Pizza of Death

Ken Yokoyama is 43. His bandmates describe him as the guy who shows up for work last, tells us all what to do, then leaves early. He also plays guitar sometimes. He runs Pizza of Death, a Japanese hardcore label. That description covers the vibe.

When people think Japanese music, they picture cute girls in uniforms, hearts and dreams, kawaii overload—pink, sparkly, completely unthreatening. Ken’s label is the other thing. Bands like Garlic Boys, Comeback My Daughters, BBQ Chickens sound like they’re trying to blow the building apart. Real punk, real hardcore. You see women smoking cigarettes in corners or soaked in sweat jumping around like the music might hurt them.

Ken himself moves between running the label, playing music, and drawing comics—sometimes Beatles-style, sometimes American political commentary but weirder. His playing is probably the best thing Pizza of Death releases.

I like that a whole label exists to prove Japanese music doesn’t have to fit one narrow lane. It’s not some underground scene either, just real and uncompromising, distinctly Japanese in a way that has nothing to do with idol culture or otaku fantasies.

Ken Yokoyama plays better than probably anyone from this corner of music.