Noise Garden Selected for 'Track Zero'… "The Identity of Korean Rock"

[Dispatch=Lee Myung-ju] Band Noise Garden has been selected as Melon's July artist.

Melon said on the 2nd, "Noise Garden has been selected as this month's artist for 'TrackZero,' an indie music activation project." An interview with member Yoon Byung-joo was also released.

Noise Garden is a band representing 1990s Korean heavy metal. Their first album 'nOiZeGaRdEn' (1996) was even cited as one of the "100 greatest Korean pop music albums."

TrackZero introduced them as "an artist that not only copied overseas rock but presented a new identity for Korean rock, whose value shines even with the passage of time."

They are planning a comeback for their 30th debut anniversary. Noise Garden had suspended activities for 26 years following the release of their second album '...But Not Least' (1999).

Yoon Byung-joo explained the reason for deciding to return to the music industry, saying "We haven't overused Noise Garden during that time. I thought that with a 30th anniversary, it would be okay to do it once."

Surrounding artists had an influence. Unnie's Barbershop's Lee Seok-won said he would make music to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the first album release. An invitation to perform at the Asian Pop Festival also came in.

This comeback is with a new lineup. After Park Gun passed away in 2016, Yoon Byung-joo remains as the only original member. They recruited Ham Jin-woo and Kim Gwang-il from Unchained.

He said, "Unchained is one of the few bands that makes music like Noise Garden." The fact that it was comfortable and good to make music together was also a reason for the selection.

The Asian Pop Festival stage drew attention with a production where Kim Gwang-il appeared wearing a mask. He revealed, "We prepared so people wouldn't think 'the name was just famous but it's nothing special.'"

To longtime fans, he also conveyed his sincerity, saying, "In fact, when I was doing Noise Garden, I couldn't think 'thank you' to the fans, but now that I'm older, I understand why I'm grateful."

Noise Garden is currently preparing for an EP release. Yoon Byung-joo said, "If a schedule isn't set, I leave it alone if I'm not 100% satisfied, but there is a set schedule."

Meanwhile, Melon's 'TrackZero' is a project started to activate indie music. Every month, the artist of the month and recommended new songs of the month are announced.