Blending art and metal in innovative album “PLANET OF METAL”

If you haven’t yet heard about them, ASTERISM is a three-member heavy metal band, consisting of HAL-CA on guitar, MIYU on bass, and MIO on drums. The trio have developed a reputation with music fans across the globe for their intricate, technical displays in the studio and on stage with their instrumental metal sound.

ASTERISM has been making waves in the music scene from a young age, but most recently, the band released a very special project: a new album titled PLANET OF METAL, which was created in collaboration with the manga artist and illustrator Acky Bright. It’s available to stream and download digitally, and a special 28-page A4-sized full-color music book is available for pre-order, with an official release date of June 26.

JROCK NEWS got the opportunity to ask ASTERISM all about PLANET OF METAL, their creative process and collaboration with Acky Bright, and even their upcoming appearance at Anime Expo! Read on to to get all the details.

“We created PLANET OF METAL not only for Japan, but for the world.” —MIYU

Your new album PLANET OF METAL just came out. What can you tell us about the release, and what makes it special?

HAL-CA: This project blends music and art together, which is something we’re trying for the first time as ASTERISM. I think it’s beautiful how ASTERISM’s music and Acky’s art come together as one.

MIYU: Have you ever heard of an album created from a session between art and music in this way? I’m really confident that we’ve created a work of art like no other. We got so into creating the tracks and it was seriously fun! Because of that, there was even some sadness when the album was done, but I am so excited to get to perform POM [PLANET OF METAL] live!

MIO: Through our instrumental expressions as an instrumental band, and also through our expression with songs that we tried with last year’s album, DECIDE, I think we’ve created a fresh sound that feels natural to us even though it’s new. Then being inspired by Acky’s art, we were able to bring our experiences and ideas together, elevate them, and put them out through this PLANET OF METAL.

The collaborative work between your music, concept, and art, are indeed prominent features. So what drew you to work with Acky when you first met him?

HAL-CA: We met Acky last year at Anime Expo in L.A., but I actually knew of Acky through Instagram, I loved his work, and I especially liked his cute yet mechanical drawings of girls. His style blends kakkoii [cool] and kawaii [cute]. I think Acky’s art mesmerizes you to make you want to be in that world, to want to become the characters that he draws.

Acky has previously mentioned that this album represents both of your visions as artists who are active on the world stage and the challenges that comes with it. From your perspective, what role does PLANET OF METAL play in such context?

HAL-CA: Even before we started, I already had the feeling that our artistic vibe would be a match. On top of that, we’re both artists working actively inside and outside of Japan, and we have many international fans on social media. We created this project with a specific focus on our global fans, so I think it was good that we had a shared goal of going for worldwide success.

Can you elaborate on how this album is a step towards ASTERISM’s goal of worldwide success?

HAL-CA: The music video and the music book are unique for us, and I think they’ll get fans really excited. When we perform tracks from PLANET OF METAL in live shows, we’re going to take it to a whole new level.

MIYU: We created PLANET OF METAL not only for Japan, but for the world. We [ASTERISM and Acky] are both artists that are active internationally, and I think that the chemistry between us will touch the hearts of people all over the world.

MIO: We pushed ourselves to make this album with the highest level of quality, and we took the approach of having fans enjoy the music and visuals of PLANET OF METAL together as one. Maybe someone will say, “I want to make an anime based on this PLANET OF METAL world!”.

“It’s a song about fighting with the final boss, and the creation process was the hardest on this one.” —HAL-CA

We will be sure to watch it, if PLANET OF METAL ever become an anime! We also see that each song on the album represents a different enemy to defeat within your story. What was it like working within this concept, and how was Acky involved?

HAL-CA: It wasn’t something simple like just adding a track to artwork or adding artwork to a track. We wanted to create this world together from the very beginning, so we sent music demos and art sketches to each other and built the stories and music like a jam session.

MIYU: We would see a demo sketch from Acky, drawn with precise and fine lines, and we would express what we saw through melody, and then that melody influenced the next sketch.

MIO: The storyline of ASTERISM’s adventures with the “MECHA-SKULL” came together freely, piece by piece. Acky and our band moved pretty quickly sending ideas back and forth. As soon as we got a new sketch, we were eager to respond with new ideas.

MIYU: That’s the kind of approach we could only take through this project.

How would you say the music and art enhance or complement the storytelling of the album?

HAL-CA: You can enjoy just the music by itself or the artwork by itself, but like we said in the beginning, we think that PLANET OF METAL is complete only when Acky’s artwork and ASTERISM’s music come together as one. I think that you’ll be able to immerse yourself deeper into PLANET OF METAL when you listen to the music while viewing the artwork.

That’s interesting, and it’s great to hear how deeply interconnected this collaboration became. Do you each have a favorite song from the album?

HAL-CA: My favorite piece is “-EP6- THE TITAN”. It’s a song about fighting with the final boss, and the creation process was the hardest on this one. There will be a music video for this song too, and we wanted to create the strongest song that ASTERISM was capable of. We went through lots of trial and error, and there was even talk of making it into a suite, but in the end, I think we made the best song to conclude PLANET OF METAL, and it represents ASTERISM well.

