This autumn, Visual-kei newcomers BLAZE invited six of their senior bands to a series of 2MAN lives in Tokyo’s Ikebukuro district. As part of the 2MAN LIVE BATTLE “Kyōmei” [2MAN LIVE BATTLE【共鳴】] shows, DAMNED took the stage of Ikebukuro’s intimate BlackHole venue on the 3rd of October, 2025, to face them.
After a quick introduction, the band started to unpack their entire arsenal. High-speed guitar solos, guttural screams, and a taste of bassist Sakura’s true skill, STAIN almost felt like a “best of” for DAMNED’s entire discography to date and the classical Visual-kei vocals followed by one of that night’s heaviest breakdowns only reinforced that impression.
While Revenir is evidently one of their earliest works, the performance greatly benefited from DAMNED’s newest members and served as a fantastic chance for Hitone to demonstrate his vocal range. And the showing off didn’t stop as the next song, Dokuai [毒愛], kicked off with its iconic intro. A personal highlight thanks to the tortured bass strings and vocal arrangements reminiscent of none other than Japanese Metal legends DIR EN GREY.
DAMNED topped off an already very impressive show with one of their newest songs, DAEDRA. Named after the god-like beings of the The Elder Scrolls game universe, it was only fitting that the band delivered a god-like performance to conclude their battle against BLAZE.
After departing the stage one by one, the band left behind an immense void to fill for their opponents. Did BLAZE bite off more than they can chew or will they put up a fight? While the crowd held their breath, anxiously waiting for the challengers to strike back with an equally breathtaking performance, we headed downstairs for an interview with DAMNED.
If their live at Ikebukuro BlackHole was any indication of what awaits European fans during their “JUKAI” tour, no fan of loud music should miss it! DAMNED are one of the most promising acts in Visual-kei, skillfully mixing the genre’s classic sound of the early 2000’s with the energy of today’s trending artists.
