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ImariTones
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事務用のアーカイヴということで。
IMARI TONES Welcome To The School The vocals are rather high, we're not quite in King Diamond country but there is definitely something clamped on to his testicles. 'Illusions' gets a little jangly at times but when it rocks it REALLY rocks. Review by Joe Geesin (Get Ready To Rock) http://www.getreadytorock.com/reviews2009/quick_play1209.htm |
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IMARI TONES ‘JAPANESE POP’
The CD titled and frontcover of the album of the Japanese band IMARI TONES is a little misleading, because this band is playing Progressive Hardrock a la RUSH. This CD was surprisingly produced by SASCHA PAETH and especially instrumental it does sound very good. The high-pitched vocals are not as good as GEDDY LEE, but for a RUSH fan, this is a nice Japanese soundalike band, although IMARI TONES also have a slight 80s Hardrock touch in their music, even going for a melodic rocksound here and there. The album was released in 2007 and in the meantime the band changed drastically, because now they are a Christian Rockband. However, not sure if their music itself still sounds the same. Go check them out at: www.imaritones.net (Points: 8.0 out of 10)
From www.strutter.8m.com |
Japanese Christian metal band Imari Tones to rock out Capital CityBy Gerry PA Music SceneFebruary 02, 2010, 6:00AMThe Imari Tones are coming all the way from Japan to rock out at Mechanicsburg's Capital Area Christian Church at 8:20 pm on Saturday, Feb. 20. The Imari Tones are a Christian Rock band from Yokohama, Japan, an oddity as Japan is less than one percent Christian. "In Japan nobody plays Christian heavy metal," explained guitarist/lead singer Takahiro Nakamine, "Tak" for short. "Some of our friends told us we better not say we are Christians because some people have prejudice on Christians. But when we visited USA last time, everybody looked pleased when we said we're a Christian band from Japan. It turned out people thought it was some kind of joke." It's no joke, though, and it's no church service either: This trio has its heavy-metal credentials in order. Heavy-metal power player Sascha Paeth produced their first album, "Japanese Pop" in Germany in 2006. They weren't even identified as a Christian band until 2008, when they released two more albums. A fourth album, "Welcome to the School" came out last year. They are currently under contract but won't say with whom as they intend to change labels this year. "Basically we are old school eighties metal," Tak says. "We don't hesitate to rock hard… we perform under the philosophy, Jesus is a Rock!" A music video for their song "Karma Flower" is below. The Imari Tones will perform at the Capital Area Christian Church located at 1775 Lambs Gap Road Mechanicsburg, PA (717) 732-1882 at 8:20 pm on Saturday, February 20th as part of the Millennium Music Conference 14. This is the first time a church has been part of MMC. |
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IMARi ToNES Welcome To The School
Welcome To The School reflects Japanese band IMARi ToNES newfound focus on Christian hard rock. In a tip of the hat to old school phonograph records, this latest CD is broken down into two parts. The first section is labeled “Our Side”, and the second half is titled “His Side”. It’s an overall song suite that suggests a spiritual education, beginning with a track called “Welcome to the School”, and ending with one titled “Graduated from the School”. IMARi ToNES, one is lead to believe, is out to school listeners on hard rock, with a little religion thrown in for good measure. This trio, which has been together since 2004, is based in Tokyo and Yokohama, Japan. Its members include Tak “Tone” on guitars and vocals, Yuki “Hassy” on bass, and “Hide “Jake” at the drums. Tone's guitar work and singing are the act’s two most distinguishing features. His voice often modulates from a low, conversational tone, to a high pitched screech. Musically, listening to Welcome To The School might take you back to the heyday of Hollywood’s Sunset Strip; back to a time when groups like