In spite of often undeniable musical merit, few Japanese bands manage to break into the US music market in a big way. However, a number of artists have recently been making inroads into the the American consciousness; from pop offerings with Hikaru Utada in the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack and L'Arc~en~Ciel in the Final Fantasy movie soundtrack, to aggressive, energetic punk sounds with bands like Hi-Standard on the Fat Wreck Chords label; and Mad Capsule Markets is set to be the next to impress itself onto the American psyche. Serving up a driving hardcore / punk / metal / techno cocktail (and quite a cocktail it is -- I get a buzz every time I listen to their varied, intoxicating sounds), they're sure to make a strong impression indeed.

Having become increasingly popular back home in the Land of the Rising Sun since their independant debut in 1990, album upon album of a self-described futuristic blend of digi-hardcore-punk-metal has won them an ever growing fan base, thanks in part to the varied appeal Takeshi's songwriting holds, with the occasional lyrical contribution from Kyono. Mad Capsule Markets' most recent album in Japan, 010, was released July 11th, while their previous album, OSC-DIS, is poised to take the States by storm come September 18th. Here's a look at the track list for the Japanese release of the OSC-DIS album:

Mad Capsule Markets - OSC-DIS

1. Tribe
2. Out / Definition
3. Pulse
4. Multiplies
5. Mob Track
6. All The Time In Sunny Beach
7. Island
8. Restart!
9. Jag
10. Step Into Yourself
11. Good Girl
12. Midi Surf

For a taste of the MCM goodness to come, head on over to their official US site (Ed. Note: Looks like they no longer have one, but their main site is still there.) for a small collection of streaming audio and video samples. The streamed music video for Pulse should be of particular interest, as the futuristic, digital CG action is a real treat! I'm feeling the urge to go on an all out request campaign till Much Music folds and plays the video on air for all us Canadians without high speed connections.

Of particular note to anime fans is the fact that Palm Pictures is behind both the US release of Mad Capsule Markets and Manga Entertainment, opening the door for cross promotional efforts. One such effort will come into play with the release of the Blood DVD, set to hit retail shelves August 28th with a $24.95 price tag. As if the stunning visual feature and its host of extra material crammed along side it onto the DVD wasn't reason enough to look forward to Blood's release, MCM fans can expect a special bonus to make the release even more exciting. Included with the first 10,000 copies of the Blood DVD shipped out will be a limited edition 3" MCM DVD featuring an audio visual treat for fans of the band, as well as those interested in seeing more of them. If you don't want to miss out on this limited edition bonus, you'd be wise to preorder your copy of Blood on DVD now.