GALNERYUS

Japan is no hotbed of power metal, but Galneryus are a convincing (if derivative) answer to European overlords of pomp and chugging riffs such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica, whose sound is mixed with a dash of visual kei of the X-Japan variety (a band whose own style wasn't that far away from Euro-metal, either). Galneryus stick to English lyrics, although they began to add songs in their native tongue in the late 2000s. The band was formed in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B, both experienced hands with eight previous projects between them, including Valkyr and...