Mary's Blood
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

was a Japanese all-female heavy metal band from
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 ...
, formed in 2009 by four former members of
Destrose Destrose was a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 2007. The group remained an independent band their entire career and experienced frequent line-up changes until going on indefinite hiatus in 2015. Although considered pioneers of the Girls M ...
. It consisted of vocalist Eye, drummer Mari, guitarist
Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultur ...
and bassist Rio since 2012. After releasing three EPs as an independent band, they signed to
Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
for their first album, ''Countdown to Evolution'' (2014). Mary's Blood then switched to
Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...
for the release of ''Bloody Palace'' (2015) and ''Fate'' (2016). They signed to
Tokuma Japan Communications is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...
in 2018 and released three further studio albums, including their highest-charting, ''Confessions'' (2019). Mary's Blood began an indefinite hiatus on April 9, 2022.


History


2009–2017: Formation and major label debut

After the breakup of
Destrose Destrose was a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 2007. The group remained an independent band their entire career and experienced frequent line-up changes until going on indefinite hiatus in 2015. Although considered pioneers of the Girls M ...
on New Year's Eve 2008, vocalist Eye, guitarist Eri, bassist Niboshi (formerly known as "Kayo"), and drummer Mari later regrouped and recruited guitarist Chiba to form Mary's Blood in December 2009. They are named after the "
Bloody Mary Bloody Mary originally referred to: * Mary I of England (1516–1558), Queen of England and Ireland, so called because of her persecution of Protestants Bloody Mary may also refer to: Film * '' Urban Legends: Bloody Mary'', a 2005 horror fi ...
" cocktail and its namesake, Queen Mary I of England. Although the band's name has always been written in English the same way, its members did not pronounce the "s" in Japanese until making their major label debut. They released their debut single "Save the Queen" on December 20. Their first EP, ''0-Zero'', was published on June 8, 2011. The single "Last Game" followed on November 28 and placed on
Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan and Western music. It started as, which was founded by Sōkō Koike in Nov ...
's main chart despite being an independent band. In 2012, Chiba, Niboshi and Eri all left Mary's Blood in quick succession. Another Destrose alumni,
Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultur ...
, was then recruited as guitarist, and the lineup of Eye, Mari, Saki and bassist Rio was finalized in September. Mary's Blood performed their first international show in
Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Texas at Anime Matsuri 2013. Their third EP, ''Azure'', was released on July 10, 2013 and reached number 17 on the Oricon indies chart. The band signed with major record label
Nippon Columbia , often pronounced ''Korombia'', operating internationally as , is a Japanese record label founded in 1910 as Nipponophone Co., Ltd. It affiliated itself with the Columbia Graphophone Company of the United Kingdom and adopted the standard UK C ...
and released their first album ''Countdown to Evolution'' on August 20, 2014. Its song "Marionette" was the ending theme of the
TV Kanagawa (tvk for short) is an independent television station in Japan serving Kanagawa Prefecture and parts of the Greater Tokyo Area with favorable reception. The station was founded on April 20, 1971 and began broadcasting on April 1, 1972. Its call si ...
show ''Mutoma''. Readers of heavy metal magazine ''
Burrn! is a monthly Japanese magazine for fans of heavy metal music, published since September 1984. It is the major publication on heavy metal music in the country. As of 2013, it is published by Shinko Music Entertainment in Tokyo. The magazine's c ...
'' voted Mary's Blood second place in its best newcomer category, "Marionette" seventh in the music category, and ''Countdown to Evolution'' 15th in the album category. The band also sold out their first solo tour, Tour Act 1: Countdown to Evolution. They were the opening act for
