Ancient Myth

Last updated

Ancient Myth
Origin Tokyo, Japan
Genres
Years active2002–2006, 2007–present
Labels
  • Black-listed
  • Fastball
  • Repentless
MembersMichal
Hal
Shibuki
Kaya
Nino
Past members See former members
Website ancient-myth.com

Ancient Myth is a Japanese symphonic metal band formed in Tokyo in 2002 by drummer Mittu. After joining in 2008, vocalist Michal took over as leader of the band. Ancient Myth has gone through numerous line-up changes and, with guitarist Yuri's second departure in 2012, none of the original members remain.

Contents

History

Ancient Myth was formed in 2002 by drummer and bandleader Mittu and his classmates while attending a music college. [1] Numerous musicians came and went until 2005. [2] That year, they contributed the song "Seed" to the omnibus album Samurai Metal Volume 01. [3] The band released their debut mini-album Antibes on September 9, 2005, via Black-listed Records. [4] At the end of April 2006, guitarist Mika left and formed Matenrou Opera. [4] The band went on hiatus, during which time bassist Take also left. [3] [4] Ancient Myth resumed activities in March 2007. [4] However, vocalist Akira left that month, and guitarist ANnen followed in August. [3] [4]

Michal, formerly of the bands Mandylion and Codename:Wingless, joined as vocalist in January 2008. While working as a designer for Black-listed, which Codename:Wingless was also signed to, she heard Ancient Myth was looking for a singer. [2] Having previously had trouble finding a drummer and keyboardist for her band, Michal thought the transition would be smooth as Ancient Myth had a similar musical style, their leader was the drummer, and they already had a keyboardist. [2] She subsequently went on to become the leader of the band and take charge of all visual aspects, designing the members' costumes, their album covers and their music videos. [1] [5] Guitarist Tomo and Lamentglace bassist Naoki also joined at the same time, and the band distributed the demos "Kegon" and "Kisayuragi" in October 2008 and March 2009, respectively. [3] [4] Tomo left in May 2009, at which point ANnen, now going by the name "Yuri", rejoined. [3] [4] Ancient Myth released their first single, "Aurora", on September 9, 2009. [4]

The band distributed the demo "Distant View to the Ashen Light/Level X" in May 2010. [4] In September, Syacho left Ancient Myth and they released their first full-length album Astrolabe in Your Heart on October 10. [4] The album's title track was included on the January 15, 2011 compilation Iron Angel in preparation for the band's January 23 performance at the two-day Iron Angel Live event alongside other female metal acts such as Destrose, Taia and Light Bringer. [6] [7] Former bandleader Mittu left Ancient Myth in March 2011, and was replaced by Iron Attack! drummer Juhki that August. [4] Following the Great East Japan Earthquake, Michal contributed vocals to the August 2011 charity album Rising Sun, which was released under the name Metal Bless Japan. [8] Former SwallowTail keyboardist Puzzy joined Ancient Myth in October. [1] [4] The band's second album Akashic was released on February 24, 2012, and named after Akashic records. [1] However, Yuri and Juhki both left after Ancient Myth's November 23, 2012 concert. [9] The remaining members discussed changing the band's name or starting a new one, but Michal felt breaking up or changing the name would be admitting defeat. [9] After holding open auditions, [10] they recruited Valthus guitarist Izo in October 2013 [11] and drummer PePe in December 2014.

In 2015, Ancient Myth signed a deal with the German record label Fastball Music. Aberration, which features re-recordings of older songs, was released in Japan and Europe in June 2016. [12] Different editions feature different content and include a different subtitle, either "Au", "Ag", or "Pt". [13] "Au" features Japanese lyrics, "Ag" features English ones, while "Pt" contains a mix and is the only version released physically. [2] However, the band then suffered a string of personnel changes. Chief songwriter Naoki departed the group after the album's release. [5] He was followed by Izo on July 4, and Puzzy on August 4. [14] Keyboardist Hal, who produced Aberration and previously worked with Versailles and Kamijo, joined as the latter's replacement. [14] [15] That October, the band performed their first European concert at the Metal Female Voices Fest in Belgium. [16] Ancient Myth toured Europe for the first time in March 2017, opening for Italian bands Temperance and Overtures on The Earth and The Artifacts tour, which took them to countries such as the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Switzerland. [16]

