

• Various - Passed Days (CD | 1998)

• Lost Days (LP/CD | 1998)

• split with Sweep The Leg Johnny (7" | 1998)

• Every Little Singles (CD | 1998)

• Rust Days (VHS | 1998)

• split with Naht (8"/CD | 1998)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.14 (CD | 1998)

• Various - We Love Butchers (Indie Version) - Bloodthirsty Butchers Tribute Album (LP/CD | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.39 (CD | 2000)

• 揺ラシツヅケル (CD | 2000)

• 斜陽 (CD | 2000)

• Various - Tribute To The Pixies (CD | 2000)

• split with 200MPH (CD | 2001)

• Various - Sapporo City Hard Core Ism (2xCD | 2002)

• Various - We Had Been There ~A Tribute To Beyonds~ (CD | 2002)

• Various - カミナリ走ル夏 -Motion Picture Soundtrack- (CD | 2003)

• Various - Straight Up Days (3xCD | 2010)

Creep

• My Self Portrait (CD | 1999)

• Various - Hardcore Marathon 2 (CD | 1999)

• Various - Ultra Coma (CD | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.32 (CD | 2000)

• Various - Change Charge (CD | 2001)

• Various - Super Sonics (Cassette | 2001)

• split with Karma Stench / Dig A Hole (CD | 2002)

• 2song demo (Cassette | ?)

Dance With Me

• Demo 1998 (Cassette | 1998)

• Demo 1999 (Cassette | 1999)

• 青 (CD | 2000)

• Various - ピント Case (CD | 2000)

• Demo 2003 (CDr | 2003)

• Demo 2004 (CDr | 2004)

• Demo 2005 (CDr | 2005)

• Various - Things You Own End Up Owning You 3 (CD | 2005)

• Punkrock Serenade (CD | 2009)

• Various - Japan 2015 (CD | 2015)

• Punkrock Struggle (CD | 2017)

Dig A Hole

• Dig A Hole (Cassette | 1994)

• Demo (Cassette | 1995)

• 2871996 (Cassette | 1996)

• Various - Hardcore Marathon 1996 Osaka (CD | 1996)

• Cleaner (CD | 1997)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.11 (CD | 1997)

• The Cost Of Digging EP (CD | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.24 (CD | 1999)

• Upset (CD | 2001)

• split with Creep / Karma Stench (CD | 2002)

• Ought To Know Demo (CDr | 2003)

• Out Of Time (Cassette | ?)

Dignity For All

• Various - Hard Core Ball (Close Your Reality) (CD | 1996)

• Various - Day By Day (7" | 1997)

• split with Wise Up (7" | 1997)

• Various - Straight Up Records Sampler (CD | 1998)

• split with Jejune (7" | 1999)

• Discography (LP | 2021)

Dove

• Everything Is Inside My Heart And Everything Is Same As Nothing (CD | 1997)

• Pessimistic Tourist (CD | 2000)

• split with Speak For Myself (CD | 2000)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.39 (CD | 2000)

• I'm Still Scared To Be Alone (7" | ?)

• Can you keep this order without punishment? (7" | ?)

Echo

• Surrealism Note (CD | 1997)

• split with Back Drop Bomb (LP/CD | 1997)

• Balance And Balance (LP/CD | 1998)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.13 (CD | 1998)

• Something Is Back (CD/7" | 1999)

• split with Kiwiroll (CD | 2001)

• Various - Chiba Notorious - Tribute To Nukey Pikes (Nukey Disc) (CD | 2001)

• Victor Four (CD | 2003)

• Various - Less Than TV Love Song Compilation - Tomodachi < Koibito ≤ TV (CD | 2003)

• Various - Indies Issue Vol.7 (CD | 2003)

• Various - 狂イ咲ケ Meets Revolution (LP/CD | 2004)

• Various - Japanese Stereotype : How About You? (DVD | 2004)

• Bayside Vandalism (DVD | 2004)

• split with Super Dumb (Cassette | 2006)

• Local Hits (CD | 2008)

• Forever (CDr | 2009)

• サタンのチャンネル (7" | 2010)

• Various - Meteonight (DVD | 2010)

• Various - 2008-2009 生 5 (DVD | 2010)

Envy

• Breathing And Dying In This Place (CD | 1996)

• Various - Platform. Compilation (7" | 1997)

• Envy (Cassette | 1997)

• split with Endeavor (7" | 1997)

• split with Sixpence (7" | 1997)

• Various - No Fate III (2xCD | 1997)

• From Here To Eternity (CD | 1998)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

• split with No Side / Smash Your Face (VHS | 1998)

• Angel's Curse Whispered In The Edge Of Despair (CD | 1999)

• The Eyes Of Single Eared Prophet (CD | 2000)

• The Eyes Of Final Proof (7" | 2000)

• split with This Machine Kills (7" | 2000)

• Burning Out The Memories (10" | 2000)

• Various - Lucky Thirteen (LP | 2001)

• Various - Smash Hits And Licks (CD | 2001)

• All The Footprints You've Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead (CD/LP/CDr | 2001)

• Last Wish (7" | 2001)

• Various - Extend Sampler CD Volume: 2 (CD | 2002)

• split with Yaphet Kotto / This Machine Kills (CD | 2002)

• split with Iscariote (CD/10" | 2002)

• A Dead Sinking Story (CD/LP | 2003)

• Compiled Fragments 1997-2003 (CD/LP | 2005)

• Insomniac Doze (CD/LP | 2006)

• split with Jesu (LP/CD | 2008)

• Abyssal (CD/LP | 2008)

• Recitation (LP/CD | 2010)

• As Serenity Calls Your Name (Digital | 2011)

• Atheist's Cornea (CD/LP/Cassette | 2015)

• Alnair In August (7" | 2018)

• Definition Of Impossibility (10" | 2019)

• Last Wish Live At Liquidroom Tokyo (LP/CD | 2020)

• The Fallen Crimson (CD/LP | 2020)

• 20191214 (CD | 2020)

• Various - All Areas Volume 225 (CD | 2020)

• Seimei (10" | 2022)

Evil Powers Me

• Various - Taste (CD | 1995)

• Given / Swipe Dub (7" | 1996)

• split with Bakusocar (7" | 1996)

• Various - Nopowerliketheyouth (CD | 2001)

F.I.X

• 3 songs (CD | 2001)

Fall To Flake

• Various - No Fate III (2xCD | 1997)

• split with Tami / Moga The ¥5 (CD | 1997)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

• Various - Deny The Report (Cassette | 1998)

• Not On My Hand (Cassette | ?)

