Kiryu 己龍
Kiryū (己龍) were a Japanese visual kei act founded in 2007 around a concept of 'Japanese terror' and 'painful nostalgia,' pairing heavily stylized angura-kei stagecraft with a folk-metal-inflected sound rooted in traditional Japanese aesthetics. Fronted by vocalist Mahiro Kurosaki alongside guitarists Takemasa Kujō and Mitsuki Sakai, bassist Hiyori Isshiki, and drummer Junji Tokai, the band charted repeatedly on Japan's Oricon Indies chart and played Nippon Budokan before entering an indefinite hiatus at the end of 2023.
SCORE PROFILE
Accent numbers counted towards the index. Hover an axis — or hold it on a phone — for what it means.
WHY THOSE SCORES
- Theatrical 5 — Visual kei band built around a 'Japanese terror'/'painful nostalgia' concept with member-coded color personas and elaborate stylized Edo/Showa-era costuming.
- Folk 3 — Wikipedia's genre infobox lists folk metal among their styles, reflecting traditional-Japanese-culture-influenced songwriting.
MEMBERS
- Mahiro Kurosakivocals
- Takemasa Kujōguitar
- Mitsuki Sakaiguitar
- Hiyori Isshikibass
- Junji Tokaidrums
FURTHER LISTENING
Nearest score profiles in the atlas.
- UnaffiliatedEI 12AtooishinjuuTheatricalFolk
Atooishinjuu is a US-based (Georgia) avant-garde/industrial metal project formed in 2002. Their debut EP 'Give In to You' introduced tom-heavy tribal drumming and clean production, followed two years later by the concept album 'The Death Imprint' (2004), which explores grief through atmospheric sample collages, hand drums, sitar and layered vocals. Sourcing on this act is thin, limited chiefly to a single Last.fm biography and a near-empty Bandcamp page, so details here carry low confidence.
- UnaffiliatedEI 12A Verbal EquinoxTheatrical
A Verbal Equinox was a six-piece dark cabaret/experimental rock band from Elmwood Park, New Jersey, active 2010-2014. Their sole LP featured future solo artist Will Wood. Not a metal band by any reasonable definition — surfaced in the RYM chart despite this.
- UnaffiliatedEI 13Lies of the MachineTheatricalFolk
Lies of the Machine were a Budapest, Hungary avant-garde/symphonic steampunk metal band, active 2013-2020, built around a concept world ruled by a 'Machine Lord' and blending symphonic and folk metal with industrial, thrash and cabaret elements. Their sole full-length, 'Freakshow' (2016), pairs clean vocals from Dauda Judit with the varied melodic/aggressive vocals of Buza 'Don' Balázs, and the band staged elaborate steampunk/circus ('psychocircus') live shows.
- Patton-verseEI 10OrdkløverTheatrical
Ordkløver is a music-and-poetry project begun in 1999 by Düreforsög vocalist Boris Schiøler alongside bandmates Nis Bysted and Andreas Hauer-Jensen. Its sole release, Byen Buldrer ("The City Rumbles", 2005, Escho), pairs Schiøler's phonetic poetry with rock guitar and drums and an eight-voice choir, described by reviewers as sounding like "intoxicated monks and/or sea pirates."
- UnaffiliatedEI 12Polkadot CadaverTheatricalFolk
Polkadot Cadaver is an American avant-garde/alternative metal band formed in Rockville, Maryland in 2007 by ex-members of Dog Fashion Disco, and stylistically a close continuation of that band. Their 'schizophrenic musical madness' shape-shifts between thrashing metal, folk-pop, experimental rock and darkly comedic theatricality across albums like Purgatory Dance Party, Sex Offender and Echoes Across the Hellscape. Clutch's Neil Fallon guested on their 2013 record.
- UnaffiliatedEI 9CoppeliusTheatrical
Coppelius are a Berlin chamber-metal ensemble formed in 1997 who replace guitars and bass with cello, double bass, two clarinets and harpsichord, performing in top hats and tailcoats as a troupe of named Victorian/steampunk personas. Taking their name from the sinister toymaker of E.T.A. Hoffmann's 'Der Sandmann,' the band builds full theatrical stagings around dark-romantic themes across seven studio albums released since 2007 on F.A.M.E. Recordings.
- UnaffiliatedEI 11Tok YathraaTheatricalFolk
Tok Yathraa is the one-man 'Bomoh Metal' project of a Singaporean musician (previously of local acts Demonification and Ironfist), fusing black and heavy metal with Southeast Asian ghost folklore. Since the 2020 debut EP 'Chapter: Kuntilanak,' each entry in the ongoing 'Chapter' series is a concept record built around a single regional spirit - toyol, pocong, orang minyak, hantu jepun, genderuwo - with the artist citing King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, and Malay singer SM Salim as touchstones for its theatrical, horror-folklore-driven songwriting. Live performances add hired bassist Joa DC and drummer Demonomancer.
- UnaffiliatedEI 16Stolen BabiesTheatricalFolk
Stolen Babies are an American experimental/avant-garde rock band formed in California in 2001, built around Dominique Lenore Persi's accordion and theatrical vocals in a 'dark cabaret' meets prog-metal frame. Twin brothers Rani and Gil Sharone anchor the rhythm section; influences include Oingo Boingo, Mr. Bungle and Fishbone. They released There Be Squabbles Ahead (2006) via No Comment/The End Records.
- UnaffiliatedEI 8DakryaTheatrical
Dakrya are a theatrical/avant-garde metal band from Athens, Greece, founded in late 2004 by classically trained keyboardist Sophia Charalampous. Crime Scene (2010) was recorded in Sweden with producers known for work with Diablo Swing Orchestra and Dark Tranquillity.
- UnaffiliatedEI 10Aberrant VascularTheatrical
Aberrant Vascular is a Helsinki, Finland project built in 2003 around opera vocalist Vladimir "Lumi" and keyboardist Heikki "Mr. Rych" Pöntinen, releasing a single album, Aegisthus (2012), that layers operatic vocal theatrics over trip-hop beats, industrial synths and guitar riffing. It has been namechecked alongside Arcturus, Solefald, Vulture Industries and Sleepytime Gorilla Museum for its bombastic, genre-blending approach, though reviewers note the metal riffing itself stays fairly conventional under the vocal pyrotechnics.