UVERworld

Six-member rock outfit UVERworld defies the familiar tropes of Japanese rock, mixing elements of electronic music and even saxophone notes into uptempo cuts centered around full-speed-ahead guitar playing. Emerging from Shiga Prefecture in 2002, the group—consisting of vocalist Takuya∞, guitarists Katsuya and Akira, bassist Nobuto, drummer Shintaro, and saxophonist Seika—introduced their fusion of techno and guitars with their debut single “D-TecnoLife.” The band’s novel take on Japanese rock helped them stand out and earned them spots on the soundtracks of some of the biggest anime in the country in the 2000s, including Mobile Suit Gundam 00, My Hero Academia, and Blue Exorcist. They’ve also become a constant presence on Japan’s music charts and have held concerts in venues both historic and humongous, including Nippon Budokan and Tokyo Dome. Besides their adventurous approach to rock, UVERworld have also won attention for Takuya∞’s dramatic scream-singing style, which adds an extra intensity to songs like “Core Pride.” As the 2010s progressed, UVERworld continued to push themselves musically, adding huge saxophone blurts to arena-ready bangers (“Touch Off”) and experimenting with vocal filters (“Odd Future”).