Most bands form because friends want to play together. East Of Eden formed because one musician had a goal and went out to recruit the players she most wanted to work with. That musician is Ayasa, and the goal was the world.
Ayasa’s Band
Ayasa started classical violin at three and has worked as a solo violinist since 2015. In August 2023 she formed East Of Eden with the explicit aim of reaching audiences beyond Japan, assembling a lineup of musicians she had long wanted to play alongside. The result is an all-female rock band with a violin at the centre of its sound — not as a guest texture, but as a lead voice on equal terms with the guitar.
At the microphone is Akane Minato, who made her major debut in 2014 as a member of predia and served as the group’s main vocalist until it disbanded in 2022. Yuki plays guitar and MIZUKI plays drums. The original bassist was Wakazaemon; the bass chair has since changed hands.
The Sound
Put a classically trained violinist in front of a heavy rock band and the obvious risk is that the violin becomes decoration. The way this band was assembled points the other way: it was built around Ayasa, so the violin is the reason the band exists, not an extra layer on top. Beside it stands a singer with eight years as a lead vocalist behind her in predia, and a rhythm section chosen by the bandleader herself.
Forbidden Fruit
The band’s major-label debut came fast. The first mini-album, Forbidden Fruit -1st piece-, was released by Victor Entertainment on 20 December 2023, only four months after formation. The title plays on the band’s name — East of Eden, and the fruit that got humanity thrown out of it.
Start there. Listen to how the violin and the guitar share the lead, and you’ll hear why Ayasa built the band the way she did.
