Our name… Our name is derived from the two words “minstrel†and “relicsâ€. European metal heavily influences our work. Early mid-evil European folk music also greatly impacts our music. Using instruments such as harps and lutes often, along with lyrics that tell a story or comment on the state of our surroundings and world today, our compositions strongly portray the image of a minstrel. We like to think of ourselves as modern minstrels or gypsies playing our music and telling our stories. We also use chord patterns and melodies inspired by Japanese folk music. This is where we get the word: “relicsâ€. European folk and metal with words that narrate, “minstrelâ€. Music taken from the past and used in a modern fashion: “relicsâ€. Hence, MinstreliX.
Our sound… The core of our sound is from European melodic speed metal. With it, we have added elements of hard rock, death metal, classical, jazz, European folk, game and Japanese animation music, Japanese pop, Japanese rock and visual rock sounds, and Japanese classics to make our own genre we like to call “dramatic metalâ€. We want people to listen and find their passions, their reasons to move on and to live their lives to the fullest. We also wish to give our listeners a look into our imaginations and emotions hoping that they find aspects about themselves that we all have in common. Furthermore, we would like to give our listeners an outlet for expressing their own dramatic and avid emotions.
History… MinstreliX is a melodic speed metal band formed in Osaka Japan, 2004. In 2004, our first single “Lost Renaissance†was released under the vocals of Leo Figaro. 500 copies were pressed and it is now sold out. This single consists of 4 songs. Symphonic and folk influences are very apparent in these works. Wanting to expand beyond the realm of the Japanese metal scene, Lola, was introduced as the new lead vocalist in 2006. In the spring of 2006, the maxi single “Light Casts a Shadow†was released. 500 copies were pressed and it is nearly sold out. This single consists of 3 songs. Jazz, death metal, and acoustic guitar aspects were added to make a very colorful arrangement of songs. Our first full album “memoirs†was released this November, 2007. Along with elements taken from the two singles, progressive and some hard rock touches were included. With this album, we would like to recount the voyage of a young traveler and his inspirations along the way. It contains 12 tracks and takes you on a rollercoaster ride of intense melodies. The newly released mini album "Reflections" is a mix of remakes under the present vocalist, Lola, from "Lost Renaissance" favorites never been formally released, and new tracks. It includes the ever popular underground hit "Thirst For" and the 2009 version of "Light Casts a Shadow". Give a listen!Now, the maxi single "Light Casts a Shadow" is SOLD OUT! Minstrelix's first FULL ALBUM "memoirs" has been released as of November 23rd, 2007. Our first mini album "Reflections" under Black-listed Productions has been released as of March 3rd, 2009! Please check out our reviews in "BURRN" and "WE ROCK" magazines!
"memoirs" and "Reflections" are now available at these locations - Disk Heaven (Osaka, Nagoya, Tokyo) Disk Union (Tokyo) Blue Bell (Kobe) Rock Stack (Osaka) Rocks (Hokkaido) Tower Records Japan and is available for sale online. Please purchase with paypal or contact [email protected] for transactions in Japanese. For communication in English, please email [email protected]
