What is "balzac"

Balzac \Balzac\ n. Honore de Balzac, a French novelist; b. 1799, d. 1850.

Syn: Honore Balzac. [WordNet 1.5 +PJC]

Balzac (typeset as BALZAC) is a Japanese punk band formed in 1992 in Kyoto. The band was founded by singer and songwriter Hirosuke Nishiyama, who has remained the only constant member of the band since its creation. Since the beginning, Balzac was highly influenced by the sound and image of the famous horror punk band The Misfits and, especially during the very early years, Glenn Danzig's Samhain, adopting and combining the musical and visual style of both bands to create their own. The band often stays away from the "campy" horror lyrics and image found in most horror punk bands, as the lyrics by Hirosuke tend to be more like dark poetry and, though not always serious, deal with themes of darkness, loneliness and fear.

The band has gained a certain amount of recognition and exposure outside of their native country, where they are well known. Currently they have five official clothing brands (Shocker!!!, Dementia 13, Culture, XXXxxx and Balzac) with one store in Japan, plus three online stores (Shocker Webstore, Shocker World Wide and Shocker EU). They also have their own official record label called Evilegend 13 Records on which they have released EPs, singles and videos. Balzac is also well known for its toy releases, some created by the companies T.W.I.M. and Secret Base, and its extensive discography and side-projects.

The current lineup of the band consists of Hirosuke Nishiyama (vocals), Atsushi Nakagawa (guitar/chorus), Akio Imai (bass/chorus) and Takayuki Manabe (drums/digital effects/chorus). Musically the band has drawn from punk, pop, industrial and noise, across their various releases.

Balzac as a surname may refer to:

• Honoré de Balzac (1799–1850), French novelist and playwright
• Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (1597-1654), French author
• Catherine Henriette de Balzac d'Entragues (1579-1633), mistress to Henry IV of France
• Jesús M. Balzac, defendant in the civil rights case Balzac v. Porto Rico

Balzac as a place may refer to:

• Balzac, Alberta, Canada
• Balzac, Charente, France
• Balzac, Colorado, United States

Balzac may also refer to:

• Balzac (band), Japanese punk band
• Le Balzac, a cinema in Paris
• 18430 Balzac, asteroid
• Dassault Balzac V, jet fighter prototype of the 1960s
• The nickname of Italian footballer Federico Balzaretti
• Balzac blanc, French wine grape variety
  • Mourvèdre, or Balzac noir, another grape variety
• Balzac Billy, Groundhog Day prognosticator

Balzac is a crater on Mercury. It has a diameter of 80 kilometers. Its name was adopted by the International Astronomical Union in 1976. Balzac is named for the French writer Honoré de Balzac, who lived from 1799 to 1850.