Yoshiaki Negishi

Yoshiaki Negishi
Negishi performing at Earthdom in December 2014.
Background information
Birth Name	Yoshiaki Negishi
Alias	Neggy
Born	15 November 1970
Occupation	Musician
Genres	Doom Metal, Stoner Metal, Psychedelic Rock, Hardcore Punk, Grindcore, Heavy Metal
Instrument(s)	Vocals, Synthesizer, Bass
Years active	1996 - Present
Labels	Southern Lord Records, Daymare Recordings, HG Fact, Kult of Nihilow, High Society Satanic
Associated acts	Church of Misery, Coffins, Nepenthes, Assault, G.A.T.E.S., Heavy Metal Glue, Barebones

Yoshiaki Negishi is a vocalist based out of Tokyo, Japan. Active since the 1990s, known for his grizzly, gravelly vocals in similar vein to Lemmy. He is best known for performing two tenures with the Japanese doom metal band Church of Misery, notably singing on the band's first true album Master of Brutality. Along with his brief tenures with Church of Misery he had notably performed with hardcore bands such as Assault and the satanic speed metal band G.A.T.E.S. (God Admires The Evil Soul), which he has been active with since 1999.

Currently, along with G.A.T.E.S., Negishi has been active with the doom metal band Nepenthes, whom have released two studio albums to date. In a career spanning over twenty-five years his voice has appeared to date on over twenty studio releases between six bands, including seven total studio albums between these various bands.

Biography

Early Bands

The earliest known band Negishi would be involved with would be the Japanese death/doom band Coffins, initially as a founding bassist and vocalist in 1996. However he would transition to a lead vocal role from 1997 - 2000, contributing only to a rehearsal demo in the latter year. Negishi would leave the band in 2000 but would appear as a guest on 6 November 2004 at Ramba Rockets in Osaka, performing additional vocals on a cover of the Venom song "Warhead". This live recording would appear on the band's first EP Sacrifice to Evil Spirit, along with the two-disc compilation Ancient Torture.

In 1997 Negishi would found the hardcore band Assault, initially releasing a demo cassette before following with two 7" singles. The band would sign with HG Fact to release two studio albums in 2001 and 2003 before disbanding.

Church of Misery

• For more details feel free to view the page on Church of Misery.

Negishi would join Church of Misery in 1999 alongside drummer Junji Narita. Sometime after this lineup had formed, work would begin on their official debut studio album (Omitting Vol. 1). Following recording in the Spring of 2001 it would be announced that Summer that Southern Lord Records would release the debut album sometime in the Fall. The band would notably record one more song with this lineup in "Candy Man (Dean Corll)" before founding guitarist Tomohiro Nishimura would leave the band.

Takenori Hoshi would join in 2002 and after recording in the Summer, would release The Boston Strangler EP via Finnish label Kult of Nihilow. The band would perform several shows in Japan, including a gig supporting High on Fire and Mastodon in 2002. In January 2003, Negishi would leave the band, with Hideki Fukasawa replacing him that July.

In early 2009, following the recording of the band's third studio album Houses of the Unholy, Hideki Fukasawa would leave the band. This would be announced on 23 January 2009, with Negishi returning to the band for two hometown shows and a tour of Europe. It had been stated that Hideki simply disappeared without warning, forcing the band to eventually recruit Negishi after talking things out. The band would tour Europe surrounding an appearance at Roadburn Festival, which was later released as a live album. Further touring of Europe would take place in 2010, including a fall tour with Cathedral, The Gates of Slumber and Death Row. Church of Misery would tour with Negishi through Europe again in 2011 alongside Eyehategod. By the end of the year however, Negishi would depart the band once again to which Hideki Fukasawa would return.

G.A.T.E.S.

Yoshiaki Negishi, along with Tatsu Mikami (Church of Misery, Sonic Flower), Keisuke Fukawa (Sonic Flower, Bleed For Pain, Slogg) and Masayasu Futatsugi (Life, Antiauthorize), would found G.A.T.E.S. (God Admires The Evil Soul) sometime in 1999 initially as a side project. The band's sound would be a mix of punk and speed metal influenced by the likes of Motörhead, Venom and Celtic Frost, with lyrics heavily themed on death, occultism and satanism. After a few years of the respective members being busy with other projects, G.A.T.E.S. would perform their debut gig at Kichiyouji WARP on 16 March 2002. The band would work on their first demo and a split album in 2002, eventually releasing DEMONlition 1 and a split album with Metal Skull (Total High Society Satanic Rocks) in the Fall of 2003 following a gig on 12 October. Both of these releases would be comprised as a compilation known as Total Death, released on 21 January 2005 via DiwPhalanx Records.

At some point around 2005, multi-instrumentalist Shinji Tachi (Sabbat, Metalucifer, Buried Alive, Magnesium, Sacrifice) would join as the new drummer. The band would remain active performing with heavy metal and punk bands in Japan, all the while releasing several split releases including an EP in Devastation (17 October 2008) and a single in Deciever (9 July 2010).

Remaining relatively quiet for some years, G.A.T.E.S. would return with a demo in 2016 and a new bassist in Hiroyuka Maekawa (Terror Squad, Slogg). In June 2017 G.A.T.E.S. would release their debut album Back From The Grave via High Society Satanic, recorded an conceived nearly twenty years after the band had formed. The band would perform several marquee shows in Japan to support the album, along with a performance at Saint Vitus Bar in New York on 17 June 2017, the band's first known performance outside of their native Japan. An EP in Children of the Night would follow on 19 May 2018, including a cover of the Motörhead song "Mean Machine".

