IMARi ToNES -The First Christian Heavy Metal from Japan-: "Heroes EP" now available!

Thursday, December 19, 2013

"Heroes EP" now available!

I know we are very slow to put this news on our blog,

but we released our new EP "Heroes EP" in November.

It's an EP and not a full album, but it took us a very long time to make it.

We started rehearsals for the songs on this EP in January 2012.

We started recording in June 2012.

We recorded 4 songs in Summer 2012, but we wanted to add some more songs to it.

We did the USA tour (The Extreme Tour 2012) and after that, we recorded 2 more songs. 1 song is a song for our friends at Famicom Dojo (retro game website/podcast). Another song is a Japanese version of our worship song called "Give Us Your Miracles", now called "Kiseki Wo Kudasai".

But it didn't end there. When we played a church concert at Misono Baptist Church in February 2013, they gave us a nice live recording.

So we decided to include 1 live track from this church concert, which is "Precious", a very special song of ours.

It took us even more time to prepare for the release. Preparing artwork and making the release plan.

We had another tour, this time in Japan in October 2013. We had been too busy and the release date was shifted even later.

And finally we could release the EP in November 2013.

Mayumi, a good friend of ours provided a great artwork of "Christian Samurai" in old Kurosawa movie style.

With this great artwork, "Heroes EP" is our personal favorite, with our Love and message. Our love for Japan and its history.

Leading track "Overcome" is already getting a positive reaction both online and at live shows. And "Heroes" is probably the song with our strongest message and statement so far, about the history of Japan and the world.

Please check it out on iTunes and/or BandCamp.

iTunes

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heroes/id745041574

BandCamp

http://imaritones.bandcamp.com/

(This is digital download issue. We probably are making physical CDs when we go to next tour, but not sure when it will be.)

Also we appreciate if you help us spread the word and be featured on blog/magazine.

Thank you very much!

I think that's all for today.

May God bless you richly in new year 2014!

Merry Christmas!

Tak "Tone" Nakamine / Imari Tones

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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.