asian-invasion

There are some genres of modern music with which the Japanese have completely set themselves apart from the rest of the world. The only reason more English-speaking audiences haven’t embraced the musical superiority from the East has to be the inability to ignore the language barrier. The Japanese, however, continue to send their best acts to the States on short promotional tours to curb this behavior.

One such example is the Underneath; more visually grabbing than your average band and more musically proficient than most. Their borderline metal style leaves just enough margin for the mainstream to catch on to the melodic guitar crunch and the downright harmonic vocals. One might even be inspired to mimic the Japanese lyrics so they can sing along. The best thing about the vocalist is that he sounds like a MAN rather than a whiny, bellowing, angsty teen or a growling, snarling he-beast of the “death metal” sort.

With five members, the Underneath possesses versatility which reaches beyond the traditional heavy rock sound. They have taken their musicianship to the next plane of sound as they also utilize digital tools to enhance and expand their techniques. On stage, they have a presence which has earned them the distinction of being the “visual band of a new era.” If you caught them on the Taste of Chaos tour last year (under the J-Rock Revolution banner with fellow countrymen D’espairs Ray among others), you don’t need this endorsement to make your mind up.

For more about the Underneath and their new release, Moonflower, you can visit their official web site as well as sample some of their offerings on their Myspace page. They will also be returning to the States for a performance Sunday, August 10 at the First Mariner Arena in Blatimore, MD for Otakon.

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