Japanese instrumental metal band ASTERISM premiered the animated music video for “THE TITAN” on July 3, ahead of their appearance at Anime Expo in Los Angeles. The video is brought to life with dynamic illustrations by manga artist Acky Bright, which were created as a special collaboration for their PLANET OF METAL album.

“THE TITAN” is the seventh and final track from the new album, which tells a story set at the edge of the galaxy where a horrific curse spreads across the planet, causing creatures to become violent. ASTERISM journeys to find the mysterious mechanical skull at the source of the curse, and battles to restore the soul of metal. The music video depicts the climactic final battle scene from the PLANET OF METAL story, including animated superhero counterparts for guitarist HAL-CA, bassist MIYU, and drummer MIO. To learn more about the story behind the making of the album and the fantasy world these artists created together, be sure to check out our interview with ASTERISM.

The concept album is a collaboration born from the artists’ friendship, which began at last year’s Anime Expo. Both ASTERISM and Acky Bright will return to Anime Expo 2024 in Los Angeles, for a series of special events celebrating the release of their collaboration project, PLANET OF METAL. The artists are teaming up for several live events including concerts, live drawings, and signing sessions, giving fans a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience PLANET OF METAL in-person with the original creators.

Check out their full schedule of events below.

ASTERISM schedule at Anime Expo 2024

July 4, Thursday

• 13:30: ASTERISM Performance
  • Location: Beer Garden Stage
  • Experience PLANET OF METAL performed live, plus ASTERISM’s covers of your favorite anime theme songs!
• 15:45: Talk session by Acky Bright and ASTERISM
  • Location: room 403AB
  • Q&A with the artists, design process of PLANET OF METAL, live commentary about the new music video, giveaways, and more!
• 17:00: ASTERISM x Acky Bright PLANET OF METAL Signing Session
  • Location: AX Kinokuniya booth 1800
  • Don’t miss your chance to get the limited edition PLANET OF METAL CD and art book personally signed by Acky Bright and all members of ASTERISM!

July 5, Friday

• 13:30: Bright Horizons: The Artistic Journey of Acky Bright
  • Location: Room 402AB
  • New artwork reveals plus selections from his collaborations with leading US brands including McDonald’s, Meta, and NETFLIX, and details about Acky’s new projects, including his inaugural U.S. solo art exhibition in 2024!
• 14:30: ASTERISM Performance
  • Location: AX Crossing Stage
  • Experience PLANET OF METAL performed live, plus ASTERISM’s covers of your favorite anime theme songs!
• 16:00: ASTERISM x Acky Bright PLANET OF METAL Signing Session
  • Location: AX Kinokuniya booth 1800
  • Don’t miss your chance to get the limited edition PLANET OF METAL CD and art book personally signed by Acky Bright and all members of ASTERISM!
• 18:45: Acky Bright’s live drawing magic: 3 decks challenge
  • Location: Room 411
  • Acky Bright, a master of design who combines cute and cool, will give a new kind of live drawing performance. The audience is invited to choose a theme, and Acky will improvise to create a unique character right before them! Additionally, there will be plenty of limited-edition items for raffle!

July 6, Saturday

• 16:00: ASTERISM x Acky Bright PLANET OF METAL Signing Session
  • Location: AX Kinokuniya booth 1800
  • Don’t miss your chance to get the limited edition PLANET OF METAL CD and art book personally signed by all members of ASTERISM!
• 17:30: ASTERISM Performance
  • Location: Beer Garden Stage
  • Experience PLANET OF METAL performed live, plus ASTERISM’s covers of your favorite anime theme songs!
• 19:00: ASTERISM PLANET OF METAL Signing Session
  • Location: Kinokuniya Downtown Los Angeles store
  • Don’t miss your chance to get the limited edition PLANET OF METAL CD and art book personally signed by Acky Bright and all members of ASTERISM!

July 7, Sunday

• 13:00: ASTERISM Performance
  • Location: AX Crossing Stage
  • Experience the full saga of PLANET OF METAL performed live, plus ASTERISM’s covers of your favorite anime theme songs!
• 14:30: ASTERISM x Acky Bright PLANET OF METAL Signing Session
  • Location: AX Kinokuniya booth 1800
  • Don’t miss your chance to get the limited edition PLANET OF METAL CD and art book personally signed by Acky Bright and all members of ASTERISM!

See what the band members have to say in anticipation of their return to Anime Expo:

Guitarist HAL-CA

ASTERISM and Acky Bright are coming back to Anime Expo to celebrate the release of PLANET OF METAL! When we met at Anime Expo in 2023, this project had not yet started, but we were attracted to each other’s work and decided to collaborate, and we have been working on this project in “jam sessions” with each other for a year. We’re very happy to announce that we will appear at Anime Expo this year with this collaborative work! The ART BOOK, which was released on June 26, will allow you to enjoy ASTERISM’s music and Acky’s illustrations even more, and we hope you will enjoy this new music video ‘THE TITAN’ that combines art and music!

Bassist MIYU

ASTERISM and Acky Bright meet again at Anime Expo! We will return with our work PLANET OF METAL! And today, the music video of ‘THE TITAN’, which is the last song of the album, is released! It’s a very cool music video, don’t miss it! And don’t miss the ART BOOK! It is a great work combining Acky’s wonderful illustrations and our music! It’s a lot of fun to look at the illustrations while listening to the music of PLANET OF METAL, and you’ll become immersed in the world of the artwork! I’ll be waiting for you at the LIVE! Come see ASTERISM and Acky Bright at Anime Expo!

Drummer MIO

ASTERISM and Acky Bright, who met each other at Anime Expo 2023, reunite in the same place after a year, isn’t that dramatic? This year, we will team up for a collaboration event that can be experienced only at AX! Our music video ‘THE TITAN’ released today features our performance in front of a screen with special effects, fighting ‘THE TITAN’ fiercely in a way you’ve never seen before! The ART BOOK, released on June 26th, contains Acky’s wonderful illustrations, and it’s structured to be able to learn more about the story of the PLANET OF METAL world. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it!

If you can’t make it to Anime Expo, but still want to enjoy ASTERISM’s action-packed metal sound combined with Acky Bright’s colorful and engaging artwork, be sure to grab a copy of the 28-page A4-sized full-color music book that was released June 26.

The band also announced their Live Tour 2024, which will return to the U.S. for one show only in Los Angeles on November 4. Keep your eyes peeled for more information on when tickets will be available.