METALHEAD ENVIES| BAND-MAID| "MANNERS/BLACK HOLE"

#band-maid #metalhead #musician #reaction

[@gt1man931]

These women absolutely know their way around music theory and use it brilliantly. It is hard not to like them.

[@interstellardave]

Prog-Punk FTW! Kudos for recognizing the great vocals in Black Hole… some reactors gloss right over that.

[@ronniebrucehalford8396]

Very thoughtful review. And kudos for giving the MVP to Saiki, the singer. Yeah, in Black Hole, the drummer is doing a punk beat at times, but all the other musicians are playing different genres: lead guitar is prog; rhythm is thrash metal; bass is MISA; and the singer is doing her thing. In the end, it's a hard rock band playing faster than most speed metal bands. Other songs combine punk and metal, like Warning. The closest you'll come to straight metal would be Rinne. I think you'll like that. Different is another prog metal punk song that's awesome.

[@DeanF_MIDI]

Lead vocalist's name is Saiki Atsumi. And she's incredible.

[@thisismadness6962]

Dope reaction. I"m looking forward to more. You are totally right about there being a strong creative process for their songs. The best I can tell from interviews is that Kanami, the lead guitar, is the main genius. She writes the songs and creates backing tracks (she's also a keyboard player). She sends the files to the bass player (MISA) who works out the bass part from Kanami's requests and simple outline. Then Kanami sends it with a programmed drum part to the drummer, Akane, who reworks it as necessary, adding fills, etc (often declaring Kanami's drum part "impossible for humans") and sends in back to Kanami. I believe they use MIDI data and recordings. The rhythm guitar/second vocal, Miku, writes the lyrics and, along with main vocal, Saiki, makes/suggests changes to the vocal melody. Kanami then mixes a demo, requesting more changes as needed. They take the demo to the studio and replace the parts individually although I think that Akane and MISA record together. Then they all get together to work out the live version which often has changes and improvements -- longer intros, longer breakdowns with more solos, more cool transitions, improved vocals, etc. So these live performances are definitely better and are the result of a strong creative process involving everyone with Kanami conducting. You can see it in Kanami's play where she often holds back from showing off and plays what's needed for her songs. You noticed in your first reaction how she throws in unexpected riffs. It's to get the feel she envisioned from the beginning. You can sometimes see the pure joy in her face as she plays and makes eye contact with Akane. If anyone else know more about their process or where I'm mistaken, I like to hear it.

[@Oedwak]

Nice write-up. It's more or less what I've read several other places. Thankfully even though the drum parts are "impossible for humans" they aren't impossible for gorillas!

[@jamesgodwin868]

You nailed it,thus the reasons there are no individual credits for each song.

[@CutlassSupreme455]

Wow! Great reply! I just learned a lot about their creative process. Thank You!

[@Kevin6059]

Punk or no, a rose by any other name dost smell as sweet. This was in Shakespeare's "Maidian sonnet #3." (Oh, and these ladies are hard to categorize - I'd have considered this a thrashy speed metal with prog elements.) Black Hole is pretty hard to get your head around the first time, too.

[@davidmejia7908]

They kick ass no matter what they decide to do. My favorite band.

[@Space_Ranger]

Miku really stepped up the backing vocals this album. They always have something catchy. Black Hole takes a couple listens to really "get it".

[@Parker--]

I don't think she necessarily stepped up her backing vocals, I just think She took on a different role. I'd actually argue she doing less backup singing and more hype vocals. She's doing more sound effects and noise compared to outright singing. And to be clear, Miku is the best part of several of the Unseen World tracks IMHO. After-Life, Manners, and Why Why Why owe so much of what makes them great specifically because of Miku being a ball of energy just shouting that wouldn't feel as appropriate if it was Saiki. And honestly, I don't think Black Hole works at all without Miku. Her role has simply changed for this album. I honestly hope there's a bit more balance between old and new, just so we get a bit more of Miku singing especially when they're trading vocals, I'd love to get another song like Freezer where they trade vocals back and forth like Run-DMC or Beastie Boys, but I do enjoy when she gets to just shout into the mic like several of the UW tracks. Again, she's most of my favorite parts of the entire UW album.

