Favorite Non-Metal Artists of a Metalhead Writer

“I was into SLAYER last summer.That doesn’t happen. You’re either a fucking metalhead or you're not.”

This is a quote from Steve Souza, the vocalist of the thrash metal band EXODUS.

I’ve been listening to metal for over a decade now, and I can’t see a future where I stop. However, that doesn’t mean I exclusively listen to metal. While more than 90% of the music I listen to is metal, I do occasionally listen to other genres.
I originally thought about writing this for the staff blog but doubted anyone would be interested. After discussing it with some colleagues, I was told there is interest, so here I am writing about it. This is definitely an inward-looking and niche topic.

Please note that this is not about the general preferences of all metalheads but rather my personal favorite artists as a metalhead!

■ Soft Ballet / Parade

Soft Ballet is a band consisting of Ryoichi Endo, Ken Morioka, and Maki Fujii. According to their Sony Music artist page, their genre is electro-rock. They incorporate programming and synthesizer sounds into their band music, with Endo’s vocals ranging from operatic singing to shouts, creating a unique musical style. They are said to have had a significant influence on later Japanese rock bands.

Even though the this description covers the points I love, Soft Ballet is a one-of-a-kind artist that offers a type of musical nourishment that can’t be found elsewhere.

■ Urbangarde / Tokai no Alice

A band currently active as a trio that prides itself on ‘trauma techno-pop’. I first learned about them when they did a live show with cali≠gari in 2014. Later, I discovered they collaborated with Kenji Ohtsuki at their self-hosted event Utsu Fes, which piqued my interest.

As a metalhead, I find many songs from the era when guitarist Zeze Shin was part of the band particularly striking. Despite the overall pop sound, the sudden appearance of metal guitar solos creates an addictive imbalance.

■ Sumire Uesaka / Seikatsu Konkyuu Damedinero

I started listening to radio programs by voice actors during my college days. Sumire Uesaka, with her sharp and wide-ranging topics, caught my attention, and I grew to like the songs played on her show.

Matching her strong personality, the artists providing her songs are equally unique. The song I’m introducing, “Seikatsu Konkyuu Damedinero”, by Kenichi Maeyamada (Hyadain), is an addictive song, but other songs like “Parallax View” composed by NARASAKI (Coaltar of the Deepers) with lyrics by Kenji Ohtsuki, and “Himitsu no Tomodachi♡” featuring Takayoshi Ohmura on guitar, are also recommended for metalheads.

■ OxT / Union

This duo consists of singer Masayoshi Oishi, known for writing and composing “Welcome to Japari Park”, and guitarist Tom-H@ck, known for providing songs for the anime K-On!.

I became a fan through the opening theme “GO CRY GO” for the anime Overlord II. Tom-H@ck’s heavy arrangements, especially in other Overlord related songs, resonate well with metalheads. Personally, I also love Oishi’s voice, so pop songs like “Union” hit the mark for me.

So, I listed some artists that might surprise you coming from a metalhead like me.

Given the numerous subgenres in metal and the various reasons people get into it, asking metalheads about their favorite non-metal artists would probably yield diverse answers.

To avoid getting reprimanded for leaving it at that, I’ll finish by introducing some related gear!

Roland / Roland Cloud Lifetime Keys TR-909

A software sound source that reproduces the rhythm machine TR-909, used by Maki Fujii during his time with Soft Ballet. It retains the original sound while being more functional and easier to handle.

Hughes & Kettner / GrandMeister Deluxe 40

This is a current model from the small amp Meister Series used by ex-Urbangarde guitarist Zeze Shin. It inherits the sound of the flagship model while being more compact and supporting silent recording.

Universal Audio / Apollo X8 Heritage Edition

This is a rack-type audio interface used by Tom-H@ck of OxT. Besides using it as a mic preamp, he also connects guitars and profiler amps like Kemper to it.