New Band: Garden of the Lilium

Rakshasa frontwoman and 'girls metal' veteran Yuri has announced the formation of her latest all-female band.

Garden of the Lilium's name is derived from the English translation of Yuri's name: Lily. She co-founded the project with a Los Angeles-based composer named Yoshinori. Though they haven't explicitly stated their chosen genre yet, the band's lineup - Vanquiet guitarist Asap☆, ex-ZETTAI CLUB bassist Ichinose, and HAGANE drummer Kanako - suggests their first song, which is currently in production, will have a distinct heavy metal flavour.

Yuri is one of the godmothers of the 'girls metal' movement, having co-founded all-female metal band Tengusakura in Tokyo in March 2006. She fronted that quintet until 2011, and later performed with Albion from 2012 to 2015. In 2018, she sang guest vocals on a cover of "Saint Seiya" theme song Pegasus Fantasy by Italian power metal band Trick or Treat.