G.I.S.M.

G.I.S.M. were notorious for their confrontational attitude and violent live performances; frontman Sakevi was known for being particularly dangerous and unpredictable during live shows. Sakevi's live antics include running into the crowd with a chainsaw, attacking front rows with a lit flamethrower, throwing fireworks at the crowd, beating random concertgoers with a club, threatening the audience with a loaded revolver, and firing gun shots on stage. Early shows of the band included very violent visual media such as footage from Vietnam war and vivisection videos. Sakevi has also done time in prison for acts of violence unrelated to the band; one reported incident involved Sakevi attacking a salaryman in the Tokyo subway for staring at him, and he also allegedly stabbed a man for wearing a bootleg G.I.S.M. shirt. Sakevi was also known for attacking fans and especially journalists and photographers who tried to approach him.

The band split up in 2002 due to the death of founding guitarist Randy Uchida; but reunited for Roadburn 2016 at the request of Cathedral vocalist and longtime friend of the band Lee Dorrian, who curated the event. Surprisingly, there were no violent incidents at the show and Sakevi was reportedly very friendly and even took numerous photos with the fans. This Roadburn event was the first G.I.S.M. show after a 13-year hiatus, along with being their very first show outside of Japan in their 35-year history. It is unknown if the band are still active or if there are plans for other reunion shows as there have been no official statements since the Roadburn event. 

The band are also noted for their secretive approach and DIY ethics, releasing their albums in limited quantities through their own label Beast Arts. Uchida and Sakevi both made collage art and hadled the artwork for the band; Sakevi also handled production and mixing. Moreover, he made a cameo appearance in the Japanese film "Robinson's Garden" in which he is shown beating up a man for teaching spirituality to children. 

G.I.S.M. stands for various things: Grubby Incest Stripper Mastitis, God in the Schizoid Mind, Gay Individual Social Mean, Genocide Infanticide Suicide Menticide, Gnostic Idiosyncrasy Sonic Militant, Guerrilla Incendiary Sabotage Mutineer, General Imperialism Social Murder, Gravity Impel Slaying Machine, Get Incinerated Sorrow Mass. G.I.S.M. appeared on several Japanese hardcore punk samplers from 1982 til 1984 and since original G.I.S.M. releases are limited, countless bootlegs appeared and some of them are rarities too. 

Sakevi released a solo EP, named 'The War', on Beast Arts in 2004 under the name S.K.V. (short for: "Swastika Kozmic Victorz"). He also has his own clothing label, named stLTH®. He personally designs all artwork for his brand. He also designed the sleeve for the 'Outsider' compilation LP, released in 1982. In 2006, Sakevi designed the artwork for hardcore band World Burns To Death's new album entitled 'Totalitarian Sodomy'. [SOURCE: THE METAL ARCHIVES]