MIYU: They’re all good, it’s a hard choice. The one I listened to the most is “-EP5- THE ROBOT”. Through instrument sounds and incorporating a vocoder, I think we were able to make Acky’s robots come alive, and I especially love the chord progression!

MIO: For me, it’s “-EP3- THE SQUID”! From the moment Acky and we came up with the idea of depicting an underwater battle, we wanted to use reverb sounds to depict the underwater world, and we also had the idea to record the breathing of someone struggling to swim underwater. As a result, we were able to create a powerful battle in the vast ocean through sound, and I like it a lot!

Since ASTERISM battles the forces of evil on the “PLANET OF METAL”, you must have superpowers, right? What superpowers do you each have?

HAL-CA: Acky was inspired by the intricate phrases I play on my guitar and my fast playing, so I became a warrior who wields a light sword and is called a “Speed Star”. I have out-of-this-world speed and accurate attacks, where the opponent doesn’t even notice they’ve been cut!

MIYU: I’m a swordsman who can easily wield a large sword with my mechanized right arm. I’m one of the strongest swordsmen on the planet, proclaiming, “There is nothing I can’t cut!”. My large sword was inspired by my bass, which is a 7-string and much bigger than a regular bass, so my weapon represents that.

MIO: I’m a character that fights with drumstick-inspired twin swords! The character is a warrior of a dragon bloodline, and while I have an intelligent and calculated side, once I go into fight mode, I turn into a raging God of War and go crazy with my twin swords!

“In recent years, US music charts have been dominated by hip-hop and pop, and I feel that it’s difficult for metal to appear on the charts.” —MIO

You recently performed at “FOX_FEST” at Saitama Super Arena, where you appeared with a few other groups, including BABYMETAL. What was that experience like?

HAL-CA: There was a different type of nervousness this time compared to our usual performances, because it was a collab with [the group] METALVERSE. The first day especially, I was extremely anxious because it was my first time experiencing the pressure of playing a song that is not our own, but by the second day I was able to tell myself to have more fun and was able to fully enjoy Saitama Super Arena.

MIYU: I was so in awe when I got on stage and saw the huge audience in the stands. I will not forget that moment when I really felt the power of Saitama Super Arena.

MIO: For me, it was meeting BABYMETAL! I had been to their shows so many times, and I look up to them as a metal band that has been successful internationally before us, so I was happy to meet them. At the same time, I felt the strong desire that ASTERISM will become their equal or peer one day!

We heard that your goal is further global expansion with a new genre “MASS METAL”, can you tell us more about that?

MIO: “MASS METAL” is an original genre of music that aims to bring the niche music of metal to a bigger audience by merging metal music with ASTERISM’s pop taste. In recent years, US music charts have been dominated by hip-hop and pop, and I feel that it’s difficult for metal to appear on the charts, but we as ASTERISM have the goal to change that situation and make metal music big – into something that everyone listens to. When we achieve this, MASS METAL will be established as a genre.

In that sense, why do you think ASTERISM’s music appeals to international audiences today?

MIYU: I feel that it is because our instrumental music, which is at our core, transcends language barriers—the emotions we convey through our sounds can be felt directly by people all over the world. Recently, we’ve added singing to the mix, and we feel confident that we’re doing songs that only we can do. I want to travel around the world more to connect with the fans who want to see us perform.

What special plans do you have for your performances at Anime Expo 2024?

HAL-CA: We will be performing at Anime Expo again this year, the place where we met Acky last year and started this journey that led to PLANET OF METAL. I feel that it’s such a beautiful story to be reunited with him again after a year, and we’re planning many ways to collaborate with him that can only be seen there, so look out for us, we hope you’re excited!

Please leave a message for your overseas fans!

HAL-CA: Are you enjoying PLANET OF METAL? We’re hoping to do a world tour soon, and we look forward to seeing you at Anime Expo and other venues all over! Please come see us!

MIYU: Thank you for always supporting us! I hope to perform a lot of music from PLANET OF METAL all over the world! If we come to a city near you, please come see us! You will definitely be entertained!

MIO: We’re extremely excited about performing at Anime Expo in L.A.! Of course, I want people everywhere to hear the new music, but I really want them to come to our live show! We will surprise you with the wildness and high energy that can only be felt through our concerts! See you soon!

JROCK NEWS thanks ASTERISM for taking the time to answer our questions, as well as Resonance Media for making this interview possible. We’re so excited for this creative and collaborative work and will be looking forward to their future projects as well!

Both ASTERISM and Acky Bright have been announced as special guests at this year’s Anime Expo in Los Angeles. They will be hosting a talk session panel together on July 4, and Acky Bright will also have separate individual panel as well as a live drawing event on July 5. Performance information has not yet been announced.

If you’re thinking of attending Anime Expo, it’s not too late to grab a badge.