United (band)
{{Short description|Japanese thrash metal band}}
{{For|the Christian band|Hillsong United (band)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2022}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = United
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| alias =
| origin = Tokyo, Japan
| genre = {{hlist|Thrash metal{{cite web|url=http://www.spirit-of-metal.com/groupe-groupe-United-l-en.html |title=United – discography, line-up, biography, interviews, photos |publisher=Spirit-of-metal.com |access-date=May 18, 2014}}|groove metal|death metal|progressive metal}}
| years_active = 1981–present
| label = Hold Up, Howling Bull, Metal Blade, Victor Entertainment, Spiritual Beast, 413 Tracks
| website = {{url|united-official.com}}
| current_members = Yoshifumi "Hally" Yoshida
Shingo Otani
Akira Tominaga
Masatoshi Yuasa
George Enda
| past_members = Oz
Yasu Tsukahara
Kouichi "Nao"
Takeshi "Mantas" Nakazato
Tetsuo "Tetsu" Takizawa
Masaki "Marchan" Hara
Iwao Furusawa
Yoshiaki Furui
Hirokazu Uchino
Shinichi Inazu
Yusuke Nakamura
Nobu
Faisal "Kenshin" Al-Salem
Akihiro Yokoyama
}}
United is a Japanese thrash metal band formed in 1981.{{cite web | title = UNITED Barks Profile| work = barks.jp| url = http://www.barks.jp/artist/?id=52006528| language = ja| date = May 4, 2011}}{{cite web | title = UNITED – Thirty Years Of Thrash And Burn| work = carlbegai.com| url = http://carlbegai.com/2011/09/12/united-thirty-years-of-thrash-and-burn/| date = December 23, 2011}} They took their name from Judas Priest's song of the same name. United have had many personnel changes in their four decade career, with no member of the original lineup remaining. Bassist Akihiro Yokoyama joined in 1983, held de facto leadership of the group from 1988, and appeared on every recording the band had until his death in 2014. Guitarist Yoshifumi "Hally" Yoshida joined United in 1988 and is currently the longest-serving member. He and fellow guitarist Shingo Otani, who joined in 1990, are the only two members who have performed on all 10 studio albums.
History
Originally a Judas Priest and Black Sabbath cover band, they began to write their own material in 1983 when bassist Yokoyama joined. United have played numerous times in North America and have had a couple of their albums released there as well. They have played with Anthrax, Slayer, Testament and Machine Head on their Japanese tours, and in 2010 was Paul Di'Anno's live band for his.{{cite web | title = Japan's UNITED To Release New Album| work = roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net| url = http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/news.aspx?mode=Article&newsitemID=155574| date = April 22, 2011}}{{cite web | title = Japan's UNITED Release New Video For 'Fight Fear Kill'| work = bravewords.com| url = http://www.bravewords.com/news/159905| date = December 23, 2011}}
In 2009, the group recruited Kuwaiti frontman Kenshin. They released their ninth album Tear of Illusions on April 20, 2011. At the end of 2012, the band announced that Kenshin had left the group. Masatoshi Yuasa, who was their frontman from 2000 to 2004, returned as the vocalist of United in April 2013. The band's longest serving member, bassist and manager Akihiro Yokoyama, died on May 13, 2014.{{cite web|url=http://www.antimusic.com/news/14/May/15Uniteds_Akihiro_Yokoyama_Dead_at_49.shtml#.U3XmV3I2Rdh |title=United's Akihiro Yokoyama Dead at 49 ::United News |publisher=antiMusic.com |access-date=May 18, 2014}} A concert titled Yoko Fest The Final was held in his honor on September 12, 2014, that featured nearly every member of United, past and present, and other diverse acts such as Head Phones President, Passpo, Garlic Boys, Flow, and Outrage.