IMARi ToNES -The First Christian Heavy Metal from Japan-: November 2017

Thursday, November 16, 2017

Jesus Wind is released!! Press Release!!

Our new album "Jesus Wind" is released!!

The concept album about Japanese Christian history, now available on major online music stores such as iTunes, Spotify and Amazon.

Thanks to your support, our IndieGoGo campaign was successfully funded and we made the CDs. They are available on BandCamp!!

https://imaritones.bandcamp.com/album/jesus-wind

Here is our press release on Jesus Wind album!!!

Thank you very much!!!

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For Immediate Release

Contact: Tak Nakamine

Email: mail@imaritones.net

Date: November 16, 2017

Title: Japanese Christian Metal Band IMARI TONES releases new album “Jesus Wind”, a concept album about Japanese history

Yokohama, Japan - November 16, 2017 - Japanese Christian heavy metal band Imari Tones releases new album titled “Jesus Wind” to discover the unknown spiritual history of Japan

Japanese Christian rock band (virtually the only active Christian metal band in the Buddhist nation) Imari Tones has released their new album titled “Jesus Wind” on November 9th 2017. According to the band, “Jesus Wind” is a concept album about Japanese history from a Christian point of view. Imari Tones was formed as a band in 2004 and became a Christian rock band with current lineup (Tak, Hassy, Jake) in 2008. The band has toured both in Japan and USA, while recording many albums independently.

After releasing the former studio album “Revive the World” in 2015, Tak (guitars/vocals) was interested in Japanese history and came up with an idea for the album. He says, “We wondered if it’s possible to make a concept album. A concept album to focus on Japanese history from a Christian point of view. So many Japanese people think Christianity is Western/European religion. But we don’t necessarily think that way. In fact, essence of Christianity was carried to Japan in many ways. For example, if you read the book “Bushido” by Inazo Nitobe, you can see Bushido (Samurai's code) has so much in common with Christianity. Also it is widely known that Japanese Buddhism in medieval age was influenced by Christianity. “ After intense rehearsals and 5 months of recording work, Jesus Wind was finally finished.

The album consists of 3 parts: Past, Present and Future. This is because the band decided to write not only about the past, but also about the future, in order to convey the message of hope. The Present part gives the listener a feeling of tension and reality, through the songs about the ongoing events like Fukushima Nuclear Power Plant incident in 2011 and political turmoil in the current world. The future part has almost prophecy-like overtone, with spiritual utopian songs like “Revolution” and “New Jerusalem”.

Although playing in “Christian Metal” genre, Imari Tones is also known for its diverse music styles, often progressive with a similarity to Rush and Yes. But they focused more on straightforward heavy metal style on this album. As a result “Jesus Wind” is the heaviest and most intense heavy metal album Imari Tones has made so far. “Repent”, the lead single and the first music video from the album, is nothing short of a loud & clear statement as a Christian metal band from the East. It is not a coincidence that Tak quotes the Bible verse from Isaiah 42 in the song “Revolution”; Sing to the Lord a new song, and His praise from the ends of the earth, You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it, You coastlands and you inhabitants of them!

The album is available on iTunes and BandCamp, as well as on digital streaming outlets such as Spotify, Google Play, and Apple Music. Physical CDs are available on BandCamp, where you can buy directly from the band.

Track List:

“Past”

1. Jee-You

2. Dying Prophet

3. God’s People

4. Saints Seeking Salvation

5. Bushido

“Present”

6. The War

7. The Peace

8. Remembrance

9. The Wave

10. When The Nation Falls

“Future”

11. This is How Freedom Dies

12. Repent

13. Don’t Stop Walking

14. Revolution

15. New Jerusalem

Imari Tones website:

http://www.imaritones.net/

Imari Tones Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/imaritones

Imari Tones Twitter:

http://twitter.com/imaritones

Imari Tones YouTube channel:

http://www.youtube.com/imaritones

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Releasing "Jesus Wind" Now on BandCamp

Releasing new album "Jesus Wind"!!

Now it's on BandCamp!!

https://imaritones.bandcamp.com/album/jesus-wind

We will ship it internationally, just like we always did.

For the CDs, other than BandCamp we will set up CDbaby soon. (It will take some time though)

For digital stores and streaming services (iTunes, Amazon, Spotify, etc), it will be available sometime next week. (Possibly this weekend, for some stores)

Meanwhile this is a THANKS message video from us.

We have already shipped the CDs to our backers on IndieGoGo.

Thank you very much. Without your help we could not have made this album with a proper package.

This could the most important album we have ever made.

So be sure to check out!!

あるばむ"Jesus Wind"のリリース作業をしています。

とりあえずBandCampにのっけました。

iTunesやSpotifyなどにもsubmitしたので、数日以内には上がるかと。

今回は久々にCDbabyもセットアップしようかと思っています。

僕らはインディーバンドだし、いまどきリリースなんて言っても、何をどこまでやったらリリースしたことになるのかよくわからない。

これが昔とかメジャーとかであれば、音楽業界の流通システムみたいのがあって、そのシステムにのっけることを指してリリースと呼んでたと思いますが、今を生きるインディーの我々としては、ぼんやり少しずつ世に放っていくことを気を長くして続けていくことがリリース。そういう意味では一生リリース作業です。

というわけで、先日のスタジオ練習の際にサンキュー動画を撮ってみました。

すごいカタカナ発音で間違えまくって英語をしゃべってます。本当にごめんなさい(汗) でも、こんなにちゃんとしたCDが作れたので、皆さんには本当に感謝しています。IndieGoGoでbackしてくれた人々には既にCDもデジタルも発送を完了していますが、反響のメッセージとかコメントとか来ると本当に嬉しい。こういう気持ちの通じ合う感じが、インディで音楽やってる醍醐味かなと思います。いまだささやかな弱小バンドではありますが、喜びつつ歩みます。

感謝 in Christ. In Jesus name.

Tuesday, November 7, 2017

The CDs have arrived!!

Hello, this is Tak from Imari Tones.

Finally, the "Jesus Wind" CDs have arrived!!

They look great and sound great.

Everything is good.

It feels great to see this concept album in the complete form, with the nice package and artwork.

We say thank you very much.

With all your help, we could get this done and we are very happy.

Yesterday after the band rehearsal, we autographed those CDs.

For those people helped us on IndieGoGo, now we are going to ship them to you.

At the same time we will set up the digital downloads, too.

Again thank you very much.

We will try our best to present this album to the world, such as advertising, sending to media and stuff.

We appreciate if you help us spread the word.

Most of all, we hope you will like the album and the music.

Thank you and God bless you all!

Tak / Imari Tones (Japan)

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.