An interview done just before the new album and the new fourth member of Malice Mizer would be revealed to the world, after almost 1.5 years without seeing the fans live. The interviewer also wrote a feature about Kami at the end of the interview. Let's discover the thorny way the members took to achieve their last glorious album, "Bara no Seidou".
Note :
I kept most names of the songs as is (romaji) as this is how most people know them, but I decided to translate them in some sentences because the interviewer or the member was alluding to the specific word/concept mentioned in the title of it, so for clarity purpose I translated it/added a note in parenthesis. (*)
Some questions or answers seem to jump a lot as well, and I think it might be because the interview is edited down ? I did my best to keep track of everything, but the ideas and questions of the interviewer did seem scattered a little bit, so I apologize if some places aren't as clear.
Cathedral of Roses
A new curtain will finally be opened on malice and tragedy with the release of the new album “Bara no Seidou”, on August 23rd.”Bara no Seidou" is not only the conclusion of Malice Mizer’s activities as a three member group, but also the beginning of a new dawn of malice and tragedy. This album, which shows the most thorough attention to detail ever shown since their beginning, is the prelude to the next new development of Malice Mizer, and is also a starting point, with the Budokan concert to be performed with the fourth blood relative, titled "The Rose of Reunion" (Saikai no Chi to Bara) and "The Rose of Promise" (Yakusoku no Bara) on August 31 and September 1st. We will get to the core of Malice Mizer’s "Cathedral of Roses" and the new story that begins here…!“Bara no Seidou” opens the door to destiny !
Where is Malice Mizer headed ?
We will never do things like everyone else.
We will seriously go back to our roots.
We will go through with our concept.
After all, I have respected Malice Mizer for more than three years now, but it seems that I was still caught up in preconceived notions of rock music. It was reaffirmed that the basic attitude toward listening to music is to let go of all preconceived notions of what is important and to let the sounds and the mass of sounds come to you. Then, the door to the heart will gradually but surely opens, and you will not be able to escape from "Bara no Seidou”. I am sure that many readers will have such a feeling. When the door opens, light shines through. I could clearly see the trajectory of Malice Mizer over the past year. Their statements, which had been a mystery to me, and the significance and meaning of the three singles were illuminated. Looking back, the concept leading to "Bara no Seidou" was completed last summer, and the recording of "Saikai no Chi to Bara" began, so this month's issue is a commemorative feature on the first anniversary of the revival of Malice Mizer. Let's take a look back at the process up to this point with them.
Mana : Yeah, it’s been a year, but I don’t feel nostalgic about it.
Yu~ki : I have vivid memories of the site where we shot the jacket of the CD.
Mana : I think you can sense that the jacket of the first chapter, "Saikai no Chi to Bara" already told the story of "Bara no Seidou” in a sense. The jacket of "Shiroi Hada ni Kuruu ai to Kanashimi no Rondo" is also full of roses, so it was a year in which all I did was look at roses (laughs).
Közi : The picture of roses was with us until the Budokan, we couldn’t escape it.
The path of the past year, tainted by roses, must not have been a smooth one. Accident or fate? The response to "Saikai no Chi to Bara", which was released unexpectedly by the three members, was not always warm.
Mana : We dared to create this worldview without vocals or drums, using only sound to start from scratch, and we were prepared for a mixed reaction. But I felt that there were many people who needed Malice Mizer, and I felt a strong bond with the fans. I think the bond will deepen with the release of the album.
They were determined to follow their own path, but they were surely supported by their close ones, or fans, who gave them a sense of bonding. This is the driving force that will lead them to become unparalleled performers.
Közi : I feel like I have been working on this project for a long time. Not only the sound, but also the booklet design was redone many times.
Kozi recalls his memories during the production of "Shinwa" which was released in February. Incidentally, as many fans may have noticed, the black kimono costume of the members seen in the work was inspired by Kami's love of Japanese clothing. Not only this work, but their persistence in taking time for production has become more thorough, and even the second chapter single, "Kyomu no naka de no Yuugi" shows such a seeking spirit that, according to Mana, "I have never had such a difficult time with a song before.”
