Report and review

BABYMETAL, a metal phenomenon whose name at this point needs no introduction, brought heavy metal chaos upon the crowd in Des Moines, Iowa on November 27 as a stop on their 2024 World Tour. Leading up to the sh...

Report: “Inside” HYDE’s world tour finale in Los Angeles

Dec 20, 2024

Featured, Report and review

Jrock superstar HYDE descended upon Los Angeles on November 30 with his haunting carnival, marking the ultimate stop of the HYDE LIVE 2024 WORLD TOUR. HYDE’s travels had swept him across Asia—to Taipei, Hong K...

Review: HANABIE.’s unapologetically fierce EP “Bucchigiri Tokyo”

NBT

Dec 4, 2024

Today marks the release of HANABIE.’s EP, Bucchigiri Tokyo (ぶっちぎり東京), and we’ve had the opportunity to dive deep into its tracks ahead of its official launch. Our first impression was how the EP offers a more r...

Report: HEY-SMITH steals the show at Supernova Ska Festival 2024

Erica

Oct 24, 2024

Releases, Report and review

The Supernova International Ska Festival marked its 10th anniversary in 2024 by turning the beach at Fort Monroe, Virginia, into a vibrant celebration of ska culture. The festival offered a well-rounded experie...

Review: BAND-MAID album “Epic Narratives” steps forward to unlock joy

Oct 10, 2024

BAND-MAID dropped album Epic Narratives on September 25, marking the eight full-length record that follows Unseen World from 2021. After filling the three-year void with the punchy 2022 EP Unleash and two North...

Report: MAKE MY DAY says goodbye with final show “The Farewell”

afaenia

Jul 21, 2024

Disband/Hiatus/Revive, Report and review

After 10 years of working together, the members of MAKE MY DAY announced on April 11, 2024, that they would be calling it a day with a final show titled "The Farewell", to take place on May 31. Ten years is a p...

Report: ASTERISM rocks out with fans at Anime Expo 2024

Bri

Jul 15, 2024

Instrumental metal band ASTERISM appeared at all four days of this year's Anime Expo, making the most of every moment to meet with fans and share with them the world of PLANET OF METAL. Their jam-packed schedul...

Report: SiM dominates The Fillmore Silver Spring in first US headlining tour, “PLAYDEAD”

Erica

Jun 12, 2024

On May 15, 2024, JROCK NEWS covered SiM's first-ever US headlining tour, PLAYDEAD in Silver Spring, Maryland. Just last year, I watched them open for DANCE GAVIN DANCE in this very venue. This time, under the s...

Review: the knowlus marks 10 years with album “Discovery Age”

Mazohyst_Kyo

Jun 1, 2024

Releases, Report and review

A lot of my reviews are for heavy hitters that are massive in scale and aggressive with the musical approach. We all have another side to us, and today I would like to introduce you to some seasoned veterans in...

Report: BABYMETAL barrages San Francisco with back-to-back BABYKLOK shows

May 14, 2024

Kawaii metal trio BABYMETAL brought back-to-back shows of THE BABYKLOK TOUR 2024 to San Francisco on April 24 and 25 with co-headliner Dethklok. As the only US stop to witness the searing carnage wrought by the...

Report: YOASOBI keeps San Francisco up all night

May 8, 2024

Musical storyteller YOASOBI and the anime streaming service Crunchyroll invited Jpop lovers across the California Bay Area for a pandemonium of electropop on April 21. YOASOBI has embarked on a dizzying race in...

Interview: XaaXaa makes explosive US debut at Katsucon 2024

Erica and Rin

Apr 26, 2024

Interview, Report and review, Tour and event

XaaXaa made their American debut at Katsucon, an annual celebration of Japanese culture in National Harbor, MD. XaaXaa's Friday night performance packed the ballroom, with fans queuing hours before the show. As...

Report: Madmans Esprit’s five-night blitz “JAPAN TOUR 2024 -CHOP 5 days-“

Rin

Mar 24, 2024