Ferocious Attack

• Various - Answer Records Compilation (LP | 1998)

• split with All Out (CD | 1999)

• Various - There Is Hard Core Making A Entry In 2000 (3xCD | 2000)

• Various - Daytrip Video Schedule : 2001年6月号 (VHS | 2001)

• Various - Light Your Way Compilation (CD | 2003)

• ed.ing (CD | 2004)

• Demo-3 (Cassette | ?)

Fragment

• Fragment (7" | 1997)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

• Various - Nothing But A Hardway (CD | 1998)

Gotta Move This Site

• 1st CD-R (CD-R | 2002)

• 2nd CD-R (CD-R | 2003)

Keri

• First Demo (Cassette | 1999)

• Second Demo (Cassette | ?)

Kulara

• 97 Fallen Leaves (Cassette | 1997)

• 98 In Summer (Cassette | 1998)

• 5 Pieces Songs (CD | 1999)

• A Naked Landscape (CD | 2000)

• Fragmental Remembrance A Switch Of Resurrection And My Hearing Vanished (CD | 2001)

• 1997-2001 Hue... . . . . . (2xCD | 2007)

• Kulara (DVDr | 2007)

Lost Gravity

• Demo (Cassette | 2002)

Man Friday

• I Am Faithful Sudordinate, But I Like Friday (Cassette | 1999)

• Search & Destroy What?ep (7" | 2000)

• Destroy Dawn cdep (CD | 2001)

• Destroy Me, Vibrate What? Cdep (CD | 2001)

• Various - Deny The Report 3 (CD | 2001)

• Various - Mangrove 2002 (CD | 2002)

• DISCO-graphy 1999-2001 (CD | 2007)

• Man★Friday★Last★Stand (VHS | ?)

• This Is Man★Friday★Man Many Live Shots 1999-2001 (VHS | ?)

Moonwalk

• Various - The Cycle Of The Moon (CD | 1997)

• Antiseptic November (Cassette | 1997)

• Milwaukee (Cassette | 1998)

• Alone Against (CD | 1998)

• Various - Cycle Of The Moon 2 (CD | 1999)

• Various - Pocket Silver Collection (CD | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.23 (CD | 1999)

• Various - Cool Or Sucks? (Cassette | 2000)

• Marginal Polarity (CD | 2001)

• Various - Seven Winters (CD | 2001)

Next Style

• split with Wise Up (7" | 1995)

• Various - Hard Core Ball (Close Your Reality) (CD | 1996)

• Various - Japanese Mosh Bulls (CD | 1996)

• Various - Ultimate Slow Beats (CD | 1996)

• Various - Peace And Love - A Japanese Punk Rock Compilation (CD | 1996)

• Pleasure Rage Sad And Comfort (LP | 1997)

• Six Season (CD | 1997)

• Various - Day By Day (7" | 1997)

• Various - Criminal Truth Hate Justice (CD | 1997)

• Various - Straight Up Records Sampler (CD | 1998)

• Photography (7" | 1998)

• split with Replay / Meaning Of Life (CD | 1999)

• Various - Better Done Than Better Said Sampler Cd-r 1 (CDr | 2004)

Nine Days Wonder

• Aluminium (7" | 1998)

• split with Bluebeard (7" | 1999)

• Various - Status 12 (CD | 2000)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.37 (CD | 2000)

• The Scenery Is In Disguise There (CD/LP | 2001)

• Various - Lucky Thirteen (LP | 2001)

• Various - Smash Hits And Licks (CD | 2001)

• Various - Mangrove 2002 (CD | 2002)

• Early Days Discography 1998 - 2000 (CD | 2016)

Plug

• Various - Hard Core Ball (Close Your Reality) (CD | 1996)

• N478255033H48324 (CD | 1996)

• Various - Ultimate Slow Beats (CD | 1996)

• Various - Peace And Love - A Japanese Punk Rock Compilation (CD | 1996)

• Various - Straight Up Records Sampler (CD | 1998)

• Resound (CD | 1998)

• Various - What's Ya Favorite Biscuit? (CD | 1999)

• Various - Indies Magazine Vol.20 (CD | 1999)

Sawpit

• Sawpit (7" | 1996)

• Various - A Rigid Digits Production - A Tribute To Stiff Little Fingers (CD | 1996)

• Various - Ultimate Slow Beats (CD | 1996)

• Various - Peace And Love - A Japanese Punk Rock Compilation (CD | 1996)

• Various - Four Ugly ･ Four Beautiful (2x7" | 1997)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

• split with Bonescratch (7" | 1998)

• Various - Pickle Patch Compilation 1 (CD | 1998)

• split with Former Members Of Alfonsín (7" | 2001)

• 1993-1999 Anthology (CD | 2009)

• 1st Material (Cassette | ?)

Speak For Myself

• split with Dove (CD | 2000)

• The Old Wound Hurts Again (CD | 2001)

Swipe

• Various - Our Cards (CD | 1997)

• 3rd Demo (Cassette | 1997)

• Various - Platform. Compilation (7" | 1997)

• How Are You Hiroki? EP (7" | 1998)

• Various - Libérame (7" | 1998)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

• Where I Stand (Cassette | ?)

• Demo (Cassette | ?)

