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* Vocal : Daisuke
* Guitar : Yuana
* Bass : KAZU
* Drums : Shizumi

* Bass : Masaya [gone : 2000]
* Bass : Kuya [gone : 2001]

PROFILE
kagerou has been around for about seven years and in that time, they've showed that they're very versatile in their compositions as well as their overall musical style. It may have taken them awhile to form a solid and concrete lineup but once that was finally settled, everything else seemed to fall perfectly into place.

Their songs ranged from heart-wrenching angst to dark, despairing tunes but there was the occasional soft-edged song to be found on rare occasions. Daisuke's voice was the main contributing factor to kagerou's uniqueness as he was able to scream one moment and then sing as softly as the fragile mayfly the band is named after in the next. This, melded together with the way the member's individual styles mix together, formed a sound that was solely kagerou's.

Author : J (2007-01-09)
BIOGRAPHY
kagerou was formed in September 1999 by vocalist Daisuke (ex Le’ Cheri and Fatima, as a drummer) and bassist Masaya (Angel Dust). "kagerou" means "mayfly" in English; the reason why the name was chosen was in reference to a heart condition Daisuke had since he was an infant and the fact that, like an adult mayfly - whose lifespans are only twenty-four hours - his own lifespan could also be a short one.

The next month, they were joined by a quirky guitarist named Yuana. At the same time, Masaya was a part of both Angel Dust and kagerou until December (after Angel Dust became Love Glove), when Masaya left his former band behind so that kagerou could become his main focus.

Technically, the first “work” of kagerou was a guest appearance on MUCC’s first mini album. The band held their first live on February 13th, 2000 in Ikebukuro CYBER and the single, Biological Slicer, was distributed. At the time, they were supported by a drummer named Ruki but he was replaced by Shizumi (ex Mitre Cure and Melusine), who later became a permanent member in May.

Things seemed to be going well for this new and young band until Masaya decided to leave after the band's first one-man on October 11th, and then went on to join Kar’Maria. The remaining members put kagerou on a temporary hiatus until they could find a new bassist. They recruited Kuya (ex Clarity) at the very beginning of 2001 and the young band was on a roll once more. The band opened their fanclub, kagerou Tsuushin Kouza, in April - unfortunately, more bad news came when Kuya decided to leave in August. Luckily, they didn’t have to wait long for a new bassist and, this time, Kazu (ex Research and Aioria) joined and their lineup remained the same since. However, they did leave Michiru’s Loop**Ash label to join Lizard, a division of Free-Will.

Picking up the pace, they held a live at Akasaka BLITZ for 2000 of their fans on February 3rd. Their fourth single was released and it contained the fan favourite Yuugure no Shazai. (Also note that the song was covered by the band baroque during one of their lives.) They released two more singles before their first DVD was released in September. A tour followed and the final show was held in Shibuya Kokaido.

For a change of pace, kagerou changed their style with the single Kakokei Shinjitsu and their self-titled first album that was released in July. A mix of several different styles could be found within, but they all summed up the core of kagerou's diversity. Though the album was met with mixed reviews, the songs found within - as well as rest of the songs in the band's repertoire - have the tendency to “grow” on listeners over time. And, usually, it doesn't take long for their infectious beats to win over listeners, new and old.

At the very beginning of 2004, they released another live DVD followed by the oft fan favourite XII Dizzy. A long promotional tour was held after its release and it lead up to the release of Rakushu, their second album. By then, their style had changed again and they added multitudes of new fans to their already large fanbase. They finished up the year with two more maxi singles, adding to their already growing popularity.

kagerou kicked off 2005 with an overseas trip to pay homage to their European fanbase. They headed to Munich, Germany and Paris, France in February for two very special lives. Upon returning to Japan, they headed out on a long tour and the final performance was released on DVD in the summer; the DVD also contained footage from both of their European lives. The band then headed back to Germany for the Rock im Park event in May. Shortly after their appearance in Rock im Park, in July, they released their third album, guroushoku. Additionally, they announced that they were teaming up with D’espairsRay for a special coupling tour and two of the lives took place in Europe in October. The year 2006 did not see any overseas lives; however, kagerou released their fourth studio album, Kurohata.

In 2007, kagerou returned been to Europe for a few more lives back in the spring. Things seemed to continue normally until the band announced sad news at their September 16th LIQUIDROOM Ebisu live: they were going to disband at the beginning of 2007. They traveled to Europe for two final shows in December, and then they headed to ZEPP Tokyo for their very last live on January 7th, 2007. Right before their last live, they released their last album, a best of entitled Shinjuka.

It's truly a shame that such a wonderful band parted ways after making such an impact on the music scene. Their fans were extremely saddened by their disbandment, and even some time later, many fans still feel their loss. However, Daisuke has reemerged in the music scene as the vocalist of the studs. Even though the band is no longer here and its members have gone their separate ways, their fans will always have kagerou's music to keep them going.