[@Space_Ranger]

@@Parker-- I hadn't realized before that WWW was Miku with that fantastic start! You make some great points. I also think it's also just he pure crafting of a song. Like a not back up back up. They know how to do the right vocal at the right time.

[@Parker--]

@@Space_Ranger Yep. 💯

[@mikometal4882]

I love Miku, she not just a back vocal, she's take some lead for the own songs like Time or Timu, Rock'n in me and the latest song in Useen world. Miku in present is the second singer of band-maid. Saiki is the official lead vocal in band-maid.

[@Bekka_Noyb]

I believe Miku said it best: 'yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah!' Manners has an old skool rock feel. One of my top 5 Band Maid songs! ♥

[@jeanbrunma]

Manners is my top 5 song for my 53 years of existence. I love that song.

[@Gaius__]

@@jeanbrunma I agree. It sounds deceptively simple upon hearing it for the first time ... especially compared to some of their other, very complex tracks. But it is an extremely clever song, perfectly structured, and very very catchy. Also, MISA-sama really shines here ... the whole bassline is one long bass solo in the background, it's awesome.

[@bobespirit2112]

Manners is a great classic rock song in any era - if radio was still a thing, it’d be a radio hit in 1975, 85, 95 etc. Black Hole - well that’s just one bad-arse musical experiment that works! 🔥🔥🔥🤷🏻‍♂️😎🤘🏼

[@TomClark-Futoura]

WARNING! It's bad MANNERS to stop listening to Band-Maid because you'll feel starved for musical excellence and joy and fall into a BLACK HOLE of emptiness... probably! 😵 Thx, RockdaRiff!

[@falconsooner]

Enjoyed your reaction and well constructed thoughts

[@Shreddawg]

Manners is just pure rock and roll down to its core. Just a masterpiece of a song. BLACK HOLE is organized chaos at its finest. This video is always really cool to see a range of what BAND-MAID is capable of. These are 2 very contrasting songs. The Unseen World album is incredible!

[@gradyshmalady8284]

I could be wrong, but I believe Manners was the last song they created for the Unseen World album. I believe they did say it just came together naturally. You should check out the MV for it, it sounds and feels quite a bit different to this live. I will say when Band-Maid goes heavy they usually tend to end up more on the Punk side. I usually don't like Punk, but this band does it in a great way IMO. If you like controlled chaos, you might like their song Different, but that too is very punky, but proggy and heavy too.

[@wloffblizz]

Yeh, I'm pretty sure that's the case -- the girls felt that Unseen World already had so many really fast and hard tracks (which it does) that they wanted to throw in one intentionally slower and more chill track for balance. Coincidentally, it's one of my all-time personal favorite Band-Maid songs :D I just REALLY love the groove, and it fits so well as the bridge between their older stuff and the prog-like hard shit on their newest album. And that's what the lyrics are all about, too; their growth and ambitions.

[@h1ro254]

I'm glad to see the fun daRiff! I'm also looking forward to the reaction of the next band!!

[@lurkmerchant]

A great reaction! Don't worry about deciding on which one you like better. It will keep changing as you listen to more songs by bandmaid.

[@waynebenedict5785]

Great pair of songs to show Band-Maid's range! Keep in mind that "Black Hole" is the next to the last song from this performance, more than 20 songs into it, such energy and stamina!

[@me262talon2]

Saiki is the lead voclist! Maidiacs!

[@me262talon2]

Thanks RockdaRiff!

[@airlinesecret6725]

It's all PO Rock !

[@K.H.D710]

A symphony of destruction!👍😂 Main vocalist name is Saiki (psych-key).

