Imari Tones

When Tak “Tone” Nakamine became a born-again Christian in 2008, he may have found his faith, but he never once lost his need to ROCK! Heralded as “the first Christian heavy metal band from Japan,” this trio of metalheads are about one thing: blowing out your eardrums to the word of God. Though their sound does cross over into the more recognizable J-pop realm, the fact remains Nakamine (vocals and guitar) and his band members Marie (bass) and Shinryu (drums) lean heavily into Eighties metal like Judas Priest (how fitting) and Van Halen. They’re a rare breed, indeed – Japan’s faith demographic widely skewing toward Buddhism, while only about 1% of the population proclaims to practice Christianity. This has the potential to be an iconic occasion, one to which those who want to see some good old-fashioned headbanging should probably get a front-row seat. And, hey, if you happen to find a little faith… – Cy White