Dezert

Dezert emerged in 2010 when vocalist Chiaki, guitarist Kira, bassist Saz, and drummer Tetsuro assembled the project as a short-term “session band.” After brief stints under the names And Emily and Acid Cherry King, the group settled on Dezert and made its official debut in 2012, by which point Sora—previously of Xodiack—had taken over the drum kit from Tetsuro. Their opening release, the single “Boku no Himitsu to Reizouko,” displayed an abrasive, sporadically melodic style steeped in nu-metal, paired with an understated gothic image that drew immediate notice. Two additional singles appeared before the end of that year, followed in 2013 by a pair of mini-albums that paved the way for the full-length Title Nashi (“Untitled”) in 2014. That debut consolidated the band’s heavier direction by folding in metalcore, death-metal, and hardcore-punk elements, and it expanded their audience, especially overseas.

Kira departed in 2015 and was succeeded by Miyako, late of Moran. The same year Dezert collected its run of “live-limited” singles on the anthology Zantaiteki Occult Shuukanshi; a second volume followed in 2016. Their next studio effort, Saikou no Shokutaku, also arrived in 2016 and pushed further into dissonant, experimental territory. By 2017 the quartet had secured a major-label contract with Maverick, a home to several leading visual-kei acts, and their 2018 album Today marked an abrupt pivot to bright, melody-driven pop/rock. Longtime supporters reacted with dismay, prompting Chiaki to issue a statement in which he explained that a year-long struggle with insomnia and severe mental distress had left him able to create only that kind of record at the time.