INTERVIEW // REDNIQS 18/4/10
MC: It’s 1:23am. This is Asai Hiroaki with FM802. Our guests for tonight are now in the studio with me. Please introduce yourselves.
Keisuke: I’m Keisuke, the vocalist.
Ray: I’m Ray, on guitar and vocals.
Daiki: I’m Daiki on bass.
MC: The members of DEVILOOF, ladies and gentlemen.
All: Give us your best regards!
MC: So not only is this your first time on REDNIQS, but this is also your first time on radio altogether, right?
D: That’s right. I’m so nervous (nervous laugh)
MC: This is also the first time we meet. Actually, music-wise, your band has a pretty... pretty frightening.. sound.
D: (chuckle)
MC: I can’t help wonder what kind of personality you guys have.
K: We are scary.
All: (burst into laughter)
MC: Our listeners might not know well about you so let’s start with the basics. How did DEVILOOF come together and how long have you been active?
D: We’ve been active for approximately 2 years. He’s not here today, but our drummer Hiroto was in a band with his classmates back in high school. After he graduated, he wanted to get serious about doing music so he kicked out all the other members, then he gathered us.
MC: I see. So originally you all knew each other through your respective bands.
D: That’s right. Hiroto... when each of your bands broke up, he just kind of drew us in with him.
MC: So he talked to the members that caught his attention and invited them to form a band with him?
D: That’s right.
MC: And as for the direction of your sound...
All: Yes?
MC: ...so, well, you went all out heavy... Death [metal/core].
All: That’s right.
K: It’s death.
MC: Did you also decide right from the start to go for visual-kei?
K: Well, not really.
D: At first, we looked normal.
MC: Oh really?
D: Yep. But of course we all have roots in both visual-kei and death metal / death core. There aren’t really any other bands that combine both of these so we thought, well let’s do this! And formed this band, or rather we started moving in that direction.
MC: Did any of the members have so reservations, such as with having to wear makeup or showy outfits?
K: Not at all.
MC: (surprised) Really?!
K: No. We thought it sounded like fun, all of us did.
MC: I see. I don’t think there are a lot of visual-kei bands with a sound as heavy as yours, but Keisuke, what are you the most particular about when it comes to your sound?
K: I’d have to say.... our originality is what we treasure the most. There aren’t any other bands as brutal as us. No one can beat us when it comes to that.
MC: You will be releasing a new single on April 25th called “Kaika”, as in the blooming of flowers. When I played the CD, I was expecting a gentle sound like a blooming flower but...
All: (chuckling)
MC: The whole time... The whole time I kept waiting for the flowers to bloom...
All: (laughing harder)
MC: ...but it was just “VOI! VOI!” the whole time! So this song is said to be your band’s fastest and most brutal piece to date, right?
K: I’m pretty sure it is.
D: It is.
MC: You guys... understand what singles are for, right?
All: (burst into laughter)
K: Of course. We do.
MC: The whole concept of it... It’s like it doesn’t apply to DEVILOOF.
D: For this single, we signed a contract with Danger Crue. So on that point, I guess any other band would probably want to get more people to listen to them but...
MC: Is that why you picked sakura as the theme of your song?
All: (burst into laughter)
MC: It sounds like it would be a gentle song about meeting and parting with someone. But then again if DEVILOOF did that, you’d probably alienate the fans that have been following you until now...
D: Right. So it was on purpose. It may not particularly appeal to everyone but... We just wanted to show them what we’re made of.
MC: I see. Ray, what should we listen for in the new single?
R: The song changes tempo a lot of times. Maybe... around 7 or 8 times?
MC: Wow...
K: It’s hectic.
R: I was desperately trying to remember it.
MC: Did it take a lot of time until it came to you naturally?
R: It took quite a lot of time.
MC: Tell me about your band’s song-writing process.
K: Well when it comes to this song, our guitarist Seiya came up with the first part, and the last part was added by me.
MC: I see. So the song was put together by several of the members. So why don’t we let people hear that song. Our listeners might be a tad bit surprised though. Because it’s heavy from beginning to end. It’s the first time your fans get to hear it, right?
All: That’s right.
MC: Before we continue further, let’s hear this song which changes tempo 7 times. Could I get you to introduce the song?
