The Magma of War

Take Magma, Area and ELP at their most excessive, feed them an overdose of caffeine and you'll get the gist of what Koenjihyakkei sound like. Or imagine the speed of Deus Ex Machina and then add many more tempo changes and musical ideas. Anyone not ready for some insane, amphetamine-driven prog are advised to stay clear of this foursome. As for others, they're in for the musical roller coaster of their lives. Headed by vocalist, composer and drummer extraordinaire Tatsuya Yoshida, this Zeuhl band is an offshoot of Japanese cult duo Ruins. In addition to Ruins' own bassist Shigekazu Kuwahara and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, Koenjihyakkei also feature excellent female vocalist/keyboardist Aki Kubota (who is replaced by Nami Sagara on their third album)…

Take Magma, Area and ELP at their most excessive, feed them an overdose of caffeine and you'll get the gist of what Koenjihyakkei sound like. Or imagine the speed of Deus Ex Machina and then add many more tempo changes and musical ideas. Anyone not ready for some insane, amphetamine-driven prog are advised to stay clear of this foursome. As for others, they're in for the musical roller coaster of their lives. Headed by vocalist, composer and drummer extraordinaire Tatsuya Yoshida, this Zeuhl quartet is an offshoot of Japanese cult duo Ruins. All of the group's albums are insanely hyper, all exploding with flashy keyboard lines, intricate death-metal guitar riffs, speedy, convoluted bass/drum patterns, operatic female vocals that border on apocalyptic war cries and chanted in a language of their own (a nod to Magma); all this combined with a superhuman technique and catchy, complex arrangements.