Ryujin (formerly known as GYZE, stylized as RYUJIN) is a metal band originated in Hokkaido, Japan. Coming from the very north of Japan the members of the band label themselves as "Northern Nostalgic Metal band".[1][2]
The metal trio consists of Ryoji Shinomoto (guitar/vocals/composer), Shuji Shinomoto (drums) and Aruta Watanabe (bass/vocals).[3] In early 2019 the band announced a new guitarist, SHINKAI, to be joining the band, while the drummer Shuji temporarily stopped his activities in the band, being substituted by a session drummer Han-nya.
Under the name GYZE, they released four full-length albums and three limited edition EPs.[4] A fifth studio album under their new name RYUJIN was announced on 13 September 2023.[5]
History
In May 2009 in Sapporo, Japan, two brothers—Ryoji and Shuji Shinomoto—formed the first incarnation of GYZE. Initially called Suicide Heaven, after Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster of 2011 the band was renamed to GYZE.
[6] Aruta was invited as a session bassist in 2013 and joined the band before their major debut with Victor Entertainment in autumn 2014.[7][8]
In 2012, GYZE advanced through the Metal Battle Japan event for the chance to play at one of the biggest metal festivals in the world, Wacken Open Air.[9]
Their music is characterized by fast-paced drums, easy to sing along lyrical guitar melodies with a bit of folk motifs, technical shredding, extreme growling vocals as well as by different traditional and classical instruments used in their recordings. Additionally, the band has put the recordings of their fans singing the choruses on some songs on the album Northern Hell Song (2017).[10][11]
In 2013, GYZE met Ettore Rigotti, a member of the Italian band Disarmonia Mundi, and started working together on GYZE's first full-format album. In June of that year, GYZE's debut album Fascinating Violence was released worldwide by Coroner Records, an Italian label owned and run by Ettore Rigotti.[12]
Immediately following its release, Fascinating Violence took the number one spot on Amazon's Hard Rock/Heavy Metal charts and held the position for 3 months (July – September 2013), and was a hot topic in Burrn! magazine's foreign record charts in its October 2013 issue.[13][14]
After their first foreign show held in Korea, GYZE made their Japanese debut in September 2014 with JVC (Victor Entertainment).[15][16] At the same time, contracts were signed with Evolution Music (Republic of Korea)[17][18] and Magnum (Taiwan)[19] to launch their Asian debut.
The band also signed a contract with Howling Bull,[20] an extreme band management company in Japan.[21]
In late 2014 they set off on the Final Violence Tour 2014 through Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan to support the Japanese release of Fascinating Violence. The final tour date was held in Tokyo, featuring Disarmonia Mundi's Claudio Ravinale.
In February 2015 the band's second album, Black Bride, also produced by Ettore Rigotti, was released in Japan, with a worldwide release in June 2015, through Coroner Records.
In 2015 GYZE organized Vanishing Heaven Fest, introducing Korean and Taiwanese metal bands to Japanese fans. Later that year, GYZE shared the stage with the American band Unearth.[22]
In May 2015, the band toured Japan for a second time, in support of their second full-format album, Black Bride. In September 2015, the tour continued as Gyze headed to Taiwan to play with DragonForce.[23] GYZE then went to Hong Kong to support Children of Bodom and Carcass during their Asia tour.[24][25]
2016 started off with GYZE supporting the Japanese tour of the band Soilwork.[27] GYZE then went on the BLACK FOX World Tour, which started in South Korea and continued in Europe, where GYZE participated in two big European metal festivals – Summer Breeze Open Air (Germany) and More // Than // Fest (Slovakia), becoming the first Japanese band ever performing on their stage. Tour finished with GYZE's first solo show in Europe, in Poland.[28]
In June 2016, GYZE joined a unique collaboration project of 100 musicians/bands organized by Akira Yamaoka, creating the soundtrack for a new PS4 Survival Action game Let It Die, developed by Grasshopper Manufacture, and delivered by GungHo Online Entertainment[1][2]
In March – April 2017, GYZE went on tour with the Finnish band Battle Beast and the German band Majesty, playing 36 shows in 15 countries around Europe.[29]
While on tour, GYZE release their 3rd full-format album, Northern Hell Song, through Universal Music Japan, Virgin Music.[30]
Supporting the release, the band embarked on a Japanese tour, playing 12 shows in spring and summer,[31] and 15 more shows around Japan in autumn during the Before Winter Comes tour.[32]
In 2018 GYZE become the first Japanese band to perform on the 70000 Tons of Metal cruise[33] and the Leyendas del Rock festival.[34]
On June 13 the band released their first official single "The Rising Dragon "龍吟"" (Jpn: ryugin; meaning: singing dragon). The title track is dedicated to the 150th Anniversary of GYZE motherland Hokkaido.[35]
In spring 2019 GYZE announced they would continue their activities with major line-up changes: the band was joined by a second guitarist, Shinkai, and the drummer Shuji temporarily puts his activities in the band on hold due to his health condition, being substituted by a session drummer Han-nya.[36]
In early June, GYZE released a title track from the album Asian Chaos with a music video on it. The 4th album Asian Chaos was released on July 10, 2019, through JVC/Victor Entertainment (Black Sheep Records).
