Band Feature: NINJAMAN JAPAN

NINJAMAN JAPAN is a 5-member band from Tokyo. Current members include SARINO (vo.), Lida (gt.), DAISHI (gt.), Metal (ba.), and Pinky (dr.). The originally formed in 2008 with Metal, Lida, and SARINO, but after going through many changes along the way, they decided to officially form again on November 1, 2012. Support guitarist DAISHI, performing with the band since June 2012, joined as an official member on January 1, 2013.

They have a concept of hard and heavy music with dramatic performances that include elements of ninja, sentai, and stage-combat choreographed by a specialist. They are managed by Akemi Oshima, journalist and promoter of visual kei events.

NINJAMAN JAPAN released their first mini album, "Shinobi," in March 2010 through NMJ RECORDS, followed by a second mini album, "Zan," in June 2011. Prior to their official re-start in 2012, the band released a new single in August titled "Fly away," which appeared several times as the ending theme for the Viju☆Love☆Cafe web program. They also contributed a cover of "When You Wish Upon a Star" from Pinocchio to the "V-ROCK Disney" compilation album released in 2011, and they were featured on the fourth volume of "Visual-kei DVD Magazine" in 2010, where SARINO did the opening music.

NINJAMAN JAPAN recently traveled to the UK to perform at the Hyper Japan event.

Members:

Vocalist: SARINO
Guitar: Lida
Guitar: DAISHI
Bass: Metal
Drums: Pinky

NINJAMAN JAPAN OHP here
NINJAMAN JAPAN Official Facebook here
NINJAMAN JAPAN Official Blog here
NINJAMAN JAPAN Official YouTube here

Twitter:

SARINO Twitter here
Lida Twitter here
DAISHI Twitter here
Metal Twitter here
Pinky Twitter here

Band Feature: DALATH

DALATH is a 3-member band founded in January 2009 in the Kanto region of Japan by members TORA and JSKE, who had often played together in prior bands, with the stated intent to explore “the destructive energy expressed by sounds.” Vocalist Ryuta joined the pair in April 2012. The band does not classify itself as pursuing a particular musical genre, but vocalist Ryuta states in his Facebook page that their sound will appeal to fans of hard rock, heavy metal, and visual kei.

Throughout July, September, and October 2012, DALATH have participated in a variety of live show performances, and on November 17^th, they released their first PV for the song “Cheeky Ren” to the public. That video, as well as other comment videos and cover tracks can be found on the band’s official YouTube channel.

Recently DALATH was nominated among 20 other bands to participate in a Râmen x JaME Bands Contest to determine which band fans wanted to visit Europe in March and April 2013. Voting for that contest has closed, but the results have not yet been released. The band is quickly gaining attention overseas, and is definitely one to watch for Western fans of Japanese music. Visit their pages to show support.

Members:

Vocalist: Ryuta
Guitar: TORA
Bass: JSKE

DALATH OHP here
DALATH TOKYO Official YouTube Channel here
DALATH Official Facebook here

Blogs:

Ryuta Official Blog here
TORA Official Blog here
JSKE Official Blog here

Twitter:

Ryuta Twitter here
TORA Twitter here

Facebook:

Ryuta Facebook here
Tora Facebook here
JSKE Facebook here

Band Feature: RUVISH

RUVISH is a 5-member band that formed on May 5, 2012 from former member of bands like Doremidan, Himeichigo, Virgil, and Wizard. They opened their official website on September 15, 2012, and quickly announced that they would be participating in their first sponsored live on November 19 at the "Garakuta Rock Festival Vol. 1" show held at Shibuya O-WEST. They will be performing with other popular bands Megamasso, GlamGrammar, DaizyStripper, HERO, and DuelJewel. They have since announced another live show to be held on January 19, 2013 at Takadanobaba AREA for the "BRAND NEW WAVE 2013" event, where bands like v[NEU], Black Gene for the Next Scene, DIV, LANDZ, and BlitZ will also perform.


RUVISH will be releasing their first single, called "Kasanari," on November 21, 2012. Audio samples for the single are currently featured on the band's homepage, as well as on the band's official YouTube channel.

