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Skull (stylized as SKULL), originally known as Skull -The Skull- (スカル -THE SKULL-, sukaru -THE SKULL-), was a Japanese visual kei hard rock band that was active between 2003 and 2011. ^[2]

The band Skull formed under the name Skull -The Skull- in 2003, but did not begin regular activities until the following year. ^{[2] [3]} The group focused most of their early performances in the Sendai region and slowly began to build momentum. ^[4] In 2005, they released their first single, Jisaku jien, ^[5] and went on their first tour. ^[2] The band continued to hold consistent live performances throughout the year and through 2006. ^[2] On December 26, they held their first-ever one-man performance at the Sendai Macana venue. ^[4]

At the beginning of 2007, the band officially changed their name to Skull and began expanding their presence across Japan. ^[3] Skull put out their first release in two years with the maxi-single The Scream of Gate on January 26, and scheduled numerous tours for the year. ^[2] The single quickly sold out, and Skull reissued a second print of the CD bundled with a new DVD of their first music video in June. ^[2] In August, Skull released their first mini-album, Ugly Black Showcase, which placed the weekly Oricon Albums Chart at number 299. ^[6]

During 2008, Skull began the year by hosting a one-man show at Takadanobaba Area on January 19. ^[2] In July, both Skull and Rentrer en Soi were a part of a three-man special sponsored by Dio at Shibuya Boxx. ^[2] During this live, bassist Sakura announced he would be leaving the band following their one-man performance on September 15 due to a disagreement with the band's future. ^[7] Skull continued on, and in August, they teamed up with Oz for a two-man tour of Japan. ^{[8] [9]} Following Sakura's departure after their September performance, the band briefly went on hiatus. ^[10]

In February 2009, Skull sponsored an event at Takadanobaba Area featuring several other bands. ^[10] During the event, the group announced the addition of bassist Ryou and guitarist Kouta to their lineup, and simultaneously revealed two new upcoming singles. ^[11] Following the success of their previous mashup, Skull and Oz announced that they would again team up for an August tour. ^[12] In September, members Die and Kouta partnered with accessory company Vanilla Edge to release their own personalized jewelry. ^{[13] [14] [15]}

Skull released their second mini-album Natural born killer in January 2010, then followed up with a one-man show promotion in February. ^[2] The band later released two singles in July and August, ^[1] and shared a tour across Japan with Oz for the third year in a row. ^[2] On November 29, the band announced it would disband in 2011 for undisclosed reasons, ^[16] and dissolved all activities after their final performance in June 2011. ^[2] Members Die, Ryou, and Tetsuya later went on to join the band My Bacteria Heat Island, ^[1] but all three simultaneously left the band in August 2015. ^[17] Soon after, Skull announced they would host a one-day revival show in December at Ikebukuro Edge. ^[18] Skull repeated this the following year by holding one last one-day revival at Takadanobaba Area in December 2016. ^[19]

Skull's music incorporated a variety of different styles, blending elements such as metal and lighter melodies into their usual hard rock mix. ^[20] The band was especially notable for its aggressive live shows and the level of engagement they had with their audience. ^[21] Skull often catered the style of their musical compositions towards their live performances. ^[20]

• Sin – vocals (2003–2011)
• Die (ダイ, Dai) – guitar (2003–2011)
• Kouta – guitar (2009–2011)
• Ryou (りょう) – bass guitar (2009–2011)
• Tetsuya (てつや) – drums (2003–2011)

Former members

• Sakura (さくら) – bass guitar (2003–2008)

• Ugly Black Showcase (August 15, 2007)
• Natural born killer (ナチュラルボーンキラー, January 20, 2010)

• Jisaku jien (自作自演, January 9, 2005)
• The Scream of Gate (January 26, 2007)
• Bullet (March 21, 2008)
• Awake (May 20, 2009)
• Skin (July 22, 2009)
• "Kagerou" "Souen" (｢陽炎｣｢蒼炎｣, July 7, 2010)
• Nancy (August 8, 2010)

• Lovehate/Shadow (June 13, 2003)
• Sunny Days/Too Fast (December 15, 2003)
• Bad "S" (March 8, 2004)
• Tear drop January 27, 2006)
• My glitter (May 3, 2008)
• Nega no haguruma (ネガの歯車, May 6, 2008)
• Fake flower (May 10, 2008)
• Sayonara (サヨナラ, May 16, 2008)

• Official Myspace
• SKULL Staff Blog
• SKULL THE END on Twitter