Boris

Boris are a Japanese experimental metal band formed in Tokyo in 1992. The band’s original lineup consisted of lead vocalist Atsuo, bassist/rhythm guitarist Takeshi, lead guitarist Wata, and drummer Nagata. After Nagata’s departure in 1996, Atsuo took over drums and the lineup has remained consistent to this day. Boris draw influence from a huge variety of styles including, but not limited to, psychedelic rock, punk rock, sludge metal, doom metal, drone metal, pop, noise, shoegaze, and ambient. The band’s name is taken from a song on Melvins’ album, Bullhead. They released their debut full-length album, Absolutego, on their own label, Fangs Anal Satan, in 1996. They’ve since gone on to release over 20 studio albums, as well as a number of EPs, singles, and collaborations on various labels around the world. They have an especially close collaborative relationship with Merzbow, having released three studio albums, a 12″ EP, and two live albums with the noise artist as of 2016.

Boris saw a huge increase in popularity between 2003 and 2006 when Southern Lord reissued some of their works in North America, garnering them critical acclaim and recognition in Western music press. Pink, originally released in 2005 in Japan via Diwphalanx, was reissued in 2006 by Southern Lord and met with a very positive reception in the US. Blender magazine and SPIN magazine both named it one of the year’s best albums. The album also made the top of the metal section in Canadian magazine Exclaim’s reader’s poll of that year, and was in the top 10 of Pitchfork Media’s top 50 records of the year.

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