Hiroto Komoro and Masatoshi Mashima spent ten years as founding members of one of Japan's most influential punk groups, the Blue Hearts, followed by another ten as founding members of a less influential, but still popular group the High-Lows. After a good 20 albums between the groups, the pair moved on to form yet a third group, the Cro-Magnons, involving a pair of musical acquaintances to fill out the roster. A little less punk, a little more goofiness. Working semi-secretly throughout 2006, the band began performing without a name or press, slowly building hype for an upcoming album as they began increasing the size of their shows (capping off the pre-release period with a 33-show national tour). With the eventual release of their self-titled debut in September 2006, the Cro-Magnons catapulted themselves into the spotlight with carryover buzz from previous fans and a couple of minor hit songs. 2007's Cave Party easily held a number two slot on the Oricon charts, maintaining Top Ten status for a year or more, running into the release of 2008's Fire Age, which also contained the well-performing single Speed to Knife. ~ Adam Greenberg, Rovi