Daikaiju

In Japanese, Daikaiju means "giant monster." The Huntsville, AL-based instrumental surf-rock band Daikaiju made its public debut in December 1999, its members hidden behind Japanese masks and pseudonyms, with Secret Asian Man and Dymaxion Lee on guitars, Brain Conflict on bass, and Mr. Nein on drums. During the early years of the 21st century, Daikaiju built up a following in the southeastern U.S. while placing tracks on various compilations (e.g., "Route Nowhere" on MP3.com's Road Trip Tunes and "The Phasing Spider Menace" on Hep Cat Records' Heavy Surf). The group released it debut EP, Monster Surf, on its own Migoto Radiation label in February 2001. They expanded their roadwork overseas with a tour of the Netherlands in November 2001, followed by a lengthier European stay in 2002. In February 2002, they released their second EP, The Phasing Spider Menace (later picked up for distribution by Valiant Death Records). In 2003, the band recorded its self-titled debut album, but it was not released until July 2005, when it appeared on Reptile Records.