OK, fine... I'll be the voice of dissent: it's basically karaoke for people with a fetish.
They're obviously fine musicians... but the entire thing is kinda gimmicky. "Oh, look... those sweet, submissive maids are playing [generic] rock music". Like Babymetal.. except they actually play their instruments [which def is a plus, but not really enough for me]. Take away the outfits, replace the women with dudes, but keep the music the same... and suddenly no one cares because it feels like you've heard it a million times before.
And really, I think saying stuff like "they are on the cutting edge" about stuff that's so obviously not does a disservice for everyone involved. We get it, you like it, and that's fine, but... it's in no way on the "cutting edge" of anything... which kinda makes it seem as though you're not actually focused on the music. Just sayin'.
YOU feel like you have heard it a million time before. Thousands of fans feel differently. The first times I got Band-Maid recommended by YouTube, I did not check them out. I had previously checked out some other gimmick bands from Japan, and the algorithm just did its work. I wasn't in the mood for another. At some point I relented and listened to them. I'm a big fan of great drumming, and the aggressive drumming stood out immediately to me. I didn't expect it at all from a hard rock band. The composition of the song was also intriguing, sounding both familiar and fresh. I was hooked within the first 1/3 of the song, and I started going deeper into their catalogue.
What I found was a great variety of styles, and each song given a lot of care and attention. The amount of details going into each song was unexpected. Nothing was phoned in, each song brought something the other songs didn't have. You say generic. That is a very common perception if you don't like a certain music. When you are dismissive of something, your brain conflates it and bundles it into a samey package. When you are interested in something, your brain picks out the details. My guess is that you are doing the same as I did, dismissing them because of the gimmick. I was open to them when I actually listened to them though. I did not let my preconception rule me.
"the aggressive drumming stood out immediately to me. I didn't expect it at all from a hard rock band."
.... Oh, I guess you do have a point. I mean, most "hard rock" bands don't even have a drummer. I guess they really are cutting edge after all... aggressive drumming in a rock band, what a major innovation! My bad!
I was curious if he could surprise me, but he follows the predictable pattern of nay-sayers getting hung up on gimmick. Now that Band-Maid is getting more and more traction because of festival appearances, these kinds of drive-by comments will naturally increase.
Great article by the way. I hope they will return to Europe some time soon. I would love to see them live, because everyone says their live performances are one of the best out there.
I'll go with the opinions of the large numbers of serious musicians who do consider them cutting edge. There are very few Western bands writing stuff as progressive as Band-Maid--I'd name Polyphia, Sleep Token and Animals as Leaders, which are way too metal for most peoples' tastes. Band-Maid have found a way to write stuff that is just as innovative and package it into 3-4 minute songs with pop hooks. As for the fetish, you do seem focused on it, but most of Band-Maid's fans get the joke! Anyway, thanks for taking the time.
"I'll go with the opinions of the large numbers of serious musicians who do consider them cutting edge."
Yes, that's called "appealing to authority"... very cutting edge ;)
"There are very few Western bands writing stuff as progressive as Band-Maid..."
OK... I don't even really listen to "progressive metal" and I can name more than 3 examples [from reddit?] off the top of my head: The Omnific, Pomegranate Tiger, Arch Echo, Haken, Persefone (really only like the first 2)... then there's the obvious classics like Coheed & Cambria, Gojira, Meshuggah, or even TOOL (are they still putting stuff out.. haven't really paid attention in a while). Say that to someone who actually listens to prog metal and you'd be sitting here for a while reading through their list. Claiming there aren't many bands doing this kind of thing is incorrect at best.
So, if they're demonstrably not "cutting edge", what could possibly prompt someone to say they are? There aren't many choices: topical ignorance, merely repeating what someone else said, purposefully lying, or personal bias... though, once you veer away from the music itself, I can easily think of several things they're doing that aren't exactly common, and could considered "cutting edge" if it weren't for the fact that bands wearing goofy outfits has very much been a thing for as long as there's been a music industry, and women being in rock bands has been a thing since before I was born.
