Dragon Guardian - Biography
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2006-
Biography
Formed by Arthur Brave in the summer of 2006, to make music that combined "anime songs" and "melodic speed metal", published two songs on the internet. Started production of 1st album in the summer of 2007, in order to participate in Comic Market (AKA "FuyuComi") to be held in the winter of that year. Originally the solo project of Arthur Brave, Kick joined as vocalist and restarted activities as a unit. 1st album Seiya No Dragon, despite being what is called "melodic speed metal", the jacket and worldview look like an RPG or light novel, and dialogue is spoken between songs. The album drew wide attention, and was sold in the doujin shops of Akihabara, the sacred place of otaku.
They began marketing the album in metal shops at the beginning of 2008. Holding down the bigshot overseas artists, the 1st album topped sales in the HR/HM departments across all DiskUnion stores for the fiscal year 2008. Released their 2nd album in summer 2008. The production welcomed vocalist Myrtha of Another Shrine and bassist Hibiki of Alhambra as guests, in order to pursue a metal sound. The finished work was a dramatic epic, each song exceeding 8 minutes on average. Vocalist Kick left the band in January 2009, and Dragon Guardian returned to being the solo project of Arthur Brave. They also signed a contract with Sound Holic, who also released the likes of Soilwork. A 3rd album was released in May, featuring guests Fuki and Hibiki of Light Bringer, and symphonic metal sound was compared with Rhapsody Of Fire, with the melancholy melodies that Japanese listeners seek. The release won good reviews in heavy metal magazines, and seemed unusually successful for a newcomer among the orthodox metal listeners, selling over 4000 copies. However, label Sound Holic closed down in November.
To answer to the calls of fans, a remastered/remixed version of the 3rd album was reissued. Composition activity for the 4th album began in summer 2010, again featuring guests like Fuki and Hibiki, and attracted release support from Media Factory. 5th album Seimaken Valkyrias came out in December 2011, about a year and a half on from the previous work, reaching #26 on the Oricon Daily. The song "Antoku Butokai" was chosen for inclusion in the Konami videogames "Drum Mania" and "Guitar Freaks", gaining Dragon Guardian a new fan base. Then in December 2012, boosted by new fans, the band released its first 'best of' compilation The Best Of Dragon Guardian Saga.
They began marketing the album in metal shops at the beginning of 2008. Holding down the bigshot overseas artists, the 1st album topped sales in the HR/HM departments across all DiskUnion stores for the fiscal year 2008. Released their 2nd album in summer 2008. The production welcomed vocalist Myrtha of Another Shrine and bassist Hibiki of Alhambra as guests, in order to pursue a metal sound. The finished work was a dramatic epic, each song exceeding 8 minutes on average. Vocalist Kick left the band in January 2009, and Dragon Guardian returned to being the solo project of Arthur Brave. They also signed a contract with Sound Holic, who also released the likes of Soilwork. A 3rd album was released in May, featuring guests Fuki and Hibiki of Light Bringer, and symphonic metal sound was compared with Rhapsody Of Fire, with the melancholy melodies that Japanese listeners seek. The release won good reviews in heavy metal magazines, and seemed unusually successful for a newcomer among the orthodox metal listeners, selling over 4000 copies. However, label Sound Holic closed down in November.
To answer to the calls of fans, a remastered/remixed version of the 3rd album was reissued. Composition activity for the 4th album began in summer 2010, again featuring guests like Fuki and Hibiki, and attracted release support from Media Factory. 5th album Seimaken Valkyrias came out in December 2011, about a year and a half on from the previous work, reaching #26 on the Oricon Daily. The song "Antoku Butokai" was chosen for inclusion in the Konami videogames "Drum Mania" and "Guitar Freaks", gaining Dragon Guardian a new fan base. Then in December 2012, boosted by new fans, the band released its first 'best of' compilation The Best Of Dragon Guardian Saga.