Acid Black Cherry

With the announced breakup of hugely popular Japanese pop/rock band Janne Da Arc in January 2007, the members of the band quickly began solo projects, with lead vocalist Yasu (Yasunori Hayashi) taking the first leap into solo success. Following a buildup of hype, his new and somewhat heavier band Acid Black Cherry (including members of Penicillin, DuStar-3, Luna Sea, and Samurai Dead City) released the sludgy pounding single "Spell Magic" in July 2007, debuting at number four on the Oricon charts at least partially due to loyal Janne fans. Following up on that success, Black Cherry, containing elements of light vocal jazz, swing, and metal (and at least a touch of a Brian Setzer aesthetic), was released a few months later. The group's success continued into its first full-length release, 2008's Black List, which briefly hit the top spot on the Oricon charts, and was followed a few months later by Recreation, a compilation of Japanese cover songs culled from the B-sides of the group's various singles.