is a Japanese band formed in 1992 in

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

and composed of drummer Atsuo, guitarist/bassist Takeshi, and guitarist/keyboardist Wata. All three members contribute vocals. Their work has drawn variously on styles such as

sludge metal Sludge metal (also known as sludge or sludge doom) is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that originated through combining elements of doom metal and hardcore punk. It is typically harsh and abrasive, often featuring shouted vocals, heavi ...

drone Drone most commonly refers to: * Drone (bee), a male bee, from an unfertilized egg * Unmanned aerial vehicle * Unmanned surface vehicle, watercraft * Unmanned underwater vehicle or underwater drone Drone, drones or The Drones may also refer to: ...

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

, psychedelia, and

minimalism In visual arts, music and other media, minimalism is an art movement that began in post–World War II in Western art, most strongly with American visual arts in the 1960s and early 1970s. Prominent artists associated with minimalism include Don ...

. Boris has released more than 20 studio albums on various labels around the world, as well as a variety of live albums, compilations, EPs, singles, and collaborative albums. They have collaborated with acts such as

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bla ...

, Merzbow, Keiji Haino, and guitarist Michio Kurihara.

History

Boris was originally a four-piece band with Atsuo on lead vocals, Wata on guitar, Takeshi on bass, and Nagata on drums. The band is named after a song of the same name on the

Melvins Melvins (sometimes The Melvins) are an American rock band formed in 1983 in Montesano, Washington. Their early work was key to the development of both grunge and sludge metal. Initially, they performed as a trio but later also sometimes appeare ...

album '' Bullhead''. Boris's debut album ''

Absolutego ''Absolutego'' is the debut studio album by Japanese experimental band Boris. It was released in 1996 by Fangs Anal Satan. This album shows inspiration from the Melvins and, most prominently, Earth. Excluding the Merzbow collaboration ''Sun Bak ...

'' was released in 1996 on their own record label Fangs Anal Satan. Nagata departed in 1996 and Atsuo switched to drums, while Wata expanded her duties to lead guitar and keyboards, and Takeshi took on bass and rhythm guitar duties on a double-necked instrument of his own design. All three adopted lead vocal duties, and the band has remained a three-piece ever since.''Altar'' liner notes (Daymare 3LP pressing) Wata, guitarist and singer with Boris

In Japan, Boris release most of their music on the indie label

Inoxia Records Inoxia Records is a Japanese record label that is closely related to the experimental music band Boris. In addition to releasing, Inoxia also distributes other Japanese labels such as Daymare Recordings, Pedal Records, and Diwphalanx Records. ...

. Though relatively unknown in their home country, a series of reissues of their early albums on the American label Southern Lord Records caused a surge of popularity in North America. Boris also collaborates with other artists regularly, first on the 1998 album '' Black: Implication Flooding'' with experimental musician Keiji Haino. They have released seven collaborative albums with noise artist Merzbow, and have released collaborative albums with international artists like

and Ian Astbury. Their international popularity was bolstered by their 2005 album ''

Pink Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

'', which was met with considerable critical praise and a strong response from music fans when reissued in the US on Southern Lord. '' Blender'' magazine and ''

SPIN Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'' magazine both named it one of 2006's best albums. The album also topped the metal section of Canadian magazine ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

''s 2006 Reader's Poll, and it was named in the top 10 of

Pitchfork Media ''Pitchfork'' (formerly ''Pitchfork Media'') is an American online music publication (currently owned by Condé Nast) that was launched in 1995 by writer Ryan Schreiber as an independent music blog. Schreiber started Pitchfork while working ...

's Top 50 Records of 2006. They also appeared on the

avant-garde metal Avant-garde metal (also known as avant-metal, experimental metal, and experimental) is a subgenre of heavy metal music loosely defined by use of experimentation and innovative, avant-garde elements, including non-standard and unconventional soun ...

soundtrack to

Jim Jarmusch James Robert Jarmusch (; born January 22, 1953) is an American film director and screenwriter. He has been a major proponent of independent cinema since the 1980s, directing films including '' Stranger Than Paradise'' (1984), '' Down by Law'' ( ...

's film ''

The Limits of Control ''The Limits of Control'' is a 2009 American film written and directed by Jim Jarmusch, starring Isaach de Bankolé as a solitary assassin, carrying out a job in Spain. Filming began in February 2008, and took place on location in Madrid, Seville a ...