Tami

• Various - Our Cards (CD | 1997)

• split with Fall To Flake / Moga The ¥5 (CD | 1997)

• Various - For Ugly, For Beautiful Vol.3 (CD | 1998)

Tearduct

• 1st Demo Version 1.5 (8cm CD | 1999)

• 1st Demotape (Cassette | 1999)

• split with Popcatcher (CD | 2000)

The 100 Lots

• split with There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (Cassette | 1999)

The Carnival Of Dark Split

• Demo (Cassette | 2000)

• Focus (CD | 2001)

• Various - 選り好み -Ameria Selected And Said 'It's Your Turn!'- (CD | 2002)

• Well Fed Fuck... Video (VHS | 2002)

• Various - Sapporo City Hard Core Ism (2xCD | 2002)

• split with Black Film Dance (CD | 2002)

The Meditations

• Various - Deny The Report 4 (CD | 2002)

• Various - 狂イ咲ケ (CD/7" | 2002)

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

• split with The 100 Lots (Cassette | 1999)

• IE (CD/LP | 2000)

• Various - Smash Hits And Licks (CD | 2001)

• Various - The Best Punk Rock In Japan Tomodachi (CD | 2001)

• split with Vanilla (10"/CD | 2002)

• SHOUTou (CD + DVD | 2009)

Undone

• split with The T.V. Dinners (Cassette | 2001)

Wall

• Various - Platform. Compilation (7" | 1997)

• split with Stand Still (7" | 1997)

• Crowd With No Face (7" | 1997)

• 1997 #1 voices (Cassette | 1997)

• Various - The Book Shelf Compilation... (CD | 1997)

• A Silent Voice Wanders The Sea Of Contradiction (CD | 1999)

Weed

• Trace / To Around Me (Cassette | ?)

Wise Up

• split with Next Style (7" | 1995)

• Various - Ultimate Slow Beats (CD | 1996)

• Various - Peace And Love - A Japanese Punk Rock Compilation (CD | 1996)

• Various - Platform. Compilation (7" | 1997)

• Various - Day By Day (7" | 1997)

• split with Dignity For All (7" | 1997)

Word

• Various - Smash Link Hard Core-師 零零参- (CD | 1999)

• Various - There Is Hard Core Making A Entry In 2000 (3xCD | 2000)

• Various - Come Across The Tremendous Strength (CD | 2000)

• 動きと綴音 (CD | 2001)

• 幾つかの感情と今 (CD | 2001)

• Neutral (CD | 2002)

• Various - BPR5000 Burst Tracks (CD | 2003)

• Various - Hungry For Carnage (CD | 2003)

• Plasticmusic (CD | 2006)

This wave is the most special to me. In December 2003, I played guitar with Gauge Means Nothing as we toured Malaysia and Singapore with Tiala and Cohol. On our return to Japan, we also did a short tour of Japan, where I got to see Dip Leg, Yarmulke, Nitro Mega Prayer, Sora, After Forever, and many others. It’s impossible to put into words the impact those experiences have had on my life.

Overview

After the turn of the millennium, many of the First Wave bands broke up. While many members would continue to play music in other bands, there was a distinct changing of the guard. Envy would keep playing, of course (as they’re still active today), but the new guard of Japanese screamo groups created a distinct music scene.

The center of the Second Wave of Japanese screamo bands was Gauge Means Nothing. Although they wouldn’t necessarily guide the second wave of bands from a musical perspective, they exhibited a fierce DIY ethic that was new to Japan. While many First Wave bands released their own albums and zines, Gauge Means Nothing was on the vanguard of organizing studio shows (essentially the Japanese equivalent of a house show). Their “What Color Do You See?” concert series was organized at different practice studios around Tokyo and featured the cream of the crop of the Second Wave groups.

One of the throughlines for the Second Wave groups is a strong influence from First Wave groups. The strong influence from Envy’s All The Footprints… is clear in groups like Dip Leg, Nitro Mega Prayer, and Yarmulke. As these and many other bands began to expand on this sound, it began to become the Japanese Screamo sound. 

Springing from the mixture of punk and screamo that Sawpit pioneered, 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal and Rise And Fall were responsible for focusing on a particular strain of Japanese screamo that would continue throughout later waves as well. This sound saw driving rhythms, punk melodies more desperate than poppy, and screamed (or intensely sung) vocals. 

The Second Wave also saw more bands emerging from areas outside the primary screamo hubs of Tokyo and Sapporo. 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal and Butch came from Fukuoka, the furthest south of Japan’s four major islands. Nitro Mega Prayer, Yarmulke, and I Eat Me were from the Kansai area (Kyoto, Osaka, Kobe). Forget Me Not was from Ehime, on Shikoku, another of Japan’s major islands. And there was even a burgeoning scene in Okinawa, 400 miles south of mainland Japan, with At The Drunken Butterfly Killing and Unripe. The interconnected network of Japan’s independent music stores and the emergence of the internet allowed screamo to spread and flourish across the country.

Similar to the First Wave groups, the Second Wave also saw success outside Japan. Gauge Means Nothing and Dip Leg would tour South East Asia (Malaysia & Singapore), 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal would tour Europe, and Tiala and Nitro Mega Prayer would tour the USA. 

There were even record labels that sprung up overseas that focused primarily on Japanese bands. Salvation Records from France released albums from Beirut 5, Nitro Mega Prayer, 3cm Tour, and many other groups from the First Wave and Third Wave (Black Film Dance, Killie, Heaven In Her Arms). Waiting For An Angel, also from France, was created from the ashes of Molaire Industries and had releases from 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal and First Wave bands (Envy, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out). My own participation in the Japanese screamo scene began in 2003 when I founded a label, I’ve Come For Your Children. In addition to distributing many Japanese screamo releases, we also released Gauge Means Nothing’s debut EP on vinyl and Dip Leg’s debut album.

The line between the Second and Third Waves is less clear than between the First and Second. Many groups active in the Second Wave would mostly wind down around 2006. Unlike the First Wave, many players from the Second Wave wouldn’t continue onto other bands. Dip Leg, Nitro Mega Prayer, 1000 Travels of Jawaharlal, and Yarmulke are some bands whose members wouldn’t continue exploring screamo in later years. As unfortunate as that is, the prevalence of the internet and improved ease of recording and releasing music enabled those bands’ discographies to be accessible even today.

