After the GazettE’s first scream in March 2002, the band has steadily built a name for itself and continues to lead the pack as one of Japan’s best rock bands. Last year, the band celebrated its 20th anniversary with a performance at the Yoyogi National Gymnasium followed by two hall tours twice to cover the latest album, “MASS” (May 2021), as well as releasing a best-of album in December (2022).
Even after 20 years, they’re still changing, evolving, and becoming ever more interesting—one can’t help but be overwhelmed. We sat down with Kai, leader of the GazettE, to talk about last autumn’s tour among other things.
Last year, on December 21, 2022, you released “the GazettE 20TH ANNIVERSARY BEST ALBUM HETERODOXY-DIVIDED 3 CONCEPTS-” comprised of the self-explanatory “DISC 1 SINGLES”, and then “DISC 2 ABYSS” which collected some of your more vocal-forward tracks, and lastly, “DISC 3 LUCY” which features some of your heavier songs for altogether an overwhelming amount of music for a best-of album.
Our record company asked us if we wanted to make a best-of album for our 20th anniversary. We had already released a couple of best-of albums previously, so I thought that it would be a collection of singles.
But, rather than just a collection of singles, our perception of it has changed to be something more like a ranking of sorts. For example, around the time we released “DOGMA” (August 2015), the way that we released “UGLY” (November 2015) and “UNDYING” (April 2016) was quite unique. Instead of releasing them as standalone singles, we released them as parts of the album’s worldview. And so, when we ordered all of our singles, something about it didn’t feel quite right.
Also, thinking about putting it out just as it was brought to mind these concept shows “LUCY / ABYSS” that we did previously… Basically, we recalled that we had done these performances that showcased both of our faces—the more emotional side, and the harder, more intense side. Both of them had a great response, so we thought using that concept would work to show off the Gazette’s history. We ended up splitting the album into these three concepts, to show you a form of the Gazette that we haven’t before.
I think listeners who are only vaguely familiar with the GazettE might have the impression that you’re quite a heavy band, but you’re actually also particularly good at making emotional music too, aren’t you?
Yes. All of the members quite like songs that evoke emotions. We’re never able to make our heaviest songs just heavy, you know? It’s because everyone likes that aspect that it’s part of our sound, and it’s a part of us that will always be true. The place I put my emotions into the most during concerts are the sections that put an emphasis on vocals.
You can really see it when watching you play live. After 20 years of activities, you’ve got a large back catalog of music, so how did you decide what songs to include in this best-of album?
We’d all get together and share our suggestions or opinions, sleep on certain ideas for a while, and bring them back to the table, that kind of thing. But I don’t think there was really that much difference in our opinions.
We tried to keep it so that we didn’t include too many songs that had similar tempos or melodies, for example, if we wanted to include an aggressive, up-tempo song, it’d be “x” not “y”, or something similar. Of course, we all have favorites within our library of songs, but our choices really didn’t differ that much, so we were able to decide on which songs made it in pretty smoothly, I think.
Kind of similar to how you’d decide on a setlist for a show, perhaps? Talking together about what you think would fit best for a harder sound, and so on.
That’s right, just like it would be for a show. We could play a show that’s just songs from the best-of album. That was part of the reasoning behind putting “TOMORROW NEVER DIES” at the end of “LUCY”.
You’re really and truly a live band. Continuing on from that, let’s talk about the tour you went on between October and December last year, “the GazettE LIVE TOUR2022 -MASS- / PHASE 02- ‘The Unknown'”. The concept for this was using tracks from your latest album, “MASS”, as the basis and expanding upon that with others from your older releases, giving each performance a unique feel.
We came up with that concept the year before last. Even before we decided to start performing live again. Before those three shows we performed in Autumn 2021, we started talking about doing a tour like this. We’d finished MASS (May 2021) and decided on the release day, but we weren’t able to tour. We didn’t know what we were going to do. Likewise, we thought about what our activities and so on would look like for the coming year, and that’s when the idea formed.
Sounds like you were pretty eager. When you first heard the concept of “02”, what came to mind?
I thought it was pretty interesting, but I also thought it was outrageous [laughs]. But the interesting part won in the end.