Drummer Shibuki joined the band in 2018, while The Genius Orchestration guitarist Kohei joined in March 2020. [17] [18] After nine years, Ancient Myth published their third studio album ArcheoNyx on July 7, 2021, through Repentless Records. [19] With songs inspired by myths and folklore, such as the Greek Nyx and the Japanese ōkami, it also features a cover of "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" and Hizaki as a guest on "Zenith". [12] [20] It reached number 20 on Oricon's Rock Albums Chart. [21] The mini-album Ambrosian Blood followed on December 15 and continues the style and themes, being named after the mythical food ambrosia. [12]

In July 2023, Ancient Myth performed a two-date Asian tour titled Midsummer's Night Wish with Exist Trace and Fate Gear that took them to Hong Kong and Taipei. [22] In February 2024, it was announced that guitarist Kohei would be leaving the band after a March 31, 2024 concert at Shinjuku Marz. However, a new line-up featuring guitarist Kaya and bassist Nino made its debut at that same show. [23] Ancient Myth held the Apocalypse 666 tour from June 21 to August 10, where tickets cost 666 yen. [23] A second leg is scheduled to take place between September 19 and November 17. [24]

Musical style

Despite their numerous personnel changes, Ancient Myth's musical style has never changed. [20] Michal said that around the time of Antibes (2005), the members were influenced by Nightwish, which resulted in slower songs with a gothic metal feel. [2] Michal's love of music began with the soundtracks to Japanese video games such as Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest and those scored by composers at Capcom and SNK. [20] Knowing this, a CD shop employee recommended Ten and Fair Warning to her; an encounter Michal said "defined my musical life". [5] She subsequently bought a lot of albums from a heavy metal specialty store and became absorbed in the genre. [5] She cited Roy Khan (Kamelot) and Elisa C. Martin (Dark Moor) as her favorite singers, and Delain, Apocalyptica, Cradle of Filth, Dimmu Borgir, Amberian Dawn and Omega Lithium as among her favorite bands. [1] Michal attended a Catholic school for twelve years, thus she grew up singing hymns. [2] [5] She and Hal both have experience playing classical piano. [5]

In a tradition that began before Michal joined, the titles to all of the band's releases begin with the letter "A". [12] In December 2011, Michal remarked how her predecessor, Akira, had an operatic singing style, like Nightwish. But Michal personally preferred to use a more masculine or "courageous" vocal style, like that of Martin in Dark Moor. [25] Michal is the main lyricist in the band, and she uses both Japanese and English. [1] Because she grew up with hymns, she typically uses Classical Japanese, but will use colloquial Japanese if it fits the song's story. [2] She said she does not write happy songs; "When I'm sad, I prefer to listen to sad or painful songs and let off some steam, so my lyrics are about finding light in the darkness, or fighting against yourself..." [2] After chief songwriter Naoki left in 2016, Michal wanted to further develop her musical skills and so took violin lessons and singing lessons from a classical vocal coach. This resulted in her adopting an operatic and soprano vocal style. [5] [17] Before Hal joined, no member of Ancient Myth was able to check their compositions from a classical theory standpoint, so they would send demos to people outside of the group who knew music theory. [17] Hal also enabled the band to use real strings and brass to add a more grandiose feel, such as on ArcheoNyx (2021), instead of digital imitations. [12] [17] The keyboardist also started collaboratively writing lyrics with Michal on that album. [26]

Members

Current members

Former members

Discography

Studio albums

Mini-albums

Self-cover albums

Singles

Home videos

Related Research Articles

Deen is a Japanese popular music band that formed in 1992. Members frequently changed until the release of the first album, and from there Deen has had four members: vocalist and lyricist Shuichi Ikemori, keyboardist and leader Koji Yamane, guitarist Shinji Tagawa and drummer Naoki Uzumoto. In January 2000, Utsumoto and in March 2018, Tagawa left the group. The band has sold over 15 million compact discs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yuji Adachi</span> Japanese guitarist (1964–2020)

Yuji Adachi, also known as You, was a Japanese musician, best known as guitarist of the influential heavy metal band Dead End. Before joining Dead End in 1986, he was in the band Terra Rosa, and also ran a guitar school.

