A-Z Interview of GIRUGAMESH

Girugamesh can undoubtedly be counted as one of the most interesting and innovative rock acts in the international scene. The European media have compared them to System Of A Down, and have labelled them “Japan’s answer to TOOL”.

In reality though, their musical cocktail of hard guitar riffs, melodic vocal passages and electronics, combined with powerful rhythms and bombastic hard vocals (sung in both Japanese and English) makes them hard to pinpoint.

The band was formed in 2003 in Tokyo, with the current line-up of Satoshi (vocals), NII (Guitar), SHUU (Bass) and RYO (Drums) having been together since 2004. In January 2008 the band did their first European headline tour packing out clubs across France, UK, Scandinavia and Germany in support of their new, self titled album.
On November 7th 2008 the band released their album “Music” in Europe! Right from the beginning „Music“ became a big success, showing off girugamesh‘s preference for electronic influences! This release was followed by „CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY“, girugamesh‘s first live-DVD!

And now, in 2010, girugamesh is back! “NOW” can be seen as a further development of girugamesh’s sound without neglecting their roots: Brute drumming and catchy hooks on the one hand and electronical experiments on the other.
Primal noise decided it was time to find out a little bit more about the guys behind the Music...

A - Album
Which girugamesh album are you most proud of, and why?
Яyo: It’s “NOW”. We did everything from recording to mixing, so we have a special feeling for this album.

B - Bass
Who is ShuU? What are your perceptions of the 'real' ShuU, personality etc?
Satoshi: He likes Ramen (noodles) a lot. And he is a worrier.
Nii: He’s funny. We can count on him. He’s like a dad of girugamesh.
Яyo: Serious and stickler for detail. He’s like an artist and our manager.

C - Crazy
Tell us something Crazy that's happened to you, or you have experienced since girugamesh formed.
Nii: During the show, I shook my head too much and felt dizzy, I hit the amplifier then the show was held in abeyance.

D - Dreams
What are your dreams and wishes for girugamesh, for present and the future?
Satoshi: I wanna visit more countries because I want more people to listen our music. Hope our music will spread all over the world.

E - Emergency Room
Has anyone ever hurt themselves on stage? If so, can you tell us about that.
ShuU: I used to throw and hit my bass when I got excited, so my right hand was always hurt, lol.
After we had a show in Germany for the first time, I run into the hospital to get tetanus shot, it was a crazy night, lol.
But everything was memorable. Oh, and I dived during the show in Japan and I lost consciousness.

F - Food!
What is your favourite food? And your most disliked food?
Satoshi: Like – Korean BBQ, Paella and Deep-fried breaded pork / Dislike – Green piece, Carrot
Nii: Like – Pasta / Dislike – Chinese mushroom
Shuu: Like – I love Japanese food and my favorite is Sushi. / Dislike – I don’t like sweet herb, especially fresh coriander.
Яyo: Like – Gummy candy / Dislike – Pickled plum.

G - Girugamesh
How did girugamesh start out? What is girugamesh to you all?
Satoshi: To me, girugamesh is a place I can make my dream comes true.
Nii: girugamesh is fun place. I can be myself.
ShuU: Nii is a friend from childhood, and I invited him to start a band. We are “New Metal generation”, and other members also like Korn, slipknot, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit in common with us. girugamesh is a place where I can give myself away.
Яyo: ShuU and Nii met at a station when they were high school students. girugamesh would not be here without the encounter. For me, girugamesh is a good boy gathering.

H - Hell
What things frighten or scare you? What are your biggest fears in life?
Nii: When my dad gets really mad. It was the biggest fear.

I - Influences
Who are you influences?
Satoshi: Japanese musician, Shunsuke Kiyokiba

J - Japan
What are your recommendations to a foreigner visiting Japan, for the following:
Food: Satoshi - Ramen (noodles), Natto, Salted squid guts.
Drink: Яyo - Distilled spirit!! You can mix with drink you like.
Do: Shuu - Visiting Japanese traditional castles and temples. Enjoy old architectures.