The “01” tour became something for us to show off MASS, so when it came to the approach for “02”, we wanted to avoid having it be the same show at different locations.
We’ve done tours in the past where we switched over to smaller venues, but in terms of impact, we thought that might not quite be enough this time around. So with that as the base, plus the combination of this being our 10th album and our 20th anniversary, it all seemed to be a great match. We knew it was going to be a big undertaking though [laughs].
I… I see [laughs]. As you said, it’s a fitting concept for a 20th anniversary. Although, I got the impression that it was not something to get a taste of those shows from the past, but more about a way to let the current the GazettE shine?
It definitely turned out that way. Being able to perform older songs alongside songs from MASS at the same show, it didn’t feel like we were only playing old tracks. Rather than stepping back in time, it felt like something we were only capable of making happen now.
Of course, there is an element of nostalgia, but there was this kind of synergy that was born from mixing songs from MASS with that. I can’t really express it well, but nothing felt at odds, it was an interesting sensation. The fusion of MASS with our older albums made for a really fun tour.
A new idea that yielded great results. If you were to tell us what mix left the deepest impression on you, what would it be?
Maybe the album DIM. I think everyone holds different feelings towards each album, but in my mind, DIM is the first album that we made that really created and fit the foundation of what the GazettE as a band is about. I really think it’s an album with a huge concept that really focused on those dark parts of the GazettE.
In comparison, the idea that we had for MASS was so different from DIM, and as it was all coming together, we couldn’t really imagine how it would all turn out. But when we performed it live, everything fell into place nicely. It was really interesting and left a very strong impression.
the GazettE of today definitely has the power to lift its listeners’ feelings, but I get the sense that DIM drags them down to join it.
Yeah, it’s an album that really makes you feel that internal darkness. At the time, we didn’t really feel like it was all that dark, but looking back, I remember what kinds of things we were going through then. DIM and MASS are two completely different albums, and I don’t think it’s often that you’ll get to hear such different sounds in the same performance. With that in mind, I think it was a great experience.
People often say that the Gazette is a band that is constantly changing and evolving, but how do you feel about that?
I think, and this might not be the best way to say it, but I think it’s normal. Our usual way of working has this sense of never even thinking to stop. Like, last year (2022), we had our 20th-anniversary shows, fanclub shows, and thanks to those, it seems like a lot of people have come back to our music too. We heard quite a few people say that it was their first time seeing us in a few years or even 10 years, but the one constant thing was “the GazettE hasn’t changed”.
And that’s not about our music or lyrics or anything, but what we’re doing, that we as a band haven’t changed. We think so ourselves, too, so I was really happy to hear that fans think the same. So it’s in that way that I think constantly changing has become what is normal for us.
Constantly changing over the course of 20 years is an impressive achievement, and it wouldn’t be wrong to say that every new thing the GazettE does is of consistently high quality.
Thank you. Whenever we challenge ourselves with something new, everyone speaks their mind. I think that’s what gives us such great results. It seems kind of rare, to be working together with the same people for 20 years and be able to speak plainly to each other. It seems like a simple thing, but I think it’s genuinely a very difficult thing to achieve.
That’s truly a precious thing. To be able to open up to each other, understand each other, and take on new things together, I think that’s something that really allows all of you to shine. And, as I said before, you’ve never once released anything that could be considered “bad”.
Well, we’re not without our problems. I wouldn’t say there’s been anything bad, but there’s definitely been things that are strange [laughs].
That’s pretty rare though. Even if I had some qualms about an album at the time of release, after a few listens, they definitely grow on me.
Recently, the way that I think has matured somewhat, so I don’t simply create by looking at what’s in front of me anymore. However, it used to be that there was so much stuff on my plate that I could only try my hardest to deal with all of that.
There are certainly times when I look back on it now and think, “Why did we take that approach to it? Why did we put out that single?” [laughs].
Looking at our old promotional images is where I feel that most. Like, “Why on earth did I go with that hairstyle…”, kind of thing [laughs].
the GazettE also has a pretty aggressive approach to promotional images, too. You went through a period where a lot of your photos were so dark, you couldn’t see anyone’s face.
Yeah, we did [laughs]. These days, we want to take photographs that clearly show everyone’s faces, but we didn’t even consider that back in those days. We were just aiming for a certain aesthetic [laughs].
