Mightier than a tsunami, more earth shattering than an earthquake, Japan's quartet of moshing madmen Cocobat set out on their conquest of Earth. With the power of extreme music seeping the globe, Cocobat are Japan's answer to the thrashing and moshing panderric. Rising from the country that unleashed the likes of Godzilla, Devil-Man, Gamera and Akira, Cocobat have set out to show the world that they too are a creative firestorm.

Released by Japanese indie label Sinkie in April, 1992, Cocobat's first album Cocobat Crunch combined the raw power of hardcore and metal with the grooves and chop of funk and rock'n roll. Cocobat proved that they were ready to impact the international extreme music scene. British metal magazine Kerrang dubbed them "Japan's answer to Pantera". With the help of famed twisted artist Pushead (famed for his work with Metallica and the Misfits) doing the cover art, Cocobat Crunch was searing debut that took the Japanese underground scene by storm.

In August, Cocobat released their second full-length collection of damaging grooves with Struggle Of Aphrodite. Japanese manga artist Go Nagai (known for his Devilman manga and animation) and Pushead collaborated on Cocobat's cover. Cocobat hooked up with bands like Sick Of It All, Body Count and Rocket From the Crypt to tour Japan Selling more than 10,000 albums and then joining the Cathedra/Brutal Truth tour in Japan. Cocobat's skill and popularity was taken to new levels.

Cocobat Crunch was reissued with extra tracks in November of 1993 on Cocobat's new label Toy's Factory (who distributes the likes of lard and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones). By December, 1993, it was time for some metamorphisizing for Cocobat. Bassist Take-Shit and singer Ryuji became the sole surviving members of the original quartet. The live video of some 1993 performances antitled A Tourist's Guide to Cocobat was released in March, 1994 as a visual testament to Cocobat's incendiary live shows.

In early 1994, Take-Shit and Ryuji were joined by new guitarist Tomoda and drummer Murochin. Gigging all over Japan, Cocobat opened for NYC hardcore-metallers Biohazard as well as Helmet, Quicksand and The Jesus Lizard. Cocobat relesed their industrial-tinged remix album A Footprint in the Sky with remixes by various Japanese artists as well as live tracks.

Ryuji later left the band, and in 1995 the remaining three members released an album, with Take-Shit on vocals entitled Positraction. After this release, the band went thru a quiet period, ultimately resulting in all the band members leaving the band, with only Take-Shit left to carry on the Cocobat legacy. Then in December 1996, with a whole-new lineup of Kame on drums, Koji on guitar and a very young Hideki on vocals, Cocobat released their most eagerly anticipated album Return of Grasshopper, recorded in NY under the watchful eye of producer Don Fury, which was followed later by the Tsukiookami and I Versus I albums.

 

discography

Cocobat/Doom split 7" EP
[HG Fact] HG-004
variant cover 1
Tracks : Skimen

Cocobat/Doom split 7" EP
[HG Fact] HG-004
variant cover 2
Tracks : Skimen
Cocobat/Doom split 7" EP
[HG Fact] HG-004
variant cover 3
Tracks : Skimen
Cocobat Crunch Cocobat Crunch (November 1993)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88037
Tracks : 1. Cocobat Crunch 2. Can't Wake Up 3. Cry Of Pain 4. Ugry Shit Need More Paper 5. Fish 6. Sideball Uncle 7. Mental 8. Punch You 9. Another ME 10. Guy (Plathome Pizza Mix) 11. 21st Century Shizoid Man 12. Starless
Tracks 11 and 12 are extra tracks for the Japanese version CD.
Struggle for Aphrodite Struggle For Aphrodite (August 1993/re-released December 99)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88032
Tracks : 1. Take Care of your Ass 2. Struggle 3. I Feel Nothing 4. Leeway 5. Skimen 6. Bob 7. Where? 8. Lie 9. Iam Me, Not Myself 10. In the Time 11. Trust Me 12. Thing
Footprints in the Sky Footprints in the Sky (June 1993)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88047
Tracks : 1. Cocobat Crunch (GasCoCo2Geza4Eva Mix) 2. Cocobat Crunch (Live) 3. Cocobat Crunch (DemoDemo Mix) 4. Lie (Live) 5. Lie (Asshole Mix) 6. Lie (Fart Mix) 7. I Feel Nothing (Crap Mix) 8. I Feel Nothing (Piles Mix)
note : this is a remix album, and some songs are remixed by Japanese mix maestros, Def Master and DJ Krush.
Positraction Posi-Traction (January 1995)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88059
Tracks : 1. Posi-traction 2. Hoover 3. Joe 4. Marusan 5. Bullmark 6. Stonebrain 7. Changing Cyborg 8. Intro 9. Munsters
note : this album was done with the line-up of Take-shit on bass/vocals, Tomoda-guitars and Murochin-drums.
Grasshopper