T-Bolan is a Japanese rock band which debuted in 1991. Its members are vocal Arashi Moritomo, drummer Kazuyoshi Aoki, guitarist Takeshi Gomi, and bassist Hirofumi Ueno. The name of this band was inspired by T. Rex and its vocalist Marc Bolan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mucc</span> Japanese visual kei rock band

Mucc is a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1997. The classic line up of Tatsuro on vocals, Miya on guitar, Yukke on bass, and Satochi on drums was solidified in 1999 following the departure of original bassist Hiro. After 24 years, Satochi retired from the music industry in October 2021, leaving Mucc a trio. They have released 16 studio albums, with 2020's Aku being their highest-charting. Although predominately a heavy band both lyrically and musically, Mucc is known for switching between music genres and styles frequently. Kerrang! included their fourth studio album Kuchiki no Tō (2004) on a list of 13 essential Japanese rock and metal albums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GO!GO!7188</span> Japanese rock band

Go!Go!7188, also known simply as Go!Go!, was a Japanese rock band with influences spanning from surf rock to punk rock to enka.

Ken is a Japanese musician and singer-songwriter, best known as guitarist of the rock band L'Arc-en-Ciel. After he joined them in 1992, they went on to sell over 40 million records, making them one of the best-selling music artists in Japan. He has written a breadth of L'Arc-en-Ciel's material, including "Vivid Colors", "The Fourth Avenue Cafe", "Niji", "Kasou", "My Heart Draws a Dream", "Daybreak's Bell" and "Chase". Ken was also the vocalist and guitarist of the rock trio Sons of All Pussys, and has released a solo album entitled In Physical.

D'erlanger is a Japanese rock band from Kyoto Prefecture, formed in 1983 by guitarist Cipher and bassist Seela. While they originally played speed and power metal, after recruiting drummer Tetsu and vocalist Kyo they switched to a punk rock sound for their debut album La Vie En Rose in 1989. Although it was on an indie label, it sold out and was reissued three times that year, earning them a major label record deal with BMG Japan the following year. They released Basilisk in March 1990 and it reached the top five on the charts. However, in December the group suddenly announced their disbandment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Luke Takamura</span> Japanese musician (born 1964)

Luke Takamura is a Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as guitarist of the heavy metal band Seikima-II from 1987 to 1999, and for various temporary reunions since. From 2002 to 2020, he was the lead singer and guitarist of the rock trio Canta. Luke was voted the tenth greatest Japanese guitarist in a 2019 poll held by goo. He has cited Yuji Adachi, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen and Kazumi Watanabe as guitar influences.

Aldious is a Japanese heavy metal band from Osaka, formed in 2008 by guitarist Yoshi and vocalist Rami. After a few member changes, they released their debut EP Dear Slave the following year and soon after formed their own record label, Bright Star Records. A stabilized line-up including guitarist Toki, bassist Sawa and drummer Aruto was established by 2010. Their first album Deep Exceed (2010) reached the top 15 on the Oricon chart, as did their second Determination (2011). However, Rami announced she was leaving the group in June 2012 and new vocalist Re:NO joined Aldious just one month later. They produced their third album District Zero in 2013 and it became their highest-charting release to date, reaching number 7.

The year 2015 in Japanese music.

Fate Gear is a Japanese female heavy metal band from Tokyo, formed in 2015 by guitarist Mina.