Notable Releases

Anchor / Stubborn Father 7” [2002]

A split release from two bands operating outside of the major screamo hubs. Anchor hails from Niigata, north of Tokyo, and Stubborn Father hails from Osaka. Not only do both bands have their own unique styles, not quite fitting into the perfect screamo sound, but they’re also notable for still being active to this day. Both didn’t release full albums until 2017 (Anchor) and 2019 (Stubborn Father), but they saw the dawn of their activity in this Second Wave period. Anchor plays an epic style of screamo highly influenced by Envy. The inclusion of an almost constant acoustic guitar adds a unique element to their sound. On the flip side, Stubborn Father is much more aggressive, adding elements of thrash and grindcore to an experimental base. Stubborn Father is more peripheral to the main Japanese screamo sound, but they carve out their own unique style that fits best in the more melodic strain of heavy music.

1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal - Owari Wa Konai CD/LP [2003-05-01]

Sometimes being far from the center of the universe for a particular trend unlocks the freedom to experiment and create something new. 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal did this far south of Tokyo in their hometown of Fukuoka, on Japan’s island of Kyushu. 1000 Travels took the tempo and rhythms from pop punk and layered over them desperate, melancholic melodies and urgent scream/sung vocals. The combination not only fit together perfectly, it also created a sound equally palatable to both screamo and punk devotees. While Sawpit explored a similar space in the First Wave, they never really took parts from punk and screamo and combined them, instead mostly switching between the two genres. This album, released simultaneously in Europe and preceding a European tour, is the purest incarnation of 1000 Travels vision. The true legacy of the band is the many other groups that continued this particular strain of Japanese Screamo through each subsequent wave.

Various - Light Your Way Compilation CD [2003-10-01]

An early release from Satire Records, run by Tiala & Five Kinds Square frontman Minoru Kakinuma, the Light Your Way compilation captured most of the best and most active bands from the Second Wave. In regards to the screamo groups, you’ll find 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal, Ferocious Attack, Nitro Mega Prayer, Egoist For Men, Anchor, Dip Leg, Stubborn Father, Enforce, End All, and After Forever. Interestingly enough, neither of Minoru’s bands make an appearance on the compilation. While this was released at the early side of the Second Wave, the included bands were at different places in their lifecycles. End All would split shortly, but include a track that showed their evolution from hardcore to screamo. Nitro Mega Prayer recorded their last song before a major lineup change that triggered a major improvement in their sound. Dip Leg included an early recording of one of the most iconic songs that would appear in their debut album the following year. Enforce would contribute the final (and best) song in the band’s short history, tragically never releasing anything beyond a demo and compilation tracks (5 songs in total). 

Gauge Means Nothing - The Absent Trail Of An Echo And My Future Plagued By Surrender CD/LP [2003-12-01]

To understand the breadth of Gauge Means Nothing’s impact, just take a look at the thanks section of their debut EP. There are over 200 bands that the group has played with since its formation in 1997 (named Stand Alone, at the time). These 5 songs (Pilgrims is exclusive to the CD version; Right Hand is exclusive to the LP version; the other three tracks are the same on each version) are each epic mash-ups of every influence the band drew from over the years. The songs drift from dual male/female harmonies to hardcore breakdowns to fast, screaming punk to straight-forward screamo. The thread between them all is an acute sense for following where the song wants to go. Instead of the group trying to force the songs into a specific direction, the songs blossom and grow to fulfill their potential. With songs that often surpass eight minutes, there’s a little something for everyone in there. Unfortunately, this EP isn’t for everyone, with reviews at the time of the release either heralding it as the greatest thing ever or panning it as unlistenable. The production does leave much to be desired, and some of the synthesizer sounds remind me of a children’s keyboard, but the whole becomes something greater than its parts. 

3cm Tour / After Forever - Split CDEP CD [2004-02-28]

One of the standout splits from the Second Wave, this CD pairs two bands that never released a full album (or even an EP). The discographies of both 3cm Tour and After Forever are spread across splits and compilations exclusively. Both bands have since had those tracks collected in posthumous releases, but it still strikes me as odd that both groups never followed the same trajectory as their contemporaries. Musically, the bands are on different ends of the screamo spectrum. After Forever plays an aggressive and fast style of hardcore that takes bits of emo-violence and metal and wraps it all in very melodic song structures. Like some other Japanese screamo bands, After Forever has a distinct and unmistakable style that is all their own. 3cm Tour takes a much more relaxed approach to their music, combining minimalistic post-rock riffs with sparse bursts of screamo. While they do feature vocals in pretty much all of their songs, they often appear at the end or beginning of a track and then the band will play for minutes without accompaniment. 3cm Tour would split soon after this release and members would go on to form Killie and Balloons.

Dip Leg - The Sympathy Without Love CD/Cassette [2004-04-01]

Dip Leg combines the best parts of the First Wave Japanese screamo bands (Envy, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, Kulara) into an aggressive and melodic whirlwind. In the forty minutes these eight songs span, Dip Leg brings some of the tightest songwriting and instrumentation in this wave. You feel that every part of each song has been painstakingly worked over to have the maximum complexity and effect. The interplay between the dual guitars, drums that weave fills and backbeats into every gap, and scream/sung vocals reward you for each listen. With the release of this album, Dip Leg was truly a sensation in the Japanese scene. Their remote hometown (Okayama, about halfway between Kyoto and Fukuoka, hadn’t had a proper screamo band before then) and already mature sound on this debut caused the album to sell out quickly. It was also re-released internationally (on cassette in Malaysia from Papakerma and CD in the USA from my label, I’ve Come For Your Children). 

Anode - 3rd 7” [2004-07-23]

Like many First Wave bands, Anode brings screamo sensibilities to another genre, in this case, classic Japanese thrash. From their first 7”, released in 1999, they slowly focused and matured their sound. In this 7”, their third but un-named, they’ve completely developed a raging and melodic hybrid. Taking strong cues from the sound of From Here To Eternity, which Envy would abandon in subsequent releases, Anode kept the speed and aggression of hardcore but added in dark melodies and belligerent, rambling screams. Despite a fairly prolific spate of releases, Anode would operate largely on the periphery of the Japanese screamo network. This is likely due to their release on Dan-Doh Records (primarily a Japanese hardcore label) and mostly joining live concerts with other thrash/hardcore bands. Aside from a handful of shows with touring international screamo groups (e.g., Raein, Kaospilot), it doesn’t seem that Anode had much interaction with other Second Wave screamo groups.

