DAIKAIJU

“This is what you need to know about Daikaiju: They’re loud. They’re all instrumental (duh). And they’re the band to see if you want to experience surf rock at its most offensive.” – Kelly Weidman, The Informer

Daikaiju is a mysterious chimera of sound and imagery that was first sighted in the winter of 1999. Entities of sonic mayhem, Daikaiju takes the sound of waves crashing and shrieking atomic lizards and makes it rock in a way that instills shock and awe in all who experience their shows-a highly interactive and confrontational performance that literally draws the audience into the massive vortex of sound generated by the band. Concealed behind masks, this troupe of mystery people create a mutant style of epic, high energy instrumental rock that seamlessly incorporates a wide variety of musical styles including surf, punk, noise, metal, psychedelic and progressive rock.

Like its namesake, the music of Daikaiju is a great, mysterious beast. Compelling melodies, hard-hitting riffs and shifting dynamics fuse together to create songs that dare the listener to experience the secret history of the universe-a fantastic reality of giant monsters, super humans, and extraterrestrial invasions that unfolds like the soundtrack of the greatest monster movie never made.

During the early years of the 21st century, Daikaiju’s constant touring in support of their first EP, Monster Surf, built-up a substantial following throughout the southeastern U.S. They expanded their roadwork to the rest of the country as well as overseas with a tour of the Netherlands in November 2001, followed by a lengthier European stay in 2002. In February 2002, the band released their second EP, The Phasing Spider Menace which won them many new fans via liberal airplay on college radio and on a number of podcasts including Escape Pod (www.escapepod.org) a weekly podcast of science fiction and fantasy shorts. The band has also been featured on a number of U.S. and European compilations as well as on Kaiju Big Battel (www.kaiju.com) video productions. In 2005, the band released its debut full-length album on Reptile Records. The self-titled record garnered rave reviews from a wide variety of music publications including music pundits Pitchfork Media (www.pitchforkmedia.com) who hailed Daikaiju as one of the greatest instrumental surf bands currently in existence. In September 2010, the band released its second full-length album-Phase 2-on DingDong Records. The long-awaited album became a huge crossover critical success that got recognized in various annual Top 10 lists for surf, heavy metal and progressive rock releases. The band embarked on a whirlwind tour of the continental U.S. in support of the album playing well over 200 shows in 2011. In 2012, the band embarked on two European tours and continued their lengthy roadwork throughout the U.S. In 2013, the band toured the Far East for its first shows in China, South Korea, and Japan. Daikaiju tied Public Image Ltd. as the ‘Best show by a foreign touring act’ in Time Out Beijing’s “Year’s end roundup: the best of Beijing music” for 2013. Since then, the band has continued its sonic evolution, and their live performances continue to be the stuff of legends. On February 21st, 2023, Daikaiju released its third full-length album-Phase 3. The band is now poised to expand its roadwork to parts of the world they have heretofore never been.