Japanese rock band Imari Tones has released Atomic Live!, recorded near Fukushima, the site of a destructive earthquake, tsunami and nuclear accident, to send a message about the dangerous situation in Japan.
The recording took place in November 2014. The band was touring Japan with an American rapper named Gallery Cat as part of The Extreme Tour, a grass roots Christian music tour that has been around the USA since 1994. Imari Tones joined their USA tour in 2012 and brought the tour to Japan in 2013. This 2014 tour was 2nd year for The Extreme Tour in Japan. The tour line-up included other Japanese Christian artists such as CLOD, Soul of Faith, GeeBars and Kaori Yamamoto.
Imari Tones was already in Fukushima when their pre-arranged gig was cancelled at the last moment. The band didn’t want to disappoint their fans, so they sought an alternative venue. They found Studio Back Beat in Minamisoma, the only available venue for them, and one located only 15 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, a dangerous facility which had been broken since the tsunami disaster on March 11, 2011. When they booked the venue, they also decided to do a live recording of this off the cuff gig.
The result is Atomic Live!, which was just released on the band’s website. It’s an unconventional live album recorded at a small venue with only handful of fans.
“We thought it was a good opportunity to carry the message to the world” says Tak Nakamine, the singer/guitarist of the band. “Because things are so crazy in Japan right now. The Fukushima nuclear power plant has been broken. It’s still leaking a lot of radioactive things into the ocean as well as into the air. However, the government and electricity companies keep saying it’s safe and there is no immediate danger. Most people in Japan are living their life just pretending nothing has happened. That’s the craziest part. We’re not going against nuclear energy in general or anything. We just want to say things are crazy and extreme. Doing a live recording session only 15 miles away from the broken nuclear plant is crazy. But people don’t see it crazy anymore. Because we are living in the craziness, what used to be crazy now isn’t crazy.”
There is a hidden message in the artwork. On the album cover Tak is standing next to the banner says “The Extreme Tour Japan,” but the word “Tour” is crossed out. As a result it reads “The Extreme Japan”. Tak says it’s a message about how things are crazy and extreme in Japan right now.
Though it may hint at a controversial environmental message, the music on this album is ultimately all about God and Christianity. Imari Tones call themselves “The first Christian heavy metal band from Japan”, and are one of the few Japanese bands who declare Christian heavy metal openly.
“The reason we came to Fukushima was to spend time with people here” Tak continues, “and the reason we came to the Minamisoma venue was to pray. After all, we are Christians. We believe, with God’s help, things can be changed in a positive way.”
Imari Tones decided to release the album as a free download, to spread the music and the message. “Atomic Live!”, recorded at Back Beat, Minamisoma, Fukushima, Japan, is available at the band’s website and BandCamp.
Imari Tones website
http://www.imaritones.net/
Imari Tones BandCamp
https://imaritones.bandcamp.com/album/atomic-live
