At the end of 2012 the Japanese band METAL SAFARI announced that three members were leaving: the vocalist, the bassist and the drummer. Two of them, the singer Takenori Inamoto (Ina) and the bassist Tomohiro Suzuki (Tomo), started IN FOR THE KILL in 2013.

At least two American acts have used the same name, a project led by a former NOTHINGFACE bassist and a band from Alpena, Michigan. This is the Japanese one, and its accounts are marked JP or JAPAN.

The Lineup

  • Ina, vocals, who writes all the lyrics
  • Tomo, bass
  • Ryo-suke (Ryosuke Ichikawa), guitar: ex-DEATH FILE and the Japanese thrash band SURVIVE, and also in BATCAVE
  • Toru Watanabe, drums, who joined in 2015 after several drummer changes: ex-ELEMENT and 百人斬 (Hyakunin Giri)

The label, SPIRITUAL BEAST, calls IN FOR THE KILL one of the metal/hardcore bands that represent Japan. Its Bandcamp page uses “thrash/hardcore.” Encyclopaedia Metallum files the band under metalcore and death metal.

The Records

The first recordings were a demo CD dated 26 July 2014, handed out free at shows, with the songs “Berserk Comes” and “Nucleus.”

Recording for the debut album began in April 2017 at a studio in Gotemba, Shizuoka. IN FOR THE KILL came out on SPIRITUAL BEAST on 25 October 2017, with eleven tracks. The band played more than forty shows on the release tour.

In October 2019 the German label Reaper Entertainment released the album in Europe.

After a digital demo, “Raging Sound,” in December 2022, the second album, Branded To Kill, came out on 17 April 2024, again on SPIRITUAL BEAST, with ten tracks. It was self-produced and recorded by Masashi “MARCY” Shimada of kamomekamome. The song “Garbage” has a guest vocal by MAZZY of the Tokyo band AWAKED, and backing vocals by gure of HAWAIIAN6.

On Stage

IN FOR THE KILL played the 2015, 2016 and 2017 editions of Japanese Assault Fest, alongside bands such as Enforcer, Suicidal Angels and The Rods. Before Branded To Kill it made its first trip to South Korea.

On 11 August 2025 it was on the bill when DESSERT revived its IGNITE event at Shindaita FEVER. It is also on MINOR LEAGUE’s thirtieth-anniversary bill at the same venue on 29 November 2026.

Why It Matters

IN FOR THE KILL sits where Tokyo’s metal and hardcore scenes overlap. It shares festival bills with European heavy metal bands on one side and with Japanese hardcore punk veterans on the other, and its debut reached Europe through a German label.

Start with “Branded To Kill,” then “Born To Be A Killer.”