Skull (stylized as SKULL), originally known as Skull -The Skull- (スカル -THE SKULL-, sukaru -THE SKULL-), was a Japanese visual kei hard rock band that was active between 2003 and 2011.[2]
Skull | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Skull -The Skull- (2003–2007) |
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Years active | 2003–2011 |
| Labels |
|
| Past members | Sin Die Kouta Ryou Tetsuya Sakura |
| Website | Skull-web.com (defunct) |
Biography
editThe band Skull formed under the name Skull -The Skull- in 2003, but did not begin regular activities until the following year.[2][3] The group focused most of their early performances in the Sendai region and slowly began to build momentum.[4] In 2005, they released their first single, Jisaku jien,[5] and went on their first tour.[2] The band continued to hold consistent live performances throughout the year and through 2006.[2] On December 26, they held their first-ever one-man performance at the Sendai Macana venue.[4]
At the beginning of 2007, the band officially changed their name to Skull and began expanding their presence across Japan.[3] Skull put out their first release in two years with the maxi-single The Scream of Gate on January 26, and scheduled numerous tours for the year.[2] The single quickly sold out, and Skull reissued a second print of the CD bundled with a new DVD of their first music video in June.[2] In August, Skull released their first mini-album, Ugly Black Showcase, which placed the weekly Oricon Albums Chart at number 299.[6]
During 2008, Skull began the year by hosting a one-man show at Takadanobaba Area on January 19.[2] In July, both Skull and Rentrer en Soi were a part of a three-man special sponsored by Dio at Shibuya Boxx.[2] During this live, bassist Sakura announced he would be leaving the band following their one-man performance on September 15 due to a disagreement with the band's future.[7] Skull continued on, and in August, they teamed up with Oz for a two-man tour of Japan.[8][9] Following Sakura's departure after their September performance, the band briefly went on hiatus.[10]
In February 2009, Skull sponsored an event at Takadanobaba Area featuring several other bands.[10] During the event, the group announced the addition of bassist Ryou and guitarist Kouta to their lineup, and simultaneously revealed two new upcoming singles.[11] Following the success of their previous mashup, Skull and Oz announced that they would again team up for an August tour.[12] In September, members Die and Kouta partnered with accessory company Vanilla Edge to release their own personalized jewelry.[13][14][15]
Skull released their second mini-album Natural born killer in January 2010, then followed up with a one-man show promotion in February.[2] The band later released two singles in July and August,[1] and shared a tour across Japan with Oz for the third year in a row.[2] On November 29, the band announced it would disband in 2011 for undisclosed reasons,[16] and dissolved all activities after their final performance in June 2011.[2] Members Die, Ryou, and Tetsuya later went on to join the band My Bacteria Heat Island,[1] but all three simultaneously left the band in August 2015.[17] Soon after, Skull announced they would host a one-day revival show in December at Ikebukuro Edge.[18] Skull repeated this the following year by holding one last one-day revival at Takadanobaba Area in December 2016.[19]
Musical style
editSkull's music incorporated a variety of different styles, blending elements such as metal and lighter melodies into their usual hard rock mix.[20] The band was especially notable for its aggressive live shows and the level of engagement they had with their audience.[21] Skull often catered the style of their musical compositions towards their live performances.[20]
Members
edit- Sin – vocals (2003–2011)
- Die (ダイ, Dai) – guitar (2003–2011)
- Kouta – guitar (2009–2011)
- Ryou (りょう) – bass guitar (2009–2011)
- Tetsuya (てつや) – drums (2003–2011)
- Former members
- Sakura (さくら) – bass guitar (2003–2008)
Discography
editMini albums
edit- Ugly Black Showcase (August 15, 2007)
- Natural born killer (ナチュラルボーンキラー, January 20, 2010)
Singles
edit- Jisaku jien (自作自演, January 9, 2005)
- The Scream of Gate (January 26, 2007)
- Bullet (March 21, 2008)
- Awake (May 20, 2009)
- Skin (July 22, 2009)
- "Kagerou" "Souen" (｢陽炎｣｢蒼炎｣, July 7, 2010)
- Nancy (August 8, 2010)
Live distributed CDs
edit- Lovehate/Shadow (June 13, 2003)
- Sunny Days/Too Fast (December 15, 2003)
- Bad "S" (March 8, 2004)
- Tear drop January 27, 2006)
- My glitter (May 3, 2008)
- Nega no haguruma (ネガの歯車, May 6, 2008)
- Fake flower (May 10, 2008)
- Sayonara (サヨナラ, May 16, 2008)
References
edit- ^ a b c SKULL on vkdb, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ a b From Skull -THE SKULL- to SKULL, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ a b Skull -THE SKULL- Sendai first one-man, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ Jisaku jien, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ Ugly Black Showcase | SKULL | ORICON NEWS, Retrieved 30 September 2018
- ^ SKULL loses Sakura, Retrieved 30 September 2018
- ^ Territory-oz.com Archived 23 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine -OZ- official website, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ -OZ- and SKULL, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ a b SKULL presents THE END, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ SKULL news, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ SKULL vs -OZ- Coupling tour '09, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ Die Official Blog, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ Kouta Official Blog, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ Kouta, DIE x Vanilla Edge, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ SKULL disbands, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ MY BACTERIA HEAT iSLAND Sadly Loses Four Members at Once, Retrieved 30 September 2018
- ^ SKULL on Twitter SKULL presents THE END, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ SKULL on Twitter SKULL Untitled, Retrieved 29 September 2018
- ^ a b SKULL – Bullet, Retrieved 30 September 2018
- ^ I'm crazy!, Retrieved 30 September 2018