HERE IS NEW PROG STAR FROM COPENHAGEN !! VOLA GIVES YOU REALLY ECLECTIC MUSIC BASED ON GROOVE METAL/DJENT.
コペンハーゲンから現れた4人組 VOLA。デンマークは伝統的に芸術性の高いアーティストを輩出していますがこのバンドも実にアーティスティック。プログメタル界のフライングタイガーコペンハーゲンであると断言できます。楽曲の骨格であるギターリフは明らかに MESHUGGAH/DJENT を基にした現代的なヘヴィーグルーヴィースタッフ。しかし肉付けの部分が巷の凡百のバンドたちとは全く趣を異にします。煌びやかなシンセ/ピアノサウンドと甘いボーカルメロディーが70～80年代のプログロック、もっと言ってしまうと STEELY DAN, AIR SUPPLY, TOTO, CHICAGO のような雰囲気を醸し出しまくっているのです。さらに言ってしまうと同郷の MEW のメタル版といった感覚もありますね。マスタリングをあのイェンス・ボグレンに依頼し、デンマークの芸術家が手掛けたという前衛的なジャケットやアー写からも彼らが既存のメタルの枠を壊して RULE THE WORLD しようと意気込んでいるのが痛いほど伝わりますし、そうなる予感とポテンシャルは十分です。
VOLA’s music exists in a borderline area of rock, that is as high-flying and melodically fulfilling as it is itchy and heavy. The band forms quirky trails of distorted bass and guitars, entangling synth lines and constantly groove-driven drums that play up against wide vocal harmonies and deep-blue-textured electronica.
【MESSAGE FOR JAPAN】
Hello Japanese music fans! We are VOLA, a band from Copenhagen, Denmark, who have just released the debut album “Inmazes”. In short Inmazes deals with the subject of being trapped inside a mental maze. We have created 10 songs around this theme, which musically are products of our varied inspirations ranging from 70’s progressive rock to present day electronica, industrial and even extreme metal. We hope that you will enjoy what you hear! We would love to come to Japan and play, so be sure to spread the word about our music if it appeals to you.
EXCLUSIVE: INTERVIEW WITH IAN ROCKETT OF SHATTERED SKIES
“THE WORLD WE USE TO KNOW” CHANGES OUR MUSICAL WORLD WE USE TO KNOW!! IRISH PROG METAL BAND SHATTERED SKIES IS READY FOR RULE THE WORLD !!
アイルランドの4人組プログメタルバンド SHATTERED SKIES の新作 “THE WORLD WE USED TO KNOW” が非常に素晴らしい出来です。正確にはこの PV, “THE END AND THE REBIRTH” を見た瞬間からすっかり魅了されてしまいました。北海道ギターを振りかざしピックをほぼ使用せずスラップとタッピングで DJENTY なフレーズを紡ぎ出す IAN のプレイと、オーセンティックでフック満載な SEAN のボーカル。一見ミスマッチにさえ思えるこの2つが絶妙に調和しモダンなプログメタルの新しい形を投げかけています。例えば最近の DREAM THEATER が選択している方法論を一歩進んで体現出来ているようにも感じました。今回弊サイトではバンドの中心人物 IAN ROCKETT にインタビューを行う事が出来ました。尚、 IAN はバンドの音楽の肝であるキーボードも兼任しています。
ITALIAN MODERN PROG/DJENT BAND GARDENJIA SET TO RELEASE THEIR NEW ALBUM “NAISICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND” ON 12/21. IT IS A CONCEPT ALBUM BASED ON “NAUSIKA” AND MOVIE SCORE OF JOE HISAISHI.
BANDIERA DO MODERN PROG !! イタリアが生んだモダンプログの旗手、GARDENJIA。今年発表した良作 “MATERIA OSCURA” に続く新作が12/21に早くも届きます。タイトルは “NAISICAA OF THE VALLEY OF THE WIND“。宮崎駿の名作「風の谷のナウシカ」と久石譲のサウンドトラックを基にしたコンセプトアルバムです。そこから “SYMPHONIC POEM PART 1” を世界初公開です！！
【ABOUT NAUSICAA AND MESSAGE FOR JAPAN】
“The album is inspired by 1984 Hayao Miyazaki masterpiece Nausicaä of the valley of the wind. We tried to create an image of Nausicaa a bit different, firstly to respect the master work because the original character is untouchable. It is a conceptual album based on the film and on the original movie score of Joe Hisaishi, we selected the music to perform and re-arranged all in our style. The album turned out as one long song made of 16 chapters. The album art shows a “grown up” Nausicaä in a post-atomic context, she has also developed some special faculties as the third eye. The reasons that led us to create this project are many, first of all to pass in a certain sense, the message of the work of the master Miyazaki based primarily on respect and love for nature, a message more relevant than ever in these times. The hate for the war and to all manifestations of hate and violence that still reduces men to beasts. Cooperation, the rediscovery of a life lived in a community whose life and whose work is in close relationship with the elements of nature. Today might sound almost like a utopian message, but we believe it is important to reiterate these concepts, especially for future generations, also because our generations are destroying any possibility of future created in harmony and peace. Our work is also a tribute to the great geniuses, Hayao Miyazaki, Joe Hisaishi, Studio Ghibli, a large team of artists who created masterpieces that will remain in time forever. We recently had news of the announced end of the career of the master Miyazaki, who gave us a last masterpiece like “The Wind Rises”, an incredible work of extreme beauty, also giving us a great picture of us Italians. This work is also a tribute to Japan, wonderful land of contrasts.
