2008–2011 Vamps was formed by
Hyde (
L'Arc-en-Ciel) and
K.A.Z (
Oblivion Dust) in 2008. After working together on Hyde's solo career since 2003, the singer said he came to value K.A.Z's input so much, that he decided to form a band with him instead of using his own name. The name "Vamps" was derived from Hyde's interest in
vampires, but he noted that he is also interested in "mysterious women"; The band played 6 to 10 shows at each venue and every single show was sold out. Vamps' second single "
I Gotta Kick Start Now" was released on March 13, 2009, and was followed by "
Evanescent" on May 13. In July 2009, Vamps went on their Vamps Live 2009 U.S.A. Tour. The tour covered 10 cities in the
United States from July 11 - August 1. Stopping in the following cities: New York, two
Warped Tour 2009 shows (Hartford & Columbia), Baltimore, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Las Vegas, San Diego, and finishing off in Los Angeles. They had an additional finale US show in
Pearl Harbor, Oahu, Hawaii on board the
battleship USS Missouri on September 19. On June 10, 2009, they released their self-titled debut album,
Vamps, followed by their fourth single "
Sweet Dreams" on September 30. On January 31, 2010, the band was awarded the
Billboard Japan Music Awards Rising International Artist award for their efforts and success with their tour in the US. After releasing the DVD of their US tour on March 17, they released the single "
Devil Side" on May 12. Their sixth single "
Angel Trip" was released on June 9, followed by their second album,
Beast, on July 28, 2010. The band held a free concert in
Roppongi Hills on July 30, which was also freely streamed live on several websites. Vamps embarked on their first world tour in the fall of 2010. Making stops in the following countries:
Taiwan, United States,
Spain,
France,
China and
Chile. Their seventh single "
Memories" was released on December 15, 2010, and contains the B-side "Get Up -Japanese Ver.-", which is an alternative version of "Get Up" that translates some of the English lyrics into Japanese. This recording of the song was used in the
Bakuman. anime, which features a fictionalized version of Hyde that is voiced by the singer himself. On July 13, 2011, Vamps released their fourth DVD,
Vamps Live 2010 World Tour Chile, which was recorded in
Santiago on November 6, 2010, at the
Caupolican Theatre.
2013–2017 on December 8, 2013. In February 2013, Vamps announced they were changing record labels to
Universal Music Group's
Delicious Deli Records. The first release on the label was the home video
Vamps Live 2012 on April 24, which was recorded at Zepp Namba in 2012. This was the first performance of the songs from their double A-side single "
Ahead/Replay", The duo released the best-of album ''
Sex Blood Rock n' Roll'' on September 25, which includes re-recordings of songs, all in English, and is also their first worldwide release. They supported the record with a world tour that took them to Barcelona, Paris, Berlin, London, and finished with shows in Los Angeles and New York where they were supported by
Sid Wilson of
Slipknot. Vamps headlined the U-Express Live 2014 event at the
Saitama Super Arena on March 1, played their second show in London on March 28 and also performed at that year's
Download Festival on June 14. Two singles "
Get Away/The Jolly Roger" and "
Vampire's Love" were released on August 20 and October 8 respectively, with the latter being used for the Japanese release of the American film
Dracula Untold. The band then produced their third studio album
BloodSuckers on October 29, 2014. It was released in Europe on March 23, 2015, and in the US a day later. Vamps hosted the VampPark Fest at the
Nippon Budokan on February 18 and 19, 2015. In addition to themselves, it included
Sixx:A.M.,
Buckcherry,
Sads,
Nothing More,
Gerard Way and
Alexandros. Vamps took part in the Japan Night event held in
Jakarta on April 4, alongside several other artists promoting Japanese music. Beginning on April 8, they were a support act for twelve stops on Sixx:A.M.'s North American tour. They also performed at two festivals in
Florida, the Fort Rock Festival on April 25 and Welcome to Rockville the following day, their own headlining show at the
Best Buy Theater on May 1, and at the
Rock on the Range festival on May 15. Vamps returned to South America for four concerts in late September and early October, before being a support act for six shows on
Apocalyptica's UK tour in November. They released a collaborative single with Apocalyptica titled "
Sin in Justice" on November 20. The single "
Inside of Me" produced by
Howard Benson and featuring
Chris Motionless was released on August 31, 2016. Its B-side, "Rise or Die", features
Richard Z. Kruspe. The music video for "
Calling" was released via
Loudwire in April 2017. These three tracks and "Sin in Justice" were included on the album
Underworld, released on April 26, 2017. Designed to appeal to American audiences, it marks the first time Vamps brought in a producer and co-writers on songs. In September, they opened for
Danzig at three concerts in the Western US and headlined their own show at the
Roxie Theater. On December 1, 2017, Vamps announced that they were temporarily ceasing all activities; "Our engines have overheated and we need some time to cool down. As soon as we are at our best temperature and the time is right for our return, we plan to kick back into action in top gear!" == Members ==