Corrupted

Corrupted
Corrupted
	;
Background information
Origin	Osaka, Japan
Genres	Sludge metal, drone metal, ambient, funeral doom metal, post-rock
Years active	1994 - Present
Labels	HG Fact, Frigidity, Nostalgia Blackrain
Associated acts	Boredoms, Concrete Octopus, Hanadensha, Secret Goldfish, Earth Federation, Gihan, Birushanah, begottened, Ruins-Hatova
Website	Archived official page.
Band Logo

Corrupted are a japanese sludge/doom band, active since 1994. They are notable for slow doom metal with lyrics mostly sung in Spanish (though some songs contain sections in Japanese or English) and their antipathy towards any form of mainstream attention even within their own genre, especially their adamant refusal to do any form of interviews or professional photo shoots.

Along with their native Japan they have toured Europe and the United States with a career spanning over 20 years. Despite their reclusive nature they are critically acclaimed among doom and sludge circles.

Much of Corrupted's discography appears on split albums, which they share with other doom metal bands or often with grindcore bands. The band is known for its ability to produce songs of virtually any length; their longest album El mundo frio consists of a single song substantially longer than an hour, while their shortest song, "Reset", recorded for a homeless benefit compilation, clocks in at 1:46. The band has worked in spoken word, acoustic breaks and ambient passages into their nadir of sludge as well. Corrupted's albums typically contain extensive liner notes in the form of bleak black-and-white photographs, often real-life scenes of war-torn areas or other depictions of human suffering.

History

Due to the band's mysterious nature and policy, information on the band's history is always going to be a mystery in parts. It is known that the band was started in 1994 by Hevi, Talbot, Monger, Chew and Yokota. Throughout 1995 the band released three EPs and a split with Grief, detailing their usage of Spanish language and iconography despite being Japanese. A tour of Japan in September 1996 with Disassociate and Tokyo band Hellchild followed throughout Japan.

In 1997 the band would release their debut album in Paso inferior, a 42-minute single song. The band would follow up with a tour of the United States in October that year entitled the Fuck The U.S.A. Tour with Hellchild, Disassociate and Noothgrush. More split releases and member changes would follow before three more studio albums would come: Llenandose de gusanos in 1999, Se hace por los suenos asesinos in 2004 and El mundo frio in 2005.

The next few years would follow with tours of Europe and the United States, two more EPs in Vasana and An Island Insane with the intent of a new album in the works. By the time the band's fifth album Garten der Unbewusstheit was finished, longtime guitarist Talbot and vocalist Hevi had left the band in 2010 and 2012, leaving Chew and Yokota as the sole original members. The loss of his voice, a key of the bands sound, caused the band to struggle for years while trying to find a replacement. During these years Corrupted live performances became more sporadic with new vocalist Taiki (Or fill-in vocalists when Taiki was unavailable).

In spring 2015 it seemed for a moment as if the band overcame this trouble and they produced their first release in years with the 7" Loss. The singer did not join and Corrupted stopped performing for a while and Chew concentrated for almost a year on his solo project begottened. Despite the setbacks in March 2016 Corrupted toured Japan alongside Noothgrush.

On 9 January 2018 a new EP by Corrupted was announced in the form of Felicific Algorithim, set for a 16 February release on 12" LP via Cold Spring. In vein to the band's own policies it features no promotional samples or digital download but both untitled tracks can be played at any speed to the listener's desire and interpretation. The EP is considered to be the first in the "Hollow" series.^[1]

Musical style

Corrupted plays a form of slow doom metal with lyrics mostly sung in Spanish, though some songs contain sections in Japanese or English. Also, their songs also feature the use of inconventional instruments like the acoustic guitar, the harp and keyboards. An example can be found on their 71-minute song "El mundo frio". On Nonelouder.com, Iann Robinson wrote "Right when you think you can peg Corrupted as an all Doom band they release a lush acoustic set within their bleak musical landscape."

