siLLy puPPy ゆよゆっぺ or Yuyoyuppe was last heard from in 2018 only as the post-hardcore / alt metal entity Draw The Emotional instead of his usual electronicore laced metalcore that he is better known for. Since his his debut in 2009 with “Solitude Freak” he has gone on to produce some of Japan’s most successful modern metal hybrids such as Babymetal. While touted by some as the nu metal of the 21st century, YUYOUPPE has carved a unique niche of mixing J-pop and Kawaii metal with alternative metal and all the core musical forms ranging from metal-, death-,post-hard- and of course his speciality electronicore.

This EP signifies his return to the scene and while only featuring five tracks at about 16 minutes nevertheless provides a signal of his triumphant return to the Japanese musical world. After all six years is a lengthy absence in this day and age as things tend to move fast in the pop oriented world. SICK -やんでるEP- reverts back to YUYOUPPE’s solo leanings and is a mix of J-pop, djent, metalcore, alt metal and electronicore. Basically the music is loud and abrasive but all set to J-pop cute and cuddly melodies.

The vocaloid sensation to grace this EP is 夏色花梨 Karin Natsuki who sings in Japanese despite the titles presented in English. This is definitely one of those styles that separates generations as old school metalheads will absolutely hate this and younger generations who have been raised on every style of musical expression have no problem throwing any disparate sounds together. The result is J-metal which is somewhat in the camp of Baby Metal but this is much more focused on electronica with the core elements simply adding an accompanying bombast.

While i would hardly call this my favorite style of music in either the pop or metal worlds, YUYOPPE delivers some interesting contrasts here with a slick production on the electronic side of the equation and a totally dissonant metal bombast on the other. The results are electrifying even if not satisfying for all. While i’m not terribly familiar with YUYOUPPE’s output, it seems this EP is a return to the sounds of his earlier albums such as his popular debut. All in all i find this an interesting album although i have to suspend my expectations of what metal are to enjoy it. If you think of this as heavy J-rock then it will go a lot further. Labels sometimes just get in the way.