exist†trace
Biography
Exist Trace (stylized as exist†trace) is a visual kei band Tokyo, Japan. Formed in June 2003, they were among the first visual kei bands consisting entirely of female members. The founding members are Jyou, Naoto, and Mally, who met Miko and Omi after placing an advertisement for guitarists. Their first demo tape Hai no Yuki (灰ノ雪) was released in February 2004. Omi later joined in March, and they held their first live in April. Their debut single on CD, ambivalence, was released in August 2005 via Sequence Records.
Exist Trace made their U.S. debut at Sakura-Con 2011 in Seattle, Washington. On June 15, 2011, they made their major label debut on Tokuma Japan Communications with the EP True. Their highest charting release was Virgin, which reached number 84 on the Oricon album chart.
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Exist Trace's early music can be described as melodic death metal, with vocalist Jyou's growls and shouts throughout many songs, which contributes to their dark undertone. They have since added more complex sounds to the compositions, their guitar sound often featuring heavy distortion and technically virtuoso riffs and solos. The lyrics are mainly based on gothic themes, and their music style has resemblance to gothic rock. In recent work, they have experimented with different electronic and melodic approaches to their music, such as the jazz-influenced "Ginger", the electronic rock of "Diamond" and the 1980s disco feel of "Spiral Daisakusen".
In 2013, Exist Trace introduced their 'new world' musical direction, where long-time main lyricist/composer miko would officially be taking a dual-vocal position with Jyou. The twin vocal style was emphasized on 2013's single "Diamond". In 2014's "Spiral Daisakusen", the pair again share front billing and the center spot on the music video. The first album to fully incorporate the twin vocal style was the album World Maker, released in 2014.
Over time, the band has developed a dedicated international following, largely by word of mouth. In 2008, Exist Trace embarked on a tour of Europe, including the United Kingdom. The band also traveled to the US, playing Japanese culture conventions Sakura-Con in 2011, Tekkoshocon X in 2012, and A-Kon in 2013.
In May 2022, they released their remastered best album NEO JAPANESE HEROINE, featuring 12 tracks.
In November 2025, they released their album WHO I AM. The album released as a 2-CD package with 11 tracks on the album, plus a live CD with 13 tracks, including the previously unreleased song “Ame to Shounen”, recorded at the “exist†trace 19th Anniversary Special Live 2023 -ALL THE TRACES-,” held in celebration of the band's 19th anniversary.
VOCAL：ジョウ (Jyou)
GUITAR, VOCAL：miko
GUITAR: 乙魅 (Omi)
BASS：猶人 (Naoto)
DRUMS：Mally
LINKS
Official site: http://exist-trace.com
http://twitter.com/existxtrace_19
http://www.youtube.com/existNET
http://www.facebook.com/pages/existtrace/201341433235814
DISCOGRAPHY
Studio Albums:
TWIN GATE (2010.11.03)
virgin (2012.05.23)
WORLD MAKER (2014.09.24)
Mini-Albums:
Annunciation -the heretic elegy- (2006.12.13)
VANGUARD -of the muses- (2009.04.22)
Ambivalent Symphony (2009.10.21)
TRUE (2011.06.15)
The Last Daybreak (2011.10.19)
This Is Now (2016.03.06)
Royal Straight Magic (2016.11.16)
Best Albums:
Recreation Eve (2008.11.19)
Singles:
ambivalence (2005.08.16)
funeral bouquet (2006.02.15)
riot (2006.07.19)
liquid (2007.07.18)
Knife (2010.06.02)
Diamond (2014.07.03)
Spiral Daisakusen (2014.05.14)
Demo Tapes:
灰ノ雪 (Hai no yuki) [2005.02.22)
Unknown:
黒霧 (Kurokiri) [01.07.2004]
Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.