Mana : This song is the most difficult of the new Malice Mizer challenges. While "Saikai~" is a spontaneous song, "Kyomu~" is an unprecedented attempt to fuse an inorganic sound with a choir. The choir members can only sing when they have the score, but we were not used to that world, so we asked the arranger (*of the choir) to help us out.
Yu~ki : I learned a lot, including the terminology (*related to choir), and I think we grew a lot.
I recall the repeated statements at the time of their debut that Malice Mizer was not a “band” but a total “art performance creation group”. In the regular sense of a band, it would be unthinkable to release a single featuring a group of people other than the band members (*a chorus group), even if an instrumental single is released. Nowadays, fans can accept this discrepancy as a normal for Malice Mizer, but in the broader music scene, they are always forced to look at the band from an angle. Some fans may feel a little frustrated by this, but the more revolutionary any expression is, the more heretical it seems at first. Malice Mizer must be sincere in their concept. Whether or not it will be widely accepted is a matter of the future. And they are strongly carrying through. By the way, both "Kyomu~" and "Shiroi~" have women on their jackets. They say that the rose is a symbol of blood, but what does this woman symbolize?
Mana : She represents everyone who listens to Malice Mizer.
I think this is also a very typical idea of the group. Usually, the jackets feature a photo of the artist, but they have brought "you" (fans) on the cover. It can be taken as a visual expression of what they always say, "It is not only us who make Malice Mizer, but Malice Mizer is in everyone's heart". And when "you" and their consciousness cross, "Bara no Seidou" appears in the hearts of the audience, as they walk across the "Shiori~" video. Looking back, the past year seems to have been a period of taciturnity due to the lack of live performances, but in fact it was a very prolific period in their history, with three singles, "Shinwa", and an album. It must have been a period of mental strength for them.
Mana : It was the first time for us to actually make a trilogy after declaring our intention to do so, and it was like seeing something new at the end of our agony. From the perspective of the band, this was the most difficult time for us because the band format was not working, and overcoming this and taking on new challenges was a great springboard. Despite the difficulties, we found new ideas and new methods, and I think it was a year of great growth. That feeling is also expressed in the lyrics of the album.
As is the fate of those who bear malice and tragedy in their name, hardship always follows them. Their attitude of not rejecting it and exploring their own possibilities in the midst of it sounds like a life lesson to those of us who are not in the position to make music. Their predicament will continue forever. Mana's quote, "Happiness is at the end of restraints" includes this reality. And where will Malice Mizer go? When I ask them about their plans for next year and beyond, they say that before that, they will show something new in the fall. Unfortunately, they say, the tour will be next year, so you must be wondering "What, no way? What on earth are they going to do?”
Mana : After we met you all again at the Budokan, there will be new surprises hidden away. You will see something in the fall for sure..
Közi : The fall of what year, we don’t know though.
Mana : The four members (including the new vocalist) will start earnest from this fall, and "Bara no Seidou" is actually the prologue. The Budokan concert is also the beginning of a new concept (after "Bara no Seidou"). I am sure there will be keywords other than the words "rose" and "cathedral" there.
To everyone’s surprise, they are planning to release a live Budokan video early this fall. This is a big deal for a band that has just released an album. What will it be about, I wonder ?
Mana : It goes further to the core. The next may be the ultimate return to the starting point. That would be the real start. I can't go into details about the content, but I met him (*the vocalist) in the past, and at that time it was just some kind of premonition, but now we meet again in "Bara no Seidou"
This is my guess, but the next release will be about why the new vocalist is now in Malice Mizer and why they reunited. The ultimate return to the roots of the band will be expressed in a deeper spiritual way. I am looking forward to it. And Malice Mizer, relying on a ray of light on the thorny path, will be pushing forward to somewhere endless.
