When a band splits, the usual question is which half keeps the name. In this case both halves kept going, and Japanese melodic metal ended up with two bands.
The Split
In May 2023 the singer Uyu and the guitarist Mayto. left HAGANE after a one-man show at Shinjuku ReNY. Later that year they announced a new band together.
That band is Mana Diagram.
The Start
The first lineup had five members: Uyu on vocals, Mayto. and Mint on guitar, Yusuke on bass and Koki on drums.
The first sign of what it would sound like came in December 2023, with a video for the song “Glitter wind.” The first show was on 22 December 2023.
The Records
The band built its catalogue quickly. An EP, LIGHT OF THE DESTINY, came out on 15 June 2024. Six months later, on 14 December 2024, came the first album, MOONLIGHT DESIRE, with eight tracks.
The song titles show a band with a sense of humour as well as ambition. Alongside the dramatic ones are “食わず嫌い。,” which means disliking a food you have never tried, and “我々爆裂☆仲間.”
In August 2025 it released a summer single with a title built on a children’s song, “とおりゃんせ！にっぽんぽん.”
The Second Lineup
In 2025 the band changed again. Mayto., one of the two founders, left, as did the bassist. Uyu, Mint and Koki carried on, with a bassist joining them on stage.
AETHER CROSS
The second album, AETHER CROSS, came out on 30 September 2026 on the Avalon label, with nine tracks. Avalon is an established home for Japanese metal, the same label that released SLOTHREAT’s album that month and Phantom Excaliver’s in 2024.
Why It Matters
Follow the family tree and you find a pattern in Japanese women’s metal. Destrose produced LOVEBITES and Mardelas. HAGANE produced Mana Diagram. Bands end, and the players start again somewhere else.
Start with “Glitter wind,” then AETHER CROSS.
