Balzac formed in 1992 in Osaka, Japan, and began playing shows mainly around Osaka and Tokyo. Vastly inspired by the legendary horror punk band the Misfits, Balzac (who adopted their name in a homage to the 1800s French poet of the same name) released their first single on their own label, Evilegend, in 1993. Through 1995, they released four more singles via various indies.
In October 1995, Balzac released their first full length album, “Last Men On Earth” through Alchemy Records and due to their similarity to the Misfits - with their unique pop sound, horror movie image concept and so-called ‘Devil Lock’ hairstyle - they garnered attention not only in Japan but also overseas.
In 1997 they signed to Phalanx Records and released their second album, “Deep.” Shortly after the release of “Deep,” Balzac was chosen to open for the Misfits’ first tour of Japan, and also did two nationwide tours of Japan with the Mad Capsule Markets. On Halloween 1998, Balzac released their third album, “13 Stairway,” followed by their first sold-out tour of Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka. The following Halloween, Balzac released a four-song Maxi Single, “Into the Light of the 13 Dark Night,” which was followed by their first headlining national tour.
Balzac embarked on their second Japanese tour as the Misfits' opening act in January 2000, and toured nationwide as the Mad Capsule Markets’ opening act over the next two months. The “Taste of Fear” video – limited edition 6,666 copies - was released in April and followed by another top to bottom tour of Japan.
In August 2000 the limited production of 2,000 Balzac 12-inch figures by Medicom Toy Co. proved to be an unprecedented and widely talked about hit in the figure industry. Balzac and Medicom have since released many successful toy collaborations, reaching worldwide audiences in the collectible market.
Like the Misfits, Balzac has an extremely loyal and devoted cult following worldwide that eagerly awaits and obsessively collects everything the band releases. At the end of 1999, in a style similar to the early stages of the Misfits Fiend Club, Balzac Fiendish Club was established, offering many special collectibles to club members only. To further support such collectible-mania, Balzac opened their first official retail store, Shocker, in Osaka on Halloween 2000.
Wrapping up the year 2000 was the release of their long awaited fourth album, “Zennou Naru Musuu No ME ha Shi Wo Yubi Sasu.” To support the release, Balzac staged a 28-venue, nationwide tour of Japan from January to April 2001. Throughout the tour, Balzac issued several collectible, limited edition CDs available only at their shows and to their fan club members. That same year, Balzac re-entered the studio and re-recorded their long out-of-print first studio album, “The Last Men on Earth” with an updated edge. Balzac also released a live video to commemorate the entire Zennou-naru tour entitled “20010112,” as well as a CD single for “The Silence of Crows.” “Terrifying! The Art of Dying-The Last Men on Earth II,” their fifth album and first with new drummer Takayuki - whose hard style rejuvenated the band, giving the new songs a more chaotic, yet melodic, hardcore direction – followed, with six new songs and a re-recorded song from their back catalog. The companion disc in the set featured the complete reworking of the original “Last Men on Earth” album.