Közi - Personal Interview
That's been the case since the beginning, if I may say so, but that kind of commitment is getting stronger this time around.
----For example, it seems to me that you might have first made an agreement on which instruments to use, such as pipe organs and harpsichords, and then worked hard on the composition of your music.
I don't have any specifics, but after 8 years of Malice Mizer, I keep trying to take new approaches, but this time I wrote the music in a way that went back to our roots, so the tone naturally came out that way.
----But if you consider your old album "Memoire" as your roots, you were expressing yourself mostly with guitars in that work, right?
That's right. I was conscious of how far I could push it with the guitar.
----So, like, "How can this become a harpsichord? and such ? However, in "Bara no Seidou" the real harpsichord has been included from the beginning. In other words, the sounds of "Bara no Seidou" were born as a result of your conviction that "I like this kind of sound and this kind of sound is necessary," even though you have done many things, right.
Right, yes. I want each note to have more and more meaning, and if I think about it to the point where I think I am overthinking it, then inevitably, it becomes like this.
----So now, you feel accomplished with it ?
Not really. As I always say, I don't really have a sense of accomplishment. I immediately see what I have to do next, so I always see the bad parts of my songs in particular. Of course, there is the feeling of having created something great as a work of art, but it is precisely because of that that there is always the next one coming.
----Two songs composed by you are recorded on the album. “Kagami no Buto Genwaku no Yoru” and “Chikasuimyaku no Meiro”, for which you also wrote the lyrics, right ?
Mana-chan gave me a strict check, and I chose the words carefully. To be honest, the lyrics were very hard to write.
----Was there like a restriction on the words used or something ?
Well it’s not like I could’ve used “Okay baby~” or anything, eh. (laughs)
----You wouldn't haven’t dared !!
No, of course not. I'm not a big reader by nature, actually. I'm not good with letters. It was really hard. But I wrote the lyrics, referring to the prose (album concept) that Mana-chan wrote at the beginning, but it turned out to be just like my first song, with no way out and a sense of chaos, and I ended up with lyrics that were so in-depth that I had no idea what they were (laughs). Words are difficult. I bought a lot of dictionaries, including a synonym dictionary.
----As I said in my interview with Mana, I think all the songs in "Bara no Seidou" are trying to say something that all comes to some kind of common point, don't they?
I'm talking about something consistent and unchanging. I've been making the songs like I'm creating sounds in a set of separated scenes, but it's pretty consistent in the end.
----If the unchanging theme is like a sphere, then each song is like the different parts of the sphere you see when looking at it from different angles?
Yes, yes, there is my angle there too. So, in a sense, the song went in a direction that was self-satisfying and I didn't really consider the listeners, so they were buried away. Of course, there were some new attempts and meaningful things I did, but the song was something mysterious.
----So these two songs aren’t like that.
Songs that consider the audience (laughs)
----And what about “Kagami no Buto Genwaku No Yoru” ?
In the past interviews, I've been told that I "know this was Közi's song”. What do you think? Obviously, "Chikasuimyaku no Meiro" is a little different.
----Even if you put it that way, readers haven't listened to it yet.... Listening to the album as a whole, your work clearly has a different texture from Mana's work, don't you think?
Did your wife tell you that ? (laughs)
----I was listening to it at home and even my wife, who is not familiar with Malice Mizer, noticed it.
I was very conscious that this album was to be kind of one song in total, so I was more careful than ever before in creating the songs so that the images and textures of the songs would not be distracting.
----If the lyrics of "Kagami no Buto Genwaku no Yoru" were divided into the real world and the spiritual world, which one would they be directed toward?
It comes and goes, but I would maybe say more spiritual.
----And “Chikasuimyaku no Meiro” is very spiritual.
Yeah, right.
----For short, I'm under the impression that what you found when working underground was a water vein? (*chika = underground, suimyaku = water vein)
That may be so. Well, you could say that the song was made possible because of my underground activities. I think the song shows the situation and state of mind I was in at the time.
----Anyone listening to “Chikasuimyaku no Meiro” will be surprised.
