So, there I was, doom-scrolling through the usual late-night habit of YouTube rabbit holes, the kind where you start with “cave diving scary stories” and somehow end up watching videos of things that are completely unrelated to what you searched for in the first place.
Just another Tuesday night for me anyway.
I was fully prepared for the usual algorithm-driven shit when, out of nowhere, I stumbled upon a little gem that slaps harder than Will Smith: Shamisen Metal. Yeah, you heard that right! Some mad genius out there took the twangy, soulful sounds of the Japanese shamisen, threw it into a mosh pit with some Metallica-level riffs, and then let an AI conductor wave its magical digital wand over the whole thing. The result? A musical fusion that’s as wild as it is oddly addictive.
Let me back up for a second. If you know me in real life (good luck with that!), you’d know I’ve got a bit of a thing for all things Japanese. The food? Love it. The anime? Let’s not talk about my Crunchyroll trial that spiraled into a full-on Attack on Titan obsession. The games? Let’s just say my backlog of JRPGs is enough to last me several lifetimes, and no, I’m not exaggerating.
The music? Even though I don’t understand a word of it, J-pop and traditional Japanese tunes have always had a secret spot on my MP3 player (yes, I still use one—don’t you dare judge me). There’s something about the rhythm and the energy that just clicks with me, like a sonic comfort food for the soul.
And of course, on the other end of the spectrum, I’ve got my love for metal. Not just any metal, mind you—I’m talking the heavy stuff. The kind of music that feels like it’s punching you in the face in the best possible way. From the heavy metal of Judas Priest to the power metal of Dragonforce, it’s the soundtrack of my life, the kind of thing that gets me through everything from morning grogginess to dealing with customer service nightmares at work. It’s like my personal, portable Monster energy drink.
But here’s the thing—I never imagined these two worlds colliding. I mean, who wakes up one day and thinks, “You know what would be awesome? Mixing traditional Japanese music with something that sounds like it was written by Metallica!” Well, apparently someone did, and they decided to let an AI take the reins. The result? Shamisen Metal—a genre that, quite frankly, I didn’t know I needed in my life until I heard it.
When I first clicked play, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Maybe some awkward, half-baked attempt at mixing genres that should never have been in the same room, let alone the same track. But what I got instead was this epic fusion that somehow worked. The shamisen’s sharp, distinctive plucking paired with shredding guitar riffs and pounding drums—it was like a battle anthem straight out of a samurai movie, but with a headbanging twist. I was instantly hooked.
Now, Shamisen Metal has become my go-to soundtrack for just about everything. Need to get through a pile of dishes that’s starting to resemble Mount Fuji? Shamisen Metal. Trying to power through a workday where everything’s on fire and not in the good way? Shamisen Metal. Folding laundry? Okay, maybe that’s not exactly epic, but you’d be surprised how much more tolerable it is with some samurai metal fusion in the background. It’s like suddenly my mundane tasks are part of some epic quest, and I’m the hero armed with nothing but a vacuum cleaner and a fierce playlist.
So, there you have it. A random YouTube find turned into my latest musical obsession. It’s weird, it’s wonderful, and it’s exactly the kind of mashup that keeps me going back to the internet’s weirdest corners. If you haven’t checked out Shamisen Metal yet, do yourself a favor—hit play and prepare for your brain to be pleasantly confused. Trust me, you won’t regret it.
Stay snarky,
~ Rita 🖤