D: Uh... please listen. This is “Kaika” by DEVILOOF.
(song plays)
MC: What you just heard was DEVILOOF’s song, “Kaika”. I almost didn’t realize it was over. The ending came so abruptly.
D: (laugh) It’s hard to guess the structure.
MC: I can’t tell. This kind of song structure must be pretty difficult, all the more since there is no melody. It must be hard to remember the structure. When you play it live, do you ever think “wait, what is he singing now?”
R: We still haven’t played this song live yet so we don’t know yet how it’s going to be.
MC: I wonder how it’s going to be. But you do have several songs that do have a melody, right?
K: We kind of don’t.
All: (burst into laughter)
MC: You don’t?
K: Well, in the past we only had songs with no melody, but for our last album, we finally made songs that kind of do have one.
MC: A bit like Her Name [In Blood] and Crossfaith, you’re the type of artists that don’t use clean tone a lot. Visual-kei does have them too. But DEVILOOF must draw in a lot of male fans, even at solo shows.
D: (laugh)
MC: That’s the kind of crowd I imagine you attract based on your sound. But of course, I’m sure a lot of bangyas want to rock out too. So by all means I hope everyone will attend your shows. Now there are a few questions I’d like to ask each one of you. When asked about his recent news, Keisuke answered “gosso”. What is “gosso”?
K: (very seriously) “Gosso” is to remove nose hair using brazilian wax.
MC: ...wat? To remove nose hair?!
K: (still seriously) Nose hair, yes. Removing nose hair is called “gosso”. It’s a thing with brazilian wax that removes nose hair.
MC: A machine?
K: No, not a machine. Just a small stick you put brazilian wax onto. You put it in your nose, then pull, and it removes the hair.
MC: Does it hurt?
K: It hurts.
D: (chuckling)
MC: You got me curious... It removes all the hair?
K: Just like the name of it says. [note: the MC said “gossori” which means “all of it”]
MC: (burst into laughter) And you’re into that?!
K: Yeah, it’s great. It feels nice and the inside of my nose isn’t fuzzy.
MC: Well you’re in a visual-kei band after all. If your nose hair stuck out, it’d be terrible. Imagine if you could see it on a cheki. Better watch out! And keep using “gosso”.
K: That’s right.
MC: Moving on. Ray, you said you got a famous guitar maker to make a full custom guitar for you?
R: Yes, that’s right.
MC: What’s a full custom guitar?
R: You can basically pick everything, like the type of wood and the color, and build a guitar from scratch.
MC: And is it ready now?
R: It is and I’ve been using it during shows already.
MC: It must be the most important thing to you after your own life.
R: Exactly.
K: Expensive...
R: What?
K: Expensive.
R: (nervous laugh) Hmm, who knows.
MC: It must have been really pricey! Now, Daiki, you said you’re into ramen.
D: All the members are addicted to ramen. On the way back from the studio... Some of the members even eat ramen about 4 times a week. I’m not as bad as that but...
K: It’s oily.
MC: Is there a good ramen shop you’d recommend?
D: It’s kinda famous but Zundo-ya in Shinsaibashi.
MC: You hang out there a lot?
D: Yep.
MC: What about in local areas? When you go on tour, do you try ramen in each of the cities?
D: I really do want to. We eat ramen relatively often while on the road. Like Nagoya’s miso ramen...
MC: I guess by the time the show is over, the only places still open are usually ramen shops, right?
All: Exactly.
MC: And since this is your first time on this show, we asked you what artists influenced you the most. Ray said Steve Vai, Van Halen and Deluhi. Basically all metal.
R: That’s right. Ever since I was a kid, a lot of my relatives were metalheads. I didn’t even know about visual-kei yet at that time. I really only started listening to visual-kei when I discovered Deluhi. I realized visual-kei isn’t so bad after all, and that made me want to do visual-kei myself.
MC: I see. A lot of visual-kei guitarists have amazing techniques too. As for Daiki, you said you were influenced by X [Japan] and BUCK-TICK at first.Was that when you were in elementary school?
D: Maybe around first grade of junior high.
MC: After that, you got into HELLOWEEN and western music.
D: That’s right. I wanted to know what kind of music the members of X listened to when they wrote their album. When I looked it up, a lot of 80′s metal bands from overseas came up. And I came to like them myself.