We really pushed hard on those atmospheric photos for albums [laughs]. But we really didn’t have the scope for that, and we had our hands full trying to express those feelings that were at the forefront of our minds.
You could say that’s simply proof that you also have strong preferences, even when it comes to your photos. When you take on new challenges, you also have to widen your range as a drummer, right?
That’s not something I worry about much, really. We already know each other so well, so when we’re making demos, we can kind of see where things will go as we make it. For example, this is how the drums will go, and this is how the guitars will sound, Ruki’s melody will be something like this, etc. As such, there really haven’t been any times recently that I’ve thought “Man, I really can’t do this” or anything.
Would you say that, once you started down that heavy route, you started to play more technical drum phrases that require more energy?
As the years go by, it’s definitely getting harder to play some of those parts that require a lot of physical effort, but as long as I prepare accordingly, they’re not a problem.
A true professional. Your playing these last few years has been truly superb…
No way! No, it really hasn’t.
I think it’s become something normal for you, but I think anyone who’s new to rock music would be really surprised if they see you play live.
Maybe…
They undoubtedly would. Not just staying on beat, but the variety of patterns you have across songs, and all the technical fills. On top of that, even with changing time within songs or odd time signatures, you don’t drop the tempo or groove.
Beat changes and tempo changes are all about feeling. Everyone, including me, decides where the tempo should change based on where it feels good to do so. I think because of this, there’s no sense of awkwardness when it comes to those parts.
If I think too hard about it, it becomes difficult, and things end up feeling stiff. That’s not how we are, if you listen to our music, you’ll see that.
A long time ago, if there was a beat change or something, we’d complain about it [laughs]. “What is this? I don’t get it!” and so on, but we don’t do that anymore. I think a big part of that is all the work we put into cultivating ourselves over the last 20 years.
I think the huge number of live shows you’ve performed over the course of those 20 years is another factor. If a band simply repeats the cycle of “make an album then go on tour”, it’s not possible for them to refine themselves.
That definitely happens. We’re in a band because we want to play live music [laughs]. Making an album just to play a few shows and be done with it is not something that’s possible for us. We always want to play more shows.
There are a lot of factors behind the decision for the number of shows we play right now, but personally, I’d like to play even more.
That’s good to hear. Speaking of which, you weren’t able to tour when MASS was released, so I was quite surprised that you did a tour for the album the following year.
Were there artists who didn’t tour for their releases?
There were quite a lot. There were some who decided not to tour right from the beginning, and there were others who decided to make their next album while they were waiting to be able to tour again.
Oh really? The option to not tour didn’t even come up for us [laughs]. “Putting out an album and not touring, you’ve got to be kidding, right?” [laughs].
As I said before, we make music so that we can play it live, so I can’t make sense of why anyone wouldn’t want to. We were itching to perform the whole time but didn’t want to do anything halfway, especially since we were really reluctant to do online live shows in particular. It’s not to dig at the artists who did livestream concerts, it’s just something we couldn’t see ourselves doing. As a result, we ended up making everyone wait for quite some time, but it never crossed our minds to not play shows for MASS.
During your time performing with the GazettE, what changes have you noticed about yourself?
Let me think. I don’t think I’ve changed fundamentally at all. I think my preferences have gotten stronger, and I’m more relaxed about things. Although, when putting it bluntly, I think my changes are obvious ones as a result of doing something for the past 20 years. I don’t think anything that’s a core part of me has changed. I don’t think my personality has changed much either.
Everyone in the GazettE, including you, really hasn’t changed in terms of personality or character. There are artists out there who, upon reaching arena show level, their outlook on life changes, but have you experienced anything like that?
I feel like that has changed a little for me, but I can’t really remember how I felt at the time. So, I don’t think it was an event that really changed my outlook in a big way. But I’ve had a lot of great experiences. We’ve performed shows overseas, and playing at arenas is a truly amazing thing in and of itself.
To still be able to stand on stage at the Yoyogi Gymnasium now is an impressive thing.
