#29 BAND-MAID- Unseen World (2021)Alright, the first of a few offerings from the world of all female Japanese metal. BAND-MAID is a bit more of a recent dive for me, only really digging in once I committed to seeing their SF show last month. I'm familiar with their work from 2019 on, but there's a few albums from before then that are really piquing my interest, and may take over this one as my favorite. Now, let's just get the obvious out of the way...yes, they're cute as hell...and yes, they're all wearing some form of Japanese Maid Cafe outfits. Having said that, you'd be hard pressed to find a harder rocking, tighter, more polished band around. These girls kick all sorts of ass. The core of the band, guitarist Kanami, bassist Misa and drummer Akane are ridiculously talented. Front woman Saiki has a huge voice, and dynamic presence. Their live shows are like their music, relentless, a nearly 2 hour affair of almost 20 songs, all in total command of their music and the crowd. The band's recent gimmick is seeking 'World Domination', and after seeing their show and digging into their discography, they absolutely can do it. This band is that fucking good.
Favorite Tracks- Warning!, No God, Sayonakidori, I Still Seek Revenge
Warning!-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yD3IqrLtPk&ab_channel=BAND-MAIDI Still Seek Revenge-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H0xsEwtKUkQ&ab_channel=BAND-MAID-TopicAnd just because I adore this one so damn much...
Sayonakidori (acoustic version)-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGzAQigaL14&ab_channel=BAND-MAID