One of the documentaries goes into greater detail about Thrill (I think it's the Miku one). You kind of have to go through all the documentaries to get the full picture of the band. Thrill saved the band because if the video didn't do well (this was their first video) management was going to pull the plug on the band - the maids didn't learn this until afterwards. The record company had chosen a more commercial song for the video but the band insisted upon Thrill because they thought it was closer to the heavy sound they liked. The early songs were not written by the band so it was a bit of a struggle to find the musical direction they wanted to go in. The success of Thrill kept the band from being disbanded and opened the door to the heavier sound they are known for today.

Hi Johnny! This was their first ever MV. Don't read too much into the actual video, the label shot it on the lowest possible budget they could. "Thrill" was actually the b-side of their first single "Ai to Jōnetsu no Matador" (Matador of Love and Passion). There were three tracks on the single "Ai to Jōnetsu no Matador" "Thrill" "Summer Drive" Their label was going to use "Matador" for their first MV but the band chose the b-side "Thrill" as it was more the sound they were aiming for. (Matador is almost latin rock). The label were about to ditch them, but then this MV went viral worldwide. The rest is history.

If you really want more Miku, you should check out Sayonakidori acoustic version. (has nothing to do with it being my favorite Band-Maid song.)🥺

Miku's sings "Sayonakidori (Nigthingale bird) during their 2021 Acoustic Christmas concert (available on their official YT channel) and it's quite stunning, Po! Side note: Jrock Radio linked this song in 2015 on their FB page, and it hit Worldwide. The YT views went up instantly, leading the Band (Miku) to believe their Social media sites were hacked, Po! And here we are... 🦍🍌

I'm glad you asked about how the song saved their careers. Their recording company sent a video of "Thrill" to a J-Rock Vjay in the U.S. and after playing the video on his website, got over 2 million likes in 2 weeks. After being notified of this, the record company probably said, "Wait a minute, we may have something here." The rest is history. The record company would not accept any songs written by the band until their third album. That single song on the third album was "Alone". Shortly after the album came out, Band-Maid changed management companies and they were allowed to write and record their own music. The rest is Band-maid history. You mentioned Miku's voice in this video. Miku does have a beautiful singing voice. I call Saiki, the lead vocalist's voice "the sound of beauty and power". I call Miku's voice "the sound of sweetness and love". A wonderful example of Miku's beautiful, sweet voice is on "Sayonakidori", the officlal acoustic video from their on-line Christmas Okyu-ji (serving) during the extended pandemic shutdown in Japan. There is a hard rock version of "Sayonakidori" written by Kanami to push Miku's vocal range is part of their setlist during concerts, but the mid-tempo acoustic version show-cases her voice. Another thing about "Sayonakidori" is that it is loosely based on Sheakespeares' "Romeo and Juliet" where Juliet desperately wants their romantic interlude to continue and states that the nightingale (sayonakidori) is still singing, but Romeo states that it's a lark, which means day is approaching. Juliet's lament that the interlude is ending is reflected in the words written by Miku. Miku, this wonderful little poetic pigeon even uses Shakespeare as an inspiration for her lyrics. Please do yourself a favor and react to "Sayonakidori", the official acoustic video from the Band-Maid KZfaq channel. You will see what I mean about Miku's voice being "the sound of wetness and love".

The black based costume was BAND-MAID’s first generation costume that they started with. The song “Thrill” was actually a B-Side song to their debut single “愛と情熱のマタドール” (in English: “Love, Passion, Matador” or “Matador of Love and Passion”), which kind of has Spanish song influences and thus they had their costume designed in homage to Flamenco style dress in red. BAND-MAID members were offered to create a MV from one of two songs, and all members agreed to create the MV for “Thrill”, over “Love, Passion, Matador”, and they used both costumes in the MV.

Another interesting song to potentially check out sometime in-between the documentaries is Alone. It's the first song they wrote themselves which the label greenlit for release.

They were going no where while their agency tried to guide then down the Jpop route. Then, in Nov 2014, with the last of the money in their budget, their agency wanted to release a music video of a song they chose. The band rejected it and chose to make a video of this song in stead. Even then it wasn't marketed very well, then luckily in April 2015, JRock Radio picked it up and released the video on it's Facebook site. The result, 2,000,000 views in two weeks. Thank God

I always forget how cool the intro (lo-fi guitar riff, bass drum stomps + "Breaking new gate") actually is because it goes by so fast.

Miku provides lead vocals on a few songs such as Time, Rock In Me, and Sayonakidori.

Saiki sings, “I turn my earphones up. Nothing can beat the ecstasy of living with this Thrill.” And Miku sings, “A pigeon traces an arc in the shrunken sky.” No matter what song you're listening to, with Band-Maid the surprises and thrills ain't never gone. 🤘😉 Thx, Johnny!