Sora - Demo CD-R [2004-10-14]

This demo CD-R, containing two of Sora’s earliest songs, showcases a version of the band that wouldn’t survive past a couple of years. This early incarnation is full-on dark Japanese screamo, completed with intricate guitar riffs and harsh, screamed vocals. Unfortunately, beyond these two songs, the rest of the band’s early oeuvre was never recorded (I only have video evidence of a full set of songs). After this demo, Sora would begin a transition that pushed them more into emo and indie rock, eschewing the screamed vocals for passionate singing. What stayed consistent was excellent songwriting, intense drumming, and a dark feeling to their tracks. Sora would continue to perform with other screamo groups until their dissolution in 2012, likely owing to their screamo origins. Their sound would also continue to be influenced by screamo as it developed into something entirely its own. As Sora diverted its course, guitarist /vocalist Kenta Uchida would get his screamo fix as the guitarist for Third Wave group Killie.

Amok - Emersion Downfall Acoustic CD [2004-11-01]

Amok guitarist/vocalist Ryota Terada is one of the most prolific band creators in the Japanese screamo scene. His distinctive songwriting style, established with Amok and this only album of theirs, carries through into his later bands, The Rainrains, The Anchors, and KMKMS. Melodic but dark, Amok seems to pull equally from The Carnival of Dark-Split and Envy while making the songs more accessible. Some tracks flirt with more straightforward rock (Cuttoo), while others go deep into darkness (Death 13). The range and variety displayed with each song make this a real treat for a full listen. While Terada’s bands don’t seem to last very long, we’re lucky that Amok recorded these ten tracks for posterity.

Nitro Mega Prayer - Songs Of Hypocrisy CD [2005-06-25]

Formed around 2001 in Kobe, Nitro Mega Prayer would undergo many transitions in its six years of activity. Starting as more of a metalcore group, they’d develop their style of screamo for the 2003 release of their debut album, The Reason Of Hers Smile. After that release, they’d change their lineup and add Ponchi (from Gauge Means Nothing). The infusion of song craftsmanship would culminate in this EP, one of the finest distillations of Japanese screamo creativity. Ponchi added Gauge Means Nothing’s cohesive approach to songwriting, crafting them to smoothly transition parts and fully explore each melody. The identity of Nitro Mega Prayer was still there, anchored by vocalist Tomo Nakano’s high-pitched screams and guitarist Shimeda’s melodies, but the rough edges of the band's beginnings were much more polished. With their next (and final) release, a split with Balboa (from the USA), the band would shuffle again, keeping only Ponchi and Nakano, taking the group into the stratosphere.

What Ever Film - What Ever Film CD [2005-06-28]

Some Japanese bands spring up and wither quickly, while others, like What Ever Film, seem like they’ll never stop. Releasing their first album (this one) in 2005 after forming in 2002, they released their second album twelve years later. Hailing from Yamagata, west of Sendai, What Ever Film has a unique, if not completely distinct, take on screamo. The songs tend to meander if given too much room to breathe. Where they come together is when the vocals kick in and the intensity increases. Oddly enough, aside from the approach to screamed vocals, What Ever Film doesn’t really sound much like a Japanese screamo group. I hear much more European-style screamo (ala Yage) and American post-hardcore than the dark screamo melodies of their peers.

Forget Me Not - 3 Songs CDEP CD [2005-10-19]

The first EP from Forget Me Not to get wide distribution, after a couple of cassettes, these tracks dazzle the experienced listener by introducing some of the most mature and internationally accessible screamo yet. Forget Me Not takes much influence from European and American screamo groups and adds a level of instrumental polish and recording fidelity expected from Japanese groups. The worst thing about this release is just how short it is. Forget Me Not’s entire discography is plagued by this same problem, as it stretches almost two decades over short EPs, splits, and compilation tracks. All told, they’ve released around sixteen tracks and counting. This EP features some of their most aggressive screamo tracks. Their sound would develop in later releases to be much more nuanced and sinister.

The Black Line Fever - The Black Line Fever CD-R [2005]

While Japan is mostly known for its ethnical homogeneity, there have been some notable contributions to the underground music scene from foreigners. The Black Line Fever was by four expatriates (from Australia & UK) and a Japanese vocalist. After a shockingly good demo in 2003, this 8-track self-released album completed their discography. This album also saw a line-up change, with Yoshi (from Cleaner, and later Killie, This Time We Will Not Promise And Forgive, and Envy) joining on Vocals and Itaru Sayashi (from Cohol and Henoa) joining on Guitar. The addition of more Japanese members only enriched the original sound from their demo. While the drumming does have a unique sound, eschewing some of the complexity of Japanese screamo drumming for a driving rhythm, the songwriting fits well into the Japanese screamo melodic tradition. For a band comprised of mostly expats to create such Japanese-style screamo while being incredibly original is incredibly impressive. 

The Sun - Twist, Swingin’ & Percussion Instrument CD [2006-05-31]

When Black Film Dance and The Carnival Of Dark-Split broke up (happening around the same time), there were two main bands that formed in their wake, The Sun and Discotortion (they would release a split CD together in 2003). The Sun featured Black Film Dance’s notable vocalist Higu, as well as Toshiyuki Isai from Sapporo emo group Moonwalk. The result is a sort of melding of all of the strains of screamo fermenting in Sapporo at the time. The Sun would crank up the weird too, using all the flanged guitar, keyboards, and dissonant melodies they could conceive of. What holds true to previous groups like Black Film Dance, is a dependable rhythm section that grounds each track. This album gives them 11 songs to fully explore the sound in every direction they could take it. Honestly, sometimes it goes off the plot, unrecognizable from anything typically considered screamo, but then they’ll bring it back with an aggressive section to anchor the song.