[@lonniekramlich6241]

I'm going to drive 875 miles on Oct 11th to Seattle ( from the middle of Montana ) too see this band live on the 12th, can't hardly wait !! There are so many good songs to recommend but try, " Play " or " Warning "❤🎙🎸🥁😎👌

[@allanalt8958]

despite the drive......I envy all of you going to the shows

[@GaryHolloway-810]

Enjoy it Lonnie.👍

[@lonniekramlich6241]

@@GaryHolloway-810 After the show, with the amplifiers still ringing in my head......I'll comment on somebody's reaction vid, about the show !!😎

[@GaryHolloway-810]

@@lonniekramlich6241 Very cool. Hey also try & get some good footage or pics.😁

[@zer0tzer0]

It is structured, very. Kanami writes the songs. Then she sends the basic tracks to MISA and Akane to add their parts over those. Then Miku writes the lyrics and works those out with Saiki making a change here and there if it isn't cool enough. They usually play to the backing tracks. So if you hear additional vocals or instruments, that's what it is. They will recreate the recordings. But if they add solos they have to be timed very exactly since Akane will be locked into the backing tracks as her Click.

[@glenmartinez5158]

Great live band & in recordings you can fully appreciate kanami's guitar playing which often is low in the live mix. My favorite band after 72 years of multi genre listening. Check out my other favorite band, The Warning. They are releasing a new song, "money" tomorrow, mar. 25th.

[@Pit_Wizard]

Band-Maid is genre-defying, but they're built on a hard punk rock base. Manners has elements of funk, while Black Hole has elements of speed metal. They don't let themselves get tied down by genre conventions, which I've noticed is a growing trend in the Japanese rock and metal scene. There's a whole Renaissance going on over there.

[@rodcarter3767]

Excellent reaction..!! Thank you for your insight..!

[@Godstud]

Ahhh ah ah ah ah ah! Love that part, too!

[@kekunkekpar9770]

When I ear Manners, for me it make me think about Deep Purple. And Black Hole is a beautiful organized chaos!🤔

[@philproffitt8363]

Apparently Ian Paice is one of Akane's influences...in particular the song 'Highway Star'. Her flow is just awesome...as are the whole band.

[@bryanhallman8183]

The live intro to Manners is a Misa improv. How she remembers it for every show, I dunno. 😛 You might also like Different, Sense, and HGK.

[@etoineschrdlu9382]

"Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah-ah!" Band-Maid, rumored to have more hooks than a Miami fishing charter. They wrote 'Manners' to be catchy tune that would stick in peoples heads. They even did research on what makes a song "catchy". 'Black Hole' takes getting used to. It may have been written for BPM bragging rights: They were interviewed by Herman Li of Dragonforce and started talking about whose song had the most BPM. Kanami promised to write a song that would become a stretch goal for their drummer, Akane Hirose. The lead guitar is the lead composer and composes on piano, guitar, and by humming or singing to herself. She writes all the guitar parts and a vocal melody. Then she hands it off to the bass player, who writes a bass line, and tosses the demo to the drummer, and then the rhythm guitarist tries to write lyrics with a little help from the vocalist. Then they negotiate until they have a song. AND THEN the guitarist writes down the score. They collaborate on producing their own recordings and backing tracks. They even wash their own uniforms. For the album that 'Manners' and 'Black Hole' appear on, Kanami Tono published the entire score in a book - after 20 pages of interviews, there are about eighty pages of sheet music. Kanami gives guitar lessons on her Instagram page. She WANT people to cover Band-Maid songs! She taught the rhythm guitarist/vocalist/lyricist how to play guitar from zero.

