Alice Nine is an exemplary J-rock band, combining some heavy guitars with pop hooks, emotional singing and a general 80s rock influence, as well as the 䀘visual key' image, i.e. eccentric and elaborate costumes and haircuts to be flashed in promo shoots. However, unlike many bands of the genre, e.g. UVERworld or L'Arc-en-Ciel, they didn't just waltz to Oricon charts directly from college or high school: Alice Nine was formed in 2004 by musicians that already had professional experience, collecting members of the defunct Givuss, as well as people from several other bands. The group, then signed to an independent label, kicked off its career by heavy touring with labelmates and releasing limited-edition singles. By 2006 Alice Nine had three mini-albums out and played across the whole country, and the efforts started to pay off: their songs Akatsuki and Ikuoku no Chandelier made it to the credits of the anime series Meine Liebe, and the first LP Zekkeishoku reached #4 on the national daily charts. In 2007 Alice Nine was invited to perform at the JRock Revolution festival in Los Angeles, on the same year the single Tsubasa set record for the band, scoring #6 on Oricon charts, and a second LP Alpha followed. Even the injury of guitarist Tora, who came down with hernia in early 2008, didn't stop the Alice Nine for long, and they kept on touring, as well as released the single Mirror Ball which used in the OST of the Japanese movie Aquarian Age. ~ Alexey Eremenko, All Music Guide