EZO (イーズィーオー, Iiziiō) was a Japanese heavy metal band originally formed as Flatbacker in the spring of 1982 in Sapporo, Japan[3] out of the remnants of two high school bands, Power-Station and Scrap. EZO has been named a "seminal influence by such artists as Steve McDonald of Redd Kross and Michael Steele of The Bangles."[2]
EZO | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Flatbacker |
| Origin | Sapporo, Japan |
| Genres | Heavy metal,[1] glam metal[2] |
| Years active | 1982–1990 |
| Labels | Victor, Geffen Records |
| Past members | Masaki Yamada Taro Takahashi Shoyo Iida Hirotsugu Homma |
History
editEZO consisted of Masaki Yamada (vocals), Taro Takahashi (bass), Shoyo Iida (guitar) and Hiro Homma (drums).[1] They released one demo cassette (Minagoroshi) in 1984 and two albums (1985's Senzo and 1986's Esa) in Japan as Flatbacker in the mid-1980s before coming to the U.S.[3] Rumor has it that Gene Simmons of Kiss, who produced their self-titled U.S. debut album,[2] was behind the band's name change to EZO,[citation needed] inspired by Ezo, an ancient name for Hokkaidō.[3] They released two albums for Geffen Records, 1987's EZO and 1989's Fire Fire, before being dropped from the label and internal differences led to the band's demise.[3]
Vocalist Masaki Yamada joined fellow Japanese heavy metal band Loudness in 1992 and drummer Hiro Homma joined Loudness in 1994.[3] In 2000, the original Loudness lineup reunited and Masaki and Hiro left the band.[3] Hiro Homma was the drummer for the Japanese metal band Anthem from 2001 to 2013 and vocalist Masaki Yamada is now the bass player for the New York-based band FiRESiGN.
A single guitar riff from EZO song "House of 1,000 Pleasures" served as the signature sound of syndicated radio network Z Rock.[citation needed]
Discography
editStudio albums
edit| Year | Title | JP | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Minagoroshi(皆殺し) (Demo, as 'Fratvacker') | ||
| 1985 | Accident(戦争) (as 'Flatbacker') | ||
| 1986 | Esa(餌) (as 'Flatbacker') | ||
| 1987 | EZO | 6 | 150 |
| 1989 | Fire Fire | 19 |
Videos
edit| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1985 | War is Over (as 'Flatbacker') |
| 1988 | E・Z・O |
| 2004 | Returns |
See also
editReferences
editCitations
edit- ^ a b AllMusic EZO Profile Retrieved on Sep 21 2007
- ^ a b c Yang, Gan & Hong 1997, p. 264.
- ^ a b c d e f Nippop's EZO Profile Archived 2008-12-31 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved Sep 21, 2007
General and cited references
edit- Yang, Jeff; Gan, Dina; Hong, Terry (1997). Eastern Standard Time: A Guide to Asian Influence on American Culture from Astro Boy to Zen Buddhism. Boston: Houghton Mifflin. ISBN 0-395-76341-X. OCLC 37022942.