Nagoya Heavy Metal act OUTRAGE, like many of their countrymen, have had a long, prolific and succesful career. However, despite major label deals, long tours and big-name producers, this success in Japan has been achieved without virtually any recognition outside of their homeland. For each album the band toured thier country extensively opening for such acts as PANTERA, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, TESTAMENT and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY.

OUTRAGE's early product is stylistically uncannily close to METALLICA. So close in fact, both musically and even the vocal phrasing of frontman Naoki Hashimoto that it has been said the first four OUTRAGE albums are the 'lost' albums between 'Ride The Lightning' and Master of Puppets'. The incredible similarites to METALLICA did not hinder the band however, as they were signed in Japan to the major label Polydor for a five album deal.

The band had been founded in 1983 as a NWoBHM covers act by vocalist Kazutoyo Ito, guitarist Yosuke Abe, bass player Yoshihiro Yasui and Shinya Tange on the drums. However, Ito departed in 1986 and was duly superseded by Naoki Hashimoto. An independent debut EP in 1986, simply billed 'Outrage'. The full-length outing 'Black Clouds' was promoted by Japanese dates in April of 1988 billed the 'Out Of Control' tour. A second set of dates, branded 'No Stranger To Reality', took place in March of 1989, just upfront of the issue of second album 'Blind To Reality'. That August OUTRAGE headlined the Tokyo 'Blessed Blast Hard Rock Revolution' festival.

June of 1990 had OUTRAGE conducting its first major support to an international act, opening for NUCLEAR ASSAULT. In 1991 the band released 'The Final Day', produced by none other than Stephan Kaufamnn of ACCEPT. The band and label were pleased with the job and in December Kaufmann remixed the previous three studio albums as well and they were all re-issued in 1991.

In 1993 the band had a major stylistic shift, mirroring their heroes, and were signed to another large label in Japan, East-West for four more albums. Two more studio albums followed, Spit' during 1993 and 'Life Until Deaf' in early 1995. The 'Life After Death sessions were produced by Michael Wagener.

To capitalise on OUTRAGE's fortune, in November 1995 their old label Polydor issued a compilation called 'Days of Rage 1986-1991', featuring 13 tracks from their Polydor years and an unreleased demo from 1986. Notably, these were the original versions, not the Kauffmann remixed versions. 1997 saw the band releasing their seventh studio album, 'Who We Are', produced again by Michael Wagener. Soon after they ended their relationship with East-West with a double compilation called 'It's Packed' which featured a live album on disc one and a collection of rarities on disc two, including the debut EP.

By now OUTRAGE had now embraced a more modern, grungier sound and vocalist Hashimoto left the band and the vocal chores were now handled by bassist Yoshihiro Yasui. The band drifted for a few years, auditioning vocalists and eventually forming thier own record label, 30Min Records. They put out an EP called 'Volume One' in June of 2001 and in March, 2002 the band relased another EP called 'Play Loud'.

The bands string of luck continued with the signing to yet a third major label in 2002. This time it was Warner who issued the '24-7' album and the band soldiered on as a three-piece. This record deal was not to last as long and the band switched to another major label, this time the the veteran Victor/JVC label. OUTRAGE travelled to California in December of 2003 to record their ninth studio album. 'Cause For Pause' was issued in 2004.

OUTRAGE reunited with estranged vocalist Naoki Hashimoto for the 20th anniversary tour in 2007. After completing the successful tour, Hashimoto officially rejoined the band in Feburary 2008. OUTRAGE released a limited edition double live CD entitled Awakening 2008' in Japan on June 25th through JVC Victor. Recorded during the three night special show of the same name in Tokyo in March, the first disc featured the entire 1991 album 'The Final Day' in live form and the entire 1995 opus 'Life Until Deaf' as a live set on the second disc. Subsequently the group commenced work on a fresh studio album.

OUTRAGE supported CHILDREN OF BODOM on their July 2008 dates in Tokyo and Nagoya.