Sure, the combo isn't ubiquitous, but... it's not much more than a cleaned-up [NPI] version of Courtney Love's "Kinderwhore" look from 30 years ago through a prog filter. But again, that really has nothing to do with the music... though, to Courtney's credit, back in the day, she put "femininity" on display in a way the world really hadn't seen before (as long as you never heard of Babes In Toyland... but Hole's songs *were* better). These girls dress up as maids and call their male fans "masters". Sure, it's a "joke", but then so is acting like I'm the one focused on the fetish aspect of it all. LOL.. c'mon.
Ok, if you want to get into insulting my intentions or level of knowledge, we can stop right here. I fully acknowledge I haven't heard everything, but simply dismissing my opinion as "bias" etc. isn't the basis for a conversation. If you are interested, I did a post last December on "instrumentals of the year", and Band-Maid made the list. You may be surprised:
By the way, I like some of the groups you mentioned, especially Haken and Arch Echo, though the latter are sort of mini-Polyphia with keyboards; I think Gojira and Tool are past their expiration date. As for the Maid schtick, I actually would like to see them get away from it because it's polarizing (this conversation being a case in point) and they honestly don't need it any more.
"Ok, if you want to get into insulting my intentions or level of knowledge, we can stop right here."
I don't recall insulting anyone. Unless you mean the literal 2-word "reddit" quip. If so...lol.. stop. You said there were "few" bands doing what they doing — which just isn't true. That's not an insult, that's a fact check.
"As for the Maid schtick, I actually would like to see them get away from it because it's polarizing"
They've been doing it for a decade now — they're not going to stop... because that *is* the schtick... which is my entire point.
As I have mentioned many times I really do think they are unique and just special. Ten years of evolving and just getting better and better. Which considering how good they have always been just is phenomenal. I have many of their CDs now and DVDs of concerts. They are a medicine for the modern World. Thanks for the review and I have shared it with fellow fans and non fans alike. Thanks again for reviewing this very special bunch of musical geniuses.
Just a correction needed on the main picture acknowledgment heading the piece. It is Peter Lim not Kim.
Thanks!
Wow!
I loved this band! Thanks for sharing.
OK, fine... I'll be the voice of dissent: it's basically karaoke for people with a fetish.
They're obviously fine musicians... but the entire thing is kinda gimmicky. "Oh, look... those sweet, submissive maids are playing [generic] rock music". Like Babymetal.. except they actually play their instruments [which def is a plus, but not really enough for me]. Take away the outfits, replace the women with dudes, but keep the music the same... and suddenly no one cares because it feels like you've heard it a million times before.
And really, I think saying stuff like "they are on the cutting edge" about stuff that's so obviously not does a disservice for everyone involved. We get it, you like it, and that's fine, but... it's in no way on the "cutting edge" of anything... which kinda makes it seem as though you're not actually focused on the music. Just sayin'.
YOU feel like you have heard it a million time before. Thousands of fans feel differently. The first times I got Band-Maid recommended by YouTube, I did not check them out. I had previously checked out some other gimmick bands from Japan, and the algorithm just did its work. I wasn't in the mood for another. At some point I relented and listened to them. I'm a big fan of great drumming, and the aggressive drumming stood out immediately to me. I didn't expect it at all from a hard rock band. The composition of the song was also intriguing, sounding both familiar and fresh. I was hooked within the first 1/3 of the song, and I started going deeper into their catalogue.
What I found was a great variety of styles, and each song given a lot of care and attention. The amount of details going into each song was unexpected. Nothing was phoned in, each song brought something the other songs didn't have. You say generic. That is a very common perception if you don't like a certain music. When you are dismissive of something, your brain conflates it and bundles it into a samey package. When you are interested in something, your brain picks out the details. My guess is that you are doing the same as I did, dismissing them because of the gimmick. I was open to them when I actually listened to them though. I did not let my preconception rule me.
"the aggressive drumming stood out immediately to me. I didn't expect it at all from a hard rock band."
.... Oh, I guess you do have a point. I mean, most "hard rock" bands don't even have a drummer. I guess they really are cutting edge after all... aggressive drumming in a rock band, what a major innovation! My bad!
That wasn't even my point.
Hey Mads, don't waste your time, he's just trolling. Thanks for stopping by.
I was curious if he could surprise me, but he follows the predictable pattern of nay-sayers getting hung up on gimmick. Now that Band-Maid is getting more and more traction because of festival appearances, these kinds of drive-by comments will naturally increase.
