History
2006–2012: Formation and singles
Guitarist and bandleader Mina formed a cover band named Destroya in 2006. She derived its name from Kiss' album Destroyer and the Godzilla character Destoroyah.[3] They performed songs by acts such as Led Zeppelin, Show-Ya, Pantera, Metallica and Manowar.[3] Mina then formed Destrose in 2007, including "rose" in the name to make it more feminine and in reference to Guns N' Roses.[4][3] Destrose contributed the song "Headless Goddess" to the November 2008 compilation album Samurai Metal Vol. 4.[4] Eye, Eri, Kayo and guest drummer Mari all left the band on New Year's Eve 2008 and went on to form Mary's Blood at the end of 2009.[2] In January 2010, Destrose was the opening act for The Iron Maidens' Japanese tour.[2][4] Before the release of their debut single "Hakai no Bara" on October 2, a second pressing was already decided due to excessive demand.[1][5]
Destrose's song "Skykiller" was included on the January 15, 2011 compilation Iron Angel in preparation for their January 22 performance at the two-day Iron Angel Live event alongside other female metal acts such as Taia and Dazzle Vision.[6] The band recruited vocalist Nene and drummer Nana in March 2011.[5] Nene is also a fortuneteller and would give tarot card readings at concerts.[5] The single "Deathless Memories" was released on May 25 and reached number 8 on Oricon's independent singles chart.[7] Destrose announced they would temporary suspend activities after their September 25 concert at Meguro Live Station and that it would be their last with Nene, Nana and guitarist Satty.[8] Bassist Miho joined Destrose on November 11.[9] Marina joined about a week later and would become their longest serving vocalist.[2][10]
Destrose resumed activities after the January 9, 2012 Women's Power 20th Anniversary concert, where they played alongside Show-Ya, Aldious and Babymetal.[11][12] Two days later, drummer Haruna officially joined the band.[13] They released "Fenixx -To Revive-" on March 28, which reached number 7 on the indie chart.[11][14] Its title is not only a reference to the band resuming, but also refers to Japan's recovery from the March 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.[15] Guitarist Narumi officially joined the band on June 1.[10][16] The single "Nostphilia", coined by combining "nostalgia" and "philia", was released on November 14.[17]
2013–2015: Studio album and hiatus
The band's only studio album, the self-titled Destrose, was released on April 10, 2013 and supported by a fourteen-date Japanese tour that ended with their first one-man concert on June 1 at Meguro Live Station.[18] It reached number seven on Oricon's indie albums chart.[19] They were the only indie band at Show-Ya's female artists-only Naon no Yaon 2013 festival on April 29, which also included Scandal and Cyntia among others.[20][21] Destrose performed in the US for the first time in early August as part of Tokyo in Tulsa.[22] The double A-side single "Rin / Maze" was released on November 13 and reached number 7 on the indie chart.[23][24] To celebrate, they held a one-man concert at Shibuya O-West that same day, which was recorded and later released as a concert video.[25] Later that month, Mina announced she was taking a hiatus from live activities due to health issues.[20]
In March 2014, Destrose performed in the US again at Naka-Kon.[26] Soon after Marina left and formed Mardelas, with Lisa replacing her on April 25.[2][27] The mini-album, The Prologue was released on September 24 and reached number 5 on the indie chart.[26][28] Each member wrote a song for the record, which was supported by an eleven-date nationwide tour.[26] Drummer Haruna left the band after her farewell concert on December 24 at Meguro Rock-May-Kan due to her upcoming marriage.[29]
Risa☆Risa joined as drummer on January 30, 2015, and had her first Destrose concert the following day.[30][31] In February, leader and sole constant member Mina left the band due to her ongoing health issues.[32] At the same time Lisa went on hiatus to treat vocal cord nodules, with Ibuki filling in as guest vocalist.[32] In May, Destrose announced that they would be going on indefinite hiatus in July.[33] They played their final concert, titled Persistence of Rose, at Meguro The Live Station in Tokyo on July 18, 2015.[33][34]
Also in July 2015, Mina formed the steampunk metal band Fate Gear.[35] Their debut album A Light in the Black, released the following month, and their third album, 2018's 7 Years Ago, both include re-recordings of Destrose songs.[36][37] Their 2019 EP Headless Goddess is composed almost entirely of re-recorded Destrose songs and features guest vocalists, including Ibuki.[38] In September 2015, Narumi and Risa☆Risa formed Disqualia with Ibuki.[39] Miho and Haruna formed Lovebites in 2016 and recorded the unreleased Destrose song "Bravehearted" for their 2017 debut, The Lovebites EP.[40]
