Necronomidol | |
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![]() Live at Shimokitazawa Shelter (2022.06.20) | |
Background information | |
Origin | Japan |
Genres | |
Years active | 2014–2022 (hiatus) |
Members |
|
Past members | See list of members |
Website | necronomidol |
Necronomidol was a Japanese idol heavy metal group, formed in 2014. [1] They have been on more than three international tours [2] and have performed in over 12 countries. [3]
The group is a prominent act in the alternative idol and kawaii metal movements. [4] [5] Their name is taken from the Necronomicon, the famous fictional grimoire featured in the work of H. P. Lovecraft, combined with the Japanese words for magic (魔, ma) and necromancy (ネクロ魔, nekuro ma), and "idol". Necronomidol has performed once at the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival and twice at CthulhuCon, in 2018 and 2020. [6] A number of composers have worked with them, such as Mr. Perkele, who has worked on tracks such as "Ritual" and "Dawnslayer". [7] [8] The group is managed by Ricky Wilson, an American expat living in Tokyo. [9] [10] They began with visuals inspired by a traditional Japanese "shrine maiden" look with "haunting" overtones, first seen in their earliest videos from 2014, [11] but their image later incorporated elements of the Cthulhu mythos as well as modern Japanese and Western horror. [12]
Necronomidol's style has been described as fusing J-pop with genres ranging from industrial music [13] to punk rock [14] to dark wave [5] to witch house [15] to shoegazing [16] to, most notably, heavy metal, [13] [14] [5] [17] specifically the style of black metal. [15] [18] [19] [20] Because of this, they have been described as kawaii metal [5] and post-black metal. [21]
Call of Cthulhu is a horror fiction role-playing game based on H. P. Lovecraft's story of the same name and the associated Cthulhu Mythos. The game, often abbreviated as CoC, is published by Chaosium; it was first released in 1981 and is in its seventh edition, with licensed foreign language editions available as well. Its game system is based on Chaosium's Basic Role-Playing (BRP) with additions for the horror genre. These include special rules for sanity and luck.
Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American writer of weird, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos.
Cthulhu is a cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pantheon of Lovecraftian cosmic entities, this creature has since been featured in numerous popular culture references. Lovecraft depicts it as a gigantic entity worshipped by cultists, in the shape of a green octopus, dragon, and a caricature of human form. The Lovecraft-inspired universe, the Cthulhu Mythos, where it exists with its fellow entities, is named after it.
An idol is a type of entertainer marketed for image, attractiveness, and personality in Japanese pop culture. Idols are primarily singers with training in other performance skills such as acting, dancing, and modeling. Idols are commercialized through merchandise and endorsements by talent agencies, while maintaining a parasocial relationship with a financially loyal consumer fan base.
Lovecraftian horror, also called cosmic horror or eldritch horror, is a subgenre of horror fiction and weird fiction that emphasizes the horror of the unknowable and incomprehensible more than gore or other elements of shock. It is named after American author H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937). His work emphasizes themes of cosmic dread, forbidden and dangerous knowledge, madness, non-human influences on humanity, religion and superstition, fate and inevitability, and the risks associated with scientific discoveries, which are now associated with Lovecraftian horror as a subgenre. The cosmic themes of Lovecraftian horror can also be found in other media, notably horror films, horror games, and comics.
Kawaii Kon is an anime convention geared towards Japanese animation and comics held in the Honolulu area.
Wilum Hopfrog Pugmire, was a writer of weird fiction and horror fiction based in Seattle, Washington. His works typically were published as W. H. Pugmire and his fiction often paid homage to the lore of Lovecraftian horror. Lovecraft scholar and biographer S. T. Joshi described Pugmire as "the prose-poet of the horror/fantasy field; he may be the best prose-poet we have" and as one of the genre's leading Lovecraftian authors.
