BALZAC

Balzac is a Japanese horror punk band formed in 1992. They are considered by many to be the Japanese counterpart to the American horror band The Misfits, basing their music and their looks off the band. The band has promoted clothing brands Shocker and Dementia 13, and distributes clothing and accessories such as gloves, bags, and jackets which are inspired by the band's horror imagery. The band also distributes several BALZAC-themed toys and posters, many of which are created by TWIM and SECRET BASE.

The first line-up consisted of Hirosuke Nishiyama on vocals, Yoritsugu "Anti" Azuchi on bass, Tetsuya on guitar and Naoki on drums. Their first release was a demo tape called Scapegoat 666, and included six songs, one of them being a cover of the The Misfits' song "Where Eagles Dare." By the release of their second demo Descent Of The Diabolos (released 1993), the band had two new members: guitarist Atsushi Nakagawa and drummer Kohji The band would feature on some various artists' compilations and release a couple more demos before releasing their debut album The Last Men On Earth in 1995, on which Kohji was replaced by Hajime Nishio on drums.

In 1997 the band featured Hirosuke (vocals), Atsuhi (guitar), and new member Akio Imai (bass). This line-up released the album Deep - Teenagers from Outer Space. They soon got a new drummer called Kill, to fill the void. The band would release three more albums before Kill would leave the band: 13 Stairway - The Children Of The Night (1998), Zennou-Naru Musuu-No Me Ha Shi Wo Yubi Sasu (2000), and Terrifying - Art of Dying/The Last Men on Earth II (2002). The last one features seven new songs, plus a new recording of the band's first album. In 2002 they also released a split single with The Misfits.

Balzac often is the show opener on The Misfits concerts. When Kill quit the band later that year, he was replaced by Takayuki. In 2003 Balzac released their first American album with the compilation Beyond The Darkness on Rykodisc/Misfits Records. It featured the new single "Beware Of Darkness." In 2004 Came Out Of The Grave was released, and in 2005 Dark-Ism. In America the two albums were released on one CD, called Out Of The Grave And Into The Dark, and came along with a DVD. In 2006 Deep Blue: Chaos from Darkism II was released, followed by Paranoid Dream of the Zodiac in 2007. In 2007 Balzac also released a split single with German musician Bela B. during their Coupling Tour with MUCC in Europe. Balzac's latest CD single Swallow the Dark was released in Japan on December 28th, 2007. In 2008 Balzac released a Complete Legacy Book with two versions available, each book includes a bonus CD and a complete discography, toyography, reviews, and a complete history. They also released a new Album called Hatred: Construction = Destruction which was also released in Europe during their Hatred: Germany Tour 2008.

Current members
Hirosuke Nishiyama - vocals (1992-)
Atsushi Nakagawa - guitar (1993-)
Akio Imai - bass (1997-)
Takayuki Manabe - drums (2002-)

Former members
Tetsuya - guitar (1992-1993)
Yoritsugu "Anti" Azuchi - bass (1992-1997)
Naoki - drums (1992-1993)
Kohji - drums (1993-1995)
Hajime Nishio - drums (1995-1997)
Kill - drums (1997-2002) · close