DEVILOOF

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.

2. ESCAPE

K: I hope you’ll enjoy the brutality and catchy tempo of this song. R: I think this song is befitting for our revival. The PV kicks asses too so if you haven’t seen it already, get your diapers ready. S: It’s a song we used for our MV so it has a twin guitar solo. That’s the best part. D: I guess you could say this song is like the new DEVILOOF’s business card. During shows, just headband and go nuts. H: This song is brutal.

3. Natural Born Killer

K: Executioners are entertainers. In this day and age, spectators who praise them are impudent. But I don’t think our human nature has changed. We’re just hiding it. R: It’s a really coarse and really crazy song! S: It gives the feeling of running at full speed so it’s pretty upbeat for DEVILOOF D: It think it’d be fun to mosh to. H: This song is brutal too.

4. Return Of The Curse

K: The chorus has a triadic harmony in 9th chord, bringing about a tragic feel we didn’t have until now. I think the scale-out in the melody line also gives is an ominous feeling. R: This is not your typical DEVILOOF song. I think you’ll understand why they say I’m a vocalist. S: This is a song in which you can hear Ray’s gorgeous voice. D: I guess this is DEVILOOF’s very own interpretation of a typical visual-kei song? Ray is singing in the chorus so pay attention to that part. H: This is a trendy brutal song.

5. DESTINATION

K: For this song, it was the first time I let another member in charge of the melody and lyrics, but it turned out to betray my expectations in a good sense. It allowed us to discover new possibilities. R: It’s a song that starts to the sound of my guitar so I’m really worried about screwing up during shows. It’s a Ray-killer song. I hate you sensei (lol) S: The best parts are the vocal’s melody and each instrument’s solo. D: It’s the first time I came up with the lyrics and melody. In any case, I hope everyone will sing along with it. Everyone, pump your fists! H: This is a slightly brutal song.

6. Lover

K: This is a song we’ve been playing at shows since we first started and that we arranged so it would fit in this album. Love can take a thousand different forms. R: It’s a song that we used to play at shows but we revamped it so it could be on the album. I loved the old “Lover” too but I love the new one even more!! S: I like the riff in the intro. D: Fist pump > jump > headbang. If you can do that, everything is gonna be ok. We’ll make you break your neck. H: It’s a kind of brutal song.

7. InCipit

K: This is an instrumental song which combines transcendence with wailing guitars played by our very own guitar prodigy, Seiya. The melody is beautiful. S: Our first instrumental song. D: Seiya’s solo. He’s playing his heart out, if anything. I think he’s really good and has the spirit of a prodigy.. H: It’s a brutal instrumental song.

8. EGOIST

K: The guitar solo in the chorus is magnificent, so the lyrics are magnificent too. I think I’m singing the most magnificent things out of all of DEVILOOF’s songs. R: It’s an extremely cool song! I guess I’m hoping you do a WOD at the beginning of the first verse. S: It’s a melodious song with guitars like you can’t hear in any other DEVILOOF songs. D: Do you know what WOD stands for? Wall of death. Keep that in mind. And do two-step. Let’s have fun at lives. H: It’s a little bit brutal song.

9. M.F.JAP

K: I made this song from scratch all by myself. I’d always wanted to do something modern. R: It’s a manly song that makes you want to jump and is unlike other DEVILOOF songs. Let:s all shout “Stand up” together! S: It’s an upbeat song different from others until now. D: It’s Keisuke’s song. It’s really upbeat but it’s a song that brings a breath of fresh air. H: It’s a relatively brutal song.

10. 怠惰の罪 (Taida no Tsumi / Deadly Sin of Sloth)

K: I think human beings are really annoying and pitiful beings, but if we took away that part of us that makes us illogical, we wouldn’t be human anymore. It’s difficult to convey this through the lyrics alone so to make it easier to understand, I made the title into Japanese R: Deviloof’s songs are usually pretty busy, but the rhythm guitar during the solo is probably the busiest out of all the songs in this album! I hope everyone will enjoy it as much as it’s busy (lol) S: It’s a creepy song. D: I really like this one. It’s really metal (lol) H: It’s a so-so brutal song.

11. HERO=MURDER

K: If you kill one person on a street corner, you’ll be branded as a murderer, but killing thousands on a battlefield makes you a hero. Just like for “Natural Born Killer”, the lyrics focus on the act of killing people. What do you think about it? R: Just like “Lover”, it’s a song you’ve probably heard at shows before. But we revamped it and it’s really different from the original song. When I’m practicing, I get confused because I still have the old version stuck in my head, so it’s kinda difficult! S: I hope you will shout along during that song. D: Let’s shout “Oi! Oi!” together. Until you run out of voice. And headbang until you neck snaps. H: It’s a brutal-ish song.

Listen to me!! Listen to me carefully!!

LOVE, LOVE ME, YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU, I’LL ALWAYS BE TRUE. SO PLEASE LOVE ME...

♀Please forgive me. Love, Love me. ♀Please help me. Dare to kill me.

Do you think I’m weird? Shall we dance? Show me your smile. I want to see your smile. Don’t be afraid of me. Why don’t you stay by my side? Everything about you is mine. Why won’t you understand?

Listen to me!! Listen to me carefully!!

Bad! Bad! Bad! You should receive a punishment. You’re being bad!

LOVE, LOVE ME, YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU, I’LL ALWAYS BE TRUE. SO PLEASE LOVE ME...