Sophia was
the former vocalist of loud rock band “BLOOD STAIN CHILD”. She
also collaborated with other bands such as “MEJIBRAY” and
“DEATHBIE” but now Sophia is pursuing her solo project “Season
of Ghosts”. She is currently finishing her debut album “The Human
Paradox”. The album will be released in 2014. There was also an
album trailer and cover for the famous Disney movie “Hocus Pocus”
revealed on YouTube.
This
singer/songwriter/creator/producer was born in Caracas, Venezuela and
moved to Thessaloniki, Greece when she was only three years old. With
the help of her grandfather's musical knowledge she started to play
the piano at the age of 4. While playing the piano, she felt a bond
with music and people that shared the same knowledge and passion for
it. Sophia was so driven to inspire others that she decided to become
an event organizer in Greece. With her DJ/VJ sets she promoted
Japanese rock music, especially Visual Kei, as well as the Japanese
pop culture. Even though she was busy with organizing events, she
started working with several Japanese artists and record labels as
agent and promoter. Sophia was also the first person to represent the
Harajuku fashion street style in her homeland.
Although
Sophia was very passionate about music, she felt like education and
languages were the most important. She earned her university degrees
from Law School and Translators School. Sophia is fluent in Greek,
Japanese and English. She can also speak German and French, and keeps studying new languages on the side. During her time at
university she picked up her guitar and vocal skills. Around that
time she decided to become a performer.
In 2010 she
was approached by BLOOD STAIN CHILD, who were looking for a new
vocalist. Sophia submitted a demo tape and the band chose her to be
the lead vocalist for their upcoming album and tour. Her first show
was a sold out headliner in Tokyo, in December 2010. Due to her on
stage personality she was approached by the popular Lolita fashion
line “Chantilly/Atelier Pierrot”. They wanted Sophia to be a
representative for their new creations. From then on the offers kept
coming.
BLOOD STAIN
CHILD's fifth album, “Epsilon”, was released on June 15, 2011. It
is still the band's best selling album to date. The release of the
album opened the door for international performances. BSC made their
international debut in the US and Europe. While BSC was on tour with
Sophia, she was hand-picked by “Studio Ghibli” to sing on the
popular “Princess Ghibli” metal cover albums. “Princess Ghibli
1” was sold out before the actual release date through pre-orders.
In 2012
Sophia felt like she and BLOOD STAIN CHILD wanted to go in different
music directions. Sophia left the band to pursue her own vision of
music and inspiration. In October 2013, Sophia’s solo project,
“Season of Ghosts”, came to life. Her debut album “The Human
Paradox” will be released in 2014. Sophia also announced that MiA,
guitarist of popular Visual Kei band, MEJIBRAY will be a guest on her
debut album. Song titles and more details will be announced on a
later date.
On 18-20
October 2013, she was a VIP guest at the “Metal Female Voices
Festival” here in Belgium. Sadly enough she didn't perform but she
made time to greet her fans.
To celebrate
Halloween she offered her cover of “Sarah’ s Theme – Come
little children” for free on Soundcloud. For the cover she worked
with “ZOMBIE SAM”. This is what Sophia had to say about the song:
“Both Sam and me love Halloween, so when he came up with the idea
for a cover of such a brilliant song, I thought it would be a really
cool way to commemorate Season of Ghosts’ activity start. It’s a
little present to say “thank you” for your love and support all
these years. Happy Halloween!”
Don't forget to
check out the album trailer and cover of “Come little children”!
Aki (Ba.), Tatsuki (Vo.), Hikari (Dr.) & Jin (Gt.)
ANSIA
(formerly known as auncia) steadily rose in popularity in a
short amount of time. Their efforts were rewarded in 2009 when they
made their major debut with “Universal Music Japan”. In early
2011 they went on hiatus and changed their line-up but in the autumn
of 2012 they made a fresh start with their new band member and band
name. Similar bands are A&D and ZEXER.
Auncia was
formed in 2006, and unlike most new bands, they got a lot of
attention after their formation. In April of the same year their
activities started. Auncia was interviewed by rock and fashion
magazine “Cure”. Some months later they joined the “Red List
Entertainment” label. The year had already been busy so far, but it
became even busier when ancia's first maxi-single “Hanairo” was
released on September 27. They also held their first sponsored event
in Tokyo, were interviewed by music magazine “SHOXX” and appeared
in a commercial broadcast on “TV Saitama”. The year ended with an
interview for “Sports Nippon”.
In February
2007, auncia got yet an other interview with “SHOXX”. The release
of their first mini-album “Rabiu” followed on March 14. A month
later, in April, the song “Koi Monogatari” was used as the ending
theme for the TV program “Visual Keiji”. In June the band also
made progress overseas. “Rabiu” was released in parts of Europe
and Asia. To be more specific, the album was released in: Germany,
France, Finland, South Korea, and Taiwan. Also in June, they released
the live DVD of their first one-man live called “Dialogue”.
Auncia spent the middle part of 2007 on sponsored events and even
more interviews so they got even more exposure. This year ended with
the release of second maxi-single “Iys.” and some one-man lives
in Tokyo and Nagoya.
The year
2008 brought a big change. On May 1, auncia decided to leave “Red
List Entertainment” and took a chance at being independent with the
“HEART LINK” label. To prove that the change was a wise decision,
auncia's songs were broadcasted on the San Francisco (USA) internet
radio program “JSHOXX”. On July 2 the release of second
mini-album “Syrup” followed. It was a bold decision but on
December 17 auncia released a USA only best of album called “Beauty
& Slime”. They also held their final performance of the year at
“Fuji TV”'s 36th “New Year’s World Rock Festival”.
There was a
slow start in 2009. Auncia mainly focused on their fans by performing
throughout Japan. In May there was an other big change announced
through the official website. The band was now signed with “Universal
Music Japan”. In July auncia made their overseas debut by
performing at the convention “Anime Expo” in Los Angeles,
California. A month later, on August 5, the major debut single
“KeyCase” went on sale.
On April 14,
2010, live DVD “Intro of HEART LINK” was released. There wasn't
much activity, but there was some bad news. Near the end of 2010 it
was announced that auncia would go on hiatus on February 4, 2011.
However, they would still release the single “Dearly” on March 9,
2011.
