No album artist credited

Style: Power metal, symphonic metal (Mixed vocals, mostly clean)
Recommended for fans of: Versailles, Galneryus, Lovebites, Unlucky Morpheus
Country: Japan
Release date: 26 August 2026

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Few artists in the Japanese power metal scene have made quite as big a splash in as short a time as Versailles. Despite only existing for a few years, their fretboard-igniting antics, pompous symphonics, and vaguely vampiric Visual Kei fashion sense garnered immediate acclaim, becoming second only to genre stalwarts Galneryus in their influence on 21st-century JPM. And, in fact, news of Versailles‘ 2012 death was greatly exaggerated, with four-fifths of the group reuniting under the Jupiter name just a year later to carry their Baroque, frilly torch into a new generation. Fast forward to the present day, and after a host of lineup changes and a seven-year hiatus since 2019’s excellent Zeus ~Legends Never Die~, main songwriter/shredder/crossdresser extraordinaire Hizaki (alongside right-hand man Teru) has gathered a fresh crew to bring forth a new saga in the form of The Pantheon ~Age of Heroes~. Have Jupiter made their mark upon the heavens, or are they destined to fall into the raging storms of the Great Red Spot?

Well, I will say one thing for the band here: they’ve still got the raw essentials of power metal locked down. The main style on offer is Galneryus-core to a T: tempos are speedy and galloping, chorus melodies are inspirational and soaring, and shredding solos spring forth from the 3-4 minute mark of each track with the regularity and intensity of monsoon rains. Hizaki and Teru are veteran axemen by this point, and thus said solos, particularly on gloriously self-indulgent six-minute instrumental “Last Ambrosia”, duel and harmonize with all of the virtuosic velocity one expects from power metal. The brand-new rhythm section keeps up as well, with drummer Majyu nailing both the “boot cat, booty cat” gallop endemic to the genre and the rapid-fire blitzes of toms and splash cymbals that characterize its intricate drum fills. As expected, Cero’s bass is a bit lower in the mix, but there are a couple of spotlight moments, such as the fretless interlude in “Call” or the unison tapping in “Ecliptic”, that showcase his skills. And, of course, the symphonic layering of synth orchestras, pianos, and harpsichords¹ is ever-present, varying in intensity from subtle window-dressing to the sweeping orchestral bridge in “Breath of Heaven” and the intricate violin flourishes in opener “Endless Sky”².

Beyond the standard meat, potatoes, and cheese of their chosen genre, however, Jupiter are notable in that they pack in a good deal more trad-metal muscle than usual—indeed, well more than they ever did with the more operatically-minded Versailles. For a genre (and a lead guitarist) known primarily for light-speed shred, the riff work on Pantheon is surprisingly strong. Sure, the big, NWOBHM-flavored riffs that anchor the likes of “Burn Through Fate” and “My Enemy” aren’t particularly original, but they are eminently headbangable. There’s even a bit of punchy, thrash-adjacent edge to “Scorched Earth”, balancing the frilliness with some good old-fashioned brawn in a way that fans of Lovebites et. al. will find very familiar. 

But this increased aggression would fall flat without a vocal performance to match, and here we must finally address the double-edged sword that is Kuze’s vocals. The man’s voice has a scratchy, rough timbre that’s about as far from your stereotypical power metal choirboy as you can get, recalling the Teutonic grit of Iron Savior or perhaps Deris-era Helloween. When that timbre is kept properly in control, it becomes a powerhouse tool capable of reinforcing those hard rock passages, lending a pleasantly thick texture to the soaring power metal choruses and even pulling off some decently credible growls to switch things up on occasion. Nearly as often, though, Kuze loses the plot, leading to moments like the weird frog-in-throat verses on “Guardian’s Requiem” or the screechy caterwauling over the otherwise-rocking riffs of “My Enemy” that ends up sounding like budget-grade Loudness. He’s far from a novice, having already sung with JPM mainstays Concerto Moon, and it’s clear that his high register can pull off those big, vibrato-laden choruses if need be; the issue seems to stem less from a lack of ability and more a lack of quality control. If only they had let him sing another take…

These vocal complaints, then, are a mere symptom of the main issue holding Pantheon back, which is just how… lacking in true effort it all feels, especially after seven years. True, Hizaki and co. are experienced enough purveyors of power metal to professionally pull off all the expected genre tropes and tricks in their sleep—the problem is, that’s exactly what it feels like they’re doing here. Songs punch in, go through the same verse-chorus-solo structures as the last, then leave. Aside from “Last Ambrosia” and a couple of surprisingly solid trad-metal riffs, nothing here hits remotely as hard as their last album’s kickass, massively ambitious twelve-minute closing track, or indeed some of those fiery solos and dramatic structural switchups from the Versailles days³. Some of these songs have been kicking around for a while—hell, “Warrior of Liberation” has been out since goddamn 2020—and the fact that it took Jupiter this long to put together a single album’s worth of material speaks not to meticulously high standards, but to a creative well drained down to its dregs. By the end, as the cheese-tastic pop-AOR of closer “Age of Heroes” plays us out, I’m just happy that Jupiter are at least trying something somewhat different, unsatisfying though it may be in a vacuum. Overall, if you’re looking for a big, energetic chunk of JPM that’s tuneful, clean, and professional (minus some dodgy vocals here and there), you certainly could do much worse than Pantheon. But you could certainly do better, too, and these guys’ previous works are living proof.

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Recommended tracks: Endless Sky, Breath of Heaven, Last Ambrosia
You may also like: Hizaki, Lightbringer, Concerto Moon
Final verdict: 6/10

Related links: Official Website | Facebook | Instagram

Label: Zeno Records Japan

Jupiter is:
– Kuze (vocals)
– Hizaki (guitars)
– Teru (guitars)
– Cero (bass)
– Majyu (drums)
With guests:
– Jill (violin on “Endless Sky”)

1. Uncredited, but presumably played and programmed by Hizaki. ↩︎
2. Provided by Jill of Unlucky Morpheus, who feels rather underutilized here. Maybe giving her a full solo would be awkward for live shows, since they’d have to put a major part of the song on a backing track? ↩︎
3. Speaking of Versailles, fans have noted that the chorus of “Endless Sky” is eerily reminiscent of the chorus found in “Destiny – The Lovers“. I won’t fully accuse Hizaki of self-plagiarizing here, but it’s another sign that the guy is clearly running out of ideas. ↩︎