DEZERT

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About DEZERT

Japanese visual kei band Dezert quickly became popular with their unique, heavy style, but faced a backlash after drastically changing their sound for their third album. Dezert was formed in 2010, originally as a "session band" (i.e., one intended to be temporary), by vocalist Chiaki, guitarist Kira, bassist Saz, and drummer Tetsuro. Originally going by the name And Emily, they soon changed it to Acid Cherry King and finally to Dezert, launching themselves as a proper band in 2012, with Sora (formerly of Xodiack) replacing Tetsuro on drums. Their first single, "Boku no Himitsu to Reizouko," introduced their extremely heavy, raw, and sporadically catchy sound, which had a strong nu-metal influence, while their casual gothic look caught the eye. Two more singles followed that year, and two mini-albums the following year before they released their debut album, Title Nashi ("Untitled"), in 2014. The album was a consolidation of their strengths, incorporating metalcore, death metal, and hardcore punk influences, and they began to gain more attention, particularly in the West. In 2015, Kira left the band and was replaced by Miyako, formerly of Moran. That year, Dezert released Zantaiteki Occult Shuukanshi, a compilation of their "live-limited" singles (i.e., those sold exclusively at their gigs). Many VK bands issue live-limited singles, but not many have enough to fill not just one, but two compilation albums: a second volume arrived the following year. Their second proper album, Saikou no Shokutaku, also arrived in 2016 and was even more dissonant and experimental than its predecessor. But by 2017 they had signed a major-label deal with Maverick, home to some of the VK scene's biggest acts, and their third album, Today, released in 2018, was a total volte-face to a light, melodic pop/rock sound. Many longtime fans were dismayed and a backlash ensued, but Chiaki stood by the album; he issued a statement revealing that he had been suffering from severe mental ill-health after a year of insomnia, and had felt it was the only kind of album he could make at that time. ~ John D. Buchanan

ORIGIN
Japan
FORMED
September 2011
GENRE
Rock

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