Coexistence of Ferocity and Beauty: A Roundup of Japanese Screamo/Post-Hardcore Bands
Screamo is said to be a music genre that emerged in the 1990s as a derivative of emo and hardcore.
The term itself is thought to blend “scream,” meaning to shout, with “emo,” which refers to emotional elements.
In other words, broadly speaking, screamo is music that adds shouted vocals—such as shouts and growls—to melodies often described as emotional or “emo.” However, today it has closely intertwined and overlapped with metalcore and post-hardcore, making the boundaries difficult to define.
In this article, we’ll introduce bands that are classified as screamo in a broad sense, including those often discussed within the context of these neighboring genres.
Savor the unique appeal of each band—whether it’s the raw power of intense shouts or the poignant beauty of clean vocals woven into that intensity.
Coexistence of Ferocity and Beauty: A Roundup of Japanese Screamo/Post-Hardcore Bands (1–10)
M1917a crowd of rebellion
A five-piece rock band from Niigata.
The lineup consists of vocalist Daisaku Miyata, vocalist/guitarist Ryosuke Kobayashi, guitarist Baku Maruyama, bassist Yusuke Takai, and drummer Gaku Kondo.
Their hallmark is the contrasting twin vocals: Kobayashi weaves delicate, high-toned melodies, while Miyata delivers powerful performances with death growls.
While rooted in screamo, which emerged in the 1990s, their shape-shifting song arrangements create a distinctive and evocative sonic world.
a fact of lifeFACT
A rock band that has continued to attract support both in Japan and abroad even after disbanding in 2015.
At first listen, their high-speed drum beats, triple guitars, and screaming vocals give a strong impression of hardcore, but their meticulously crafted, high-level compositions—featuring tight guitar phrases and time signatures so complex they’re almost indecipherable—are truly one of a kind, continuing to influence many bands even after their breakup.
Beyond heavy music, their broad musical palette incorporating dance and electronica exemplifies a true 21st-century crossover.
Return to ZeroFear, and Loathing in Las Vegas
Fear, and Loathing in Las Vegas is a rock band that’s made a huge impact with a style that boldly incorporates metal and dance music into post-hardcore-esque tracks.
Their twin-vocal setup features So, known for heavily Auto-Tuned singing, and Minami, who mainly handles screams and shouts.
At first glance, many of their songs might come off as flashy party tunes, but the more you listen, the more addictive they become.
That’s because the clean, beautifully crafted melodies you want to revisit again and again are contrasted with sharp, tight screams that color their music in a striking way.
You could call it screamo in a broad sense, and if you’re into that kind of genre, you should definitely give them a listen.
The Revelationcoldrain
coldrain is a five-piece loud rock band formed in Nagoya.
If we define screamo as songs where beautiful melodies sung with clean vocals coexist with aggressive shouts and growls, their tracks are the very essence of screamo.
Of course, with each release they keep evolving by adding various elements, but the appeal at their core remains unshakable.
Another point that can’t be overlooked when talking about them is that their vocalist, Masato, handles both the gorgeous clean vocals and the growls all by himself.
Standing at the center of the four band members and singing with a single microphone in hand, he has an overwhelming presence.
LeviathanCROSSFAITH
CROSSFAITH is a metalcore band that enjoys enormous popularity not only in Japan but overseas as well.
Their signature style fuses hard-hitting tracks with plenty of electronic elements, and bold shouts give their songs an even more aggressive edge.
At the same time, some tracks weave in mystical, beautiful passages between the intensity, and many listeners are inevitably moved by that contrast between ferocity and beauty.
While they might not strictly fit the “screamo” label in terms of emotional clean parts, we’ve chosen to feature them here in a broader sense—because of the way their music shines with beauty within the heaviness.
Sweetest vengeancePay money To my Pain
When it comes to rock bands known for a style that blends beauty and intensity, you can’t talk about the genre without mentioning them.
At the end of 2012, their vocalist K passed away suddenly, and they could no longer continue as a four-piece; even so, they remain immensely popular in the loud rock scene today.
K’s gorgeous clean vocals and fiercely compelling growls have captivated countless fans.
In addition to vocals that at times beautifully and at times ferociously pour out a range of emotions, the instrumentalists’ dynamic contrast between quiet and explosive passages is outstanding.
The emotional peaks and valleys embedded in their songs keep powerfully shaking our hearts as we listen.
your colors, your feelingsStory of Hope
Bands with female death growls are pretty rare, right? Story of Hope is a screamo band from Sendai, and their appeal lies in a coolness that has none of that “cut me some slack because I’m cute” vibe.
What stands out is how they switch between parts with a clean, girlishly transparent singing voice and parts with a low, powerful death growl that could put many men to shame.
The way they use the voice as one of the instruments—changing its tone like a guitarist would with effects—really showcases the sophistication of their music.
