Date: 25 October 2026
A hardcore band that grew up on death metal
Kruelty formed in Tokyo in the summer of 2017, and the Bandcamp copy for their second album describes the idea in one line: heavy beatdown hardcore welded to 1990s American and Scandinavian death/doom metal. The band's own website puts it more bluntly, calling the output "Disgusting music from Tokyo, Japan." Music in Japan, which lists them under death metal, doom metal, and hardcore, credits Kohei Azuma, known as Zuma, with starting the band, and Unite Asia introduces him as its guitarist and founding member. [4] [2] [1]
The order of Zuma's own listening helps explain the sound. He told Unite Asia that he started on death metal at around 13 and only got into hardcore at around 18, after going to a mixed hardcore and brutal death metal show in Tokyo in 2012 to see the death metal bands and getting "blown away" by the hardcore sets instead. Kruelty was his first band. He said he wanted to start one "which is heavy but nothing like a mimic of any other band." [5]
From demo to a debut album
The band put out music before they played live. Zuma told Unite Asia that the first demo came out in July 2017 and the first show followed on October 8, and that because he had already been booking shows in Tokyo, the demo spread quickly through people he knew in the scene. He also said the band tunes to A standard, which he thinks may be the lowest tuning that still works for dark, heavy hardcore, even though other bands now go down to G or F. [5]
Several splits and an EP came before the debut album, A Dying Truth. According to its Bandcamp page, the CD and digital editions came out in March 2020 through Daymare Recordings in Japan and the vinyl followed in April through Profound Lore Records. The credits list recording by Ryuhi Inari at Void))) Lab and mixing by Taylor Young at The Pit Recording Studio. In an interview with New Noise, Zuma said the band held the album's release show in Tokyo on March 20, 2020, "literally in the beginning of COVID," and kept playing through the pandemic at shows where people moshed with masks on. [3] [6]
Untopia and the Finnish turn
The second album, Untopia, was released on March 17, 2023, again produced and mixed by Taylor Young at The Pit Studios, with mastering by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege and cover art by Sindre Foss Skancke. Zuma told New Noise that the title means "there's no utopia on Earth," and that the lyrics, mostly in Japanese with English versions in every format's insert, deal with "what we have to do to live here, what kind of darkness we're standing in." He added that the record "might be dark and heavy, but mostly still positive." [4] [6]
On Untopia, Zuma leaned harder into the death metal side. He told Echoes and Dust that he grew up on Swedish and Finnish death metal more than hardcore and put more of that influence into Untopia. He said the slow parts could sound like Finnish bands such as Rippikoulu or Purtenance, the fast parts more like Dismember or Entombed, and that he had also worked in crust punk, which he had been listening to for three or four years. [7]
Where to start listening
Start with Untopia on the band's Bandcamp page. It is seven tracks and a little under 37 minutes, which makes it a reasonable first session for music this heavy, and the band's website currently features the official video for "Harder Than Before" from it. If the album lands, go back to A Dying Truth, which is eight tracks and about 40 minutes, and compare how much of the later Finnish and Swedish influence was already there. [4] [2] [3]
The newest release is Profane Usurpation, a four-song 12-inch EP that came out on November 22, 2024 through Closed Casket Activities, which the official site says is available on CD, LP, cassette, and digital. Taylor Young produced it, and the band recorded it between Los Angeles and Tokyo. The label announcement says Kruelty added more grindcore and crust punk this time, and quotes Zuma: "Death metal, grindcore, hardcore, and punk, all existing in one record, is an ideal form for any old school, heavy music fans." It also names 1990s US and Japanese hardcore bands such as All Out War, Next Step Up, No Retreat, and Dyingrace as part of his songwriting. [8] [2]
Bigger abroad than at home
At least as of 2023, Kruelty drew bigger crowds abroad than in Tokyo, and Zuma said so plainly. In the Echoes and Dust interview he called Japan "still a small scene" and said the band "barely can pull 100 people in Tokyo" while they could "do 200-300 easily in other countries." He told Unite Asia that one reason the band could break into other markets was that he speaks English, adding that not many bands have members who do. The Profane Usurpation announcement lists tours of the United States with Dying Fetus, Europe, Asia, and Australia with Gatecreeper. [7] [5] [8]
He has also stayed close to the local circuit. Zuma told New Noise in 2023 that he books shows almost every week and had started organizing a festival called Rotting Noise Tokyo the previous year. Asked by Echoes and Dust for his favorite Japanese bands, he named Second to None, Coffins, and Edge of Spirit, and he said mixed bills are very popular in Tokyo. Music in Japan's listings show Kruelty playing Tokyo venues including Antiknock and 20000V through September 2026. [6] [7] [1]
Where to follow
The official website promotes Profane Usurpation and links to ordering Untopia, and the Kruelty Bandcamp carries A Dying Truth, Untopia, and Profane Usurpation along with the Immortal Nightmare EP and earlier demo material. Music in Japan keeps a running list of the band's recent Tokyo shows. Check the band's own channels before planning a trip around a date, because small-venue bills can change. [2] [3] [1]
Sources
[1] Music in Japan: Kruelty band profile
[3] Kruelty on Bandcamp: A Dying Truth
[4] Kruelty on Bandcamp: Untopia
[5] Unite Asia: Zuma of Kruelty reflects on the band's history (2023)
[6] New Noise Magazine: "There's no utopia on Earth", Zuma interview (2023)
[7] Echoes and Dust: Zuma from Kruelty (2023)
[8] Rest Assured: Kruelty announce Profane Usurpation (2024)