Malice Mizer (マリス・ミゼル;
Marisu Mizeru) is a
visual keirefers to a movement among Japanese musicians, that is characterized by the use of striking make-up, unusual hair styles and elaborate costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics...
rock band from Japan. They were active from January 1992 to December 2001. Formed by
ManaMana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, famed for his role as a leader and guitarist of the influential visual kei band Malice Mizer. It is said that he is widely considered the figurehead of Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement, as he helped popularize it...
and
Köziis a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is most famous for his time in the band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career.-Biography:Közi's career began at...
, the band's name stands for "malice and misery", extracted from "nothing but a being of malice and misery" — their reply to the question "what is human?". Their earlier music and themes were characterized by their strong French and classical influences, later moving away from deliberate French romanticism and incorporating Gothic-Victorian aspects after several tragedies befell the band. Despite the stated archetypes, Malice Mizer is best recognized as a thoroughly original entity.
Malice Mizer is as famous for their music as for their live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, short silent theatre pieces preluding various songs, whimsical dance routines, and even a particularly notable instance of the vocalist descending to Earth (the stage) as a fallen angel, only to ascend again at the end of the concert. Throughout their history, the band has gone through several different lineups and three drastic image changes.
On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer would go on an indefinite hiatus.
However, as Mana recently wrote on his homepage, three of the four members (Mana, Közi and Yu~ki) have regained frequent contact with each other from the middle of 2008, and on December 27, seven years after the hiatus started, Mana and Közi finally met again on stage along with members from
Moi dix MoisMoi dix Mois is a Japanese musical project founded by Malice Mizer's front, Mana. As part of the visual kei movement it is marked by Mana's selection of guest performers rather than a typical band structure, and exhibits a combination of classical elements of gothic metal.Apart from playing guitar,...
to perform in front of the fans with a session concert. They also performed together during the "Deep Sanctuary"-concert the 17th and 19th of July, delivering great happiness to the many Malice Mizer fans.
Tetsu era; The Indie era of Malice Mizer (1992–1994)
ManaMana is a Japanese musician and fashion designer, famed for his role as a leader and guitarist of the influential visual kei band Malice Mizer. It is said that he is widely considered the figurehead of Japan's Gothic Lolita fashion movement, as he helped popularize it...
and
Köziis a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is most famous for his time in the band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career.-Biography:Közi's career began at...
formed Malice Mizer in 1992 with Tetsu on vocals, both Mana and Közi on
guitarsAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses pickups to convert the vibration of its steel-cored strings into an electrical current, which is made louder with an instrument amplifier and a speaker. The signal that comes from the guitar is sometimes electronically altered with guitar effects such as...
/synthesizers, Yu~ki on
bassThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
and Gaz on
drumsA drum set is a collection of drums, cymbals and sometimes other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person . The term "drum kit" first became used in the 1700s in Britain...
. From the outset, the band established their trademark "twin guitar"' sound, whereby two guitars play different melodies creating
polyphonyIn music, polyphony is a texture consisting of two or more independent melodic voices, as opposed to music with just one voice or music with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chords ....
. Malice Mizer's sound during the Tetsu era was a mixture of rock, early 1980s
gothGothic rock is a musical subgenre of Post-Punk and Alternative Rock that formed during the late 1970s. Gothic rock bands grew from the strong ties they had to the English punk rock and emerging post-punk scenes...
, and strong classical influences. Their first official release was the song "Speed of Desperate" on the 1993 compilation
Brain Trash. Before this, they had released a demo tape called
Sans Logique which contained no vocals. Shortly after the release of
Brain Trash, Gaz left the band to join Kneuklid Romance, while Kneuklid Romance's drummer
KamiKami was the drummer for the Japanese band Malice Mizer.He was born in the city of Ibaraki, Japan on February 1. Little is known about his personal life, but his fans often described him as very kind-hearted and gentle...
in turn joined Malice Mizer. In 1994, the band released their first album,
MemoireMemoire is an album released by Malice Mizer on July 24, 1994. It marks the band's debut and reissued in December of the same year as Memoire DX, containing an additional track and an expanded booklet.-Track listing:-Personnel:* Tetsu – vocals...
