With Japanese road warriors Boris in town next Sunday, I thought that now would be a good time to look at some of the outstanding acts from the land of the rising sun.  Thus begins my countdown of the Top 10 Bands from the Land of Japan.  Here we go…

10. Sex Machineguns

9. Thee Michelle Gun Elephant

8. Chugakusei-Kanoke

According to Google, Japanese band 中学生棺桶 (pronounced Chugakusei-Kanoke) translates to Students Coffin Barrel in English.  That said, I’ve read somewhere that the name actually means Junior High School Student Coffins.  Nevertheless, you won’t see either label on any of their albums, since their songs are sung strictly in Japanese.

Musically, this band takes its cues from Black Sabbath and Black Flag, though they don’t really sound like Eyehategod–more like Clutch, if you took ‘em outta the South and plonked ‘em down in the Land of the Rising Sun.  And no, I’m not just saying that because their singer has a beard like Neil Fallon’s.  Check ‘em out in some raw live footage below.