SHUUEN NO RASETSU : interview with guitarist Masuo (English version)

WTH : Hello! It’s a great honor to be meeting you. Could you maybe tell us a few things about yourself?

Masuo : I’m the guitarist of Shuen NO Rasetsu, Masuo. It’s an honor to have this opportunity and I am grateful that you have given it to me.

WTH : How did the group form?

Masuo : We are all good friends in our private lives, so that’s how we came together and formed the band. I’m especially spending a lot of time together with Sai and Syun. Syun is our support bassist, and he used to play guitar for CalorZe as Kaede. He had a lot of success with Vidoll after that. I am very happy to be able to make music again with the members that I had played with before.

WTH : Can you explain what you mean by the concept of « Shuuen no rasetsu »?

Masuo : To put it simply, it’s “a fusion of old and new”.　We are making music that incorporates both contemporary sounds, and sounds that had influenced me in my childhood when I started music.

WTH : The visual has some « Kote Kei » vibes to it. Could you tell us more about this visual and why do you embrace it?

Masuo : I think Kote Kei is a uniquely Japanese phenomenon. Currently there are a number of different styles within Kote Kei. We are in the “Kote” of the Kote Kei. In “Kote”, the make up is heavy, the hair, hair colour and costumes are based on being black but flashy.

WTH : What is the difference between your composition work concerning CalorZe and Shuuen no rasetsu?

Masuo : For CalorZe, I wrote 100% of the songs, but currently for Shuuen NO rasetsu all of the members contribute to writing songs.

WTH : After CalorZe, did you continue to work on composition even though you stopped working on music for a few years?

Masuo : After CalorZe, the decision between continuing or quitting music was very difficult, and after thinking a long time I quit music. After CalorZe, I have quit completely. In my everyday life, there were days when I didn’t listen to music at all, I think I haven’t listened to music for 4.5 years. At that time, I think I felt nervous or even neurotic just listening to music. But stay assured, currently there are none of those feelings anymore.

終焉ノ羅刹 yubikiri Full-ver

WTH : What are your main musical influences in the making of your compositions?

Masuo : I am influenced by all sorts of music. I have listened and studied all sorts of genres. During CalorZe, I remember only listening to music to study and not to enjoy it.

WTH : Thanks to the internet, you’re starting to get gain notoriety in France. What do you think about it, even though you just started your project?

Masuo : I am very happy about it. I am aware that people from France and many other countries are interested in us. I want to become someone that fans around the world would be proud to be fans of. It’s a great honor to be valued by people with different cultures and languages.

WTH : What are your future projects for 2020? Have you planned on expanding abroad?

Masuo : We have released our 1st single on January 14th, and we are already working on our 2nd single. We don’t have any plans for overseas gigs right now, but if we attract attention from overseas, we want to do them someday.

WTH : Have you planned on touring in Europe in the near future?

Masuo : We don’t have any plans for a European tour right now, but we do want to do one. I have loved European football since my childhood, and I am interested in Europe a lot.

WTH : Any last words for your French fans?

Masuo : Dear fans, I think our success up until now was thanks to the presence of French and overseas fans. I am grateful from my heart for your daily support. Please continue following us from now on, and lets share wonderful times together. To the people who have found out about me for the first time through this interview, let’s have fun together. My success is your success.

Questions : Kyo Hideki & Kamui Wth

Traduction : Laetitia Villet

Check their social media : 

Twitter : @s_rasetsu_m
Instagram : s_rasetsu_m