Even if "Thrill" is the first official music by the band. You can tell that this group of young Japanese women were really talented and had a future in rock. Early in their careers, they switched maid outfits for different concerts. Now, they wear the same costumes for all their concerts and change them out each year. Obviously, MISA and Saiki have changed outfits to more suit their preferences.

Another little tidbit, if you notice Saiki is using a mic stand in this video, if and when you do a reaction to Alone, their first song they wrote themselves, in the beginning of the MV she slams the mic stand on the ground almost like a "F you, this is us" kind of way and proceeds to rock out.

These five incredible amazing musicians reignited my interest in rock hard rock and classic rock sounding music. That I had given up on 10 to 15 years ago or more. At least trying to find anything new and decent out there. To replace the great music or at least supplement some of the great music I grew up from the '60s to the late '80s. And there had been nothing out there in a long time. Even resorted to listening to jazz big band and swing music from the '40s to the late '70s. And then this group came along. Great songs charismatic live performers and just a great group of ladies. The worst part about this group is their fan base. If you can stomach them. You are in for a treat. Take care and good luck and be well.

This video proved Miku's concept: Cute maids rockin surprisingly hard is indeed cool as all fcuk...perfect viral mission statement. Catchy? Yes...the chorus melody resembles MJ's Thriller...a fantastic ear-worm. The A-side to this single, Love Passion Matador (translation) is a superb catchy, more pop but Kanami gets her Santana on with lovely guitar solos...had world pop hit potential I feel if promoted in the right way...used in a movie or something. They had a great start but even they must be surprised by their progress now 👊💪👌😁

The documentaries will definitely give you the best content about the band. I only discovered them about a year and a half ago and missed their show in Philadelphia. Once they found their footing,they have been an unstoppable force. Best band I have heard in my 55years.

Like many others this is the first song of bears I ever heard. That was 5 1/2 years ago. It led me to real existence live which made me a madiac forever!

This was BAND-MAID`s 1st MV from 2014 , those were two sets of maid outfits , one Black/White and one Red /white n Black , BAND-MAID chose Thrill for the MV over what the record label wanted , Thrill was more like the music they wanted to play and it payed off for them , saved BAND-MAID from the record label dropping them .

The video that saved the band, and is still a good rock song!

Saiki did say of Thrill that it was the first song she was actually proud of recording. So basically write off that entire first album.

Miku told Kanami to make this song heavier. And it saved the band. She's very clever. The next most important song in the band history is Alone.

btw....really enjoy watching you discover more about BM. great reaction ..subscribed

Bow down in the sacred presence of TinyHat-san!

Sorry i'm late. The red in their costumes also represents the red side of the red & blue "Oni" who are creatures in Japanese folklore. Neither are inherently good or evil but each have their own character traits. Hence that's why Miku & Saiki wear the red & blue rose blooms in their hair :)

Prior to this MV, they were not excactly knocking it out the ballpark nor generating sales and selling out their venues. I believe that's why management was going to pull the plug and reallocate their main assets, in this case. the front women Saiki and Miku. The instrumentalists can always be assigned to another band ( they were still padawans and have'nt been recognized as Jedi level musicians...lol) that can use a another good drummer, guitar or bass player. After Thrill came out, Bandmaid was more popular with overseas fans than with their own fans in Japan. I saw a clip of their performance in Mexico and man.....those Mexican fans are crazy! I would give an arm and a leg to see Bandmaid in a Mexican venue.....:)

Maybe it was a Tiny Hat that saved Band Maid RIP Tiny Hat

The reason why it saved them was that the video became viral. And the reason why it became viral? It is a very good song, a very cool video and two cute singers. And a bass solo! All this together with luck I suppose.

Everyone loves when Miku sings... she's not quite as technically talented as Saiki, and has considerably higher tone (which is why Saiki's voice is the right one for lead singer)... but she WAS an idol singer and has a solo pop career, so she's clearly no slouch. A key to everyone loving her singing is that they hold it back to just a limited amount of presentation... usually one song per concert, maybe two... so that it's special when she takes center stage. The songs where only Miku sings are written to be more upbeat and matching her voice, which is very clever.

👍👍Awesome performance. 🔥🔥 🖖❤

In my opinion, much of the earliest material written for the Maids was quite cheesy. As a whole, disjointed, without any clear direction. I describe some of it as sounding like those “rock” songs your hear in Nickelodeon sitcoms. I don’t know much about Kentaro Akutsu, writer of “Thrill” (and “Shake That!”) but he’s obviously a great songwriter. The chorus is super catchy. The post-chorus chord change is brilliant to my ear. It was that small detail that hooked me immediately. Band Maid agreed that “Thrill” sounded more like the music they wanted to do. They insisted it be the first video. Why did this break them out? My guess is that US music has become so shallow that there’s a huge swath of music fans starving for something new. Band Maid showed up looking both adorable and fun while playing music that harvested DNA from 70’s and 80’s rock. Add the completely unexpected MISA solo had mouths drop open, then Kanami’s fiery solo slapped you while making you smile. Miku calls it “The Gap,” between the cute, submissive maid demeanor and the powerhouse sounds coming from the band. The rock scene is so formulaic that it’s comical to me. Someone forgot to tell Miku that she’s supposed to always wear black and snarl at the audience. That they are lucky to see her and she needs to act like she is the greatest gift to music. Band Maid flipped that whole idea on its head. Now it has almost become a battle between the fans and the Maids about who can be more appreciative of the other. “We love you!” “No! We love you more!!”

