Seikima-II

Seikima-II

Company type	Band
Industry	Music
Founded	1982
Headquarters	Japan
Products	Heavy metal music, albums, singles, live performances

is a Japanese heavy metal group established in 1982. Over the years, lead vocalist Demon Kakka has remained the only continuous member despite numerous changes in the lineup. The band has achieved sales exceeding 10 million records within Japan.

Renowned for their distinctive face paint, intricate costumes, and invented demon characters, the band crafts a dramatic and theatrical image. Their lore depicts them as demons originating from a futuristic realm who spread a faith known as through heavy metal music. Each member embodies a specific rank within a demon hierarchy, with Demon Kakka as the leader and Damian Hamada titled "Crown Prince of Hell." The band's storyline included a prophecy foretelling their global domination by evil forces and an eventual disbandment at the close of the 20th century, which was realized during their final shows held from December 29 to 31, 1999, ending precisely at 23:59:59 JST.

Following their breakup, Seikima-II reunited for limited engagements: their 20th anniversary in 2005; the 25th anniversary in 2010, which featured their inaugural world tour; and charity concerts in 2011 supporting relief efforts after the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Additionally, they embarked on a two-phase 30th anniversary tour spanning from September 2015 to February 2016. Scheduled tours for their 35th anniversary in 2020 and 2021 were converted into fan events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, they issued their first album in over two decades and have maintained touring activities into 2023.

1982–1986: Formation and early achievements

translates to "Holy Devouring Demon," with the addition of II ("tsu") playing on , which means "the end of the century." The name abbreviates the phrase .

Seikima-II originated in December 1982 when guitarist Damian Hamada founded it within Waseda University's Folk Song Club. The initial roster included vocalist His Excellency Demon Kakka (formerly "Demon Kogure"), bassist Zod Hoshijima, and drummer Ace Shimizu. Known for their Kabuki-inspired makeup and extravagant stage attire, Damian Hamada departed early in 1985 after performing his final show on February 18 but retained recognition as a founding member and songwriter.

In September 1983, keyboardist Majo Ryoko briefly joined the band, while Zeed Iijima replaced Ace Shimizu on drums; Ace transitioned to guitar duties. That year marked their debut live appearances (termed ), which helped them gain traction among metal enthusiasts due to their heavy sound paired with a striking visual style.

After successfully passing a major label audition with CBS/Sony in 1984, Seikima-II continued performing smaller-scale concerts. Guitarist Giantonio Babayashi joined briefly as a second guitarist but exited within the same year.

The year 1985 saw significant lineup shifts: Gandhara Sangeria Tigris-Euphrates Kaneko became second guitarist in January; Zeed Iijima left his drummer role in April and was temporarily succeeded by Jagy Furukawa. Both Gandhara and Jagy had departed by June. At that point, guitarist Jail O'Hashi and drummer Raiden Yuzawa joined, establishing what is considered the band's first major lineup. Their debut full-length album Seikima-II ~ Akuma ga Kitarite Heavy Metal was released in September. Despite receiving a rare zero rating from Burrn!, it sold more than 100,000 copies—the first such achievement for a Japanese metal act. Their official debut concert took place on September 13 at Shinjuku Ruido.

On April 2, 1986, they launched their second album The End of the Century alongside their first single "Rōningyō no Yakata" (singles are referred to as ). The album climbed to number five on the Oricon Albums Chart and surpassed sales of 200,000 copies. Its title aligned with the band's theme of dissolving at century's end (1999). In June of that year, original bassist Zod departed and was succeeded by Xenon Ishikawa. The band concluded the year releasing their third album From Hell with Love and embarking on their inaugural major concert tour titled The Great Black Mass Tour on December 24. Additionally, a Famicom video game inspired by the band named Seikima II Akuma no Gyakushū! was released during this period and later reissued for MSX2 in 1987.

1987–1999: Rise in Fame and Final Disbandment

Guitarist Jail O'Hashi departed from the band in January 1987, later performing under the name Takashi "Jam" O'Hashi with Cats in Boots and his own Takashi O'Hashi Project, occasionally reverting to "Jail O'Hashi" for Seikima-II reunion events. The following month, Sgt. Luke Takamura III joined as guitarist, solidifying what became the band's most iconic lineup. That same year, Seikima-II released Big Time Changes, an album that merged heavy metal with hard rock, featuring Luke Takamura on lead guitar alongside Ace Shimizu handling rhythm duties.

