“The Garden of Gods”
Recorded originally in 1998, some songs re-recorded in 2018-2019 for “Remake” version
Download available at iTunes, Amazon and Bandcamp
Streaming available at Spotify, Apple Music and other services
1:Escape
2:From The Garden of Gods
3:Spiritual Seeker
4:Stray Child
5:Mirrors Always Tell Lies!!
6:Galactic Dreamer
7:Don’t Forget Who You Are
8:Morning Rain -snail song-
9:MONO Gokoro
10:In The Rain of Tears
11:Etude Infant
Track 4,8,9 recorded in 1998. Track 10&11 recorded in 2001. Track 3,6,7 recorded in 2018 and are some of the first songs Tak has ever written. Track 1,2,5 re-recorded in 2019 based on the original version recorded in 1998.
This is the “revisited” first album of Imari Tones. For a long time we didn’t have a proper “first album”. We are not a band that had a major commercial debut. We are an indie band that started making music without an intention to sell it at all.
Back in 1998, Tak “Tone” Nakamine started making music just by himself. Even though he made some good album such as “Kodomo Metal” as early as in 1999, the first recording he did in 1998 was not perfect. As a result this first album was half abandoned, with most of the songs re-recorded on the later albums.
Fast forward to 2018, Tak decided to remake the first album for his now internationally known Christian band. He wondered what could have been the “proper first album” which he could not make in the reality. He decided to record some of the oldest songs he had ever written, including the very first song he wrote when he was 16. He tried not to polish those songs too much, as he wanted to keep the young energy of the songs and make them like a “diamond in the rough”.
Also it’s a totally surprising fact that some of the songs have very dark spiritual themes. “From The Garden of Gods” is based on Japanese spiritual background, with a hint of pantheism and Buddhism, while trying to escape from human sin and punishment. It almost makes too much sense for a musician who later starts “the first Christian metal in Japan”.
Finally we have a proper “first album” here. 5 tracks are actually from 1998-2001 era. 3 tracks are 1998 songs re-recorded and the other 3 tracks are some of the first songs Tak has written in his teenage days recorded properly for the first time. We hope you feel the fresh energy of Japanese teenage rock and the starting point of Imari Tones’ spiritual journey.
All songs are sung in Japanese.