Other bad
news followed in 2011. Bassist Yosuke would leave the band on
September 1. Yosuke felt that the distance between him and the band
was getting bigger so leaving seemed like the best option. The other
band members showed their support for the bassist and wished him the
best. In November Yosuke joined the band “ALSDEAD”.
In November
of 2012, the band resumed their activities with new bassist Aki and
their new band name “ANSIA”. On May 22, 2013, their first
maxi-single after the hiatus was released. Maxi-single “Koibana”
was available in two different types. It was announced there will be
two new releases, a new maxi single and a PV single including two PVs
and one live performance. Both of the releases were named “nanairo
HEARTS / soubouchakushin” and will go on sale on October 30.
It was also
announced that ANSIA would appear in a TV drama called “Juuni seiza
no girlfriend”. It will start airing in October on “chijou
digital 9ch”. There will be 12 episodes in this drama, airing one
episode each week. ANSIA has stated the episodes will be available to
watch on YouTube after their broadcast at 3 am (JST). The band will
also provide the theme song for the drama.
While he is actually nearly a born pianist, starting to play at the age of three, Ryo now also plays the guitar. Though, after learning it at the age of seventeen, two years later he decided six strings weren't enough and switched to a seven-string.
His first project was the band "AciD FLavoR" in 1999, for which he wrote all the music and all the lyrics. He and bassist Tei began working together and the other members soon followed. He chose the name because he wanted the fans to be addicted to the band's music, just like addiction to a drug. Seven years, two albums (Speed-BALL and Next Story) and several maxi-singles later, AciD FLavoR signed up with EMI's Japanese label.
In 2008, they gained enough European fame to be able to perform at the Japan Expo in Paris. Unfortunately, they split up two years later and Ryo Fujimura now performs solo under his own name. October 2008 saw the release of his first solo single, though it included instrumental songs only. Its second version, with vocals, was released in February 2009, followed by his first solo European tour in that same year.
Ryo Fujimura works together with Râmen Events, and will perform at their sixth year anniversary event on 30 November 2013 at Roubaix, France. (More details here.)
Having been friends since childhood, guitarist Nii and bassist Shuu formed the band in 2003, but it would take them one more year to start performing live gigs. That same year hey signed up with record label "Gaina-Japan", and their first single "Kaisen Sengen" immediately made the top 10 of the Oricon Indie Charts.
Their lineup hasn't changed since:
Nii (guitar)
Satoshi (voc)
Яyo (drum)
ShuU (bass)
In 2005 they did their first nation-wide tour, after which they released their first live DVD, and EP "Goku -Shohankei Enban-"
In 2007 they signed up to European label "Gan-Shin", and performed at the Los Angeles event "J-Rock Revolution", together with bands like D'EspairsRay and MUCC. Some of the performing bands released their albums on iTunes, but this is what Girugamesh's Ryo had to say about that: "If you really like the band after the initial listen, you will buy the original CD."
Later that year they released another EP, titled "Reason of Crying", and in December 2007 their album "Girugamesh". This triggered a European tour in 2008, after their Japan tour, visiting Germany, France, the UK, Sweden and Finland. They named the tour "Stupid Tour 08".
Another tour followed after their performance at Wacken Open Air, titled "Shining Tour 08", taking place all over Japan and ending in Tokyo. 2008 also saw the release of "Girugamesh" in America, being sold exclusively at Hot Topic, as well as the launch of their English website.
Their third album "Music" followed shortly, as well as yet another Japan tour in early 2009 and their second appearance in America at Sakura-con. The tour was titled "Crazy Tour 09" and was made into another live DVD "Crazy crazy crazy", and during which their next single "Alive" was already being performed.
Not long after that two more singles came out, "Border" and "Crying Rain" and yet another album. The album and consequential tour were named "Now" and would be their lead into 2010.
They held a live event "New Album Release Premium Oneman Show 2010" at Shinkiba Studio Coast, before which the members were tweeting out live to the world.
During 2010, 2 singles were released ("Color" and "Inochi no ki"), and they performed alongside Head Phones President and Defspiral at D'erlanger's "Abstinence's Door #005", which was streamed worldwide on Ustream.
2011 saw the release of their album "Go", as well as a performance at Anime Boston and the release of "Pray".
In 2012 singles "Zecchou Bang" and "Zantetsuken" were released, as well as DVD "Gaisen Koen Chiba".
This year we've seen the release of their single "Incomplete", and full album "Monster".
THE YELLOW
MONKEY (also known as YeMon) was a rock band formed in 1988. They
stopped their activities in 2001 but they officially disbanded on
July 7, 2004. The band's name was derived from the ethnic slur that
Japanese people look like monkeys and that Asian people are said to
have a “yellow” skin color. The music style of this band ranged
from hard rock to dance tunes to dark ballads. Overseas, the band is
best known for their song "Tactics". It was one of the many
ending themes of the anime series “Rurouni Kenshin”. Similar
bands are The Birthday and THEE MICHELLE GUN ELEPHANT.
The band was
formed by Kazuya 'Lovin' Yoshii in 1988 when his former band “Urgh
Police” disbanded. Originally Kazuya played bass but switched to
guitar when he found drummer Eiji 'Annie' Kikuchi, bassist Youichi
'Heesey' Hirose and a vocalist. Once the band was formed they started
to play at all kinds of live houses in Tokyo, but the vocalist took
off after a while. After the departure of the vocalist, Kazuya took
that role upon him and recruited Eiji's brother, Hideaki 'Emma'
Kikuchi as the new guitarist.
THE YELLOW
MONKEY started to play in the underground circuit and made themselves
known. Their songwriting and live performances stood out. While their
fanbase grew, the band was preparing for their first recordings in
the studio. When their first album “Bunched Birth” was released
on July 21, 1991, they got even more attention than before. Soon
after, THE YELLOW MONKEY signed a major deal with “Colombia Music”.
Their major debut album, “The Night Snails and Plastic Boogie”
hit the stores on June 21, 1992. But even with all the attention, the
band still had to work hard to gain recognition.
In 1993 the
second major album, “Experience Movie”, was released. The songs
from this album had a better production, they were stronger and had
emotional lyrics. From this point on people were admiring THE YELLOW
MONKEY's live performances because of the band's charisma and
Kazuya's extreme performances. They had gained more fans but the band
still wasn't a large public success.
