MAN WITH A MISSION to Release "The Circus," First Album in About Four and a Half Years, on Dec. 23, With Mixing by Chris Lord-Alge
MAN WITH A MISSION will release their new album "The Circus" on Wednesday, December 23. It is their first album in about four and a half years, following "Break and Cross the Walls II" in May 2022. On October 28, the day of the announcement, the band also released "Firestarter," the opening theme of the TV anime "The Vermilion Mask" (Akairo no Kamen), as a single, along with its music video.
Anime, film and football: four and a half years of signature songs
The album collects "Kizuna no Kiseki," the opening theme of "Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba" Swordsmith Village Arc; "The Animals," the theme song of the film "Wara ni mo Sugaru Kemono-tachi"; "ONE," the official song of the football club Cerezo Osaka; and the latest single "Firestarter." Chris Lord-Alge, who has worked on records by Green Day and My Chemical Romance, mixed some of the new songs.
The album comes in two editions. The limited first edition includes a photo book from the band's world tour held this year.
A tour of all 47 prefectures from January 2027
The band also announced "MAN WITH A MISSION LIVE TOUR "The Circus"," which will visit live houses and halls in all 47 prefectures of Japan, starting at Zepp Haneda (TOKYO) on January 20, 2027. Each show will feature a guest band, and 51 shows in 44 prefectures have been announced so far.
Before that, the band will play "MAN WITH A MISSION Presents Firestarter Tour 2026" in Tokyo and Osaka in December. The shows will be broadcast in the special program "V.I.P. -MAN WITH A MISSION-" on Space Shower TV on December 30.
Our view
A band that has toured the world and reached listeners abroad through anime theme songs brought in an engineer who has shaped some of the biggest rock records for its new album. After the release, it will play every corner of Japan's 47 prefectures. Making music that works anywhere while still going out to meet fans at home: this two-way approach could be a useful model for Japanese bands aiming for the world.
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