TRANSGRESSOR (Jpn)
35th Anniversary
Sometime in early 1989, Gota Mori, who was an original member of CRUCIFIXION, a black/death metal band in Tokyo, and an ex-member of MESSIAH DEATH, joined a local thrash metal band called GAMVETTA. Although the band soon broke up due to differences in musical preferences, two members of the band, Takashi Tanaka and Junichi Takagi, formed a new band named TRANSGRESSOR. Takashi and Junichi started to listen to a lot of underground demo stuff like MORBID ANGEL, IMMOLATION, EXMORTIS, DEATH, AUTOPSY, GRAVE, and NECROPHAGIA, etc. Those underground bands significantly influenced their music style.
In late 1989, Takashi (drums/vocals) and Junichi (guitar/bass) recorded their 1st demo, “Transmigration.” This demo contained 4 original tracks, “Sodomy Attitude,” “Defiled Crosses,” “Morbid Curses,” and “Transmigration.” Since they recorded the demo with their own recording equipment, the quality was very poor and it did not satisfy them at all. Although the sound quality was not professional, this demo caught the attention of Akihito Kikuchi (bass/vocals) who used to play the bass in a local thrash metal band called JURASSIC JADE before joining TRANSGRESSOR.
After the line-up was completed, TRANSGRESSOR started to record their 2nd demo, "Twisting Brochus." This demo contained five brutal tracks: “Deathfile,” “Disembodied,” “Suffocation,” “Transmigration,” and “Limbless Doom.” Kotaro Kitamura, who was also a former member of GAMVETTA, helped them with the composition and arrangements of these tracks. Since the recording was done professionally and their music was technically improved, the response to this demo was much better than that of their previous demo. “Twisting Brochus” attracted many underground labels, magazines, and people around the world. One of the underground labels in Japan, Selfish Records, offered them a split EP with Jesus Save. Unfortunately, soon after TRANSGRESSOR finished recording the track “Morbid Curses” for this split release, they broke up due to a disagreement amongst the members. The release of the split EP was then cancelled. After they broke up, Takashi joined a local death metal band called NECROPHILE as a session drummer, and he went along on their short U.S. tour, playing shows in California and New Jersey. He also played the drums and guitars on some of their later releases (1 compilation CD, 1 split LP, and 1 EP).
In the fall of 1991, Takashi and Akihito reformed the band with Akihito’s friend, Kimihide (guitar/vocals) (ex-Melt Down). While composing some new material with the new line-up, a Colombian label called Symphonies of Death Records released an EP called “Morbid Brochus” containing two 2nd demo tracks; “Deathfile” and “Suffocation.” While the band kept promoting their demo “Twisting Brochus” worldwide, a Dutch label Cyber Music released a compilation CD (“Appointment With Fear vol.1”). It featured one of the 2nd demo tracks "Limbless Doom" along with many other underground death/grind bands.
In early 1992, Yoshio (guitar/vocals)(ex-Necro-E) joined the band, and soon they started to record their full-length album “Ether For Scapegoat,” which was released by Cyber Music. The CD contained three new tracks; “Whiteness,” “Mortal Agony,” and “Immense Extinction,” in addition to the “Twisting Brochus” tracks. The new line up saw TRANSGRESSOR’s music style change into a more slow death/doom. In late 1992, they recorded another new track, “Forsaken Souls.” This track was a re-arranged version of the 1st demo track “Sodomy Attitude,” re-recorded for the compilation CD “To the Marrow-Japanese Deathnology,” which was released by Japanese label Toy’s Factory in early 1993. It was when the Japanese death metal scene seemingly reached its peak, and TRANSGRESSOR became known as a doom death metal band with a great deal of originality.
In May 1993, the band split up again because Takashi left the band to finish his college degree in the U.S. The band therefore had to take a break for about three years. During his stay in the U.S., Takashi contacted some local death metal bands to find some bookings for TRANSGRESSOR to play shows in the U.S. In the summer 1995, Akihito and Yoshio (Kimihide was not able to join) visited Takashi and played one live show in the suburb of Detroit, Michigan. Shawn Nussbaum (ex-Infect) joined the band and played the guitars, replacing Kimihide. The show was a successful and memorable one.
When Takashi returned to Japan in 1996, he decided to reform the band together with the original members, but Akihito had already decided to take up permanent residence in England, and Kimihide had started a new band called Quench. So Takashi found three new members, Yoshinori Konno (vocals), Takahiro Kuwahara (guitars), and Ryo Nagamizu (bass)(both were from another brutal death band Vomit Remnants), to complete the new line-up. In the fall of 1998, they recorded two new tracks: “Altar” and “Human Butchery,” for the compilation CD “The True Ideal Realized Through The Underground.” This compilation CD contained many underground Japanese death/grind bands and it was co-released by three labels; Bloodbath Records, Blow You Away Productions, and Underground Warder Productions. The new line up saw TRANSGRESSOR’s music progress again to a more brutal New York death metal style.
In early 1999, two Japanese underground labels, Macabre Mementos Records and Bloodbath Records, released a TRANSGRESSOR split live EP with IMPETIGO. This EP contained two tracks, “Deathfile” (recorded live in Japan) and “Suffocation” (recorded live in the U.S.). Limited to only 300 copies, its sold out very quickly. Both bands were already renowned as old school legengary death bands at this time. One could say that this EP must have been released only for die-hard supporters.
In the fall of 2000, Takashi and Yoshio yet again reformed the band together, and wrote a new track, "Dripping in the Coffin." This track was recorded only for the best CD "Recollected Limbs" which contains all previous materials excepting all the tracks from 1st demo “Transmigration.” Three Japanese underground labels, Bloodbath Records, Obliteration Records, and Weird Truth Productions released it.
After the long silence and many years, the band performed one-off reunion show in Tokyo in 2015. It happened when Akihito returned home in Tokyo for holidays. The performance was done by the Ether for Scapegoat line-up.
Also in 2015, an US label The Crypt Records released reissue version of Ether for Scapegoat in DLP format, Spanish label Memento Mori released the CD version, and another Spanish label Hexed Cemetery released the tape version.
Because Yoshio had to leave the band after the reunion show in 2015, they needed to find a new guitarist for any possible live performance at that time. It was all lucky for the band to find and meet Satoshi (from Spiral Wheel/ex-Sabbat) who joined to fill in the position.
In 2019, the band performed their very first show in Europe at Kill Town Death Fest, and then they made return to the fest in 2023. About a month after the fest, sadly the bassist Akihito passed away after fighting cancer. After some months of hiatus they decided to continue and to play shows by getting helps from Tsull (bassist from Deadly Spawn). They played the first show with the new lineup in Nagoya in June 2024. Now again they are making return to Asakusa Deathfest this year!!