Great article by the way. I hope they will return to Europe some time soon. I would love to see them live, because everyone says their live performances are one of the best out there.
Seen them three times, they keep raising their game. I do hope they do a Europe tour too, I'm pretty sure it's in the works.
I'll go with the opinions of the large numbers of serious musicians who do consider them cutting edge. There are very few Western bands writing stuff as progressive as Band-Maid--I'd name Polyphia, Sleep Token and Animals as Leaders, which are way too metal for most peoples' tastes. Band-Maid have found a way to write stuff that is just as innovative and package it into 3-4 minute songs with pop hooks. As for the fetish, you do seem focused on it, but most of Band-Maid's fans get the joke! Anyway, thanks for taking the time.
"I'll go with the opinions of the large numbers of serious musicians who do consider them cutting edge."
Yes, that's called "appealing to authority"... very cutting edge ;)
"There are very few Western bands writing stuff as progressive as Band-Maid..."
OK... I don't even really listen to "progressive metal" and I can name more than 3 examples [from reddit?] off the top of my head: The Omnific, Pomegranate Tiger, Arch Echo, Haken, Persefone (really only like the first 2)... then there's the obvious classics like Coheed & Cambria, Gojira, Meshuggah, or even TOOL (are they still putting stuff out.. haven't really paid attention in a while). Say that to someone who actually listens to prog metal and you'd be sitting here for a while reading through their list. Claiming there aren't many bands doing this kind of thing is incorrect at best.
So, if they're demonstrably not "cutting edge", what could possibly prompt someone to say they are? There aren't many choices: topical ignorance, merely repeating what someone else said, purposefully lying, or personal bias... though, once you veer away from the music itself, I can easily think of several things they're doing that aren't exactly common, and could considered "cutting edge" if it weren't for the fact that bands wearing goofy outfits has very much been a thing for as long as there's been a music industry, and women being in rock bands has been a thing since before I was born.
Sure, the combo isn't ubiquitous, but... it's not much more than a cleaned-up [NPI] version of Courtney Love's "Kinderwhore" look from 30 years ago through a prog filter. But again, that really has nothing to do with the music... though, to Courtney's credit, back in the day, she put "femininity" on display in a way the world really hadn't seen before (as long as you never heard of Babes In Toyland... but Hole's songs *were* better). These girls dress up as maids and call their male fans "masters". Sure, it's a "joke", but then so is acting like I'm the one focused on the fetish aspect of it all. LOL.. c'mon.
Ok, if you want to get into insulting my intentions or level of knowledge, we can stop right here. I fully acknowledge I haven't heard everything, but simply dismissing my opinion as "bias" etc. isn't the basis for a conversation. If you are interested, I did a post last December on "instrumentals of the year", and Band-Maid made the list. You may be surprised:
https://zapatosjam.substack.com/p/best-of-2022-rock-instrumentals
By the way, I like some of the groups you mentioned, especially Haken and Arch Echo, though the latter are sort of mini-Polyphia with keyboards; I think Gojira and Tool are past their expiration date. As for the Maid schtick, I actually would like to see them get away from it because it's polarizing (this conversation being a case in point) and they honestly don't need it any more.
"Ok, if you want to get into insulting my intentions or level of knowledge, we can stop right here."
I don't recall insulting anyone. Unless you mean the literal 2-word "reddit" quip. If so...lol.. stop. You said there were "few" bands doing what they doing — which just isn't true. That's not an insult, that's a fact check.
"As for the Maid schtick, I actually would like to see them get away from it because it's polarizing"
They've been doing it for a decade now — they're not going to stop... because that *is* the schtick... which is my entire point.
As I have mentioned many times I really do think they are unique and just special. Ten years of evolving and just getting better and better. Which considering how good they have always been just is phenomenal. I have many of their CDs now and DVDs of concerts. They are a medicine for the modern World. Thanks for the review and I have shared it with fellow fans and non fans alike. Thanks again for reviewing this very special bunch of musical geniuses.
Thanks Russell, as always. Yes, keep getting the word out there!
WoW! Thanks for putting them on my radar!
Thank you for checking this out! I hope you get a chance to dig into their catalogue-over 160 songs to date, and no duds.