Policy

Corrupted is adamant in their policy to never do any form of interviews or professional photo shoots (Though live photos and videos of live performances do exist), adding to the generally reclusive nature of the band. This is their policy and ethos as follows:

“	“We've never done an interview and we don't let professional photographers take our picture. This is our policy—more an attitude—that we'd like to keep. Our expression of being Corrupted is in the sound, lyrics and artwork of our records. Of course, we always appreciate the people who buy our records, see us play and support us along with the fanzines, labels, distributors and event planners. We do not reject all media, or bash writers who express themselves through articles or reviews. All are free and it's only through our personal expression of using the media that we exclude interviews.”	”
	— Corrupted, Official Statement

Discography

Studio Albums

Paso inferior (1997, Frigidity Discos)
Llenandose de gusanos (1999, HG Fact)
Se hace por los suenos asesinos (2004, HG Fact)
El mundo frio (2005, HG Fact)
Garten der Unbewusstheit (2011, Nostalgia Blackrain)

Splits

with Grief (1995), HG Fact)
with Black Army Jacket (1997, Frigidity Discos)
with Enemy Soil (1997, HG Fact)
with Noothgrush (1997, Reservoir)
with Scarver's Calling (1999, Gouge Records)
with Phobia (1999, Rhetoric Records / Deaf American Recordings)
with Meat Slave (2000, HG Fact)
with Machetazo (2000, Frigidity Records)
with Sloth (2000, self-released)
with Discordance Axis and 324 (2001, HG Fact)
with Cripple Bastards (2002, HG Fact)
with Infaust (2002, Blind Date)

EPs

Anciano (1995, Japan Overseas)
El dios queja (1995, Tag Rag)
Nadie (1995, Third Culture)
Dios injusto (1999, Frigidity Discos)
La victima es tu mismo (2001, View Beyond Records)
Vasana (2007, HG Fact)
An Island Insane (2007, HG Fact)
Loss (2015, Crust War)
Felicific Algorithim (2018, Cold Spring)

Compilation Appearances

Raggle Taggle (1996, Tag Rag)
Una de gato cuerno de vaca (1996, Tee Pee Records)
Painkiller vol. 1 (1996, Devastating Soundworks)
Reality No.3 (1999, Deep Six Records)
Homeless Benefit EP (1999, Bad Card Records)
Twin Threat to Your Sanity (2001, Bad People Records)

Members

Current Members

Chew Hasegawa — Drums, Lyrics (1994 - Present)
Mark Yokota — Guitars, Bass (1994 - Present)
Ippei Suda — Bass, Acoustic Guitars, Engineering (2011 - Present)
Mother Sii - Vocals (2015 - Present)

Former Members

Hevi — Vocals (1995 - 2010)
Taiki — Vocals (2011 - 2014)
Yasushi Yoshida — Live Vocals
Takaho — Live Vocals
Kawabata — Live Vocals
Rie lambdoll — Live Vocals
Talbot — Guitar (1995 - 2012)
Takehito Miyagi — Keyboards (Studio Only)
Monger — Bass (1994 - 1996)
Jose — Bass (1996 - 2002)
Shibata Sougyo — Bass (2004)
Lowell Isles — Bass
Katsumi Hiryu — Bass

Tours

September 1996 Japan Tour (With Disassociate, Hellchild) (1996)^[2]
Fuck The U.S.A. Tour (With Disassociate, Hellchild, Noothgrush) (1997)^[3]
Asunder/Corrupted Japan Tour (With Asunder) (2006)^[4]
2008 European Tour (2008)
Asunder/Corrupted United States Tour (With Asunder) (2008)
2009 European Tour (2009)
2015 European Tour (2015)
Noothgrush/Corrupted Japan Tour (With Noothgrush) (2016)

External Links

References

↑ Cold SpringAccessed 9 January 2018
↑ Disassociate via Wayback MachineAccessed 23 December 2016
↑ Disassociate via Wayback MachineAccessed 23 December 2016
↑ BravewordsAccessed 23 December 2016

[1] Cold SpringAccessed 9 January 2018

[2] Disassociate via Wayback MachineAccessed 23 December 2016

[3] Disassociate via Wayback MachineAccessed 23 December 2016

[4] BravewordsAccessed 23 December 2016

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