[@philproffitt8363]

One of their classic greats for me, and worth hearing the studio + MV, is 'Dice'. Great musicians...a word about Miku: She started the band with the cute maid/hard rock idea. After 4 assembled she found a stronger singer and demoted herself to backup vocals. She just posed with guitar (breakout MV 'Thrill') and since then has been taught rhythm guitar by the lead guitar/composer Kanami. Miku writes the lyrics, which match the quality of the bands songs...and she gives awesome personality solos during concert (Magic Spell Time). Viewed by some as the weakest member of the band (yes, her with her own signature Zemaitis 'Flappy Pigeon' guitar) but nonetheless...a firkin legend!!

[@tamotsuish]

Love the video keep it up

[@lewissmith4123]

Really pleased you liked those two tracks. For a heavier track you could try 'Rinne' or for another twofer try Dice/Different, Different is more organised chaos and Dice features more great bass licks from Misa. Miku, the rythmn guitarist and band founder couldn't even play the guitar when they started, now she is the glue that holds them all together. Enjoy !!

[@TehPhysics]

The amazing thing about these women is that they can play everything live exactly the way it sounds on the album. Or better. Usually, better!

[@MrEd-qg8td]

Be forewarned Kanami (Lead Guitarist) and main composer of the songs you hear watches reaction videos.

[@jamesredman1263]

Manners lyrically is a series of word pictures of their journey and devopment as a band. The MV has a bunch of arty symbology involved. I loved it.

[@drvijil]

Hahaha 🤣 Great review. Both songs are great.Manners is such a cool groove. Band Maid are masters of controlled chaos. You’re spot on about the vocals on Black Hole. Band Maid are the best. There are no bad songs by Band Maid. You’ll have plenty of material for future reviews.

[@jamesredman1263]

I think you would like Band-Maid's Domination, and Dice. They kick ass, especially live. Others mentioned The Warning. 3 sisters from Mexico who can sound like 6... IMHO they lean more consistenly toward old school metal style and pissed off attitudes. Young but musically mature. Their version of Enter Sandman with Alyssa Cara is on the Metallica Blacklist album. You mentioned thrash. Another all female Japanese band is "Moth in Lilac". Their older stuff is more chaotic, but their newer lineup and material, like in the past year or so, is sounding pretty good to me, more control on the chaos. Powerful new lead singer. Lead guitarist Lisa13 is remarkably capable, especially considering she has no actual fingers on her right hand and plays with a clamping device holding a super duty pick - ferociously. Asterism is another metal group that sounds bigger than it is. Lead guitarist Haruka impresses everyone who sees and hears her. But the two brothers on drums and 7 string bass are no slouches either. Lovebites is mainly power metal. You might dig it. Stunning tiny ladies with a big sound. Hagane is... whatever it is, is definitely metal. You gotta hear them! Gacharic Spin is kinda jazz-rock in the past year or two IMO, and I'm liking this direction. They have always been high energy and still are, highly entertaining in live shows and often weirdly funny, but I see more and more depth as they go along. Current (sorta) MVs include Mindset and I Wish I. Have fun!

[@jamie.norris]

Subbed for the Band Maid Journey. Thanks for sharing.

[@5Melig]

O boy, he is sold.

Try having Manners in your earbuds and taking a walk. You just can't go without the groove

[@philproffitt8363]

And bob your head like a pigeon to the...ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah :-))

[@realdocloco]

I just can't understand how a musician can hear punk in Black Hole. No punk bassist, drummer or guitarist would play this way - nor would want to do it actually. It's the exact opposite of punk, except speed of execution maybe (no disrespect to punk from me, I love the proto-punk, then CBGB's and british first wave). I'm a little more comfortable with the "prog-rock on speed" definition but in the end, it's pure Band-Maid, and no one does it the same way.

[@2abug]

I think it's just Kanami's main octave riff. It resembles to what Offspring would do for example. But that's the only moment in the song that can make you think of Californian pop punk IMO

[@realdocloco]

@@2abug you're right 🤘

[@DavidMISAMISAMISACook]

MISA MISA MISA! It's Saiki (only wimps need to breath) Atsumi

[@lewissmith4123]

love that hahaha !

