bloodthirsty butchers
bloodthirsty butchers were a Japanese rock band formed in 1986, consisting of vocalist/guitarist Yoshimura Hideki (吉村秀樹), bassist Imoriya Takeshi (射守矢雄), drummer Komatsu Masahiro (小松正宏), and later, guitarist/backing vocalist Tabuchi Hisako (田渕ひさ子). Formed by high school classmates Yoshimura and Imoriya, Komatsu joined the group when their original drummer left shortly after the band's formation. After finding acclaim in the Sapporo punk scene, the band left for Tokyo along with many others in search of greater success. bloodthirsty butchers' first three albums were characterized by Yoshimura's haphazard guitar playing, aggressive shouting and expansive, wandering song structures.
Their 1996 release 『kocorono』 showed the band evolving into a more nuanced style of alternative rock, and the album attracted widespread critical acclaim. With the release of 『未完成』 (Mikansei) in 1999, bloodthirsty butchers became established as one of the Japanese indie scene's most important acts along with artists such as eastern youth and NUMBER GIRL, despite a lack of commercial success. On the 2001 album 『yamane』, the Butchers explored more melancholic sounds and extended songs showcasing the group's improvisational abilities.
2003's 『荒野ニオケルbloodthirsty butchers』 (Kouya ni Okeru bloodthirsty butchers) featured guest appearances from former Number Girl members Mukai Shutoku (向井秀徳), Ahito Inazawa (アヒト・イナザワ), and Tabuchi Hisako (田渕ひさ子). Yoshimura invited Tabuchi on several tour dates as a guest member, and she officially joined the band as a guitarist and backing vocalist shortly afterward; at some point, Yoshimura and Tabuchi married, and they had a child together. Since their 2004 album 『birdy』, bloodthirsty butchers have focused on shorter songs that combine the aggression of their early material with melodic sounds and tighter song structures.
In 2010, the band released 『NO ALBUM 無題』 (No Album Mudai) and an expanded reissue of 『kocorono』. Acclaimed filmmaker Kawaguchi Jun (川口潤) directed a documentary film about the band, also entitled 『kocorono』, which was released on DVD (with English subtitles) in 2011. The film follows bloodthirsty butchers through the promotion cycle for No Album Mudai, as well as exploring the band's history, dynamics between members, and struggles to find success. It features live footage and interviews with the band members as well as members of groups such as eastern youth, Beat Crusaders, Beyonds, Husking Bee, and others. Despite financial troubles, bloodthirsty butchers remained active by continuing to record music, touring across Japan, and maintaining their online presence through Twitter and blogs.
bloodthirsty butchers remain a highly respected band in the Japanese rock scene, as evidenced by the showcase of noteworthy artists who contributed covers of bloodthirsty butchers songs to the 1999 『we love butchers』 tribute albums, and the 2015 『Yes, We Love butchers ～Tribute to bloodthirsty butchers～』 series. Famous Japanese actor Asano Tadanobu (浅野忠信) is also an avid bloodthirsty butchers fan, having appeared as a guest guitarist/vocalist on a few of the band's songs. Additionally, the group has opened for foreign acts such as Fugazi, Rage Against the Machine, J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr., The Flaming Lips, Rocket from the Crypt, and Beck, some of whom have expressed their respect for bloodthirsty butchers; Ian MacKaye of Fugazi has called them a "great band"; while Zack de la Rocha selected them to open for his band Rage Against the Machine, having previously seen bloodthirsty butchers live in Olympia, Washington. In addition to shows around Olympia and Los Angeles, the band released a self-titled compilation album for US audiences as well as a split EP with Rocket from the Crypt.
Shortly after the completion of bloodthirsty butchers' twelfth studio album 『youth (青春)』, Yoshimura died of acute heart failure on 27 May 2013 at the age of 46. As the main creative force behind the band, his death signaled the end of bloodthirsty butchers. 『youth (青春)』 was released posthumously on 14 November 2013, with a 180g 2xLP reissue of 『kocorono』 out on the same day. The end of the band was followed by several reissues, repackagings, and tributes: the 『Yes, We Love butchers ～Tribute to bloodthirsty butchers～』 series was issued in four parts by Nippon Crown between January and May of 2014; 『血に飢えたnon-album songs＜Independent Recordings＞』 and 『血に飢えたnon-album songs＜Independent Recordings＞』 were both released on 14 November 2014; and a third CD reissue of 『kocorono』 was released in 23 October 2016, the day of the album's 20th anniversary. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.
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