Mary's Blood was a Japanese all-female heavy metal band from Tokyo, formed in 2009 by four former members of Destrose. It consists of vocalist Eye, drummer Mari, guitarist Saki and bassist Rio since 2012. After releasing three EPs as an independent band, they signed to Nippon Columbia for their first album, Countdown to Evolution (2014). Mary's Blood then switched to Victor Entertainment for the release of Bloody Palace (2015) and Fate (2016). They signed to Tokuma Japan Communications in 2018 and released three further studio albums, including their highest-charting, Confessions (2019). Mary's Blood began an indefinite hiatus on April 9, 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lovebites (band)</span> Japanese all-female power metal band

Lovebites is a Japanese heavy metal band, formed in 2016 by former Destrose members Miho and Haruna. Its lineup currently consists of Haruna on drums, Midori and Miyako on guitar, Asami on vocals, and Fami on bass. After signing to Victor Entertainment, the group released both their debut EP and their first album in 2017, The Lovebites EP and Awakening from Abyss, before performing their first overseas concerts at the end of the year. With another EP and album released in 2018, Battle Against Damnation and Clockwork Immortality, Lovebites quickly garnered international attention and won that year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods Award for Best New Band. Following the releases of Electric Pentagram (2020) and Glory, Glory, to the World (2021), bassist Miho left the band in August 2021. After a year-long hiatus, Lovebites recruited Fami on bass and released Judgement Day, their fourth album, in February 2023. It is their highest-charting record to date, reaching number 5 on both the Oricon and Billboard Japan charts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mucc discography</span>

The discography of Mucc includes 17 studio albums, three live albums, four extended plays, 48 singles, 15 demos and 34 video albums. They are a Japanese visual kei rock band, formed in Ibaraki Prefecture in 1997. When original bassist Hiro left in 1999, the classic line up of Tatsuro on vocals, Miya on guitar, Yukke on bass, and Satochi on drums was solidified. Antique, their debut EP, was released in 1999 by Misshitsu Neurose, an independent record label formed by Cali Gari guitarist Ao Sakurai. Mucc signed to Danger Crue Records and established their own sublabel, Shu, for the 2002 release of their second album, Hōmura Uta. The band made their major label debut on Universal with Zekū the following year. In 2009, they returned to being an indie band on Danger Crue, before signing to Sony for 2012's Shangri-La. With the end of 2017, Mucc returned to being an independent band on Danger Crue yet again. After 24 years, Satochi retired from the music industry in October 2021, leaving Mucc a trio. They made their third major label debut on Tokuma Japan Communications in 2024.

Destrose was a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 2007. The group remained an independent band their entire career and experienced frequent line-up changes until going on indefinite hiatus in 2015. Although considered pioneers of the Girls Metal Band Boom, Destrose never achieved commercial success and is best known for the subsequent bands later formed by its many members.

The year 2020 in Japanese music.

The year 2021 in Japanese music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saki (musician)</span> Japanese musician (born 1990)

Saki is a Japanese heavy metal musician and songwriter. She is best known as guitarist of the all-female band Mary's Blood from 2012 until they began an indefinite hiatus in 2022, and was also a member of the all-female band Nemophila from 2019 to 2024. She is currently active as a solo artist and as one-half of the duo Amahiru with Frédéric Leclercq. Saki has been sponsored by Killer Guitars for over ten years, and often uses custom-made Fascist models. In 2021, they released her signature model, the seven-string KG-Fascinator Seven the Empress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nemophila (band)</span> Japanese all-female heavy metal band

Nemophila is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in Tokyo in 2019. It consists of vocalist Mayu, guitarist Hazuki, bassist Haraguchi-san and drummer Tamu Murata. While independently releasing three singles between 2020 and 2021, Nemophila garnered a sizable multinational following online by uploading videos to YouTube. In June 2021, British record label JPU compiled the singles into the internationally released Oiran: Extended Edition. Nemophila released their debut studio album, Revive, in December 2021. Their most recent album, Evolve, was released in January 2024.

