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Self-described "reggae punx from Japan," metal quartet SiM (Silence iz Mine) slams metalcore and nu-metal into a potent blend of aggression and rebellious energy. Emerging from Kanagawa Prefecture in the early 2000s, they made a splash in the local hardcore scene with their first two albums, Silence iz Mine and Seeds of Hope. Signing with the majors in 2013, they climbed the charts with Pandora. Reaching an international audience by the end of the 2010s, they had extended their reach with anime and video game themes, which helped them even more with 2022's "The Rumbling" from Attack on Titan: The Final Season, Pt. 2 and "Under the Tree" from Pt. 3.

Founded in Shonan, Kanagawa in November 2004 by vocalist MAH (Manabu Taniguti), the original lineup featured bassist KAH and drummer WAY, with subsequent lineup shifts adding SHOW-HATE (Masahira Iida) on guitar and securing SIN (Shinya Shinohara) on bass and GODRI (Yuya Taniguchi) on drums. Their debut self-titled album arrived in 2008, unveiling their early brand of reggae-inflected funk-metal, with 2011's Seeds of Hope amplifying the hardcore punk spirit and metal riffage. Signing with Universal Music Japan in 2013, they released their chart-climbing major-label debut Pandora in October, selling out the Budokan and Yokohama Arenas in the years to follow. By 2016, they had established themselves as a reliably rousing presence on the Japanese rock scene, releasing another Top Ten hit The Beautiful People. The LP featured "No Future," which was used in a Mobile Suit Gundam video game; "Existence," which landed on the anime Shingeki no Bahamut: Genesis; and "Crows" from the video game of the same name. They even made it to U.S. shores, performing at Knotfest Meets Ozzfest in 2016. Further anime and video game collaborations were featured on their next album, Thank God, There Are Hundreds of Ways to Kill Enemies, home to the pummeling System of a Down-esque anthem "Let It End" from the Shingeki no Bahamut: Virgin Soul anime and "Lion's Den" which was chosen as the opening tune for New Japan Pro-Wrestling's Wrestle Kingdom 13 event. Thank God was their highest-charting effort to date, rising to number two on the Oricon charts.

In 2022, "The Rumbling" (from Attack on Titan: The Final Season Part 2) pushed them even further toward international audiences: SiM topped the U.S. Hard Rock chart and played a sold-out show at a U.S. anime expo. Another Attack on Titan contribution, "Under the Tree," arrived in 2023. Both songs appeared on their next album Playdead, alongside Kengan Ashura's theme, the Korn-esque "RED." ~ Neil Z. Yeung