VAMPS

About VAMPS

VAMPS is the name of the band formed by HYDE (L’Arc~en~Ciel) and K.A.Z (Oblivion Dust). HYDE and K.A.Z have been working together on HYDE’s solo work since 2003. After years of collaboration, the two finally decided to form their own band and agreed that there was no better way to announce VAMPS than getting out in front of the fans right away. Their first nationwide tour of Japan, "VAMPS LIVE 2008", kicked off at Zepp Tokyo. Between August 1, 2008 and October 28, 2008, VAMPS played 46 shows at the prestigious Zepp live houses throughout Japan. 46 shows in just 3 months is a rough schedule indeed! The tour was totally organized by VAMPS and the venues were custom decorated by spray paint such as the now-famous VAMPS castle. The band played 6 to10 shows at each Zepp venue and every single show was sold out! The continuous string of sold out shows were unprecedented and had never taken place during any other Zepp live house tour before. Come and see for yourself what is sure to be another colossal collaboration between HYDE and K.A.Z! VAMPS ROCKS!

Members

HYDE – vocals, guitar
K.A.Z – guitar

List of VAMPS Episodes

Episode	Title	Release	Prerelease
VAMPS
001	I GOTTA KICK START NOW PV	-	-

Detailed Information

• Genres: japanese, rock, hard rock, alternative rock, pop punk, progressive rock, jrock, jpop
• Publisher: Maverick DC Group

Click Here for the VAMPS iTunes Store

About HYDE (Guitar & Vocals)

Vocalist for the Japanese superstar rock band L'Arc~en~Ciel, HYDE has also been working on other projects vigorously since his solo debut in 2001.

His first solo album, "Roentgen", (X-ray in German) hit the streets in 2002. It contained 3 singles, "Evergreen", "Angel's Tale", and "Shallow Sleep". In 2003, HYDE released his 4th and 5th solo singles, "Hello", and "Horizon", both from the December released "666" album. “666” was his first collaborative work with K.A.Z. In 2004, HYDE took his first solo tour for the "666" album and released an English version of the "Roentgen" album as well as a DVD entitled "Roentgen Stories".

2005 was a busy year for HYDE. He composed “Glamorous Sky”, the theme song for the highly successful movie “NANA”. He also released his 6th single "Countdown" and his 7th single, “Season’s Call”, early in 2006. Both singles topped the Japanese charts and marked the continued success of his partnership with K.A.Z.

In April 2006, following the release of his 3rd album, “FAITH”, HYDE went on his second nationwide solo tour, “HYDE TOUR 2006 FAITH”, which sold out instantly. Later on in 2006, he also performed in 4 shows on the West Coast of the U.S.A., which also sold out instantly. Near the end of 2006, HYDE rejoined his L'Arc~en~Ciel band mates for a few exclusive 15th Anniversary performances.

In 2007 HYDE was back in the studio with L'Arc~en~Ciel recording and then touring all over Japan, finishing the year with large arena shows in Japan's biggest cities. In 2008, HYDE continued his work with L'Arc~en~Ciel, but spent most of the year focusing on starting up VAMPS with K.A.Z. By the middle of 2008, the pair had 2 new smash hit songs to add to their many accolades, “LOVE ADDICT”, and “TIME GOES BY”.


About K.A.Z (Guitar)

K.A.Z formed the band Oblivion Dust in 1996 and debuted in 1997 with 3 singles, "Sucker", "Numb", and "Falling", off the album "Looking for Elvis" released the same year. In 1998, K.A.Z joined the band "Hide with Spread Beaver" and released 2 singles, "Rocket Dive", and "Pink Spider". He also released two more singles as a member of Oblivion Dust, "Therapy", and "Trust" from the album "Misery Days."

In 1999 K.A.Z and Oblivion Dust released 4 more singles, "Blurred", "You", "Goodbye", "Crazy", and a music video for the song "Overdose", all from the album, "Reborn." 2000 saw another single, "Designer Fetus", and an album titled "Butterfly Head". The next year, Oblivion Dust released their Best-Of album, "Radio Songs". Shortly thereafter, the group disbanded.

In 2002, K.A.Z formed the rock unit Spin Aqua with vocalist/model/actress Anna Tsuchiya, producing three singles and one album, "Pisces". Soon after, K.A.Z started to co-write and co-produce songs with HYDE. For HYDE’s 3rd solo album, “FAITH”, he wrote 5 songs including the single “SEASON’S CALL” and co-produced all songs. K.A.Z then accompanied HYDE on his "Faith" tour as a guitarist throughout 2006. In 2007, K.A.Z and 2 of the 3 previous members of Oblivion Dust decided to get back together. They spent most of the year writing and recording their January 2008 self-titled release, "Oblivion Dust." As a follow up to their new release, Oblivion Dust went on tour to signify their reformation.

While still actively working with Oblivion Dust, K.A.Z and HYDE now focus almost exclusively on VAMPS.

In April 2009, VAMPS announced their "VAMPS Live 2009 U.S.A. Tour." The tour will cover 10 U.S. cities from July 11 - August 1. The official tour website is www.vampsliveusa.com

In an interview before they left Japan, HYDE and K.A.Z. expressed their feelings about the tour (in English) with, "We are Ready" and "Do my best" respectively.[1]. HYDE also added, "I’ve been looking forward to this. We will put on an unforgettable performance, so please come and see us." K.A.Z. finished up the interview with, "We’re finally heading for our U.S. tour. I couldn’t wait for this day to come! Get ready to rumble☆".



Albums
VAMPS (June 10, 2009)

Singles
Love Addict (July 2, 2008)
I gotta kick start now (March 13, 2009)
Evanescent (May 13, 2009)
Sweet Dreams (September 30, 2009)

DVD
VAMPS LIVE 2008 (February 4, 2009)