Eh ? Would they be that surprised ?
----I’ll avoid spoiling it for everyone, but there’s a female vocal !
I had the idea from the beginning to use a female vocalist as the main vocalist, but I tried many different patterns before I came up with this one. I tried a lot. Seriously, I sang and–
----Yeah you look like the kind of guy who’d try it (laughs).
It's like a different atmosphere. It became very underground (laughs). As with the other songs, it was a trial-and-error process to see how far we could go with just the three of us, but I learned a lot from this series of recordings, including "Shinwa”.
----I see. What do you think, you said you don't feel a sense of accomplishment after completing the album, but you don’t have a sense of having moved on, don't you?
I could see another step ahead. But by moving forward, I was able to see things that I couldn't see before. I'm curious about the future, that, I am.
----How do you think the album will be received by your fans ?
They’ll think this is an even deeper feeling of “THAT’s Malice Mizer”, I think.
----By the way, what is your impression of the new vocalist who will appear at the Budokan?
I think his voice is the only one we could use. I had known him for a long time and had been curious about his existence for a while. I had the impression that he was a "jet-black nobleman" who came out of the darkness and lit up. (laughs).
----I see. Finally, do you have a message for the listeners of “Bara no Seidou” ?
I think we will see the future, not just a return to the origin. I don't see a future where we're going in all sorts of directions, but a future where the center of Malice Mizer is deeper and then we can see its future
Yu~Ki Personal Interview
----When I first heard "Bara no Seidou", I was overwhelmed by the thoroughness of the world of the concept, and after listening to it many times, I couldn't get out of it. I've listened to it 10 times now already.
You are absolutely right. You have to listen to it over and over again. The completeness of this album and the world view it creates are deeper than expected, and there are no gaps in the album. So people who are into this album will be hooked on it.
----It made me realize that this is the kind of sound I like (laughs). Is that also your case ?
Yes, tone-wise, I like the sound of strings. But basically, the way it's made is not rock, and it's new in many ways, so it's up to the listener to be able to adapt to it.
----Indeed, there is no other way to make something like this and there never has been before. I think that is what makes it original.
I think that Mana's persistence, the image that the album gives to people, his attitude toward songwriting, and other such details were accumulated to create deep songs that were well crafted. I think the total expression of all of these elements has resulted in all of the songs having an appealing and piercing impression. I am sure that it’s different for each person listening to the album, but…
----It stings, right ?
I got stabbed a lot. It's like, "Ouch, ouch!” the whole time.
----Every song ?
Yeah. The most painful of them all is still "Saikai no Chi to Bara" though.
----Oh. But It's the first single that came out after the revival, and it's the last one on the album.
It’s the first Chapter. The first time I heard this song, it had a huge impact on me.
----In fact, when I asked Közi, "What is the most painful and impressive song on the album?" he mentioned this song too.
Yeah, it was a shock in terms of the content of the music, and I felt that it was about the future, and at the same time, what we had experienced so far was already imprinted in the sound.
-----Yeah, so I didn't think "Saikai no Chi to Bara" would be the last song on the album.
The totality of that is Mana’s idea.
----The voice of the man who mainly sings in "Bara no Seidou", what is it that you feel from the way he sings?
I don't mean the world of the lyrics or the words, but I feel that his voice itself has something in common with the songs of the past. Even if the singers are different, I feel the same thing in the end, and it is something I cannot avoid.
----So you are saying that the spiritual unity with Malice Mizer is also in the voice?
Yes, it is. I think that's something you were born with, maybe.
----What about your bass ?
Oh, I’m playing it. Some places it’s a synth-bass, though. (*I believe he means computer generated bass/synthetizer)
-----Overall, I can easily recognize the synth bass, but don't you have to listen carefully to understand the live string bass?
Well, some songs are like that. Like in "Kyomu no Naka de no Yuugi" it's the synth bass that's in the foreground.
