Skull | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | Skull -The Skull- (2003–2007) |
| Origin | Japan |
| Genres | Hard rock |
| Years active | 2003–2011 |
| Labels |
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| Past members | Sin Die Kouta Ryou Tetsuya Sakura |
| Website | Skull-web.com (defunct) |
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]
The 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]
Skull'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]