Solo project BARBATOS began in the year 1997, giving ABIGAIL's vocalist and bassist Yasuyuki a chance to trade in the sound of black metal to a faster and more punk spirited mix of metal. Besides a couple of demos and split releases, the first years however moved forward rather quietly - after all, the original plan wasn't to keep the band going for more than this.
The interest had however already risen and the debut album War! Speed and Power was released in 2001, when BARBATOS also performed for the first time. Both gigs were located in France and after the summer performance in Drakkar HellFest, the band returned to the country in October that same year.
The next full length albums, Rocking Metal Motherfucker in 2003 and Let's fucking die! in 2006, were released under the Dutch label From Beyond Productions. Through these albums the band slowly left the original war theme behind, concentrating more and more on subjects like sex and alcohol. Additionally the band took part in a couple of smaller recording projects.
While the group didn't hit the recording studio in 2007, they did travel overseas, playing in Hungary in September, and continued to play through the fall, wrapping up the year with a show in Tokyo. In early 2008, the United States saw the release of the album Live At Factory and the band picked up live activity, playing in Ikebukuro Manhole in February.
By spring, BARBATOS was back overseas. They first participated in the Swedish festival Hellfest 3, before touring through the Finland and Germany, wrapping the tour up by playing at the Finnish festival Sekakäyttörock 26. In September, the band was once again jetting across the skies, playing in Canada at Katacombes Bar.
Playing their way through Japan in 2009, they released the DVD Live At Factory in March. Exactly one year later, BARBATOS was back in Finland for the start of their European 2010 tour, playing also in Germany, France, Italy and the Netherlands.
BARBATOS has not announced their plans for 2011, but fans can be sure they will see the band rocking and rolling soon!
