A few months back, it was reported on The Mass Missile’s official website that three of the five members left the band. Not much else was known until recently, becasue The Mass Missile have a new website. It’s like they broke up and have now regrouped.

Japanese rock band The Mass Missile (ザ・マスミサイル) have been making music since 2000. Their most recent album, Moyori no Yume (最寄りの夢) was released in 2006. Following the album’s release, the band’s online presence was minimal and in 2007 came the news of a line-up change.

The Mass Missile’s original members were Yokkun (よっくん, vocals), Kacchan (かっちゃん, guitar), Yousuke (ようすけ, bass), Takechan (竹ちゃん, drums), and Anchan (あんちゃん, keyboard). With the band’s new line up now, only lead singer Yokkun and bassist Yousuke remain.

The new line up for The Mass Missile is Yokkun (よっくん, vocals), Kouji (こうじ, guitar), Yousuke (ようすけ, bass), Seiichi (せいいち, drums), and Yasu (ヤス, keyboard).

So what does this mean to the future of The Mass Missile and the band’s very unique sound and style? We’ll have to wait and find out.

One of the most distinctive componants is Yokkun’s vocals. Luckily he’s still around. The main question for me arises with the change-up on keys. It seemed that Anchan was a huge contributor to the band’s overall music and sound. There was usually such an emphasis on that componant.

One of the coolest elements of The Mass Missile’s music was that the entire band often sang in the choruses. On the new site, every member (except Yasu) is listed as being part of the chorus (コーラス). That is a good sign of things to come.

I really loved The Mass Missile in their original form. Sometimes band changes don’t change the music too much but sometimes things change for better or for worse. At least the frontman is still in place though.

The Mass Missile’s new line up makes me more excited to hear their new material. I can’t wait! In the meantime, I’ll try to find out why they broke up.

Here’s a re-look back at last year’s single, “Ima”. Love it!

The Mass Missile’s official site