| Epic Narratives | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 25, 2024 | |||
| Language | Japanese, English | |||
| Label | ||||
| Band-Maid chronology | ||||
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Epic Narratives is the eighth studio album by Japanese rock band Band-Maid. It was released on September 25, 2024 and was their first full-length studio album since the release of Unseen World in January 2021, three years and eight months prior. It reached the top 10 on iTunes worldwide albums chart. [1]
The production period for the album lasted three and a half years. [2]
"Shambles" was used as the ending theme for the second season of Kengan Ashura . [3] "Protect You" was used as the ending theme of Grendizer U . [4] The band said that they were given a request not to make it as intense as one of their previous songs. [4] Rhythm guitarist/vocalist Miku Kobato said she was told to make the song about the heroine instead of the main character. The lyrics focus on the twin sisters Rubina and Terrona. [4] Lead guitarist Kanami Tōno said she didn't want to make the song a ballad. [4] Tōno said she wanted the guitar solo to have a melody that can hummed too, while also being technical. [5]
"Show Them" is a collaboration with the Mexican band The Warning. [2] [6] [7] Band-Maid met The Warning at Aftershock Festival 2022 and the two bands discussed a collaboration. [6] Tōno wrote the demo of the song and then showed it to the members of The Warning, who suggested some changes. [6] Band-Maid wanted to write a song that featured the characteristics of both bands. [6] Both lead vocalist Saiki Atsumi and Daniela Villarreal of The Warning sing in a higher register than usual due to Tōno's insistence. [2] [6] Kobato and The Warning wrote the lyrics with the idea of portraying a strong female image. [2] [6] They considered having a verse in Japanese or Spanish, but decided to keep the song completely in English. [7] Band-Maid recorded their parts first, with The Warning recording theirs later. [8]
Tōno wrote "Forbidden Tale" after the death of someone close to her. Atsumi had told Tōno that she wanted a song with a lot of progression. Drummer Akane Hirose said she didn't want to make it sound too cluttered by putting too many notes in it. Bassist Misa tried to keep the song sounding simple. [9]
Kobato tried to make "Brightest Star" sound like a call-and-response exercise with the audience. When Tōno showed Kobato the demo of the song, she imagined a very poppy song, but wanted to include darker lyrics, and tried to express the feelings of both sides of humanity through her singing. Kobato included the English phrase "I'm game" after reading it in a book. Tōno wrote the guitar solo for both her and Kobato to play together, and tried to emulate the sound of a harmonica. [9]
Tōno wrote "Letters to You" to appeal to people who like Band-Maid's poppier songs. Atusmi wrote the lyrics with the idea that you will never forget the people you have lost and will always think of them. [10] "The One" was originally written by Tōno with idea of being performed at Yokohama Arena. Kobato rewrote the lyrics three times, with the image of thinking of someone important in mind. [10] "Memorable" is a ballad written during their 2022 North American tour. [11] "Go Easy" was written around the time the previous EP Unleash was being written. Tōno wanted to write a song that would get live audiences excited right from the introduction. [10]
For "Toi et moi", Tōno wanted to write a riff that would pull the listener in, and that would also sound like a typical Band-Maid riff. Tōno intentionally kept the song short in length. Kobato said she couldn't find a title in English that worked, so she chose one in French because she felt that French people express themselves clearly through their movies. [9]
For "Tamaya!" Atsumi wrote the lyrics with the idea of having twin vocals, and wanted to feature Kobato's vocals in the forefront of the mix. [10] "Get to the Top" was the last song written for the album. When the album was almost completed, Atsumi approached Tōno with the idea of including an instrumental song. [10]
All music written by Band-Maid, except where noted.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Magie" (Magic) | Saiki Atsumi | 3:06 | |
| 2. | "Shambles" | Miku Kobato | 3:25 | |
| 3. | "Protect You" | Kobato | 3:17 | |
| 4. | "Show Them" (with The Warning) | Kobato, The Warning | Band-Maid, The Warning | 3:16 |
| 5. | "Forbidden Tale" | Atsumi | 4:36 | |
| 6. | "Bestie" | Kobato | Band-Maid, Mike Einziger | 3:40 |
| 7. | "Brightest Star" | Kobato | 3:18 | |
| 8. | "Letters to You" | Atsumi | 3:11 | |
| 9. | "The One" | Kobato | 4:11 | |
| 10. | "Memorable" | Kobato, Atsumi | 3:17 | |
| 11. | "Go Easy" | Kobato | 3:02 | |
| 12. | "Toi et moi" (You and Me) | Kobato | 2:59 | |
| 13. | "Tamaya!" | Atsumi | 3:19 | |
| 14. | "Get to the Top" | (instrumental) | 3:08 |
Limited edition with Blu-ray or DVD featuring the Day of Maid recorded live at Zepp Haneda on May 10, 2024.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Black Hole" | |
| 2. | "Giovanni" | |
| 3. | "Balance" | |
| 4. | "Hate?" | |
| 5. | "Shambles" | |
| 6. | "Spark" (Hibana, 火花) | |
| 7. | "I Still Seek Revenge." | |
| 8. | "Why Why Why" | |
| 9. | "Manners" | |
| 10. | "From Now On" | |
| 11. | "After Life" | |
| 12. | "Go Easy" | |
| 13. | "Memorable" | |
| 14. | "About Us" | |
| 15. | "Bestie" | |
| 16. | "Corallium" | |
| 17. | "Brightest Star" | |
| 18. | "Unleash!!!!!" | |
| 19. | "H-G-K" | |
| 20. | "Influencer" | |
| 21. | "Magie" | |
| 22. | "No God" |
Band-Maid
Additional personnel
Production
| Chart (2024) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Japanese Albums (Oricon) [12] | 8 |
| Japanese Digital Albums (Oricon) [13] | 8 |
| Japanese Combined Albums (Oricon) [14] | 12 |
| Japanese Hot Albums ( Billboard Japan ) [15] | 10 |
Dead End was a Japanese heavy metal/hard rock band formed in Tokyo in late 1984. Following the release of their debut album Dead Line in 1986, the classic lineup of vocalist Morrie, bassist Crazy Cool Joe, guitarist You and drummer Minato was solidified in May 1987. They released three more studio albums and were one of few Japanese metal bands to have international exposure in the United States during the eighties, before dissolving in 1990.
