A lot of Japanese rock and metal tends to be so melodic as a matter of course that the lines between "pop music" and "other stuff" get blurred; it can be difficult to tell when a band is really breaking the rules and when it's just incorporating elements endemic to Japan's heavy music scene. But those artists usually sit on that heavy-power-speed-pop-rock tectonic convergence, where there is already some overlap; for The Azukiwashers, the metal is death, the rest is shamelessly effervescent, and the contrast is obvious.
Review by ScreamingSteelUS ››