Japanese popular culture includes Japanese cinema, cuisine, television programs, anime, manga, video games, music, and doujinshi, all of which retain older artistic and literary traditions; many of their themes and styles of presentation can be traced to traditional art forms. Contemporary forms of popular culture, much like the traditional forms, are not only forms of entertainment but also factors that distinguish contemporary Japan from the rest of the modern world. There is a large industry of music, films, and the products of a huge comic book industry, among other forms of entertainment. Game centers, bowling alleys, and karaoke parlors are well-known hangout places for teens while older people may play shogi or go in specialized parlors. Since the end of the US occupation of Japan in 1952, Japanese popular culture has been influenced by American media. However, rather than being dominated by American products, Japan localised these influences by appropriating and absorbing foreign influences into local media industries. Today, Japanese popular culture stands as one of the most prominent and influential popular cultures around the world.
The H. P. Lovecraft Historical Society or HPLHS is the organization that hosts Cthulhu Lives!, a group of live-action roleplayers for the Cthulhu Live version of Call of Cthulhu. Founded in Colorado in 1984, it is now based in Glendale, California. Their motto is Ludo Fore Putavimus.
Rebecca Anne Flint, better known by her stage name Beckii Cruel, is a British YouTuber, marketing entrepreneur, and former singer. Early in her career, Flint became known for her cover dance videos on YouTube, of which her channel has reached reached 20 million upload views and over 100,000 subscribers. In 2010, one of Flint's cover dance videos went viral in Japan, and, at one point, she was the 17th most subscribed user in the country. This led to a brief idol career in Japan, where Flint released her debut single, "Tsubasa o Kudasai", and had a girl group called Cruel Angels built around her image.
Kiriko Hayama, known professionally as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, is a Japanese tarento, singer, and model. Her public image is associated with Japan's kawaii and decora culture, centered in the Harajuku neighborhood of Tokyo. Kyary's music is produced by musician Yasutaka Nakata of electronic music duo Capsule.
Babymetal is a Japanese kawaii metal band consisting of Suzuka Nakamoto as "Su-metal", Moa Kikuchi as "Moametal" and Momoko Okazaki as "Momometal". The band is produced by Kobametal from the Amuse talent agency. Their vocals are backed by heavy metal instrumentation, performed by a group of session musicians known as the "Kami Band" at performances.
Sakura Miyawaki, better known mononymously as Sakura, is a Japanese singer and actress based in South Korea. She is currently a member of the South Korean girl group Le Sserafim, and is a former member of South Korean-Japanese girl group Iz*One, Japanese girl group AKB48 and HKT48.
Kawaii metal is a musical genre that blends elements of heavy metal and J-pop that was pioneered in Japan in the early 2010s. The genre combines both Eastern and Western influences that appeal to both cultures. A typical kawaii metal composition combines the instrumentation found in various types of heavy metal music with J-pop melodies and a Japanese idol aesthetic. Kawaii metal's lyrical topics often contain kawaii themes.
Richard Magarey is an Australian stuntman, professional wrestler, singer and online streamer, known for his bearded crossdressing persona named Ladybeard. He is currently vocalist of the band Babybeard, formerly with the band Ladybaby and Deadlift Lolita.
Miyu Kubota is a Japanese voice actress, singer and idol from Saitama Prefecture. She is a member of i☆Ris. Kubota is affiliated with 81 Produce and Avex Pictures.
CGM48 is a Thai idol girl group. It is the first domestic sister group of the Thai idol group BNK48, and the eighth international sister group of AKB48, after Indonesia's JKT48, China's SNH48 (former), Thailand's BNK48, Philippines's MNL48, China's AKB48 Team SH, Taiwan's AKB48 Team TP, and Vietnam's SGO48 (disbanded). The group is named after Chiang Mai, a city in Northern Thailand, where it will be based.
An alternative idol is a term used by overseas J-pop fans to describe idols that differ from the traditional Japanese idol scene typically by having a darker image and performing heavier genres of music. Alternative idols came about in the early 2010s after the formation of Bis popularized mixing alternative rock with typical idol pop music.