Oblivion Dust

Oblivion Dust is a Japanese rock band first active from 1996 to 2001; they reunited in 2007. Although they were originally largely influenced by early 1990s American grunge bands,Oricon profile
Retrieved September 20, 2007 since reuniting their music has become straight alternative rock. They stand out in the Japanese scene as most of their songs are written and sung in fluent English.OD @ everything2
Retrieved September 20, 2007

History

1996–2001: Formation and disbandment

In May 1995 the band Addict of the Trip Minds stopped activities due to differences in the direction of the band. The drummer Taka Motomura (who played on the self-titled album ''Addict of the Trip Minds'' in 1994Addict of the Trip Minds
Retrieved September 20, 2007) and the bassist Derek Forbes (who had joined the band a short while ago) decided to form a new band and take a "western style".OD bio from vibe
Retrieved September 20, 2007 In late 1995 they recruited Kazuhito "K.A.Z" Iwaike as lead guitarist and in early 1996 recruited Ken Lloyd as vocalist and (in the beginning) guitarist. They started to make songs and went to Los Angeles to record their first album (not released until the following year) with Ray McVeigh (The Professionals, Zilch, Wild Crash 500, etc.) as producer (he would also be the producer of their second and third album). However, once recording of the album was completed Derek Forbes dropped out of the band and was replaced on bass by Koozie "Jer Koozie" Johns as support member in a few shows from mid 1996 until the end of that year.Interview with Koozie Johns about Oblivion Dust
Retrieved September 20, 2007 Then he left the band and was replaced by Matt Garrett as an official member.

Soon after, thanks to the help and support of hide, they signed with alternative label Cutting Edge, a label owned by the Avex Group. The name of the band was changed to Oblivion Dust in September 1996, with their debut under this name in November 1996.

In January 1997, they released their first single, "Sucker". In March they released their second single, "Numb". In April the group toured the West Coast of the United States with a series of ten concerts. In May, they released one more single, and in June they released their first full-length album entitled ''Looking for Elvis''. In July, they returned to the West Coast of the US to play ten more concerts, and Matt Garrett left the band. In September they had their first Japanese tour, consisting of a total of 11 shows and five extra shows in October.

In January 1998, a new bassist joined the band as official member: Rikiji Masuda. That same month they played as the opening band for the UK electronic group, The Prodigy, in Tokyo before a crowd of 10.000 fans, gaining a name for themselves. 1998 also saw the release of two singles and their second album, '' Misery Days''. Between both singles, they toured the West Coast of the United States again in April. For the rest of year they toured Japan. In November 1998, Souta "Furuton" Oofuruton replaced Taka Motomura, who left around August.

In 1999 Oblivion Dust released four new singles, another new album called ''Reborn'' and their first video, "Overdose". They toured all year long, playing with other well known bands such as Marilyn Manson and Zilch. In September their official fan club, Embryo, was temporarily opened, and December saw the opening of their official website.

The band began 2000 with a nationwide ''Reborn'' tour. In February their fan club was officially opened. In May their new song entitled "S.O.S." appeared on the Japanese version of the ''Mission: Impossible 2'' soundtrack. In the same year, the band played numerous sold-out gigs; they also played at the Summer Sonic Festival, and released two singles, a new album called ''Butterfly Head'' and their second video. The gig performed on December 23 at the Tokyo Bay NK Hall turned out to be Rikiji