February 14, 2001 - Maximum The Hormone and Ho (Ootori)

Six weeks after my last release a new band joins my library when Maximum The Hormone released their debut EP "Ho (Ootori)" on February 14, 2001. But who is Maximum the Hormone? They are a four-piece heavy metal/hardcore punk band from Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan consisting of Nao (drums, female vocals), Ue-Chang (bass, backing vocals), Maximum the Ryokun (guitars, clean vocals) and Daisuke-Han (screaming vocals). Maximum the Hormone sing in a weird mix of mostly Japanese vocals, but occasionally English is mixed in. With every member providing their own unique vocal style this is certainly an intriguing band and they have even been called the System of a Down of Japan. That's a pretty great comparison, let's check'em out!

The EP kicks off with "Force" and it's got a nice upbeat and pretty heavy main riff led by some cool guitar by Maximum the Ryokun. Daisuke-Han sings in a pretty high voice that is not as heavy as he can be at all, but it sounds alright even though it's all in Japanese. Ryokun comes in to sing the chorus and he has a pretty pop-y voice that is decent but nothing too special if you ask me, though it does fit the mood pretty nicely. After another round of decent vocals with some pretty catchy and cool music they slow things down with a small but nice breakdown and Daisuke does some heavier high screaming that sounds pretty good. They tie it back to the main riff nicely and this was a pretty good intro I'd say into what Maximum the Hormone is all about! Up next is "Maximum The Hormone Theme - Men Cutter Kotteri" and it's got a pretty speedy main riff led by some sweet guitar by Ryokun. Daisuke sings/screams in his high voice overtop and things sound great, it's hard not to headbang along! The chorus is a little slower, but still plenty heavy and Daiskue and Ryokun sync up and sing the chorus together for a loud and powerful chorus. The slow chorus is solid, and the fast verse is even better, so even though they don't stray far from these, I don't mind one bit! Track 3 is "Maximum The 21st Century" and Nao starts off with a catchy and cool drum beat, Ue-Chan enters next with a super funky and cool bass riff, then Maximum the Ryokun completes the riff with some cool guitar as well. Daisuke sings quickly overtop and he goes high and low in this verse and everything sounds pretty great! Nao sings for the  first time in the chorus and she has a high and pretty pop-y voice here that isn't my favourite, but it's an interesting change of pace. Her part is followed by a super heavy part with some great heavy guitars and Daisuke belting out a couple great screams. A very interesting and contrasting chorus! Another great verse and interesting chorus (especially the latter, heavier part) later and the song's over! This one is my early favourite for sure! The next song is "B.B." and they dive right into a super heavy chorus with Daisuke screaming a bunch and sounding pretty heavy! The verse has Daisuke singing in a new voice that is unlike anything we've heard and it sounds like he's intentionally going over the top in a bit of a joke-y part. Then things nicely shift to another pretty cool riff that is more like what they've been playing so far and Ue-Chan plays some more wonderful bass that shines from time to time amongst the cool madness. Ryokun sings a bit of a pop-y chorus that is decent but not what I'm looking for. The rest of the song is great though and there's still plenty to love and headbang to, including a bunch of great bass and lots of good screaming from Daisuke-Han. Track 5 is "Imin No Buta (Kari)" and it's lead guitar riff is undeniably catchy and sounds pretty good! Ue-Chan plays some more great bass in the background and Daisuke sings a fast high verse overtop and even though it's all in Japanese it still sounds pretty catchy! I like his lower parts better than the high ones and there's a couple points where he tries to go super high and he doesn't really nail it. They end things with a nice heavy final riff and I imagine this would have been the single if they were big enough to have a single. Up next is "W.H.U." and Ryokun leads the way with a fast and solid guitar riff and this song has a punk feel to it with the fast drums by Nao. Daisuke screams fast and heavy and I love the hardcore punk vibes! This song is relentlessly awesome for two and a half minutes, words don't do proper justice, and then for the last 30 seconds they switch to an almost Beach Boys level of breeziness and Ryokun plays some smooth light guitar in this very unexpected closing part. They nail the breezy beach vibe perfectly though! What a weird ending! The final song on the EP is a short one called "Machine-Gun Kuso Boogie" and Ryokun plays some cool  heavy guitar and Daisuke screams nicely overtop. The chorus has some way lighter guitar and Ryokun sings a super pop-y chorus that is a little bland, especially for these guys! Thankfully it's the only chorus and the second verse is another good one.

That is the end of "Ho (Ootori)" and I thought it was a pretty sweet debut EP from Maximum the Hormone! The pop-y parts are okay, but all the heavy parts are great and most of the EP is pretty heavy. Daisuke has a wide and solid vocal range, Maximum the Ryokun plays a bunch of cool guitar and Ue-Chan plays a ton of good bass as well! I can't wait to see where they go from here!