Kannivalism formed in Kanagawa, Japan, in 2001 but lasted only six months, releasing one single release before disbanding, vocalist Ryo and guitarist Kei going on to form the punk-lite four-piece, Baroque. Kannivalism then re-emerged in 2005 and quickly caught the attention of Avex Trax, for whom they released their debut album, Nu Age, in 2007. Sometimes misleadingly characterized as a visual kei act, Kannivalism have little in common with genre standard bearers such as the heavier sounding, more androgynous-looking Psycho le Cemu or D'espairsRay, although Ryo's nasally voice does bear comparison with such acts. Formerly both roadies, Ryo and Kei's first musical incarnation was in Clarity, a band the duo formed in 2000. When drummer Kiri and bassist 8342 -- later known by the more prosaic-sounding moniker, Yuchi -- joined the fold, the quartet adopted the name Kannivalism and released their debut single, "Kannivalism Ittekimasu" before going their separate ways. Ryo and Kei's new outfit, Baroque, achieved a certain amount of success but the two decided to go back to their roots in 2005 and recruited Yuchi to resurrect the Kannivalism name from the dead as a drummerless trio. Live shows ensued, and they released the mini-album Soko Humority, which entered the Top 20 of the Oricon charts, in April 2006. That fall, the single "Ritori," a slowish rocker that seemed to borrow a guitar riff from the Nirvana songbook, performed even better, sending Kannivalism into the Top Ten. In 2007 Kannivalism covered "Love Song" for a Luna Sea tribute album, which was followed the next year with the release of the group's first live DVD. However, the hospitalization of singer Ryo due to depression forced the band to post-pone their activities for 12 months. During this hiatus, Kei released an electronica-influenced solo album, Silk. Kannivalism returned in the summer 2008 as a four-piece, with drummer Mitsuya joining from Black Jack. ~ David Hickey