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In the 1990s, Katsu Ohta was the leader of melodic power metal band Astonishment, which combined a heavy, aggressive sound with melodic guitar solos. Afterward, he caught the eye of Naoto Shibata (Anthem, Loudness), and recorded on several Konami Game Music Albums produced as the Naoto Shibata Project. In 1996, he joined forces with bassist Ken Nishikawa, formerly of Wolf, and formed the band Rip Van Wincle. Afterward, Ohta dropped out of the music scene due to personal reasons, but re-emerged in 2000 when close colleague Eizo Sakamoto (Anthem, Anymetal) asked him to play on Sakamoto's solo album Metal Icchokusen. At the end of 2000, Ohta released his first solo recording, The Right Brain Revolution, from Mandrake Root.
Afterward, he scrambled to put together a permanent band, which was formed as Ark Storm in autumn of 2001, comprised of guitarist Katsu Ohta, vocalist Hiroaki Imanishi, bassist Michirou Yamada, keyboardist Yuhki, and drummer Takeo Shimoda. With this lineup, the band wrote songs and began rehearsing. On May 22, 2002, the group made its much-anticipated major debut with the album No Boundaries, released off of the King Records' Nexus label. Just after the album went on sale, Shimoda left the band and was replaced by Concerto Moon drummer Ichirou Nagai. Ark Storm firmly established their presence through exhaustive live performing. At the beginning of 2003, Ark Storm's ultimate lineup was established with former Sabel Tiger lead man Ysuo Sasai becoming the group's vocalist and Isamu Takita of Musashi taking over bass duties. With the band's potential greatly enhanced, the members launched into the recording of their second album, Beginning of the New Legend, which was released on August 25, 2003.
Ohta, who has been influenced by such guitarists as Uli Jon Roth and Yngwie Malmsteen, had established his reputation for his fierce guitar technique from his indie days, but with his major debut, the guitarist's name recognition has increased exponentially. With Japan's leading guitar magazine Young Guitar hailing him as Japan's fastest and most accurate guitarist and extensively featuring commentary on his guitar technique, there's no telling how far Ohta's momentum will carry him. With his world-class guitar skills, it is only a matter of time before the name Katsu Ohta becomes recognized by heavy metal fans all over the world. |
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