You Must Hear 7

j-metal

Last updated: Mon Nov 03 2025 13:54:50 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Description

J-metal is Japanese heavy metal that blends aggressive Western metal styles with distinctively Japanese melodic sensibilities and visual aesthetics. The sound ranges from traditional power metal to extreme genres, often incorporating theatrical elements and the elaborate costumes associated with visual kei culture. It represents Japan's unique interpretation of metal music, characterized by technical precision, dramatic arrangements, and a fusion of Eastern and Western musical influences.

100 chronological releases

Place	Cover	Date	Artist	Album	Tags	Other places
90		1976	Sim	THANK GOD, THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF WAYS TO KiLL ENEMiES		nu metalcore # 74
52		1976-12-20	Bow Wow	Bow Wow	heavy metal j-metal
46		1983	44 Magnum	Danger	heavy metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 81
19		1983	Earthshaker	EARTHSHAKER	heavy metal
12		1983-05-21	Munetaka Higuchi	FREE WORLD	heavy metal j-metal
78		1985-01-21	Loudness	Thunder in the East	heavy metal j-metal
39		1986-04-02	聖飢魔II	THE END OF THE CENTURY	japanese	japanese metal # 72
30		1986-11-10	Loudness	8186 Live	heavy metal j-metal
45		1986-11-21	聖飢魔II	地獄より愛をこめて	j-metal japanese metal	japanese rock # 4 japanese metal # 80
53		1987-04-06	EZO	EZO	j-metal
68		1987-08-10	Loudness	Hurricane Eyes	j-metal
55		1989	EZO	Fire Fire	j-metal
64		1992	Hellchild	Deeper the Wound	j-metal mathcore
16		1993-06-09	Guillotine Terror	Black Rebel Storm	death metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 51
77		1993-08-25	X Japan	ART OF LIFE	symphonic metal progressive metal	symphonic metal # 60
33		1995-09-25	黒蝪蝶	遺書剥奪	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal power metal rock speed metal thrash metal visual kei	japanese metal # 67
5		1996	Blasdead	Another Dimension	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal power metal	japanese metal # 38
8		1996	Sipp	It all begins here	j-metal j-rock kawaii metal	kawaii metal # 27
75		1996-11-04	X Japan	DAHLIA	j-rock	j-rock # 73
34		1997-04-01	Azrael	Run for the Night	j-metal j-rock japanese japanese metal melodic metal power metal speed metal	japanese metal # 68
15		1998	Aiming High	Metal Fighter Squadron	japanese power metal j-metal japanese metal	japanese metal # 50
2		1998-04-04	Aion	EVE	j-metal j-rock
63		1998-10-16	SEX MACHINEGUNS	Sex Machinegun	heavy metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal speed metal	japanese metal # 89
25		1999-07-28	DIR EN GREY	Gauze	j-rock visual kei	j-rock # 83 visual kei # 84
21		1999-08-30	鐵槌	日本狼	heavy metal j-metal japanese metal metal rac	japanese metal # 57
29		2001-01-21	Azrael	King of the Steely Nation	epic metal j-metal j-rock japanese japanese metal japanese rock melodic metal power metal speed metal	japanese metal # 61
60		2002-09-06	ムック	HomuraUta	j-metal j-rock japanese
51		2003	Azrael	Sunrise in the Dreamland	power metal j-metal melodic metal speed metal japanese metal	melodic power metal # 13 japanese metal # 79
89		2003	Femme Fatale	FREYA	j-metal j-rock japanese symphonic metal visual kei	visual kei # 36
4		2003-04	Flow	SPLASH!!!~遙かなる自主制作BEST~	j-metal j-rock metal metalcore nu metal punk rock rapcore visual kei
27		2003-06-04	SEX MACHINEGUNS	『マシンガンズの集い』ザ・ベスト	heavy metal j-metal power metal
54		2003-09-10	DIR EN GREY	Vulgar	j-rock	visual kei # 59 j-rock # 89
42		2005	SSORC	Infidel Eternal	black metal j-metal japan
67		2005-02-05	DEATHGAZE	CHAOS	j-metal visual kei