Band-Maid is a Japanese rock band formed in 2013, consisting of singer Saiki Atsumi, guitarist/singer Miku Kobato, lead guitarist Kanami Tōno, bassist Misa, and drummer Akane Hirose. The band combines a rock sound with a maid image modeled on Japanese maid cafés. They are currently signed to Pony Canyon. Their most recent studio album, Epic Narratives, was released in September 2024.
New Beginning is the second mini-album released by all-female Japanese hard rock band Band-Maid. It is the band's final release under Gump Records, as they joined Nippon Crown the following year. The album reached number 64 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart. The album was originally scheduled to be released on November 4, 2015, but was pushed back two weeks.
Just Bring It is the fourth studio album and first full-length album by Japanese band Band-Maid, released on January 11, 2017 in Japan via Crown Stones and February 10, 2017 internationally by JPU Records. The record was preceded by the quintet's first world tour and the single "YOLO", released in November 2016. The album reached number 16 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, selling 4,015 copies in its first week.
"YOLO" is the second single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid. Released in Japan on November 16, 2016, by Crown Stones, it is the band's first single on a major record label. The title track is featured as the theme song of the video game Valiant Knights.
Mary's Blood was a Japanese all-female heavy metal band from Tokyo, formed in 2009 by four former members of Destrose. It consists of vocalist Eye, drummer Mari, guitarist Saki and bassist Rio since 2012. After releasing three EPs as an independent band, they signed to Nippon Columbia for their first album, Countdown to Evolution (2014). Mary's Blood then switched to Victor Entertainment for the release of Bloody Palace (2015) and Fate (2016). They signed to Tokuma Japan Communications in 2018 and released three further studio albums, including their highest-charting, Confessions (2019). Mary's Blood began an indefinite hiatus on April 9, 2022.
World Domination is the fifth studio album by Japanese all-female rock band Band-Maid. It was released on February 14, 2018, and was supported with the World Domination Tour 2018. Music videos were made for the single "Daydreaming", the lead track "Domination" and the last track "Dice". The album debuted at number nine on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, selling 8,140 copies in its first week.
Maid in Japan is the debut mini-album by Japanese all-female rock band Band-Maid. It was released on January 8, 2014. The album did not chart during its initial release. The album was reissued with two bonus tracks on February 14, 2018, and that version reached number 26 on the Japanese Oricon Albums Chart, selling 2,994 copies.
Vulgar is the fourth studio album by Japanese heavy metal band Dir En Grey released on September 10, 2003 in Japan and on February 21, 2006 in Europe. A limited edition containing an additional DVD was also released. It featured the video of the song "Obscure", albeit a censored version. Vulgar is the first Dir En Grey release not to feature individual credits for the music, though the preceding singles featured individual credits.
Conqueror is the sixth studio album by the Japanese all-female rock band Band-Maid. It was released digitally on December 4, 2019, with physical formats released one week later. It debuted at number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart and debuted at number one on the Oricon weekly Rock Album ranking. The album was preceded by the singles "Glory" and "Bubble", both released in January 2019. The international version from JPU Records includes English lyric translations and Romaji lyric transliterations.
Mission is the 22nd studio album by Japanese singer/songwriter Mari Hamada, released on January 13, 2016. Hamada's first new album after a four-year hiatus, it was her final release by Meldac/Tokuma Japan after being with the label for 14 years. The album is offered in two editions: a single CD and a limited edition with a bonus disc.
Unseen World is the seventh studio album by the Japanese all-female rock band Band-Maid. It was released digitally on January 13, 2021, with physical formats released one week later. It is the band's first album for Pony Canyon.
"Daydreaming/Choose Me" is the third single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on July 19, 2017, by Crown Stones. Band-Maid made a cameo appearance in the 2021 Netflix film Kate, playing "Choose Me". "Choose Me" was used in the third episode Better Goff Dead of the 2022 TV series Peacemaker.
"Start Over" is the fourth single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on July 25, 2018, by Crown Stones.
"Glory" is the fifth single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on January 16, 2019, by Crown Stones. The song was used as the second ending theme for the second season of the anime Yu-Gi-Oh! VRAINS. It was released on the same day as "Bubble".
"Bubble" is the sixth single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on January 16, 2019, by Crown Stones. The song was used as the theme song for the Japanese drama show Perfect Crime. It was released on the same day as "Glory".
"Different" is the seventh single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on December 2, 2020, by Nippon Crown. The song was used as the opening theme song for the third season of the anime Log Horizon.
"Sense" is the eighth single by Japanese rock band Band-Maid, released in Japan on October 27, 2021, by Pony Canyon. The song was used as the opening theme song for the anime Platinum End.
Band-Maiko is the first extended play by Japanese rock group Band-Maid. It was released on April 3, 2019, by Revolver Records. In the EP, their maiko costumes and the music with Kyoto dialect lyrics and wagakki became a very popular topic of discussion. It debuted at number 15 on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 4,440 copies in its first week.
Unleash is the second extended play by Japanese rock band Band-Maid. The EP was released by Pony Canyon on September 21, 2022, and contains eight tracks, including the lead single "Sense". It debuted at number nine on the Oricon Albums Chart, selling 7,590 in its first week.