Malice Mizer

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Image:Mm malice13.jpg Malice Mizer was a Japanese band in the visual kei music scene, active from August 1992 to December 2001. Formed by Mana and Közi, the band's name stands for malice and misery – their answer to the question "what is human?". Malice Mizer were as famous for their one-of-a-kind music as for their spectacular live shows, featuring lavish historical costumes and stage sets, whimsical dance routines and band members flying suspended from wires. During their rocky history, the band went through several different lineups and three drastic image changes but their work always maintained the highest professional standards. On December 11, 2001, it was announced that Malice Mizer would begin an indefinite hiatus, and the members went their separate ways - effectively disbanding the group.

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Tetsu Era (1992 – 1994)

Malice Mizer was formed in 1992 by Mana and Közi with Tetsu on vocals, both Mana and Közi on guitar/synthesizer, Yu~ki on bass and Gaz on drums. From the outset, the band established their trademark 'twin guitar' sound, whereby two guitars play different melodies that, together, become the actual guitar part of a song. Malice Mizer's sound during the Tetsu era was a mixture of early 1980s goth and strong classical influences. Their first official release was the song Speed of Desperate on the 1993 compilation Brain Trash. Before this they had released a demo tape called Sans Logique which contained no vocals. Shortly after the release of Brain Trash, Gaz left the band to join Kneuklid Romance, while Kneuklid Romance's drummer Kami in turn joined Malice Mizer. In 1994, the band released their first album, memoire, on Mana's newly founded Indie music label, Midi:Nette, and shortly after re-released it with an additional bonus track (Baroque) under the title memoire DX. Only days later, singer Tetsu left the band. While the exact reasons are unknown and subject to a great deal of fan speculation, it is likely that it was simply a matter of creative differences; Tetsu went on to take a different direction in his subsequent work, and demonstrated his own strong vision and leadership.

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Gackt Era (1995 – 1999)

In 1995, after a year of inactivity, Malice Mizer recruited Gackt as their new vocalist. Under his influence, the band's music became more wistful and romantic in its mood, incorporating even stronger classical influences as well as French pop music. Visually, the band abandoned their 1980s goth look for colourful historical costumes. In 1996, Malice Mizer released their second album, Voyage ~sans retour~. The band became increasingly popular and in 1997 signed with the major label Nippon Columbia, where they released a number of successful singles, a short film (Verte Aile, also called Bel Air de l'image), and, in 1998, their first and only major label album, the hugely popular Merveilles. They even had their own radio show. In January 1999, at the height of Malice Mizer's success, Gackt left the band to start a solo career, taking a substantial part of their fan base with him. Malice Mizer left Nippon Columbia and returned to Mana's Indie music label, Midi:Nette. It has been speculated that Gackt left willingly, but in an interview he has stated that he was asked to leave, and wished he could have stayed in the group.

A few months after Gackt's departure, drummer Kami died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage, leaving behind a handful of songs, which the band eventually released as part of the mini-album/video boxset Shinwa ~ Kami's Memorial Box ~. Kami was never replaced. From that point on, Malice Mizer would only use support drummers (namely Shue-- whom is not shown in the band's later and final music videos, nor credited) and Kami would be credited as 'eternal blood relative' on all their future releases.

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Klaha Era (2000 – 2001)

In the second half of 1999 and the beginning of 2000, Malice Mizer – still without an official vocalist – released a number of singles and began to work on a new album. Eventually, they recruited Klaha, previously known as "Masaki Haruna", vocalist of visual kei/Darkwave band Pride of mind. By then the band had abandoned the lighter pop music sound of the Gackt era for a dramatic mixture of classical music, Goth and heavy metal music, and adopted an elaborate funereal Goth look. In the summer of 2000, they released what would be their last album, Bara no Seidou, followed by a very spectacular and theatrical live show, featuring pyrotechnics, a choir of veiled nuns and a scaled-down cathedral as stage prop. In 2001, Malice Mizer starred in a feature length vampire movie, Bara no Konrei ~Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku, and released three more singles, Gardenia, Beast of Blood, and Garnet ~Kidan no Sono e~, but eventually the band members decided to go their own separate ways leaving disband messages on Miroir (Official Web Site) which can still be viewed today.