{{cite web|url=http://aramajapan.com/news/music/concert/united-to-hold-yoko-fest-the-final-to-honor-the-late-akihiro-yokoyama/3848/ |title=United to hold 'YOKO Fest The Final' to honor the late Akihiro Yokoyama |date=July 24, 2014 |publisher=aramajapan.com |access-date=August 17, 2014}} United released their tenth studio album, Absurdity, on July 18, 2018.{{cite web | title = 不屈のUNITED、奇跡の第10作を7月リリース決定| url = https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000155567| work = barks.jp| language = ja| date = May 28, 2018|access-date=June 13, 2023}}
Members
;Current members
- Yoshifumi "Hally" Yoshida – guitar (1988–present)
- Shingo Otani – guitar (1990–present)
- Akira Tominaga – drums (2004–present)
- Masatoshi Yuasa – vocals (2000–2004, 2013–present)
- George Enda – bass (2014–present)
;Former members
- "Oz" – bass (1981–1983)
- Yasu Tsukahara – drums (1981–1983)
- "Nao" – vocals (1981–1986; died 2017)
- Takeshi "Mantas" Nakazato – guitar (1981–1987)
- Masaki "Marchan" Hara – guitar (1981–1988)
- Tetsuo "Tetsu" Takizawa – drums (1983–1988)
- Iwao Furusawa – guitar (1987–1990)
- Yoshiaki Furui – vocals (1986–1995)
- Yuichi Uchino – drums (1988–1998)
- Shinichi Inazu – vocals (1996–2000)
- Yusuke Nakamura – drums (1999–2003)
- "Nobu" – vocals (2005–2008)
- Faisal "Ken-Shin" Al-Salem – vocals (2009–2013)
- Akihiro Yokoyama – bass (1983–2014; died 2014)
= Timeline =
{{#tag:timeline|
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PlotArea = left:125 bottom:80 top:0 right:10
Alignbars = justify
DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy
Period = from:01/01/1981 till:{{#time: m/d/Y }}
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ScaleMajor = increment:4 start:1981
ScaleMinor = increment:1 start:1981
Colors =
id:vocals value:red legend:Lead_Vocals
id:guitar value:green legend:Guitars
id:bass value:blue legend:Bass
id:drums value:orange legend:Drums
id:lines value:black legend:Studio_Album
id:lines3 value:gray(0.55) legend:EPs
BarData =
bar:Nao text:"Nao"
bar:Furui text:"Yoshiaki Furui"
bar:Inazu text:"Shinichi Inazu"
bar:Yuasa text:"Masatoshi Yuasa"
bar:Nobu text:"Nobu"
bar:Kenshin text:"Faisal Al-Salem"
bar:Hara text:"Masaki Hara"
bar:Nakazato text:"Takeshi Nakazato"
bar:Furusawa text:"Iwao Furusawa"
bar:Yoshida text:"Yoshifumi Yoshida"
bar:Otani text:"Shingo Otani"
bar:Oz text:"Oz"
bar:Yokoyama text:"Akihiro Yokoyama"
bar:George text:"George Enda"
bar:Tsukahara text:"Yasu Tsukahara"
bar:Takizawa text:"Tetsuo Takizawa"
bar:Uchino text:"Yuichi Uchino"
bar:Nakamura text:"Yusuke Nakamura"
bar:Akira text:"Akira Tominaga"
PlotData =
width:11 textcolor:black align:left anchor:from shift:(10,-4)
bar:Nao from:start till:04/01/1986 color:vocals
bar:Furui from:04/01/1986 till:12/31/1995 color:vocals
bar:Inazu from:01/01/1996 till:05/01/2000 color:vocals
bar:Yuasa from:05/01/2000 till:12/31/2004 color:vocals
bar:Yuasa from:03/01/2013 till:end color:vocals
bar:Nobu from:01/01/2005 till:12/31/2008 color:vocals
bar:Kenshin from:01/01/2009 till:03/01/2013 color:vocals
bar:Hara from:start till:09/01/1988 color:guitar
bar:Nakazato from:start till:04/01/1987 color:guitar
bar:Furusawa from:04/01/1987 till:02/01/1990 color:guitar
bar:Yoshida from:09/01/1988 till:end color:guitar
bar:Otani from:02/01/1990 till:end color:guitar
bar:Oz from:start till:05/01/1983 color:bass
bar:Yokoyama from:05/01/1983 till:05/13/2014 color:bass
bar:George from:05/14/2014 till:end color:bass