Members:

Vocalist: Reon
Guitar: HIRO
Guitar: Haruki
Bass: YUHSUKE
Drums: Ruka

RUVISH OHP here
RUVISH Official YouTube Channel here

Blogs:

Reon Official Blog here
HIRO Official Blog here
Haruki Official Blog here
YUHSUKE Official Blog here
Ruka Official Blog here

Twitter:

Reon Twitter here
HIRO Twitter here
Haruki Twitter here
YUHSUKE Twitter here
Ruka Twitter here

Band Feature: ViViD

ViViD is a five-person band from Tokyo that formed in March 2009 at the meeting of bassist Iv and drummer Ko-ki. Soon after, they were joined by guitarists Reno and Ryoga, as well as vocalist Shin to create a band with the musical thematic concept of “Melodic Mixture Rock.” The name “ViViD” began with their desire to “keep shining by utilizing each one’s individuality.” 

By April 19, 2009, the quintet had signed with Indie PSC management and performed their first show at Takadanobaba AREA in Tokyo. Their rapid rise in the scene continued with the release of their first single “Take-off” on July 8, which debuted at number two on the Oricon indie chart. By July 2010, they had played several live shows and were invited to perform at “JAPAN EXPO 2010” in Paris, France—their first performance outside of Japan. ViViD’s fourth single, “PRECIOUS,” was released on July 7, 2010, where it reached 15 on the Oricon major weekly chart. 

By August 2010, ViViD declared their major label debut with Epic Records (a Sony Music Japan company) at SHIBUYA-AX. The band’s first major-label release, their fifth single “Yume Mugen no Kanata,” hit stores on January 19, 2011; and by January 7, 2012, they were invited to perform at the famous Nippon Budokan.
 

During their career, ViViD has released nine singles, one mini album, two DVDs, and their first full album, “INFINITY,” on June 27, 2012. They have also made guest appearances on the PS Company “Visual Battle” web shows, as well as conducting their own monthly “The ViViD Style” show airing on the Nico Nico Douga website.

Members

Vocalist:  Shin

Guitar:  Reno
Guitar: Ryoga
Bass:  Iv
Drums:  Ko-ki

ViViD OHP here

Official Facebook here

Official MySpace here

Blogs

Shin's blog here

Reno's blog here 

Ryoga’s blog here
Iv’s blog here
Ko-ki’s blog here

Twitter:

Ko-ki’s Twitter here

Staff Twitter here

GREE:

Ryoga's GREE here 

Facebook:

Ko-ki’s Facebook here

Band Feature: SCREW

SCREW is a five-person band from Tokyo that began activities in March 2006, performing “secret” lives at various venues throughout the month until their first one-man live on April 23, 2006 at Takadanobaba AREA. The band released their first maxi-single, “Nejireta Shiso,” on May 24, 2006, which went into a second pressing by June 21. With a strong start, they released their first mini-album by July 12 of that year and their first album by March 14, 2007. They have continued to tour and perform regularly ever since, including tour circuits in Europe.

SCREW began activities as a four-member band, a lineup that has changed somewhat over the years. Original members Byo (vo.), Jin (dr.), Yuuto (ba.), and Kazuki (gt.) were joined in June 2007 by current guitarist Manabu. After bassist Yuuto left the band in December 2009 due to creative differences, current bass player Rui joined in 2010.

Since their formation, the band has released twelve singles, nine mini and full albums, three DVDs, and participated in several multi-artist compilation albums and DVDs. The band has a regular web show that airs via the musicJAPANplus and Nico Nico Live websites, as well as a new regular talk corner on Nico Nico. 

Currently under Indie PSC management, SCREW will make their major label debut with Tokuma Japan Communications this year with the release of their upcoming single, “XANADU,” in stores October 17.

Members

Vocalist:  Byo
Guitar:  Kazuki
Guitar: Manabu
Bass:  Rui
Drums:  Jin

SCREW OHP here 

Official Facebook here 

Official Twitter here

Official MySpace here

Official PS Company Nico Nico Channel here

musicJAPANplus TV here

Blogs

Byo's blog here

Kazuki's blog here 

Manabu’s blog here
Rui’s blog here
Jin’s blog here

Twitter:

Byo’s Twitter here
Kazuki’s Twitter here
Manabu’s Twitter here
Rui’s Twitter here
Jin’s Twitter here

Nau:

Manabu's Nau here 

Facebook:

Rui’s Facebook here
Jin’s Facebook here

Band Feature: Magistina Saga

Visual kei label Starwave Records has added a new band to their lineup. Magistina Saga is a three-person band from Osaka that began performing together in November 2008, but formed officially in July 2010 with the concept of "fairy tale of both magic and truth."  The band's female vocalist, Iori, along with guitarist Urugi and bass player Kyo, present songs that use anime and game music mixed with stringed instruments to create their unusual melodies.