Return of Grasshopper (December 1996)
Toy's Factory CD : TFCC-88090 LP : TFJC-38016
Tracks : 1. Grasshopper 2. Chinning 3. Vale Tudo 4. Same Food Makes Same Shit 5. Energy 6. Do the Stretch 7. Numeros 8. Shower 9. Setsunai 10. Great Men 11. Far 12. Grab Your Own Shit

@

Bonus CD (comes with the first press),
Promo cassette

Tracks : 1. Grasshopper (Saitama Version) 2. Cocobat Crunch ('96 Version) 3. Apocalypse Now 4. Die Die My Darling~We Bite 5. Far (Saitama Version)
note : the first press of the CD comes together with a bonus CD, in a DigiPack package.
Grasshopper 7 inch
Toy's Factory
Tracks : 1. Grasshopper 2. Apocalypse Now 3. Cocobat Crunch 4. Die Die My Darling 5. We Bite
Bacteria Sour 7 inch
Toy's Factory
giveaways at the Skeletal Carnival, Shinjuku Loft 06/10/99

Tsukiookami (November 98)
Toy's Factory TFCC88131
Tracks : 1. Bobo 2. Tsukiookami 3. Ude (Hito to Shite) 4. Devil 5. Geronimo 5. Another Me (Power of GTN Version)

@

Tsukiookami Promo CD
Toy's Factory
Tsukiookami 7 inch
Toy's Factory
Tracks : 1. Bobo 2. Tsukiookami 3. Ude (Hito to Shite) 4. Geronimo

I Versus I (February 2000)
Toy's Factory TFCC88148
Tracks : 1. I vs I 2. Try Out 3. Solitario 4. Hand Nuts 5. Eye Surrender 6. Deus 7. Ude 8. Tunguska 9. Puncho 10. Cheated 11. Bobo 12. Chova
Extra tracks on Bonus CD (First Pressings only)
Tracks : 1. Coco Croc 2. I'm On Fire 3. Chova (demo) 4. Son Of Ford Mustang 5. Intentional Paranoia 6. Apocalypse Now (live)

@

I Versus I Promo CD
Toy's Factory
Arana (December 2000)
Toy's Factory TFCC-87075
Tracks : 1. Spider is OK 2. Farmer 3. Manhole Children 4. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

Supercharged Chocolate Meltdown (August 2001)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88185
Tracks : 1. Hand Nuts 2. I'm on Fire 3. I vs I 4. Farmer 5. Bark at the Moon 6. Tsukiookami 7. Grasshopper

CD version includes the music video to 'Arana (Spider is OK)

Ghost Tree Giant (December 2001)
Toy's Factory TFCC-88191
Tracks : 1. Spooky 2. Spaghetti 3. Cheese and Sword 4. Farmer 5. Awesome Level 6. Arana (Spider is OK) 7. Aboi 8. Dig 9. Dug 10. Descontentamento 11. Ghost Tree Giant
A Tourist Guide to Cocobat Video (March 1994)
Toy's Factory TFVQ-68016

MICHAEL BROWN Video (Dec 2000)
Toy's Factory TFVQ-68054


media :
requires RealMedia Player

Spaghetti - (from the album Ghost Tree Giant)
RealMedia streaming video

Arana (Spider is OK) - (from the album Arana)
RealMedia streaming video

Cocobat Crunch (Live) - (from the album Footprints in the Sky)
RealAudio 442kb download

Return of Grasshopper - (from the album Return of Grasshopper)
RealAudio 319kb download


 

links :
Visit Cocobat's Official Website (in Japanese)