UVERworld

The beginnings of UVERworld looked pretty ambitious, as in 2002 the earliest incarnation of the band packed seven members, including a saxophonist. However, soon the man with the sax and the first vocalist left, and the group changed its name from Sangoku Road to UVERworld and picked a more conventional route. It proved to be a success, although not an immediate one: UVERworld’s breakthrough came in 2005, when their song “D-TechnoLife” made it to the credits of the popular anime Bleach — the anime that has served as a springboard for a huge number of J-rock bands. It worked with UVERworld, too: their debut single charted well, selling a respectable 100,000 units. Two more singles were not as successful, but still made the Oricon charts, and in 2006 a full LP, Timeless, followed. After that the band flirted with the anime market again, with their fourth single, “Colors of the Heart,” used for the anime Blood+ and gaining appropriate sales. Singles “Shamrock” (used by a TV drama about dancing) and “Kimi no Suki na Uta” followed, the latter debuting in the charts at number two thanks to its tie-in with the variety show Koisuru Hanikami! All these songs were collected on the band’s second CD, Bugright, released in 2007. By that time UVERworld had firmly established themselves as a TV credits band, providing songs for two more anime series (Toward the Terra and D.Gray-man) and an anime-based drama. Those fared well, paving the way for the band’s third LP, Proglution, released in early 2008. UVERworld’s fourth album, Awakeve, arrived in February of 2009. ~ Alexey Eremenko