[@lurkmerchant]

🤣

[@Greg-om2hb]

Try No God (from the same session and album) next. Then, Play (live at a real concert). I’ve been listening to Punk Rock since 1977, and I’ve never considered Black Hole to be Punk. (Although, to be honest, I’ll admit that Kanami’s first riff, when she joins in with Miku, could be in a Punk song.) Because of the complexity of the composition, I might call it Prog, or even Jazz.

[@crabuki1273]

Black Hole is insanity. That's what Black Hole is. Manners is a groove and a half.

[@Gaius__]

Yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-yeah-YEAH!! _Kobato Miku, 2021_

[@saikisfang9339]

I think it is time for Domination live. They are on another level with a real live crowd in front of them.

[@Parker--]

Band-Maid fans are called MAIDiacs. Black Hole is a punk-metal song for sure. Actually quite a bit of their recent tracks have been punk-metal. If you like the "flight of the bumblebee" guitar shredding at the end of Black Hole, you might enjoy Different. If you want something a bit more chonk to your metal, I'd suggest the "Rinne" (or Reincarnation) music video.

[@surfingasongwave]

Band-Maid covers a lot of different styles. It seems to me like bands in Japan don't get as pigeon-holed as bands in the west. If you're forcing me to categorize them, I might call them more like prog punk or alt punk. Their songs are short but they don't believe in anarchy. They're fast and loud but not sloppy. Sometimes they veer into ballads, or jazz riffs, or disco, or old-school rock and roll. Their best song is the last one you listened to.

[@Metal_Auditor]

I agree with you that punk rock is traditionally rock music for people who aren't very good at the guitar, but this is definitely not that even if it has that feel.

[@_JimS]

We are "Maidiacs"

[@jkkansasband7056]

Good reaction RockdaRiff. Love the hell out of this vid. Shows how monstrous they are no matter what style they play. They each excel at what they do. There's some more reasons why BAND-MAID are awesome. Peace.

[@GaryHolloway-810]

I've just been told my last comment on Roninman has gone. Why do YT hate me so much for being more popular than them.😏

[@jkkansasband7056]

@@GaryHolloway-810 And it didn't even have profanity? You're like a video reactor (nuclear?) w/o even reacting to a video.🌋 A conspiracy theorist would say you're on a blacklist. Of course Gray will vouch for you.

[@Sergof]

I don't think they have a single song that came out of a jam. The guitarist starts writing the songs by herself and they work pretty much completely digitally. The only real name for BAND-MAID fans is "Masters and Princesses" which is what the band uses, not sure you want to do that. I know some people on youtube like to call themselves "Maidiacs" which imo is even worse.

[@Parker--]

What's wrong with Maidiacs?

[@ernestrimbeck7630]

You liked Manners you should watch the music video You hear Kaname's guitar better and Miku's parts are just as awesome but you don't get that great drum bass intro Trade offs

[@pulp-tx6lq]

Black hole is more speed metal than punk.

[@rockdariff]

Its not that fast compared to some of the bands I listen too daily…I guess for me its the vibe…makes me think of punk but Im not the best at identifying genres

[@philproffitt8363]

@@rockdariff Genre is 'Maid-Rock' ;-)

[@user-mt7xi2oi3v]

What's funny? Are you making fun of BAND-MAID? DON'T WATCH BAND-MAID AGAIN!

[@interstellardave]

He wasn’t making fun of them.

[@kent-oveprestberg3578]

😬🤪....get laid or something! Chill!

[@stealthcabbie1336]

Lol..... Maybe you should really think before you comment again...... He WAS NOT making fun of Band-Maid. 🤡

[@justlivein1678]

彼はバカになんてしてないですよ。 もう少し場の空気読んでからコメントしましょうよ。 このコメントは削除した方がいいと思いますよ。

[@toqtoq9094]

日本人として恥ずかしいからやめてくれ