An Alternative to The Conventional Idol: An Introduction to NECRONOMIDOL (Updated on June 2nd, 2020)

Cross-posted with Selective Hearing (once again including a spiffy image gallery, a lot less obnoxious commentary, and fewer videos)

An Introduction To is a series of articles on both Selective Hearing and Okay! Musume Time that aims to introduce readers to various groups and musicians, regardless of their time within the industry. Whether they are indies or major, unknown or even relatively well-known, this series is here to give readers an insight into who is who and what they do.

Today's group is an Alternative to your generic and conventional idol. Say hello to NECRONOMIDOL!

*Please note that I am no expert on NECRONOMIDOL, and do not claim to be. I also want to point out that I may have some facts wrong, though I have done my best to ask other people about various facts regarding the members / group. At the end of the day, this is all for fun and from my own research on various fansites, websites and more. This document will not be perfect, but nothing ever is.

The Origin Story

Though I had been aware of NECRONOMIDOL some time before I eventually became a fan of the group, it was not until early 2018 that I started to take notice of the group. After being tasked to review the album DEATHLESS for JaME UK, I came to appreciate the variety and style of NECRONOMIDOL's music, and eventually found myself booking tickets to see the group for their UK tour in June of that same year. It was a rather risky decision, I suppose, especially as I was so new to the group, but it was a risk I was willing to take. Since then, the rest has been a short piece of history, and I am now somewhat dedicated to the group (as a sideline fan).

Now, shortly after my beginnings as a fan, the group has since changed its lineup after the graduations of Sari and Yotsuyu Hina, and with this change I decided that now would be better than ever to create an introduction post for the group. So, without further ado, let's take a look at NECRONOMIDOL, the wonderful alternative to your everyday idol.

Imagined by Ricky Wilson in early 2014, NECRONOMIDOL was originally advertised as an 'occult and paranormal' themed group in February 2014, and the recruitment process began. Just under a month after advertising for members, Ricky interviewed 30 applicants before finalising the lineup with eight members - Kakizaki Risaki, Henmei Setsuko, Tachibana Ruu, Sari, Kaede, Nagata Kagura, Miyano Aisa, and Maeda Rio - four of whom left the group within two months of the audition process for various reasons. With this, NECRONOMIDOL would officially debut in late June of 2014 with four founding members: Risaki, Setsuko, Ruu and Sari.

With a few lineup changes under their belt, seven official singles, four albums (one mini, three full-length) as well as a few collaborations, NECRONOMIDOL have truly evolved in both sound and image. True to their ultra dark idol group inspired by HP Lovecraft and Japanese horror image, NECRONOMIDOL has incorporated various styles into their music from the very beginning, from traditional  folk themes mixed with Black Metal, to Dark Wave and Synthwave music to create a catchy and atmospheric piece. In terms of their visuals, the group began with a traditional Japanese shrine maiden image meets paranormal activity, before delving into the aesthetics of the occult, Japanese and Western horror tropes, as well as the Cthulu Mythos.

The group is still self-produced by Manager Ricky - as well as his team members - but despite this, the group has become well-known both in Japan and around the world for their stage performances, otherworldly choreography and concert experience.

On March 16th 2020, NECRONOMIDOL went on a sudden hiatus with the immediate graduation of three members, leaving Tsukishiro Himari as the sole member. Just over a month later, new members were revealed with June 2020 marked for the groups return.

Their motto is: 'We are NECRONOMIDOL, and we will choke you to death!'.