, on Mana's newly founded
independentIn popular music, independent music, often generally abbreviated as "indie", is a term used to describe independence from major commercial record labels and an autonomous, Do-It-Yourself approach to recording and publishing....
record labelIn the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
Midi:NetteMidiːNette is an independent record label founded by the Japanese musician and fashion designer Mana. Initially it released most of the discography of the band Mana was in at the time, Malice Mizer, which went on an indefinite hiatus on 11 December 2001....
, and shortly after re-released it with an additional bonus track, "Baroque" under the title
Memoire DX. Only days later, singer Tetsu left the band. While the exact reasons are unknown, Tetsu went on to take a different direction in his work and some say it was because he disliked the flamboyant image of the band. The band's continued use of his lyrics in songs they continued to perform with later vocalists suggest an amicable split.
http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-191/artist_name-malice_mizer/
Gackt era; Voyage and Merveilles (1995–1999)
In 1995, after a year of inactivity, Malice Mizer recruited
Gacktis a Japanese musician, composer, lyricist, poet, author, actor, designer and model. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the now-defunct band Malice Mizer...
as their new vocalist. With a new concept created by Mana, the band's music became more
Progressive rockProgressive rock is a form of rock music that evolved in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility."...
, incorporating even stronger classical and electronic elements. Visually, the band abandoned their 1980s goth look for colourful historical costumes always with a gothic feel. In 1996, Malice Mizer released their second album,
Voyage ~Sans Retour~-Track listing:-Pressing:The First Press for "Voyage ~sans retour~" came in a plastic slipcase with an additional "Visual Arts Booklet".There were only 5000 made.-Personnel:* Gackt – vocals, piano* Mana – guitar, synthesizer* Közi – guitar, synthesizer...
. The band became increasingly popular and in 1997 signed with
Nippon Columbiais a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as the Nipponophone Company Co., Ltd. . It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK Columbia trademarks in 1931. It changed its name in 1946 to Nippon Columbia Company Limited and adopted...
, where they released a number of successful singles, a short film (
Bel Air ~Kuuhaku no Shunkan no Naka De~ de L'image), and, in 1998, their third album,
MerveillesMerveilles is an album released by Malice Mizer on March 18, 1998 and the only to be released through Columbia Music Entertainment. It entered the Oricon charts at number 2 on its first week of release and stayed in the charts for another 16 weeks, making it the Band's best selling album.-Track...
. The band even had their own radio show around this time and played a two day live at the
Nippon BudokanThe , often shortened to just "Budokan," is an arena in central Tokyo, Japan.For many Westerners, the Budokan is synonymous with large-scale rock concerts. It was here that The Beatles made their Japanese debut and the location where many "Live at the Budokan" albums were recorded...
which involved a large building as a stage prop and amazing theatrics; each member performing a skit with another member on their own. It was a massive success and was released on Video as Merveilles l'espace. In January 1999, at the height of Malice Mizer's success, Gackt suddenly left the band, and after just four months he released his first solo album. There are many rumors circulating as to why he left, but none of them have yet been confirmed. Malice Mizer left Columbia shortly after and returned to Midi:Nette.
A few months after Gackt's departure, drummer
KamiKami was the drummer for the Japanese band Malice Mizer.He was born in the city of Ibaraki, Japan on February 1. Little is known about his personal life, but his fans often described him as very kind-hearted and gentle...
died of a
subarachnoid hemorrhageA subarachnoid hemorrhage is bleeding into the subarachnoid space—the area between the arachnoid membrane and the pia mater surrounding the brain...
on June 21, 1999, leaving behind a handful of songs, which the band eventually released as part of the
EPAn extended play is a vinyl record, CD, or music download which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as an LP. Usually, a CD single has around 10–28 minutes of music, an EP has up to 36 minutes, and an album generally has 30–80 minutes. Mini-LPs generally contain 20–30...
