lynch.

lynch. is a Japanese visual kei metal band from Nagoya, Japan, formed in August 2004. The group is active from 2004 to the present and is known for combining heavy, aggressive guitar music with melodic songwriting. Its sound is associated with alternative metal, loud kei, metal, metalcore, rock, and visual kei, although the members also reject fixed genre labels and present the band as distinct from simple category boundaries.

Line-up

The current members are Hazuki on vocals, Reo on lead guitar and backing vocals, Yusuke on rhythm guitar and backing vocals, Akinori on bass, and Asanao on drums. Hazuki also handles studio bass on early releases, and Akinori becomes the permanent bassist in 2010 after earlier support work and later rejoins the group in 2018. Reo, Hazuki, Asanao, and supporting bassist Yukino are part of the band’s early formation period, while Yusuke joins in 2006 to complete the twin-guitar line-up.

Formation and early activity

The band forms in Nagoya after Reo leaves Gullet and invites Hazuki and Asanao to start a new project. Before using the lynch. name, the group performs as the session band デスゲーム。 (Deathgame.) in secret live appearances. Reo creates the name lynch., and the period at the end is part of the stylised band name. From the beginning, the group focuses on live performance rather than media exposure, refusing interviews until a stable line-up is in place and building its reputation through concerts.

lynch. makes its live debut at Nagoya CLUB QUATTRO in December 2004. Its first album, greedy dead souls, follows in 2005. After a temporary suspension in 2006 while searching for a permanent member, Yusuke joins and the line-up settles into the twin-guitar formation that remains central to the band’s independent-era sound.

Independent releases and label work

During the independent period, lynch. releases singles including “A Grateful Shit”, “Roaring in the Dark”, “Enemy”, and “Forgiven”, alongside the albums The Avoided Sun, The Buried, and Shadows. The band is often linked to the Nagoya-kei lineage, with influences including Kuroyume, Laputa, and Rouage. In 2007 it signs with the European label CLJ Records, which helps extend its reach outside Japan.

The group moves to a major label in 2011 with King Records and releases I Believe in Me. Later albums include Inferiority Complex, Gallows, D.A.R.K. -In the Name of Evil-, and Avantgarde. The 2013 EP Exodus marks a shift in songwriting, with contributions beginning to come from members other than Hazuki, who had previously written most of the band’s lyrics and music. Hazuki’s lyrics often use abstract imagery rather than direct statement.

Live reputation and fan base

lynch. builds its reputation largely through touring and live work, and the band develops a dedicated following in Japan and overseas. Its official fan club is called SHADOWS. The group holds its first Zepp tour in 2013, celebrates its major-debut anniversary with free concerts in 2016, and appears at VISUAL JAPAN SUMMIT 2016. It also makes its European debut through D.A.R.K..

Hiatus, return, and later releases

In 2016, the band suspends activity after Akinori’s arrest and later continues as a four-piece with guest bassists on the Sinners EP. Akinori returns in 2018 and performs at the group’s largest concert to date, XIII -GALLOWS-, at Makuhari Messe. The album XIII gives the band its first top-ten Oricon result. During the COVID-19 period, lynch. releases the charity single “Overcome the Virus”, supports live houses across Japan, and issues the album Ultima.

The band announces a hiatus at the end of 2021, with members continuing side activities elsewhere, then returns in 2022 and finally plays the postponed Nippon Budokan concert. In 2023 it releases Reborn and expands worldwide distribution through JPU Records. Later releases include FIERCE-EP, retake versions of earlier material, and CLIMAX. Across its career, lynch. remains a Nagoya-based visual kei metal group known for heavy riffs, melody, and a strong live identity.