Magistina Saga has made numerous live show appearances throughout their career from 2008 to present. Since their formation, the band has released one mini album and one maxi single, as well as contributed a track to the "PLANETARIUM SHOW CASE2" compilation CD. They plan to release their second mini album on September 28.

Members

Vocalist:  Iori
Guitar:  Urugi
Bass:  Kyo

Magistina Saga OHP here
Official YouTube Channel here
Official Facebook here
Official Myspace here

Starwave Records here

Blogs

Iori's blog here
Urugi's blog here
Kyo's blog here

Band Feature: Anli Pollicino

Anli Pollicino is a 5-member band that formed in Tokyo in August 2009. The group started as a session band with drummer Kiyozumi gathering friends Shindy, Takuma, and Yo-1 into writing songs and performing some session lives. When bass player Masatoshi joined in 2009, they began official activity as Anli Pollicino. The band produced their first mini album, “Fahrenheit 31,” in November 2009 with Zany Zap records (also home to GUILD and Golden Bomber).

Throughout 2010 they continued to perform, doing oneman shows at clubs with their first European tour in May. By July, however, the band had to suspend activity while vocalist Shindy took time away to seek medical treatment for a throat polyp. After a rest, Anli Pollicino resumed activity again by October 2010.

Since their formation, Anli Pollicino has officially released one mini album, three singles, three maxi singles, and two full albums—including their latest release “TRANCEFORMER.” This latest full album includes the band’s cover of Dead or Alive’s 80s song, “You Spin Me Round (Like a Record)” and is available through iTunes.

Members:

Vocalist:  Shindy
Guitar:  Takuma

Guitar:  Yo-1 (Youichi)
Bass:  Masatoshi

Drums:  Kiyozumi

Anli Pollicino OHP here
Official YouTube channel here

Official Facebook here

Official MySpace here

Blogs:

Shindy's blog here
Takuma's blog here
Yo-1's blog here

Masatoshi’s blog here

Kiyozumi’s blog here

Twitter:

Takuma’s Twitter here

Yo-1’s Twitter here

Masatoshi’s Twitter here

Kiyozumi’s Twitter here

Nau:

Shindy’s Nau here

 

Band Feature: THE MICRO HEAD 4N'S

THE MICRO HEAD 4N’S (pronounced “Micro Headphones”) is a 5-member band that formed in Tokyo on August 24, 2011. The members bring the combined experiences of four former bands (DASEIN, RIDER CHIPS, FANATIC◇CRISIS, D’espairsRay) to the table and perform as seasoned veterans of visual style.

THE MICRO HEAD 4N’S began official activity with a performance at SHIBUYA O-EAST on December 1, 2011. Since then, they have been actively performing on the live circuit, including the “MONSTER’S ROAR” and “stylish wave CIRCUIT’12” events. They have also made appearances on the Viju☆Love☆Cafe web show, as well as several appearances in popular music magazines.

Now, the band plans to release its first album, “A BEGINNING FROM THE END.” on August 1, 2012. That album will include eight tracks.

 Members:

Vocalist:  Ricky
Guitar:  kazuya

Guitar:  SHUN.
Bass:  ZERO

Drums:  TSUKASA

THE MICRO HEAD 4N’S OHP here
Official YouTube channel here

Official Twitter here

Official Facebook here

Official MySpace here

Blogs:

Ricky's blog here
ZERO's blog here
TSUKASA's blog here

mixi:

kazuya here

SHUN. here

Twitter:

Ricky’s Twitter here

Kazuya’s Twitter here

SHUN.’s Twitter here

ZERO’s Twitter here

TSUKASA’s Twitter here

Columns:

SHUN.’s FAVORITE THINGS here

Band Feature: amber gris

amber gris is a 5-member band from Tokyo that formed in February 2009. From August to October of that year, the band played secret live sessions in Tokyo before beginning formal live activities. Their first live was in October at Takadonobaba AREA in Tokyo. amber gris had their first Oneman live on October 17, 2010.

