Japan is no hotbed of power metal, but Galneryus are a convincing (if derivative) answer to European overlords of pomp and chugging riffs such as Stratovarius and Sonata Arctica, whose sound is mixed with a dash of visual kei of the X-Japan variety (a band whose own style wasn't that far away from Euro-metal, either). Galneryus stick to English lyrics, although they began to add songs in their native tongue in the late 2000s.nnThe band was formed in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B, both experienced hands with eight previous projects between them, including Valkyr and Animetal for Syu and AxBites for Yama-B. Teaming up with a rotating cast of session musicians, the duo began to play live and recorded the demo United Flag, which got them a slot with the indie label Iron Shock. It released Galneryus' maxi-single Rebel Flag. The band continued to perform live, touring Japan with Dragonland, and they eventually got signed by VAP, which allowed them to record their debut full-length The Flag of Punishment (2003) featuring re-recorded old songs; the artwork was created by Yoshitaka Amano of Final Fantasy and Vampire Hunter D fame. At that time, Syu and Yama-B completed the lineup by recruiting Tsui (bass), Yuhki (keyboards), and Junichi Satoh (drums). A period of stable work followed in 2003-2006, when Galneryus released two more albums, but in 2007 Tsui left. He was replaced by Yu-To from Deluhi; the lineup shift did not deter the band's fourth album, One for All, All for One, which arrived in 2007. Soon, the band went global, offering their catalog digitally; in 2008, their songs "Alsatia" and "Cause Disarray" also got featured in the anime series Mnemosyne. However, during the recording sessions for their fifth album, Reincarnation, Yama-B left, citing musical differences. Reincarnation was delivered in 2008, and Masatoshi Ono took over the vocals. Yu-To quit and was replaced by Taka in 2009. ~ Alexey Eremenko