Boris (ボリス Borisu) is a Japanese experimental band formed in 1992 in Tokyo and composed of drummer Atsuo Mizuno, guitarist/bassist Takeshi Ohtani and guitarist/keyboardist Wata. All three members participate in vocal performance. The band is named after a song of the same name on the Melvins' 1991 album Bullhead. Their debut album Absolutego was released in 1996 on their own record label Fangs Anal Satan, followed by 24 more studio albums (as well as a number of EPs, singles and collaborative albums) on various labels around the world.
Boris was originally a four-piece band, with Nagata on drums. Nagata departed in 1996 leaving Atsuo to take over drumming duties, and the band has remained a three-piece since.In Japan, Boris release most of their music on the indie label Inoxia Records. Though relatively unknown in their home country, a recent series of reissues on US label Southern Lord Records has seen their popularity in North America increase dramatically, even gaining them widespread recognition in the mainstream music press. Many of Boris' vinyl releases feature similar artwork for the inner label of the record. This is a parody of the original Roger Dean artwork that Virgin Records used for many of their releases.
2005's Pink was met with considerable critical praise and a strong response from music fans when reissued in the US on Southern Lord Records. Blender magazine and SPIN magazine both named it one of 2006's best albums. The album also topped the metal section of Canadian magazine Exclaim 's 2006 Reader's Poll, and was in the top 10 of Pitchfork Media's Top 50 Records of 2006.
Boris focus a lot of their time on touring. In an interview, Atsuo said:
"That we tour so much and release so many albums, I think it is representative of what we’re about. Direct communication is something we’ve lost in this day and age. It’s a shame – [even] interviews are over [the] phone. I think it's important to see people face to face – that's why it's so important to go on tour. It's something very basic to humans that we’ve lost lately."
Crypt City formed in Tokyo Japan in 2009. The band original consisted of Dean Kessler(vocal), Seb Roberts(guitar), Kentaro Nakao(bass guitar)ex-number girl, Satoshi Hironaka(drum). The band are noted for alternative/junk/industrial/noise/punk, released 2 studio album,1 live album and some 7inch vinyls. End of 2013 Seb Roberts and Satoshi Hironaka left band at Defect release tour final gig. 2014 the band announced Masafumi Todaka(guitar)Art-School/Ropes and Masahiro Komatsu(drum)blood thirsty butchers are joined.
Despite what his mammoth bass guitar sound may suggest, rock band Crypt City bassist Kentaro Nakao is comically self-deprecating at times.
“This sounds terrible, but I have no commercial ambitions for this band,” he says with a laugh. His band’s new album, “Chant,” will be self-released on vinyl and cassette only. And it will only be available to buy at shows and independent record stores.
“I don’t want to put this band through the conventional distribution channels and cause anyone trouble,” Nakao says.
Nakao may sound humble, but he is no stranger to success. He is perhaps best known in the music scene as the bassist for Number Girl, one of the most prominent bands of the early 2000s alt-rock boom in Japan. Since Number Girl ended in 2002, Nakao has been busy playing in bands such as Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her and Art-School, and producing groups such as Mass Of The Fermenting Dregs. In fact it could be argued that, for the past 15 years, the 42-year-old has served as the backbone of Japanese alternative rock.
But with Crypt City, Nakao serves as the brain. He started the band in 2009 with the aim of having a frontman that only sings, something similar to The Stooges and The Doors. He recruited his friend, vocalist Dean Kessler, to fulfill that role and brought on Canadian guitarist Seb Roberts and Satoshi Hironaka of hardcore band Skillkillz, too.
“My roots in rock music are mostly from Kentaro,” says Kessler. “I got rid of all my preconceptions of rock music before joining this band.” Kessler, who was a DJ in New York in his teens, didn’t play rock music until his early 20s, and met Nakao through a mutual friend.
After releasing two albums, Roberts and Hironaka left Crypt City in 2013. Nakao recruited former Bloodthirsty Butchers drummer Masahiro Komatsu and Art-School bandmate and Monoeyes guitarist Masafumi Todaka to join the band. Evolving into a sort of alt-rock supergroup, the new lineup took time to re-establish its sound.
“Before, everyone brought what they liked about music to the table, but we were all looking in our own directions,” Kessler says. “Now we all rely on Kentaro. His direction on this album was very precise.”
Written through extensive jam sessions as a band and recorded live on the floor of Fever, a concert venue in Tokyo’s Shindaita neighborhood, “Chant” cites genres like stoner rock, doom, industrial and noise, which are then translated through a tight ensemble with a knack for hooks. Tracks such as opener “Debate” and “Never Ever Care” show off Nakao’s doomy bass sound and Todaka’s slicing guitar riffs, with Kessler’s catchy shouts and grunts propelling each track forward. Rather than being just heavy, the tracks show a band funneling its strengths into a pop music format, with a firm foundation in new wave and punk.
“I was never into metal when I was young. I was a punk rock kid. I hated people with long hair” Nakao says with a laugh, before pointing to his own head of long, black hair. “Pictures of 1970s punk shows and 1990s alt-rock shows looked similar to me. I liked that real feeling.”
Known for its intense live performances on the club circuit, Crypt City has kept a relatively low profile despite its pedigree.
“But it’s not like we’re closing ourselves off,” Kessler says. “It’s just that the Japanese music industry and the way we do things is completely opposite. We want people to hear our music.”
Nakao agrees, adding, “I started this band so I didn’t have to think about the industry. I didn’t want to apologize to anyone if the thing doesn’t sell well.
“This album is me. If people don’t like it, I won’t feel slighted at all. It’s very healthy. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt like this. This is my art.”
There is no schedule or ticket right now.
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