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Post Projects

After his departure in early 1999, Gackt started a solo career which has been enormously successful; he is now one of Japan's top entertainers and TV personalities. Klaha started a solo career as well in December 2002; as of 2005 the status of his project is uncertain. Mana has formed his own solo project, Moi dix Mois, and simultaneously pursues a career as fashion designer for his Gothic Lolita fashion label, Moi-même-Moitié. He continues to also run his Indie record label, Midi:Nette, and is looking for bands to sign and produce. Közi has joined Haruhiko Ash's Industrial band Eve of Destiny and also has a solo project. After his departure in 1994, Tetsu has subsequently taken part in a series of bands such as Zigzo and Mega 8 Ball; his most recent being the independently released band nil. The whereabouts of Yu~ki were unknown until he briefly resurfaced in 2004 as lyricist for Közi's solo release "MEMENTO".

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Discography

In several cases, the Japanese titles are given first, followed by the romaji titles in square brackets.

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Demo Tapes

1992

  • Sans Logique (10/31)

1993

  • SADNESS / SPEED OF DESPERATE (exact date unknown)
  • Sadness (4/05)
  • The 1th Anniversary (10/12)
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Singles

1995

  • 麗しき仮面の招待状 [Uruwashiki kamen no shotaijo] (12/10)

1996

  • ma chérie 〜愛しい君へ〜 [ma chérie —Itoshii kimi e—] (10/10)

1997

  • ヴェル・エール〜空白の瞬間の中で〜 [Bel Air —Kuhaku no toki no naka de—] (7/19)
  • au revoir (12/3)

1998

  • 月下の夜想曲 [Gekka no yasoukyoku] (2/21)
  • ILLUMINATI [P-type] (5/20)
  • Le ciel 〜空白の彼方へ〜 [Le Ciel —Kuhaku no kanata e—] (9/30)

1999

  • 再会の血と薔薇 [Saikai no chi to bara] (11/3)

2000

  • 神話 [Shinwa] (2/1) - memorial box for Kami
  • 虚無の中での遊戲 [Kyomu no naka de no yuugi] (5/31)
  • 白い肌に烂う愛と哀しみの輪舞 [Shiroi Hada Ni Kuruai To Kanashimi No Wamai (Rondo)] (7/26)

2001

  • Gardenia (5/30)
  • Beast Of Blood (6/21)
  • Garnet 〜禁断の園へ〜 [Garnet —Kindan no Sono e—] (11/30)
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Albums

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VHS

  • Sans retour Voyage "derniere" 〜encoure une fois〜 (30 June 1997)
  • ヴェル・エール〜空白の瞬間の中で〜 de l'image [Bel Air ~Kuuhaku no toki no naka de~ de l'image] (13 July 1997)
  • ヴェル・エール〜空白の瞬間の中で〜 de l'image [Verte Air ~Kuuhaku no toki no naka de~ de l'image] (3 September 1997) - a short film
  • merveilles 〜終焉と帰趨〜l'espace (28 October 1998)
  • merveilles -cinq parallele- (24 February 1999)
  • 再会の血と薔薇〜de l'image〜 [Saikai no chi to bara—de l'image—] (21 December 1999)
  • 虚無の中での遊戲〜de l'image〜 [Kyomu no naka de no yuugi—de l'image—] (31 May 2000)
  • 薔薇に彩られた悪意と悲劇の幕開け [Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake] (22 November 2000)
  • 薔薇の軌跡 [Bara no Kiseki] (25 April 2001)
  • Beast Of Blood 〜de l'image〜 (11 July 2001)
  • 薔薇の婚礼〜真夜中に交わした約束〜 [Bara no Konrei—Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku—] (22 March 2002)
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DVD

  • 薔薇に彩られた悪意と悲劇の幕開け [Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake] (22 November 2000)
  • Sans retour Voyage "derniere" 〜encoure une fois〜 (18 April 2001)
  • 薔薇の軌跡 [Bara no Kiseki] (25 April 2001)
  • Beast Of Blood 〜de l'image〜 (11 July 2001)
  • 真夜中に交わした約束〜薔薇の婚礼〜 [Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku—Bara no Konrei—] (30 October 2001)
  • Cardinal (6 February 2002)
    • contains the final 6 PVs and a live performance of "Beast of Blood"
  • 薔薇の婚礼〜真夜中に交わした約束〜 [Bara no Konrei—Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku—] (22 March 2002)
  • merveilles 〜終焉と帰趨〜l'espace (30 March 2002)
  • merveilles -cinq parallele- (30 March 2002)
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External links

de:Malice Mizer es:Malice Mizer fr:Malice Mizer it:Malice Mizer nl:Malice Mizer ja:MALICE MIZER pl:Malice Mizer pt:Malice Mizer fi:Malice Mizer sv:Malice Mizer

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