is a Japanese

metal A metal (from Greek μέταλλον ''métallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...

band from

Okinawa is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi). Naha is the capital and largest city ...

, named after the

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

poem "

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language, and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a myste ...

History

The band was formed in 1998, by college classmates; Taka, Yasha and Hakua, as an

Iron Maiden Iron Maiden are an English heavy metal band formed in Leyton, East London, in 1975 by bassist and primary songwriter Steve Harris. While fluid in the early years of the band, the lineup for most of the band's history has consisted of Harri ...

cover band. Their original female drummer is the one who named the band. Fellow student Seika soon joined and they felt having a vocalist who had never listened to heavy metal before would make their music more interesting. In 2000, Taia released a self-titled demo and the following year a second, entitled "Sanctus". The group eventually found its current sound with the arrival of a keyboardist. In 2002, Taia won a prize with their song "Beware". In the same year Fuuga replaced the old keyboardist, and the band released their first single "Sorrow". In 2004 they released their second single, "Yumegatari". That same year, Taia went on their first tour in Tohoku, while Higa joined as second guitarist. In February 2005, the band appeared on the ''Trendkill2005'' compilation, and later in May on ''Total Steel Okinawa 2005''. By the end of the year, on the 16th of November they released their first album, ''Asymmetry'', which was followed by a tour in Okinawa, Tokyo and Osaka. Drummer Hakua was replaced by Ara in 2006. On July 19 they released the EP ''Prayer'', which was accompanied with a

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

. In February and March 2007, the music videos for "Praise" and "Kazamai" were released, followed by their third album ''Seeds of Rain'', on March 14. Soon after Taia began another tour. On September 9, 2009 they released their third album ''Through Your Tears'' in two versions; Japanese and English. Taia's song "Praise" was included on the January 15, 2011 compilation ''Iron Angel'' in preparation for their January 22 performance at the two-day Iron Angel Live event alongside other female metal acts such as

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 ...

and

Dazzle Vision Dazzle Vision was a Japanese rock music, rock band. They appeared at Sakura-Con in 2010. After playing in Taiwan in 2006, Dazzle Vision released their first album ''Origin of Dazzle''. They were well known for their heavy rock sound and female v ...

. Taia stopped all musical activities at the end of 2013. Taia reunited in 2017 to play at the fourth installment of the Okinawan Metal event "Balls of Steel" in support of their label-mates Soundwitch, who were also playing the event. They had initially only planned a one night reunion, but after the success of the show and with the re-emergence of the metal scene in Okinawa, they have continued to play through 2019.

Members

* Seika –

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

* Munekazu "Taka" Takayama –

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

* Masanobu "Ura" Higa – guitar * Kuniya "Yasha" Kawamitsu – bass * Takuya "Fuga" Uehara –

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

* Kengo "Ken" Chibana –

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

Former members

* Hakua – drums (1998–2006) * Ara – drums (2006–?) * Higa – guitar (2004–?)

Discography

Albums

* ''Asymmetry'' (November 16, 2005) * ''Seeds of Rain'' (March 14, 2007; 10th Anniversary Edition December 3, 2017) * ''Through Your Tears'' (September 9, 2009, Japanese edition) *

Enhanced CDs

* ''Gray Ocean'' (August 1, 2007, limited Okinawa release) * ''Through Your Tears'' (September 9, 2009, English edition)

EPs

* ''Prayer'' (July 19, 2006, came with a DVD) * ''Einsatz'' (October 1, 2008, came with a DVD)

Singles

* "Sorrow" (2002) *

Demos

* * "Sanctus" (2001)

Omnibuses

* ''Trendkill2005'' (February 2, 2005, "Sand and Rain" and "Wind Dance") * ''Total Steel Okinawa 2005'' (May 11, 2005, "Beware") * ''Enter the Rampage'' (November 25, 2009, "Falling (English Version)") * ''Iron Angel'' (January 15, 2011, "Praise")

DVDs

References

External links

Official Facebook

Official Twitter

413Tracks' YouTube
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taia (Japanese Band) Japanese heavy metal musical groups Japanese gothic metal musical groups Musical groups established in 1998 Musical groups disestablished in 2013 Musical groups from Okinawa Prefecture Female-fronted musical groups