'' in 2009. Regarding Boris, Jarmusch said that "what's really remarkable is when they play live they're in the mode, in a way, of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

musicians, not structurally or musically, but the way they listen to what the others are doing and build on it. Each time they play something it's obviously different, every time." Boris focus a lot of their time on touring. In an interview, Atsuo said: Boris received additional international exposure when they opened for

Nine Inch Nails Nine Inch Nails, commonly abbreviated as NIN and stylized as NIИ, is an American industrial rock band formed in Cleveland in 1988. Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and producer Trent Reznor was the only permanent member of the band ...

on part of the 2008 segment of the

Lights in the Sky ''The Slip'' is the seventh studio album by American industrial rock band Nine Inch Nails, released on May 5, 2008, digitally on the Nine Inch Nails website, and on CD on July 22 by The Null Corporation. It was their second release in 2008, foll ...

tour. From 2011 to 2017, they released several albums on

Sargent House Sargent House is an American management company and record label based in Los Angeles. It was founded in June 2006 by Cathy Pellow, who is a music video commissioner for Atlantic Records and also owns a music video production company called Ref ...

Records, and continue to reissue previous albums in new formats. In 2017, the band's 25th anniversary, they considered retirement after one final album. However, a successful songwriting and recording process for that album, ''

Dear Dear(s) or The Dears may refer to: Organizations * Duearity – a Swedish medtech company which trades on Nasdaq First North under ticker symbol DEAR. Manga * ''Dear'' (manga), a 2002–2007 Japanese manga series by Cocoa Fujiwara * ''DearS'', ...

'', encouraged the band to continue. While self-isolating during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

, Boris self-released the rock-oriented album '' NO'' and the ambient album '' W'', with the two constituting a project called ''NOW''. Their third album titled '' Heavy Rocks'', featuring explorations of hard rock and heavy metal sounds, was released in August 2022. During an American tour to support the album, drummer Atsuo adopted the role of frontman (which he had rarely done since the 1990s), performing most lead vocals, while Mike Engle of the band Crawl performed as guest drummer. In December 2022, Boris released their third studio album of the year, ''

Fade Fade or Fading may refer to: Science and technology * Fading, a loss of signal strength at a radio receiver * Color fade, the alteration of color by light * Fade (audio engineering), a gradual change in sound volume * Brake fade, in vehicle brakin ...

'', which focuses on drone metal and appeared with no prior notice.

Musical style and equipment

Throughout their career, Boris have made deliberate efforts to avoid a strong association with any musical style. In particular, they do not consider themselves a heavy metal band despite frequently being categorized as such. In an interview, drummer Atsuo stated: "Having some kind of preconceived message or theme is very boring to me. It becomes a crutch. Just say what you want to say." Atsuo, drummer and singer with Boris

The wide variety of genres used by reviewers to describe Boris's music include

experimental music Experimental music is a general label for any music or music genre that pushes existing boundaries and genre definitions. Experimental compositional practice is defined broadly by exploratory sensibilities radically opposed to, and questioning of, ...

, experimental rock,

noise music Noise music is a genre of music that is characterised by the expressive use of noise within a musical context. This type of music tends to challenge the distinction that is made in conventional musical practices between musical and non-musical ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, experimental/

doom metal Doom metal is an extreme subgenre of heavy metal music that typically uses slower tempos, low-tuned guitars and a much "thicker" or "heavier" sound than other heavy metal genres.K. Kahn-Harris, ''Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge'' ...

, post-metal, drone metal,

psychedelic music Psychedelic music (sometimes called psychedelia) is a wide range of popular music styles and genres influenced by 1960s psychedelia, a subculture of people who used psychedelic drugs such as LSD, psilocybin mushrooms, mescaline, and cannabis to ...

psychedelic rock Psychedelic rock is a rock music Music genre, genre that is inspired, influenced, or representative of psychedelia, psychedelic culture, which is centered on perception-altering hallucinogenic drugs. The music incorporated new electronic sound ...

, psychedelic metal, and stoner rock. While they first emerged as a sludge metal band with strong

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

influences, their subsequent releases have employed elements of a wide variety of genres, including drone music, old-school

industrial music Industrial music is a genre of music that draws on harsh, mechanical, transgressive or provocative sounds and themes. AllMusic defines industrial music as the "most abrasive and aggressive fusion of rock and electronic music" that was "initiall ...

ambient music Ambient music is a genre of music that emphasizes tone and atmosphere over traditional musical structure or rhythm. It may lack net composition, beat, or structured melody.The Ambient Century by Mark Prendergast, Bloomsbury, London, 2003. It u ...

, acid rock,

garage rock Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...

shoegazing Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

J-pop J-pop ( ja, ジェイポップ, ''jeipoppu''; often stylized as J-POP; an abbreviated form of "Japanese popular music"), natively also known simply as , is the name for a form of popular music that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1 ...

