JAM Project | |
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Background information | |
Origin | Tokyo, Japan |
Genres | |
Years active | 2000–present |
Labels |
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Members |
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Past members | |
Website | http://www.jamjamsite.com/ |
JAM Project ("JAM" standing for "Japan Animationsong Makers") are a Japanese anison band founded on July 19, 2000, by anison singer Ichirou Mizuki.[1] The band is composed of many vocal artists well known in the anime music industry. Aside from the many anime, tokusatsu, and video game theme songs the band has performed together, each member is famous for their own solo performances of Japanese theme songs.[2] JAM Project is known to worldwide audiences for their theme music contributions to Garo and One-Punch Man.
JAM Project was founded in 2000 by veteran singer Ichirou Mizuki, who sought to revitalize the fiery spirit of earlier anime songs.[3] He recruited fellow veterans of that space, including Hironobu Kageyama and Masaaki Endoh, who remain members of the group.
The following year, JAM Project began a long association with the Super Robot Wars franchise, performing "Hagane no Messiah" for the PlayStation game "Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden. In 2002, Mizuki and Eizo Sakamoto stepped back from the group but three members would join. Masami Okui had released a number of albums and had performed openings for shows including Slayers and Revolutionary Girl Utena. Hiroshi Kitadani, previously a member of the bands Stagger and Lapis Lazuli, entered the world of anime songs via One Piece and its first of several opening themes he has performed for the long-running series. Yoshiki Fukuyama, like Kageyama, Endoh and Mizuki, was a veteran of the anime world. In the 1990s, he was the singing voice of Basara Nekki in Macross 7.
In 2005, the group began another long association with the Garo franchise, writing opening themes for nearly all iterations of the franchise, both anime and live-action. Kageyama voices Madou Ring Zaruba in every release of the show.[4]
In 2007, JAM Project announced plans to perform outside East Asia. Since 2008, the group has performed internationally with regularity, in cities such as Baltimore, Washington, Rotterdam, Abu Dhabi and Paris, typically in conjunction with anime conventions. 2008 also marked the release of "No Border," their first single not connected with an anime or video game.
In the summer of 2012, they teamed up with Animetal USA for a limited national concert tour called the Japan-America Anison Summit (日米アニソンサミット, Nichi-Bei Anison Samitto).[5] From 2011 to 2014, Japanese composer and conductor Takayuki Hattori served as orchestral arranger on several albums and tours.
In 2015, JAM Project celebrated its 15th anniversary with a series of concerts that contained 39 songs in its setlist chosen from all their previous albums, the most songs in any of their concerts to date. They also released a CD based on a new ultra-high quality (UHQ CD) standard containing re-arranged and re-recorded hits voted on by fans.[6] The same year, the group exposed itself to a new audience through "THE HERO! ~Ikareru Kobushi ni Honō wo Tsukero~" (lit. "Set Fire To The Furious Fist)", their opening for the first season of One-Punch Man. The music video, filmed in San Francisco, has accumulated more than 50 million views on YouTube.[7]
In 2020, the group celebrated its 20th anniversary with the release of the album The Age of Dragon Knights. JAM Project worked with prominent peers, including Yuki Kajiura, GRANRODEO, ALI PROJECT, angela and members of FLOW.[8] The group also released JAM Project 20th Anniversary Complete BOX, which includes all of the group's albums, a collection of its foreign-language recordings, Blu-rays of a concert and other footage, and a 300-page booklet.[9]
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a planned tour to be scuttled. Kageyama, however, credited the unplanned break with rejuvenating the band's creative drive. That rebirth is the subject of the 2021 documentary Get Over -- JAM Project the Movie.[10]
The group's producer is Shunji Inoue, the founder of Lantis and a former bandmate of Kageyama.[11] JAM Project is managed by HIGHWAY STAR, a Bandai Namco-owned agency that represents Kageyama, Endoh and Kitadani in their solo careers.[12][13]
Ricardo occasionally composes and performs with the group. He is heard on songs: "熱風!疾風!サイバスター (Neppu! Shippu! Cybuster)," "Gong," "Stormbringer," "Sempre Sonhando 〜夢追人〜 (Sempre Sonhando 〜Yume Oibito〜)," "レスキューファイアー (Rescue Fire)," "守護神 - The Guardian (Shugoshin - The Guardian)," "TRANSFORMERS EVO," "我が名は牙狼 (Waga Na Wa Garo)," "Herói (Portuguese version of Hero)," "未来への誓い (Asu he no Chikai)," "未来への大航海 〜Great Voyage〜 (Mirai he no Dai Koukai 〜Great Voyage〜," "Buddy In Soul," "決戦 The Final Round (Kessen The Final Round," "Treasure In The Sky," "sweet SWEET HOME," "静寂のアポストル (Seijaku no Apostle)," "Tread On The Tiger's Tail," "Homeward Bound," "ジャイアントスイング (Giant Swing)," and "Drei Kreuz 〜鋼のサバイバー〜 (Drei Kreuz 〜Hagane no Survivor〜)."
