Xecsnoin (pronounced "Zeksnoin") began as a typical visual kei act, but gradually became one of the more important Japanese melodic death bands, retaining a presence on the country's metal scene despite a myriad of lineup problems that nearly did them in a couple of times. The group was started in 2001 by vocalist Loki, guitarists Jin and K, bassist Jun, and drummer Yousuke, and went through a long formation period: K was swiftly replaced by Shin-01, who stuck around for a year before giving up his slot for Nobunaga. The new guitarist stayed with Xecsnoin until 2004, when he left along with Yousuke, putting the group on the brink of disbandment. However, the band was helped out by Miyabi on drums, and Zakuro of Kaosu & Cerberos joined on the guitar. In 2005, Hi_o [sic] became the permanent drummer, and Xecsnoin, which already had a lot of live experience and some demos and singles under their belt, was finally able to release a full-length, XecsplosioN. Soon another round of lineup trouble began, however: Loki quit after a 2006 tour, during which Hi_o was fired, forcing the band to rely on session drummers. Xecsnoin teetered on the brink of a split again, but persevered: bassist Jun filled as the vocalist, and Aki of Babylon and Masato of Fantom played with the band until it finally secured K.K. as the permanent drummer in 2008. Before that, the group added Zen as the vocalist. The new lineup debuted with the single "Thirsty" in 2008, and in 2009, Xecsnoin released their second full-length, Engraved. ~ Alexey Eremenko