, and crust punk. For example, the band's debut album ''

'' featured a "65-minute track of oozing, slow motion, Melvins-inspired drone rock/metal," while its follow-up ''

Amplifier Worship ''Amplifier Worship'' is the second album by Japanese band Boris. Excluding the "one-long-song" albums, this is one of only two Boris full-lengths to have vocals on every song (the other being 2008's ''Smile''), and the first time that Takesh ...

'' incorporated psychedelia and

jam band A jam band is a musical group whose concerts (and live albums) are characterized by lengthy improvisational "jams." These include extended musical improvisation over rhythmic grooves and chord patterns, and long sets of music which often cr ...

influences. Their third album ''

Flood A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrol ...

'' incorporated elements from drone. '' Akuma no Uta'' and ''

'' engaged in different stylistic experimentation, including shoegazing, stoner rock, and

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

. ''

Vein Veins are blood vessels in humans and most other animals that carry blood towards the heart. Most veins carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the heart; exceptions are the pulmonary and umbilical veins, both of which carry oxygenated b ...

'' (2007) was released in "Hardcore" and "Noise" versions, whereas ''

New Album ''New Album'' is the fifteenth studio album by the Japanese experimental band Boris. The album was released in Japan on March 16, 2011, on CD through Tearbridge (an imprint of major label Avex) and on double LP through Daymare Recordings, and wa ...

'' experimented with

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that started in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mostly used to r ...

and dream pop. The album ''

Noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

'' featured elements from

grunge Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the American Pacific Northwest state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and nearby towns. Grunge fuses elements of p ...

music. Boris uses many different effects pedals and other guitar accessories while performing live. Wata uses an

E-bow The EBow, short for electronic bow or energy bow, is an electronic device used for playing string instruments, most often the electric guitar. It is manufactured by Heet Sound Products, of Los Angeles, California. It was invented by Greg Heet i ...

to achieve bow-like sounds or to manipulate feedback; this device is held in the hand, like a pick, but relies on a magnetic field vibration to move the guitar's strings. Wata also occasionally plays an

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

and keyboards in concert. Takeshi typically plays a double-necked bass/guitar live, which allows him to play both rhythm guitar during the band's lengthier tracks as well as bass guitar during their more traditional tracks, without needing to switch instruments. They also play with extremely low tunings, such as A# standard, to achieve a heavier sound, Takeshi used a three octaves tuning for the music "Loveless", from the album No. In the studio, Boris records on analog equipment. They use minimal overdubs, recording mostly live.

Members

Current members

*Takeshi – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar (1992–present) *Wata – vocals, lead guitar, keyboards (1992–present) *Atsuo – vocals (1992–present), drums, tambourine, electronics (1996–present)

Former members

*Nagata – drums (1992–1996)

Support/touring musicians

* Michio Kurihara – guitars (2007–2012) *Mike Engle – drums (2019, 2022)

Timeline

Discography

Studio albums * ''

'' (1996) * ''

'' (1998) * ''

'' (2000) * '' Heavy Rocks'' (2002) * '' Akuma no Uta'' (2003) * ''

Boris at Last -Feedbacker- ''Boris at Last -Feedbacker-'' (or simply called ''Feedbacker'') is the sixth studio album by Japanese experimental music band Boris. The album, a single 43-minute track broken into 5 movements, incorporates many different rock elements. The ba ...

'' (2003) * ''

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked ''The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked'' is the seventh album by Japanese experimental band, Boris. It is one of the first Boris releases completely devoid of any vocals, and the first that does not feature drumming. The album was released in a one ...

'' (2004) * ''

Dronevil ''Dronevil'' is the eighth studio album by the Japanese experimental band Boris. It is a double album: the first LP, ''Drone'', showcases a more ambient sound, while the second LP, ''Evil'', showcases a heavy guitar-oriented doom metal sound. T ...

'' (2005) * ''

Soundtrack from the Film Mabuta no Ura ''Soundtrack from the Film Mabuta no Ura'' is the ninth studio album by Japanese experimental band Boris, released on June 29, 2005, through Catune and Inoxia and on November 12 of the same year through Essence Music. The album includes the son ...

'' (2005) * ''

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2 ''The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 2'' is the eleventh album by Japanese experimental band Boris. This is the second installment of the ''Thing Which Solomon Overlooked'' series and was released concurrently with the following installment, ''T ...

'' (2006) * ''

The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 3 ''The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked 3'' is the twelfth album by Japanese experimental band Boris. This is the third installment of the ''Thing Which Solomon Overlooked'' series and was released concurrently with the previous installment, ''The T ...