K - "Kaisen Sengen"
Kaisen Sengen was your first major single; do you feel girugamesh has changed since this release to your current selves?
Яyo: The songs changed a lot, but we are still straightforward and energetic.

L - Live
What is your BEST and WORST live show so far, and why?
ShuU: I can’t actually pick the best show. The worst show was the festival in Finland last year. Our sequencer broke and we kept running around. That was very frustrating moment cause I wanted to show the audience our best performance.

M - Music
What music are you all currently listening to? Who are your favourite current bands and who which current bands/artists would you recommend to your fans?
Satoshi: Milliyah Kato, Kaela Kimura and Mao Abe.
Nii: B`z.
ShuU: I only listen to incubus these days. No particular recommendation right now. Well, Story of the year was shocking when I saw their live performance.
Яyo: The agonist. The vocalist is woman and it’s so cool. Listen to them!

N - Nii
Who is Nii? What are your perceptions of the 'real' Nii personality etc?
Satoshi: He’s stubborn. And he acts like a bear when he gets only little sleep.
ShuU: Mr. FREEDOM
Яyo: He’s stubborn and earnest.

O - Obstacles
What obstacles have you all faced individually and as band whilst being in girugamesh? And how have you overcome them?
Nii: Be positive if anything happens. Face our problem constructively.
ShuU: We had so many obstacles at first as a band. For all of us, girugamesh is the first band we adopted a serious stance, so every plan we made met with mixed success.
Яyo: Doing a band costs a lot. I used to have a part time job at the beginning and that was a tough time.

P - Picture!
Please could you draw a picture of anything you like, for us

Q - Questions
If you could ask a question to ANYONE, who would it be and what would you ask?
ShuU: I wanna ask dogs what they are thinking everyday.

R - Ryo
Who is Ryo? What are your perceptions of the 'real' Ryo? personality etc?
Satoshi: He’s very attentive.
Nii: He has an inquiring mind and the power of concentration.
ShuU: Mr. Mechanic

S - Secret
Please tell us a secret; something nobody else knows.
Satoshi: We did the band called “gorugamesh”.

T - Temptation
What is your "Guilty pleasure"?
ShuU: My guilty pleasure is falling back to sleep… I love sleeping. Sometimes I oversleep and miss a meeting though…

U - UK
What are your favourite things about visiting the UK? And do you have any plans to return here?
Яyo: My favorite thing is to see our fans in the UK! We don’t have any plan to visit at this point, but we will definitely go there again, so wait for a while!

V - Vocals
Who is Satoshi? What are your perceptions of the 'real' Satoshi? personality etc?
Nii: He’s funny. He is a person who inspires others.
ShuU: Mr. Self-paced.
Яyo: He’s so nice to me only when we are alone.

W - Weird Question
If you were sent to prison; Who would you want as your cell mate, and WHY?
Satoshi: Aya Ueto and Maki Nishiyama. I feel at ease when I am looking at their faces.
Nii: I would pick ShuU. He would make a good jailbreak plan.
ShuU: I wanna stay alone because staying with others in prison will be stressful.
Яyo: Make ShuU to be my cell mate and plan breakout together cause he is smart,

X - X-rated
Tell us about girls! What is your preferred 'type' of girls, and who would be your ideal girl?
Satoshi: I like a girl who has up-angled eyes. My ideal girls are Aya Ueto and Maki Nishiyama.

Y - Youth
What were you all like as children and growing up?
Satoshi: Child – Twitchy and noisy / Now - Twitchy and noisy
Nii: I was quiet before I think. I am more active than before.
ShuU: I used to be a cheerful and active child. But now I am lazy guy.
Яyo: I was a naughty boy when I was a child. Now I grew up and I am still a naughty boy.

Z - Zen
How do you relax and relieve any stress that being in girugamesh might cause?
Яyo: Going on a trip with the members.

Primal Noise thanks Minori and Megumi of Maverick DC and most importantly: Girugamesh for this interview

**Picture copyright Maverick DC.