BLOOD STAIN CHILD plays melodic death metal, which is spiced up by synths and occasional hints of trance and techno. Over the years they have performed overseas many times and have worked with musicians and producers from around the world.
BLOOD STAIN CHILD was formed in Osaka in September 1999. Founding members RYO and RYU are brothers, while RYU and AKI first met as classmates. The band started with the name VISIONQUEST but changed it to BLOOD STAIN CHILD after some member changes.
Bassist/vocalist RYO showed impressive creativity right from the start, composing 30 songs during the band's first year together. BLOOD STAIN CHILD then recorded their very first demo and it, coupled with shows at local clubs, helped the band make contact with the legendary metal media person Captain Wada. Because of said contact, they were able to ink a deal with the label M&I.
In the autumn of 2001, the band recorded a theme song for the popular Japanese pro wrestler Kensuke Sasaki. Later that year, they also recorded a song for a compilation in celebration of the 30th anniversary of New Japan Pro Wrestling, one of the country’s most prestigious wrestling companies.
Their debut album, Silence Of Northern Hell, was released in July 2002. In the next year BLOOD STAIN CHILD released its second full-length album, Mystic Your Heart, which was mixed at Astia studios by the famous Finnish music producer and engineer Anssi Kippo. The band participated in promotional gigs with bands like Skylark from Italy and Seraphim from Taiwan.
Guitarist Daiki decided to leave the band in the spring of 2005, but a new guitarist named Shiromasa was found the following month.
That August, the band released its third album, IDOLATOR. The production was done in part by the famous Danish studio engineer Tue Madsen, who also mixed the album. However, the band never met Tue; they sent him the material on DVDs, trusting him with the final product. Despite this slightly unusual arrangement, they were very pleased with the result. The album was also released in Europe, as was their next effort, a mini-album called MOZAIQ.
The following years saw the band undergo a number of major line up changes. April 2007 brought new singer Sadew and a new guitarist called G.S.R.. Near the middle of 2010 the band took a double hit when both vocalist Sadew and Violator, the band’s drummer for over a decade, left the band due to personal reasons.
BLOOD STAIN CHILD was scheduled to play at Stockholm’s Japan Expo in May 2009, but the event was cancelled due to a number of reasons, including economic changes, competition with other events and poor ticket sales.
In September 2010, the band recruited two new members, Greek vocalist Sophia, who RYU met through her previous occupation as a visual kei/anime event organizer, and former YOUTHQUAKE drummer GAMI. After this infusion of fresh blood into the band, they quickly got back to work. Their fifth album, Epsilon, was released on June 15, 2011. It was co-produced, mastered and engineered by Ettore Rigotti of Disarmonia Mundi. They also performed alongside D at the Texas anime convention A-Kon that June. Their international activities continued towards the end of the year, as they found time to perform in four cities in Russia and Ukraine.
February 2012 saw the band head to the state of Kansas to perform at an anime convention called Naka-Kon. Unfortunately, in July 2012, after a short two years with the group, Sophia announced that she would leave BLOOD STAIN CHILD via a post on her blog. The band asked their fans to continue to support her in her future projects and issued a call for a new vocalist.
They announced the selection of singer-songwriter KiKi later that year, stating that she was chosen due to her ability to perform both clean vocals and screams. The band also announced that they had recruited a new VJ/DJ/manipulator named MAKOTO in March, stating that they were confident that his visual effects would help to elevate their performances to the next level.
Their first release with KiKi on vocals, a single called LAST STARDUST, came out in January 2014.
A band with an impressive record of overseas activities, a solid body of work and a brand new singer at their helm, be sure to keep an eye out for BLOOD STAIN CHILD in the future.
