| Kuroyume | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Nagoya, Japan |
| Genres | Hard rock, punk rock, gothic rock (early years) |
| Years active | 1991–1999, 2009, 2010–present |
| Labels | Toshiba EMI (1991-2011) Avex (2011-present) |
| Associated acts | Sads, Garnet |
| Website | kuroyume.jp |
| Members | |
| Kiyoharu Hitoki |
|
| Past members | |
| Shin Hiro Taiki Masaru |
|
Kuroyume (黒夢, lit. Black Dream) is a rock group that formed in Nagoya, Japan during May 1991, currently consisting of vocalist Kiyoharu and bassist Hitoki. They began as a visual kei group and carried similar looks throughout their career. The band had a definite influence on the visual kei scene, being credited as inspiration to many bands of the late '90's visual kei boom and as one of the bands that created Nagoya kei.
The band suspended activities for an indefinite period on January 29, 1999. Kuroyume was officially disbanded at their final live on January 29, 2009.[1]
However a year later in January 2010, Kiyoharu announced the revival of Kuroyume.[2]
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After several years of performing live the band released their debut maxi single "Chuuzetsu" in 1992 on Haunted House Records, which was shortly followed by a mini album entitled Ikiteita Chuzetsuji... (remastered from an old demo tape). The music recorded by the band during this era appears indebted to black metal and goth rock which became an influential style within the visual kei scene, creating a new type of gothic rock that was mimicked and prevailed in the following years.
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 any form of metal music. The song "Shinainaru Death Mask" from their first album had been rerecorded and the band's first promotional music video was filmed for the song, but everything else was new material. No singles had been released since 1992.
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".
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, the new look was reminiscent of 1980s New Romantic fashion and seemed to give off a more palatable image to mainstream buyers. The music on Cruel was again pop, but still loud and abrasive, which helped give the new songs 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, 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 edgier production and presenting a more fashionable image.
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.
1997 heralded another radical image change for Kuroyume, who were a punk influenced rock 'n roll band both visually and musically for the albums Drug Treatment and Corckscrew. Their releases continued to sell well. In 1999, citing Hitoki's personal health difficulties, Kuroyume suspended activities for an indefinite period.
Kiyoharu formed Sads in 1999, they released numerous material until disbanding in 2003. Hitoki formed a unit called Hitoki-PiranhaHeads in 2000 which had several line-ups and name changes. In 2004, Hitoki joined Super Drop Babies with, former Kuroyume guitarist, Shin and two other members.
On October 30, 2008, Kiyoharu announced that Kuroyume would officially be disbanded on January 29, 2009.[3] That day, the band held their last concert on their fifteenth anniversary, titled "Kuroyume the End".
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 as 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.[4]
Fuck the Border Line, a tribute album to Kuroyume, was also released on February 9, 2011, featuring covers of the band's songs by artists such as Abingdon Boys School, Plastic Tree, The Gazette and Sid.
The single "Alone" was selected by Capcom to be used in the Japanese advertisement campaign for Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D.[5]