The dissolution of the enormously popular and successful visual kei bands Kagerou and Deadman within the space of a year left a gaping hole in the heart of the scene which was crying out to be filled. Moving back to Tokyo from Nagoya after Deadman split up, guitarist Aie met with his longtime friend, former Kagerou vocalist Daisuke Ochida, and the two decided to form a new band. In April, 2007, teaming up with bassist Yukino and drummer Hibiki, who had formerly played with Aie in the group Kein, they named their new band the Studs (a reference to the sharp and pointed nature of their music, rather than their sexual prowess). Deadman had been part of the Nagoya scene, where the visual kei bands favor a much darker and toned-down look than their glamorous Tokyo counterparts, and the music, heavily influenced by British punk rock, is harder, angular, and more metallic. With Aie as their principal composer, it was clear that the Studs' music would conform to this template. A scant two months after forming, they had recorded a six-song mini-album, Studs. They delighted European fans by including a show in Paris as part of their first tour, and negotiating a release of the mini-album through the German label Gan-Shin. After the tour, the band quickly went back into the studio and at the start of 2008, two singles in quick succession were followed by their debut full-length album And Hate, which also saw release in Europe. Throughout that year, the band toured Japan a number of times, releasing three more singles which were warmly received by fans and whetted their appetites for a new album. But in March of 2009, cracks began to appear in the band; Hibiki left, citing creative differences, and Hiroshi Sasabuchi, formerly of Plastic Tree, was hired as support. In April, Aie played a solo show, sparking more rumors, and in May, just days after the release of their second album, the Studs announced they would be going on an indefinite hiatus at the end of their next tour. The album was, perhaps prophetically, titled Alan Smithee, the pseudonym used on the credits of a film when the director, for whatever reason, no longer wishes his real name to be associated with it. The album was not released in Europe, and later in the year, Yukino also left the band. But as 2010 dawned, the two remaining members were still heavily involved in music. While Aie resurrected his session band the God and Death Stars, Daisuke unveiled a new solo project, Daisuke to Kuro no Injatachi ("Daisuke and the Black Hermits"). Tragically, on July 15, 2010, mere days before the planned release of his second solo single, Daisuke was found dead in his apartment. He was just 31 years old. The cause of death, while never officially revealed, was widely reported as an accidental prescription drug overdose; a congenital heart condition which had plagued him since infancy was believed to have been a contributing factor. ~ John D. Buchanan