Zeni Geva

All Music Guide:

One of Japan's more eccentric and intriguing extreme music exports of the late '80s and '90s, self-professed "progressive hardcore trio" Zeni Geva (their name derives from an ancient Japanese word for "money" and a corruption of the German "gewalt," or violence) forcibly fused elements of heavy metal, hardcore, industrial music, noise rock, and the avant-garde, gaining no small underground recognition in the process.

Having already made a name for himself via several experimental outfits (Absolut Null Punkt, YBO2) and collaborations with Merzbow and Null earlier in the decade, vocalist, guitarist, and programmer K.K. Null (real name Kazuyuki Kishino) founded Zeni Geva in 1987, calling on guitarist Fumiyoshi Suzuki and drummer Ikuo Taketani to join him on debut album How to Kill, released on Null's own NUX Organization label. Said album also featured a short-lived vocalist named Elle who was replaced by bassist Bunsho Nishikawa come 1988's amusingly named Vast Impotenz cassette EP, but he too would be gone by the release of 1990's watershed Maximum Money Monster LP, which brought industrial discipline to Zeni Geva's savage sonic outbursts while introducing new guitarist Mitsuru Tabata (ex-Boredoms) and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida, briefly borrowed from Ruins. Finally, Zeni Geva found stability with the recruitment of drummer Eito Noro, and with it came greater international touring and success, beginning with Steve Albini-produced albums like Total Castration (1991), Live in Amerika (1992), Desire for Agony (1993), Freedom Bondage (1995), and others. These efforts reined in some of the band's former flair for chaos with a heavier focus on noise rock, and the final pair was released by Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles label, while 1993's All Right, You Little Bastards! constituted a proper Albini/Zeni Geva collaboration.

When Noro decided to leave the band in 1996, Zeni Geva carried on touring irregularly (with American percussionist Blake Fleming stepping into the breach), but recording activities came to a standstill as Null increasingly immersed himself in a string of solo and collaborative releases. The next Zeni Geva album, 10,000 Light Years (featuring Null, Tabata, and drummer Masataka Fujikake), did not emerge until 2001 through Neurot Recordings, and its highly experimental nature clearly reflected Null's recent avant sound exploits. The album also proved to be a one-off, as Null resumed his prolific solo endeavors shortly thereafter and Tabata also remained busy, primarily with Acid Mothers Temple. The Zeni Geva engine was not refueled again until 2009, when onetime drummer Yoshida rejoined Null and Tabata for a spate of touring that yielded 2010's Alive and Rising, but it remains to be seen whether there will be more band activity in the future.

Wikipedia:

Zeni Geva is a Japanese noise rock group featuring singer and guitarist KK. Null and drummer Tatsuya Yoshida. Formed in Tokyo in 1987, the group's name translates roughly as "money violence" ("Zeni" is an old Japanese term for money, and "Geva" comes from the German "Gewalt," meaning "violence").

Zeni Geva's music can be diverse and experimental, incorporating elements ranging from death metal and hardcore punk to math rock, psychedelic, and noise rock. Their music is often technically unorthodox and demanding, and has earned progressive rock comparisons: critic Patrick Kennedy describes their 1993 album Desire for Agony as resembling "Motörhead meets King Crimson."

The Chicago-based Skin Graft Records has released much of the band's music in North America, and the band released several albums with the American Alternative Tentacles label.Cite error: There are <ref> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist}} template (see the help page).

History[edit]

Following several years in the Japanese noise rock scene that included collaborations with Merzbow and Hanatarashi, experimental noise rock guitarist and electronic programmer KK Null formed Zeni Geva in 1987 with guitarist Fumiyoshi Suzuki (also known as "NP"), vocalist Elle, and drummer Ikuo Taketani of the Japanese experimental groups The Boredoms and Hanatarashi. The group released its debut record, How to Kill, on Null's own NUX Organization label later that year. With bassist Bunsho Nishikawa replacing Elle, they released the Vast Impotenz cassette early in 1988.

Following the departure of Suzuki and Nishikawa, Null and Taketani were ultimately joined by permanent guitarist Mitsuru Tabata (also of The Boredoms) in 1988, and the group released the album Maximum Love and Fuck. Tatsuya Yoshida of the progressive rock band Ruins also joined later this year, replacing Taketani. They released the Maximum Money Monster album in 1990, packaging Maximum Love and Fuck with additional tracks featuring Yoshida on drums.

Yoshida left in 1990 and continued his prolific and lauded career with Ruins and in other projects. He was briefly replaced by drummer Yasuko, but Zeni Geva found a longer standing replacement in Eito Noro. This lineup began extensive world tours, catching the eye of such noteworthy rock figures as Steve Albini, who produced their 1991 album Total Castration, and Jello Biafra, who signed them to his Alternative Tentacles record label. They next released 1992's Live in Amerika and the collaborative All Right You Little Bastards live album with Albini performing with the band. The Albini-produced Desire for Agony marked Zeni Geva's Alternative Tentacles debut, and was followed by 1995's Freedom Bondage.

Noro left the band in 1996, and the band toured with temporary replacement Blake Fleming, an American musician. Masataka Fujikake joined as drummer shortly thereafter, and the group embarked upon further extensive touring. Despite this activity, the band did not release another studio album until 2001, six years after Freedom Bondage. Their next record, 10,000 Light Years, was released on the Neurot Recordings label, and marked their most experimental effort. Null had been making increasing use of electronic instruments of his own design, and his "nulltron" device featured prominently on 10,000 Light Years. A live album, Last Nanosecond - Live in Geneva 2002, followed in 2004.

Fujikake departed, and the band was inactive for the next several years. Null remained prolific via solo and collaborative releases, while Tabata worked with several projects, including Acid Mothers Temple. Maximum Money Monster was remastered and re-released with bonus tracks in 2007.

In 2009, Yoshida rejoined Zeni Geva, and they returned to touring. The live album Alive and Rising, recorded in September 2009 and released in February 2010, captured a live performance from this incarnation of Zeni Geva. Total Castration, remastered by Null, followed on the Nux Organization label in 2012. A European tour followed in October with a two-piece lineup of Null and Yoshida, marking Tabata's departure after more than two decades with the group.