86		2005-03-09	DIR EN GREY	Withering to death	visual kei japanese j-rock	japanese # 25 j-rock # 65 visual kei # 98
62		2005-04-20	lynch.	greedy dead souls	j-rock
70		2005-09-13	Abigail	Ultimate Unholy Death	blackened thrash metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal speed metal	japan # 6 blackened thrash metal # 68 japanese metal # 93
93		2005-11-16	lynch.	underneath the skin	j-metal
17		2006-06-21	Hellen	Talon of King	heavy metal j-metal japanese metal
40		2006-07-06	Wizards' Hymn	Hymnal	female fronted metal female vocalists j-metal japanese power metal speed metal
73		2006-07-16	DEATHGAZE	genocide and mass murder	j-metal
100		2007-10-31	Versailles	Lyrical Sympathy	j-metal
7		2007-11	Headlight	Wild Racing	heavy metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal	japanese metal # 41
72		2007-12-11	UnsraW	Abel / Kein	j-metal japanese
47		2007-12-26	ギルガメッシュ	Girugämesh	j-rock japanese visual kei
84		2008-02-06	meth.	by all means - BELIVER	j-metal j-rock japanese japanese metal japanese rock melodic hardcore melodic metalcore metal metalcore visual kei	visual kei # 8 melodic metalcore # 12 japanese rock # 83 japanese metal # 99
94		2008-03-26	DELUHI	Surveillance	j-metal
66		2008-07-09	Maximum the Hormone	Tsume Tsume Tsume	j-rock hardcore
80		2008-07-16	Versailles	NOBLE	power metal symphonic metal	symphonic power metal # 4 japanese metal # 70
97		2008-07-23	DELUHI	Orion once again	j-metal
83		2008-07-24	DEATHGAZE	abyss	j-metal
6		2008-08-20	Detroit Metal City	Makai Yūgi ~for the movie~	j-metal
95		2008-09-10	DIR EN GREY	GLASS SKIN	alternative metal deathcore j-metal j-rock japanese metal metalcore progressive metal rock
92		2008-10-29	DELUHI	Visvasrit	j-metal
98		2008-11-11	DIR EN GREY	Uroboros	alternative metal progressive metal j-metal	avant-garde metal # 66
76		2008-12-10	DEATHGAZE	AWAKE-evoke the urge-	j-metal j-rock
88		2009-01-01	D'espairsRay	REDEEMER	j-metal
71		2009-02-11	Detroit Metal City	Makai Yugi	death metal groove metal j-metal thrash metal
32		2010	Kissing the Mirror	LIGHT THROUGH THE NIGHT	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal melodic death metal metal power metal	japanese metal # 66
74		2010-02	Luzmelt	Swallowed scenery	electro electronic j-metal j-rock japanese japanese metal japanese rock metal rock symphonic metal symphonic rock synth rock visual kei	symphonic rock # 53 japanese rock # 73 synth rock # 87 japanese metal # 95
87		2010-04-07	Para:noir	A forlorn hope	j-metal j-rock japanese rock	japanese rock # 87
1		2011	XodiacK	【DaN】	j-metal visual kei
35		2011-08-01	DIR EN GREY	Dum Spiro Spero	progressive metal
13		2012-09-12	T.M.Revolution	T.M.R. LIVE REVOLUTION'17 -ROUND HOUSE CUTBACK-	j-metal j-rock japanese metal rock
59		2013-04-29	Hazuki	EGØIST	j-metal visual kei
56		2013-09-04	AvelCain	自責の筵	j-metal j-rock japanese metal japanese rock visual kei	japanese rock # 39 japanese metal # 84
50		2014-02-26	BABYMETAL	BABYMETAL	kawaii metal j-pop	rac # 6 j-rock # 10 suicidal black metal # 15 skramz # 15 harsh noise # 31 skinhead # 32 real screamo # 38 metal # 40 depressive suicidal black metal # 46 true norwegian black metal # 52 true black metal # 64 orthodox black metal # 71 true metal # 74 unblack metal # 79 hatecore # 81 j-pop # 84 japanoise # 92 kawaii metal # 100
44		2014-03-26	ギルガメッシュ	LIVE BEST	j-metal j-rock japanese visual kei
38		2015	IRON ATTACK!	HEAVEN'S SWORD	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal	japanese metal # 71
41		2015	IRON ATTACK!	Star Dust	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal power metal	japanese metal # 73
