Sandbox 4: Listening to every Touhou death metal album (with extras)

March 2025 note: on further thoughts, I need to brush up on my melodeath history do this topic any justice, so it's on hiatus for now.

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couldn't think of a list name so i'm just gonna go with the tried and true basic description

For a long time I've been wanting to do a metal genre deep dive list, but held off as I wanted to develop my music writing sense first. Now that I feel more confident I'm giving this idea another shot. As to why I've picked death metal in particular, well, I like extreme metal lmao. But there are also enough circles making this music to make a sizable list (so thrash and black metal are out) without being overwhelming (so even if I love power metal, there's way too much releases for me to consider it). Personal taste is also a factor as I'm less motivated if I have to listen to a bunch of music I don't like (which is to say, I could do a djent list, but the fact that I'll need to listen to modern metalcore is a demotivator).

So what counts for this list? I thought about it and decided to overinclude than underinclude for this list, so it will include metal genres that aren't death metal but are highly influenced by it. So early 00s melodic metalcore counts, as it's a specific style of metalcore of that era that uses a lot of melodic death metal riffs, but "melodic metalcore" in the sense of metalcore that's melodic (for example, mainstream metalcore circa 2010 or djentcore with melodic vocals) won't count. Deathcore also count, obviously. Death doom metal also count even though it's more doom metal than death metal.

How do I find circles and releases to put on the list? A lot comes from personal knowledge, but for lesser known circles I defer to the tagging on a certain doujin metal page on VK as I trust their expertise. I also went through RYM charts to find possible releases that I might have missed. With that said, mistags do exist, and I do want to acknowledge them in some way.

So here's my temporary structure for this list, which is split into 3 sides: A-side, which is where everything that follow the above criteria goes to; B-side, which houses mistags and releases that don't fit the main list, but still give important context, either because they have some relevant tracks or are an early release by one of the circles featured; and C-side, which are non-Touhou albums that are influential to circles on this list. With that said, as this is a chronological dive, I'm putting A-side and B-side together. This part isn't final, and since this is in the sandbox stage I might change it if something doesn't work out.

A and B side

曲目信息
Steel of Scarlet （2007-05-20） 社团：MyonMyon B-side ---- Before we get to Pizuya's Cell and MyonMyon's collaborations, we first have to take a look at the two circle's solo works.
曲目信息
Eternal Circle Nine （2007-12-31） 社团：Pizuya's Cell B-side ---- Pizuya outright states on the packaging that "danmaku is melodic death metal" so there was basically no way this wasn't gonna be on the list on way or another. With that said, though, this doesn't really get to it until five tracks in - Sealed history & Night is piano, something Pizuya has always been solid at; Puzzled New Days and Frenzy Moon are both boring midtempo alt metal - it wouldn't be until Violet Lotus Requiem when Pizuya would start making good alt metal. Tropical Trick and Night maze picks up the speed and has some melodeath bits via early 00s melodic metalcore but ends up being mostly one-note metalcore. Now we get to Bloody Flower Connection and Sadistic Dealings, the two melodic metalcore tracks that are relevant to this list. The arrangements are solidly made and dynamic, though it's not something I'd come back to when his collabs with MyonMyon are much better. The Touhou melodies mostly come through the synths, which I think is kind of a lazy way to arrange melodies. Sure, it has the melodies, but in exchange the guitar parts end up sounding lackluster. As much as I dislike super ornate symphonic metal where the guitars are boring and just there for the guitar quota, at least you could enjoy the ornateness on its own. Here there's just a synth, which isn't enough to make me ignore the midtempo chugs or one-note riffs. Taking that into consideration, it shouldn't be surprising that my favorite tracks here are the piano bookends. 4/10
曲目信息
SYMMETRY BURZUM （2008-05-25） 社团：Pizuya's Cell trance metal, early 00s melodic metalcore And here I realize that calling this "early 00s melodic metalcore" doesn't quite work. Sure, the riffs are definitely that, but all the trance synths make it distinctly not that. Look, if you know my music tastes in EDM you know I just do not like trance metal. The overblown, cinematic bass music + alt metal mix that Pizuya started doing on Clair de Lune is much more my thing (and out of scope for this list). If you like this and haven't listened to Blood Stain Child, go listen to that for a much better album. 3/10
曲目信息
The Grimoire Of Alice（同人专辑） （2008-11-02） 社团：Pizuya's Cell, MyonMyon early 00s melodic metalcore/melodic death metal, trance metal (mostly) Separately, the two circles are no strangers to the type of melodic metalcore played on this album. MyonMyon's Steel of Scarlet had it on withered world and the title track, and Pizuya's Eternal Circle Nine had it on Bloody Flower Connection and Sadistic Dealings. The arrangements are solid, but the cheap trance synths detracts a lot from the experience. For some reason, in the first half of the album they're loud and overpower the guitars, but in the second half it gets a bit quieter and lets the guitars through. Still, they did try to keep the instrumentation interesting. Really, just listen to Resurrection Ballad for the better version of this album. It has vocals! 5/10
曲目信息
The Addictive Verses （2011-08-13） 社团：Kissing the Mirror B-side nu metal and rap metal with a bunch of melodeath/melodic metalcore riffs Oct 16, 2025 Hey remember when noted Big Three of Touhou Melodic Death Metal member Kissing the Mirror made a nu metal album? For the most part, I do not like nu metal, but I figured maybe this being Touhou would change my mind. 1st shit did not convince me, but part way through Moratorium they started playing their brand of melodeath in combination of the rapping and I was actually hooked. This combination absolutely should not work, and it's not like the two genres are combined in a novel way - you're not having both at the same time, but rather there are clear separations between the melodeath parts and groove-based nu metal chugs and metalcore breakdowns. But it's just absurd enough that I actually like it. It doesn't last though - the closer Nightmare and the bonus Tamaonsen cover 南柯之夢 returns to a purer nu metal sound, but I'm happy that I didn't outright hate the album. 7/10
曲目信息
Keep Your Faith （2017-05-07） 社团：IRON ATTACK！ melodic death metal, power metal Feb 19, 2026 I don't like power metal, and Iron Attack is Touhou music's most prolific power metal circle. So you might expect me to hate this album. But surprise! (insert Kogasa jumpscare) I actually like Keep Your Faith. It and Japonism are actually the two Iron Attack albums I like (or at least don't outright dislike, in Japonism's case), largely because it's different from their usual fare. Of course, this being from a power metal background, the music is gonna be on the poppy side of melodeath. On the flip side, Iron-Chino's fairly set in his power metal ways, so there aren't any breakdowns or groove-forward bits that you'd find in modern pop melodeath. The major exception is Pray, which is just heavy metal. While I tend to not like most pop melodeath, what helps in this case is 勇舞's gruff vocals, which replaces the genre's usual dynamic of harsh vocal verses and clean vocal choruses. Gruff vocals has an edge of harshness over clean vocals, while still being recognizable as language to normal people. The only place where the harsh-clean dynamic appears is on Lay siege the moon, where the harsh vocals are sung over dissonant riffs, while the clean vocal chorus is sung over a ballady guitars. 7/10
曲目信息
BLACK ALBUM （2021-03-21） 社团：SOUTH OF HEAVEN melodic death metal, metalcore Feb 19, 2026 Still baffled at the existence of this album. Despite naming themselves after a Slayer album, South of Heaven actually plays inoffensive heavy/power metal arrangements and has kept that up for almost a decade. Then they pivoted to making pop metal arrangements of Love Live songs, and returned to Touhou arrangements in 2017 more or less continuing what they did before, but consolidated their most idol pop metal songs on the Protest the Heroine series. The circle's cover arts in this revival era might look edgy, but don't expect the music to be anything alt like Ave Mujica or Babymetal. That is, except for this album. I'd compare Black Album's sound to Undead Corporation - the riffs are in the melodeath/metalcore area of 極鉄 or 一撃, the songs are melodic but not afraid to put in actual dissonance, and there's a tiny bit of experimentation (a little bit of quiet trance synths here and there, the rap part of ゴーストリード, a few seconds of funk on Pseudonymous) spread throughout to show that they're not like, metal purists or anything. And I do have to give it to IKUTO, I like the album. I think they could have done more with the funk bit, and the closer One Savant Dream feels the most like a generic Undead Corporation song, as enjoyable as it was. The ~2:30 average track lengths is short compared to UC or SoH's typical songs, but they still feel satisfying to listen to, and I could go for a UC album that's punchy. So yeah, a circle that I dislike actually made something that I like. 7/10

