MUGA

There are often bands that are referred to as the incarnation of another, more well known, band but from a different country. That was the case where MUGA popped up in the early '00s, when the influence of TRAGEDY was actually changing the way crust and hardcore bands around the world were approaching songwriting and inadvertently homogenizing the continent of Europe. Their demo dropped a shitheap of soaring melodic guitars in my lap and all I could think was "this is the Japanese TRAGEDY." With distance and perspective, Nagoya's MUGA might fall more in line with the epic emotional hardcore (that became incorporated into the aforementioned subgenre) than Swedish influence mid tempo DBeat but, regardless of how you classify them, their songs will consume you. Only three tracks on the cassette that Satoshi quietly passed around Philadelphia when I met him in 2004, and every one of them is an absolute crusher. Two full lengths followed, and I celebrate the entire discography enthusiastically. 

THE ROAD OF ASURA

And to add a little unnecessary context:  I met bassist the Yas in 1996 at the ASSFORT/HICKEY/FUCKFACE/PISSED OFFICERS show in Boston, and he was ANAL CUNT's sometimes roadie while he was living in the states.