Thank you Master.”
VIDEO MESSAGE TO JAPAN FROM DEVESH DAYAL OF SKYHARBOR!!!
PRE-REVIEW : GUIDING LIGHTS BY SKYHARBOR
SKYHARBOR WILL RELEASE THEIR 2ND ALBUM “GUIDING LIGHTS” ON 11/10 !!
インドの新鋭、DJENT/PROG 界期待の星、SKYHARBOR が11/10 に待望の 2ND ALBUM “GUIDING LIGHTS” を BASICK RECORDS からリリースします。マネージメントのご厚意で発売に先駆けて全曲聴くことが出来ました。レヴューと ギタリスト/ソングライター、KESHV のコメントを掲載します。
【ABOUT “GUIDING LIGHTS”】
Guiding Lights offers 10 new tracks of exhilarating and heady progressive music, weaving a sonic tapestry of technically beautiful and imaginative melodies around crunchy metal riffs and sweeping, atmospheric vocals.
The album was funded by fans after a fast-paced and successful PledgeMusic campaign and has been mixed and mastered by legendary Australian producer Forrester Savell (Karnivool, Animals As Leaders, Dead Letter Circus).
“GUIDING LIGHTS” は爽快なプログロックの新曲が10曲収録されています。美しくテクニカルな音のタペストリーと創造性のあるメロディーがクランチーなメタルリフと押し寄せるアトモスフェリックなボーカルに共鳴しています。このアルバムは PLEDGEMUSIC CAMPAIGN をファンの方々によるファンドで成功させる事により製作されました。非常に早いペースで集まりましたね。ミックスとマスタリングはオーストラリアの伝説的プロデューサー、FORRESTER SAVELL (KARNIVOOL, ANIMALS AS LEADERS, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS) が手掛けていますよ。
“We are thrilled to announce that our second record is officially complete, and it is titled ‘Guiding Lights’. We have worked incredibly hard over the last two years on making this album the most spectacular effort we could create, and we thank our AMAZING fans for helping bring it to life and take it to the next level! We can’t wait for you to sink your teeth into it!”
全てが一段も二段も進化した作品。そう評価せざるを得ないでしょう。彼らのデビュー作、“BLIDING WHITE NOISE: ILLUSION & CHAOS” は MARTY FRIEDMAN (ex-MEGADETH), DANIEL TOMPKINS (TESSERACT), VISHAL J. SINGH (AMOGH SYMPHONY) といった錚々たるメンツをゲストに向かえ製作されましたがその事よりも作品の内容、質の高さで世界に驚きを持って迎えられました。LOG のクリス・アドラーをして”Right now, I am very much into a band called Skyharbor from India”（今、インドの SKYHARBOR ってバンドにクッソハマってるぜ）などと言わしめた訳ですから。
それから3年。DANIEL を正式メンバーに向かえ製作された本作は完全にアジアの音楽が世界レベルで戦える事を証明しています。まず KARNIVOOL やAAL, DLC などを手掛けたプロデューサー、FORRESTER SAVELL を起用した事により全体的に音の良さ、クリアさ、”圧”が際立っていますね。加えて、TESSERACT にも復帰しノリにノッているダニエルの歌唱には本当に目を見張るものがあります。彼らの目指す DJENT とアトモスフィアを融合させた POST-DJENT。その美しさを表現するのに彼以上の適任はいないでしょう。確かにガチガチの DJENT っぽさやスクリームはかなり減ったのでそこを求める向きには少々物足りないかも知れません。ただそこは僕達の PERIPHERY に任せれば良い訳で。SKYHARBOR は DEFTONES やTOOL の血を引く KARNIVOOL, DEAD LETTER CIRCUS といった新世代オルタナと SIGUR ROS やそれこそ日本が誇る MONO のような美しいポストロックの空気を目一杯吸い込んだ POST-DJENT 確立するべきだと思うし、このアルバムで確立したと言っても過言ではないと思います。
T5 HALOGEN, タイトル曲の長尺曲 T8 GUIDING LIGHTS を聴けば TESSERACT よりもさらにオーガニックなアトモスフィアを追求する彼らの挑戦が感じ取れると思います。だからと言ってキャッチーさが後退しているかというと全くそんな事はなくアルバム最後を飾る T10 THE CONSTANT などはこちらも10分近い大曲ですが DJENT の持つダイナミズム、ポストロックのアトモスフィア、プログロックの構成美、新世代オルタナのキャッチーさ全てを兼ね備えた DJEPICAL な曲に仕上がりました。T1 や先行公開された2曲も非常にキャッチーで新しいファン層を取り込む事に貢献するでしょう。T9 KAIKOMA で日本語のナレーションが使用されているのも嬉しいですね。SKYHARBOR が最早プロジェクトではなくタイトなバンドとなった事を証明する方向性のしっかり定まった傑作です。 THIS IS POST-DJENT!!