Album
“Jaguar Hard Pain” was released on March 1, 1994. It was a
conceptual album which tells the adventure of Jaguar, a World War II
soldier who dies in combat and comes back to life trying to find his
love, Mary. This was the last album from the first period of the
band, when their songs did not have as much popular sound appeal.
The band
started building up their popularity with the release of their single
“Love Communication” in 1995. It debuted near the top of the
Oricon charts. February 1 was the release date of album “Smile”.
Like “Love Communication”, this was also a great success. The
tour to supported this album consisted of 40 shows in total. On April
11 they played their first show at the famous “Nippon Budokan”,
which is quite an achievement. After touring THE YELLOW MONKEY went
to London to record their new album called “Four Seasons”. The
album went on sale on November 1 and claimed the #1 spot on the
charts.
THE YELLOW
MONKEY held their first overseas concert in London on May 5, 1996.
They performed with the band “The Spiders from Mars”. When they
returned to Japan they held a massive tour of 43 shows. However, due
to problems with the record label, they switched from “Columbia
Music” to “FUNHOUSE”. The band also decided to take a one year
break. The decision was based on the stress Kazuya experienced from
the constant and exhausting work of the two previous albums. At the
end of 1996, however, the band put on a special show, the “Mekara
Uroko 7”. It was a concert for the oldest fans, in which they
performed older songs from before the “Smile” album.
On January
22, 1997, album “SICKS” was released. It was a mix of their
current sound and the sound of their first albums. The songs were
more complex and mature. Like the previous releases, “SICKS” was
also a best-seller. The single that followed, “BURN”, sold over a
million copies. Their song “Tactics” was used as the very first
ending theme for the first season of the popular anime series
“Rurouni Kenshin”.
The next
year, on April 3, 1998, they kicked off their new nationwide tour.
This tour was even bigger than before since there were 113 shows in
total. It was also around this time that THE YELLOW MONKEY released
some English versions of their songs. As if that wasn't enough, they
also held a small tour in the United Kingdom. After all the
exhausting concerts the band decided to take yet another one year
break towards the end of 1998.
The band
came back in 2000 with a new album called “8”. Throughout the
year they also released singles “Seinaru Umi to Sunshine”, “SHOCK
HEARTS”, “Pearl” and “Brilliant World”.
In January
2001, the band announced that they were taking a break for an
indefinite time. This break allowed the members to pursue various
projects. Kazuya began a solo career, while Youichi formed a band
called “HEESEY WITH DUDES”. Three years later, on July 7th, THE
YELLOW MONKEY officially disbanded.
Although
they started in 2002, they have taken their music career at a rather slow pace
and haven't released all that many singles and albums.
However,
the few things they did release have made them quite popular nonetheless.
Perhaps it was their stage names (Jack Spooky (voc), Kal Bone Jr (guitar) and
Peggy Giggles (bass)), or the Tim Burtonesque influences?
Fact is
that while they didn't produce many albums, they did manage to have their own
record label, as well as a US tour. This only happened after their full album was released under German label "TRISOL", opening the door to Europe and the US for them.
In total
they released six singles and one full album, creating more and more the atmosphere
of a horror theme park. It comes with a warning, though: once you enter,
there's no guarantee you will return..
Having made the Oricon Charts quite a few times, these guys have come a long way since their start in 2003. Back then they were called "Sound Goku Road", which became "Sangoku Road" on the streets, and consisted of 7 members.
Only 5 remain today: Takyua (voc), Katsuya (guitar, rap, keyboard), Akira (guitar, backing voc), Nobuto (bass) and Shintarou (drumms).
As Sound Goku Road they released only their demo, Prime '03, which ended up being a wild success. However, when saxophonist Seika and their vocalist left, the band renamed itself to UVERworld and started operating under that name to date.
In 2005 they signed up with G8! Records, under Sony Music Records, and released "D-tecnolife". Some of you may know this song from the anime Bleach, it was used as its second opening theme. Their second single "Chance!" was used as a theme for PSP game of Bleach: Heat the Soul.
Both these had made the Oricon Charts, and it would only get better for them. In 2006 their 3rd single "Just Melody", first album "Timeless" (in which Seika briefly returned on saxophone) and 4th and 5th singles "Colors of the Heart" (for the anime Blood+) and "Shamrock" respectively also all made the Oricon Charts at some point.
By 2007 they had become a well-known name among anime fans, and their second album "Bugright", of which more songs were used for anime openings or endings. That same year they also performed at the "We Love Music Vol2" event in Shibuya Axxe, against the band SID.
The next year another album made its way to the public. "Proglution" contained singles like "Ukiyo Crossing", "Endscape" and "Shaka Beach: Laka Laka La". In the same year, more anime openings/endings were released as singles, such as "Hakanaku mo Towa no Kanashi" which was used for the second opening theme of "Mobile Suit Gundam 00".
One more year, one more album. 2009 saw the release of their 4th album "AwakEVE", a DVD of their live in the Nippon Budokan hall, 13th single "Go-on" (used for the opening theme of the Japanese broadcast of popular series "House"), another DVD of the AwakEVE tour, single "Kanashimi wa kitto" for the drama "Shoukoujo Seira", their best-of album "Neo Sound Best" and perhaps most remarkably: an English website.
2010 marked the first 3-D music video in Japan, for their single "GOLD". Their 5th album "Last" was also released that year, as well as singles "Qualia", "NO.1", "MONDO PEACE" and "CORE PRIDE".
Their 6th album was released a year later (has it become tradition to release one album each year?), titled "LIFE 6 SENSE". Their 20th single "BABY BORN & GO/KINJITO" followed, as well as 2 more live DVDs ("UVERworld 2008 Premium LIVE at 日本武道館" and "LAST TOUR FINAL at TOKYO DOME").
In 2012 singles "7th trigger", "THE OVER" (used for anime "Kuro no Onna Kyoushi") were released, and at the end of the year their 7th album "THE ONE".
Takaki (Gt.), Kosuke (Ba.), Naoki (Dr.) & Ai (Vo.)