Marty Friedman Marty Friedman (born December 8, 1962) is an American guitarist, best known for his tenure as the lead guitarist for thrash metal band Megadeth from 1990 to 2000. He is also known for playing alongside Jason Becker in Cacophony from 1986 until ...
on September 25, 2014, and for
Secret Sphere Secret Sphere is an Italian symphonic power metal band from Alessandria, formed by guitarist Aldo Lonobile in July 1997. History Early Years (1997–2011) Guitarist Aldo Lonobile formed Secret Sphere in July 1997. Early on, the band was ...
and Ego Fall on January 12, 2015. Mary's Blood performed at 2015's Naon no Yaon festival, a rock festival held by
Show-Ya are a Japanese all-female heavy metal band formed in 1981. The group disbanded in 1998, but reformed with the original line-up in 2005 for the 20th anniversary of their first release. Their music is deeply rooted in classic rock and they have ...
that features only female bands. They also opened for
DragonForce DragonForce are a British power metal band from London, England. The band was formed in 1999 by guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman, and are known for their long and fast guitar solos, fantasy-themed lyrics and retro video game-influenced ...
in Hong Kong on August 30, 2015. The band switched labels to
Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ent ...
, released their second album ''Bloody Palace'' on October 7, and began the Invasion of Queen tour on October 17, 2015. Mary's Blood hosted the Grand Cross Tour 2016, where they performed with a different act at each concert. On April 16 they played with thrash metal band
Outrage Outrage may refer to: * Outrage (emotion), an emotion * Tort of outrage, in law, an alternative term for ''intentional infliction of emotional distress'' Books * ''Outrage'', a novel by Henry Denker 1982 * ''Outrage'', a play by Itamar Moses 2 ...
, singer
Nanase Aikawa is a Japanese singer. She publishes her music under the Motorod label, a division of Avex Group. Biography Early life Nanase Aikawa was born on February 16, 1975, in Osaka, Japan. Throughout her school years, Nanase had sung and participate ...
joined them the following day, and Show-Ya frontwoman
Keiko Terada is a Japanese rock singer. She was co-founder and lead singer of the successful Japanese female hard rock and heavy metal band Show-Ya from 1982 to 1991, before going solo. On her solo albums she expanded from hard rock and heavy metal to blu ...
performed with them on May 3. They released their third album ''Fate'' on October 26, 2016. It features collaborations with Seikima-II guitarist
Luke Takamura is a Japanese musician, singer, and songwriter. He is best known as guitarist of the heavy metal band Seikima-II from 1987 to 1999, and for various temporary reunions since. From 2002 to 2020, he was the lead singer and guitarist of the rock ...
, Show-Ya guitarist Miki "Sun-go" Igarashi,
Kuroyume is a Japanese rock band formed in Nagoya in May 1991, initially with the vocalist Kiyoharu, bassist Hitoki and guitarist Shin. The group had a definite influence on the visual kei scene, being credited as inspiration to many bands of the late ...
bassist Hitoki, and producer
Yuyoyuppe , known professionally as , is a Japanese DJ, songwriter, producer, and singer, known for his Vocaloid music. Early life Takehiro Mamiya was born on September 25, 1989, when his parents were expecting a baby girl. He first learned to play the gu ...
. The band supported it with the Change the Fate tour that began on October 28, and ended on January 22, 2017 with Sun-go and Hitoki as guests. British record label
JPU Records JPU Records is a British record label formed in 2012, which specializes in handling international releases by Japanese artists. Notable acts on JPU's roster include The Gazette, Band-Maid, Lovebites, and Nemophila. History The label was establi ...
released ''Bloody Palace'' and ''Fate'' in Europe on August 18, 2017, while ''Fate'' (August 29, 2017) and ''Bloody Palace'' (October 17, 2017) were released in North America by
Sliptrick Records Sliptrick Records is an independent record label specializing in music genres such as Heavy metal, Hard rock, Death Metal, Black Metal, Metalcore (see "genres" below)... The label is international but currently based in Liepāja, Latvia. Nota ...
.


