Brahman (stylized as BRAHMAN) is a Japanese

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

band formed in Tokyo in 1995. They are known for mixing

hardcore Hardcore, hard core or hard-core may refer to: Arts and media Film * ''Hardcore'' (1977 film), a British comedy film * ''Hardcore'' (1979 film), an American crime drama film starring George C Scott * ''Hardcore'' (2001 film), a British documen ...

with

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...

History

Brahman formed in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

in 1995, when the band that Toshi-Low and Daisuke were in and the band that Ronzi and Makoto were in both disbanded, and the four musicians hit it off about the musical direction they wanted to go in. Their name comes from the

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

word ''

Brahman In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...

'' meaning "absolute reality", and represents their ethos of bringing Asian influences to the Western punk genre, including Okinawan, folk and gypsy music. They had their first concert at Shimokitazawa Shelter on August 9, 1995. After the 1996 release of the mini-album ''Grope Our Way'', Daisuke left the band. The mini-album ''Wait and Wait'' was released in 1997, after which, guitarist Kohki joined. Their first studio album, 1998's ''A Man of the World'', sold over 600,000 copies. Brahman signed with major record label

Toy's Factory is a Japanese record label founded in the late 1980s as a subsidiary of the entertainment company VAP, based in Japan. On May 30, 1990, it was established as an independent company. It is an associate member of the Recording Industry Assoc ...

in 1999. In 2001, they released their second album ''A Forlorn Hope'', which sold over 500,000 copies. It was later released in America by

Revelation Records Revelation Records is an independent record label focusing originally and primarily on hardcore punk. The label is known for releases by bands such as Youth of Today, Warzone, Sick of It All, Quicksand, Side By Side, Chain of Strength, Sh ...

in 2005. To commemorate their 20th anniversary in 2015, Brahman hosted the two-day at

Makuhari Messe is a convention center in Chiba (city), Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, located just outside of Tokyo. Designed by Fumihiko Maki, it is accessible by Transportation in Greater Tokyo#Railway and subway, Tokyo's commuter rail system. ''Makuha ...

's International Exhibition Hall on November 14 and 15. It included acts such as 10-Feet, Acidman,

Cocobat Cocobat is a Japanese heavy metal band, named after Bobo Brazil's finishing move ''Coco Butt''. The band formed in 1991 with four members: bassist Take-Shit, vocalist Ryuji, guitarist Suzuki Shinichi and drummer Matsuzaki. Their first album, ' ...

Hi-Standard Hi-Standard (stylized as Hi-STANDARD) is a Japanese punk rock band formed in 1991 by bassist and lead vocalist Akihiro Nanba, guitarist and vocalist Ken Yokoyama, and drummer Akira Tsuneoka. The release '' Making the Road'' sparked sold-out Japa ...

Man with a Mission Man with a Mission (stylized in all caps and sometimes shortened as MWAM) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band which was formed in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, in 2010. The band currently consists of five band members, with stage names of Tokyo Tanaka ( ...

and

The Hiatus The Hiatus is a Japanese rock supergroup formed by Takeshi Hosomi, lead vocalist of Ellegarden. Members * – vocals, guitar ( Ellegarden, MONOEYES) * Masasucks – guitar (Fullscratch) * – bass (Radio Caroline, ex- Thee Michelle Gun Eleph ...

. Brahman are conducting several events in celebration of their 30th anniversary, but three are the most prominent. First, they held a special concert at Yokohama Buntai on November 4, 2024, where they performed all 72 songs from their six major label studio albums. The second was the release of the studio album ''Viraha'' on February 26, 2025. The last will be the 2025 edition of the Jinmirai Festival at Makuhari Messe's International Exhibition Halls 9–11 on November 22–24. Performing acts will include

Kuroyume is a Japanese rock band formed in Nagoya in May 1991. They quickly achieved success with their 1994 major label debut album ''Mayoeru Yuritachi'', which reached number three on the Oricon Albums Chart. Following the departure of guitarist Shi ...

, Ego-Wrappin',

Orange Range is a Japanese rock band known for their strong Okinawan identity. Formed in 2001, the band began with Spice Music and later signed with Sony Music Japan's gr8! records division in 2003. The band left gr8! records in 2010 to start their own ...

, The Birthday,

Buck-Tick Buck-Tick (stylized as BUCK-TICK) is a Japanese rock band formed in Fujioka, Gunma in 1983. The classic lineup of lead vocalist Atsushi Sakurai, lead guitarist Hisashi Imai, rhythm guitarist Hidehiko Hoshino, bassist Yutaka Higuchi and drum ...

and

Luna Sea Luna Sea (stylized as LUNA SEA) is a Japanese Rock music, rock band formed in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1986. Due to the use of makeup and costumes early in their career and their widespread popularity, they are considered one of the most successf ...

Members

;Current members * Toshi-Low – vocals (1995–present) * Makoto – bass (1995–present) * Ronzi – drums (1995–present) * Kohki – guitar (1997–present) ;Former members * Nabe – bass (1995) * Daisuke – guitar (1995–1996)

Discography

Studio albums

*''A Man of the World'' (1998)

Oricon Albums Chart The Oricon Albums Chart is the Japanese music industry standard albums popularity chart issued daily, weekly, monthly and yearly by Oricon. Oricon originally published LP, CT, Cartridge and CD charts prior to the establishment of the Oricon A ...

peak: 99 *''A Forlorn Hope'' (2001) 2 *''The Middle Way'' (2004) 3 *''Antinomy'' (2008) 4 *''Eternal Recurrence'' (2009) 7 * 4 * 3 *''Viraha'' (2025) 7

Mini-albums

*''Grope Our Way'' (1996) *''Wait and Wait'' (1997)

Singles

References

External links

Official website

{{Authority control Japanese hardcore punk groups Japanese alternative rock groups Toy's Factory artists Musical groups from Tokyo