Poison and Stryper ruled the rock world. Tak "Tone" is highly skilled at pulling off the kind of fast guitar solos that make audience member jaws drop in unison. Conversely, this band also knows how to put together memorable pop-rock songs, too. For instance, “I Love You Now Ur on Your Own” has a nicely chugging rhythm part, with drumming that nostalgically brings Van Halen’s skin man, Alex Van Halen, to mind. That was an era when David Lee Roth was still with the band and all was well with Pasadena’s finest. Although this rock act clearly has its metal chops down pat, Welcome To The School opens with a track that comes off closer to British music hall music than anything else. Over a loping beat, Tak "Tone" leads the way like a joyful pied piper. This same melody is reprised again, by the way, with “Graduated from the School”. And while the beat to this latter version is far more rock-friendly, the track nevertheless tones the proceedings down considerably with acoustic guitars and a shuffling rhythm. IMARi ToNES reveals a quieter side with “Stay Beautiful”, which has a slow, old time rock & roll groove, which features a sweetly bluesy guitar solo. One of this disc's most intriguing song titles is “Rockn’ Roll Is the Proof God loves us”. This is likely not ground commonly explored by most theologians and skeptics. In fact, many religious folk have asserted that rock & roll is solid proof that the devil has control of modern music. On the tune itself, Tak "Tone" sings/speaks much of its lyric while Hassy plucks out a funky bass line. There are moments during this track, in fact, where The Sweet (of “Ballroom Blitz”) comes front and center to mind. IMARi ToNES may be a faith-oriented rock act, but they are by no a means preachy one. For instance, “He’s Still With Us” includes the following line: “Where is the God who gave me my life?” This particular lyrical tactic utilized, one imagines, to put the band members in the shoes of fans who may be spiritual seekers. The only potential pothole in IMARi ToNES’ road to success is Tak "Tone"’s recurring struggle to enunciate clearly in English. When the songs are slower, as with “Stay Beautiful”, his vocalizing is as clear as day, but whenever the sonic gets revved up loud and fast, his singing oftentimes gets eaten up by the busy mix. Guaranteed, IMARi ToNES is like no other hard rock band you’ve heard before. Their Japanese take on American hard rock, along with their overt spiritual overtones, makes this a truly exotic find. -- Dan MacIntosh |
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Imari Tones is THE Japanese rock band that will succeed in penetrating American media. Their sound is comparable to that of Van Halen and AC/DC, but with staggering differences. Imari Tones is successfully bridging the gap between the American and Japanese cultures. Their mastery of the English language is greater than many other Japanese bands that get caught in the struggle with pronounciation. Aside from their outstanding pronounciation, the vocals are clear, with classical sounding metal screams, that are quite melodic in style.
Their melodic, and almost symphonic metal sound will catch your attention at first listen. On occasion, the guitar sounds resemble those of HIM, but to the opposite extreme, the greats of the band Symphony X. Drums in "Saratoga Stream" push the listeners to the edge of their seats, perfectly complimenting the smooth screams of the vocalist. Imari Tone's bass is the heart of the band. They have perfectly blended the bass, never letting it overpower like some wanna-be metalistas.
Five stars for Imari Tones! America wants you here!
~*InTeNsE*~
訳： Imari Tonesは、アメリカのメディアを進撃中の日本のバンドである。彼らのサウンドはVan HalenやAC/DCと比較することができるが、そこには驚くべき違いがある。Imari Tonesは、アメリカと日本の文化のギャップを見事に埋め、橋渡しの役割をすることに成功しているのだ。彼らの英語のマスターの度合いは、発音に苦労している多くの日本のバンドよりも大きく秀でている。英語を別にしても、ヴォーカルはクリアで、古典的なメタルのスクリームとともに、多くのメロディを伴ったスタイルだ。 彼らのメロディックな、そしてほとんどシンフォニックメタルのようにも聞こえるサウンドが、まず聞くものの耳を捕らえる。時折、ギターサウンドはHIMのそれに似ているが、それとはまったく両極の、Symphony Xのそれにも通じる。"Saratoga Stream"のドラムはリスナーを椅子の端へとのけぞらせ、ヴォーカルスクリームを見事に支えている。そしてベースはImari Tonesのサウンドの中心だ。完璧にブレンドされたベースサウンドは、どこかのエセ・メタル志願者たちのように、パワー過剰になることはない。 Imari Tonesに5つ星を! アメリカは君たちにここに来てほしがっている!