Petit Brabancon is a Japanese supergroup, active since 2021. It consists of vocalist Kyo, drummer yukihiro (L'Arc-en-Ciel), guitarists Miya (Mucc) and antz, and bassist Hirofumi Takamatsu. Having been secretly writing and recording music since 2018 or 2019, the band was not publicly unveiled until December 2021.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Michal – Ancient Myth". Femme Metal Magazine. January 16, 2013. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "【インタビュー】ANCIENT MYTH、アルバムを引っ提げて、欧州でのデビュー公演へ！". Barks (in Japanese). September 5, 2016. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "【ANCIENT MYTH】". OK Music (in Japanese). October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on July 2, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 "ANCIENT MYTH". Black-listed Records (in Japanese). Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Interview Ancient Myth: Positivity in Chaotic Times". Kevy Metal. December 15, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Iron Angel". HMV Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Aldiousら出演！ ライヴ・イベント＜HMV presents IRON ANGEL LIVE＞開催決定！". CD Journal (in Japanese). November 8, 2010. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  8. ↑ "日本鋼鉄人総勢36名による震災チャリティー・アルバムが登場！". CD Journal (in Japanese). August 29, 2011. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  9. 1 2 "ANCIENT MYTH │ 激ロック インタビュー". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). June 19, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  10. ↑ "ギタリスト、ドラマー公募のお知らせ このたび、ANCIENT MYTHではギタリスト及びドラマーを広く募集することとなりました。ライヴ・楽曲発表等の活動については公募期間中もサポートメンバーを迎えて継続致しますが、より多くの方と出逢いたいとの考えによるものです。 ◆募集要項 性別・年齢不問 日本国籍を有し、東京を中心に活動できる方 ANCIENT MYTHの楽曲と世界観を愛して下さる方". Facebook (in Japanese). May 22, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  11. ↑ "We are pleased to announce that we add new guitarist Izo. He keeps playing in VALTHUS in parallel. Please look forward to new sound and new world from us!". Facebook . October 27, 2013. Retrieved August 12, 2024.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 "ANCIENT MYTH // A serving from Nyx with a side of Ambrosian Blood". Arlequin Magazine. January 7, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  13. ↑ "News from ANCIENT MYTH". JaME. April 13, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  14. 1 2 "Izo and Puzzy Leave ANCIENT MYTH". JaME. July 16, 2016. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  15. ↑ "対談】ANCIENT MYTH × ILLUSION FORCE、初カップリングツアー開幕「＜Wacken＞に出たいと思ってる同士じゃないと」". Barks (in Japanese). September 10, 2022. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  16. 1 2 "ANCIENT MYTH Announce European Shows". JaME. February 9, 2017. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  17. 1 2 3 4 "【インタビュー】ANCIENT MYTH、変貌を遂げた最新作『ArcheoNyx』". Barks (in Japanese). July 21, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  18. ↑ ANCIENT MYTH official [@ancientmyth] (March 23, 2020). "この度、新任ギタリストとして、Kohei(THE GENIUS ORCHESTRATION)を迎えることになりました。彼は才能とモチベーションに溢れる若きギタリストで、我々の世界観や活動の目標にも賛同をしてくれた貴重な存在です。彼が奏でる新しい「神話」にご期待ください！" (Tweet). Retrieved August 12, 2024– via Twitter.
  19. ↑ "シンフォニック・メタル・バンド ANCIENT MYTH、国内HR/HM専門レーベル Repentlessより9年ぶりのオリジナル・アルバム発売！HIZAKI（Versailles／Jupiter）ゲスト参加！". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). April 20, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  20. 1 2 3 "Interview with Ancient Myth". Greek Otaku Radio. December 2, 2021. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
  21. ↑ "週間 ROCKアルバムランキング 2021年07月19日付". Oricon (in Japanese). October 20, 2009. Archived from the original on July 14, 2021. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  22. ↑ "ANCIENT MYTH、exist†trace、FATE GEARによるスペシャル・アジア・ツアー決定！". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). March 29, 2023. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  23. 1 2 "【コラム】ANCIENT MYTH、新章幕開けとなるワンマンツアーに明確なヴィジョンと"6"へのこだわり". Barks (in Japanese). June 19, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  24. ↑ "ANCIENT MYTH、9月よりワンマン・ツアー"Apocalypse666"の"おかわり"開催決定！". Geki-Rock (in Japanese). August 6, 2024. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  25. ↑ "蔭山 VS Michal！2ページ目！". HMV Japan (in Japanese). February 22, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
  26. ↑ "【特集】『Ambrosian Blood』リリース記念、ANCIENT MYTHインタビュー!!". Disk Union (in Japanese). December 13, 2012. Retrieved August 11, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.