| A Flood of Circle | |
| Background: | group_or_band |
| Origin: | Tokyo, Japan |
| Genre: | Blues rock |
| Years Active: | 2006–present |
| Current Members: |
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| Past Members: |
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, abbreviated AFOC or, is a Japanese rock band formed in Tokyo in 2006 by vocalist and guitarist Ryosuke Sasaki and drummer Kazutaka Watanabe. Since 2018, the lineup has consisted of co-founders Sasaki and Watanabe, bassist Hisayo, and guitarist Tetsu Aoki. The band's sound mixes blues and rock and roll, and is easily identified by Sasaki's powerful vocals.[1] [2]
A Flood of Circle was formed in Tokyo in 2006 with a lineup of vocalist and guitarist Ryosuke Sasaki, drummer Kazutaka Watanabe, guitarist Masashi Okaniwa, and bassist Yasutaka Ishii. The following year, they released their self-titled first mini-album on July 11. The band released the single "Buffalo Dance/Thunderbolt" only at Tower Records stores on March 4, 2009.[3] They also contributed "Electric Stone" to the omnibus album Under Construction ~Rock'n'Roll Revival from Tokyo!!!~, which was released on the same day.[4] On April 22, they made their major label debut on Speedstar Records with their first full-length album, Buffalo Soul produced by Junji Ishiwatari.[3] In July, Okaniwa disappeared before the final concert of the band's nationwide tour.[5] Although they were eventually able to confirm he was safe, the other members were unable to contact him for over three months and therefore announced his departure from A Flood of Circle on October 14.[5] They released Paradox Parade, their second album, on November 18. It features guest guitarists Dai Okumura of Wash?, Eijun Suganami of The Back Horn, Takeo Noriaki of FoZZtone, and Takuro Yasutaka of Tsubakiya Quartette.[6]
2010 saw the release of their first proper single "Human License" on July 21, and the release of their third album Zoomanity on September 15.[7] On December 14, it was revealed that Ishii had informed the band that he wanted to leave on October 14 due to his chronic tendonitis, which left him unable to play to his own satisfaction.[8] The message also announced his replacement, female bassist Hisayo of the Tokyo Pinsalocks.[8] The band's fourth album, Love is Like a Rock'n'Roll, was released on November 23, 2011. A Flood of Circle switched to Imperial Records on September 20, 2012, and released the mini-album Fuck Forever on December 5.[9]
Former Rootless guitarist Duran joined the band in September 2014, and they released the album Golden Time on November 5.[10] However, Duran left the group less than a year later on March 31, 2015.[11] In an interview conducted with Natalie to explain the situation, Sasaki and Duran revealed it was due to the latter's commitments to his other band, Made in Asia, conflicting with those of Flood.[12] In February 2016, A Flood of Circle traveled to the United Kingdom to record, and also performed their first three overseas concerts in London, where Sasaki lived as a child.[13] They released their first compilation album, The Blue, on February 24. In June, the band held open auditions for a new guitarist.[14] Tetsu Aoki was selected from the audition as a support member in September 2016,[15] and the album New Tribe was released on January 18, 2017. Aoki became an official member of A Flood of Circle on February 17, 2018.[15] Three days later, the band released their self-titled eighth studio album.
In 2019, A Flood of Circle released the album Center of the Earth on March 6, and the mini-album Heart on November 6.[16] [17] The former's single, "The Key", was used as the ending theme song for the Japanese anime adaptation of the Chinese manhua Ultramarine Magmell.[18] The band's tenth album, 2020, was released on October 21, 2020.
Current members
Former members
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon [19] | JPN Billboard Hot [20] | JPN Billboard Top [21] | |||
| Buffalo Soul |
| 103 | — | 86 | |
| Paradox Parade |
| 81 | — | 71 | |
| Zoomanity |
| 62 | — | 62 | |
| Love is Like a Rock'n'Roll |
| 41 | — | 39 | |
| I'm Free |
| 35 | — | 31 | |
| Golden Time |
| 19 | — | 31 | |
| New Tribe |
| 37 | 52 | 30 | |
| A Flood of Circle |
| 16 | 32 | 16 | |
| Center of the Earth |
| 46 | 63 | 36 | |
| 2020 |
| 41 | 43 | 38 | |
| Densetsu no Yoru o Kimi to |
| 72 | 73 | 60 | |
| Hana Furu Sora ni Fumetsu no Uta o |
| 35 | 31 | 29 | |
| Wild Bunny Blues / No Usagi no Blues |
| 38 | 40 | 32 | |
| "—" denotes a recording released before the creation of the Hot Albums chart. | |||||
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JPN Oricon | JPN Billboard Hot [22] | JPN Billboard Top [23] | |||
| A Flood of Circle |
| — | — | — | |
| Doromizu no Melody |
| — | — | — | |
| Fuck Forever |
| 61 | — | — | |
| Best Ride |
| 28 | 53 | 33 | |
| Heart |
| 45 | 66 | 37 | |
| Candle Songs |
| 35 | 34 | 26 | |
| "—" denotes a recording released before the creation of the Billboard chart, or that did not chart. | |||||