# A Flood of Circle

A Flood of Circle (Japanese: ア フラッド オブ サークル, Hepburn: A Furaddo obu Sākuru), abbreviated AFOC or Flood (フラッド, Furaddo), is a Japanese rock band formed in Tokyo in 2006 by vocalist and guitarist Ryosuke Sasaki and drummer Kazutaka Watanabe. Since 2018, the lineup has consisted of co-founders Sasaki and Watanabe, bassist Hisayo, and guitarist Tetsu Aoki. The band's sound mixes blues and rock and roll, and is easily identified by Sasaki's powerful vocals.

## History

A Flood of Circle was formed in Tokyo in 2006 with a lineup of vocalist and guitarist Ryosuke Sasaki, drummer Kazutaka Watanabe, guitarist Masashi Okaniwa, and bassist Yasutaka Ishii. The following year, they released their self-titled first mini-album on July 11. The band released the single "Buffalo Dance/Thunderbolt" only at Tower Records stores on March 4, 2009. They also contributed "Electric Stone" to the omnibus album Under Construction ~Rock'n'Roll Revival from Tokyo!!!~, which was released on the same day. On April 22, they made their major label debut on Speedstar Records with their first full-length album, Buffalo Soul produced by Junji Ishiwatari. In July, Okaniwa disappeared before the final concert of the band's nationwide tour. Although they were eventually able to confirm he was safe, the other members were unable to contact him for over three months and therefore announced his departure from A Flood of Circle on October 14. They released Paradox Parade, their second album, on November 18. It features guest guitarists Dai Okumura of Wash?, Eijun Suganami of The Back Horn, Takeo Noriaki of FoZZtone, and Takuro Yasutaka of Tsubakiya Quartette.
2010 saw the release of their first proper single "Human License" on July 21, and the release of their third album Zoomanity on September 15. On December 14, it was revealed that Ishii had informed the band that he wanted to leave on October 14 due to chronic tendonitis, which left him unable to play to his own satisfaction. The message also announced his replacement, female bassist Hisayo of the Tokyo Pinsalocks. The band's fourth album, Love is Like a Rock'n'Roll, was released on November 23, 2011. A Flood of Circle switched to Imperial Records on September 20, 2012, and released the mini-album Fuck Forever on December 5.
Former Rootless guitarist Duran joined the band in September 2014, and they released the album Golden Time on November 5. However, he left the group less than a year later on March 31, 2015. In an interview conducted with Natalie to explain the situation, Sasaki and Duran revealed it was due to the latter's commitments to his other band, Made in Asia, conflicting with those of Flood. In February 2016, A Flood of Circle traveled to the United Kingdom to record, and also performed their first three overseas concerts in London, where Sasaki lived as a child. They released their first compilation album, The Blue, on February 24. In June, the band held open auditions for a new guitarist. Tetsu Aoki was selected from the audition as a support member in September 2016, and the album New Tribe was released on January 18, 2017. Aoki became an official member of A Flood of Circle on February 17, 2018. Three days later, the band released their self-titled eighth studio album.
In 2019, A Flood of Circle released the album Center of the Earth on March 6, and the mini-album Heart on November 6. The former's single, "The Key", was used as the ending theme song for the Japanese anime adaptation of the Chinese manhua Ultramarine Magmell. The band's tenth album, 2020, was released on October 21, 2020.

## Members

Current members
* Ryosuke Sasaki (佐々木亮介) – vocals, guitar (2006–present)
* Kazutaka Watanabe (渡邊一丘) – drums (2006–present)
* Hisayo – bass (2010–present)
* Tetsu Aoki (アオキテツ) – guitar (2018–present; support member since 2016)
Former members
* Masashi Okaniwa (岡庭匡志) – guitar (2006–2009)
* Yasutaka Ishii (石井康崇) – bass (2006–2010)
* Duran – guitar (2014–2015)

## Discography
### Studio albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | JPN Oricon | JPN Billboard Hot | JPN Billboard Top |
| Buffalo Soul | Released: April 22, 2009 Label: Speedstar | 103 | — | 86 |
| Paradox Parade | Released: November 18, 2009 Label: Speedstar | 81 | — | 71 |
| Zoomanity | Released: September 15, 2010 Label: Speedstar | 62 | — | 62 |
| Love is Like a Rock'n'Roll | Released: November 23, 2011 Label: Speedstar | 41 | — | 39 |
| I'm Free | Released: July 17, 2013 Label: Imperial | 35 | — | 31 |
| Golden Time | Released: November 5, 2014 Label: Imperial | 19 | — | 31 |
| New Tribe | Released: January 18, 2017 Label: Imperial | 37 | 52 | 30 |
| A Flood of Circle | Released: February 21, 2018 Label: Imperial | 16 | 32 | 16 |
| Center of the Earth | Released: March 6, 2019 Label: Imperial | 46 | 63 | 36 |
| 2020 | Released: October 21, 2020 Label: Imperial | 41 | 43 | 38 |
| Densetsu no Yoru o Kimi to 伝説の夜を君と | Released: December 22, 2021 Label: Imperial | 72 | 73 | 60 |
| Hana Furu Sora ni Fumetsu no Uta o 花降る空に不滅の歌を | Released: February 15, 2023 Label: Imperial | 35 | 31 | 29 |
| Wild Bunny Blues / No Usagi no Blues WILD BUNNY BLUES / のうさぎのブルース | Released: November 6, 2024 Label: Imperial | 38 | 40 | 32 |
| "—" denotes a recording released before the creation of the Hot Albums chart. |||||

### Mini-albums

| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions | Peak chart positions |
| Title | Album details | JPN Oricon | JPN Billboard Hot | JPN Billboard Top |
| A Flood of Circle | Released: July 11, 2007 Label: Crux | — | — | — |
| Doromizu no Melody 泥水のメロディー | Released: May 14, 2008 Label: Crux | — | — | — |
| Fuck Forever | Released: December 5, 2012 Label: Imperial | 61 | — | — |
| Best Ride ベストライド | Released: June 17, 2015 Label: Imperial | 28 | 53 | 33 |
| Heart | Released: November 6, 2019 Label: Imperial | 45 | 66 | 37 |
| Candle Songs | Released: March 13, 2024 Label: Imperial | 35 | 34 | 26 |
| "—" denotes a recording released before the creation of the Billboard chart, or that did not chart. |||||