Nil

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About Nil

Nil is a project of guitarist/vocalist Tetsu Takano, primarily known for his involvement with the classic visual kei band Malice Mizer, as well as stints in Mega8Ball and Zigzo ("nil" is interpreted as an acronym for "native irreligious language"). Tetsu, who is the sole songwriter and lyricist for Nil, ditched Malice Mizer-style over the top gothicism in favor of an energetic alt-rock/punk approach. Tetsu originally started Nil in 1998 as a side project, with Moro Kyoshii (drums) and Kashimoto Hiroyuki (bass) as the rhythm section, but that version of Nil lasted less than a year and folded without releasing anything. The band really got off the ground in 2002, when the same lineup hit the studio to record the EPs Nil from Hell and Sayonara DaVinci, both out within three months. Some touring and another EP, Down to Dawn, in 2003 warmed Nil up for the release of their first full album, 12inplosion (2004), with the song "Hate Beat" picked for the theme of a TV quiz show. After the end of the Touring Inferno set of shows in January 2005, both Kyoshii and Hiroyuki left, but that didn't prevent Nil's second album, Excalibur, from being released three months later. After it was out, Tetsu mustered up a new rhythm section, which included bassist Kobayashi Masaru, who played in Soy Sauce Sonix, SADS, Tower, and Slow, and former Oblivion Dust member and Hyde's support drummer Ofuruton Sota. Sota returned to Hyde in November 2005 -- the same time that Nil released a pair of EPs, Scherzo and Agape, the latter being a limited-edition CD -- and Sota's place was taken by Kazama Hiroyuki of Fantastic Designs, whose inclusion stabilized the band, allowing it to focus on touring and recording. They didn't miss the opportunity: in 2006 Nil put out three EPs; in 2007 they released an EP and third album The Pain Killer; and their fourth and fifth full-lengths, The Great Spirits and Multiness, both followed in 2008. ~ Alexey Eremenko

ORIGIN
Japan
FORMED
1998
GENRE
Rock

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