Balzac (typeset as BALZAC) is a Japanese punk band formed in 1992 in Osaka. The band was founded by singer and songwriter Hirosuke Nishiyama, who has remained the only constant member of the band since its creation. Since the beginning, Balzac was highly influenced by the sound and image of the famous horror punk band The Misfits and, especially during the very early years, Glenn Danzig's Samhain, adopting and combining the musical and visual style of both bands to create their own. The band often stays away from the "campy" horror lyrics and image found in most horror punk bands, as the lyrics by Hirosuke tend to be more like dark poetry and, though not always serious, deal with themes of darkness, loneliness and fear.
The band has gained a certain amount of recognition and exposure outside of their native country, where they are well known. Currently they have five official clothing brands (Shocker!!!, Dementia 13, Culture, XXXxxx and Balzac) with one store in Japan, plus three online stores (Shocker Webstore, Shocker World Wide and Shocker EU). They also have their own official record label called Evilegend 13 Records on which they have released EPs, singles and videos. Balzac is also well known for its toy releases, some created by the companies T.W.I.M. and Secret Base, and its extensive discography and side-projects.
The current lineup of the band consists of Hirosuke Nishiyama (vocals), Atsushi Nakagawa (guitar/chorus), Akio Imai (bass/chorus) and Takayuki Manabe (drums/digital effects/chorus). Musically the band has drawn from punk, pop, industrial and noise, across their various releases.
Studio albums
1995 The Last Men on Earth
1997 Deep – Teenagers from Outer Space
1998 13 Stairway – The Children of the Night
2000 Zennou-Naru Musuu-No Me Ha Shi Wo Yubi Sasu
2002 Terrifying! Art of Dying – The Last Men On Earth II
2003 Beyond the Darkness
2003 Out of the Light of the 13 Dark Night
2004 Came Out of the Grave
2005 Dark-Ism
2005 Out of the Grave and into the Dark
2006 Deep Blue: Chaos from Darkism II
2006 Paranoid Dream of the Zodiac
2007 Deep Blue: Chaos from Darkism
2008 Hatred: Destruction = Construction
2008 The Birth of Evil
2009 Paradox
2010 Judgement Day
