Animetal is a Japanese novelty heavy metal band famous for covering speed metal versions of theme songs from Anime and Tokusatsu shows. It was formed by vocalist Eizo Sakamoto in 1996 and released a total of 10 albums until they disbanded in 2006.
Earlier this month we were able to lay our ears on Animetal USA's first album. Animetal USA is a newly formed team of American musicians in an attempt to fill in the gap left by the original Animetal band. These musicians are vocalist Mike Vescera (ex-Loudness, Yngwie Malmsteen) guitarist Chris Impellitteri (Impellitteri), bassist Rudy Sarzo (Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot, Whitesnake, Dio) and drummer Scott Travis (Racer X, Judas Priest)
Animetal USA was able to bring up a unique sound in their debut album. They still incorporate some anime songs with riffs from famous heavy metal songs and each musician having a different style in performance. Also, the Japanese lyrics are re-written in English (with some catchphrases and lines left in Japanese).
Anyway, here's a track-by track review for the songs from anime theme songs that I am familiar with:
- Space Battleship Yamato
Okay, so the intro sounded good on this one. Check a translation of the original Japanese lyrics on the net and you will see that it's close to the band's translation. It's almost as good as the version of Space Battleship Yamato that appeared on Animetal's 2006 album Decade of Bravehearts.
- Gatchaman no Uta
One of the songs that I looked forward to hearing. Yay! They used the riff of Iron Maiden's Flight of Icarus on the intro which makes sense because Gatchaman is a series that is related to flight. Good... The translation was also close to the original lyrics except... wait... did Mike just sang "Who is HE?" on the first line and "HE's soaring on with HIS white wings: Gatchaman!" further? It's like referring to Gatchaman as one man. The riffs were also good but the lyrics is what brought this song down.
- Mazinger Medley
I was like "Holy S***! Mazinger Z!". The riffs of their Mazinger Z Theme wasn't as good as Animetal's. The lyrics used was similar to original singer Ichiro Mizuki's version. Yeah, My hair raised when I first heard the chorus...
And the Mazinger fandom doesn't stop there, also included is Great Mazinger's Theme. Yeah, another eargasm when I heard the chorus. The lyrics were just perfect for both songs.
- Makafushigi Adventure! (Dragon Ball)
The riffs were similar to the original version. Scott does a series of double pedal beats to make it sound heavier. The lyrics sounded just good.
- Zankoku na Tenshi no Teze (Neon Genesis Evangelion)
Okay, the intro was too long and a bit boring. Chris does a good rendition of this popular theme. The lyrics... Bad! Seriously, It sounded like they translated it word for word and used it right away. Ends up, too few words per musical line making it sound complicated. Well you can still enjoy it. Just don't pay too much attention on the lyrics, the lead solos are killer!
- Ai wo Torimodose!! (Hokuto no Ken/Fist of the North Star)
Again, the intro was too long and was a slightly altered rendition of the original... which reduces the manly energy brought by this song to the fans of Hokuto no Ken. It could have been better if it wasn't altered by a bit. Well, at least you'll hear Mike screaming the famous "You Wa Shock!" line. The English lyrics fits the tune perfectly as well.
- Pegasus Fantasy (Saint Seiya)
"Saint Seiya!!" A note-per-note metal rendition of the original. The lyrics went well with the tune but some parts felt a bit lame.
Overall:
To sum it all up, It's good to see that another band plays with the style of Animetal among other bands (Eizo Japan, Sheja) who also do heavy metal covers of anime songs, along with the cool costumes on stage. Animetal USA, some people say that it's a terrible idea, others believe that it's great. Well, it all depends on your preference. If you want to hear heavy metal versions your anime theme songs in a language that you can understand perfectly then it's worth checking this album out.