Yarmulke - Yarmulke CD [2006]

While Kyoto’s Yarmulke takes strong influence from Envy and nearby groups like Dip Leg and Nitro Mega Prayer, they manage to carve out their own sound in the Japanese screamo pantheon. Clearly on display in this debut EP, Yarmulke excels by having each instrument explore their own parts completely, diverging from each other almost constantly. With the trademark overly complicated Japanese screamo drumming, they also have bass riffs that could almost stand completely on their own, dueling guitars that complement and antagonize, and vocals that play with different rhythmic phrases. When viewed next to their nearby peers, there does seem to be a developing Japanese screamo style unique to the Kansai region (the area around Kyoto, Osaka, and Kobe. I’m liberally including Okayama as well) that values even more intricately written songs and a more mid-tempo rhythm, compared to many bands in the Kantou region (the area around Tokyo). 

Second Wave Bands

• +8

• 1000 Travels Of Jawaharlal [Fukuoka]

• 24Inch

• 3cm Tour [Tokyo]

• Aeroscream [Sapporo]

• After Forever [Chiba]

• Amok [Osaka]

• Anchor [Niigata]

• Anode [Tokyo]

• Arrastrandose

• At The Drunken Butterfly Dance Killing [Okinawa]

• Atlas The Alone [Osaka]

• Beirut5

• Beryneck

• Blue Sky Resemble Sorrow [Osaka]

• Bright And Dark Side [Tokyo]

• Butch

• Cleaner

• Cloudegg

• Deafest

• Debase And Degrade [Tokyo]

• Dip Leg [Okayama]

• Egoist For Men [Tokyo]

• Elevation

• End All [Sapporo]

• Enforce [Tokyo]

• Entropie [Kobe]

• Five Kinds Square [Tokyo]

• Flash Light Experience

• Forget Me Not [Ehime]

• Fountain Of Rich Aroma

• Gauge Means Nothing [Tokyo]

• Habit

• Harogen Lump

• I Eat Me [Osaka]

• I Feel Fine

• Imozoku

• Joy

• Kanashibari

• Killi

• Knives In

• Lhasa

• Myheadswims

• Nemo

• Neoteny

• Nitro Mega Prayer [Kobe]

• Note

• Realized [Sapporo]

• Remainasit

• Revival Sleep

• Rhetorical Parade

• Rise And Fall

• Same Place Empty

• Snore

• Some It Air [Kyoto]

• Sora [Tokyo]

• Strange Over The Sun

• Stubborn Father [Osaka]

• The Black Line Fever [Tokyo]

• The End

• The North End

• The Oxide

• The Rainrains

• The Sun [Sapporo]

• The Urban Department of Monotone

• Tiala [Tokyo]

• Umbra [Tokyo]

• What Ever Film [Yamagata]

• Wound Third Picture [Tokyo]

• Yarmulke [Kyoto]

• Zegen [Hamamatsu]

• Zou

• いくら僕がぎゃーと叫んでも空は高い

• んぬっぺ (tr. Nnuppe)

Screamo has been played by Japanese bands for almost thirty years at this point, and the many bands and releases from the country has had a unique impact on the world. The longest running screamo band in the world is from Japan (Envy), and both billionaires (Yusaku Maezawa) and mainstream musicians (DJ Steve Aoki) had their beginnings in the Japanese screamo scene. Indeed, most Japanese screamo has a distinct sound that sets it apart from other regions. A deep dive into the scene has been a long time coming.

The culmination of this research will be a physical book you can hold in your hands. In addition to a complete account of Japanese screamo (from 1993 to 2022), it’ll also include a lot of illustrations and design elements. I’ve broken the last thirty years into five waves which help to explain the evolution of the genre and simplify a massive scene encompassing over 300 bands and 1000 releases.

I’m publishing each section here because I want to get feedback from readers like yourself. Are there any factual errors? Am I missing an important band? Do you disagree with the releases I consider “notable”? Please let me know in the comments (or reply to this email)! Thanks!

Overview

The dawn of Japanese screamo started in 1993 with the formation of two of the earliest proto-screamo groups, Cowpers and Sawpit. Both bands formed from different existing music scenes (Cowpers in the post-punk shadow of Bloodthirsty Butchers in Sapporo and Sawpit in the pop-punk world of Snuffy Smile). But 1993 saw the first Japanese tour of Fugazi, which awakened many Japanese to the possibilities of marrying melody and aggression in underground music.

Cowpers, Sawpit, Bonescratch, and Next Style (along with others) would begin sprinkling what we now recognize as “screamo” sensibilities into their music. Some of the earliest releases are notable for lacking cohesive sound between each song. On both Cowpers and Sawpit’s debut 7”s, there are the “screamo” songs (Rattle Brained and Recall, respectively), but other tracks display more conventional sounds. On their debut album, Bonescratch practically zig-zags between thrash and screamo. 

For almost every band in this first wave of Japanese screamo, the groups transitioned into (and sometimes out of) the screamo sound. The aforementioned Cowpers would all but leave behind their early screamo leanings to become quite popular as indie rock darlings. But most groups would call it quits, only to have the members move on to full-on screamo bands, such as members of Bonescratch forming The Carnival of Dark-Split or Next Style morphing into Black Film Dance. 

The album that changed everything was Envy’s 1998 album, From Here To Eternity. Envy had made a switch of their own; they changed their name from Blind Justice, with a sound more akin to NYHC, to Envy in 1995. After releasing a lackluster debut and a few splits, Envy made a line-up change bringing back Masahiro Tobita on guitar (active in the Blind Justice days) and replacing their drummer with Dairoku Seki (at that time playing with Smelling Cunts, who changed their name to Dove around that time). The result was a quantum leap in Japanese screamo. No longer were Japanese bands interpreting foreign screamo bands sounds. Envy alchemized something completely original. Influenced by, but wholly unique. In some ways, the scene needed this to allow itself to flourish.

After From Here To Eternity, there was a surge of bands releasing ground-breaking albums and EPs. In Envy’s hometown of Tokyo, a small scene including Kulara, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, and Nine Days Wonder was particularly active. In a span of a few years, several releases from each band appeared before the bands split up. 

Dim Mak Records, a label run by Steve Aoki (pre-DJ) in Santa Barbara, CA, was also integral in the scene. He released records from Nine Days Wonder, Envy, Sawpit, and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. This gave the scene and bands much recognition outside of Japan (this is how I found the scene).

