Kuroyume

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Kuroyume
OriginNagoya, Japan
Genres
Years active1991–1999, 2009, 2010–2015
Labels
MembersKiyoharu
Hitoki
Past membersShin
Eiki
Hiro
Websitekuroyume.jp

Kuroyume (黒夢, lit. "Black Dream") is a Japanese rock band formed in Nagoya in May 1991, initially with the vocalist Kiyoharu, bassist Hitoki and guitarist Shin. The group had a definite influence on the visual kei scene, being credited as inspiration to many bands of the late 1990s visual kei boom and as one of the creators of Nagoya kei.[1] They were called "The big two Nagoya bands" in the early Nagoya kei scene along with Silver-Rose [ja].[2] The band achieved success with the albums Feminism (1995) and Fake Star (1996), with the song "Pistol" winning an MTV Video Music Award.[3]

The band suspended activities for an indefinite period on January 29, 1999. Kuroyume was officially disbanded at their final live performance on January 29, 2009.[4] However a year later in January 2010, Kuroyume reunited as a duo consisting of vocalist Kiyoharu and bassist Hitoki.[5]

History[edit]

1991-1993[edit]

Kuroyume was formed in 1991 by Kiyoharu and Hitoki, former members of Garnet band. They recruited Masaru, who left the band shortly after and was replaced by Shin.[6] After a year of performing live, the band released their debut maxi single, "Chuuzetsu" in 1992 on Haunted House Records.[7] Shortly afterwards, the band released a mini album entitled Ikiteita Chuzetsuji... (remastered from an old demo tape).

A year later, Nakigara O... was released and clearly showed the group progressing in a more melodic direction by leaning further toward the goth side of things and doing away completely with any semblance of metal music. The song "Shin'ai Naru Death Mask" from their first mini album had been rerecorded, and the band's first promotional music video was filmed for the song.

The band during this era is credited with the creator of Nagoya kei sounds with Rouage and Laputa.[8]

1994-1999[edit]

Shortly after signing with EMI in early 1994, Kuroyume released their first major label single "For Dear" to promote the forthcoming album Mayoeru Yuritachi. Two promotional videos were filmed, one for the aforementioned single and another for album track "Autism". Mayoeru Yuritachi had a far milder sound than previous releases, probably due to the group signing with EMI.

In late 1994, the mini album Cruel and single "Ice My Life" were released and introduced a pop side. The band now dressed more conservatively, with their new look being reminiscent of 1980s New Romantic fashion, seeming to give off a more palatable image to mainstream buyers. The music on Cruel was again more pop-friendly, but still loud and abrasive, which helped give the new songs a universal appeal.

In 1995, Shin left the group due to musical differences and to focus on his other band Vinyl. From then on, Kuroyume would record and perform as a duo, along with support musicians. The two albums following this rearrangement, 1995's Feminism and 1996's Fake Star, continued the visually oriented mainstream pop rock of Cruel, with the latter of the two having an edgier production and presenting a more fashionable image. Feminism was named one of the top albums from 1989-1998 in a 2004 issue of the music magazine Band Yarouze.[9]

In 1996, Kuroyume won the MTV Japan International Viewer's Choice Award at the 1996 MTV Video Music Awards for the song "Pistol" from Fake Star. From this point onward, the band and particularly Kiyoharu were recognized on a national level.

1997 heralded another transformation for Kuroyume, who were a punk influenced rock 'n roll band both visually and musically for the albums Drug Treatment and Corkscrew. Their releases continued to sell quite well. In 1999, citing Hitoki's personal health difficulties, Kuroyume suspended activities for an indefinite period.

1999-2009: Post-Kuroyume[edit]

Kiyoharu formed Sads in 1999. Sads released numerous material until taking a hiatus in 2003, returning in 2010.[10] Hitoki formed a unit called Hitoki-PiranhaHeads in 2000 which had several line-ups and various name changes.[11] In 2004, Hitoki joined Super Drop Babies with former Kuroyume guitarist Shin.[12]

On Kiyoharu's 40th Birthday, October 30, 2008, it was announced that Kuroyume would officially be disbanded on January 29, 2009.[13] That day, the band held their last concert on their fifteenth anniversary, titled "Kuroyume the End".

