Nothing's Carved In Stone

Not longer after topping the Japanese charts with 2006's Eleven Fire Crackers, the Chiba-based band Ellegarden announced an indefinite hiatus in May 2008. Although the group would reform a decade later, guitarist Shinichi Ubukata utilized the break to launch another rock band, Nothing's Carved in Stone. Also featuring bassist Hidekazu Hinata, drummer Takanori Ohkita, and singer Taku Muramatsu, Nothing's Carved in Stone made its live debut in February 2009 and released a debut album, Parallel Lives, in May. The record climbed to Number 11 on Japan's Oricon chart. Later that year, "Around The Clock" became the first in a string of nine consecutive singles to crack the Top 40, making Nothing's Carved in Stone one of Japan's most successful modern rock acts. The band's studio albums were similarly popular, with 2010's Sands of Time and 2011's both charting at Number 14. Nothing's Carved in Stone became a major-label act with 2012's Silver Sun, which was released by Epic Records Japan, and remained at the forefront of the country's rock scene for the rest of the decade. Maze, the band's 2015 release, marked Nothing's Carved In Stone's first time cracking the Top 10, while 2019's By Your Side became their tenth Top 20 release in a row.