About the GazettE
Hometown
Tokyo, Japan
Formed
January 14, 2002
Genre
Rock
Labelmates of such J-rock luminaries as Kagrra, Miyavi, and Alice Nine, the Gazette eventually surpassed all of them, riding the exponential growth of the Internet and attendant Western interest in the Japanese scene to become the biggest visual kei band in the world. (Dir en Grey were arguably bigger, but they had long since left their visual roots behind.) Specializing in alternative metal with a cinematic edge and a tendency for moderate stylistic experiments such as dabbling in jazz-rock, the quintet was formed in 2002 by vocalist Ruki, guitarists Uruha and Aoi, bassist Reita, and drummer Yune (he was replaced by Kai in 2003). All the members had previous band experience, but their starting period was still fraught with troubles, as their first label, Matina, collapsed in 2003. However, early material (their first single, "Wakaremichi," was released in April 2002) sufficed to get them a deal with the PS Company label. Stability was all the band needed, and by March 2004 they had five mini-albums out (the fifth, Madara, reached number two on the indie charts) and they'd performed a number of times, including a festival stint with D'espairsRay, Mucc, Miyavi, and Merry.
The year 2004 was marked by another burst of activity, but it was only after a debut individual tour and two DVDs that the Gazette finally released their first full-length studio album, Disorder, which reached number 19 on the Oricon charts -- a very respectable debut position for an indie band. Spending most of 2005 touring heavily, the band switched from writing its name in kana to the GazettE, in Latin letters. Signing to major-label King Records, they kick-started 2006 with their second album, Nil, which charted at number four and was followed by another huge tour (the Budokan show was sold out), as well as an international debut at an anime convention in Bohn, Germany. The cycle was repeated in 2007 with their third album Stacked Rubbish (number three on the album charts), a huge national tour, and a stint abroad, this time not just in Germany, but in England, Finland, and France, as well. In February 2008, the single "Guren" reached number two on the Oricon charts.
Their fourth album, 2009's Dim, was a sprawling, epic affair that reached number five on the Oricon charts and hugely increased their standing worldwide with releases both in Europe on CLJ Records and in the United States on Maru Music. The band spent most of the next year touring, then changed labels from King Records to Sony. They released a best-of album, Traces, early in 2011, followed by their fifth studio album, Toxic, later in the year. A tighter, harder, and more focused effort, it placed high on the charts and was also released in Europe. Shortly thereafter they went back into the studio. Forgoing singles this time around, they were ready to release yet another full-length, Division, just nine months later. It was released in Europe on JPU Records, which would handle many of their subsequent albums. Beautiful Deformity followed in 2013 and Dogma in 2015, before they took a break from writing for a while. For the 2017 compilation album Traces, Vol. 2, they re-recorded the best of their ballads. The Gazette's first new music in nearly three years came out in March 2018 with the surprise release of the single "Falling"; when its music video was uploaded onto the band's official website, it crashed due to the volume of traffic. Their uninspiringly titled ninth album, Ninth, followed in June, hitting number three on the Oricon charts and topping download charts across Europe. Concurrently, the bandmembers announced they were parting ways with PS Company and setting up their own firm, Heresy, Inc. Bassist Reita died on April 15, 2024, at the age of 42. ~ Alexey Eremenko & John D. Buchanan
Members of the GazettE include, or have included, Ruki.
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