#47: Orochi
Orochi, while not the first visual kei act with an actual folk ensemble, is a pioneer when it comes to incorporating folk elements in general.
Background Info (Encyclopaedia Metallum: The Metal Archives):
Country of origin: Australia
Location: Gold Coast, Queensland (early); Tokyo, Japan (later)
Status: Split-up
Formed in: 2004
Genre: Power/Folk Metal/Rock
Lyrical themes:Myths
Last label: Unsigned/independent
Years active: 2004-?, 2010–2019
Not really a fan of visual kei as a fashion, nonetheless, there are a lot of music artists in the movement that play good and interesting music, folk and metal fusion in particular. Though their sound is dynamic, their power metal/thrash metal base is both impressive and unorthodox, i.e. non-metal influences are readily noticeable in their supposedly metal songs.
For their folk aspect, they utilize flutes (shinobue?), and strings that seem to vary across the shamisen, koto, and biwa. The shigin-style vocals is also a foremost feature in their sound.
Favorite Albums:
- Soul of Prey (2011)
Favorite Songs: — all from Soul of Prey
- Tenchi-Ranbu / 天地乱舞
- Gag / 猿轡
- Phoenix / 不死鳥
- Princess Kiyo / 清姫
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