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BALZAC - Blood Sweat & Fears
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copy, layout: Abel Mortis / graphics: Spectral Cat
(sources: Balzac Europe, Super 7 Magazine)
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Balzac are a formidable horror punk four piece from Osaka who have thrown fresh proverbial blood in several cultural directions.
While maintaining a dedicated following in Japan they are also gathering massive cult status in the USA & Europe. They've recieved
approval & accolades from their strongest influence while also breaching the boutique toy market with highly sought after
reproductions of characters from the nightmare worlds of their songs.
The essence of Balzac first appeared in the form of The Astro Zombies in 1991. The influence of The Misfits is immediately apparent
in the chosen name, but even more so in their emerging sound & themes. The horror film – image concept has been a strong element
from the start & a crucial part of the band's identity.
Becoming Balzac in 1992 the original line up released their first demo as a six track tape titled 'Scapegoat 666' which included a
cover of the Misfits' 'Where Eagles Dare'. A second demo, 'Descent of the Diablolos' was released 1993 with a new guitarist and
drummer. Three more demo's followed before the release of the first single, Lord of Light & the Darkness, on their Evil Legend label.
Another string of demo's & bootleg videos followed before their next single - Atom Age Vampire in 308 & a début album -
The Last Men On Earth released in 1995.
Between 1996 & 2002 The band experienced turbulent line up & label changes but their output remained prolific, featuring four new
albums: Deep - Teenagers From Outer Space (1997) , 13 Stairway - The Children Of The Night (1998), Zennou-Naru Musuu-No Me Ha Shi Wo Yubi Sasu (2000),
Terrifying - Art Of Dying/The Last Men On Earth II (2002) & Don't Open 'til Doomsday, a split CD with The Misfits. During this time they also developed a
live presence supporting The Misfits on two national Japanese tours, toured with bands Sobut & The Mad Capsule Markets & performed
at events such as Devilock Night.
Alongside their musical exposure Balzac's media onslaught continued on all fronts. 1999 saw the formation of 'The Fiendish Club',
an exclusive member run fan club which is now well established (Membership includes a quarterly magazine & access to exclusive
merchandise & limited edition Balzac releases). Halloween 2000 in Osaka marked the opening of the official Balzac shop, Shocker,
stocking their native Dementia 13 clothing line with stacks of other merchandise. The store offers a rich selection of CDs & DVDs
along side T-shirts, posters, patches, stickers, key chains & vinyl figures - all bearing Balzac's unmistakeable 'devil skull' motif.
This helped to galvanise the band's cult status even further & Shocker has since evolved to incorporate a web presence with
Shocker Worldwide.
Balzac have a had a close & lucrative relationship with Medicom Toy Co collaborating to produce a number of amazing figures.
These have included a 12" fully articulated Paper Bag Man figure, a set of legendary Balzac Kubrick™ figures sold exclusively
with limited 7" single releases & a soft vinyl Skull Man figure. Fresh collaborations with manufacturer Secret Base produced the
Balzac 'Fight Series' & 'Skull Bee' figures in 2005 which have become collectable legends. This success spawned the next mammoth
collaboration between Secret Base, Balzac, Super7 Magazine & Misfits records culminating in the production of yet another
underground exclusive: The Secret Base Balzac Paper Bag Man figure released on April fools day 2006! These figures were extremely
limited & only available in the US with alternate colour schemes selling at the Super 7 store in San Francisco & The Misfits store
on-line.
With a consistent flow of of vinyl, CD & DVD releases throughout 2005 & 2006 & more toy merchandise on the way the Balzac fable
continues at an exhaustive pace. The European release of the newest album Deep Blue: Chaos From Dark - Ism II has been planned for
Halloween 2006 with further whispers of Shocker Europe launching in the near future.
For more information about Balzac's musical output, live events, merchandise & general activity check these sources.
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