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
JPN Oricon [15] |
JPN Billboard | ||
JAM First Process |
|
— | — |
Maximizer ~Decade of Evolution~ |
|
18 | 21[17] |
Victoria Cross |
|
38 | 34[19] |
Thumb Rise Again |
|
21 | 22[21] |
Area Z |
|
23 | 24[22] |
Tokyo Dive |
|
24 | 23[24] |
The Age of Dragon Knights |
|
40 | 29[25] |
The Judgement |
|
41 | 55[26] |
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |
---|---|---|---|
JPN Oricon [15] |
JPN Billboard | ||
Best Project ~JAM Project Best Collection~ | — | — | |
Freedom ~JAM Project Best Collection II~ |
|
— | — |
JAM-ism ~JAM Project Best Collection III~ |
|
— | — |
Olympia ~JAM Project Best Collection IV~ |
|
37 | — |
Big Bang ~JAM Project Best Collection V~ |
|
39 | — |
Get over the Border ~JAM Project Best Collection VI~ |
|
24 | 54[27] |
Seventh Explosion ~JAM Project Best Collection VII~ |
|
38 | 50[28] |
Going ~JAM Project Best Collection VIII~ |
|
12 | 9[29] |
The Monsters ~JAM Project Best Collection IX~ |
|
24 | 21[30] |
X Cures Earth ~JAM Project Best Collection X~[f] |
|
28 | 26[31] |
X Less Force ~JAM Project Best Collection XI~[g] |
|
21 | 18[32] |
Thunderbird ~JAM Project Best Collection XII~ |
|
30 | 25[33] |
A-Rock ~JAM Project Best Collection XIII~ |
|
24 | 19[34] |
Max the Max ~JAM Project Best Collection XIV~ |
|
||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
# | Single title | Anime/Video Game/Tokusatsu | Year | Peak position | Sales | Album | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JPN [35] | ||||||||||||||
1 | "Kaze ni Nare" (疾風になれ, "The Wind Blows") (featuring Rica Matsumoto & Hironobu Kageyama) |
éX-Driver (OP) | 2000 | — | — | Best Project | ||||||||
2 | "Danger Zone" (featuring Eizo Sakamoto & Masaaki Endoh) |
éX-Driver Movie (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
3 | "Storm" (featuring Ichirou Mizuki & Hironobu Kageyama) |
Shin Getter Robo vs Neo Getter Robo (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
4 | "Soultaker" | The SoulTaker (OP) | 2001 | — | — | |||||||||
5 | "Hagane no Messiah" (鋼の救世主(メシア), "Steel Messiah") | Super Robot Wars Alpha Gaiden (OP) | 75 | — | ||||||||||
6 | "Fire Wars" (featuring Hironobu Kageyama) |
Mazinkaiser (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
7 | "Crush Gear Fight!" | Crush Gear Turbo (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
8 | "Over the Top!" (featuring Eizo Sakamoto, Masaaki Endoh & Hironobu Kageyama) |
Kikou Busou G-Breaker (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
9 | "Lady Fighter!" (featuring Rica Matsumoto) |
Sunrise Eiyuutan (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
10 | "Kaze no Eagle" (風のEAGLE, "Wind Eagle") (featuring Hironobu Kageyama) |