2002 marked the rough end of the era. Kulara, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, and Black Film Dance all split up around this year. Hiromichi Kanno, a member of The Carnival of Dark-Split, Bonescratch, Next Style, and F.I.X, sadly passed away that year, leaving a hole in the Sapporo underground music scene. While many of the people active in these bands would go on to start other bands, some screamo and some not, the First Wave of Japanese screamo was over, to be succeeded by a new wave of bands. 

One of the most remarkable things about this wave is how many standards and styles they created that are still active in Japanese screamo. Envy single-handedly created three different styles (fast, dark, emotional in From Here To Eternity; intense, furious in All The Footprints…; post-rocky, epic in A Dead Sinking Story). But other band’s sounds, like The Carnival Of Dark-Split’s San Diego-inspired racket or There Is A Light That Never Goes Out’s tense fury, continue to have torchbearers in almost every era as well.

Notable Releases

Cowpers - Cowpers 7” [1995-09-01]

The debut EP from Cowpers see them embracing a noisy, more aggressive tone than some of their later releases. Combining some of the post-punk sound of their city mates Bloodthirsty Butchers with the noise rock stylings of The Jesus Lizard, Cowpers flirted with a proto-screamo sound while others around the world were doing the same. The shrieks in Rattle Brained and dissonant melodies would provide a blueprint for later Sapporo screamo bands to expand from. 

Bonescratch - Diaglam CD [1996-05-14]

The Sapporo scene was incredibly active in the ’90s, and Bonescratch was pushing the scene towards a screamo sound. This, their debut album, was released on HG Fact, one of Tokyo’s most iconic underground labels at the time. The sound Bonescratch brings through these 14 songs is all over the place. Some tracks are straight-up thrash, some hardcore, some Dischord Records-style post-hardcore. And then quite a few have a very recognizable ’90s screamo sound. The band would carry on in subsequent releases with the screamo vibe. And after the band split a few years later, the members would continue on to form many more screamo groups over the years.

Sawpit - Sawpit 7” [1996-10-14]

Firmly planted in the world of Snuffy Smile Records, Sawpit somehow made the transition from pop-punk to screamo at a time when the genre was still being formed. This EP, their first, was co-released by Sawpit’s own Vernacular Records and California’s Ebullition Records (arguably the most important force in the formation of the screamo genre). While the lead track Recall has an unmistakable screamo tone, the other tracks fit the more typical pop-punk structure. Later releases from Sawpit would see them lean into the screamo sound more and single-handedly develop the punk/screamo subgenre that many other bands would take even further.

VA - Platform Compilation 7” [1997]

A 7” compilation released with the fifth (and final) issue of the zine Mission Undone. This features some of the pillars of the Tokyo screamo scene at the time. Wall was more screamo adjacent, playing in a melodic, post-hardcore style. This track is more raw than the re-recording from their debut album two years later. Next is Envy, in full-on transition. This line-up is before Dairoku Seki (drums) and Masahiro Tobita (guitar) joined the band. There are still strains of their future sound on their track here (which would be re-recorded and released on a split with Endeavor later). It’s furious, melodic, very much Envy, but not as epic as they would become. Swipe shares a drummer with Wall and has the most modern screamo style. Members would later go on to form There Is A Light That Never Goes Out. Wise Up plays a similar style to Wall, melodic, post-hardcore that isn’t quite screamo, but nevertheless fits well with it.

Next Style - Pleasure Rage Sad And Comfort LP [1997]

Another milestone in Sapporo screamo, Next Style merged fast, youth-crew style hardcore with emo to create a sort of proto-screamo hybrid. Vocalist Morikazu Higuchi (Higu) would become an underground icon. His distinctive scream-sing-yell style has become a hallmark of any band he’s been in since (such as Black Film Dance, The Sun, Anma, Cut Back). Next Style, like most other bands in this era, was experimenting with blending hardcore and emo. While other bands came at screamo from other angles, the approach shown here from more straight forward hardcore creates some interesting moments.

Envy - From Here To Eternity CD/LP [1998-08-11]

1998’s From Here To Eternity marked a turning point in Japanese screamo. After years of stylistic development and lineup changes, Envy formed the five-member lineup they’d keep for several decades and recorded a monumental half-hour of pure Japanese screamo. One of the key elements that Envy created here is the melodic sensibilities that would become a consistent thread running through most Japanese screamo bands after this. Another element the Envy perfected was crafting songs that maintained an incredible sense of velocity. Eschewing the classic verse/chorus song structure, Envy crafted asymmetric songs that took melodic and rhythmic transitions in a direction unseen in screamo.

Swipe - How Are You Hiroki? 7” [1998]

The final release before Swipe split and went on to form There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (TIALTNGO). These three tracks are the most refined in the band’s oeuvre, and see them looking both backward and forwards. The first track It Will Come Again Like The Sun Is Rising follows the direction that TIALTNGO will take: driving and dissonant screamo. The second track, Tomorrow, is a little more melodic punk with little screamo influence. The last track, Sky Is High, has some TIALTNGO traces (especially in the second half of the song) but has a strong Midwest-emo influence that doesn’t appear in any of the band’s other songs.

Kulara - 5 Pieces Songs CD [1999-09-01]

Another huge leap forward for Japanese screamo (and screamo everywhere), Kulara’s first proper release showed them in impeccable form. Combining warped guitar tones, dissonant melodies, odd time signatures, strangled screaming, and harmonica (yes, that’s right), these five songs were like nothing before it. One of the most remarkable things is they are able to take all these innovations and merge them into some of the most dynamic and intense screamo I’ve ever heard. There weren’t many bands after that carried on Kulara’s sound, but that’s mostly because they literally couldn’t. The level of musicianship on this EP is stellar.

Creep - My Self Portrait CD [1999-12-24]

Hailing from Osaka, Creep represented what was happening in screamo outside of the dual Tokyo-Sapporo hubs. In this, their debut album, Creep lives in the world between dark, noisy hardcore and screamo melody. Their biggest influence, self-proclaimed even, is Bonescratch, and you can see it. While Creep’s style (especially on this album) is more consistent, there is always a tension between more straightforward heaviness and melody. On the few later releases, they would adopt even more from the Sapporo screamo sound, especially The Carnival of Dark-Split.  