RATING 10/10
WAIT WITH LISTENING THEIR 1ST ALBUM
Guiding Lights follows on from the critically acclaimed 2011 debut ‘Blinding White Noise: Illusion & Chaos’ which won the band fans worldwide, including Lamb of God who handpicked the band to support them in India and saw the band picked to play at festivals across the globe including Euroblast, Techfest, Download, and Graspop and resulted in awards for Best Song, Best Album and Best Band at the Rolling Stone India Metal Awards.
“Cyclamen boasts a repertoire featuring both mathcore chaos and technical aggression to the seemingly polar opposite with post-rock atmospheres and calming beauty in a genre I like to call post-djent.” heavyblogisheavy
”CYCLAMENはMATHCOREのカオスとテクニカルな攻撃性、同時にそれとは正反対に思えるPOST-ROCKのアトモスフィアと静かな美しさを兼ね備えている。POST-DJENTとでも呼びたいね” こんな感じだと思います。2010年にこういった文章を書かせたCYCLAMEN、書いたTHBIH、どちらも素晴らしいですね。と言うのもこの4年間でシーンの成長と共にそういった音楽性のバンドが増え、人気も出てきたように感じるからです。先日あのKSCOPEと契約を果たしたTESSERACT然り、FALLUIJAH然り、THE CONTORTIONIST然り。そして今回インタビューを行ったVERSE VICAは彼らに続いてPOST-DJENTの新たなる地平を切り開き2010年代後半のDJOPINION-LEADERとなる可能性を秘めています。デビュー作ENDEAVORで彼らが提示したANIMALS AS LEADERSとMONOのハイブリッド的音像は確実にここ日本でも多くのファンを獲得する事でしょう。インタビューです。どうぞ。
MARUNOUCHI MUZIK MAGAZIN PRESENTS JAPANESE PREMIERE
9/22に発売となるフランスの奇才八弦師、Clément Belioさんのフルアルバム’CONTRAST’からまさに日本のファンの為の曲KEIRO NO HIを曲解説、メッセージ付で世界独占公開です。
【ABOUT KEIRO NO HI】
This track is actually the most “japanese” one of the album.
I’ve always loved Japanese music, especially mathrock…
Nah seriously, Japan has the BEST mathrock bands in the world haha, TOE, Lite, Mouse on the keys…
So that song is my humble tribute to them, and especially to Ryuichi Sakamoto and TOE.
Pentatonic scales, fun drums grooves, acoustic guitar, and in the middle of the song, an intense groove between all those elements.
The tittle, “Keirô no Hi”, is as you probably know, a Japanese holiday celebrated annually to honor elderly citizens, and this year I think it was on the 15th of september, which was the first date plan of album release… Also, as my grandmother died recently, so I decided to dedicated that song in particular to her.
Anyway, this is one of the most “authentic” track of the album, because of the multiple LIVE instruments recorded (by yours truly), hope you enjoy… By Clement Belio
この曲はまさにアルバムの中で最も日本的なんだ。僕は本当に日本の音楽が好きで特にMATH ROCKを愛しているよ。いや真剣に日本には世界で最高のMATH ROCKバンドがいるよね、TOE, LITE, MOUSE ON THE KEYS・・・だからこの曲は彼らへの控えめなトリビュートと言えるだろうね。特に坂本教授とTOEへかな。
My most humble tribute to your country is that song…
I’ve always been fascinated by all I could see from Japan, from the mathrock bands to the YouTube videos “wtf japan seriously” haha, from several comics to tv shows…
Well, I really want to come to Japan and see all of this at least one time in my life.
This song reflects that desire and that admiration, I really hope you enjoy that modest tribute to what Japan has best to offer :) By Clement Belio
’敬老の日’は日本に対する僕の最大限のトリビュートなんだ。
僕は日本に関するあらゆることにいつも魅了されているからね。MATH-ROCKバンドからYouTubeでみる”wtf japan seriously”(笑)。漫画やテレビも素晴らしいよね。
Q:Your new album “Nothing More” has just released. How is the reaction?