Crush Gear Turbo (insert song) | 2002 | — | — | Freedom | ||||||||
11 | "Go!" | Super Robot Wars Impact (OP) | 72 | — | ||||||||||
12 | "Get up Crush Fighter!" (featuring Hironobu Kageyama, Rica Matsumoto, Eizo Sakamoto & Masaaki Endoh) |
Crush Gear Turbo Movie (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
13 | "Nageki no Rosario" (嘆きのロザリオ, "Grief Rosary") | Gravion (OP) | 58 | — | ||||||||||
14 | "Go! Go! Rescue" (Go!Go!レスキュー, Gō! Gō! Resukyū) (featuring Hiroshi Kitadani, Masaaki Endoh & Rica Matsumoto) |
Machine Robo Rescue (OP) | 2003 | 120 | — | |||||||||
15 | "Little Wing" (featuring Masami Okui) |
Scrapped Princess (OP) / Galaxy Angel AA (ED) | 45 | 7,778 | ||||||||||
16 | "Skill" | 2nd Super Robot Wars Alpha (OP) | 25 | 7,447 | ||||||||||
17 | "The Gate of the Hell" (featuring Yoshiki Fukuyama) |
Mazinkaiser vs. the Great General of Darkness ((OP) | 88 | — | Jam-ism | |||||||||
18 | "Destination" (featuring Rica Matsumoto) |
Sunrise World War (OP) | 84 | — | ||||||||||
19 | "Kurenai no Kiba" (紅ノ牙, "Crimson Fang") | Gravion Zwei (OP) | 2004 | 37 | 12,089 | |||||||||
20 | "Victory" | Super Robot Wars MX (OP) | 38 | 8,912 | ||||||||||
21 | "Dragon" | New Getter Robo (OP) | 64 | 4,068 | ||||||||||
22 | "Voyager" | Panda-Z (OP) | 88 | 3,253 | ||||||||||
23 | "Genkai Battle" (限界バトル, "Battle Limit") | Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (ED) | 115 | 2,251 | Olympia | |||||||||
24 | "Muv-Luv Alternative Insertion Song Collection" | Muv-Luv | 2005 | 40 | 5728 | |||||||||
25 | "Meikyū no Prisoner" (迷宮のプリズナー, "Labyrinth Prisoner") | Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Animation (OP) | 68 | 7,092 | ||||||||||
26 | "Gong" | 3rd Super Robot Wars Alpha: To the End of the Galaxy (OP) | 22 | 16,250 | ||||||||||
27 | "Garo ~Savior in the Dark~" (牙狼~Savior in the Dark~) | Garo (TV series) (OP2) | 2006 | 41 | 6,983 | |||||||||
28 | "Break Out" | Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars (OP1) | 24 | 12,243 | Big Bang | |||||||||
29 | "Rising Force" | Super Robot Wars OG: Divine Wars (OP2) | 2007 | 40 | 6,441 | |||||||||
30 | "Stormbringer" | Kotetsushin Jeeg (OP) | 71 | 2,553 | ||||||||||
31 | "Divine love" (featuring Hiroshi Kitadani) |
Saint Beast (OP) | 74 | 2,336 | ||||||||||
32 | "Dragon Storm 2007" | — | — | |||||||||||
33 | "Rocks" | Super Robot Wars: OG (PS2 OP) | 36 | 6,675 | Get over the Border | |||||||||
34 | "No Border" | 2008 | 44 | 4,032 | ||||||||||
35 | "Crest of "Z's"" | Super Robot Wars Z (OP) | 40 | 4,703 | Seventh Explosion | |||||||||
36 | "Hello Darwin! ~Kōkishin on Demand~" (ハローダーウィン!~好奇心オンデマンド~, "Hello Darwin! ~Curiosity on Demand~") |
Sgt. Frog (OP9) | 76 | 2,177 | ||||||||||