In 1988, the album The Outer Mission demonstrated a blend of heavy metal, progressive rock, and jazz influences, sustaining their metal fanbase while drawing a wider audience. Their 1989 compilation Worst achieved a milestone by becoming the first Japanese metal record to reach number one on the Oricon chart. Additionally, a home video titled The Outer Mission, directed by Makoto Tezuka, was released that year. Seikima-II also made history as the first heavy metal band to appear on the prestigious Kōhaku Uta Gassen television program.

Following the 1991 release of Yūgai, the group expanded their reach internationally with tours across Asia and Europe, including notable performances in England and Spain. In 1992, they returned to darker, Satanic-themed heavy metal with the album Kyōfu no Restaurant.

The 1994 album Ponk!!, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London, incorporated elements of folk rock and balladry alongside their signature heavy metal sound. In 1996, Seikima-II signed with BMG Japan and unveiled Mephistopheles no Shōzō, which fused heavier tones with power metal influences and enhanced production quality. Their subsequent releases, News (1997) and Move (1998), featured digitally refined audio blending diverse styles within a metal framework.

Their final studio effort, Living Legend (1999), remained faithful to their original style and was widely regarded as a suitable finale to their career. The band officially dissolved on December 31, 1999, following The Black Mass Final 3 Nights concerts held from December 29 to 31. These events comprised The Theatrical Day, The Satan All Star's Day—which included video appearances by former members—and The Doomsday, culminating in a symbolic departure as they exited through a portal of light.

After disbandment, members embarked on separate ventures: Demon Kakka pursued a solo career; Ace Shimizu established Face to Ace; Luke Takamura formed the hard rock outfit Canta; and Xenon Ishikawa joined RX alongside Raiden Yuzawa and keyboardist Yuichi Matsuzaki.

Reunions

In late 2005, Seikima-II reunited for two anniversary tours in Japan celebrating their 20th year. The initial tour featured special guests including guitarist Jail O'Hashi, bassist Zod Hoshijima, and enka vocalist Kiyoko Suizenji. Both tours quickly sold out and produced two live albums; the second included an additional CD containing six new tracks.

The album Akuma Nativity "Songs of the Sword" was physically released on September 16, 2009, presenting classic songs re-recorded in English. This was followed by similar releases: Akuma Relativity and A Quarter Century of Rebellion, both issued on July 28, 2010.

Marking their 25th anniversary in 2010, Seikima-II embarked on the Intercontinental Black Mass Tour. Guitarist Ace Shimizu was absent from this reunion; instead Jail O'Hashi returned. They performed their debut U.S. show at Project A-Kon in Dallas, Texas, then appeared at Japan Expo in Paris. Additionally, they played at Korea's Viva! Korea Rock Festival, which was televised nationally. On September 15 of that year, a tribute album titled Tribute to Seikima-II: Akuma to no Keiyakusho was released featuring covers by artists such as Show-Ya, Sex Machineguns, and Galneryus.

An encore world tour took place between July and September 2011. On November 30 and December 1, Seikima-II organized charity concerts named Seikima-II Presents Tribute to Japan with performers including Cali Gari and Man With A Mission; proceeds benefited the Japanese Red Cross. Live recordings from these shows were released on CD and DVD on June 20, 2012.

The compilation XXX -The Ultimate Worst- came out on August 26, 2015. That year also saw a two-part tour commemorating their 30th anniversary: Zenseki Shikei (September–November) followed by Zoku Zenseki Shikei (November–January). The reunion culminated with a final performance at Nippon Budokan on February 20, 2016. On April 13, they issued their first single in seventeen years—a double A-side featuring "Kōryōtaru Shin Sekai" and "Planet/The Hell", both serving as themes for the anime Terra Formars Revenge. Manga creator Yū Sasuga designed the cover art for XXX -The Ultimate Worst-. A second double A-side single titled "Noroi no Shananana/Goblin's Scale" was released June 15; the former track was used as the theme for the horror film Sadako vs. Kayako.

