マキシマム ザ ホルモン (Maximum the Hormone) is a hardcore punk/alternative metal/pop punk band formed in Hachioji, Tokyo in 1997 with the line up: Daisuke-han (vocals), SUGI (guitar), KEY (bass) and Nao Kawakita (drums).
After releasing their first album, "A.S.A. Crew", through indies label SkyRecord, SUGI and KEY left the band and the present line up of Daisuke-han, Maximum the Ryo-kun, Nao,and Ue-chan (Bass) came to be.
After this, the band changed the spelling of their name from the English "Maximum the Hormone" to katakana: マキシマム ザ ホルモン. The band is described as a mixture of pop punk, funk, metal and hardcore, In August 2000 they released the single "Bullpen Catcher’s Dream" and following that, in 2001, they released their mini-album "Hou".
The album "Mimi Kajiru" was released in 2002 and the CD jacket was designed by Man*Ga Tarou, who has continued to design their covers since then. The single "Enzui tsuki waru" was then released and from it, the song "ROLLING1000tOON" was taken and used as the ending theme of the anime "Air Master", in 2003.
After the release of their 3rd album, "Funban", in 2004, the band signed to the major label VAP. Their first released through VAP was the single "Rokkuban furewase/ minoreba*rokku " and this proceeded their first major album "Rokkinpo Koroshi".
Following this, the band embarked on a tour of Japan, "Rokkinpo Koroshi Tour", that covered 47 different places.In 2005 the Maximum the Hormone radio program "Menkata Kotteri" began on bayfm. In addition to this, their song "Akagi", from the single "Zawa…zawa…za…zawa……zawa", was used as the ending theme to the anime "Toupai Densetsu Akagi ~ Yami ni mai furita tensai~", which ran from October 2005 to March 2006.
In 2006, the band’s fourth major released, the single "Koi no Mega Lover", was released and became a hit, reaching number 9 in the Oricon charts. This was great news for the band as it was the first time one of their releases had been in the Oricon top ten.
After the promotion from two singles, and the songs featured on television, Maximum the Hormone released their next album, Buiikikaesu. The album was a record for the band, debuting at number five on the Oricon charts; their first full album to rank.
The year 2006 saw the band's breakout into popular culture with the song "Koi no Megalover," reaching number nine on the Oricon charts during the summer of 2006; their first top-ten hit in Japan. The band had three of their songs featured in anime series; "What's up, people?!" and "Zetsubou Billy" are featured as the opening and ending tracks, respectively, in the second season episodes of the Death Note anime series, and "Akagi" is featured as the ending theme for the Akagi anime series.
The year 2008 started off with the release of their new live DVD titled Deco Vs. Deco. The band also made their first overseas appearance in a short tour through the United States and Canada with Dropkick Murphys in March.
A new single titled "Tsume Tsume Tsume/「F」" containing the songs "Tsume Tsume Tsume, "「F」", and "Kill all the 394" has been announced. The disc is set to release at the start of their "Tsume Tsume Tsume" tour on July 16, 2008.
The tour continues through October 16, 2008. On October 24 it was announced that Daisuke would require surgery on his throat, causing the band to go on temporary hiatus while he recovers. The hiatus is set to start in December and last for around three months.
On October 27th Maximum The Hormone made their first UK appearance supporting Enter Shikari at the Bournemouth BIC. They continue to tour with Enter Shikari until 3rd November, playing Exeter, Southampton, Folkestone, and finishing with 2 nights at the London Astoria.