The band released their first single, "Joku 8000ft -Shonen wa Tengoku e Todokunoka1-" on October 17, 2009. Since that single, they have released two maxi singles, one single, three artbook CDs, one mini album, one full album, and one live DVD. The band's next single, "The Collapsing Garden," will be released on June 27, 2012.


Members:

Vocalist: Temari
Guitar:  wayne
Guitar: kaname
Bass:  koto
Drum: rami

amber gris OHP here
Official MySpace here

Blogs:

Temari's blog here
wayne's blog here
kaname's blog here
koto's blog here
rami's blog here

Twitter:

koto's Twitter here
rami's Twitter here

Band Feature: Black Gene for the Next Scene

Black Gene for the Next Scene is a 4-member band that formed late in the summer of 2011. The members were organized by ex-Vidoll member Rame, who plays bass. The band formed with the musical concept of something they call “rowdy modern trance” with the aim of creating a new genre of catchy, heavy tunes.

So far, Black Gene for the Next Scene has released one maxi single and plans to release their second in July 2012. They have also released a digital single through global music download website Hear Japan 2.0. They have appeared on a past episode of Akemi Oshima’s Viju☆Love☆Cafe show, as well as the upcoming Mad tea party MAGAZINE Vol.12 and the accompanying photo book from visual band D.

Members:

Vocalist: Ice
Guitar: Toki
Bass: Rame
Drum: Sala

Black Gene for the Next Scene OHP here

Blogs:

Ice’s blog here
Toki’s blog here
Rame’s blog here
Sala’s blog here

Twitter:
Ice’s Twitter here
Sala’s Twitter here

Band Feature: BugLug

BugLug is a 5-member band that formed in November 2009 from several ex-members of the band Ruvie. By January 2010, they had released their first mini-album, "Super Nova.” Since then, BugLug has released six singles, including the latest release on February 22, 2012, called “Guillotine.”

Members:

Vocalist: Issei
Guitar: Kazuki
Guitar: Yuu
Bass: Tsubame
Drums: Masaumi

BugLug OHP here
Agency Official YouTube Channel here

Blogs:

Issei Official Blog here
Kazuki Official Blog here
Yuu Official Blog here
Tsubame Official Blog here
Masaumi Official Blog here

Twitter:

Official Band Twitter here

Band Feature: Alice Nine

Alice Nine is a 5-member band from Tokyo that formed in August 2004. The band released their first single, "Namae wa, Mada Nai" on July 5, 2004 as アリス九號. The band joined the PS Company recording label in September 2004. Later the band later re-styled their name as alicenine., and again in 2009 they changed the formatting to the current Alice Nine.

Since their beginning, the band has released over 19 singles, 1 digital single release, 1 DVD single release, 3 EP albums, 5 full albums, 1 compilation album, 9 DVDs, 4 band scores, and 3 photo books. As a major recording artist for PS Company, Alice Nine is frequently featured in popular visual rock magazine and music programs, including Shoxx magazine and Music Bomber. The band has had their own monthly Nico Nico web program called "Alice 9 Channel" since 2010.

Members:

Vocalist: Shou
Guitar:  Tora
Guitar: Hiroto
Bass:  Saga
Drum: Nao

Alice Nine OHP here

Blogs:

Shou's blog here
Tora's blog here
Hiroto's blog here
Saga's blog here
Nao's blog here

Twitter:

Shou's Twitter here
Hiroto's Twitter here
Saga's Twitter here
Alice Nine Staff's Twitter here


Nau:

Nao's Nau here

Band Feature: UNRAVE

UNRAVE is a 3-member band from Osaka that formed in April 2010. The band released one 2-track single called "Lost Color" on June 15, 2011, available from Amazon.co.jp. UNRAVE held their first oneman live in the fall of 2011, and they are scheduled to hold their second on April 4. There's not much information available yet about the band, but they continue to participate in live events that are sure to get their name out there.

Members:

Vocalist:  MARY
Guitar:  REN
Bass:  K

UNRAVE OHP here
Official YouTube channel here

Blogs:

Mary's blog here
REN's blog here
K's blog here

Twitter:

K's Twitter here

"Lost Color" single CD on Amazon.co.jp here