The Black Mages ( band ) The Black Mages were a Japanese hard rock band formed by Nobuo Uematsu , composer for various video games in the " Final Fantasy " series , that played Uematsu ' s musical compositions in a progressive rock or prog - metal style . The band was formed in 2003 , and disbanded in 2010 , after seven years and three studio albums . The band ' s first studio album contains a selection the series ' battle themes . It was released eponymously as " The Black Mages " in 2003 . The second album , " " , was released in 2004 and features a wider array of pieces . The third album , " " , was released in 2008 . The Black Mages have appeared on several other video game - related ( mostly " Final Fantasy " ) albums . The band ' s live performances were rare , with only two concerts that celebrated album releases . The first — " The Black Mages LIVE " — was held in Shibuya and later released on DVD exclusively to fanclub members . A second concert — " LIVE above the sky " — was held in Kawasaki City and similarly released on DVD to fanclub members . However , The Black Mages have made appearances in various " Final Fantasy " - related concerts , such as " " and " More Friends " . On 7th of August 2010 , Nobuo Uematsu announced the band has disbanded . History . In 2000 , Square Enix employees Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito formed an experimental partnership to compose for the " All Star Pro - Wrestling " video game in a rock music style . After the video game ' s success , the two continued to compose in the same style . In 2002 , Fukui and Sekito decided to arrange some of Nobuo Uematsu ' s compositions . Uematsu , a fan of rock music himself , enjoyed the arrangements . Regretting that the public would not be able to appreciate the duo ' s talents , he decided to form the Black Mages . One of the band ' s staff members , Mr . Matsushita , suggested the name " the Black Mages , " ( in Japanese ) but they thought the name wouldn ' t stand out enough , so they would use the English version of that . In 2003 , Kenichiro Fukui and Tsuyoshi Sekito arranged , interpreted and sequenced ten combat themes from various " Final Fantasy " games , with Nobuo Uematsu as producer . Album containing these tracks was released eponymously on February 19 , 2003 . After being met with success , Uematsu decided to organize a concert in tribute to the album . Fukui chose to play keyboards , while Sekito chose to play guitar . Because this was not enough to perform the arrangements , several members from Square Enix joined . Keiji Kawamori joined to play bass guitar , Michio Okamiya to play guitar , and Arata Hanyuda to play drums . With persuasion from the group , Nobuo Uematsu began playing the keyboards . The Black Mages performed on April 26 , 2003 , at Shibuya - AX in Tokyo . This was followed by a 30 - minute performance at the Kanagawa University festival on November 3 . At the beginning of 2004 , Nobuo Uematsu announced the prospect of a second album . On April 21 , an arrangement album for the " Dark Cloud 2 " video game titled " Dark Chronicle Premium Arrange " was released . It features the first full appearance of The Black Mages on a studio album , who were asked by TEAM Entertainment ( the publisher ) to arrange and interpret " Flame Demon Monster Gaspard " . This performance heightened anticipation for the second album , and in July , Uematsu announced that the album was in the recording stages . On December 22 , 2004 , " The Black Mages II : The Skies Above " was released . " The Skies Above " features a wider array of pieces by not focusing on battle themes , unlike the first . In 2005 , the album was the subject of a concert on January 22 , January 23 in Kanagawa , and January 28 in Osaka . On March 19 , 2008 , " The Black Mages III : Darkness and Starlight " was released . Like " The Skies Above " , it does not only feature battle themes , but also other , more melodic themes or the album naming rock arrangement of " Final Fantasy VI " ' s opera " Maria and Draco " , " Darkness and Starlight " . Special mention should also be given to the track " Life ~ In Memory of KEITEN ~ " , which was included on the album as tribute to a fan who died from leukemia two months prior to the album ' s release . Sadly , Nobuo Uematsu declared the Black Mages disbanded on 7th of August 2010 due to scheduling conflicts between the band members and copyright issues with Square Enix . Recording process . When it came to selecting songs for an album , Uematsu would choose a song , after which the other members would give their feedback so as to evaluate if it was going to be recorded or not . When deciding on the arranger of each piece , the members would have a show of hands first , and afterwards decide who would be the best choice for each song . The other band members would send demos to Uematsu , and then discuss what the final arrangement would be like . Most of the basic synth parts were programmed by each arranger . If there were instruments the band members felt needed to be recorded live , they would go to the studio . The band used the studio for the drum recordings and for re - recording the guitars using an amplifier . However , it was difficult for all the members find the time to record together and as a result , the band never had much time to gather in the studio at the same time , so sometimes recordings started late at night . Concerts . The Black Mages have participated in several concert events . This overnight concert introduced the song " Matoya ' s Cave " ( which would feature in their next album ) and included additional solos not seen in their first album . During the introduction of band members , Michio Okamiya performed a rendition of the " Chocobo ' s Theme " and Nobuo Uematsu performed the intro to Deep Purple ' s " Smoke on the Water " . This free concert was part of the Kanagawa Jindai Festa . Because Nobuo Uematsu graduated from the university they were performing in , The Black Mages all wore the student uniform colors ( white shirt , black pants ) . LIVE " Above The Sky " . These concerts featured Kenji Ito who performed piano renditions of " SaGa Series " songs . Also featured were muZik , a group who performed seven Techno and Pop - style " Final Fantasy " arrangements . " More Friends - Music from Final Fantasy " . This was The Black Mages ' first appearance in North America , and thus far only performance outside of Japan . " " was performed with orchestral accompaniment . A synchronization conflict between drummer Arata Hanyuda and composer Arnie Roth forced Uematsu to cease the performance of the song entirely , leave to the backstage alone , and remedy the issue personally before returning . The result was a rendition of " Advent : One - Winged Angel " that is dissimilar to that which appears on the film ' s . " . The Black Mages performed " Advent : One - Winged Angel " along with the Prima Vista Philharmonic Orchestra . The song was played twice , the second time as an encore .