-----I assume that "Kyomu de no Naka de no Yuugi" "Kagami no Butou Genwaku no Yoru" and "Mayonaka ni Kawashita Yakusoku" are synth-based, right?
Yes. But "Kyomu de no Naka de no Yuugi" also has a regular bass. I play it from the beginning to the end, but it doesn't come to the foreground, so you can't tell unless you listen carefully. That's because that was the idea behind the song.
-----So a lot of bass isn’t live bass.
That's right. That part is for the sake of expression. This recording required a rather inorganic quality, and I tried to avoid unintentionally putting in raw-ish playing.
-----Did you feel that you grew as a bassist or a musician during this recording?
I like to express this kind of worldview, so I had no qualms about swallowing my own unique style of playing. I was able to try new things easily because of that. For example, I was able to use a 5-string bass and bring out new aspects of myself, so it was a lot of fun.
-----I see. However, there is no Yu~ki song recorded this time, eh……
There aren’t no.
-----I guess even if you're not a fan, you're probably thinking, "What the heck?”
In the concept of this project, it was important for everyone to create songs and build a worldview, and whether or not my songs would be included is a different story. My songs can be performed at shows or on other occasions. So, I think it was just a coincidence that my songs were not included this time.
----That kind of discussion shows that Malice Mizer is even more serious about striving for a single expression. Like saying that you are prioritizing your world view. That has always been the case, but it is becoming more serious.
It is a balance, isn't it? Malice Mizer is a band of sorts, so in the past, we would bring songs to the session and each member would add their own elements. Even though there isn't much of a band feeling, there are elements of each member in songs. But this time, in order to create a worldview, it didn't matter whether the members spoke up or not; the composer takes the lead in the recording. It was a natural process. Before recording, we always had discussions, and when it came to studio work, it was natural for Mana-chan, who brought and created the concept of "Bara no Seidou", to take the lead.
----Is that process ideal ?
It is for Malice Mizer.
----Do you have any recommendations for people who listen to “Bara no Seidou” ?
As always, I think it’d be nice to listen to it in a pitch dark room with the lights off.
----Is that always so (laughs) ?
Well, it is important to create the right ambiance (laughs). I really want you to listen to the music at a loud volume, but that may not be possible, so I would like you to listen at a loud volume with headphones or something.
----So now, are you in the middle of rehearsals for Budokan ?
It has started, yes. The composition of it is mostly decided.
----You said something like, "Bring your attention to last month's issue (of the magazine)."?
Yes, I think it will be a great experience. Like the construction of the set, I think Malice Mizer’s worldview will be deeply and profoundly expressed, so I hope they can handle it. Really, more than anything else, it will be my first reunion with everyone in a long time, so I really want to do my best at the Budokan. There, not only will I be able to see the worldview of the album, but I also want to feel and create something new!
Mana Personal Interview
—I'll explain more later, but personally, "Bara no Seidou" is an album that I can say I love from the bottom of my heart.
For me, it is the best work I have ever done. It is the work that expresses all of my emotions the most. It expresses the feelings I had when I started the band and the feelings I have gained after 8 years of performing with Malice Mizer.
—-So can you say you could have made this 8 years ago?
Oh, no absolutely not. I could do it now, because it’s now.
—-Do you think your 8 years with Malice Mizer have been tremendously important for you ?
It has been, yes. I've grown every day. The last eight years have been a kind of training for me to improve my sensitivity.
—-You can see that each note in "Bara no Seidou" was selected and layered in a detailed and unusually thorough manner.
This time, we were unusually thorough. I was more particular than ever before. I was so sick of it. I almost hallucinated when I was making it.
—-(Laughs) Yeah, it’s disgustingly thorough.
I make most of the basic sounds at home, but when I am assembling sounds, a paper-thin error in judgment can cause things to go in a different direction than I had intended. I had to redo the process over and over again to make the sound closer to my idea. I was creating sounds to combine with my ears and senses, completely ignoring musical theory and constantly battling with my mind. I had to create the sound as I saw it in my mind at that moment in order for it to be a sound, so it took a lot of time. There are a lot of complicated sounds involved.
