Duel Jewel is a five-member Japanese rock (j-rock) band, currently independent. They are gaining popularity both in Japan and the United States, however, and may make it to mainstream eventually.
Current Members:
Hayato(隼人) -
Vocals
Shun -
Guitar
Yuya(裕弥) -
Guitar
Natsuki -
Bass
VAL -
Drums
Shun is the leader of the band, having created it originally, and he writes most of the music. Hayato writes lyrics to some of the songs and occasionally contributes to the music.
History/Member Changes Summary:
The band was originally formed by Shun in 1997 with four members, Shun, Val, Psy, and one other person who soon left. Hayato joined and then Takashi joined and became the new guitarist. In the middle of 1998, Hayato and Psy left, and Duel Jewel existed with just three members until early 1999, when Ka-non joined as the new bassist. Soon after, Takashi left and started his own band, and then Hayato rejoined the band. In the middle of 1999 the band acquired Yuya as a support guitarist; he did not officially join the band until late 2000. At this point the band was almost the same as it is currently except for Ka-non instead of Natsuki on bass. In this configuration the band released its first full cd, Lapidary, in August 2001. At the end of 2001, however, Ka-non left but was almost immediately replaced with Natsuki as a support bassist at the beginning of 2002. Soon after that he became an official member and the band was as it is currently. The band's second album, Noah, was released September 25, 2002.
Discography:
黒 (
kuroi -
black)
Demo Tape - Released April 2000
01 -
Bloody Mazenda
02 - 暗幕 (
anmaku -
blackout curtain)
03 -
Nauthiz
白 (
shiroi -
white)
Demo Tape - Released July 2000
01 -
SEPIA
02 -
Chaste Sin
03 - 永遠に夢を重ねて (
towa ni yume wo kasanete - repeating
dreams to
eternity)
04 - 絆～
pray to gray～ (
kizuna -
bonds)
Lapidary
1st
Album - Released August 2001
01 - Sp1: “
Suns of Sanctuary”
02 - 暗幕 (
anmaku -
blackout curtain)
03 -
Nauthiz
04 - RED BEASTを殺せ! (
RED BEAST wo korose! - Kill the
Red Beast!)
04 - 沈黙 (
chinmoku -
silence)
05 - 絆～pray to gray～ (
kizuna -
bonds)
06 -
Promise
07 - 「悦」 (
"etsu" - joy/
rapture"
08 - 永遠に夢を重ねて (
towa ni yume wo kasanete - repeating
dreams to
eternity)
09 - 月と戯れ (
tsuki to tawamure -
flirting with the moon)
10 - Sp2: “
Night to suns”
Noah
Mini-Album - Released September 25, 2002
01 - Sp3: “
Ark in the chaos”
02 -
Binah(crow)
03 - 暁-akatsuki- (
akatsuki -
dawn)
04 -
Chaste Sin
05 - 滅びの海に沈みゆくもの (
horobi no umi ni shizumiyuku mono - those that sink into a
sea of destruction)
06 -
Noah
07 - 生命の輝き (
seimei no kagayaki -
brilliance of life)
Sources:
http://www.visunavi.com/artist.html?artist_id=94 (in
Japanese)
http://www.vkacademy.com/History.html - Translated version of the
chronology on the visunavi site but it is
incomplete as it stops at the beginning of 2002.
http://www.dueljewel.net -
Official Website (in
Japanese)
http://www.dueljewel.com -
Fan Site
Noah and
Lapidary lyric booklets