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Like so many other things that we share with Japan, we also share a love of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Right now, there are many bands in Japan that are making their own versions of Rock ‘n’ Roll. In fact, one of the most famous bands in Japan is the Heavy Metal band Loudness. Like Loudness before them, the band Imari Tones is currently making a name for themselves in the Japanese music scene. The band was formed when Tak “Tone” took a solo recording project and turned it into a band. Along with “Tone” on guitar and vocals (as well as keys), the rest of the trio is made up of Yuki “Hassy” on bass, and Hide “Jake” on drums. Together, the trio has created a rock release entitled “Japanese Pop”. Japanese Pop from Imari Tones is a release that contains several different styles of rock that will make you think back to other periods in music history, at least it will for American rock fans. “Skies of Tokyo” sounds like it would have come from the era of the 1980’s when Hair Bands were popular. “Winning Song” has a sound that would have fit in the 1980’s power rock, as would “New World”. And then there is the track of “That’s Why I Love You”. “That’s Why I Love You” is a power ballad with a heavy metal feel that sounds like it would have fit on Hurricane Eyes or any other album from Loudness. And then, there is the song Juku Shiki. Juku Shiki is a song that could be described as a song with two personalities: part of the time, it sounds like a power pop song; and other times, it sounds like something from the band Devo, with the same jerky feel that Devo became known for. Along with Juku Shiki, the most interesting tracks on the Japanese Pop album come at the very end of the release. When the rest of the album features Tak “Tone” as the band’s singer and guitarist, “I” is a track that features Tak on double duty as he plays both guitar and keyboards. “I” shows that Tak is a very fine pianist as well as guitarist. “I” also sets itself apart from the rest of the album as Tak sings the lyrics to the song in Japanese. This is the first of two songs on the album that features Japanese lyrics as the band also includes a Japanese version of “Winning Song” at the end of the album. The band actually sounds a little better this way because the English lyrics become difficult to understand at certain spots because of Tak’s accent. But as I always point out, he can sing in English while I can’t even speak Japanese. A little difficulty understanding someone singing in a language other than his own is acceptable. The album Japanese Pop by Imari Tones also seems to have a “two personalities” feel in the production of the tracks. This feel comes from the fact that Tak Yonemachi produced seven tracks of the release, and Sascha Paeth, a German producer that is known for his work with heavy metal bands, produced the remaining three tracks. Japanese Pop is a very appropriate title for the album by Imari Tones. With the different styles of rock that are contained on the album, there is no one genre of rock that the album could be filed under; the only way to describe the music on the album is by calling it “pop”. With the different styles that are contained in the album, Imari Tones created a very solid and entertaining album in Japanese Pop. As the album is not currently available for purchase in the United States, you can find Japanese Pop, the current album by Imari Tones by going to http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/imaritones. You can find the band at www.imaritones.net. You can also find the band on MySpace at www.myspace.com/imaritones.
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Ａ： 典型的なスリーピースバンドですね。タイトでスカッとした印象のストレートなロックです。 Ｂ： 日本のロックにありがちな、思わせぶりや、クサイところがなくてしっかりと骨格で勝負する音楽になっているような気がします。 Ａ： 音としては、ブリティッシュ系ですね。イタリア的な雰囲気もあるかもしれません。いずれにしてもUSAじゃない。オリジナル曲でこういう音が出せるのはちょっと驚異です。大半の曲が英語の歌詞ですが、やっぱり日本語だとこうはいかないんでしょうか？ Ｂ： 重すぎず、軽すぎず、暗すぎず、明るすぎず、べたつかず、乾いてもいない。そういう絶妙なバランスで成り立っている。端正なロックですね。端正だけど、ガッツもある。 Ａ： 硬質で骨太な楽曲というか、聴いていて「おれはやっぱりロックが好きだ～」と、久しぶりに初心を思い出させてくれます。
("Japanese Pop" レビュー) |
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Quite unique blend of punk rock and heavy metal is the key of Imari Tones. Strong guitar sound is provided by Tone which is rare for kind.
History of the band goes back quite few years where Takahiro "Tone" started making demo in his private room.
In the year 2005, I met with Tone where everything started to take place. I went through his demos which took me quite some time because there was so many of them. Tone had written about 10 albums worth of materials. From which I picked the best tunes and started to record real life to the songs. Band members were the bass player Ryuhei, and longtime member of the Imari Tones drummer Kazuhisa.
The Recording sessions were quite hard because Kazuhisa had always commuted to Tokyo from Nagoya by bus. But the band survived the hard times and when the album was more than half way done, I decided to send the tape out to friend in Germany named Sascha Peath. Sascha had international success in his youth with Heaven's Gate and he now he is a very successful producer, producing bands like Angra, Rapsody and Kamelot. As soon as Sascha heard their music he was turned on and gave decision to finish the album with me.