bar:Tsukahara from:start till:05/01/1983 color:drums
bar:Takizawa from:05/01/1983 till:09/01/1988 color:drums
bar:Uchino from:09/01/1988 till:12/31/1998 color:drums
bar:Nakamura from:01/01/1999 till:12/31/2003 color:drums
bar:Akira from:01/01/2004 till:end color:drums
LineData =
at:02/10/1985 color:lines3 layer:back
at:12/10/1986 color:lines3 layer:back
at:10/14/1990 color:black layer:back
at:03/15/1992 color:lines3 layer:back
at:09/26/1992 color:black layer:back
at:02/08/1995 color:black layer:back
at:02/05/1997 color:black layer:back
at:05/02/1997 color:lines3 layer:back
at:04/22/1998 color:black layer:back
at:04/04/2001 color:black layer:back
at:08/07/2002 color:black layer:back
at:12/21/2005 color:black layer:back
at:04/20/2011 color:black layer:back
at:07/18/2018 color:black layer:back
}}
Discography
= Studio albums =
| class="wikitable" style="font-size:"
! Title !! Release Date !! Label | ||
| Bloody But Unbowed | style="text-align:center"|October 14, 1990 | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|Howling Bull |
| Human Zoo | style="text-align:center"|September 26, 1992 | |
| N.O.I.Q. | style="text-align:center"|February 8, 1995 | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center"|Victor Entertainment |
| Reload | style="text-align:center"|February 5, 1997 | |
| Distorted Vision | style="text-align:center"|April 22, 1999 | |
| Infectious Hazard | style="text-align:center"|April 4, 2001 | rowspan="3" style="text-align:center"|Howling Bull |
| Core | style="text-align:center"|August 7, 2002 | |
| Nine | style="text-align:center"|December 21, 2005 | |
| Tear of Illusions | style="text-align:center"|April 20, 2011 | rowspan="2" style="text-align:center"|Spiritual Beast |
| Absurdity | style="text-align:center"|July 18, 2018 |
= EPs =
- Destroy Metal (February 1985, picture disc vinyl in February 1987)
- Beast Dominate (December 1986, picture disc vinyl in April 1987)
- Beast Dominates '92 (1992)
- Burst (May 2, 1997)
= Other albums =
- Best Rare Tracks from Underground (March 24, 1995, compilation album)
- Scars of the Wasted Years (April 4, 2012, self-cover album)
= Demo =
- "Demo '89" (January 1990)
= V/A Compilations =
- Devil Must Be Driven Out with Devil (1986, "Positive War" & "Bite Yourself")
- Emergency Express – Metal Warning 2 (1989, "Suck Your Bone")
- Flower Travellin' Band Tribute (September 20, 2000, "Make Up")
- Tribute to Bad Brains (November 29, 2000, "Riot Squad – How Low Can a Punk Get?")
- Beast Feast Admission (August 2, 2001, "Cross Over the Line")
- Power Germanys (April 27, 2002)
- Enter the Beast Feast (April 27, 2004, "Sonic Sublime")
- Beast Feast Admission 2K2 (December 17, 2002, "Hate Yourself, Hate Your Own Kind")
- Tribute to Garlic Boys (August 18, 2006, "Skate & Mosh")
- 44Magnum Tribute Album (April 2, 2008, "It's Too Bad")
= DVD =
- Official Bootleg (September 27, 2008)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://www.united-official.com}}
- [http://blog.livedoor.jp/united_nine/ Official blog]
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20110414070316/http://www.kal01.com/2011/04/exclusive-interview-with-faisal-kenshin/ Interview with Kenshin]
- [http://www.espguitars.co.jp/gallery/hally/ Hally ESP guitar gallery]
- [http://www.espguitars.co.jp/gallery/singo/ Singo ESP guitar gallery]
- [http://www.espguitars.co.jp/gallery/yokoyama/ Yoko ESP guitar gallery]
{{Authority control}}
Category:Japanese musical quintets
Category:Japanese thrash metal musical groups
Category:Japanese heavy metal musical groups
Category:Musical groups from Tokyo