37 | "Space Roller Coster Go Go!" (featuring Nice Girl μ) |
Keroro Gunso the Super Movie 4: Gekishin Dragon Warriors (OP) | 2009 | 115 | 766 | |||||||||
38 | "Rescue Fire" (レスキューファイアー, Resukyū Faiā) | Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire (OP1) | 62 | 3,713 | ||||||||||
39 | "Shugoshin-The Guardian" (守護神-The Guardian) | Mazinger Edition Z: The Impact! (OP) | 45 | 4,384 | ||||||||||
40 | "Battle No Limit!" | Battle Spirits Shounen Gekiha Dan (OP) | 56 | 1,680 | ||||||||||
41 | "Bōken Ō ~Across the legendary kingdom~" (冒険王 ~Across the legendary kingdom~, "Adventure King ~Across the Legendary Kingdom~") |
Ragnarok Online (image song) | 18 | 4,867 | Going | |||||||||
42 | "Baku-chin Kan-ryo! Rescue Fire" (爆鎮完了!レスキューファイアー, "Explosive Extinguishing Complete! Rescue Fire") |
Tomica Hero: Rescue Fire (OP) | 63 | 1,578 | ||||||||||
43 | "Transformers Evo." | Transformers: Animated (OP) | 2010 | 47 | 3,337 | |||||||||
44 | "Maxon" | Super Robot Wars Original Generation: The Inspector (OP) | 36 | 5,105 | ||||||||||
45 | "Vanguard" | Cardfight Vanguard (OP1) | 2011 | 53 | 3,259 | |||||||||
46 | "Noah" | 2nd Super Robot Wars Z: Hakai-hen (OP) | 40 | 3,283 | The Monsters | |||||||||
47 | "Believe in My Existence" | Cardfight!! Vanguard (OP2) | 19 | 8,502 | ||||||||||
48 | "Waga Na wa Garo" (我が名は牙狼, "My Name is Garo") | Garo: Makai Senki (OP/ED) | 2012 | 22 | 6,481 | |||||||||
49 | "Limit Break" | Cardfight!! Vanguard (OP3) | 42 | 3,826 | ||||||||||
50 | "Hagane no Resistance" (鋼のレジスタンス, "Steel Resistance") | 2nd Super Robot Wars Z: Saisei-hen (OP) | 41 | 4,277 | ||||||||||
51 | "Wings of the Legend" | 2nd Super Robot Wars Original Generation (OP/ED) | 37 | 3,112 | X Cures Earth | |||||||||
52 | "Yume Sketch" (夢スケッチ, "Dream Sketch") | Bakuman 3 (ED2) | 2013 | 75 | 1,069 | |||||||||
53 | "R.I.P ~Tomo yo Shizuka ni Nemure~" (R.I.P~友よ静かに眠れ~, "R.I.P ~Sleep Quietly My Friend~") | Space Battleship Yamato 2199 (ED6) | 51 | 1,951 | ||||||||||
54 | "Isshokusokuhatsu ~Trigger of Crisis~" (一触即発 ~Trigger of Crisis~, "Critical Situation ~Trigger of Crisis~") | Garo: Yami o Terasu Mono (OP) | 46 | 2,155 | ||||||||||
55 | "Rebellion ~Hangyaku no senshi-tachi~" (Rebellion〜反逆の戦士達〜, "Rebellion ~Warriors of the Rebellion~") | 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Jigoku-hen (OP) | 2014 | 40 | 2,832 | X Less Force | ||||||||
56 | "Breakthrough" | Nobunaga the Fool (OP2) | 44 | 2,394 | ||||||||||
57 | "Raiga ~Tusk of thunder~" (雷牙〜Tusk of thunder〜, "Kaminari Kiba ~Tusk of thunder~") | Garo: Makai no Hana (OP2) | 53 | 2,605 | ||||||||||
58 | "Honō no Kokuin -DIVINE FLAME-" (炎の刻印-DIVINE FLAME-, "Mark of the Flame -DIVINE FLAME-") | Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames (OP1) | 52 | 1,258 | ||||||||||
