Maximum the Hormone

I don't really care for nu-metal bands outside of certain releases by Slipknot, Staind, System of a Down, or the early stuff by Korn. However, there is one other band that I will listen that indulges in the nu-metal sound. This band is the Japanese band Maximum the Hormone.

As with all the bands that fit this genre, I really can't listen to them for too long of a time. But Maximum the Hormone do provide enough quirkiness to keep their songs light as well as heavy. They have some serious pop elements in their music (please remember that Japanese pop is a serious earworm and it will stay in your head longer than any Lady Gaga song... don't say I didn't warn you), but they also have some hardcore moments with guttural vocals and rapping. You'll go from listening to melodic singing over something like a doo wop guitar riff to a grindcore riff (don't even know if I'm listing that genre right, but whatever) with not-so-melodic singing within the space of about fifteen seconds.

System of a Down probably comes close to being this diverse, but Serj and Daron just don't have the pipes for melodic pop singing or guttural vocals. And they don't sing in Japanese.


While I still prefer German rock to Japanese rock in a lot of respects, I would say that Maximum the Hormone could very well rival my fondness for Megaherz. Although not Rammstein or Oomph! just yet and probably never.

It doesn't hurt Maximum the Hormone that they've had a few songs featured in popular anime shows, either. Their songs What's Up, People?! and Zetsubou Billy were featured as the opening and ending theme songs for the second season of DEATH NOTE, respectively. Their song Akagi was also featured in the anime of the same name.

They also recently released a song called [F] that is about the villain Frieza from DRAGONBALL Z. That song isn't featured in the show or anything, but it is about freaking time more bands started writing songs about DBZ.

Their current line-up is Nao, Maximum the Ryo-kun, Ue-chan, and Daisuke-han and they have released a total of five studio albums so far. Their most recent is called YOSHO FUKUSHU.

So if you've never listened to Maximum the Hormone then it's time to unfuck that. Here's a little taste of hybrid and hyper brand of rock.
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