This indies
band's appearance is as dark as their name. Black and smeared make-up
is a big part of their look. DEATHGAZE (デスゲイズ)
is placed in the metal genre, but from time to time they bring a less
heavy style. In the past the band had some trouble with their
line-up, but their general sound always stayed the same. Similar
bands are UnsraW and -OZ-.
DEATHGAZE
was formed in Nagoya in July 2003 by vocalist Hazuki, guitarist
Kanna, bassist Ai, and drummer Naoki. Their first single,
“294036224052”, was released on February 22, 2004. Two months
later Hazuki left the band to form the band “lynch.”. Kanna also
left the band that year and joined “Puppet Mammy” instead. The
band then looked for replacements. Sou (ex-Be≒Luna) became the new
vocalist and Naoto (ex-KeiL) joined as guitarist.
Once the
band was complete again, DEATHGAZE released their second single
“Chaos” on February 5, 2005. On August 17 a volume 2 of “Chaos”
followed. This release contained one new song. In November, the
single “Downer” went on sale. DEATHGAZE also had several one-man
lives and a tour called “Drug Overdose Death”. The tour ended
with final live at “Meguro Rockmaykan”. Fans were given a DVD
with music video at the concert.
April 1,
2006, was the release date of single “Fuhai to Fusei”, but the
single was only available during the “FEEL
THE HEAVYNESS!” tour. On July 12 DEATHGAZE's first full album,
“genocide and mass murder” was released. To promote the album,
the band went on two month tour called “genocidal venom”. They
also held two special shows with band “girugamesh”. Especially
for this event they used the names “girugaze” and “deathgamesh”.
At the end of the year the band hit another bump concerning their
line-up. Sou was leaving to get married so the band had to search for
yet another vocalist. In March 2007 DEATHGAZE announced that they
would go on hiatus to concentrate on finding a new member.
On
November 11 of 2007, it was announced that bassist Ai would be the
new vocalist. DEATHGAZE continued as a three-member band for now.
Three singles were released before they had found a new bassist. In
April 2008 Kosuke joined as the new bass player. The year 2008
finished with the release of second album “AWAKE -evoke the urge-”
on December 10.
In
2009 another unlucky event took place. Guitarist Naoto left DEATHGAZE
after the “Takadanobaba AREA” live on April 26. Naoto said that
if it was possible, he would return. In the meantime, the band was
reduced to three members again but continued their activities. On
September 9 a new album called “THE CONTINUATION” was released.
The album contained re-recorded old songs with Ai on vocals. After
the release short tour “UNITE THE BLOOD” followed. During this
tour Takaki (ex- ASS’n’ARROW) supported the band as a guitarist.
He became an official member on November 20.
In
November 2009, single “BLOOD” was released. Single “SORROW”
followed in May 2010. Both releases claimed a spot in the top 10 of
the Oricon indies charts. In autumn, DEATHGAZE was the accompanying
band for lynch. during their tour. On September 10 the bands held a
two-man band event called “Friction Effect”. 2010 finished with
the release of album “BLISS OUT”. In 2011 two single releases
followed.
February
22, 2012, was the release date of their second live DVD, “2011
PREMIUM NIGHT「BLISS
OUT MIND」-
FROM THE END -”. In April album“CREATURE” went on sale. To
further promote the album they held the “GLORY CREATURES” tour.
The tour ended on June 30 in Tokyo. Single “DEAD BLAZE” was
released on November 21 and this release also got a promo tour, which
ended in February 2013.
Since
2013 marks DEATHGAZE's 10 year anniversary, the band wanted to
celebrate with a tour through Japan and Europe. The tour was titled
“The End of Last Decade”. The European tour started on July 4 in
Czech Republic and ended on July 17 in Russia. They also visited
France, the UK, Germany, Poland and Austria. A day before the
European tour, best of album “DECADE” was released.
In light of their announced new PV, let's give Angelo some spotlight-time.
Kirito (voc), Kohta (bass) and Takeo (Dr) founded the band in 2006, after their band PIERROT broke up in April. In October, they performed their first live as Angelo in Yoyogi Park, attracting 5000 fans to the free open-air stage.
Their first single "REBORN" was only a month away, though, and in the next three years, three full albums would be released: ‘REBIRTH OF NEWBORN BABY’, ‘METALLIC BUTTERFLY’ and ‘Design’. In 2008 they even performed at the Nippon Budokan, a milestone for any band.
In 2011 two guitarists officially joined the band: Karyu and Giru completed the lineup and it would remain unchanged to date. Karyu most of you will know from former band D'EspairsRay, and Giru from VIDOLL. This marked the beginning of the "reborn" Angelo, which they celebrated with a new album, titled "BABEL".
In 2012, they began considering expanding their activities to other countries, released yet another album "RETINA", and currently they are touring, playing at the Shibuya-Ax in a few weeks (which they sold out).
In 2000, Hora started his musical career as the keyboard player in the band "Velvet Eden", though he left in 2001 and formed a new band. "Rudolf Steiner" would be his main project while also working as a composer for "Schwarz Stein", which would lead him into his current solo career.
Him going solo meant that he could do his own thing, being much darker than his previous projects, although some of it leaked into Schwaz Stein, and he didn't require a vocalist. His solo music can exist perfectly on its own, and any vocals added were carefully crafted to almost blend into the composition yet still being their own proper element.
His most recent album dates from June this year, but it'd been a few years since his previous one. The reason for this is that he declared himself "retired" from the stage, so he wouldn't perform anymore, wouldn't be present in any publications or media etc. He even had his photo blurred in any picture books that came out during this "retirement".
I keep using quotation marks there, because he has still been active in the music world, just not particularly drawing attention to himself or pursuing his solo career. However, as mentioned earlier, he's back with a new album "Cocoon".
The band B'z
(pronounced Biizu) may only consist of two members, but they're
considered to be one of the biggest rock bands in Japan. They are
also one of the best-selling music artists in the world, the
best-selling in Japan, and they sold more than 80 million records
worldwide. B'z is known as a rock band, but they have many
influences. At the start of their career they had more of a pop
sound, but since the members found inspiration in rock legends
“Aerosmith”, “Van Halen” and “Led Zeppelin”, they went
through almost every possible rock style. They went from pop-rock to
blues rock and heavy guitar riffs with less keyboard work. Similar
bands are GLAY and WANDS.
