Their music can be classified as
speed metal and
power metal with a very high level of musical virtuosity, especially on the guitarists' (initially She-Ja for the first four albums, then
Syu from
Animetal Marathon V to the present) and bassist Masaki's parts. Masaki, in particular from
Animetal Marathon IV onward, has shown an intensely active and aggressive approach to his instrument with fluid soloing, manic slapping and popping, energetic fills, and crashing chords for punctuation. Part of the band's nostalgic factor is their incorporation of popular rock-metal instrumentals into some of the songs. For instance, their version of "
Choujuu Sentai Liveman" is played to the tune of
Judas Priest's "
Breaking the Law". The lyrics are almost entirely in Japanese with occasional lines of "
Engrish", which may partly account for why they are virtually unknown outside Japan, except that they admittedly are playing to a very small niche market. For a short time, they incorporated
Pink Lady member
Mie into the band, hence the name change to "Animetal Lady", and recorded two albums with her distinctive and melodic vocals that are much more commercially accessible than the rest of the Animetal discography. While they're known more for their covers, the band has a few original songs, including the ballad from the
Rurouni Kenshin film. == Animetal USA ==