2018–2022: Tokuma Japan and hiatus

After switching labels to
Tokuma Japan Communications is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...
, Mary's Blood released their fourth album ''Revenant'' on April 18, 2018. Their next album ''Confessions'' was released in Japan on June 12, 2019, and became their highest-charting to date. It was released in Europe on October 4. That same day, Mary's Blood played their first show in Europe as the headliner of Metal Matsuri in London at the
O2 Academy Islington The O2 Academy Islington, formerly known as the Carling Academy Islington, is an indoor music venue situated in the N1 Shopping Centre accessible via Upper Street and Liverpool Road, in the London Borough of Islington. It is run by the Academy ...
. The band's Conceptual Tour was scheduled to take place in May 2020, but was postponed until August and September due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in Japan Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. ''Re>Animator'', a cover album of heavy metal versions of
anime is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
theme songs, was released on August 26, 2020. It features songs such as " Forever Love", " Magia", "
Driver's High "Driver's High" is the eighteenth single by L'Arc-en-Ciel, released on August 11, 1999 it reached number 2 on the Oricon chart.Animator''. Track listing * Remix by Yukihiro. References 1999 singles L'Arc-en-Ciel songs Songs written ...
" and "
Pegasus Fantasy is a song by Japanese metal band Make-Up. Serving as the band's fourth major release single, "Pegasus Fantasy" and its B-side were used as the theme songs for the first half of the original ''Saint Seiya'' anime. "Pegasus Fantasy" became Make-Up ...
". The last is sung as a duet with its original singer
NoB , also known by the name NoB, is a Japanese singer. He is the former lead singer of the band Make-Up and a Project.R member. Overview With Make-Up, he recorded several songs for the anime ''Saint Seiya'', including the first opening song " ...
, who has been Eye's vocal coach for the last 10 years. In 2021, the band held the Kōtetsu Densetsu tour which featured special guests; Kentaro (ex-
Gargoyle In architecture, and specifically Gothic architecture, a gargoyle () is a carved or formed grotesque with a spout designed to convey water from a roof and away from the side of a building, thereby preventing it from running down masonry walls ...
) on August 28,
Masatoshi Ono , also known as Sho, is a Japanese rock/heavy metal singer-songwriter and vocal coach. Ono got his start in the 1980s as vocalist of the heavy metal band Fort Bragg. In 1992, he released his first solo single, "Pure ni Nare", on Sony Records. I ...
on September 23, and Shingo☆ (
Sex Machineguns Sex Machineguns (stylized as SEX MACHINEGUNS) is a Japanese heavy metal band formed in 1989. Their music is characterized by a heavy focus on bass as well as extremely fast guitar and bass solos. The band uses the image of " shoc ...
) on October 23. Mary's Blood released their self-titled sixth studio album on September 29, 2021. Produced by Yorimasa Hisatake (producer of
Galneryus is a Japanese power metal band, formed in Osaka in 2001 by guitarist Syu and vocalist Yama-B.Artist.cdjou ...
), the band members described it as a return to their heavy metal origins. It was supported by the three-date Blow Up Our Fire Tour from November 13 to December 11. On December 16, Mary's Blood announced that they would be going on indefinite hiatus in April 2022. The band apologized for the sudden announcement and explained that they decided to have a "recharging period" for the members to grow further and said that when they restart activities, they hope to deliver the music of Mary's Blood in a "more evolved form." Following two concerts titled The Final Day in Osaka on March 23 and Nagoya on March 24, the indefinite hiatus began after an April 9, 2022 concert at Tokyo's Toyosu Pit titled Mary's Blood The Final Day ~Countdown to Evolution~. The final concert was recorded and released on home video on July 30. Following the hiatus, Saki continues to play in the band
Nemophila ''Nemophila'' is a genus found in the flowering plant family Boraginaceae. Most of the species in ''Nemophila'' contain the phrase "baby blue eyes" in their common names. ''N. menziesii'' has the common name of "baby blue eyes". ''N. parviflora' ...
(formed in 2019), while Mari has directed her focus to making drumming videos for her
YouTube YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
channel. Rio and Eye both began solo careers, the former under the name .