2010-present: Revival[edit]

In 2010, Kiyoharu announced the reformation of Kuroyume and that they have begun recording a new album. The band signed to the Avex label, the same label that housed Kiyoharu's solo work and Sads. Their first single since reforming, "Misery", was set to be released on January 29, 2011, but it was pushed back to February 9, 2011.[14] They then proceeded to release the singles, "Alone" and "Heavenly" on May 25 and August 24, 2011 respectively. Following the relative success of these two singles, they released a new album entitled "Headache and Dub Reel Inch" on November 2, 2011.[15] "Headache and Dub Reel Inch" marked Kuroyume's first album release with Avex.

Fuck the Border Line, a tribute album to Kuroyume, was also released on February 9, 2011, featuring covers of the band's songs by popular modern visual acts, such as Abingdon Boys School, Plastic Tree, The Gazette, Sid and Cascade.[16] The single "Alone" (アロン) was selected by Capcom to be used in the Japanese advertisement campaign for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.[17]

On March 26, 2014, Kuroyume released a single entitled "Reverb", which peaked at the 11th position on Oricon charts.[18] It was selected by Koei Tecmo and was used for the advertising campaign of Samurai Warriors 4.[19]

Members[edit]

Current members
Former members
  • Shin ()guitar (1991–1995)
  • Eiki (鋭葵)drums (1991–1992)
  • Hiro – drums (1992-1993)

Discography[edit]

Singles[edit]

  • "Chuuzetsu" (July 20, 1992)
  • "For Dear" (February 9, 1994)
  • "Ice My Life" (July 20, 1994)
  • "Yasashi Higeki" (March 8, 1995)
  • "Miss Moonlight" (April 26, 1995)
  • "Beams" (October 13, 1995)
  • "See You" (February 21, 1996)
  • "Pistol" (April 17, 1996)
  • "Like @ Angel" (November 18, 1996)
  • "Nite & Day" (April 10, 1997)
  • "Spray" (June 4, 1997)
  • "Shounen" (November 19, 1997)
  • "Maria" (April 8, 1998)
  • "My Strange Days" (March 31, 1999, distributed at "Live or Die")
  • "Misery" (February 9, 2011)
  • "Alone" (May 25, 2011)
  • "Heavenly" (August 24, 2011)
  • "Kingdom" (September 6, 2013)
  • "Guernika" (December 11, 2013)
  • "I Hate Your Popstar Life" (December 11, 2013)
  • "Reverb" (March 26, 2014)
  • "Day 1" (January 5, 2015)

Studio albums[edit]

  • Ikiteita Chuzetsuji... (December 25, 1992)
  • Nakigara o... (June 11, 1993)
  • Mayoeru Yuritachi -Romance of Scarlet- (March 9, 1994)
  • Cruel (August 31, 1994)
  • Feminism (May 10, 1995)
  • Fake Star ~I'm Just a Japanese Fake Rocker~ (May 29, 1996)
  • Drug Treatment (June 27, 1997)
  • Corkscrew (May 27, 1998)
  • Headache and Dub Reel Inch (November 2, 2011 - first Avex release)
  • Kuro to Kage (January 29, 2014)

Live albums[edit]

  • 1997.10.31 Live at Shinjuku Loft (January 16, 1998)
  • Kuroyume "the End" -Corckscrew a Go Go! Final- 09.01.29 Budokan (March 18, 2009)

Compilation albums[edit]

  • EMI 1994–1998 Best or Worst (February 17, 1999)
  • Kuroyume Complete Rare Tracks 1991-1993 -Indies Zenkyokushu- (June 10, 2000)
  • Kuroyume Singles (March 27, 2002)
  • Kuroyume Complete Singles (September 29, 2003)
  • Kuroyume Box (April 28, 2004)

Demo tapes[edit]

  • "Kuroyume" (August 29, 1991)
  • "Ikiteita Chuzetsuji..." (January 25, 1992)

Tribute albums[edit]

  • Fuck the Border Line (February 9, 2011)

