Hello this is Tak from Imari Tones.
Today I want to announce that our new album "Revive The World" is finally released.
It is available on iTunes, BandCamp as well as other digital outlet and streaming services like Spotify.
Physical CDs are available on our BandCamp page, where you can buy directly from us. (We autograph those CDs.)
Here is the BandCamp link.
and here is iTunes link.
Let me tell you just a little about this album.
Our band Imari Tones, was formed around 2004 and started playing "Christian music" in 2008. We toured in USA throughout 2009-2012 and we have been doing "The Extreme Tour Japan" now 3 years in a row in Japan. Now we are getting some recognition in Japanese "Gospel" music scene.
This album "Revive The World" is a result of those experiences and we can surely say this is one culmination of our musical journey.
It has wide variety of music and diverse songs, progressive beats, shredding guitars (of course!), sweet melodies. While it has some of our heaviest sounding heavy metal riffs, it also has this Indie/Garage vibe which is quite natural because we are basically an indie/garage band from 21st century that loves doing things in DIY way.
However, above all those things, the most important thing about this album is its SPIRITUAL element. The music in this album is designed to give you this "Spiritual Uplifting" feeling. I don't know how to describe this, but in a nutshell, this album makes you happy, cheerful, full of hope and spiritually high. I don't know if you would agree but I personally think that is what "Christian music" is supposed to be.
As you see, this album "Revive The World" has some cool artwork/album cover. One of our Japanese heavy metal friends who was also a painter did this artwork for us. I don't know if this artwork could be called "Christian" or not, but it definitely has some cool "spiritual" vibe and it fits very well with the music on this album. We have already got some very good responses about this artwork and arguably this is one of the best artwork we have got for our music.
Our music have been always "personal" since we are an indie band that focuses more on people's everyday life than big things on TV and newspaper, also because we always wanted to sing about "personal" relationship between us and God. However, this may be the last we make music in this manner. We are already working on our next album, after finishing recording this "Revive The World", but that next album is going to be a little bit different.
Our next album/project is called "Jesus Wind" at this point. That will be a "concept album" about Japanese history. Japanese History from a Christian viewpoint. That album, of course, will be "kicking ass" heavy metal album, but probably not as "fun" as its previous works. It would be HEAVY, it would be INTENSE, but it sometimes be "sad" because it is based on history. And our human history has often been, sad.
Some of you may know and some may not, but I always said openly "I will quit this band after we have made a concept album about history of Japan". I said it because making a concept album based on our own history would be a really difficult task. I thought we would never be able to do that.
However, now we are working on it. Not to be worried, as we don't have a plan to call it quits so far. Quite opposite, we have a further plan after that. After we have successfully made the concept album (if we could), our next direction will be towards more to Japanese traditional music. When we say "traditional", it does not mean acoustic folk music using Koto and Shamisen. It would be still heavy metal music. But we probably will be going for more "tribal" Japanese stuff.
So we are going for "bigger" things, so to speak, after this new album "Revive The World". That's why I said this may be the last album we play and sing about "personal" stuff, our own personal life and personal relationship between God. We will probably singing more about History, Nation, Japan, its people and its relationship between God. Future as well as Past, and maybe just a little bit of Politics. It would be a difficult task. I'm not even sure if I want to do that. But yes, it will be more for Japanese people, rather than playing internationally and singing in English.
We have made/recorded so much music, so many independently recorded albums so far. Those music were very personal.
If you want "Christian Heavy Metal" albums singing about this spiritual uplifting relationship between us and God, just listen to this new album "Revive The World" or pick up one of those albums we did since 2008, "Victory In Christ", "Japan Metal Jesus" and "Heroes EP". They were the Christian metal records we have made, singing about God's glory on a personal level, singing mostly in English language for international audience.
Or if you want "Japanese rock" albums which are about Japanese life, just pick up one of those albums we (or Tak did by himself) made 1998-2006, such as "Hero of the Lights", "Entering The New World", "Kodomo Metal" and "fireworks". They are also very personal music, from a boy grew up in a local city in Japan. These music are sometimes based on metal, sometimes based on alternative and, of course, sometimes based on J-pop. They are sung in Japanese language in Japanese cultural context and not necessarily for international audience, but they are yet very important "spiritual" messages from Imari Tones. Those music are on our BandCamp page too, but now we have a plan to "revamp" some of these old "Japanese" albums, remixing songs and re-record some tracks. We will release them on iTunes and other outlets when we finished working on them. I'm not sure if you people are interested in these "Japanese" albums we made before 2006, but we want to present them in a right way sometime in a future.
Those music are all personal, from bottom of our heart, it's our offering of LOVE. It IS our life, literally, as we have put so much effort on this music for a long time.
Starting now we will be working on "History" album, and "Traditional/Tribal" project after that.
It will be a tough work. God only knows if we can do that.
But well, for now, we are very happy to give you "Revive The World". I want you to celebrate together. Because, just like I told you above, this is definitely our musical goal, musical height and culmination of our personal Love, Faith, and Music.
We hope to be more successful and be able to tour in more places. Not only in Japan, not only in USA, but also in Asia, Europe and South America. We want to visit you and we want to see you. So now I'm praying to God.
Thank you for reading this long email/blog and thank you for bearing my "Not So Perfect" English. I really hope my English is correct.
Thank you very much,
God bless you all.
Please God guide us all so that we can make a better future according to Your Will and Your Plan.
In Jesus' Name.
Tak / Imari Tones
