Nogod, is a Japanese visual keiheavy metal band formed in 2005 by vocalist Dancho. Originally named Shinko Shukyo Gakudan Nogod, the band has been using simply Nogod since signing to the major labelKing Records in 2010.
History
2005–2009: Formation and rise
The band was formed in early 2005 by vocalist Dancho, under the name Shinko Shukyo Gakudan NoGoD. They held their debut performance on October 19, at , with a lineup consisting of Dancho on vocals, Aki and Kyrie on guitar, Karin on bass, and K on drums. On November 12, the band released their first demo "Kimi ni Okuru Bukiyou de Migatte na Uta". They spent the rest of 2005 and the beginning of 2006 performing with other bands in Tokyo. In July 2006, the members were signed to Art Pop Entertainment and released two singles, "Akafukyō" and "Kurofukyō", the following month. In 2007, guitarist Aki left and was replaced by Shinno. In April 2008, the band released their first studio album, Mugenkyō, which reached No. 6 on the Oricon Indies chart. In February 2009, the band released their second studio album, Gokusaishiki.
2010–present: Going major
In November 2009, vocalist Dancho announced that the band would be making their major debut. On June 9, 2010, Nogod released their first major single, "Kakusei", on King Records. The song was used as the ending theme for Chūkyō TV's :ja:フットンダ|Futtonda. On August 4, 2010, Nogod released their first major album, Kakera, in Japan and Europe. The band kicked off a one-man tour to promote their album in Taiwan; they followed up the show with other performances throughout Tokyo. In January 2011, Nogod began hosting their own radio show on Tokyo Bay FM. The program is titled Nogod Bless You!!! and airs every Saturday at 12:00AM. Nogod covered Siam Shade's song "1/3 no Junjou na Kanjou" for the compilation Crush! -90's V-Rock Best Hit Cover Songs-. The album was released on January 26, 2011 and features current visual kei bands covering songs from bands that were important to the '90s visual kei movement. In January 2018, Nogod bassist Karin announced that he would leave the band after 13 years. His final performance with the band was on April 6 of that year in Tokyo at Shinjuku ReNY.
Musical Style
Nogod's music ranges from heavy metal to slow ballads. Songs such as "Kakusei" have been praised for the technical skill that the band has exhibited.