At an event held on December 31, 2019 at Zepp Tokyo, Seikima-II announced plans for a 35th anniversary tour slated for 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this transformed into screenings of past concerts accompanied by live discussions across fifteen venues from October through December with limited audience capacity. In January 2021, intentions to resume live performances and release a new album were postponed back to screenings because of ongoing health concerns. Ultimately, the tour ran from October 23, 2021 until January 6, 2022. Guitarist Ace Shimizu returned for select dates after being absent for sixteen years.

On June 6, Seikima-II revealed Bloodiest, their first original studio album in twenty-three years, scheduled for release on September 21. This record features contributions from Ace Shimizu and Damian Hamada along with remixed versions of singles from 2016 enhanced by backing vocals from Zod Hoshijima. A supporting tour was planned from October 6, 2022 through February 15, 2023.

Seikima-II in Popular Media

Widely recognized as an iconic heavy metal group within Japan, Seikima-II has left a significant mark on pop culture. The 1992 original video animation Seikima II Anime: Humane Society -Jinruiai ni Michita Shakai- showcases the band members as central figures, with Demon Kakka lending his voice to his character.

In the anime Hokuto no Ken, there is a character named Kogure inspired by Demon Kakka's former persona. Additionally, episode 49 of YuYu Hakusho contains a brief nod to Seikima-II, featuring a demon who listens to their music on a walkman.

The band's distinctive visual style and lore have notably shaped the manga, live-action movie, and OVA series Detroit Metal City.

During the 200th episode of AKBingo!, where AKB48 organized a cover contest for "Give Me Five!," the group "Niseikima-II," modeled after Seikima-II, claimed victory by replicating their signature devil-themed costumes and makeup.

Impact and Inspirations

Seikima-II has served as an influence for many musicians such as Tetsuya Kanmuri, Go, Shinichi Kobayashi, Nov from Zigoku Quartet, Joe, Panther and Kenjiro Murai of Sex Machineguns, Show-Ya, Syu from Galneryus, Shuse and Levin of La'cryma Christi, Shouchikubai Shiratori from Kishidan, miko of Exist Trace, MCU from Kick the Can Crew, and Hatake from Sharam Q. Tomoi of Laputa performed Seikima-II covers during his high school years. Guitarist Saki from Mary's Blood attributes her decision to pursue music to having seen Seikima-II on television.

Band Members

• His Excellency Demon Kakka – lead vocals (1982–1999, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2015–2016, 2020–present)
• His Imperial Highness Raiden Yuzawa – drums (1985–1999, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2015–2016, 2020–present)
• Doctor Xenon Ishikawa – bass guitar and backing vocals (1986–1999, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2015–2016, 2020–present)
• Staff General Luke Takamura III – guitars and backing vocals (1987–1999, 2005, 2010, 2011, 2015–2016, 2020–present)
• Empire Magistrate Jail O'Hashi – guitars and backing vocals (1985–1987, 2010, 2011, 2015–2016, 2020–present)

Previous members

• Captain Ace Shimizu – guitars (1983–1999, 2005; support: 2021–present), drums (1982–1983)
• His Majesty Damian Hamada – guitars (1982–1985)
• Majo Ryoko – keyboards (1983)
• Giantonio Babayashi – guitars (1984)
• Zeed Iijima – drums (1983–1985)
• Gandhara Sangeria Tigris-Euphrates Kaneko – guitars (1985; deceased 2012)
• Jagy Furukawa – drums (1985)
• Zod Hoshijima – bass guitar (1982–1986)

Supporting members

• Wrector H – keyboards (1992–1994)
• Yuichi Matsuzaki – keyboards (1988–1992, 1994–1999, 2005, 2010, 2015–2016)
• Kamisori Syuto – keyboards (2022–present)

Albums

Studio releases

• The End of the Century (1986)
• Big Time Changes (1987)
• The Outer Mission (1988)
• Ponk!! (1994)
• News (1997)
• Move (1998)
• Living Legend (1999)
• Bloodiest (2022)
• Season II (2025)

Related Topics

• Formula One sponsorship liveries (Brabham)

External links

• Official website