/video boxset
Shinwa, which consisted of 2 songs composed by Kami and short track 'Saikai' which was written by the band. Kami was never replaced; from that point on, Malice Mizer would only use support drummers (namely Shue, who is not shown in the band's later and final music videos, nor credited) and Kami would be credited as "eternal blood relative" on all their future releases.
http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-191/artist_name-malice_mizer/ Because of Kami's untimely death and other factors, the Band decided to shift their image and music.
Klaha era; Bara no Seidō (2000–2001)
In the second half of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, Malice Mizer — still without an official vocalist — released a number of singles and began to work on a new album. Eventually, they recruited
KlahaHaruna Masaki, aka Klaha, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He was one of the founders of Pride of Mind, a new wave/dark wave band active from 1992 to 1996 and the vocalist of Malice Mizer from 2000 to 2001.-Pride of Mind:...
(real name Masaki Haruna), vocalist of
darkwaveDark wave, also written as darkwave, is a music genre that began in the late 1970s, coinciding with the popularity of New Wave and post-punk. Building on those basic principles, dark wave added dark, introspective lyrics and an undertone of sorrow for some bands...
band Pride of Mind. By then the band had abandoned the lighter
pop musicPop music is a music genre that developed from the mid-1950s as a softer alternative to rock 'n' roll and later to rock music. It has a focus on commercial recording, often orientated towards a youth market, usually through the medium of relatively short and simple love songs...
sound of the
Gacktis a Japanese musician, composer, lyricist, poet, author, actor, designer and model. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the now-defunct band Malice Mizer...
era for a dramatic mixture of classical music, gothic/goth and
heavy metal musicHeavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in England and the United States...
, and adopted an elaborate
funeralA funeral is a ceremony marking a person's death. Funerary customs comprise the complex of beliefs and practices used by a culture to remember the dead, from the funeral itself, to various monuments, prayers, and rituals undertaken in their honour. These customs vary widely between cultures, and...
Goth look. In the summer of 2000, they released what would be their last album,
Bara no Seidouis an album released by Malice Mizer on August 23, 2000. It is the group's final full-length record. In February 2007, Bara no Seidou was re-released, packaged in both jewel case and slipcase versions, both including an additional DVD, titled Cardinal...
, followed by a very spectacular and theatrical live show, featuring pyrotechnics, a choir of veiled nuns and a scaled-down cathedral as stage prop. In 2001, Malice Mizer starred in a feature length
vampireVampires are legendary creatures said to subsist by feeding on the life essence of living creatures, generally by drinking their blood. Although typically described as undead, some minor traditions believed in vampires that were living people....
movie (
Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku~is a movie released by Malice Mizer on March 22, 2002. It is a silent movie with a storyline similar to Dracula with Japanese and English captions for dialogue. A majority of the movie has music from Malice Mizer's final album, Bara no Seidou playing in the background...
), and released three more singles: "Gardenia", "Beast of Blood", and "Garnet ~Kindan no Sono E~"- "Gardenia" and "Garnet" being of a considerably lighter tone than their previous album, signifying the start of a new era for the band. Unfortunately, those few singles were all the world would see of the yet again reborn Malice Mizer, as the band members decided to go their own separate ways in 2001, leaving disband messages on their official website, Miroir, which can still be viewed today. The split was spoken of as a "hiatus", however, so as not to exclude the possibility of a future reformation.
http://nippop.com/artist/artist_id-191/artist_name-malice_mizer/
Post projects
After his departure in 1994, Tetsu has subsequently taken part in a series of bands such as
ZigzoZIGZO is a Japanese rock band that started activities in 1999 and disbanded in 2002. They were very popular in the Japanese indies scene.After disbanding, reportedly due to musical differences, ZIGZO members have joined or formed other bands...
and Mega 8 Ball and has released one solo album; his most recent being the independently released band
NilNil is a rock trio that started in 1998 by Takano Tetsu , Hiroyuki Kashimoto and Kyoshii Moro. Initially, however, the intent of Nil was to become Tetsu's main solo unit and even though it has become a full fledged band all lyrics and songwriting has been solely handled by Tetsu...
