EZO has been named a "seminal influence by such artists as Steve McDonald of Redd Kross and Michael Steele of The Bangles.
"[2] EZO consisted of Masaki Yamada (vocals), Taro Takahashi (bass), Shoyo Iida (guitar) and Hiro Homma (drums).
[1] They released one demo cassette (Minagoroshi) in 1984 and two albums (1985's Senzo and 1986's Esa) in Japan as Flatbacker in the mid-1980s before coming to the U.S.[3] Rumor has it that Gene Simmons of Kiss, who produced their self-titled U.S. debut album,[2] was behind the band's name change to EZO,[citation needed] inspired by Ezo, an ancient name for Hokkaidō.
[3] In 2000, the original Loudness lineup reunited and Masaki and Hiro left the band.
A single guitar riff from EZO song "House of 1,000 Pleasures" served as the signature sound of syndicated radio network Z Rock.