Guitarist
Tak Matsumoto gained reputation after working as a support guitarist
for 80's legends “TM Network” and Mari Hamada. On May 21, 1988,
Tak released his first solo album “Thousand Wave”. The album
received praise from music critics, but Tak felt a desire to start
his own band. He then placed an ad in a magazine, hoping that he
would find a vocalist who could match his musical standards. After
some failures, Tak got a demo tape from Koshi Inaba. Back then he was
an unknown guy who had just finished his studies and wanted to become
a math teacher. Koshi got an audition and performed “Let it be”
and “Oh Darling” by “The Beatles”. Tak had found his match in
the aspiring math teacher and so B'z was formed. B'z consist of only
two members, but the rest of the positions are filled in by support
musicians.
The first
single (Dakara Sono Te Wo Hanashite) and album (B'z), were released
on September 21, 1988. Instead of going on an album promo tour, B'z
chose to wait. They were still thinking over their stage performance
and decided to wait until they had material to perform for at least
90 minutes. The duo went back into the studio and started to work on
new songs. They concentrated on recording, which raised the quality
of their music.
Their hard
work payed off, and on May 21, 1989, second album “OFF THE LOCK”
was released. At the same time the second single, “Kimi no Naka de
Odoritai”, also went on sale. This time a tour called “Live Gym
#00: Off the lock” followed. They played in Nagoya, Osaka and
Tokyo. Tickets for all the shows were sold out as soon as they became
available. On October 21 mini-album “Bad Communication” was
released. More than a million copies were sold in the following
years, but it could never claim a spot in the Oricon top 10.
February 21,
1990, was the release date of B'z's new album, “Break Through”.
To promote the album they went on a nationwide tour and played 22
shows in total. Later, on June 13, single “Taiyō no Komachi Angel”
was released. The single peaked at #1 on the Oricon charts. Every
single since than has debuted at #1 on the charts. Second mini-album
“Wicked Beat” followed shortly on June 21. Unlike “Break
Through”, “Wicked Beat” received only a bit of promotional
efforts. After the release, the band went back to the studio to start
recording again. For the recording of the next album, “Risky”,
B'z went to New York. It was then released on November 7 and went
platinum. The “Risky” tour, with a total of 49 performances, also
started that month. Their first music video, “Film Risky”, was
recorded in New York and London within 4 weeks, and was released on
16 December.
Third
mini-album, “Mars”, went on sale on May 29, 1991. Once again,
there was little promotion for this release. After releasing two more
singles, the fifth album “In the Life” got released on November
27. The album was the mark of a new style. They stepped away from
their advanced digital sounds and started to lean more towards rock.
Their first live video, “Just Another Life” was released on 11
December. For promotion, B'z also started their “In the Life
'91–'92” tour, with 66 performances in total. The tour started in
December and stopped in the next year. The total number of
“Live-Gyms” they did during this year exceeded 100.
In the
summer of 1992, the “Pleasure '92-Time” tour was planned. There
were 12 shows in 3 major cities. The arena-class tour had special
features. They used a huge lighting set called “Starfish”, and
seats that rotated 360 degrees. Album “Run” got released on
October 28 and leaned more towards the hard rock genre. To end they
year, B'z released a mini-album called “Friends”. It differed
from “Run” since the album concept was similar to a movie
soundtrack.
Early in
1993 the “Run” tour ended after 49 shows were given in 21
locations. That same year B'z held their first open-air concerts
called “Jap the Ripper”. The performances took place in
Bentenjima of Hamamatsu-city, Shizuoka on 31 July and 1 August. The
shows were a success since they were able to gather 100 000 people in
those two days. After the successful performances they returned to
the studio to create their new album.
On February
9, 1994, the “B'z Live-Gym '94—The 9th Blues” tour kicked off.
It became their longest and biggest tour so far. They managed to give
87 shows in the year. During the tour, on March 2, seventh album “The
7th Blues” was released. The album title was inspired by
the fact that it was their 7th album and by the seventh
cord, which is frequently used in Blues. B'z had switched from hard
rock to a more soulful and “bluesier” sound.
The first
half of 1995 was spend on recording. After the numerous recordings
they started the “Pleasure '95 Buzz Stadium” tour, playing 12
shows in 7 cities. The next album release followed on November 22.
Their latest creation, “Loose”, focused on the original concept
of a two-man band. It was a well balanced pop-rock album. “Loose”
sold over 3 million copies, which made it the band's best seller.
The “B'z
Live-Gym '96 "Spirit Loose"” tour began on March 15,
1996. This tour counted 44 shows in total. The shows started with a
short B'z action movie, which was shot in Los Angeles. On November
25, mini-album “Friend II”was released.
January 29, 1997, was the release date for vocalist Koshi's first
solo album “Magma”. All the music and lyrics were written by
Koshi. The album topped the charts and let the fans see a different
side of the vocalist. The dome tour “Pleasure '97 Fireball” began
in March and consisted of 9 shows. Tickets for each dome, with a
capacity of about 30 to 50 thousand people each, were sold out. Later
that year, on November 19, album “Survive” was released. It
showed yet another change of sound and style.
To promote “Survive”, B'z first held performances in Akita,
Hakodate, Kōchi, Shiga, and Nagasaki, before they started their
actual tour. The “B'z Live-Gym '98 Survive” tour kicked off on
January 24, 1998. May 20 was the release date of the first
compilation album “B'z The Best "Pleasure"”. The album
was to celebrate their 10 year anniversary. The first shipment of the
album had sold more copies than any other Japanese artist in history.
With this album, their sales in Japan surpassed 50 million records.
They were the first artists to achieve this after Oricon started.
In the middle of 1998, B'z took a break. Tak & Koshi wanted to
focus on their solo projects for a while. Even though they were on
hiatus, the second best-of album, “B'z The Best "Treasure"”,
was released on September 20. Near the end of the year, on December
16, Koshi released his maxi single “Tooku Made”.
On March 25, 1999, Tak released his single “The Changing”. It was
the first time he had sung on a released record. The single claimed
the #2 spot on the Oricon charts in it's first week. On 14 April, Tak
released the album “Knockin' "T" Around”. However, even
before the release of the album, B'z had already started recording
again.
