Biography
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Years Active
2009 – present (16 years)
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Founded In
Tokyo, Japan
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Members
- Allen (2016 – present)
- Ayumu (2020 – present)
- Emi Akatsu (2009 – 2018)
- Freddy (2009 – present)
- Ryuji (2009 – present)
Serenity In Murder (short: SIM) are a Japanese symphonic death metal band which formed in 2009.
Members:
Freddy (lead guitar) (2009-)
Ryuji (lead guitar) (2009-)
Yu-ri (bass) (2017-)
Former members:
Emi (vocals) (2009-2018)
(During his time with the band, he was the band's main songwriter.)
Ayumu (vocals) (2020-2025)
Takumi (bass) (2010-2013)
Olly (bass) (2014-2017)
(Originally from the UK, he was working as a guitarist in Bristol death-thrash band Craniation at the time of joining, but after moving to Japan to join Serenity In Murder, it became difficult to continue his activities, and he officially left the band at the end of February 2015. In 2017, he returned to the UK for visa reasons, which resulted in his departure.)
Shuntaro (synthesizer) (2009-2016)
(When he first joined the band he played bass, but soon switched to playing synthesizers.)
Kazuki (drums) (2009-2010)
Shohei (drums) (2010-2016)
(After leaving the band, he served as a live support drummer for Hell Freezes Over and joined Alphoenix in 2017.)
Allen (drums) (2017-2025)
(He originally joined the band as a support drummer after Shohei left the band, but officially joined in 2017. He is active in the bands Tyrant of Mary and Necrolust, as well as working as a model and support drummer for bands like MUCC.)
The band was formed in 2009, led by Freddy (Lead Guitar). Emi (Vocals), who was a university student at the time, joined early on, but the lineup remained unstable for a while, making consistent activity difficult. Eventually, Freddy’s childhood friends Shuntaro (Bass) and Ryuji (Lead Guitar) joined. Even then, the lineup didn't quite settle until Shuntaro switched from bass to synthesizer, and Kazuki (Drums) joined. With a support bassist, the band performed at FAR EAST RAMPAGE 2010 - ADDICT XX in January 2010.
They brought in Hiro from METAL SAFARI as producer and recorded four songs at his studio, Studio Prisoner. One of the tracks was included on the compilation album Hell Gate. From this point on, Hiro would go on to produce all of Serenity In Murder’s material. Around this time, the support bassist left and Takumi (Bass) officially joined. To prepare material for an album, the band recorded seven songs at Studio Prisoner in October 2010. However, Kazuki left for personal reasons. After holding auditions, Shohei (Drums) joined and recorded two additional tracks.
In September 2011, they released their debut album The First Frisson Of The World through Spiritual Beast. In 2012, they put out a limited split single, Prelude to Awakening, with Italian symphonic metal band Ancient Bards, limited to 800 copies. In 2013, they opened for bands like The Crown, Gorod, Origin, and Mors Principium Est during their Japan tours. In November 2013, bassist Takumi left the band. They continued to perform with support bassists.
In 2014, they began recording their second album. With no official bassist, Freddy and Ryuji shared bass duties. In September, Olly Gregory (Bass), who also played in Craniation, joined the band. Although Olly became an official member before the release of the second album, he did not perform on the recordings as they had already been completed. In March 2015, they released The Highest of Dystopia, again through Spiritual Beast. The album reached number 13 on Oricon's indie weekly chart.
In March 2016, Shuntaro’s departure was announced. He had already been absent from live shows for personal reasons, and after discussions with the band, it was decided he would leave. No replacement keyboardist was added. At the end of 2016, Freddy mentioned he wasn’t actively looking for a new keyboardist but would be open to working with someone if the right person came along. Around the same time, they started working on their third album, but in June, drummer Shohei also left the band before recording any material. Allen (Drums), from Tyrant of Mary, joined as a support member. He played live shows and also performed drums on the third album.
In February 2017, they released their third album, The Eclipse. It was released through Oyster Brothers Records, founded by producer Hiro. The album reached number 10 on Oricon's indie weekly chart, surpassing their previous work. Allen, initially a support member, became an official member. Around the same time, bassist Olly had to return to the UK due to visa issues. He eventually left the band and was replaced by Yu-ri (Bass).
In August 2018, original vocalist Emi announced her departure. She cited health reasons and a new personal goal. Her final live performance was held that October. The band had already begun searching for a new vocalist behind the scenes, and a replacement had initially been chosen. The plan was to announce the new vocalist at Emi’s final show, but things didn’t work out and the new member never joined. Eventually, the band opened public auditions online. Applications closed in May 2019. Almost a year later, in April 2020, Ayumu (Vocals) was announced as the new singer. Ayumu had worked professionally as a grid girl, appearing at events such as SUPER GT, the FIA GT1 World Championship, SEMA Show, and the Tokyo Motor Show. The story of her joining was featured on the Japanese TV show Matsuko Kaigi. Alongside this announcement, the band revealed that a fourth album was in the works and slated for release in late 2020. Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, the release was delayed and eventually came out in February 2021 under the title Reborn.
In April 2022, they released the digital single Revolt. In January 2023 they supported FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE on their EU tour which was 2 gigs in Portugal, 2 gigs in Spain and a gig in France. These were their first gigs in Europe.
In 2024 Freddy and Ayumu announced that they married and are expecting a baby. In late February 2025, the band released their fifth album, Timeless Reverie, through German label Apostasy Records. In Japan, the album was released by Avalon Label.
On May 29th 2025, they announced that Ayumu (vocals) and Allen (drums) would leave the band after the concert on August 10th.
They're signed to Spiritual Beast/Oyster Brothers Records/Apostasy Records.
album
2011 The First Frisson of the World
2015 The Highest of Dystopia
2017 The Eclipse
2021 Reborn
2025 Timeless Reverie
others
2012 Prelude to Awakening ( split album with Ancient Birds )
2022 Revolt (Digital Single)
www.serenityinmurder.jp
www.facebook.com/sim.jp
www.twitter.com/sim_jp
www.youtube.com/serenityinmurderjap
www.serenityinmurder.bigcartel.com
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