IMARi ToNES -The First Christian Heavy Metal from Japan-: November 2010

Monday, November 8, 2010

Living Water (new song) movie

Hi this is Tak from IMARi ToNES.

Have you already checked our new album "Victory In Christ"?

It was a album recorded in early this year, but we don't stop.
Actually we are already working on some new songs.

So here is the song titled "Living Water".
We are going to record this song in this coming winter.
(I know it's a very common naming for a Christian song. But I'm sure our Living Water sounds special!)

This is a live performance at Ohkubo Suizokukan, Tokyo, last Wednesday.

Ohkubo Suizokukan is a small venue but it was a special night.

We call ourselves "the first Christian heavy metal from Japan", but do you know who is the first Christian rock from Japan?

It is called "Eikogo", who has been playing Christian rock since 1980's.
http://www.electric-angel.net/

And last Wednesday, we finally shared the stage with them.
It was a fun night, and it was a definitely a special night.
We feel like we are finally recognized in Japanese Christian music community, which is, at this point, not so big community.

So we want to share with you some more of that fun night.
We love small venues, because in small clubs we can rock more intensely and purely.

Thank you and God bless you all!!

Tak
IMARi ToNES

Monday, November 1, 2010

"Victory In Christ" now available!!!

Hi, this is Tak "Tone" Nakamine from Imari Tones, the first Christian heavy metal band from Japan.

Today I'm glad to annouce to you that our new record "Victory In Christ" is now available on iTunes (and other digital retailers).

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/victory-in-christ/id399151638

Let me tell you a little bit about this album "Victory In Christ".

"Victory In Christ" is, our first 100% Christian rock record.

We became Christians, about 3 years ago.
Before that, we were a normal Japanese hard rock band who is just seeking for the truth of rockn'roll.

After that, we made an album titled "Welcome To The School".
We tried to make it a Christian album.
But we could not do it perfectly.
Because, we thought, in order to really believe God, first we must overcome all the misconceptions and illusions in secular world.
That's why we devided the album in 2 parts, Our Side & His Side.
Our Side was focused on spiritual battle between faith and doubts. And His Side was focused more on Praising God.
"Welcome To The School" was a good rock album, we still believe. And it was a music about spiritual learning. But it was not 100% Christian Praise&Worship album, we admit.

But after that, in this couple of years, we gained more experience.
We toured in USA twice and we played in many churches.
And we learned more about what we are, and what we really should do.
We could express our faith in more straightforward way.

So here is the result.
"Victory In Christ" is definetely the best we can offer.
This is "The first Christian heavy metal from Japan", all songs based on our faith for Jesus Christ. And we rock for Jesus with joy and happiness.

Some of you may know that our strongest song up to this point was the song called "Karma Flower". It was partly because that song was produced & recorded by famous German producer Sascha Paeth. Because of the production quality. (In other words, because of the money.)

But in this album "Victory In Christ", we have even stronger songs like "Faith Rider" and "Love Is To Do Something No One Dares To Do". (We did some research on Jango internet radio and these songs had better reaction than "Karma Flower".)

So we are very excited to release this album and to share this music with you.

Currently "Victory In Christ" is available on iTunes and you can also download it via BandBox and BandCamp on our website and MySpace.

Hope you will check it out and hope you will like it.

(And those who prefer physical CD to digital download, we will try and setup Amazon.com. It will take some more time. Thank you for your patiance.)

We are planning some more things under the table.
We are planning some advertise campaigne,
we are planning a tour next year,
and we are planning recording at least 2 songs in this coming winter.

We are not sure if we are going to release it as an EP or free download tracks, but those 2 songs are called "Living Water" and "Jesus Train".
We can't wait to play those songs in your church.

Also we have several shows booked around Tokyo.
And for those who living near Tokyo, don't forget to check our schedule. Because we have a big show coming on December 2nd Thursday, at Shimokitazawa Garden. It is a biggest venue we have played so far.

That's all for today. (It's already too long, I guess.)

Being Christians in Japan is always not easy.
But in our church VIC Yokohama, we worship Jesus with all our hearts and I feel there is a healing happening.

So I really hope we can share that healing power together.

God bless you all,
Tak "Tone" Nakamine / Imari Tones
http://www.imaritones.net/
http://www.myspace.com/imaritones

Bio, Bio, Bio...

IMARITONES BIO

Written by Phil Putnam

Of the long list of factors that make ImariTones stand out from the world around them, it is their drive, their reach that tops it all. An unapologetically Christian heavy metal band out of Japan, Tak, Hassy, and Jake have a passion to reach beyond their culture to make the music they love, and to reach beyond their music to bring Jesus into their culture. While drawing comparisons to legends like Van Halen, Rush, and Stryper with their hybrid of old school metal/glam/Brit/70's prog rock, they are one of very few bands in the world that can claim true originality. How so? They are the first Christian heavy metal band ever to come out of Japan.

"There are very few Japanese bands who say 'Hey, we're a Christian band.' A Christian band from Japan almost sounds like a joke, since most people in Japan are Buddhists, or Atheists," says Tak, founder, guitar/vocalist, and frontman of ImariTones. Things didn't start out Christian for Tak, though. Having started playing electric guitar at age 14 and joining his first band at 15, Tak gained local teen success in his hometown of Toyohashi and won awards for his songwriting. However, he quit the band at 17 to pursue a career as a lawyer. Music stayed with him, though, and while playing an acoustic show in Harajuku Tokyo in December of 2007, Tak was impressed by several Christian performers who were playing as well. Feeling that Jesus may be the larger meaning behind music that he always felt was there, his mind and heart opened to Christianity.

Breaking many written and unwritten rules of Japanese culture, Tak, Hassy on bass/background vocals, and Jake on drums/background vocals, are reaching upward and forward to see changes happen in the world. Currently based in Yokohama, their astonishing 15-album discography includes Hero of the Lights, Color of Hers, fireworks, Japanese Pop produced by metal legend Sascha Paeth (Angra, Edguy, Rhapsody of Fire, Avantasia, Kamelot), Welcome to the School, and their most recent release Victory in Christ. Not content to play the standard soft pop/rock of the major label Christian industry, their music is 100% heavy metal and 100% independently recorded and produced. Victory in Christ hit the street in October 2010 with the single "Faith Rider" leading the charge. Originally written as a parody of the big 80's metal of Judas Priest and Stryper, it quickly became a fan favorite and was put on Victory in Christ.

With both their commitment to making stellar heavy metal music and their driving passion to share Jesus with their native Japan and the rest of the world, ImariTones is always reaching to join these two primary goals together. "Since we are a Christian band, our goal is not business success," says Tak. "We are not chasing glory in this world. We are chasing the glory of God." Staying independent and record label-free is an important part of the process for them. "We don't believe in 'music business', especially in Japan, and have chosen to go independent, looking for our own way. We really want to change something about society and about what people think and believe. That's our ultimate goal."

That ultimate goal, to see their native Japan embrace Christianity, is what they reach for most of all, even while their sights are set on the USA and the rest of the world. Some think they're a joke, or a contradiction, that Christianity, Japan, and heavy metal just don't belong together. Some think they're ahead of their time. But if you ask Tak, Hassy, and Jake, they'll say they're doing exactly what they love at exactly the right time, and they're never going to stop reaching for more.