Siam Shade was a five-piece Japanese rock band. They broke onto the visual kei scene alongside a multitude of other artists in the early 1990's, enjoying a decade of relative popularity on the Japanese music scene before disbanding in early 2002. Siam Shade is best known as the band who performed "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou", one of the many ending themes of Rurouni Kenshin, a popular anime series.
The band was formed in 1991 by Natin and Hideki (then known as Chack), 2 high school comrades with an affinity for music. Their aspirations started to become a reality in 1992, when they met guitarist Kazuma at a talent show. After seeing his performance, Hideki and Natin recruited the guitarist into the band, settling on "Siam Shade" as a moniker. Local drummer Ataru, nicknamed "AA", completed the lineup, and the group began touring, playing small clubs and local venues. Shortly afterwards, Hideki called on his former roommate and one-time band member Daita to fill in the lead guitar slot. Siam Shade soon caught the eye of Luna Sea vocalist Ryuichi Kawamura. Impressed with the band's self-titled demo tape and live performances, he expressed interest in touring with the group. The 2 bands embarked on a 3-month tour together at the end of 1993.
Siam Shade underwent a brief lineup change in 1994 when AA left the band and was promptly replaced by Jun-ji, solidifying the group's lineup until their disbandment. Later that year, the band re-released their demo tape to a much wider audience, leaving Japan's indies scene behind en route to major label success. Roughly one year later, the band signed with Sony Music Entertainment Japan and released their second album, Siam Shade II. The album was met with favorable reactions, and the success of the album's two singles, "Rain" and "Time's", helped to solidify the band's presence on the Japanese rock scene. The band became known by virtue of both their virtuosity and song-writing skills, citing Dream Theater and other American rock bands as their primary influences.
The band burst into the mainstream in late 1996 when "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou", a single from their latest album, Siam Shade IV, was selected for use in the credits of the anime series Rurouni Kenshin. The song's popularity led to increased ticket sales, concert DVDs, and television appearances.
The band continued to release albums and DVDs well into the next decade. In 2002, while touring in support of their recently released compilation albums, the band announced that they would be disbanding in favor of pursuing solo efforts. Siam Shade's 10-year career came to an end on March 11, 2002 in Budokan. Later that month, the band released their final album, Siam Shade X, a compilation of all the band's previous releases.
Siam Shade held a reunion concert on November 18, 2007 at Nippon Budokan, in honor of their manager who passed away the previous April. The band stated that the reunion was a one-off event, and would not pave the way for a new single or album release.
Members
* Hideki Imamura - Vocals
* Kazuma Endo - Rhythm Guitar/Backing Vocals
* Daita Ito - Lead Guitar
* Yasushi Nakagawa (Natin) - Bass
* Junji Sakuma (Jun-ji) - Drums
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