We should have titled this piece, “The angriest Japanese rock and metal songs of all time so far as voted by our readers”, but that’s not as catchy.
If you’re in the need of a bit of music therapy, you’re in the right place as we recently asked our readers across our social media to submit names of their go-to angry song. There were hundreds of submissions but we’ve condensed it to the crème de la crème.
Instead of punching a hole through the door, surrender to the sweet sound of metal and rock to soothe your inner rage. Commence the top 10 angriest songs as recommended by our readers!
10. Deviloof – ISHTAR
An excellent entrée starting with a release from 2018, ISHTAR is the featured track in Deviloof’s hyper grindcore EP, Kaika (開花) which means “bloom”. Our resident good boy, Mazohyst_Kyo, splurged on the limited edition with the two bonus tracks and gave us his verdict on the release.
9. Arlequin – Paranoia
Paranoia originally came out on the self-titled maxi-single in 2016, followed by a mixed version on their second album Utopia that came out a couple of months after. We’ve gone for the OG version, but you can listen to their album version on Spotify to compare for yourself.
8. Crossfaith – Countdown To Hell
Dipping into industrial metal and electronicore, we’re slowly crawling further back in time with a 2013 release by Crossfaith. This is a live version of Countdown To Hell from their third studio album Apocalyze. Could this be the only fully English lyric track on this countdown…?
7. Crystal Lake – AEON
The only English track? Of course not, don’t be ridiculous. We still have Crystal Lake. Coming in hot is AEON from the Helix album in 2018. Produced by Daihei Yamanaka who’s also been involved with Her Name In Blood, this album was completely written by the metalcore band themselves. Overall we thought the album was so-so, but it seems you lot enjoyed it nevertheless.
6. NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST – DEAD END
Not only would we be disappointed in our readers, but we would be doing ourselves an injustice if we left out NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST. At number six, the readers have picked DEAD END from the 2014 album The Omnigod, but many of you also mentioned VENOM and DESPERATE which are worth checking out too.
5. Girugamesh – LIMIT BREAK
If you have been region-blocked for the video below, try listening to it on Spotify.
Much loved alternative metal band/internet meme sensation, Girgumesh, has always haunted our ears with their musical prowess and excellent songwriting. Whenever we check the comment section, it seems you folks haven’t been able to let go of this band since the breakup four years ago. Written by Satoshi, LIMIT BREAK was one of the bonus tracks on the European release of their sixth studio album, MONSTER, alongside takt.
4. DIMLIM – Shiragami (シガラミ)
Kicking in at four, we have deathcore DIMLIM with Shiragami from their first concept album CHEDOARA. With songs sounding this big, it’s easy to forget that DIMLIM debuted in 2017. This album even made an appearance on the Oricon album chart and peaked at number 194 if you need official validation.
3. DIR EN GREY – Uroko
If you have been region-blocked for the video below, try listening to it on Spotify.
There we go. The name everyone here has been waiting for. Uroko (鱗) which means “fish scales”, is the third track on the 2014 Arche album that’s themed around pain.
Uroko is a relatively new track amongst DIR EN GREY’s lengthy discography that spans back to 1997, so it’s strange to see this track voted at number three when classics like Obscure and Child Prey are kicking around. Personally, we dig most of the tracks on The Marrow of a Bone.
Much like bread and butter, DIR EN GREY is a staple in the death and progressive metal larder. When you’re hungry for a heavy dose of sky-high falsettos and death screams you’d thought they’re the ones our readers would run to, so who might top them?
2. the GazettE – Ugly
Ah yes, we should have known. Love them or hate them, you know fans are passionate about these kings and would squeeze the life of these guys given the chance. Out of love—obviously. Metalcore track, UGLY, came out on the self-titled single in 2015 as the third movement of their musical cycle, Project: Dark Age, that consisted of 13 movements. Did you know fans were recruited to be cast in the UGLY music video via a tweet from vocalist, Ruki? You can spot everyone at 25 seconds in.
1. DIR EN GREY – Saku
Ha! We’re actually doubling down on more DIR EN GREY.
So many of you voted Saku as their go-to angry song, it’s actually a bit weird. Perhaps you all should think about getting a 10-hour loop of it and organizing a get-together, eh?
Saku (朔) meaning “New Moon”, came out on DIR EN GREY’s fifth album Withering to Death that was released in 2005—one of the oldest tracks in this countdown. This was their first album to be officially released outside of Japan—in Europe, North America, and South Korea, and here’s a fun fact—only the United Kingdom and American edition contained an additional DVD with the music video for Saku.
That brings us to the end of the roundup. Do you feel better now, or has the lack of your go-to angry song made things much worse? File your complaint in the comment section below and we’ll get back to you after we down a cold-one. Our ears are on fire after listening to 100+ tracks in one go.