After
the release of Tak's single, B'z returned to the music scene and
started to promote the new album “Brotherhood”, which was
released on July 14. For the track “Giri Giri Chop (Version
51)” drummer Pat Torpey and bassist Billy Sheehan from the band
“Mr. Big” helped out. Also in July, yet another dome tour
started. The title of this tour was “B'z Live-Gym '99
"Brotherhood"”. On August 28 & 29, B'z was the first
music act to play at the “Yokohama International Stadium”. They
were able to gather 140 000 people in two days. For the rest of the
year B'z disappeared in the studio again.
Another
best-of album, “B'z The "Mixture"”, was released on
February 23, 2000. The album included re-mastered tracks of past
songs, songs from past singles that were not the featured track,
remixes, and a new song. On June 20 they started their “B'z
Live-Gym Pleasure 2000 -Juice-” tour at the famous “Nippon
Budokan”. Single “Juice” was released on July 12. For this
single they had the support of drummer Brian Tichy who has played for
Whitesnake, Billy Idol, Foreigner, and Ozzy Osbourne. With “Juice”
B'z set a new record. The single topped the chart in its first week,
making it their 25th #1 single in a row. On August 2 the
DVD “Once Upon a Time in Yokohama ~B'z Live Gym'99 "Brotherhood"~”
was released. The last release of 2000, album “Eleven”, was on
December 6. B'z finished the year with an appearance on the TV show
“Music Station”.
For B'z the
year 2001 started on February 26, when they kicked off their “B'z
Live-Gym 2001 -Eleven-” tour. Most of this tour's shows were fan
club members only events. Around this time B'z also officially
released their CDs in Taiwan & Hong Kong. After their “Eleven”
tour in Japan, they started their first Asian tour and brought the
shows to Taipei & Hong Kong.
Tak released
his two new albums “Dragon From The West” & “Hana” on
February 27, 2002. B'z finished their recording in the middle of May,
and started rehearsals in Tokyo for the Live-Gym tour that year. They
also performed with “Aerosmith” at the “FIFA World Cup
Korea/Japan Official Concert International Day” on June 27. The
members of Aerosmith were impressed by the extremely high standard
that B'z showed in their performance. Later they invited Koshi and
Tak to be their opening act in America.
July 3 was
the release date of album “Green”. Like always a support/promo
tour followed. The tour started on July 8 and ended on September 9.
Also in September, B'z made their US debut. They performed in San
Diego at “Canes” on 22 September and “The Palace” in Los
Angeles on 24 September. The next month, on October 9, Koshi
released his second solo album called “Shian”.
In 2003 B'z
celebrated their 15h anniversary. They were recording from the
beginning of the year, but traveled to the US in February for
additional recordings. Koshi also released a new solo single on June
11. In July their “B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's
Showtime!!"” tour kicked off. The “Pleasure” tour series
had started in 1991 but came to an end in 2003. The tour started at
“Hakodate Shimin Kaikan” and finished at “Nagisa-en” on 21
September, which was also the date of their anniversary.
After the
last show they traveled to the US and began their “B'z Live-Gym
2003 Banzai in North America” tour. B'z performed in Las Vegas,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle & Vancouver. When album “Big
Machine” was released on September 17, the duo started their 3rd
tour of the year, “B'z Live-Gym 2003 Big Machine”.
The year
2004 started with more recordings. On 25 February, a DVD, “Typhoon
No.15 ~B'z Live-Gym The Final Pleasure "It's Showtime!!" in
Nagisaen~”, was released. For the rest of the year, both members
worked mainly on their solo projects. When both of their solo tours
were finished they teamed up again.
April 6,
2005, was the release date of album “The Circle”. To promote
their latest album they went on tour again. “B'z Live-Gym 2005
"Circle of Rock"” started in April and ended in
September. On 30 November, “B'z The Best "Pleasure II"”,
the third compilation album, was released.
On June 28,
2006, album “Monster” was released. Most of the recording for
this album took place in Los Angeles. Like always, a promo tour
followed. “B'z Live-Gym 2006 "Monster's Garage"” began
on July 2.
At the end
of the next year, on December 5, 2007, B'z released album “Action”.
For the track “Super Love Song” Jeremy Colson recorded the drum
part. On November 19, B'z was inducted into “Hollywood's RockWalk”
as the first Asian inductee in Sunset Boulevard, California, US.
In February
2008, B'z released a DVD titled “B'z Live in Nanba”. The show was
recorded in 2006 and was also broadcast online. The show featured
songs from “The Circle” and “Monster” albums, along with a
number of older hits and also a few English versions. On April 16,
2008, the duo released their 45th single, “Burn -Fumetsu
no Face-”.
The year
2008 was also the year of B'z's 20th anniversary. The
celebrate this event, the “B'z 20” campaign was launched. Two
more best-of albums would be released. “B'z The Best "Ultra
Pleasure"” was released on 18 June 2008 and featured the
greatest hits of the band on a two-disc collection in chronological
order and with two all-new modern recordings of older tracks. “B'z
The Best "Ultra Treasure"” was released on 17 September
2008. Its two-disc track listing was decided by fans who were invited
to vote for three of many songs at the B'z 20th Anniversary website,
which featured an exclusive song on a three-disc gift bundle, as well
as a re-recording and a remix.
Throughout
the month of September, B'z performed for hundreds of thousands of
fans in 9 performances across 3 cities. The special tour ended on
September 21 with a concert on the 20th anniversary of their first
release. This performance was later released on DVD February 25, 2009
as “B'z Live-Gym Pleasure 2008 -Glory Days-”.
After the
heavy touring in 2008, it was time to get back into the studio and
record new material. Single “Ichibu to Zenbu / Dive” was released
on August 5, 2009. This single featured drummer Chad Smith. The non
full-track ringtone downloads (Chaku Uta) of “Ichibu to Zenbu”
began on July 13, 2009. The full-track ringtone downloads (Chaku Uta
Full) of the song began on August 26, 2009. For its strong download
sales in August and September on “Recochoku”, the song got the
“Monthly Recochoku Award, Best Song Award Grand Prix” for Chaku
Uta and Chaku Uta Full each for two consecutive months. On October
13, 2009, “KDDI” also announced that “Ichibu to Zenbu” was
awarded the “Utatomo Award” of September 2009 for the sales on
“Utatomo”. The second single of that year “My Lonely Town”
was released on October 14. Album “Magic” followed the next month
on November 18. On December 10 there was an announcement that “Ichibu
to Zenbu” had won the “Billboard Japan Hot 100 of the Year 2009”
award.
