K: Ryo Trackmaker arranged the guitar riff and the rhythm I came up with.
D: We put Ryo in charge of the SE. We’ll probably use it at the beginning of our shows so clap your hands and shout when you hear it.
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.
P.S.
Hi everyone, I’m Daiki, the editor in chief (?) of Deviloof Magazine. We were able to make this free paper with the collaboration of many people. In the future, we’re thinking about releasing more periodically so keep an eye out. The band already has a lot of plans from January to December next year! I hope you’ll be looking forward to that! If I may say something a bit smug, we’re looking for people to share our dream with us. In any case, come to our shows if you wanna go nuts. Well, see you later.
DEVILOOF released their very first full album “Devil’s Proof” in November of 2017 already, and ever since it has continuously made appearances on 雪 (Yuki)’s playlist. Sometimes in full, sometimes a stray song. With the band signing to the major label Tokuma Japan in 2023 their first release under that label was either a massive hit or a massive disappointment – depending on who you ask. And with the release of their song “因習” (Inshuu) in late January of this year, 雪 (Yuki) actually saw something that made her think of “Devil’s Proof”.
So here it is, the long, long overdue deep dive into DEVILOOF’s first album, which really showcases the combination of ヴィジュアル系 (Visual Kei) and J-Metal!
(Continue reading...)
Also available in: Nederlands | Español | 日本語
Their first full length album Devil’s Proof has a diverse range of being magnificently melodic and equally downright barbarously brutal. Every track holds a special aspect that stands out and makes this an album I’m not going to be bored of any time soon. The song Natural Born Killer also has the most wicked death growl I’ve ever heard. I am more than pleased with this and want to see Deviloof take over the fucking world as they are with no doubts a massively talented band.