Musical style and songwriting

Saki described Mary's Blood as a straight heavy metal band, but because they have many different styles of songs, she feels free to make whatever sounds she wants with them. From the beginning of the group, Mari and Eye have consciously aimed to have vocal melodies that are catchy and easy for Japanese people to listen to. Saki stated that while their music is also consumed internationally, the band mainly thinks about Japanese listeners, and said it is hard to find a balance between the pop things and the heavy metal things as a member. The guitarist explained that Eye and Rio love
visual kei is a movement among Japanese musicians that is characterized by the use of varying levels of make-up, elaborate hair styles and flamboyant costumes, often, but not always, coupled with androgynous aesthetics, similar to Western glam rock. Som ...
music, which sometimes makes it difficult for her to find the tones to match the vocals in songs that they compose. Both Eye and Rio wanted to be in bands because of
L'Arc~en~Ciel L'Arc-en-Ciel (French: 'The Rainbow', stylized as L'Arc~en~Ciel), also known as Laruku, is a Japanese rock band, formed in Osaka in 1991 by bassist tetsuya and vocalist hyde. Following the departure of original members hiro and pero, guitaris ...
, Mari started playing music because of
X Japan was a Japanese rock band from Chiba, formed in 1982 by drummer and pianist Yoshiki and lead vocalist Toshi. Starting as a predominantly power/speed metal band with heavy symphonic elements, they later gravitated towards a progressive soun ...
, and Saki was inspired to become a musician by Seikima-II. Guitarist Eri was the main composer of songs in the initial lineup of Mary's Blood. Since joining in 2012, guitarist Saki has taken over this role. When writing for the band, she composes practically everything in the song, except for some drum fills that Mari comes up with. When vocalist Eye composes songs, she does so on piano because she can not play guitar. Rio has stated that the other members write the "so-called good songs," so the bassist believes she is responsible for bringing a different element via her own compositions. For example, "High 5" came from her love of punk rock, while "Hello" was inspired by "
Dancing Queen "Dancing Queen" is a Europop and disco song by the Swedish group ABBA, released as the lead single from their fourth studio album, ''Arrival'' (1976). It was written by Benny Andersson, Björn Ulvaeus and Stig Anderson. Andersson and Ulvaeus al ...
". Eye is the main lyricist, and she writes them after receiving the melody from whoever wrote the song. The singer said that while there are times she would like to use English because it sounds cool, Japanese words have multiple meanings and sometimes conveying meaning is more important. Because she usually writes the lyrics, Eye also normally suggests the track order of albums based on their stories. Mary's Blood's second and third EPs, ''Scarlet'' and ''Azure'', had the themes "red" and "blue" respectively. Mari described their debut album ''Countdown to Evolution'' as emphasizing "heaviness and speed," while Saki said they intended it to be their "most intense and technical" record up to that point. Eye believes that the various guest musicians and arrangers on ''Fate'' provided a range of different sounds for the album. For example, Yuyoyuppe's composition "Angel's Ladder" marks the first time Saki and Rio had ever played a seven-string guitar and five-string bass respectively. Eye said the recording environment for ''Revenant'' was totally different from those of their previous three albums, and explained its title was meant to mean the band was "reborn and starting over" while retaining their good qualities. Saki believes the album has a variety of different songs, explaining that for "World's End" she went with a typical modern metal sound and tone, but used an old school sound for "On the Rocks". Their next album, ''Confessions'', is a
concept album A concept album is an album whose tracks hold a larger purpose or meaning collectively than they do individually. This is typically achieved through a single central narrative or theme, which can be instrumental, compositional, or lyrical. Som ...
centered on the theme of "darkness." Because the band believes there are many different kinds of darkness, some songs sound cheerful on the surface, but their content is "quite depressing." After working with a
belly dancer Belly dance (Egyptian Arabic: رقص بلدي, translated: Dance of the Country/Folk Dance, romanized: Raks/Raas Baladi) is a dance that originates in Egypt. It features movements of the hips and torso. It has evolved to take many different f ...
on their tour for ''Revenant'', the
Middle Eastern music The various nations of the region include the Arabic-speaking countries of the Middle East, the Iranian traditions of Persia, the Jewish music of Israel and the diaspora, Armenian music, Kurdish music, Azeri Music, the varied traditions of Cypriot ...
that was used inspired "Laylah". Mary's Blood's sixth album is self-titled and has the concept of "heavy metal" with the intention of returning to their roots. Because of the theme, they asked Yorimasa Hisatake (known for his work with Galneryus and
Animetal was a Japanese heavy metal band who specialized in metal covers of theme songs from classic and modern Japanese anime and tokusatsu television series. They were composed of several luminaries of the Japanese metal scene, most notably vocalist ...
) to produce. Yashiro supported Mary's Blood at live performances as second guitarist since 2014. Saki explained that continuously employing the same support guitarist is more efficient than using different ones as it cuts down on the need for rehearsals. She also said that Yashiro does not join as a full member due to her schedule with many different projects, while Yashiro herself stated she does not join in order to keep "the balance" between Mary's Blood's four members.


Members

Current members * Eye – vocals (2009–2022) * Mari – drums, bandleader (2009–2022) *
Saki Hector Hugh Munro (18 December 1870 – 14 November 1916), better known by the pen name Saki and also frequently as H. H. Munro, was a British writer whose witty, mischievous and sometimes macabre stories satirize Edwardian society and cultur ...
– guitar, backing vocals (2012–2022) * Rio – bass guitar, backing vocals (2012–2022) Former members * Chiba – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2012) * Niboshi – bass, backing vocals (2009–2012) * Eri – guitar, backing vocals (2009–2012) Support member * Yashiro – guitar, backing vocals (2014–2022)


Discography


Studio albums


EPs


Cover albums


Compilation albums


Singles


Video albums


References


External links

* {{Authority control Japanese heavy metal musical groups Japanese power metal musical groups Musical groups from Tokyo Musical groups established in 2009 2009 establishments in Japan All-female bands Musical quartets Nippon Columbia artists Victor Entertainment artists Tokuma Japan Communications artists Women in metal