Back when we first started as the GazettE, we didn’t think that kind of thing was in the cards for us at all. We just have this weird confidence [laughs]. Like, “If we do it, it’ll sell well” kind of peculiar confidence [laughs]. However, thinking back, we never really imagined we’d be doing this in 20 years. Back then, even making it for one year was pretty hard work, so we weren’t thinking far ahead at all.
The beginning of every band is like that, right? On the other side of the question, is there anything about yourself that you would say hasn’t changed at all?
My love for the band. I can’t think of anything else I’d want to do, and the only place I want to play drums is right behind the other four. That hasn’t changed in the slightest since way back when.
You said the same thing when I spoke to you 10 years ago. As long as you can play the drums for the GazettE well, that’s enough for you as a drummer.
That’s right, the GazettE is all I need. It’s a really simple thing, isn’t it, especially after seeing so many people who drum for multiple artists or in lots of different bands. I’m kind of awkward, so I don’t think I’d be able to give it my all for anyone other than the GazettE.
Yeah, I can’t imagine you playing drums for anyone other than the GazettE.
It would just be weird [laughs]. I’m actually quite happy to know that I’ve become that kind of drummer. Having been able to play drums here for so long, I don’t want anything else.
I think that’s a wonderful life to be living. Alright, continuing on, let’s talk about the future. First of all, part “03” of the “MASS TOUR” will happen in March 2023.
So for “03”, we’ll be playing smaller live venues, but the reasoning behind that was to see how far we could physically take MASS as an album.
“02” was a pretty special tour, which has left “01” fading a little in our minds. To say it simply, “01” was intended to combine MASS with the songs from our back catalog that would best bring out the GazettE of today, but there are parts of that which we’re starting to forget.
Before MASS comes to an end, we wanted to do something like that again, so we decided to tour again with “03”.
It sounds like it’s going to be great. It’s your first small venue tour in four years, how are you feeling about it?
We’ve been kind of curious as to what the venues are like these days, though, last year we played fan club-only shows at Namba Hatch and Toyosu Pit. We were able to play as normal, and it felt just like it always has, so all of our worries about that aspect disappeared.
Also, as we’ve been playing in larger halls for the last while, and we wanted to get closer to the audience, we decided to make “03” happen at some smaller places.
I think your fans are very happy to still be able to see you play those smaller venues.
Same here. We’re very happy about it too [laughs]. Playing at these smaller venues, I think everyone has something that they’re worried about, but we know it’s going to be really fun, so we hope that the fans are expecting a good show from us.
Last year, a lot of people came back to our music for the first time in a long time. So we hope that this will be an opportunity for them to come experience this tour together with us and fall in love with the GazettE all over again.
I hope that the Coronavirus situation will have calmed down by March. It’s all part of your draw that, even as a band that goes on hall tours or plays arena shows, you also play at much smaller venues.
I personally don’t mind whether it’s a concert hall or a local music club, and I think the other members feel the same way. Even the smaller venues differ in scale.
If we played at a tiny venue, there would be things we would have to hold off doing, as we wouldn’t be able to pull them off. I think it’d be great if we could play each show in a way that couldn’t be done twice, but if that’s not possible, it’s not like it’s completely necessary. More than what we want to do, or don’t want to do, what we go by is what we feel is necessary.
That’s something that a band who lives for shows would say. I believe a live band isn’t just a band that plays a ton of shows, but a band that puts something special into each show, and makes each concert worth the money that the viewer has paid.
Yeah, I think so too. That’s the kind of band we want to be and put on as many concerts as possible.
I hope you stay that way forever. We’ve reached the end of our time together, but what do you want to make out of 2023?
In part to the influence of the coronavirus pandemic, it took us a long time to finish MASS, but I think we can bring MASS to a proper close this year (2023). When that chapter closes, it will be time for us to start writing a new one, which I think is going to be a pretty crazy time for us. In short, it’s going to be a big year of preparation and creating something that we’re satisfied with.
“All of the members quite like songs that evoke emotions. We’re never able to make our heaviest songs just heavy, you know?” —Kai
“We were itching to perform the whole time, but didn’t want to do anything halfway.” —Kai
“But thinking back, we never really imagined we’d be doing this in 20 years. Back then, even making it for one year was pretty hard work, so we weren’t thinking far ahead at all.” —Kai
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