43		2015	IRON ATTACK!	BURN IN HELL	heavy metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal power metal	japanese metal # 77
9		2015	Noah	Resonance	heavy metal instrumental j-metal power metal
24		2015	IRON ATTACK!	BULLET WIND	j-metal
14		2015-03-18	Gotsu Totsu Kotsu	Retributive Justice	death metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 49
65		2015-03-18	Kairiki Bear	imitation gallery	heavy metal j-metal j-pop j-rock kawaii metal vocaloid	vocaloid # 47 kawaii metal # 74
23		2015-08-12	FATE GEAR	A Light in the Black	female fronted metal girl band j-metal japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 58
31		2016	Royz	S.I.V.A	j-metal j-rock japanese rock visual kei
49		2016-07-27	X Japan	Jealousy	heavy metal power metal
61		2016-10-19	Abigail	The Final Damnation	black metal blackened speed metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal speed metal	blackened speed metal # 85 japanese metal # 88
26		2017	G.A.T.E.S.	Back From The Grave	j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal speed metal	japanese metal # 59
58		2017-03-15	Bridear	Rise	asian girl band j-metal japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 87
85		2017-04-25	X Japan	BLUE BLOOD	speed metal power metal j-rock visual kei heavy metal japanese	j-rock # 25 japanese metal # 64 visual kei # 79 speed metal # 90
18		2017-05-24	Rie a.k.a. Suzaku	Don't hide your face	asian j-metal japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 56
79		2017-07-24	DEADLIFT LOLITA	Kimi Terasu Sairiumu	asian duo j-metal j-pop japanese metal japanese pop kawaii metal pop pop metal	japanese pop # 78 pop metal # 84 kawaii metal # 85 duo # 89 japanese metal # 96
48		2017-10-10	キズ	蛙-Kawazu-	j-metal visual kei
57		2017-11-08	Demetori	Determinism&DestruKction	djent j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal progressive metal	japanese metal # 86
82		2018-02-10	DEADLIFT LOLITA	Pump Up JAPAN	asian duo j-metal j-pop japanese japanese metal japanese pop kawaii metal pop	japanese pop # 87 kawaii metal # 90 duo # 95 japanese metal # 98
96		2018-02-10	DEADLIFT LOLITA	SIX PACK TWINS	asian duo j-metal japanese japanese metal kawaii metal	asian # 34 kawaii metal # 97 duo # 99 japanese metal # 100
11		2018-10-24	Gotsu Totsu Kotsu	The Final Stand	death metal j-metal japan japanese japanese metal metal	japanese metal # 46
22		2020-02-14	Bernard Minet	Metal Band	hard rock heavy metal j-metal j-rock metal rock
69		2021-02-24	NECRONOMIDOL	vämjelseriter	black metal blackgaze j-metal kawaii metal	blackgaze # 9 kawaii metal # 79
81		2021-10-27	Utsu-P	HAPPYPILLS	j-metal japanese kawaii metal trap metal	trap metal # 50 kawaii metal # 87
91		2022-05-25	gulu gulu	宙吊り少女 (Chuuzuri Shoujo) [【つがい盤 (Tsugai Ban)】]	j-metal metal visual kei	visual kei # 57
99		2022-05-25	gulu gulu	宙吊り少女 (Chuuzuri Shoujo) [【たがい盤 (Tagai Ban)】]	j-metal metal visual kei	visual kei # 86
20		2023-06-11	PaleneØ	PANORAMA	j-metal kawaii metal	kawaii metal # 38
37		2023-10-01	PaleneØ	Schizoid	j-metal kawaii metal	kawaii metal # 50
3			AdFicTioN	Beyond the chaos	j-metal j-rock kawaii metal	kawaii metal # 23
36			Zenbukiminoseida.	Yamikawaimrad	j-idol j-metal kawaii metal	j-idol # 37 kawaii metal # 49
10			Dragon Guardian feat. Leo Figaro	Eternal Sword	j-metal japanese power metal
28			Egan Solo	Land of Dreams	j-metal j-rock japanese melodic metal

Related genres

• japanese
• metal
• japanese metal
• j-rock
• heavy metal
• japan
• visual kei
• power metal
• speed metal
• kawaii metal