.
After his departure in the beginning of 1999,
Gacktis a Japanese musician, composer, lyricist, poet, author, actor, designer and model. Usually referred to by his mononymous stage name, he is known for his career as a solo artist and as the former vocalist for the now-defunct band Malice Mizer...
started a solo career almost after a year which has been enormously successful; he is now one of Japan's top entertainers and TV personalities.
Klaha started a solo career as well in December 2002, but in the middle of 2004 it was announced that his fanclub would be closing down, and after that there have been long periods with silence, only broken by rare updates on his site. Due to health problems he has been taking a break from creating music, but last year he stated on his site that he would resume musical activity in 2007. Further details haven't been announced.
Mana has formed his own solo project,
Moi dix MoisMoi dix Mois is a Japanese musical project founded by Malice Mizer's front, Mana. As part of the visual kei movement it is marked by Mana's selection of guest performers rather than a typical band structure, and exhibits a combination of classical elements of gothic metal.Apart from playing guitar,...
, performing live concerts across Europe. In addition to the successful solo project, Mana simultaneously pursues a career as fashion designer for his fashion label,
Moi-même-MoitiéMoi-même-Moitié is the Gothic Lolita fashion label of Mana, the co-founder and former guitarist of the Visual Kei band Malice Mizer. It was founded in 1999 and features the specific styles of Elegant Gothic Lolita, which blends the innocence and cuteness of the Lolita fashion with the darkness and...
, which focuses on the styles
Elegant Gothic AristocratElegant Gothic Aristocrat is a subset of Gothic Lolita fashion, popular in Japan. The term Elegant Gothic Aristocrat was originally coined by Mana, a fashion designer and former band leader of Malice Mizer, and is used to describe his brand of clothing carried in his store Moi-même-Moitié...
(EGA) and
Elegant Gothic LolitaElegant Gothic Lolita is an off-shoot of Lolita fashion–style clothing popularized by Japanese musician and fashion designer Mana. Mana has his own EGL store, Moi-même-Moitié. It has branches in Shinjuku, Tokyo and Hiroshima, Japan as well as online through CDJapan.It is commonly mistaken as the...
(EGL). He continues to also run his Indie record label, Midi:Nette, and is looking for bands to sign and produce.
Köziis a Japanese musician who plays guitar, piano, keyboard and synthesizer. Közi is most famous for his time in the band Malice Mizer. After the band went on an indefinite hiatus in 2001, he joined the industrial rock act Eve of Destiny and also started a solo career.-Biography:Közi's career began at...
has joined Haruhiko Ash's
IndustrialIndustrial music is an experimental music style, often including electronic music, that draws on transgressive and provocative themes. The term was coined in the mid-1970s to describe Industrial Records artists...
band
Eve of DestinyEve of Destiny is a Japanese industrial rock band founded in 1999 by Haruhiko Ash . For a long time, Eve of Destiny was a solo project of Ash, with not much real activity, but this changed in 2002, after guitarist Közi of Malice Mizer fame joined and they started to tour outside Japan on a regular...
and also has a solo project. Eve of Destiny has been inactive since 2006. As of Halloween 2008 he is part of the band DALLE.
Yu~Ki has not been active on the music scene since 2004 when he wrote a song
Memento"Memento" is Közi's second single and was released from the album Katarushisu. Malice Mizer's ex-bassist Yu~Ki assisted in this single, as well as Fukuyama Atsushi...
, about Kami, for Közi's solo project. In an informal conversation with
KlahaHaruna Masaki, aka Klaha, is a Japanese singer and songwriter. He was one of the founders of Pride of Mind, a new wave/dark wave band active from 1992 to 1996 and the vocalist of Malice Mizer from 2000 to 2001.-Pride of Mind:...
, he said he would like to return to the music scene.
External links