Heavy Metal Glue & Nepenthes

Following Negishi's second departure from Church, he would be involved in a hard rock project known as Heavy Metal Glue, with Ken Matsutani & Rie Miyazaki (Marble Sheep) and Ken Ishihara (The Stars, White Heaven), releasing a single album on cassette in 2012.

In 2012 Negishi would form the doom metal band Nepenthes, alongside Zigen, Iwamotor, Suto and Kitagawa. Not long after their inception the band composed a demo and released it in 2013 along with playing some of their first shows around the Tokyo area at venues like Earthdom.

Sometime after the demo Mossa-Hiro would replace Kitagawa on bass in 2015 and become more active in terms of live performances, with an album in the works. Throughout 2015 the band would support Vektor and Pallbearer on their tour of Japan. The band's debut album Scent was released via Daymare Recordings on 21 October 2015. Two release parties in support of the album followed: One on 12 December at Earthdom and one on 6 March 2016 at Shinsaibashi Hokage.

Nepenthes would tour more frequently in 2016, starting off the year with the previously mentioned release show among other showcase gigs. The band would tour with Noothgrush (and Corrupted on a couple dates) throughout Japan in a tour entitled The Endless Nightmare. Nepenthes would follow up with a short tour with Eternal Elysium and Greenmachine.

On 18 January 2017 Daymare Recordings announced a vinyl edition of Scent was in the works. Nepenthes would also tour the United States for the first time alongside Noothgrush in March that year. On 21 September 2017 it was announced that the band would release their second album Confusion that November. It was announced that Mossa left the band on 25 November 2017.

Bands

• Coffins - Bass, Vocals (1996, 1997 - 2000)
• Assault - Vocals (1997 - ?)
• Church of Misery - Vocals, Synthesizers (1999 - 2003, 2009 - 2011)
• G.A.T.E.S. - Vocals (1999 - Present)
• Heavy Metal Glue - Vocals (2011)
• Nepenthes - Vocals (2012 - Present)
• Barebones - Vocals (2021 - Present)

Selected Discography

With Church of Misery

• Master of Brutality (Studio Album) (2001, Southern Lord Records)
• Boston Strangler (Extended Play) (2002, Kult of Nihilow)
• Live at Roadburn 2009 (Live Album) (2010, Roadburn Records)

With G.A.T.E.S.

• DEMONlition 1 (Demo) (2003, Self-Released)
• Total High Society Satanic Rocks (Split with Metal Skull) (2003, High Society Satanic)
• Nuclear Hell / Black Plague (Split with Disclose) (2005, Dan-Doh Records)
• Total Death (Compilation) (2005, DiwPhalanx Records)
• Death Bitch (Split with Blüdwülf) (2007, High Society Satanic)
• Devastation (Extended Play) (2008, High Society Satanic)
• Blood Sucker (7" Single) (2009, High Society Satanic)
• Nowhere to Go / Dust (Split with Burning Leather) (2009, HG Fact)
• Metal Punk (Split with Children of Technology) (2009, High Society Satanic)
• Deceiver (7" Single) (2010, High Society Satanic)
• Back From The Grave (Studio Album) (2017, High Society Satanic)
• Children of The Night (Extended Play) (2018, High Society Satanic)
• Male Supremacist Dick / Back from the Grave (Split with Agathocles) (2018, Insane Society)

With Nepenthes

• Scent (Studio Album) (2015, Daymare Recordings)
• Confusion (Studio Album) (2017, Daymare Recordings)
• Grand Guignol (Studio Album) (2023, Daymare Recordings)

Other Discography

• Terror Squad - The Birth of The New Rage (Demo; Photography) (1994, Self-Released)
• Meshuggah - Contradictions Collapse (Studio Album; Japanese Liner Notes) (1995, JVC Victor)
• Assault - Assault (Demo) (1997, Self-Released)
• Assault - Assault (7" Single) (1999, Loud Hatred Records)
• Coffins - Reh Demo '00 (Rehearsal Demo) (2000, Self-Released)
• Assault - Martyrdom (7" Single) (2001, Partners in Crime)
• Assault - ασσαυλτ (Studio Album) (2001, HG Fact)
• Assault - Assault (Studio Album) (2003, HG Fact)
• Coffins - Sacrifice to Evil Spirit (EP; Vocals on "Warhead (Live)") (2005, Living Dead Society)
• Coffins - Warhead (7" Single; Vocals on "Warhead (Live)") (2009, Torture Garden Pictures Company)
• Coffins - Ancient Torture (Compilation; Vocals on "Warhead (Live)") (2011, Deepsend Records)
• Heavy Metal Glue - Heavy Metal Glue (Studio Album) (2012, Self-Released)

External Links

• Facebook
• Discogs
• G.A.T.E.S. on Myspace
• Archived Official page on G.A.T.E.S.
• Archived G.A.T.E.S. members page
• Church of Misery with Negishi at Hellfest 2011
• Church of Misery with Negishi at Roadburn 2009
• Assault Martyrdom
• ασσαυλτ
• Coffins Warhead Live
• Nepenthes live at Earthdom
• G.A.T.E.S. live at Saint Vitus Bar