12012 (pronounced 'ichi ni zero ichi ni') is a visual rock band based in the Kansai region of Japan. With five members, the lyrics are always written by vocalist Miyawaki Wataru who uses their songs to create a story. Their music style tends to be harder rock, with a dark and aggressive undercurrent.
12012 began officially in 2003 on May 1st, immediately signing with Undercode Productions, home to other bands such as Vidoll and Phantasmagoria. They ended May together with their first live at a club in Osaka on the 31st. That summer, they released their first maxi-single, depression sign.
Participating in various events and contributing to numerous omnibuses, 12012's popularity increased throughout 2003 and into 2004. In October of 2004, they organized a six-day event/tour called Guilty of Six Days, in which each show was managed by one member of 12012, plus the final in which the whole band participated in organizing. Bands such as Duel Jewel and Panic Channel were featured along with numerous others. In that same month, they began a three month long consecutive release schedule: the mini album Bell salem was released in October, followed by Knight Mare in November, and finally shin~deep in December. They ended 2004 by performing in two different cities, Tokyo and Osaka, on the same day.
In February of 2005, they held their first one-man at the ESAKA MUSE which was later released on DVD. In May, they celebrated their second anniversary as a band before re-releasing a slew of their older material, including depression sign. In July, they released a DVD containing some of their PVs before going into a short September tour.
12012 only seemed to pick up steam as the band went into 2006; continuing to participate in various events, they released three photobooks before the middle of the year and two full albums. The first was their first full album, PLAY DOLLS, which was released in two versions, one containing a DVD and the other a bonus CD. They also released a 'best of' album entitled not obtain+1. As May rolled around, they held a one-man tour to celebrate their three years together and released a new single, Heart.
Despite all of this touring and releasing, the band was apparently still not ready to rest as Miyawaki Wataru and Sakai Hiroki dropped in on some of their international fans at Anime Expo in 2006 in southern California to shake hands and sign autographs. This was just a hint of things to come as the entire band then went to Germany and France in the fall to perform for their international fans before returning to the United States to perform at the Oni-Con convention held in Texas. During all of this, they'd also released three consecutive singles: PISTOL in September, wana in October, and finally Over... in November. They held another tour in Japan then, stretching from mid-November to December.
Change was in the air for 12012 as they went into 2007. After graduating from their indies label, Undercode Productions, they signed to a new label called Back Coat in February. Despite their label change, their work ethic didn't seem to change in the slightest as they spent the summer touring, released two singles, and performed in the United States once more. Though the band suffered some legal trouble in the later months, they continued to stick together and announced the release of two new singles and a new full album to be released on 12/12, a play on their name.
12012 toured up through the end of 2007 and right into 2008, participating in girugamesh's Stupid Tour 2008 and Speed Disk and Zeal Link events. The spring brought about the release of a new single, just one month before 12012's fifth anniversary one-man at Akasaka BLITZ in May. The band closed out 2008 with a large amount of touring as well as the release of two additional singles and a live DVD of their one-man.
The year 2009 proved to bring in as much work as the previous years for 12012. The band announced the release of several new works including a full album in March, and began a new tour, HEAD'S UP!!, in the spring. The band went on a number of tours throughout the summer and the fall for their new album, mar maroon. On 12/12, the band continued the tradition of celebrating the day, performing a free live and wrapping up their heavy touring of that year.
With the release of Tattoo in 2010, the band kicked off their tour schedule in February, going strong right into the release of their new album, SEVEN in July, which started a new string of performances nationwide. In late fall, amidst touring, 12012 announced that on 12/12, Suga Yuusuke would be leaving the band. Despite this abrupt news, the band continued business as usual, wrapping up their fall tour and performing at Anime USA in Arlington, Virginia, USA as Suga's final hurrah with their American fans.
After Suga Yuusuke's departure, the group continued as a four-member band. Surprising nobody, the year 2012 saw the release of a self-titled album. Furthermore, they released the first half of their Crime and Punishment series, a single called Cunning Killer, and embarked on an extensive nationwide tour.
2013, as the band's 10th anniversary, was an even more exciting year for fans thanks to a slew of live events and releases. Beginning in March, support guitarist Saito Shinichiro became a full-time member. April brought the release of the latter half of the Crime and Punishment series, the mini-album DEICIDA OF SILENCE, and in May of that year 12012 performed a 10th anniversary live at Shibuya O-WEST. The band's future never looked brighter, and they rounded off the year with another mini-album, titled THE SWAN and another tour titled Purification of the Soul.
However, the year 2014 would prove unfortunate, as the band announced an indefinite hiatus set to begin in December. Though there have not yet been any releases in what could be the band's final year, they've so far appealed more personally to fans through a series of live events. Though the end may be near, there's no telling what is in store for a band as storied and unpredictable as 12012, so fans will just have to wait and see.