Dove - Pessimistic Tourist CD [2000-07-07]

Another Tokyo screamo group, Dove isn’t just notable for having two members that would go on to form Toe and Dairoku Seki on drums (from Envy) but also for producing almost an alternative version of Envy’s screamo sound. Seki on drums obviously brings on the comparison with his distinctive drumming style. But Yamazaki and Yamane write screamo melodies that don’t go as epic and dark as Envy’s. The result is a very listenable, almost radio-friendly in some ways, strain of Japanese screamo. When Envy was boycotting all press, Dove filled the void and was much more amenable to the Japanese pay-for-play media system. After this EP, Dove would soon stop their activity, allowing Seki to focus on Envy and the others to form Toe.

Nine Days Wonder - The Scenery Is In Disguise There CD/LP [2000]

This first album from Nine Days Wonder came after a 7” and split with Bluebeard. A band constantly in flux, The Scenery Is In Disguise There sees them in transition between dissonant screamo and catchy, melodic indie rock. The 9 tracks switch between each sound, sometimes even during the same song. Entries like Stuck and Magnet are full-on screamo, not quite the same as other bands in the scene either. There is a unique smoothness to the rhythm section and song structure that adds a groove to the songs. Lossleader blends their screamo style with the indie rock found on the other tracks. Nine Days Wonder’s next album would be completely indie rock (with electronics added) before the band fully morphed into an electronic act (mostly solo) and changed the name to 9dw. 

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out - IE CD/LP [2000]

After Swipe dissolved, three of the members formed a new group (with Akio Mori) that pursued the harsher screamo sound they were exploring in their final release. These 7 songs are a shorter album and the best document of There Is A Light That Never Goes Out (TIALTNGO). The band pulls in pieces of Kulara (desperate screams and deep drumming patterns) but keeps melodies that fit closer to post-punk. There’s also a very brooding mood that comes from the cyclical bass riffs that anchor every song. The instrumentation and interaction of the four members remind me a lot of how Fugazi’s songs worked together. TIALTNGO wouldn’t release much more than this EP (another split and a discography), but the band's impact continues reverberating in the music scene today as members haven’t stopped forming and playing in new bands.

The Carnival of Dark-Split - Focus CD [2001-07-16]

Unlike other bands in this era, The Carnival of Dark-Split came out fully formed. From their first demo to the last split, their unique concoction of dissonant, tremolo-heavy dark screamo was consistent. The group formed in 2000 and released Focus, their first and only album, the year after. 8 songs that capture feelings of chaos, loneliness, and cold, all aspects that could derive from their hometown of Sapporo. The Carnival of Dark-Split introduced other new things to screamo, layering in electronics (almost toy-like keyboards), lots of guitar effects, and static-y vocals (kind of an old-time radio sound). In fact, there was a lot of experimentation with the guitar/vocals section, which let the rhythm section (bass/drums) carry many of the songs. This is a really good album to drive to, as the songs never seem to ruminate on any section for too long, and the tempo is nearly always fast.

Envy - All The Footprints You’ve Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead CD/LP [2001-09-01]

A furious two years after From Here To Eternity, which saw them touring through Japan, Europe, and Asia and releasing four EPs and a split, Envy released their quintessential album, All The Footprints You’ve Ever Left And The Fear Expecting Ahead. Although the progression of their sound in each release demonstrates a consistent direction, it’s still astonishing to compare their progress with the scene at large. Envy had such a distinct and unapologetic perspective. There are a few factors in play besides the brilliance of the members. They had the same consistent line-up since right before From Here To Eternity. They had been touring significantly overseas and weren’t holding themselves back to simply pandering to a domestic audience. And they were deep into a years-long boycott/blackball of Japanese media. Every song they wrote had to be the best. They had to be so unmistakably good that they couldn’t be ignored. And it worked. Aside from the musical perfection of this album, it was released simultaneously in Japan, America, and Europe and has been re-pressed over and over for the last two decades. Even listening to it now, it sounds fresh and urgent. There really hasn’t been another band that matched Envy on every dimension that they were displaying here. This is the story of Japanese Screamo. It’s what brought me into the scene and still stands as my all-time favorite album.

Black Film Dance - John’s LP CD [2002]

Like most bands in this era, Black Film Dance was short-lived, releasing their entire discography in 2002 (this album was recorded in 2001). Formed from members of Bonescratch and Next Style, Black Film Dance took a very interesting approach to screamo. While most of their songs start with dissonant energy, they often devolve into hypnotic, repeating melodies anchored by keyboards and circular rhythms (see Nature, Draw). Higu’s vocals are distinct here (as with any release he’s on). Fans of Next Style will find that his approach here is evolved and even more confident in a personal and distinct sound. Every phrase is more expressive and intense than before. Although many of the members would move on to other groups (Discotortion and The Sun, notably), I always wish that we could’ve seen where Black Film Dance would’ve gone after this album.

First Wave Bands

• 200MPH [Tokyo]

• Atomic Fireball [Tokyo]

• Black Film Dance [Sapporo]

• Bomb’s Not Food

• Bonescratch [Sapporo]

• Cowpers [Sapporo]

• Creep [Osaka]

• Dance With Me

• Dignity For All [Sapporo]

• Dove [Tokyo]

• Echo

• Envy [Tokyo]

• Evil Powers Me [Tokyo]

• F.I.X. [Sapporo]

• Fall To Flake

• Ferocious Attack

• Fragment

• Gotta Move This Site [Tokyo]

• Kulara [Tokyo]

• Lost Gravity

• Man Friday [Tokyo]

• Moonwalk [Sapporo]

• Next Style [Sapporo]

• Nine Days Wonder [Tokyo]

• Plug [Sapporo]

• Sawpit [Tokyo]

• Speak For Myself [Tokyo]

• Swipe [Tokyo]

• Tami

• The 100 Lots [Tokyo]

• The Carnival of Dark-Split [Sapporo]

• The Meditations [Nagoya]

• There Is A Light That Never Goes Out [Tokyo]

• Undone

• Wall [Tokyo]

• Weed [Tokyo]

• Wise Up [Tokyo]

• Word

• 蹴 (tr. Keri)