—-Yeah, there are a lot. Do you have an example ?
There is "Seinaru toki Eien no Inori" which begins with a pipe organ, and is a complex intertwining of two notes, but there is an even more complex harmony in the background that would not normally be used in such a progression. In the past, there was a part of me that thought it was enough if two notes overlapped nicely, but this time, there is a scale hidden behind it that makes it even more complicated. It's hard work because the sounds would go around in my head so much that I thought I’d go insane when making it.
—-I can very much feel that kind of commitment in this work. Of course, I also understand that you are not trying to do something complicated on purpose. It's a necessity as an artist, isn't it?
This is necessary to give depth to the sound. For this purpose, we added a sound that is just above a muddled note.
—-A muddled note ?
A dissonance. I did all of that selection note by note, but I focused on the depth and weight of the sound rather than on creating a beautiful sound. On the depth and weight behind the beauty.
—-Do you mean that the sound is not "heavy" when you listen to it, but that you can feel the weight of the tone?
Yes, that's right. It can be said that I tried to create a three-dimensional sound that is not just a beautiful sound spreading out in front of you, but a sound with weight behind it. The sense of depth is very important. There are melodies that you wouldn't notice if you were listening casually, but they are running deep in the background.
—-So that’s why my impression changed as I listened to it over and over again.
Did it ? There is a simple expression that rock bands “do it in 3 pieces”. This is a completely different way of making music.
—-The complete opposite, right?
I don't make songs like, "The A melody goes like this, and the chorus goes like this..." I build songs only with the sounds I have in my mind, so only the sounds I like and the sounds I feel are included.
—-Yes, I like this album because it contains all the sounds I like. Before the songs, I first like the tone, something about it makes me feel something.
I see.
—-So, whether or not you can respond to the tone, including the vocal quality, is probably what will make you think this album is good or not.
That is the difficult part. I think people who feel something emanating from Malice Mizer, including our visuals, will listen to us.
—-I'm sure there are many different sounds you like, but many of your songs start with a pipe organ.
This time, the stage is a cathedral, so the pipe organ is very important. Also, the harpsichord is a must. It would be boring to just play beautifully on either organ, but I made sure to use a technique known as canon, and to use sounds that do not just flow nicely.
—-The heavy rhythm is also impressive. Synth bass and drums that come with a “thud”.
I had someone play live drums on two songs, but when I looked at the total of this work (album), it didn't fit my image, so all the songs have recorded drums(*I think he means synthetizer drum/computer).
—-About the album as a whole, It seems to me that as these 10 songs go in order, a story is unfolding and it’s not something that is necessarily revealed?
Yes. It's not that the order of the songs is directly related to the story. It is one singular song out of ten, as imagined by the concept of "Bara no Seidou”
—-That seems to be the case. So I felt that what I was trying to say in each song was actually the same.
That's what the lyrics say. But, you know, the second song, "Seinaru toki Eien no Inori" could be the whole picture actually.
—-I'm sure people will be surprised when they hear it. After all, the song is over 8 minutes long.
If you could look at these lyrics, you might get a sense of the whole picture. But there is no “answer” to be found.
—-It seems to be a promise made in the cathedral… (seidou = cathedral)
The first chapel, yes.
—-Wait.... That’s true! The first line says "a cathedral floating in pitch blackness" which means that it will appear on the Budokan stage.
Maybe you’re perceptive after all (laughs). Anyway, I really concentrated on making this song. It was a year in the making, so this song was the most mentally taxing.
—-That can be felt, it’s a big spectacle, right ?
This song occupies a very important position in the album, as it must encapsulate the total thoughts and feelings of the 10 songs on the album, so it was a heavy task.
—-And according to the lyrics, that first chapel seems to be a "place of promise." You also include a song called "A Promise Made at Midnight" (Mayonaka ni kawashita Yakusoku) and the word "promise" is striking throughout the album, what are your thoughts on the word "promise?
