Jrock Revolution

It is not an uncommon beginning for bands, thus, not so strange to know that girugamesh’s beginnings were much earlier than just the year they found their solid line-up. ShuU and Nii were close friends in elementary school, and it was perhaps a stroke of luck that had these two meeting again in junior high only to discover that they had both taken up an interest in music: ShuU with the bass, Nii with the guitar. The decision to form a band led the intrepid duo on a hunt for members, which eventually brought Яyo in on drums and another in as their first vocalist. It was not until that vocalist quit that girugamesh sought out Satoshi, inviting him to join up with them as he was leaving his previous band. With his agreement to join, girugamesh had the line-up that they have maintained ever since.

Their first concert was at Motoyawata ROUTE14 on March 24, 2004. It was then, also, that they released their first demo, Shisakugata Enban, of which there were only a limited 100 copies. Not surprisingly, the demo sold out.

Later that summer as the four were already showing a desire to remain constantly active and productive, the band put out several releases. The first two were both demos offered at live events but another was perhaps more noteworthy and exciting for the growing fanbase: their first maxi-single. Titled [Kaisen senga]~Kikaku kata enban~, it proved to be a great success for a band as new as girugamesh. Aside from the remarkable sold out first and second press, [Kaisen senga]~Kikaku kata enban~ also hit #10 on the Oricon charts.

Today, constant touring seems to be a trademark of girugamesh’s career and this fact was no different in the beginning of their career either. In 2005, the band vigorously toured and in July they were able to hold their first one-man live at Meguro Rokumeikan. In addition to being their first one-man, devoted fans gave them the memorable achievement of also making it a sold out event.

Spring of 2006 brought to life girugamesh's first one-man tour, but there was far more to be expected from the band than their usual touring schedule. Come April they released two singles—[Rei-ZERO-]~mukei kata enban~ and Omae ni sasageru minikui koe—and in their usual non-stop manner they continued on to release their first full-length album, 13’s Reborn, on September 27. One tour that year was not enough for girugamesh, however, as another by the name of dying 13 was held and allowed them to encourage a strong end to the year.

All things considered, it is hardly a surprise that another tour was the first thing on girugamesh’s menu for 2007. The band wasted no time in throwing themselves into the swing of things once again as they joined up with DEATHGAZE for a joint tour under the title of girugaze and dethgamesh battle rock tour 2007. There was not much time to stop and breathe—as one might expect by now—as after their run with DEATHGAZE, the four turned around and started up their one-man faze tour 2007.

In May of 2007, a seemingly impulsive, yet very welcome event interrupted their schedule. Without waiting for the faze tour to finish, girugamesh left for Los Angeles, California to participate in the Jrock Revolution festival. Alongside Merry, MUCC and D’espairsRay, the band performed on the second night of the event in their first overseas performance. girugamesh was not quite ready to officially return to complete their homeland tour quite yet, though, and almost a month after playing in the United States they found themselves performing at the J-Shock event in Cologne, Germany along with Guitar Wolf, An Café and the now disbanded bis. Finally, almost four months after the beginning of the faze tour 2007, girugamesh ended it with two sold-out shows July 15-16 at SHIBUYA DESEO and the very next day saw the release of their mini-album Reason for crying.

There was no time to waste after this, of course, as girugamesh jumped right into yet another tour beginning on July 28. smash tour 2007-summer battle- lasted all the way through early September. Afterward, they flew once more to Germany, this time playing at the InMotion Asia-Pacific music festival. Following their return and just short of a month after the end of the “Summer Battle” tour, girugamesh kicked off their approximately one month sequel, smash tour 2007-autumn battle-.

To end 2007 on yet another successful note and to accompany the final live shows of the year, the band released their self-titled album girugamesh on December 26th. With that, they ended the year with a triumphant flourish and proved that touring would not by any means keep them from releasing new music.

The unstoppable foursome began 2008 with a six show European circuit for their stupid tour ‘08, visiting Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Sweden and Finland before returning home to throw themselves headlong into the 32-show stupid tour ‘08 in Japan. In August of 2008, girugamesh participated in the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany where MUCC, D’espairsRay and Dir en grey played in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively.

Several months after the completion of their shining tour ’08 [SHOOTING SUMMER], girugamesh released their latest album, MUSIC. Thanks to the addition of teaming up with international labels, releases in Europe and the United States brought international fans even closer to their music.

On December 27th, girugamesh played at the JACK IN THE BOX 2008 live with fellow Maverick DC members including 44MAGNUM, BUG, and SID as well as L’arc~en~ciel’s Ken and Tetsu. Shortly after, they helped see 2008 out by playing at Over the Edge 2008 on New Year’s Eve with a number of other bands such as the studs, 12012, and Mix Speakers Inc.

In the fall of 2008, girugamesh began their Crazy Tour, which spanned for several months between the end of 2008 and into 2009. In addition to this, the band is set to play overseas starting with a return visit to the United States in order to play at Sakura-Con in Seattle, Washington in April. Shortly after, Europe will have yet another taste of girugamesh as they take up a short tour there during the spring.

Looking back on all that this band has accomplished since they truly began their activities together in 2004, it will be no surprise to find girugamesh extensively touring for years to come—perhaps even a little closer to home, considering how many dips they have made into the international pool already.

girugamesh will perform this year at Sakura Con in Seattle, Washington the weekend of April 10-12th.