Rakshasa ended in the summer of 2022. In 2026 it came back. Bands do reunite, but usually after decades. This one was gone for four years and returned with a record whose title continues one it made in 2018.
The Idea
A rakshasa is a demon from Hindu and Buddhist tradition, known in Japan as rasetsu. The band that took the name calls its music Japanesque Metal: symphonic, Nordic-style heavy metal with Japanese melody and imagery running through it.
The First Run
Rakshasa was formed in October 2015 by the bassist Yama, who led another band, Ethereal Sin. The singer, Yuri, formerly of the band Albion, joined in 2016.
The first album, 六道羅刹, came out in July 2017. An EP, 憂愁録 - 月読, followed in March 2018.
The second album, 百花創生, was released on 10 February 2021. It was mixed and mastered in Italy by Simone Mularoni, the guitarist of the progressive metal band DGM. Foreign reviewers took notice, and Yuri’s voice in particular drew praise.
In July 2022 the band released a companion piece, Hyakka Sousei: Another Story, and then disbanded.
2026
The return was announced early in 2026, with new members alongside Yuri and Yama. Shows followed in Tokyo on 6 March and in Osaka on 16 May.
On 7 October 2026 came the first new music: an EP of four songs called 憂愁録 - 素戔嗚.
The Titles
The name of that EP is worth unpacking. The 2018 EP was subtitled 月読, Tsukuyomi, the moon god of Japanese myth. The 2026 one is subtitled 素戔嗚, Susanoo, the storm god. In the myths the two are siblings.
So the comeback record is the second volume of a series the band started eight years earlier. That is a neat way to say that the breakup was an interruption and not an ending.
Why It Matters
Japan has a small, distinguished line of metal bands that draw on the country’s own myths. Onmyo-za is the best known. Rakshasa works the same ground from the symphonic side, with a singer reviewers abroad have singled out.
Start with 百花創生, then 憂愁録 - 素戔嗚.
