Unboxing Japanese Rock: Puzzle by BAND-MAID Reaction 

More peeks into an important, transformational group known as Band-Maid. Three things I think new fans will find fascinating with this group; 1) the deeper you dig, the more you'll appreciate the members authenticity, writing and musical sensibilities; 2) your favorite song will generally be the one you're currently listening to. Note: This is a distinctive phenomenon with Band-Maid. For example, listen to "Moratorium" and then “Puzzle. Which is your favorite?; and 3) why does it seem they have no bad songs? Band-Maid has plenty of bad songs, according to one of their interviews. It's just that they threw them all in the dumpster and only released 127 (to date) of their most awesome songs. This disciplined integrity is one of the things that keeps them at the top of the rock pile. Thx, Chaos!

I love it that during that one bridge, Miku let's that Zemeitas "Flappy Pigeon" growl during her solo

Miku's vocal harmonies are so sweet on this song. As is everyone else!

Thanks, again, for the reaction and comments. This song stirs my soul every time I hear it. There's an acoustic version of Puzzle that you shouldn't miss. It's brilliant. Cheers!

Thanks for the great reaction. Yes, Band-Maid on Live recordings always has the lead guitar on the right channel and rhythm guitar on the left. For me it always makes for more interesting listening over their studio mix. I would love to hear your take on Band-Maid's acoustic Live video, Catharsis Acoustic Ver. I think the audio mix is for this is excellent but would love to hear your take on it.

Since we’re in a live kick, may I suggest Play or Unleash live from our lovely maids? Play is a crowd favorite at shows and Unleash is beautiful chaos (and also a crowd pleaser).

there are some documentaries for all 5 members of the band. Miku the rhythm guitarist and backup vocals gets 2 videos since she is the founder of the band

if you search for anoter song, i dont remember if you already done it but "blooming would be an interresting one, it's wjat a called a masterpiece this song is so good

Others have mentioned that they have standard stage positions, and they’re a live band first and foremost, which is why they pan that way, but it’s also generally how they pose for photos and line up for interviews and stuff, the association is that strong.

🧩🧩🧩🧩🧩 Po! 🕊️ Lots of Minchodiddles 😍

Kanami (lead guitar) is the best female guitar player in the world, Thats why her guitar sounds amazing in every Band Maid song!!! Thanks for your reaction.

re eq observation, yes, the setting for this particular song is relatively different. you make might also notice it on mincho-zilla's part, she's a little higher on the mix. 4:04 i thought you were gonna root for a historical background about the band, because there's 5 documentaries made about each member courtesy of ohrenje, a french maidiac. i jumped too soon, you were referring to some kind of 'wartime' memoir. two main reasons i can see why she has that oomph in her tone -- daisuke 'dai-sama' kondo, band-maid's main guitar tech, and her pedalboard setup, which isn't daisy-chained.

An absolute bangin' Band-Maid song you might react to is "Moratorium", the official live video from the Toky Zepp Theratre on the Band-Maid RU-vid channel. A GREAT number of Maidiacs love the song. It's one we all hope to hear during their live concerts.

Akane!! Akane!! Akane!! Gracias por la reacción!!

Shambles MV. Lovely distortion on saiki's voice, crazy drumming by Akane and directors special reserve matured in the wood MISA.

That harshness or coldness in both guitar and vocals could also come straight from the venue. Alot of these bigger venues run on the higher side of the voltage, which can take away from the warmth of the sound. :/ In the US, that would be akin to doing a check on voltage and finding it at 119v, instead of around 110-112. In Japan, they're running full 220-240v, (which is still hard for me to wrap my head around). You can get a "brown box" to condition your voltage, but honestly most people don't even know that this can be the culprit. I didn't until just a couple years back. Still, what a great performance!

Short and crisp: Try "Manners, Blackhole" (official online live). I think you are ready for that double feature video 😅

So there i was at the secret base of the nefarious "BIEBERITES" intent on thwarting their latest attempt to use a sonic canon to bombard the world with even more terrifying sounds when Kanami said to me "Gary so cuteable this is fun but can we go on the slides at Yomiuri land now"? So we did. Anyway that's what i was doing then i saw this reaction which is a bonus.👍

Bandmaid members are always positioned, left to right, MISA. Miku, Akane (centre), Saiki, Kanami. They stand like that on stage, they are always in the mix like that and for personal appearances they also do the same. This really helps decode the layers in the sound but I think they enjoy the stability.

Another Band Maid song 🤔 how about Secret my Lips 🎶🎸🥁🎸🎶🔥🙂🕊

Perfection!!!!!

IMHO The most defining factor in the growth of this wonderful band is the evolution of Miku's (red rose) guitar playing. Band Maid was originally meant to be a 4-piece band. Miku realized she didn't have quite the voice needed for this kind of music, so enter Saiki. They liked to use the twin-vocals in the beginning. When they shot their 1st video "Thrill", if you look closely, you'll notice Miku wasn't really playing guitar, it was more of a prop at that time. She decided to learn the guitar with the help of Kanami. So, imagine learning how to play while on tour while you're still having all those vocals that she does. A lot to think about. Some of their instrumental songs were actually written as homework for Miku and then used in their live shows as breaks for Saiki. As Miku progressed in her skills, it has freed up Kanami to go off and fiddle about knowing that Miku is holding the foundation of the song. I'm hoping that Miku will actually be able to record her own parts on their upcoming album, as it has been Kanami recording both parts since the beginning.

