But I wonder, does it mean anything? I type the name on the Internet, nothing. 'When I woke up, I actually remembered the dream vividly and started to do my little 'thinking process.' I made the name AMAHIRU, so that it would be easier to pronounce for the Japanese people.

'We were trying to find a name and I had a dream in which someone was asking me to sign a contract for this band, AMAHIRU, and the number 13 kept appearing in the contract,' FrГ©dГ©ric recalls. Oddly enough, it was coined by FrГ©dГ©ric himself, not by Saki. 'Amahiru' may sound like a Japanese word, but actually it is not. The Japan edition will have a bonus DVD which includes two music videos, filmed in Japan. Cover artwork was created by Travis Smith, known for his collaborations with OPETH and KING DIAMOND. Mastering was done by Tony Lindgren, Jens's right-hand person. 'Amahiru' was mixed by Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with DRAGONFORCE, KREATOR and SEPULTURA, among others. This is what we call a combination of occident and orient. Moreover, some tracks include a shakuhachi performance played by Kifu Mitsuhashi, known for being awarded the Shiju hosho (the Medal of Honor with Purple Ribbon) and the Order of the Rising Sun. FrГ©dГ©ric says: 'He has a powerful voice, great sense of rhythm and he is versatile, 'cause he can hit those high notes, sing in a mid register and also be both melodic and aggressive the perfect match for AMAHIRU.' Elize Ryd from AMARANTHE will also participate as a guest vocalist.ДЄMAHIRU's debut also includes a guest appearance by Sean Reinert from the American progressive rock band CYNIC, who, unfortunately, passed away in January. may be less known than other musicians involved in this band, but obviously he became the key to AMAHIRU's music. As AMAHIRU's vocalist, Archie Wilson was invited to join the group. Then comes Mike Heller, who has been known as a super drummer of FEAR FACTORY and RAVEN. Coen Jansen from EPICA, who helped with some keyboard works for the new DRAGONFORCE album, played keyboards on the disc. Some prominent musicians in the metal scene gathered to make this project a real band. Many ideas exchanged between them for the following few years, and finally, the time has come to release their self-titled album. They got along very quickly and it didn't take long until they came up with the idea to collaborate on a musical project. The official music video for AMAHIRU's second single, 'WTTP', can be seen below.ДЇrГ©dГ©ric and Saki's friendship started in 2015 when MARY'S BLOOD opened for DRAGONFORCE in Hong Kong. AMAHIRU, the musical collaboration between FrГ©dГ©ric Leclercq ( KREATOR, ex- DRAGONFORCE) and Saki ( MARY'S BLOOD, NEMOPHILA), will release its self-titled debut album on November 27 via earMUSIC in Europe and the U.S.