ATOMIC TORNADO

ATOMIC TORNADO was founded in 1992 by Yo-suke Tsuchiya and Hiroyuki Murakami. In 1996, after only one mini album had been released, they put the band on hold and Yo-suke began side projects including a new band called Lemon Glass, which he formed with Naoki, a former member who had become well known on the visual kei scene, with his band called Jinkaku Radio.

Five years later, Yo-suke returned with new musicians and fresh song material. After their reunion, they did many concerts and even performed as the opening act for ANIMETAL, but there were no releases apart from the Screaming Tornado demo tape. As time drew on, the lineup continously changed.

2003 was a big year for the band, with the coming of their new guitarist Takashi "King" Nakayama. ATOMIC TORNADO appeared in Fool's Mate magazine, and released a new mini album, Tornado Eve. They also contributed a song to the Stand Proud III omnibus album on which they were given the opportunity to cover the German metal legend Helloween, one of their biggest musical influences. Despite their success, ATOMIC TORNADO's activity dwindled.

Hiroyuki O-Dachi joined the band on bass at the end of 2004. The drums were handed over to Chaly, the last member to join. The band spent a lot of time in studio and wrote new songs for their upcoming first album at the beginning of 2005. Yo-suke, Takashi and Daxchi also worked together with a few other musicians on the title song for "Counter Strike NEO - WHITE MEMORIES."

After a concert in the Shibuya On Air East on October 15th, 2005 Takashi left the band for unknown reasons. A replacement was found quickly: Yu-ya. SInce he had a contract with ESP Japan, this guitarist triggered a new era for ATOMIC TORNADO. Appearances at big events such as Rock In Japan Festival 2006 became more frequent, their popularity increased and finally they got a contract with the label Yamaha. Their long awaited first album, Tornado Eye was released in February 2007, followed by a nationwide tour.

2008 seemed to start out as a strong year for the band, but by the winter it was announced that Yo-suke would be leaving the band to retire. They played a final one-man in Shibuya on December 28th before putting the band on suspension.

It is unknown whether ATOMIC TORNADO will find a replacement for their founder or if the band will continue their silence. For now, fans remain hopeful.