Ryoji Shinomoto recorded vocals for the single and video "Eat Me, Drink Me, Follow Me" by the Russian band Above the Stars, which was released in November 2021.[37]
Name change to RYUJIN
On 31 January 2023, GYZE changed its name to RYUJIN, after the Japanese dragon god, and announced they had signed a worldwide contract with Napalm Records. They also announced that Trivium frontman Matt Heafy had agreed to become their manager and producer.[38] On 13 September, they announced their fifth studio album, also titled RYUJIN, and released the single "Raijin & Fujin" with Heafy providing guest vocals.[5]
Discography
As Gyze
Full-format albums
Fascinating Violence
Label: Victor Entertainment (Japan), Coroner Records (World)
Item ID number：CR 032 / VICL-64197
Release date:
04/06/2013 (World)
03/09/2014 (Japan, Republic of Korea, Taiwan)
Name
Track length
1. Desire
04:37
2. Desperately
03:28
3. Fascinating Violence
06:03
4. Regain
04:09
5. Trash My Enemy
04:35
6. A Dynasty
03:54
7. Final Revenge
05:17
8. Trigger of the Anger
05:11
9. Day of the Funeral
05:05
10. Midnight Darkness
03:58
11. The Black Era
01:26
Future Terror (Exclusive Bonus Track for JAPAN)
04:38
Last Insanity (Exclusive Bonus Track for JAPAN)
03:59
Black Bride
Label：Victor Entertainment (Japan), Coroner Records (World)
Item ID number：VICL-64303 / CR 037
Release date：
February 25, 2015 (JAPAN Edition)
09/06/2015 (Coroner Records Edition)
Name
Track length
1. Black Bride
04:59
2. In Grief
05:20
3. Honesty
05:05
4. Insane Brain
05:54
5. Black Shadow
05:19
6. Winter Breath
03:50
7. Twilight
04:31
8. Satanic Loop
05:39
9. Nanohana (菜の花)
05:27
10. Julius
05:45
11. Asuhenohikari (明日への光)
04:03
Gnosis (Exclusive Bonus Track For JAPAN)
04:11
Surface Tears (Exclusive Coroner Records Bonus Track)
04:21
Northern Hell Song
Label：Virgin music (UNIVERSAL Music Japan)
Item ID number：UICN-1089
Release date：March 29, 2017
Name
Track length
1. Pirates of Upas
05:13
2. Horkew
04:27
3. Dead Bone Blue
05:10
4. Black Shumari
03:21
5. Perryi Rain Dragon
04:25
6. Mayoi
02:43
7. The Bloodthirsty Prince
03:46
8. Kamuy
04:14
9. Brown Trout
05:53
10. Frozen Dictator
05:25
11. Northern Hell Song
06:18
12. Snow~Upas ~
02:45
Bonus Track: Moonlight Sonata
06:35
Asian Chaos
Label: Victor Entertainment, Black Sheep Records (Japan) [39]
Item ID number：VICL-65212
Release date:
10/07/2019 (Japan)