After the
“B'z Live-Gym 2010 "Ain't No Magic” tour, the duo split up
again for a while to pursue their solo careers. Tak released his
album “Take Your Pick” with Larry Carlon on June 2, 2010. “Take
Your Pick won the Grammy Award for “Best Pop Instrumental Album”
at the 53rd Grammy Awards on February 13, 2011. Koshi released album
“Hadou” on August 18. It debuted at #1 on the Oricon charts.
In 2011 B'z
was united again and released their single “Sayonara Kizu Darake no
Hibi yo” on April 13. The titular song was written and used to
promote “Pepsi NEX”. A couple of months later, on June 1, single
“Don't Wanna Lie” was released. The title track was used as the
opening theme song for the anime “Detective Conan: Quarter of
Silence”. In the summer B'z went back to touring in North America.
They performed in Vancouver, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
In the fall
of 2012, yet another North American tour had been planned for San
Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Silver Spring, New York City,
and Los Angeles. B'z shared their first English songs with the
American audience on their tour. Tak said, “This will be our fourth
US tour. We love playing for American audiences, and are excited to
share our first English release with our fans.” The band released a
5 song mini-album featuring re-recorded English versions of various
hits such as "Juice," "Ultra Soul" and "Splash."
The album is internationally available through the iTunes Store. It
was released on July 25, 2012.
To celebrate
their 25th anniversary, B'z released two best-of albums on
June 12, 2013. The albums are called “B’z The Best XXV 1988-1998”
and “B’z The Best XXV 1999-2012”. The supporting tour, “B'z
LIVE-GYM Pleasure 2013 -ENDLESS SUMMER-”, started on June 15 an
will end on September 22.
Drummer Kamijou Chihiro from 9mm Parabellum Bullet is a graduate of a military school, and hence provided the band's name when they started out in 2004.
In 2005 and 2006, they released 2 early albums, and it's clear that they still hadn't found their own style. They were mixing up a variety of genres like punk, oldskool rock, emo.. although the foundation of their own stamp on music were beginning to emerge.
They would continue building on that basis of fast-paced percussion and released their first full album in 2007, titled "Termination". This shot them off into their first real tour, which only encouraged them to write and record another album, of which the single "Supernova/Wanderland" was released in 2008, accompanied by a third song, "Wildpitch". In October that same year, their second full album "Vampire" was released, followed by their second tour. This was also the mark of their first limited editions, which included a VIP pass and a photobook.
In 2011 they released the single "Black Market Blues", and last month, their third full album "Dawning" saw its release.
ADAMS' band name is a contraction of ADAM, who created the idea in 2011, and Shota Yokoyama, the guitarist who joined later on.
Their main theme is homosexuality, though it isn't clear whether or not they are an actual couple. No matter, their music is very catchy and has all the elements of what we call a modern rock song. Their first single "DIZZY LOVE" from 2011 caught both Japanese and European attention, though it might be more prominent here in Europe.
Yokoyama said their idea is that they're not born as a band yet, that they have to keep evolving and changing and won't be born until at least 10 years (8 now, since we're 2 years later now), and that that moment will mean their end as a band. This shows a strong belief in one thing's end being another's beginning, life without end.
Currently they have 3 singles and 1 album out, and next month they'll perform live at AVO's 10th anniversary party. AVO is a Dutch Japan-related forum, and has existed for 10 years as such, but recently they've added a blog to their site as well. AVO's founder, Franciska, is a big J-rock fan so it should be no surprise that she's invited ADAMS (and two other bands!) to her party.
SCREW is a 5
member Visual Kei band. Originally there were only 4 members, but a
second guitar player followed later. Their concept? “Everybody has
darkness inside - the poisonous chemicals of darkness have to be
screwed out of the body.” SCREW is known for their heavy songs and
energetic live performances. Similar bands are BORN and Sadie.
Vocalist
Byou and bassist Yuuto were the ones who formed SCREW a little before
March 2006. Before teaming up for SCREW, both of them had been
members of he disbanded group “Joker”. Kazuki (ex-Clover) would
join as the guitarist and Jin (ex-LiViNg DEAD) would become the
drummer. The newly formed band then signed with indies label “SPEED
DISK”. Their very first concert was held on March 4 at
“Takadanobaba AREA”, but their was a twist to their performance.
It was a secret live. There would be 7 more secret lives before their
first one-man concert on April 23, also at “Takadanobaba AREA”.
In May there
were three events hosted at “Shibuya O-WEST”. The events were
named “SCREW vs WEST” and had three different stages:
preliminary, semifinals and finals. The preliminary stage was the
"Shinrabanshow Kakuritsu Hendou" event presented by “SPEED
DISK” on May 16. May 24 was the release of their debut single. It
reached #192 on the Oricon charts. A day later, the semifinals stage
followed. This event was sponsored by “Kazoku” on the 25th. The
finales stage was the "Boys Evolution" event presented by
“LOOP ASH RECORDS” and “Kamikaze Boyz” on May 29.
June was
also a busy month. SCREW participated 4 times in the event tour
“Kyuukoku Shikakutei ~Ultimate Square~”, which was sponsored by
visual kei band “Ruvie”. SCREW joined the tour at “Takadanobaba
AREA” on June 4 and ended at Shibuya O-WEST on the 19th. The second
pressing of debut single “Nejireta Shisou” was released on June
21. The first pressing had been limited to 1000 copies and were
sold-out. June ended with live performance at “ESAKA MUSE” on the
24th.
SCREW's
first sponsored live, “Chikichiki Muramura Shichaeba Iijanai?”,
was held on July 2. After that, they played 3 lives at the “SPEED
DISK” organized tour “Shinrabanshow TOUR '06 #2”. The band
released their first mini-album “Nanairo no Reienka” on July 12
and also performed a live that day at “Takadanobaba AREA”. The
album reached #299 on the Oricon charts.