MC: I bet the other kids around you were listening to stuff like AKB48.
D: Yeah. And RADWIMPS.
MC: And you were like “I like HELLOWEEN and Scorpions”.
D: (chuckling) But I like Matenrou Opera too.
MC: So much that you even go to their shows?
D: That’s right.
MC: Have you ever met the members?
D: Not yet. But I want to.
MC: And I also asked you about one of your special skills. Keisuke, you said Smash Brothers.
K: That’s right. But only the Nintendo 64 version.
MC: (laughing) Only the Nintendo 64 version? Isn’t it kind of obsolete?
K: That’s right but generation-wise... My age is a secret... but my generation played Nintendo 64.
MC: Wasn’t a new [Smash Brothers] released recently?
R: Yeah, on Switch.
K: I’ve never even tried Switch to begin with.
MC: You better get with the times. Smash Brothers... so which character to do you pick?
K: I can use any of them. I usually pick the same character as the other person and beat them with it. I wanna show them that I’m stronger.
MC: I see. You can beat them with any character. Too bad no one plays Nintendo 64 anymore.
K: Probably not. I don’t have any opportunities to show off my special skill anymore.
MC: Ray said his special skill is first, tennis. Were you in the tennis club?
R: I was.
D: I had no idea!
MC: You don’t look like the kind of person who plays tennis at all.
R: Oh really?
K: You don’t look in good shape.
All: (laugh)
R: Well I almost never go outside.
MC: Even now, you can still play well?
R: That’s right. If I have the chance, I absolutely want to play again.
MC: You wrote another one. Carving tuna? It’s the first time I hear anyone they’re good at carving tuna.
R: (laughing) I must the only visual-kei bandman who can do that. I got the opportunity... well I was asked to carve tuna by my prefecture.
MC: What prefecture?
R: Hyogo prefecture. I thought it’d be fun so I tried it, over and over again. I even took part in tuna carving shows.
MC: How did that happen?
R: That’s...
MC: Is it a secret? You even go as far as to say you took part in carving shows.
R: Well, I don’t really have much to hide about myself. I even made my age and my hometown public. If it can be said, I’ll say it. I just wondered if I should say it. Well... how can I say this... I went to a high school with a focus on the sea.
MC: I see, that makes sense! Have you ever cut your finger?
R: My finger? Not really... This is a show about visual-kei so is it really ok to say this? There’s always so much fat flowing out that it gets really slippery.
K: Ray is oily too.
All: (laughing)
MC: I’d like to see you carve a tuna some time.
R: I hope I have a chance to do it again some day.
MC: And Daiki, you said your special skill is that you are able to remember the date, time, venue and other bands playing of all the events and solo shows you’ve done. You have a really good memory.
D: M-maybe I can.
MC: You must be really smart if you have that much information in your brain.
D: My memory is... I can do it.
MC: Do you also clearly remember all that information about your future shows?
D: Yes, no problem.
MC: Tell me about your next live, on April 22nd...
D: It’s at Kobe Lighthouse and is part of the tour organised by FiveStar. Including us, there’ll be Blu-BiLLioN, smileberry, Rides In Revellion and GARAK’s so 5 bands in total.
MC: What about your show at Osaka RUIDO on April 28th?
D: (laughing) Well... the thing is another band was added to the lineup and I’m not sure how to read their name and I don’t want to be rude...
MC: I understand! ...You’ll also perform at Kansai Rock Summit--
D: (laughing) No way I can name all the bands playing at Rock Summit. There’s over 50 bands!
MC: Aww, I’m a little disappointed. Anyway, it will be held at livehouses in the Shinsaibashi area. Do you have any other shows past that point?
D: Hmm...this summer... we have a tour in Europe. Then in October, a one-man tour in Japan. There should be more information about these within this month or the next.
MC: I see. For the time being, I recommend DEVILOOF to those who are into visual-kei bands that have brutal songs about little flowers. Their new single, their fastest and most brutal song, “Kaika” will drop on April 25th so be sure to get your copy! With that said, it was your first appearance on my show, but next time I’ll be sure to bring a tuna for Ray. A warm thanks to our guests, DEVILOOF.