C-Side

Non-Touhou albums that are influential to circles on this list. I'm not writing listening experiences on these.

• In Flames - The Jester Race (1996; melodic death metal)
• Children of Bodom - Hatebreeder (1999; power metal/melodic death metal)
• Soilwork - Natural Born Chaos (2002; new school of melodic death metal)
• Blood Stain Child - Idolator (2005; trance metal/melodic death metal)
• The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal (2007; melodic death metal)

stuff to add

曲目信息
Gothic（同人专辑） （2007-08-17） 社团：黒夜葬 B-side ----
曲目信息
GODS （2009-03-08） 社团：THOUSAND LEAVES B-side ---- Surprisingly, this is a B-side - Kouta does neoclassical power metal here while 川瀬 is doing whatever janky brand of prog rock he usually does.
曲目信息
幻想郷から超鋼鉄重低爆音 （2010-08-14） 社团：UNDEAD CORPORATION
曲目信息
Vermilion Hades （2010-08-14） 社团：Kissing the Mirror
曲目信息
Experimental Section （2009-10-11） 社团：Stratiotes
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Barrage Am Ring 0 （2010-03-14） 社团：Barrage Am Ring real historically significant stuff - still thinking about how to talk about it
曲目信息
Lightning Discharge （2012-05-27） 社团：CROW'SCLAW This and The Flames of the Inferno are one of the things I got from RYM charts. Pretty surprising as I've always pegged them as a power/heavy metal circle.
曲目信息
Subterranean Sun （2009-12-30） 社团：ELECTRIC RED definitely a b-side, it's broadly prog metal and half of it is old-school djent/math metal, but there are tracks like The Grimoire of Alice that fall under the 00s melodic metalcore/melodeath umbrella.
曲目信息
The Edge Of The Knife （2008-12-29） 社团：BLANKFIELD RYM charts also list the circle's other albums (and the first split with Minstrel) under melodeath which is really funny because this is the only one that fit the list from what I remember (I only like the last two tracks), and the other ones are strictly djent and tech metalcore. even then this is a borderline case as the first half is power metal. 2025 edit: turns out there were like 3 people max who genre voted their albums on RYM and I think they just followed the existing votes, so I'm not gonna include the rest. Also I remembered wrong, the first half isn't power metal.
曲目信息
ultima weapon （2010-12-30） 社团：AGENT 0 no XIII because there's still no rips of it