The musical world must know Onmyo-za

If there is a special characteristic of music, it is that it is universal. Each country, culture or region has its own traditions which are also reflected in the music, creating autochthonous styles that speak of the cultural and historical richness of the area. Thus, considering the vastness of the world, we can get an idea of how wide these musical styles are, which can change radically since each place in the world is different in language as well as in idiosyncrasy.

Now, the point I want to highlight is the way in which different cultures adapt already existing musical styles, but adding their own elements such as languages, musical instruments, clothing, etc., and well, the band that I will present today is a great example of what I want to share with you.

Onmyo-za is a Japanese Heavy Metal band that I met thanks to an anime called "Basilisk Kōga Ninpō Chō", the opening of this anime I liked a lot and from there I started to investigate and delve into the origins of the band and when I realized I was already immersed in the discography, they already had several albums and I did my best to get them, so soon I was already a fan of the band and even had some DVDs.

But enough of this talk, I want you to listen to the music this band makes and the best way is to do it with a live song, there you will see once and for all who they are, the musical style and how exotic it is, remember that the base style of the band is Heavy Metal.

In the following music video you will see how the band implements elements of Japanese culture, in fact, I would say that the whole historical and millenary theme is the main basis and inspiration for the band to compose their songs. Here you will see how they use traditional Japanese clothing and the story of the video clearly shows samurai or Japanese warriors being protagonists.

And now, I present the song that started this whole journey, as I said, “Kouga Ninpocho” is the song that served as the opening of the anime “Basilisk Kōga Ninpō Chō” and was the one that generated curiosity in me about the band. This is a song that from the beginning presents a Japanese flute with a characteristic sound typical of that culture and then integrates the other instruments with a good Heavy Metal.

So, considering the great technical and creative level of the band, I consider that they should be much more recognized in the world, but I guess the language barrier is the main obstacle for them to stay always in Japan making music for their people, and well, I think that's something admirable since they somehow feel satisfied in their own borders where I understand they are quite famous.

I will keep listening to this band even though I can't understand what their songs say, but I know that most of them talk about mythology, culture and stories of that region. I love their instrumentals, the strength of their guitars, the power of the bass and the high pitched vocals that combine quite well to create unique and exotic pieces of music. I hope you found this band interesting, believe me that if you dig a little more about them you will be immersed in an unforgettable journey.