As the result I present you here the best of Imari Tones.
Tak Yonemochi / Air Pavilion Producer
訳： ヘヴィメタルとパンクの非常にユニークなブレンドがイマリ・トーンズのサウンドのカギである。Toneによって稀有なストロングギターサウンドが鳴らされる。
バンドの歴史は何年も前にナカミネ"Tone"タカヒロが自分の部屋でデモを作るところからスタートした。 2005年、私はToneと出会いすべてが始まった。彼のデモを全部聞くのには時間を要した。なぜならアルバム10枚分の楽曲の素材があったからである。その中から私はベストな楽曲を選び出しレコーディングを開始した。バンドメンバーはベーシストのリュウヘイと長くイマリ・トーンズのメンバーであったカズヒサであった。 レコーディングセッションはとても大変であった。なぜならカズヒサは東京と名古屋をバスで通わなければならなかったからである。しかしバンドはきつい時間を乗り越え、そしてアルバムが半分できあがったとき、私はテープをドイツにいる友人、Sascha Paethに送った。サシャは若い頃にHeavens Gateのギタリストとして国際的な成功を収め、そして今はプロデューサーとして大成功し、AngraやRhapsody、Kamelotなどを手がけている。Saschaはテープを聞くと、喜んで私と一緒にアルバムを仕上る決断をしてくれた。 その結果を、今ここに提示しよう、イマリ・トーンズのベストである。
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| God Has No Name – IMARi toNES
The genre of Christian Rock is crowded with the remains of many unsuccessful artists. Those who have survived, flourished and gone on to achieve national and international success are surprisingly few. Globally, the most famous international act to have sprung from the Christian charts is undoubtedly Evanescence; with their hardened, multi-layered, strobing guitar-work, haunting, crystal-clearly delivered lyrics and (in their early work) a Belief message carried at a subliminal level, Evanescence took their appeal to a huge audience. This is a fundamental requirement in the Christian Music genre. Musicologists accept that the genre of Christian Music is split in to a number of sub-genres. These are: Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) Christian Alternative Rock (CAR) Christian Hardcore (CH) Christian Hip Hop (CHH) Christian Metal (CM) Christian Punk (CP) and Christian Rock (CR) This reviewer finds that "God Has No Name" by the IMARi toNES is, for the most part, in the CCM sub-genre, with occasional forays in to CR. With the album title "God Has No Name", IMARI toNES airs, of course, the age-old paradoxical question: how can God have no name if His name is God? The band then attempt to answer their own question through their own highly individual style. A mix of fast bass riffs accompanied by some wonderfully supportive drumming set the framework; overlaying these sections is a muddled blend of lighter guitar-work and distinctive vocals. The clarity of the lower registers – the bass and the percussion – are regretfully unmatched by the upper elements. At times the delivery of the vocal performance borders on the hysterical. The compositional skills of the group are remarkable given that the Occidental musical frame is so vastly different from the Oriental pattern. The messages contained in the track titles transcend religious messages: Freedom, Never Too Late To Learn, Stay Beautiful... but the unsubtle doctrinal messages contained in the lyrics firmly mark the potential audience to this album as the "already committed Christians" group. If IMARi toNES adopted a more understated approach to the Belief message they might be able to find a wider audience – and one with less conservative musical values. It is worth noting that the market for Christian Rock is contracting. The seminal Christian band The Crucified has now explicitly rejected the classification of "Christian punk" and they have shifted to the extreme periphery of the Christian music industry. Even the hugely successful Christian rock band Zao has turned away from the Christian Rock genre. So too has Evanescence. Internationally, Religion is a contracting organism and Christian rock will contract with it. To be successful in a contracting genre any artist has to appeal to the widest possible audience. "God Has No Name" doesn't hit that mainstream appeal. As a starter though, God Has No Name is a promising work; it promises things for the future. Brennig Jones 27th October 2008 |
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Imari Tones:
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http://jpnews.org/pc/modules/smartsection/item.php?itemid=43
町へ出て行ってキリストの旗を立てよう
http://jpnews.org/pc/modules/xfsection/article.php?page=1&articleid=1828