Formed in Fukuoka, Japan in 2011, energetic power metal five-piece Bridear have since deservedly earned themselves a reputation as one of their nation's most reliably consistent heavy bands, knocking out five studio albums of top-tier quality riffage in the process. This year's Born Again record was another slab of anthemic heavy metal histrionics, confirming that the quintet's steady momentum is showing no signs of slowing down. We sat down with frontwoman Kimi and got her to make us a kickass playlist - and explain the reasoning behind her song picks. See what she had to say below and listen to her mix at the bottom of the page.
“SEX MACHINEGUNS are a great Japanese group, and the band that introduced me to heavy metal. German Power has an absolutely epic reputation live – it’s essentially a classic thrash metal song in a Japanese style, and has an intro with crowd participation that gets everyone ready. We want to be a live band that can live up to this standard.
"Master Of Puppets was not only my introduction to METALLICA, but also to the metal world outside of Japan. I listened to it every single day, so thrash metal and speed metal are the basis of my love of heavy metal. When I was a student, HELLOWEEN were my favourite band. Where The Rain Grows was my introduction to vocalist Andi Deris, and the melody and his voice were amazing. But what really made an impression was the stupid video! It was fun and goofy and made the young Andi look cute. Picture a young Japanese girl watching these Germans have fun and produce epic metal in a different language...it really made an impact!
“I spent many hours next to my brother while he played the videogame Romancing SaGa, so it just seeped into my brain. The battle scores, especially Battle 2, contain a lot of elements used in Japanese heavy metal, so it immediately connected to the music that I was listening to from a compositional perspective. Scar Of Reunion from our latest album, Born Again, is a piece that is strongly influenced by the type of game music KENJI ITO does – he is now at the core of my music.
“Discovering IN FLAMES changed my life. The first time I heard Drifter, everything about the song was a shock to me as a young J-metal fan with little knowledge of the overseas classics. From there, I was instantly captivated by the wonder of this thing called melodic death metal. To then, years later, visit Gothenburg and have Fredrik Nordström produce Born Again, and have [frequent In Flames collaborator] Patric Ullaeus produce our video [for Still Burning], brings me back to where it started.
“JANNE DA ARC’s Diamond Virgin is my ‘ideal’ song. I felt frustrated when I heard it for the first time, because I couldn’t understand how to strike this balance of J-rock and hard rock elements. I always think to myself, ‘I have to make a song that surpasses this one!’ I’m kind of chasing that balance in my own way. ANOTHER STREAM are also a J-metal band. Lie was written with the idea of, ‘Let’s make a stupidly cheerful song when we’re having a hard time!’ I listen to it when I am having a difficult time and it cheers me up. Personal stuff, professional challenges... this is the song that can get me back on track.
“Singer-songwriter TSUKIKO AMANO is my biggest influence when it comes to lyrics, and Lion is the song that got me to focus on them. Until then, I had only focused on the rhythm and sound of the lyrics. But when I heard this song, I began to understand the relationship between the sound of the notes, the melody line, and the meanings of what was being conveyed. Her use of metaphors and implied meanings is skilful, and after listening to this song, I began to look into things like wordplay and intimation.
“X JAPAN are the pride of Japan’s heavy metal and visual-kei scenes, so of course I love them too! I don’t think there’s a kid in Japan who ever picked up an electric guitar who hasn’t learned the intro to Kurenai. All the songs on the Blue Blood album are great, but Kurenai really shows off why Hide is a legendary guitarist in Japan.
“I listened to GALNERYUS’s Beyond The End Of Despair... album a lot when I started the band I was in before Bridear. It triggered something in me compositionally that followed me to Bridear. Shriek Of The Vengeance is what is called ‘kusa metal’ in Japan, which describes melancholy melodies, fantasy worldview, and that dramatic, almost cinematic composition style. The first note of the introduction immediately lifts my spirits to the highest level.”
