AMAHIRU - FRANCE/JAPAN

Amahiru - 2020 -Ward/earmusic

Amahiru image
  
 
Members
Vocals


Guitar
Destrose, 天狗座, Cyntia, Takayoshi Ohmura, Xteen, Mixx, Re:Maker, Mary’s Blood, Nemophila, Like~An~Angel>>SAKI>>Re:Maker, Mary’s Blood, Nemophila, Like~An~Angel, Solo - Hors Normes, Militia, The Gust, Memoria, Jack' O Lantern, Northwind, Suxeed, Sudel's Project, Memoria, Bad Looser, Heavenly, Denied, Machine Head, Egoine, Maladaptive, Carnival In Coal, Sabaton, Menace, Gods Of Hate, Sinsaenum, DragonForce, Kreator, Loudblast>>FREDERIC LECLERCQ>>Egoine, Menace, Sinsaenum, Kreator, Loudblast

Bass
Hors Normes, Militia, The Gust, Memoria, Jack' O Lantern, Northwind, Suxeed, Sudel's Project, Memoria, Bad Looser, Heavenly, Denied, Machine Head, Egoine, Maladaptive, Carnival In Coal, Sabaton, Menace, Gods Of Hate, Sinsaenum, DragonForce, Kreator, Loudblast>>FREDERIC LECLERCQ>>Egoine, Menace, Sinsaenum, Kreator, Loudblast

Drum





History & Biography
Thanks to modern technology, including cheap communication, cheap digital recording techniques and cheaper file transfer possibilities, contemporary musicians are all seemingly in as many projects, side-projects and collaborations as there are months in a year.

Exacerbated by a lack of focus and loyalty, dedication is out of the door and the lure of another pay cheque and playing something else propels everyone to announce project after project. The proliferation of labels that actually do not have to do any promotion, tour support or accounting (other than ‘I pressed 500 CDs’) has facilitated the spread of these one-off or occasional acts. Websites to promote bands and showcase the act's distinctiveness have also been replaced by free Facebook pages with identical formats.

Mary’s Blood, featuring guitarist Saki, opened for Dragonforce, in turn featuring bassist Frédéric Leclercq, in Hong Kong in 2015. The two musicians became friends and Leclercq travelled to Japan in 2019 to work with Saki on what would become the Amahiru album of 2020. Saki had planned to invite the bassist to contribute to her solo album initially. In the meantime, Frédéric Leclercq ended up also contributing to Saki’s actual solo project later. Saki was also in the nu-metal band Nemophila now.

Dragonforce always had an affinity for East Asian elements and culture so the two musicians mixed ethnic influences and electronica into metal. Included was shakuhachi or the bamboo flute. Coan Janssen of Epica joined on synthesiser. Drummer Mike Heller caught wind and, since by the stipulation of the laws of the scene had to be in every band, joined this act too. Archie Wilson, a relative newcomer, became the singer and contributed rock and alternative sounding vocals and lyrics. Elize Ryd of the catchy pop band Amaranthe contributed guest vocals. This project received acclaim from the press because a- Japan!, b- pure metal is boring and outside elements! and c- well, frankly, everything is awarded a minimum ⅘ anyway by every reviewer!

The act released its self-titled debut album through earMUSIC (which worked with Sinsaenum) in Europe and the U.S.A. and Ward Records (which releases Western metal in Japan and had done so for DragonForce) in Japan. Two music videos were filmed in Japan.

The word ‘amahiru’ means nothing. The guitarist/bassist reported that it stemmed from a dream of his.


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