For when you might check out a BAND-MAID studio recording---I suggest the MV for Choose Me or Daydreaming. Daydreaming, especially, is a change of pace from what you've seen of BAND-MAID so far, and I think it's one of their best songs. Thanks for the reaction!

A new Maidiac is born. Great reaction and looking forward to more reactions from you. PO!🕊 🤘😆🤘

As someone who is not a musician my favorite reactors are always those that can add technical input. I know what I like, but I can't explain why I like it in a technical sense. Your remark on how it's not a rhythm guitar, but a depth guitar reminded me of at the infancy of Band-Maid. Kanami wanted Miku to learn guitar to add depth to the sound.

Check the acoustic version with Kanami and Saiki.

Dude, caught your first few reactions to Band-Maid and you've seen one side of them as far as their progressive hard rock side. But look into their Zepp Tokyo Puzzle Live Acoustic non-official live to see their diversity. 🤘

I've been overdosing on Band-Maid reaction videos recently, and yours are really next-level. The band's compositions and their sound quality have such an incredible wealth of instrumentation and technique to a careful listener, and it's fantastic the way you're able to pinpoint and then so expressively analyze what's happening at any given moment in their songs. I'll second the comments by people saying you should have a listen to "Unleash" and "Moratorium." The MV for "Unleash" is a thing of beauty on every level. If you're looking for another band with terrific instrumentation and arrangements, check out "Full House" by GIRLFRIEND. Sadly, they broke up a few years ago, but the singer and drummer are now a duo called COX2 (Coco), and on "Paradise" you'll hear some really sweet-sounding drums.

Except during solos, the lead guitar is panned hard right, and the the rhythm guitar is panned hard left. During solos the lead guitar is partly panned into the left channel, making it sound as if it was in the center. They have been using this "trick" since at least 2018.

Hi. I Really appreciate your time and analysis for band maid video's. You really need to react to FREEDOM you will love it. You're doing great bro!

MISA!!! MISA!!! MISA!!! 🥃🥃🥃🤙🏽

Just wait until you dive into their UNSEEN WORLD/UNLEASH! era (which you've done a little bit with "Hate?"... I would recommend "Corallium". Their isn't an official video but their is a live video out there or the audio is just fine as well.

Brilliant observations ❤ One common refrain is how “Band Maid respects and rewards the music listener” You are finding the gifts that Kanami and the girls give in their compositions. I have trouble referring to them as just “songs.” Perhaps not on a Monday, but when you feel sharp and ready, please consider what many consider to be the perfect Band Maid song: “Blooming.” The official music video is best. I will take a sip of bourbon 🥃 for each time a commenter uses the word “masterpiece” 😉

You'll probably hear the harshness in Saiki-san's vocals a lot in this concert. I believe she wasn't feeling well this day. It was streamed live so plenty of sound mixing was happening on the fly. That's why a lot of folks are impressed with her in the Yokohama 2023 concert. She was at the top of her game that day and since.

the paned guitars are like that in every one of their songs. I usually have a pile of coats and what not on my passenger seat of my work van (I fix big freezers and ice rinks) if the jackets fall on the floor it blocks the right speaker and i can't hear Kanami's leads which is too low in the mix to began with imo. ive learned to drive with my knees so i can unblock my speaker 😅.

I really like the interesting and insightful comments from you. But sometimes we shouldn’t not only rate things from an „Ingenieur“ standpoint 😊 and don’t underestimate that the ladies from B-M are artists trough and trough. If you know how much time they invest in every tiny detail some sound decisions might be intentional, like the harshness and pain in Saiki‘s voice, if you look at the lyrics. Especially with perfectionists like B-M there might be more intentional and thought out decisions than just „mixing“ issues. Of course they play a big role too and are sometimes better and sometimes less, but I guess the ladies are well aware which sound they want and try the max to achieve their vision of it. Just some additional food of thoughts, taking nothing away from your really great and interesting reviews. Keep on rocking.

as i understand it, this is right near the top of Saikis' comfort range, could account for the harshness in her voice

I'm probably dead wrong. But might I suggest the slight possibility that the added harshness due to the frequencies you mentioned may have been intentional. This electric version of Puzzle has more anger than the acoustic version which is about pain and longing. I am woefully ignorant re: the technical aspects of your craft. Just a thought.

Breath Psyche breath

Mincho always right, Miku and MISA always left, Po. Drums and lead vocals dead ahead. Same as stage position. (P.S. I sometimes flip flop them so I can pretend I am on stage with them 🤫)

Miku's beautiful guitar and it's owner can make the ugliest noise 😂

I think you're becoming a Madiac. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's great hearing about their music from an aural perspective. Thanks for all your hard work. Cheers!

The Tokyo Garden videos, this and No God, as well as the whole concert DVD, have an EQ issue with harsh and thin upper mids. It's a shame and somewhat shocking considering how good all their other live recordings are. For No God, choose the online concert recording, not Tokyo Garden.

This concert was before Saiki's throat surgery. The polyps could have been affecting the vocal cord vibrations at that frequency.

TinyHat-san welcomes you to the International Fellowship of Maidiacs.