On August 2,
SCREW participated in the mega-event “SCUBER DIVE ~Shibuya ga
Taihen~”. Their second one-man live followed on August 17 at
“Shibuya O-WEST”. During the period from August 21 to October 8,
they played 4 lives. They started at “Nagoya E.L.L” and finished
at “Takadanobaba AREA”.
In October
there was a three-man TouNaKa (東名阪;
Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka) based tour titled “THE SCREAMING GROUND”
with bands Sadie and lynch. On the 25th, a live
performance was held and their second single “Sakuran SCREAM” was
released. The single is the first in a 3 consecutive month single
release plan called the "Maxi Single Liberation" series. It
claimed the #140 on the Oricon charts. October ended with their
participation in the “LOVE&PEACE&ROCK'N ROLL Vol.1” event
at “OSAKA MUSE” on the 29th.
Near the end
of November, SCREW joined the “RENTRER EN SOI” sponsored events
“MIDNIGHT CELEBRATION”. They participated 3 times in total at
“HOLIDAY OSAKA”, “HOLIDAY NAGOYA” and “Takadanobaba AREA”.
Even more
concerts followed in 2007. They joined “SectMa”'s first
sponorsed event “Akai Orchestra -sect.1-” on January 9 at
“Shibuya O-WEST”. On the 12th and 13th,
SCREW held their first overseas performance in South Korea at Seoul's
“Rolling Hall” for SPEED DISK's "Shinrabanshow in Korea"
event. On the 25th, to celebrate the release of the Liberation
singles, SCREW held the event “-Violet junkie movie show-” at
Shibuya O-WEST. After that they participated in half of E.L.L SPEED
DISK's “Shinrabanshow in MID SIDE 4days” events on February 5 and
6 at Nagoya E.L.L. The band had a special live called
“SCREW-BYO209BD” at “Meguro Rockmaykan” on February 9. It was
a solo performance by Byo and was limited to 209 fans.
To promote
the release of debut album “Fusion of the core”, they held a live
on March 3. The album got released on March 14 and came in two
versions. It was the first release to have more than one version and
also the first to have a DVD. The album peaked at #160. SCREW
continued to promote their latest album and went on the “LIMITED
FUSION” tour. When the tour was over, the band left SPEED DISK and
joined “PS COMPANY” independent division “Indie-PSC”.
With the
label switch there was a little break, but activities started again
in May with 3 performances. The first one was yet another
“Shinrabanshow” event. The second performance was at a “h'evn
no Omatsuri★Tenmade Tobou!!” live, organized by the magazine
“h'evn”. The third and last event was the “Visual binary vol.13
'Perfectly fine tomorrow'” event presented by “Visualive”. On
June 1 they held their last live as a 4 member band. Manabu joined on
the 23rd as the second guitarist. June ended with a SCREW
sponsored event, “Unknown shudder”, at Takadanobaba AREA on the
29th.
SCREW's
first release with “Indie-PSC”, and also as a 5 member band, was
the second mini-album “VENOM”. The album went on sale on
September 12 and claimed the #113 spot on the Oricon charts. The
one-man concert “OUTFLOW OF VENOM” on September 17 was used to
promote and support the new album. September finished with a live at
Shibuya O-EAST on the 28th.
The third
mini-album, “VIRUS”, was released on October 3. It peaked at #139
on the Oricon charts. This mini-album didn't get a one-man concert,
unlike the previous release. For the rest of October SCREW was one
of the band's on the “h'evn Soukan 5-shuunen Kinen Zenkoku TOUR
~Dai2dan~” tour.
During
November and December the band participated in 5 lives/events. The
first activity was the “Absolute Domain vol.1” event at Nagoya
E.L.L on November 2.The second event was their own “Unknown
shudder... vol.2” sponsored event at Takadanobaba AREA on the 25th.
In December SCREW performed two dates in the “Shinrabanshow TOUR
'07 #3” tour at “Osaka BIG CAT” on the 8th and Shibuya O-EAST
on the 22nd. The last activity of 2007 was their part in the “J-ROCK
INVATION -EPISODE I-” event at Palladium in Cologne, Germany on
December 29.
2008 was yet
another busy year for SCREW. They started touring during the second
week of January and released maxi-single “RAGING BLOOD” on
February 27. In April, SCREW celebrated their 2 year anniversary by
holding a one-man at the place where it all began, Takadanobaba
AREA. The remaining months of the year were also busy. Two more
singles were released and live performances were given regularly.
SCREW
started 2009 with a winter tour called “Double Suicide in Five
Cities”. After the winter tour was wrapped up, they continued
touring in February. On April 8 they released their new mini-album
“RACIAL MIXTURE”. Near the end of the month, on April 26, SCREW
celebrated their 3 year anniversary at “Liquid Room Ebisu”.
During their 6 month tour, “Homura he no Kakusei”, overwhelmed
Japan and gained popularity. They didn't have a lot of time before
starting the “X-RAYS OF SCREW” tour in October. When 2009 had
ended they took a break from to heavy live schedule to catch up on
recording in 2010.
The year
2010 began with a member switch. Yuuto left the band and was replaced
by Rui as the bassist. Touring started again in February. Single
“Cursed Hurricane” was released on May 12 and single “ANCIENT
RAIN” followed on June 9. The touring stopped again in mid-June and
didn't resume until November, when new album “DUALITY” was
released.
In March
2011, SCREW would be touring again. This time for their 5th
anniversary. The tour was titled “GO INTO HIGH GEAR”. On March 23
the single “DEEP SIX” hit the shelves. Single “BRAINSTORM”
followed on September 21. SCREW joined the line-up of the “V-ROCK
FESTIVAL ’11”. They got to play on the Rainbow stage and got a
warm welcome when they appeared.
2012 started
with the release of the album “BIRAN” on February 15. A European
tour was also announced that year. They started on May 30 in the UK
and ended on June 17 in Russia. SCREW gave concerts in the following
countries: UK, France, Spain, Hungary, Austria, Netherlands, Germany,
Sweden, Finland and Russia. Single “XANADU” was released on
October 17. This single would be their Major Debut Single. “XANADU”
was available as 2 limited editions and as a regular edition.
The year
2013 also started in February with the release of single “Teardrop”.
It was also announced that on July 10 the band will release their
first major album titled “SCREW”. For this album there will also
be 2 limited editions and a regular one.