59 | "B.B." | Garo: The Carved Seal of Flames (OP2) | 2015 | 62 | 1,286 | Thunderbird | ||||||||
60 | "Kessen the Final Round" (決戦 the Final Round, "Showdown: the Final Round") | 3rd Super Robot Wars Z: Tengoku-hen (OP) | 44 | 1,724 | ||||||||||
61 | "EMERGE ~Shikkoku no Tsubasa~" (EMERGE~漆黒の翼~, "EMERGE ~Jet Black Wings~") | Garo: Gold Storm Sho (OP) | 50 | 1,261 | ||||||||||
62 | "THE HERO! ~Ikareru Kobushi ni Honō wo Tsukero~" (THE HERO! ~怒れる拳に火をつけろ~, The Hero! ~Set Fire to the Furious Fist~) | One-Punch Man (OP1) | 19 | 100,000+[36] | ||||||||||
63 | "Cyborg 009 ~Nine Cyborg Soldiers~/DEVILMIND ~Ai wa Chikara〜~" (サイボーグ009〜Nine Cyborg Soldiers〜/DEVILMIND〜愛は力〜, "Cyborg 009 ~Nine Cyborg Soldiers~ / DEVILMIND ~The Power of Love~") |
Cyborg 009 VS Devilman (OP) | — | — | ||||||||||
64 | "Guren no Tsuki ~Kakusareshi Yami Monogatari~" (紅蓮ノ月~隠されし闇物語~, "Crimson Moon ~A Hidden Tale of Darkness~") | Garo: Crimson Moon (OP1) | 44 | 1,546 | ||||||||||
65 | "Gekka" (月華, "Moonlight") | Garo: Crimson Moon (OP2) | 2016 | 65 | 870 | |||||||||
66 | "Shining Storm ~Rekka no Gotoku~" (Shining Storm ~烈火の如く~, "Shining Storm ~Like the Raging Flames~") | Super Robot Wars Original Generation: Moon Dwellers (OP) | 70 | 1,531 | ||||||||||
67 | "The Brave" | Yūsha Yoshihiko (OP3) | 50 | 2,504 | A-Rock | |||||||||
68 | "Dragonflame" | Zero: Dragon Blood (OP) | 2017 | 70 | 1,088 | |||||||||
69 | "The Exceeder / New Blue" | Super Robot Wars V (OP/ED) | 61 | 1,214 | ||||||||||
70 | "Hagane no Warriors/The Oath ~ Yoake no Chikai ~" (鋼のWarriors/The Oath 〜夜明けの誓い〜, "Steel Warriors/The Oath ~ Oath of Dawn ~") | Super Robot Wars X (OP/ED) | 2018 | 62 | — | |||||||||
71 | "Tread on the Tiger’s Tail/RESET/D.D~Dimension Driver~" | Super Robot Wars T (OP/ED) / Super Robot Wars DD (OP) |
2019 | — | — | Max the Max | ||||||||
72 | "Seijaku no Apostle" (静寂のアポストル, "Apostle of Silence")
(English title: "Uncrowned Greatest Hero") |
One Punch Man (OP2) | 50 | 1,212[37] | ||||||||||
73 | "Bloodlines ~Unmei no Kettō~" (Bloodlines〜運命の血統〜, "Bloodlines ~Fated Liniage~") | Getter Robo Arc (OP/ED4) | 2021 | — | — | |||||||||
74 | "Drei Kreuz ~Hagane no Survivor~" (Drei Kreuz〜鋼のサバイバー〜, "Drei Kreuz ~Survivors of Steel~") | Super Robot Wars 30 (OP/ED) | — | — | ||||||||||
75 | "Akatsuki o Ute" (暁を撃て, "Shot at Dawn") | Muv-Luv Alternative (OP) | 2022 | — | — | TBA | ||||||||
76 | "Soreha Kegare Naki Shura no Namida" (其れは穢れなき修羅の涙, "Those are the Pure Tears of Shura")
(featuring Yuki Kajiura) |
Garo: Hagane o Tsugu Mono (OP/ED) | 2024 | — | — | |||||||||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart, did chart but no sales records are available, or were not released in that region. |
