DEVILOOF formed in 関西 (Kansai), Japan on August 31st of 2015, meaning that vocalist 桂佑 (Keisuke), guitarist Ray, bassist 太輝 (Daiki) and drummer 幹太 (Kanta) just celebrated the 10th anniversary of their band. And while there have been some ups and downs throughout the years with member changes and even a major label contract through Tokuma Japan Communications, DEVILOOF still aims to be the most extreme metal band in Japan.
At the time of publishing this article, DEVILOOF are currently in Europe with their -THE UNHOLY- tour, in which they will be visiting several countries with their live show.
Since I don’t want to go into too much detail about the tour within this post, I want to point you to our news post about it here. Just in case you wish to learn more about the dates and ticket options.
The actual topic for today is the band’s most recent single and music video “因習” (Inshu), which was released on January 29 of this year.
I’m sure that by now you’re wondering ‘why are you going to talk about this single now, it came out in January?’, and yes, I hear you. I’ve wanted to talk about this single for a long time, but it always felt like there was something ‘missing’ for me. A little piece of information that just completed this single. And for that reason this review was pushed to the ‘next round’ pile time and time again.
I recently did an interview with DEVILOOF for AVO Magazine, and during this interview the puzzle pieces I felt like I was missing were revealed through the members’ answers, allowing me to talk about this single in more detail with you today. You can read the interview in English or Dutch on the website of AVO Magazine, here.
With that introduction out of the way, let’s finally talk about “因習” (Inshu)! But before we do that, I do want to remind you once more that DEVILOOF is an ‘extreme’ metal band and sometimes makes use of some extreme subject matter in their lyrics and/or visuals. So if that is not something you feel comfortable with, please skip the rest of the review this time.
The sound of meat being cut and bones being crushed
As stated, 因習 (Inshu) was released as a one-song-only digital single on January 29 of this year, along with an MV. “因習” (Inshu) itself has multiple meanings, namely ‘convention’, ‘tired tradition’ or ‘old custom’, of which the latter two already summarize the majority of what we’ll see in the music video a little later. And while the lyrics don’t really tell a story, they do convey a dark theme that would make a great foundation for a horror movie. With this theme in mind, it’s not hard to imagine why the decision was make to keep the majority of the lyrics in Japanese. The only use of English within this song is for “the craving of hunger” and “make an offering to God”.
According to vocalist 桂佑 (Keisuke) the song is based on the customs and traditions of the remote, closed off villages of Japan. While most of us are living in a modern world, these villages have their own traditions and customs, which might be considered extreme to us ‘city folk’ (and I am using this term very widely, mind you). The very first line of lyrics for the song already starts with “凶兆” (kyouchou / bad omen), while the rest of the lyrics speak of the sound of meat being cut and bones being crushed, as well as making a sacrifice or an offering to God and hungry shadows lurking – you get the idea I’m sure.
Musically speaking DEVILOOF have always had a heavier sound for both their instrumentals and their vocals, but with “因習” (Inshu) they’ve strayed away from the sound we heard on their prior releases such as “Everything is all lies” and “DAMNED”. Instead, the sound is far more reminiscent of the style we hear on their very first album “Devil’s Proof” and second album “鬼” (Oni). So it’s no surprise to hear the band say they have returned to their roots sound-wise, but they’ve also turned up the ‘extreme’ part of their concept quite a bit. Resulting in a composition that is both heavy and melodic at the same time while also incorporating other elements.
In the introduction (and further throughout the song) we also hear a female vocal, which belongs to Sennzai. Her falsetto sound reminded 桂佑 (Keisuke) of the traditional 地唄 (jiuta) style – a traditional folk style that was played by the shamisen in the 髪型 (Kamigata) region during the Edo period. 地唄 (jiuta) means ‘song of local’ in English, and in this case refers to the 髪型 (Kamigata) region specifically in terms of the local part. During this period this style was composed, instructed and performed by 当道座 (Tōdōza), a guild for blind men. This is why the style is also referred to as 法師唄 (houshiuta), or ‘song of monk’.
Combined with 幹太 (Kanta)’s fast drums and 大輝 (Daiki)’s low, slower bass the foundation for “因習” (Inshu) is extremely strong, and leaves more than enough space for Ray’s fast guitar riffs to shine throughout, without giving his instrument the upper hand like one would expect. Instead the spotlight is reserved for 桂輔 (Keisuke)’s vocals, exclusively delivered in his signature grunt and growl format.
The MV for the song tells us more of a story than the lyrics do, but focuses far more on the initial inspiration for the song: the closed off villages in Japan. The video features actor 浅野忠信 (Tadanobu Asano), who won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor in the drama series category for his role in SHOGUN. It turns out that the actor is also a fan of the band, since when the band reached out to him for a collaboration he found time in his busy schedule to appear in this music video along with the band.
If you’re familiar with Japanese horror movies, you’ll probably recognize the style that has been used for the visuals. Throughout the video we can see the Japanese horror style being put to full use, along with all its signature gore of blood, injury and perversion, all taking place on a set filled to the brim with traditional Japanese elements and visuals.
While the music video doesn’t tell us a coherent story, it very much plays into the title and inspiration of the song itself while mixing with various folklore stories and of course the extreme metal style DEVILOOF tries to create with their music.
And yes, I am purposely not going into much detail, since I very much want you to see the music video for yourself and ‘experience’ it with the information you now have.
Conclusion
While “因習” (Inshu) itself has been ‘floating around’ in a demo phase for a while, the band has given it a polish by releasing it officially. And as the members themselves have already stated, the group has returned to their roots with this song and music video. Combining an extreme metal sound with the, although in this case dark, flamboyant visuals of the ヴィジュアル系 (Visual Kei) genre, reminiscent of their earlier works.
While the inclusion of 浅野忠信 (Tadanobu Asano) is a nice addition, he isn’t the one that ‘shines’ within the music video. A lot of thought has been put into the visuals and decor, which really brings the scene to life without the inclusion of a full story. All of them connecting the lyrics and inspiration with the title for the song itself. The group says they have found the path they should take, and “因習” (Inshu) being merely the first step. So, personally I am looking forward to what the group will create in the future.
Unfortunately it’s not all positive, as during the creation of this article DEVILOOF announced the departure of drummer 幹太 (Kanta) after their show at Shibuya Stream Hall on December 13. The full statement can be read on the band’s social media accounts, but I will link you to their official website’s news post via this link. (There is an English translation a little further down, below the Japanese version.)
More about DEVILOOF
         |  (Keisuke) |  |  (Daiki) |  (Kanta) |
雪 (Yuki) is the owner and driving force behind Arlequin.
She originally started the project in 2009 as a photographer under the name of Arlequin Photography, but developed an interest in journalism and translation ever since. Because of these interests interviews and reviews were added to the project, until it eventually hit the limits as a "photographer" in 2021, and Arlequin Magazine was added to the mix.
雪 (Yuki) is a native Dutch speaker with a graphic design degree, which means she is also the main person behind Arlequin Creations.
After all these years, she's still the one responsible for the interviews and most of the live photography you see here at Arlequin, but the majority of reviews and behind-the-scenes work is also done by her.
The reviews she writes are from the viewing point of an overseas fan, and thus written in English before being translated to Dutch, Spanish and Japanese. In the English versions she also tries to explain the meaning behind certain kanji or song titles to the readers, but what you don't see here is that these explanations are omitted in the Japanese versions in order to appeal to these readers more.
She speaks Dutch and English on a native level, but also understands Japanese and German.