A promise of blood to obtain eternity. We exchange the engraving of the eternal rose at midnight, don't we? And from now on, those who are guided by the rose are destined to walk the path of thorns together.
—-I see.
Actually, if you haven’t realized, this album starts and ends on roses….
—-Oh. The first song is “Bara ni Irodorareta Akui to Higeki no Makuake” and the last one is “Saikai no chi to Bara”, true !
So there is no concept of order in the sequence of all the songs, it is a moment in time in the memory of the rose!
—-Mh ? The memory…. of the rose ?
That’s complicated isn’t it (smiles)
—-Yeah, can you explain that a little ?
There is a feeling that is imprinted on the listener, right? That is awakened by "Bara no Seidou”.
—-By entering the “Cathedral of Roses” (Bara no Seidou) ?
Yes. The eternal existence of Malice Mizer (malice and tragedy) is in everyone's heart. Whether or not you are aware of its existence is a big question, and I think those who feel something when listening to "Bara no Seidou" can sense the presence of Malice Mizer in everyone's heart. So it is not that we, the members, are creating Malice Mizer. The existence of Malice Mizer itself will always and forever be there.
—-Inside each and every person ?
Yes.
—-I see. I've heard words like "pipe organ" and "harpsichord" flying around earlier, and readers may have the image of a "classical album," but I just want to mention that some of the songs are pretty hard, too?
Like which one ?
—-Well, “Chinurareta Kajitsu” is pretty intense.
This song is already going to the ultimate inner world. Mentally, it goes before "Kyomu de no Naka de no Yuugi” (Playing in the emptiness). In “Kyomu ~" there is a battle and hesitation within myself, but what I found after that was as if I could see my true self. In "Kyomu~" I was still wandering around in the darkness, wondering "What is my true self?” But in "Chinurareta Kajitsu" I express the moment when I found myself.
—-In a previous interview, you said that "Kyomu~" is the intermediate stage of healing. If so, is the world of "Chinurareta Kajitsu" beyond that the ultimate healing?
Hmmm, that's a difficult point. I think that in order to know one's true nature, one has to experience suffering within oneself. I can't say more or better than that.
—-The song "Hakai no Hate" also sounds hard. The guitar is groaning and distorted.
It’s a high speed number by Malice Mizer. I wish you could hear my “arming play” (laughs) (*I believe he means using the whammy bar)
—-Is Közi also playing ?
He is, yes. This song has the image of a person who is going forward in the most shocking and terrible state, hitting the ground in order to liberate himself. It is liberating. In other words, it's like a moment when you seriously break yourself.
—-The fact that the last song is "Saikai no Chi to Bara" is in keeping with what you said earlier about "beginning and ending with roses. To elaborate a bit more.
Since the trilogy of singles after the three of us became three members began with "Saikai no Chi to Bara" you’d normally think that it was the song that opened the curtain, but you can see on the album that it was actually the song that ended the story. The end was hidden in the first chapter single that came out as a revival. The end, however, does not mean that this is the end of the story. If you saw the special TV program "Portrait of a Rose" (Bara no Shozo) and then watched the video "Saikai no Chi to Bara" I think you would be able to see a lot of things that you couldn't see when it was released.
—-Ah, so you’ve been thinking about setting up those details for over a year.
Roughly, yeah. Our previous album "Merveilles" ‘s concept was mainly abstract and invisible, wasn't it? This time, I had the idea from the beginning to make the story of "Bara no Seidou" a visible story with a concrete object, the cathedral.
—The budokan performance is coming soon, now.
The new Malice Mizer will come. The 4 member Malice Mizer will start there.
—-Is the vocalist going to show up clearly ?
He will. You’ll see him before your very eyes.
—-Also, this album is about 60 minutes long, so for one stage and one show, that’s not enough songs, I think ?
We’ll also play songs that aren’t on the album.
—--What ?!! You’ll play old songs too ?