This song will always be in my top five for the reason of them being saved......ALWAYS! MISA was playing the Maid game at this time, but not long after she chucked the "Maid" concept and went dark, ditto for Saiki. They are both just too cool for school. When the colors change, so do the outfits. Also Miku didn't know how to play the guitar at this time and her "Rick" was just a prop. To allow Kanami to write more complex songs she needed a rhythm guitarist so Miku stepped up to the plate and said "I'll do it" so Kanami then became her guitar sensei and the rest is history. Kanami's writing also led to MISA eventually going from a four string bass (here) to a five string. Good Stuff Johnny...Thanks! Since you like music video I highly recommend "Manners" official music video, it's a visual masterpiece.

This video saved the band as their record company was thinking of cutting them loose! Miku has a wider vocal range but her voice is not as strong as Saiki's...thanks Peace & Respect from Montreal

They are better live, but it was the Thrill MV that people saw and what saved them. So it’s very much worth looking at.

Great reaction Johnny! Probably the only BAND-MAID reaction ever to reference 1993’s Schindler’s List!

Ahhh, no more documentaries? No worries, Thanks for doing Thrill.

Don't over think it ,it's bandmaid just enjoy it,there are a few songs you should only do mv's of like daydreaming, blooming, glory,bubble, alone, unleash. have at it then

The first album is a good first album, but there's nothing on it that would have hooked me. It's more of a pop punk kind of style. Thrill made them head toward a heavier general sound. The next two albums are very good with some standout tracks, but IMO the Just Bring It album, where the band is writing almost all the material, started a string of great albums that stand toe to toe with any 5-album run of any band ever.

It's true! If it hadn't gone viral the label was going to fire the musicians and turn the two singers into DANCE-MAID. Miku & Saiki both cried, "We did not come to Tokyo for this!". Fortunately it blew up and the rest is history.And yes again! The two Darkness Sisters MISA & Saiki. Even from this early stage, their Red is a darker red than the others. They give BAND-MAID their edginess. Did you notice that Miku can't play guitar yet? She's only wearing it as a prop at this point. Miku didn't want to hire another member so she had Kanami teach her how to play. It really balances them out. This was the song that helped them find their sound. It was a B-Side. But they only had money for one video, and they chose 'Thrill' for it. I think they knew it represented what Miku was going for best.

🕊️❄️🍌🥷🎸 I got a fever. And the only cure. Is. Band-Maid.

Enjoyed that Johnny, Keep well.

The song didn't save the band, the _music video_ did. It got posted on the Facebook of Jrock Radio, an internet radio station in US that covers Japanese music, and went viral. Clearly the video director was handed a minimal budget, expectations were not great. Thanks for the reaction!

Not sure if you caught this Johnny but at the beginning of Thrill, Miku says “Breakin’ new gate”. That is the name of Ohrenje’s production and at the beginning of his documentaries.

👍🤗🤘😁🥰🕊️👀

Metalism VOB 👍

Did you catch Miku-chan basically just using her guitar as a prop? At this particular time, she couldn’t even play a chord. I guess, as she improved, she sang less lead vocals as her playing sometimes approaches lead guitar. When she does sing lead, her playing is less complex. (Still pro level playing though.)

Luckily for us, Kanami wasn't short-tempered... :D

Regarding Thrill. Yes, you shall react to the MV. This MV is iconic and it is the one that saved BAND-MAID. The live version I have seen of Thrill was not thrilling at all.

Nice reaction Johnny boy, did you get the link I sent you?

Thrill is simply a good solid rock song. Especially compared to their other early songs, which tended to be more pop-rock. Compare Thrill to the song management wanted them to do as the first MV, Ai to Jonetsu no Matador. That song is interesting, but it is not rock.

What if you could have fun doing your job with people just as good or better than you? What if you spread joy whenever and wherever you did your job? What if the consumers LOVED you? Epic people doing epic shite everyday! They're BandMaid and their life is dope!

In this video, there was probably no meanings behind anything. It's more about making the most of very little money. Their later videos on the other hand are extremely well made and almost every frame has a sub meaning.

THRILL is the music VIDEO that saved BAND-MAID and set their musical direction. You are thinking too much about the art direction. At this point, SAIKI and MISA have yet to assert their sartorial independence, beyond SAIKI dispensing with her apron which she removed after their first public performance.

Hi. If you pay attention to the video you can see that at this time Miku can't "play" rythm guitar ...

NOTE: At the time this was shot, Miku couldn't play guitar. Kanami taught her to play rhythm.