NEXT (South Korean band)


NEXT was a South Korean rock band known for its provocative songs that critiqued social injustice. The band was formed by iconic Korean experimental rock singer Shin Hae-chul and debuted in 1992 with the album Home. NEXT went through several line-up changes over the years and has been inactive since Shin's death in 2014.

History

NEXT was the band of singer/songwriter Shin Hae Chul. The group split up following the 1997 release of Lazenca: A Space Rock Opera, and the instrumentalists formed the alternative metal band Novasonic with rapper Kim Jun Pyo.
N.EX.T reformed around 2003 following the disbanding of Novasonic, and composed the soundtrack for the Korean release of Guilty Gear XX #Reload. A few of its instrumental songs were re-worked into songs with vocals on the following album, The Return Of N.EX.T Part 3: The Book of War/The Diary of a Soldier. The Return of N.EX.T Part 3 included the song "Dear America" which featured many prominent Korean vocalists such as Psy, Kim Jun Pyo and Crash's Ahn Heung-Chan. Guitarist Kim Se-hwang released his first solo album, Vivaldi: The Four Seasons, on June 27, 2011.
In 2014, group leader Shin Hae-chul died after poor medical treatment for cardiac arrest. On August 8, 2015, the band made their last appearance at the Pentaport Rock Festival, along with other musicians, for a special memorial stage for Shin. Since then, NEXT has been considered to be on hiatus.

Themes

NEXT's songs contain many cultural criticisms, with "Turn Off the T.V." and "Money" pointing to mediation and consumerism. Criticism of human disregard for the environment can be found in "Lazenca, Save Us" and "The World We Made," which creates musical contrasts between a pleasant, natural world and a terrifying, industrial, human-influenced world. "Cyber Budha Company Ltd." tells of a dark future in which humans can purchase small amounts of divinity through the use of machines and credit cards.

Members

NEXT went through multiple line-up changes between 1992 and 2014.
  • Shin Hae-chul – vocals
  • Jeong Gi-song – guitar
  • Lee Dong-gyu – drums, bass guitar
  • Im Chang-su – guitar
  • Lee Su-yong – drums
  • Kim Se-hwang – guitar
  • Kim Yeong-seok – bass guitar
  • Won San-guk – bass guitar
  • Devin Lee – guitar
  • Dr. Juny – drums
  • Dong Hyeok – keyboard
  • Ji Hyeon-su – keyboard
  • Yun Te-ra – drums
  • Jade – bass guitar
  • Kim Dan – drums