GISM

Infobox Musical artist
Name = G.I.S.M.


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Genre = Hardcore punk
Years_active = 1981 - 2002
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Current_members = Sakevi Yokoyama Randy Uchida Kiichi Takahashi Ironfist Tatsushima
Past_members = Kanno "Cloudy" Hiroshima
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GISM (aka G.I.S.M.) were a Japanese hardcore punk band (with heavy metal influence) formed in Tokyo, Japan in 1981. The acronym G.I.S.M. stood for many different things. Variations include: God In the Schizoid Mind, Guerilla Incendiary Sabotage Mutineer, General Imperialism Social Murder, & Gnostic Idiosyncrasy Sonic Militant. The band initially composed of: vocalist Sakevi Yokoyama, guitarist Randy Uchida, bassist Kannon, & drummer Hiroshima. Randy Uchida often used heavy metal style guitar solos & riffs, nonetheless, G.I.S.M. were one of the first japanese hardcore bands [ [http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/comps/outsider.html KFTH - Outsider Compilation LP ] ] .

Career

In 1983, G.I.S.M. released their first album entitled Detestation [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=35954] . Randy Uchida & Hiroshima also played with Ronny Wakamats & Michel Hammer in a side project R.U.G. (Randy Uchida Group), which released an EP entitled Deathly Fighter in 1984 [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=27772] . Cloudy also played bass for female fronted band Front Guerrilla which released an EP entitled Fight Back in 1986.

Fourteen years after their M.A.N. album, G.I.S.M. released their last album on compact disc entitled SoniCRIME TheRapy. The band featured Kiichi Takahashi from Sabbrabells on bass & Ironfist Tatsushima from Crow & Die You Bastard! on drums. Guitarist, Randy Uchida, passed away from cancer on February 10th, 2001, shortly after the release of the album. [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=15809] . G.I.S.M. played two shows in Tokyo in the honor of Randy Uchida, and then broke up. Sakevi continues to make collage art with his own clothing brand "stlTH", which makes design t-shirts. Ironfist Tatushima continues to play in the bands Die You Bastard! & Crow which he had been playing with prior to G.I.S.M.. Kiichi was formerly the vocalist of metal band Sabbrabells [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=16905] . In 1987, Sakevi Yokoyama was featured in the Japanese film "Robinson's Garden". This film is the only documentation of his "acting" career. In 2004, Sakevi released a solo album entitled "The War" under the name S.K.V. The single expresses his opinions on the war on terror of New World Order [http://www.globaldarkness.com/cult/gism/skv_the_war_cd.html] .

Imagery

G.I.S.M. were widely known for violence present in their lyrics & live shows. Sakevi attacked the singer of Jagatara on national television [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGvPky_ggcE] . On stage, Sakevi would often be dressed on stage wearing a balaclava & bullet belt, waving lit flares in audience members' faces, using microphone stands as clubs, & attacking concert goers as Vietnam War footage was projected behind him. In the past he has attacked photographers for taking pictures of him & has chased audiences with a flamethrower.

During the mid 80's, Sakevi published a Japanese punkzine named P.O.W. The acronym of P.O.W. initially stood for Punk On Wave, but then changed to Performance Of War. The magazine promoted local punk bands from the Tokyo scene at the time. Sakevi also personally interviewed the Tokyo Medical Examiners Office, wrote the P.L.O., & wrote prisoners of war from Anti Japanese Armed Fronts by asking them all their opinions on death. The magazine also included vivid instructions on different ways to kill people. It also showed vivid drawings on how nbc weapons are made with images of their horrific consequences. John Duncan, the English translator for the magazine, states that Sakevi attacked a salariman on a Tokyo commuter train by showering him with a hairspray canister lit on fire with a cigarette lighter for staring.

In 2006, Sakevi designed the artwork for hardcore band World Burns To Death's new album entitled Totalitarian Sodomy.

Discography

Various Artists

* "The Punx (tape)" (1985) JICC [http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/comps/punx.html]
* "P.E.A.C.E./War" PUNK ROCK COMP. (LP) (1984) R RADICAL RECORDS

LPs

* "Detestation" (1983) Dogma Records [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=35954]
* "M.A.N. (Military Affairs Neurotic)" (1987) Beast Arts [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=37355]

CDs

* "DETESTation" (1992) Beast Arts
* "SoniCRIME TheRapy" (2002) Beast Arts [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=37356]

Videos

* "Performance" (1985) Beast Arts [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=64889]
* "BOOTLEG 1986" (1986) Beast Arts
* "Gay Individual Social Mean - Subj & Egos, chopped" (1995) Beast Arts [http://www.metal-archives.com/release.php?id=45864]
* "+R, Regicide Reverberation" (2002) Beast Arts

References

External links

* [http://www.globaldarkness.com/cult/gism G.I.S.M. Fan site I]
* [http://www.geocities.com/skvgism G.I.S.M. Fan site II]
* [http://homepages.nyu.edu/~cch223/japan/gism_main.html G.I.S.M. at Kill From The Heart]
* [http://www.metal-archives.com/band.php?id=15809 G.I.S.M. at Metal Archives]
* [http://bidhardcore.com/2008/05/02/gism-detestation/ A review of G.I.S.M. - Detestation]