Title | Details | Peak chart position |
---|---|---|
JPN [38][39] | ||
JAM Project 3rd Live Shinkan ~Return to the Chaos~ | — | |
JAM Project 4th Live Victory ~A Once in a Lifetime Chance~ |
|
— |
JAM Project 5th Anniversary Live ~King Gong~ |
|
72 |
JAM Project Japan Circuit 2007 ~Break Out~ |
|
42 |
JAM Project Japan Flight 2008 ~No Border~ |
|
27 |
JAM Project Hurricane Tour ~Gate of the Future~ |
|
32 |
JAM Project Live 2010 Maximizer ~Decade of Evolution~ |
|
34 |
JAM Project Symphonic Concert 2011 |
|
— |
JAM Project Live 2011–2012 Go! Go! Going!! ~Fumetsu no Zipang~ |
|
69 |
JAM Project Premium Live 2013 ~The Monster's Party~ |
|
67 |
JAM Project Live 2013–2014 Thumb Rise Again |
|
61 |
JAM Project 15th Anniversary Premium Live The Stronger’s Party |
|
28 |
JAM Project Live Tour 2016 Area Z |
|
71 (DVD) 37 (BD) |
JAM Project JAPAN TOUR 2017-2018 TOKYO DIVE |
|
60 (DVD) 15 (BD) |
JAM Project LIVE TOUR 2022 THE JUDGEMENT |
|
20 |
"—" denotes a release that did not chart. |
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | ||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
JPN Oricon [15] |
JPN Billboard | |||||||||||||
Super Robot Wars Alpha Original Story D-2 (with Various Artists) |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
Emblem (エンブレム, Enburemu) |
|
107 | — | |||||||||||
Muv-Luv Alternative Collection of Standard Edition Songs "Name" (with Various Artists) |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
Lucky Star Re-Mix002 ~Lucky Star no Kiwami, Ahh Shiteyanyo~ (with Various Artists) |
|
5[42] | — | |||||||||||
JAM Project World Flight 2008 Best Selection |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
Super Robot Wars JAM Project Songs |
|
89 | — | |||||||||||
Uchū o Kakeru Shōjo Original Soundtrack Vol. 1 (with Various Artists) |
|
— | — | |||||||||||
Nico Nico Douga Selection ~Sainō no Mudazukai~ (ニコニコ動画せれくちょん~才能の無駄遣い~, Nico Nico Douga Selection: A Waste of Talent) (with Various Artists) |
|
38[44] | 64[45] | |||||||||||
Gundam Tribute from Lantis (ガンダムトリビュート from Lantis, Gandamu Toribyūto from Lantis) (with Various Artists) |
|
35 | — | |||||||||||
JAM Project 10th Anniversary Complete Box |
|
43 | 31[46] | |||||||||||
Super Robot Wars x JAM Project Opening Theme Collection Album Max the Power (スーパーロボット大戦×JAM Project OPENING THEME COLLECTION ALBUM MAX THE POWER , Sūpā Robotto Taisen x JAM Project OPENING THEME COLLECTION ALBUM MAX THE POWER) |
|
65 | — | |||||||||||
GARO Golden Songbook Soul of Garo (牙狼 黄金歌集 牙狼魂, GARO Kogane Kashū Kibaōkami Tamashī) (with Various Artists) |
|
25[47] | 22[48] | |||||||||||
JAM Project 15th Anniversary Strong Box Motto! Motto''!!-2015- |
|
15 | 12[49] | |||||||||||
"—" denotes a release that did not chart |