I have come across many strange rock and metal bands in my time but few compare to the likes of Charamel. This band displays what is called a Yuru Chara look. Yuru Chara is basically mascot looking characters except more diverse and can represent anything from video games to corporations to even creatures in mythology. Another thing that is interesting is how anonymous they are. There really isn't much info out there about this band other then their character names and the instruments they play. As far as who they are under the costumes remains a mystery to this day. The members consist of Nyango Star, the red cat apple on drums, Funassyi, the pear fairy on vocals, Akkuma, the demon bear on guitar, and Kapal, the water goblin on bass.
This band's story starts when music publicist, Eric Alper, posted a video on twitter titled, "When You're Over Qualified For The Job". This video displayed Nyango Star displaying some awesome drum skills and as a result, the video wen't viral with tons of retweets thus began Nyango Star's career. Nyango Star would start a youtube channel covering many metal classics such as "Before I Forget" from Slipknot, "Faint" by Linkin Park, and "Raining Blood" from Slayer.
Aside from his videos, he would also play at conventions and collaborate with other Japanese rock bands. He would even gain the attention of X Japan drummer, Yoshiki. Yoshiki had Nyango Star play some famous X Japan songs for him and Yoshiki was very impressed with his skills on drums as seen below.
Somewhere down the road he met the rest of the band and they teamed up to create Charamel. They debuted with their song, " Funnasy" in 2017 and have since gone on to develop a cult following in Japan and thanks to Nyango Star, the bands popularity continues to grow. They would even get to perform at the famed Tokyo Dome in 2018.
I must admit that this band has grown on me with time. While I'm not a fan of the look, I have to admit that these musicians are good at their instruments. I have looked up some of their live shows and I got to say, the fact that whoever is in those costumes and play their instruments pretty well, while in those costumes, is very impressive. Some people complain about the vocals, but that's clearly part of this band's shtick and I have never found it annoying to the point that I had to turn a song off or not enjoy it.
I would also like to point out Akkuma's guitar playing. Akkuma plays some great rock and metal riffs that I find myself wanting to headbang to. Even though he is not the most famous member in this band, he is a good guitar player and I think deserves more attention than he currently has in the band.
Even though these guys are far from the traditional rock band, I still recommend checking them out. Their music is good and the fact that they can perform as well as they do in those costumes is something to be admired. We don't know much about them currently but in time that will change I'm sure. Until then, all we can do is enjoy the music.
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How does akkuma play the guitar tho with his floofy hands
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