Home videos[edit]

  • Neo Under (September 5, 1992)
  • Under (October 31, 1992)
  • Deep Under (December 20, 1993)
  • Tanmei no Yuritachi (July 6, 1994)
  • Theater of Cruel (September 28, 1994)
  • Tour Feminism Part 1 (September 27, 1995)
  • Pictures (December 13, 1995)
  • Fake Star's Circuit 1996: Boys Only (October 4, 1996)
  • 1996 Fake Star's Circuit: Yokohama Arena (November 18, 1996)
  • 1996 Fake Star's Circuit: Tour Document (January 29, 1997)
  • Pictures 2 (October 22, 1997)
  • Live at Shinjuku Loft (January 16, 1998, reissued on October 29, 2003)
  • Live or Die: Corkscrew a Go Go! (March 31, 1999)
  • DVD Pictures Vol.1 (October 18, 2000)
  • DVD Pictures Vol.2 (October 18, 2000)
  • Complete Single Clips (April 13, 2005)
  • All Pictures (January 28, 2009)
  • The End: Corkscrew a Go Go! Final (March 25, 2009)
  • Fuck the Fake Star: The Newest Feather (July 20, 2011)
  • Headache and Dub Reel Inch 2012.1.13 Live at 日本武道館 (May 2, 2012)
  • 黒夢 1.14 (June 13, 2012)

References[edit]

  1. ^ "ラピュータ". cdjournal.com (in Japanese). CDジャーナル. Retrieved 2018-03-08.
  2. ^ Shun (2015-01-27). "SHUN.'S FAVORITE THINGS Vol.30 90年代名古屋系". Visulog. Archived from the original on 2015-03-26. Retrieved 2015-08-17.
  3. ^ "Kuroyume | Biography & History". AllMusic. Retrieved 2020-06-29.
  4. ^ 黒夢:10年ぶり復活・解散ライブに1万3千人絶叫 清春「愛してるよ。元気で」と別れ (in Japanese). Mainichi Shimbun. 2009-01-29. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-02-04.
  5. ^ "Kuroyume and SADS Revival". Jame World. 2010-01-30. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  6. ^ "KUROYUME". JaME (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2014-08-11. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  7. ^ "Chuuzetsu | KUROYUME". JaME. Retrieved 2020-10-14.
  8. ^ 市川哲史(ICHIKAWA Tetsushi)、藤谷千明(FUJITANI Chiaki) (2018-08-26). すべての道はV系へ通ず。(Every Road Leads to the V Kei.). Shinko Music. p. 366. ISBN 978-4-401-64639-5.
  9. ^ "Top 44 Albums from 1989 - 1998". jame-world.com. 2004-05-09. Retrieved 2015-02-19.
  10. ^ "SADS". JaME (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2014-07-18. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  11. ^ "人時 PIRANHA HEADS - TOWER RECORDS ONLINE". Tower Records (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  12. ^ "SUPER DROP BABIES". JaME (in Brazilian Portuguese). 2008-02-29. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  13. ^ "FMVS.jp" 清春が黒夢の解散発表、1月に一夜限りの復活ライブ開催 (in Japanese). meVIEWsa radio. 2008-11-01. Retrieved 2008-11-19.
  14. ^ "̴ : ̴ ܳФ 롣2011ǯ12 饤 ȯɽ / BARKS ˥塼". Archived from the original on 2010-12-16.
  15. ^ "Kuroyume announces their first album in 13 years!". Tokyo Hive. 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  16. ^ Inc, Natasha. "黒夢トリビュート盤にa.b.s.、シド、Plastic Treeら12組". 音楽ナタリー (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-10-03. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
  17. ^ jgonzo (2011-04-21). "Japanese Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D Ad Campaign to Kick Off With Rock Group". Capcom. Retrieved 2011-04-22.
  18. ^ "Reverb | 黒夢". ORICON NEWS (in Japanese). Retrieved 2020-10-03.
  19. ^ "Kuroyume sera dans la version occidentale de Samurai Warriors 4". JVFrance (in French). 2014-10-07. Retrieved 2020-10-03.

External links[edit]