Burning Spirits

Burning Spirits is the strand of Japanese hardcore punk that crystallised in the 1990s around bands such as *Death Side*, *Bastard*, *Paintbox* and *Warhead*. It drives hardcore's speed and shouted gang choruses with a backbone taken from *Motörhead* and the New Wave of British Heavy Metal: flashy, soaring guitar solos, galloping rhythms and triumphant, melodramatic chord progressions. Vocals are harsh but declamatory, and the words favour self-empowerment and endurance over nihilism, giving the music its characteristic feeling of uplift delivered at maximum force. The name comes from the Burning Spirits concerts that united the scene.