Unicorn (7)

Formed in Hiroshima in 1986 by drummer Koichi Kawanishi and guitarist Isamu Teshima, who had known each other since they were university students. After adding bassist Kazushi Horiuchi and vocalist/guitarist Tamio Okuda to the line-up, the group auditioned for CBS/Sony in December of that year. They released the first full album "Boom" through CBS/Sony in 1987. The following year, before the recording and release of "Panic Attack", their second full album, Yoshiharu Abe, who worked on the debut album, replaced the original keyboardist Midori Mukai, who left the band citing health issues. She married Kazushi Horiuchi in 1989. The release of their third full album "Hattori" the same year helped them gain more broad popularity because the album's shift in tone and the fact all members now lent their voices and compositions to the mix. However, February 1993 saw Kawanishi part ways with the band noting creative differences and other personal reasons. The remaining members decided to break up the band in September of the same year. Until then, the band was supported by Takashi Furuta during live performances and by Michael Kawai in the studio while recording the band's then-final studio album "Springman". In December of 2007, Abe suggested to reunite the band including Kawanishi, after performing with the old post-February '93 line-up at a staffers wedding in July. After getting together at a New Year's Party in early 2008, all five members agreed to that. The recording of new songs started in May and their reunification was kept secret from the media until January 1st of 2009, where they officially declared their reestablishment and released their new album "Chambre" in February, following up with a national tour in March.