【Jonny Hawkins】:The reaction has been amazing – it has surpassed our expectations. One of the coolest things about it is hearing personal stories from people we meet on the road about how one of the songs got them through a difficult situation in their life. We met a guy who lost his wife and was left as the only parent to their 2 young boys – he said that all he did for the month after she died was blast “God Went North.” It helped him through the uncertainty of his wife being gone and not knowing what to do being a single parent.
Q:新作”Nothing More”がリリースされましたね。反応はいかがですか？
【Jonny Hawkins】:素晴らしいよ。完全に予想以上だね。ロードで会った人たちから僕らの曲のおかげで彼らがそれぞれの困難な状況を切り抜けられたって話を聞けるのは最高にクールな事だ。
妻に先立たれて二人の男の子のシングルファーザーになってしまった人に会ったんだ。彼はこう言っていたよ。「妻が亡くなってから一ヶ月間やった事といえば”God Went North”を爆音で流す事だけだったよ」とね。妻を亡くした不安とシングルファーザーとしての心配事からこの歌が彼を救ったんだ。（”God Went North”は恋人、妻を病気で失う歌）
Q:Please tell me why did you contract with Eleven Seven Music?
【Jonny Hawkins】:This is our first label in our long history of DIY work – they stood out to us because of their sheer passion and love for their bands. At the end of the day money and a reputable name and a big building can all go away – but the thing that remains is the passion with which the label works.
Q:Would you tell me the origine of band’s name Nothing More? And why did you titled your band name on this album?
【Jonny Hawkins】：When we set out on this journey as a band, we were testing out if the experience of being a working musician was for something for people of privilege, or if it was something we could create from our limited resources. We discovered that you can do whatever you want, if you are passionate enough about it. We want all our work to point back to the fact that we are nothing more than human beings like everyone reading this. Success is not a testament to things out of your control – you can achieve your dreams. We made that the name of our album to reinforce that point.
Q:How have you progressed from “The Few Not Fleeting”?
【Jonny Hawkins】：“The Few Not Fleeting” was my first experience as a singer – having been a drummer for many years, singing was a bit foreign to me at first. The Self Titled release that we have out now is really just a coming-of-age / maturation for me as a singer and the other guys as writers and musicians. This record encompasses a lot of things we always wanted to communicate and sound like. “The Few Not Fleeting” was more of an experimental process.
Q:前作”The Few Not Fleeting”からどのように進化しましたか？
【Jonny Hawkins】：“The Few Not Fleeting”はシンガーとして初めての作品だったんだ。何年も僕はドラマーだったからね。最初歌うことには少し戸惑ったね。このセルフタイトルの新作で僕はシンガーとして成熟しているし他のメンバーはそれぞれライター、ミュージシャンとして成熟しているよ。このレコードには僕らがこんなサウンドにしたいと思っていたものが入っているよ。”The Few Not Fleeting”はもっと実験しながら作った感じだね。
【MUSICAL INFLUENCES】
Q：I think you have a lot of aspects of music. Metal,Alternative,Prog-rock,Djent,Dubstep…But in the same time,You have strong and beautiful melody. Is that important for you?
【Jonny Hawkins】：Melody and lyrics are really at the heart of all of it. If you don’t have those done right it doesn’t matter how you dress it up. We go through phases of music that we are listening to that span a variety of genres but the thread throughout them all are strong melody and a real story. Without that you might as well be an instrumental band.
Q:Do you hear bands of new generation like Periphery,Karnivool,Chevelle?
【Jonny Hawkins】：YES! We love all of those bands. Periphery and Karnivool (along with many others we listen to) are at the forefront of what the new generation of rock is going to be.
Q:Would you tell me five albums that changed your life? And recently,what are you listening to?
（人生を変えた５枚のアルバムと最近のお気に入り）
Life-changing albums, in no particular order…
Tool – AENIMA
Brother Ali – THE UNDISPUTED TRUTH
Karnivool – THEMATA
Rage Against The Machine – EVIL EMPIRE
Ben Folds – ROCKIN THE SUBURBS
Listening to right now …
Soliloquist of Sound – NO MORE HEROES
M83 – HURRY UP, WE’RE DREAMING
【ABOUT JAPAN】
Q:Most of Japanese likes melodic rocks. And we still buy more CDs than any other countries. Do you think Japan is going to be important market for you? And do you hear some Japanese musics?
【Jonny Hawkins】：We played with a Japanese band called CROSSFAITH at DownloadFestival in England this year and they were excellent. We also toured with a band called SUPE some time ago and we are goodfriends with a guitar player who was in OPUS DEI. He really peaked our interest in playing Japan. We have been discussing the market with him and the feasibility of us getting over there. It is absolutely in our sites. We would love to learn about other Japanese bands – tell us about YOUR favorites!
