Wednesday, September 10, 2008

BLOOD


LINE UP
Guitar : Kiwamu
Bass : kaede
Vocal : Fu-ki
Keyboard : Ryo
Vocal : Takeshi [gone : 2004]
Guitar : Taichi [gone : 2004]
Vocal : DAI [gone : 2003]

OFFICIAL LINKS
BLOOD - official Myspace
BLOOD - official site

PROFILE
BLOOD was formed with the aim of expressing strong human emotions through their music while destroying a musical frame, making their sound different and unique.Despite elaborate costumes which they designed themselves, BLOOD considered themselves a gothic band rather than a visual kei band and were reluctant to classify their music into a single genre.

BIOGRAPHY
BLOOD formed in February 2002 with Kiwamu on guitar, Kaede on bass, and DAI on vocals, and wasted no time in releasing their first demo, morphine, less than a month later. In April, BLOOD welcomed their second guitarist, Taichi, and in August their first maxi single, BLOODTYPE, was sold via internet presale and was available in stores just days later. BLOOD's first live took place at Nishikujou BRAND NEW in Osaka late that year. Additionally, their official English website opened and Takeshi joined the band as a second vocalist.The year 2003 began with a series of lives throughout Japan and DAI was dismissed from BLOOD due to not taking his role in the band seriously nor contributing time or funds toward getting BLOOD heard throughout Japan and overseas. Soon thereafter, Takeshi took his place as the main vocalist. They played their first show in the USA at Fanime2003's Gakufest in San Francisco, California and another at Anime Expo 2003 in Los Angeles, gaining them a strong start for a loyal US fan base.A busy year for BLOOD, 2004 kicked off with another US gig, again at an anime convention, followed by the release of their first mini album, Blood. They performed their first live in Tokyo at Ikebukuro Cyber and just days later, Taichi and Takeshi both left BLOOD, but were quickly replaced by fu-ki. In April, they performed in Europe for the first time, a sold out show at Glaz'Art in Paris, France. Their first European one-man tour, Vengeance for BLOOD, took them to Germany and France, with a second leg taking them to Poland as well. Continuing their world-wide activities, BLOOD performed their first show in Mexico at TNT 9 in Mexico City for their Vengeance for BLOOD 3 tour. After the release of their second mini album, Vengeance for BLOOD 2, they once again headed to Europe, then back to Mexico for three more shows.Vengeance for BLOOD 3, the final CD in a trilogy, hit stores in 2006 and BLOOD concluded their lengthy Vengeance for BLOOD tour series with Vengeance for BLOOD 9 ~The Last Tour~, which had been announced earlier that year as their final tour before pausing activities. However, this turned out to be a joke, courtesy of Kiwamu. After two years away, BLOOD finally returned to the USA in 2006 for two shows and with two lives in Mexico City capping off the tour. They then worked on releasing their "LES FLEURS DU MAL" concept series, which is based off the poetry of French author Charles Pierre Baudelaire. Between lives in Europe, the USA, and Mexico, BLOOD continued playing shows in Japan on a regular basis as well as participated in sponsor events, which often included bands such as Suicide Ali and The Candy Spooky Theater.Gaining an ever-strengthening hold in the music scene, Kiwamu later opened Cure Distribution, a website geared toward non-Japanese musicians with the goal of distributing CDs by foreign artists in a number of Japanese stores. The company has since been renamed Darkest Labyrinth, in order to encompass all of BLOOD's and Kiwamu's projects, but continues to provide foreign artists with distribution avenues in Japan and elsewhere.In March of 2007, BLOOD performed four dates in the USA for their Darkest Labyrinth vol.1 tour and released a full length album, LES FLEURS DU MAL on July 7th. Later that summer, BLOOD had the opportunity to provide music for the movie "Rise: Blood Hunter" (also known simply as "BLOOD" in Japan), starring Lucy Liu. D.T.M.H. was used as the movie's theme song. August also saw the band returning to Europe for another tour. While performances on five dates were planned, one was canceled due to organizational problems.In September, BLOOD kicked off their new concept, "Symphony of Chaos" with the release of DEAD-HEARTED, a CD that took the band's music in a more gothic industrial direction. At the end of the month, Kiwamu announced that he had joined the electro-industrial baroque band, GPKISM alongside vocalist GPK. That fall, BLOOD took another trip to Mexico, playing at TNT14 in Mexico City. Before the end of the year, they announced their next US tour with a subsequent announcement that DJ SiSeN would join them for the shows. The tour, which kicked off on February 1, 2008, took them to four different states. Unfortunately, due to illness, Kaede was unable to accompany them to the USA. As a guest, they brought Ryo of Blam Honey, who later became their official keyboardist.In May, they band released their fifth album, which included remixes by Calmando Qual, Virgins O.R. Pigeons, GPK and others. BLOOD spent the early days of June in Australia with GPKISM on their Darkest Labyrinth vol.8 tour. It marked the first performance of a Japanese visual band in Australia. By November, BLOOD announced that they would once again tour the USA and Mexico for their BLOOD Final Tour: La Fin De La Journee tour. GPK and DJ SiSeN joined the band for their final tour, which Kaede and Ryo did not accompany them for, before disbanding. Prior to the seven-date tour, the band released their last album, Lost Sky, on January 28th.While it is uncertain as to what the other members of BLOOD may do following the tour, Kiwamu seems to be set on continuing activities with GPKISM and promoting other artists both in and outside of Japan.

Lost Sky
January 28, 2009

1. Lost Sky
2. Captured
3. Nothing
4. Absolute
5. Orboro
6. The End
7. Lost Sky (Noir du'Soleil)
8. Lost Sky (sawDUST in me remix)
9. Lost Sky (marlee remix)
10. Lost Sky (Spectrum-X remix)
11. Lost Sky (Shiv-r remix)
12. Lost Sky (Mizuh remix)
13. Lost Sky (Broken Lullaby remix by echostream)
14. Crimson (Tragic Black remix)
15. BLOOD (Uninvited Guest remix)
16. D.T.M.H. (Virgins O.R. Pigeons remix)

Chain (Single)
December 12, 2007

1. CHAIN
2. CHAIN (Cursed mix by Spectrum-X)

DEAD-HEARTED (mini album)
September 15, 2007

1. DEAD-HEARTED
2. CRIMSON
3. BLOOD feat. EXO-CHIKA(Aural Vampire) BLOOD feat. エキゾチカ (Aural Vampire)
4. DEAD-HEARTED (In-Tranzit mix)
5. DEAD-HEARTED (Tears Of Fallen Angel GPK mix)
6. CRIMSON (INDUSTRIAL mix)
7. L'IRREPARABLE (Virgins O.R. Pigeons mix)

best collection 2002-2007
August 8, 2007

1. Maria
2. morphine
3. byakuya白夜
4. SAKURA
5. THE FUNERAL FOR HUMANITY
6. BLIND
7. I remember you
8. Awakening
9. NEVERMORE
10. VENGEANCE for BLOOD
11. L'IRREPARABLE
12. SPLEEN
13. BRUMES ET PLUIES
14. VOICES (piano version)

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