Oh ? Well, I can’t say about that. Look forward to it (laughs).
Kami ~ Eternize ~
More than a year has passed since Kami suddenly passed away. How does he feel about the new album "Bara no Seidou"? Let's look back on Kami's life with a memorial photo album, and let the memories continue to shine brightly without fading. Eternally, Kami….
It has been more than a year since Kami became an Eternal member of Malice Mizer. I am sure that many thoughts and feelings are running through the minds of our readers. In this page, we would like to share our memories of Kami along with some nostalgic photos. First, let's start with that one day.......
As I wrote in the book, "Ah, Heartless" (*A series of interviews the members all did ああ、無情) the day of Kami's funeral coincidentally fell on the author's(*interviewer?) 36th birthday. I personally recall that at noon on June 21 (1999), the day Kami left, Nishikawa (*I believe this is someone at Midi-Nette), who was in charge of Malice at the time, and I were having a meeting with Mana (I forget what the meeting was about), but of course the news of Kami's death did not reach us at that time. Later in the evening, Nishikawa and I were watching a public recording of "Pop Jam" at NHK Hall, where Gackt was performing. Was this another mysterious coincidence…?
I was shooting in front of the SL(*I'm not sure what that is, but it might be a train), and some guy came up to me, looked at me closely, and said. 'What's with this guy?” That was Kami that cosplayed as Maetel in other magazines as well. I can't help but feel a link with "Kami who has departed" and even now when I see Maetel's pictures in the city, I associate them with where Kami must be traveling now. Kami was such a pure man. Whether it was during an interview or not, he rarely gave the impression that he was hiding his true self behind the scenes. For example, if he had to wait for a long time for a band photo shoot, he would clearly mumble, "I'm rea~lly not busy right now…” So, I think the editor-in-chief and I were chatting with him frequently during the shoot.
Kami also showed me a lot of his pure and sensitive side. Rock musicians have an image of being brusque or rough, but Kami is more of a sensitive type, which I liked. Kami was even more particular about the shooting of "Ah, Heartless (Chapter 4)" the last interview with Kami, in which he filmed the seppuku (ritual suicide) scene (*bottom far-right picture on the photo page). The shooting took place in a park next to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Office in Shinjuku, but because of the location, it was not a good idea to shoot in the daytime, so the shooting took place early in the morning around 4:00 a.m. I took the last train to the office, did the interview late at night, Kami did the makeup and styling, and went to the location in the morning.
It's kind of weird to start the interview at this hour (laughs).- Kami
The interview ended with a relaxed atmosphere, with plenty of time to spare. However, when Kami started to put on his makeup, his expression changed to something he had never shown before, as if he had been filled with a great deal of enthusiasm. It is a well-known fact that Kami was fascinated by the way of life of the warlords and was as obsessed with them as a researcher. (*Kami loved learning about war and wartime Japan, loved collecting war commanders cards and military related things.)
”I'm risking my life for Malice Mizer, like the warlord who risked his life to defend his country.”
Although the line did not come out clearly from his mouth, the change in his facial expression in the run-up to the seppuku shoot clearly showed that he was not doing it out of a sense of humility and thats what I felt he would have been saying in his head. Moreover, at the time, Malice Mizer had entered into underground activities and had no opportunity to appear in front of their fans. I think that is why Kami concentrated more on the shoot.
Then, in April, Kami had the chance to stand in front of the fans at a fanclub event for the first time in a long time. At the Shibuya Kokaido where I went to see the event, Kami walked around the audience and gave as much as possible to the fans (handshakes, etc), repeatedly saying things like, "I am looking forward to seeing you at the show.” As one of the band members once said, Kami was really looking forward to the show. I wonder how Kami will watch the Budokan concert and the new Malice Mizer live. Kami will be on stage with Malice Mizer in the future. Kami will always be there, even if his body isn’t there, his soul will always be there, because he will be guided by the rose.
Kami, forever and ever, let us hear your soul beat live!
No comments:
Post a Comment