Some info on the whole (Band-) Maid Cafe culture in Japan.
Looks like a fun place to be:)
This is kind of fun: Mirai Antai, "激情★めたりっちぇ「未来安泰」:
Then I just found “Mutant Monster”. Triplets, or one-girl band?
More punk than metal, but I like it.I think the first band’s name is Gekijo Metalicche and the name of the song is Mirai Antai. I first saw one of their videos a month or so ago, but couldn’t figure out their name, so I’ve just thought of them as The Evil Girl Scouts.
Mutant Monster is really interesting! From what I can tell (using Google Translate), the guitarist and bassist are twins and the drummer just looks like them. Here’s their website. They have several CDs on US iTunes.
Band-Maid is now on US iTunes.
Just the 3 song EP, so far, but it has the song “Thrill”.
LOL - the drummer’s name is “Chad”?
I really like what I’ve seen and heard from this band, but … this is definitely not the first Japanese girl-metal band I would show to a newcomer to Japanese pop/rock music. Watching the videos and listening to the music requires too much prior experience with Japanese pop/rock music, and the culture behind it. I have years of experience with Japanese music and culture, but this band’s videos would be completely baffling to a noob. I get the references and inside jokes. Somebody new to Japanese music would not get it.
I find something awesome in the singer combining adorable “idol singer” vocals with death metal growls.
English language interview with the band.
They really aren’t completely baffling at all.
Aren’t all drummers called Chad, Dave or Keith ? I think it’s in the contract somewhere…
Here’s another live video from Band-Maid. The song “Forward” from their first album Maid In Japan.
You could put Rob Halford singing over that and no one would be the wiser.
Another Band-Maid live video - “Bye My Tears” from the album Maid In Japan.
After seeing a few live videos, I’m becoming less impressed with Saiki, whose only job is to sing. She sounds great in the studio, but seems weak when singing live. This song is a good example, though she got better as the song progressed. Maybe she’s just not used to performing in front of a live audience, and her nerves are affecting her performance. Miku, the other singer/guitarist, sounds a lot better.
Of course, the bass, drums, and lead guitar continue to be solid.
And now for something completely awful, here is “Pritz”, a Korean knockoff of Babymetal:
Edit: It appears that “Pritz” is an acronym for “Pretty Rangers In the Terrible Zone” :rolleyes:
A funny (probably NSFW) response to PRITZ.
I’m a serious fan of some Korean artists, but so far I don’t look to Korea for metal (maybe somebody could share something good that I’ve missed). I’m a fan of many genres of music, and my Korean fandom is centered on an R&B/hiphop girl-group called “2NE1”. Before I share videos, let me tell you why I like 2NE1.
Korean pop seems to copy a lot from Japanese pop, particularly in the case of “girl groups”. A couple of annoying trends they’ve copied are a) too many girls in the group, to the point that you can’t remember who’s who, and the videos just don’t have enough time to focus on any one member because they have to show everybody, and b) the girls basically wearing “uniforms”, with each girl having some minor variation to her uniform to express her “personality”.
So I randomly stumbled upon 2NE1, and they went in a completely different direction. Just four girls. Each girl has a specific role in the group. Each girl has a distinct personality and talent set. No uniforms - each girl has her own distinct, signature style. No playing the “teen idol” game: When the group debuted, there was only one teenager, the youngest member, who was 16 or 17. There is a ten-year difference in age between the youngest and oldest member.
They’re all Korean, but, from youngest to oldest:
Minzy: Granddaughter of a legendary Korean folk dancer. The best dancer in the group, and also a fine singer and rapper.
CL: Spent several years living in the US, speaks fluent English, and understands R&B and hiphop due to her experience in the US. “Leader” of the group.
Dara: Grew up in the Phillipines, where she had a solid career as an actress before being recruited for 2NE1.
Park Bom: A great singer who kept trying and trying and trying to break into the music business, and finally found her way into 2NE1 through sheer determination. Terrible dancer, but she tries.
Anyway, their debut song, “Fire”:
And then my favorite song from them, "I Am the Best": I'll leave y'all to guess who is the oldest and who is the youngest. If I didn't already know their ages, I wouldn't be able to tell.More pop-ish and more over the top
LadyBaby
I have the album 
My personal favorite from the record is Monopoly:
Another live video clip from Band-Maid - “Be OK” from Maid In Japan.