Balzac
Balzac (typeset as BALZAC) is a Japanese punk band formed in 1992 in Kyoto. The band was founded by singer and songwriter Hirosuke Nishiyama, who has remained the only constant member of the band since its creation. Since the beginning, Balzac was highly influenced by the sound and image of the famous horror punk band The Misfits and, especially during the very early years, Glenn Danzig's Samhain, adopting and combining the musical and visual style of both bands to create their own. The band often stays away from the "campy" horror lyrics and image found in most horror punk bands, as the lyrics by Hirosuke tend to be more like dark poetry and, though not always serious, deal with themes of darkness, loneliness and fear.
The band has gained a certain amount of recognition and exposure outside of their native country, where they are well known. Currently they have five official clothing brands (Shocker!!!, Dementia 13, Culture, XXXxxx and Balzac) with one store in Japan, plus three online stores (Shocker Webstore, Shocker World Wide and Shocker EU). They also have their own official record label called Evilegend 13 Records on which they have released EPs, singles and videos. Balzac is also well known for its toy releases, some created by the companies T.W.I.M. and Secret Base, and its extensive discography and side-projects.
The current lineup of the band consists of Hirosuke Nishiyama (vocals), Atsushi Nakagawa (guitar/chorus), Akio Imai (bass/chorus) and Takayuki Manabe (drums/digital effects/chorus). Musically the band has drawn from punk, pop, industrial and noise, across their various releases.
Releases
Images - Coming soon...
Tracklist: The Unofficial Best Works Of Balzac #3 Akio's Personal Selection
| No. | Title | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Diabolos From Single "Lord Of The Light And Of The Darkness" | |
| 2 | Atom-Age Vampire In 308 From Single "Atom Age Vampire In 308" | |
| 3 | Girl From Horrorwood From Album "The Last Men On Earth" | |
| 4 | Fiendish Ghouls From Various Artists Album "Total Insubordination" | |
| 5 | Isolation From No.13 From Single "Isolation From No.13" | |
| 6 | Wall From Album "Deep -Teenagers From Outer Space-" | |
| 7 | Nowhere #13 From Album "13 Stairway-The Children Of The Night-" | |
| 8 | No Resistance 1968 From Split Album "Oldevils-Legend Of Blood" | |
| 9 | Sorrow 9 From Single "Into The Light Of The 13 Dark Night" | |
| 10 | Unvarnished Facts From Album "全能ナル無数ノ眼ハ死ヲ指サス" | |
| 11 | The Pain Is All Around From Album "Came Out Of The Grave" | |
| 12 | 虐殺ノ向コウ側 From Mini Album "Dark-ism" | |
| 13 | Alone From Album "Deep Blue: Chaos From Darkism II" | |
| 14 | Pray From Album "Hatred: Destruction = Construction" | |
| 15 | The Bleeding Black From Album "Blackout" | |
| 16 | Bloodsucker From Album "Bloodsucker" | |
| 17 | Wonderwall From Album "Bloodsucker" |