'' (2006) * ''

'' (2006) * '' Smile'' (2008) * ''

'' (2011) * '' Heavy Rocks'' (2011) * ''

Attention Please is a manga by Chieko Hosokawa about the training of flight attendants for Japan Airlines originally serialized in ''Shōjo Friend'' from Kodansha beginning in 1970. Tokyo Broadcasting System adapted a TV drama from the manga in 1970. Thirty ...

'' (2011) * ''

Präparat ''Präparat'' is the eighteenth studio album by the Japanese experimental music, experimental band Boris (band), Boris. The album was announced along with two other releases The album features the participation of musicians like Michio Kurihara ...

'' (2013) * ''

'' (2014) * '' The Thing Which Solomon Overlooked Extra'' (2014) * '' Urban Dance'' (2015) * ''

Warpath Warpath may refer to: *Great Indian Warpath, a network of trails in eastern North America used by Native Americans Games * ''Warpath'' (video game), a 2006 FPS video game by Digital Extremes for the PC and Xbox *'' Warpath: Jurassic Park'', a 199 ...

'' (2015) * ''

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...

'' (2015) * ''

'' (2017) * '' Love & Evol'' (2019) * '' NO'' (2020) * '' W'' (2022) * '' Heavy Rocks'' (2022) * ''

'' (2022) Collaboration albums * '' Black: Implication Flooding'' (w/ Keiji Haino, 1998) * '' Megatone'' (w/ Merzbow, 2002) * ''

04092001 ''04092001'' is a collaborative live album between Japanese experimental metal band Boris and noise musician Merzbow is a Japanese noise project started in 1979 by , best known for a style of harsh, confrontational noise. Since 1980, Akita h ...

'' (w/ Merzbow, 2004) * ''

Sun Baked Snow Cave ''Sun Baked Snow Cave'' is a collaborative album between Japanese experimental doom band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow. The album consists of a single track that clocks in at over an hour in length. The album artwork was done by Sunn ...

'' (w/ Merzbow, 2005) * ''

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

'' (w/

, 2006) * '' Rainbow'' (w/ Michio Kurihara, 2006/2007) * '' Walrus/Groon'' (w/ Merzbow, 2007) * ''

Rock Dream ''Rock Dream'' is a collaborative live album between Japanese band Boris and Japan noise musician Merzbow. Production ''Rock Dream'' was recorded live in November 2006 at Tokyo's Earthdom festival. Style Thom Jurek of AllMusic noted that the alb ...

'' (live, w/ Merzbow, 2007) * ''Cloud Chamber'' (w/ Michio Kurihara, 2008) * '' BXI'' (w/ Ian Astbury, 2010) * ''

Klatter ''Klatter'' is the third collaborative studio album and sixth release by the Japanese experimental rock band Boris and Japanese noise musician Merzbow. The album features re-recorded versions of "Akuma no Uta" and "Naki Kyoku" from ''Akuma no Ut ...

'' (w/ Merzbow, 2011) * ''EROS'' (w/

Endon Endon is a village within the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England. It is southwest of Leek and north-northeast of Stoke-on-Trent. Endon was formerly a township in civil parish of Leek. Together with neighbouring Stanley ...

, 2015) * '' Gensho'' (w/ Merzbow, 2016) * ''Refrain'' (w/ Z.O.A., 2020) * ''

2R0I2P0 ''2R0I2P0'' is the eighth collaborative release by the Japanese experimental band Boris and noise musician Merzbow. It features several rerecorded tracks that first appeared on Boris' album '' Love & Evol'', and a cover of the Melvins song " Bo ...

'' (w/ Merzbow, 2020) * ''Bright New Disease'' (w/

Uniform A uniform is a variety of clothing worn by members of an organization while participating in that organization's activity. Modern uniforms are most often worn by armed forces and paramilitary organizations such as police, emergency services, se ...

, 2023) * ''hello there'' (w/

Coaltar of the Deepers Coaltar of the Deepers are an alternative rock band from Japan. They formed in May 1991. Although primarily influenced by shoegaze and post-rock sound, their sound incorporates musical elements as diverse as thrash metal, electronica, neo-acoust ...

, 2024)

References

External links

Official website
*
Southern Records: Boris BioThe StonerRock.com Guide to Boris
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Boris 1992 establishments in Japan Japanese avant-garde metal musical groups Japanese doom metal musical groups Japanese experimental rock groups Japanese musical trios Japanese noise rock groups Japanese psychedelic rock music groups Musical groups established in 1992 Musical groups from Tokyo Sacred Bones Records artists Southern Lord Records artists Third Man Records artists Drone metal musical groups Mixed-gender musical trios