Interview with HER NAME IN BLOOD

Five-member metalcore band HER NAME IN BLOOD was formed in 2007 by bassist Makoto and guitarist Daiki. Following the release of their mini-album Evolution From Apes in April this year, JaME had the chance to ask Makoto some questions about evolution and more.

Why did you choose HER NAME IN BLOOD as your band name? Who is this ‘HER’?

Makoto: We named our band after a song by American band Strung Out. ‘HER’ therefore does not refer to a specific person.

If you had to describe what being a member of HER NAME IN BLOOD is like in one word, what would it be?

Makoto: Zoo.

What do you think is the greatest selling point of your music?

Makoto: We do not use backing tracks. We actually play all parts of our music. Umebo actually plays his pad live, even when we use digital sounds. Every member has a unique performance style because each of us has a different musical background.

Your mini-album Evolution From Apes was released recently. What kind of ideas or feelings do you wish to express through it?

Makoto: Joining a new label gave us opportunities to look back at our past activities in the indie scene. We wanted to reintroduce ourselves to our fans. We wanted to record what we did in the past, and what we would like to express at this moment of time, using the best sound production studio. We wanted to express our evolution process as a band.

For Evolution From Apes, you re-recorded three songs. Why did you decide to re-record those particular tracks?

Makoto: We had an idea of re-recording one song from each of three albums we released in the past for Evolution From Apes. We played those three songs many times in our live shows, and we knew the songs had surely evolved from their original versions. We wanted to introduce those three songs to those who discovered our music after our major debut.

Aside from Darwin's Theory of Evolution, which the title of your mini-album seems to be based on, are there any other theories that interest you? What are they?

Makoto: I do not know that much about the theory of evolution in detail, as I was only influenced by the overall idea of it. But I am interested with where the human race is heading to in light of the rapid evolution of technology.

Continuing the theme of ‘evolution’, how has your taste in music changed over the years? Or are you still most drawn to the same kind of artists you grew up listening to?

Makoto: We have deep respect for the artists we grew up listening to, especially for metal bands. However, we updated our past influences and transformed them into the metal music of HER NAME IN BLOOD. We are conscious of ourselves being a new generation Japanese metal band that reaches overseas audiences after the era of Loudness.

How do you think HER NAME IN BLOOD has evolved as a band?

Makoto: It was impossible for us to imagine ourselves actually making a living as professional musicians when the band started out. One day we would like to have a festival that includes cultures we enjoy, such as professional wrestling for Ikepy, and cooking for both Daiki and myself. For now, we would like to make the scene bigger and better. Also, we would like to be recognized as the best band in Japan.

In the video for ONE REASON, you played high school students. How did it feel being back in a classroom setting? Do you have fond memories of high school?

Makoto: It made me laugh how much school uniforms did not suit us because we are fully-grown men now. I started my band activities when I was 16 years old, so I do not remember much of my school days. If I was to name one, it would be a school festival. Our rival band became really popular among girls while we did not (laughs).

Back in 2012, you did a cover of Lady Gaga's Poker Face for the Japanese edition of the omnibus album PUNK GOES POP. Please tell us what this experience was like.

Makoto: It was a good chance for us because we had never recorded a cover song before. Poker Face is a hit song and it enabled us to reach people who never listened to our music. It was a good experience for us.

Do you have any plans to do more covers in the future?

Makoto: We would like to release a cover album in future. The five of us grew up listening to various types of music, so it would be interesting to be able to share our backgrounds with people. Personally, I want to cover NOFX! I would assume Daiki would pick either Black Sabbath or Motley Crue songs.

You performed at Knotfest in the USA last year. Please tell us about your experience there.

Makoto: It was the first time our band performed in the United States, but I think our musical style matched the style there really well. It was really delightful to meet with a fan who asked us to autograph our first indie album.

You have performed in several Asian countries so far. Please share with us some interesting or funny stories from your travels.

Makoto: We toured in China from the end of 2013 to New Year’s Day, 2014. The taxi that Daiki, Umebo, and TJ took vanished on the first day we arrived in Beijing. We could not speak Chinese and had no Wi-Fi access. Even worse, Daiki badly wanted to go to the toilet. We awaited those three, shaking in the middle of -4°C weather. It was overwhelming when we were finally able to find them again.

Since a lot of overseas fans discover Japanese bands through anime and TV shows, are there any series that you could imagine your music being a good match for?

Makoto: We are not so much into anime ourselves, but it would be great to have a tie-in with an anime one day because Ikepy and Umebo are fans of “Ghost in the Shell”! Personally I would like to have a tie-in with a new version of a popular Japanese movie, such as “Godzilla”!

NOCTURNAL BLOODLUST are described as your ‘great old friend’ in your biography on your official website. How did you come to know each other?

Makoto: We had live shows together with the bands that their members Masa and Cazqui used to belong to. We also often met with Hiro in live venues. It did not take us much time to become friends because we all aspired to succeed as musicians.

What do you think of the metalcore scene nowadays?

Makoto: I see more people starting new bands in the Japanese metalcore scene these days, but the number of real bands is actually decreasing as a result of the increase of the total number of bands in the scene.

Has signing with Warner Music Japan changed you in any way?

Makoto: There have been some changes, but the core of our band stays the same. Warner Music Japan is the best label because it both believes in us and gives us freedom to do what we want to do. Also, Warner Music Japan distributes my favorite band, Deftones.

What's next for HER NAME IN BLOOD?

Makoto: I cannot share much in detail yet, but we are creating new songs. I would like to have more shows overseas in the future, and broaden our activities. Ikepy might or might not become a professional wrestler.

Please leave us with a message for our readers.

Makoto: Thank you for reading this interview. We have many videos of us playing live or in a studio on our YouTube channel, so please check them out. You may not understand the parts we speak in Japanese, but our band members are funny people!

JaME would like to thank HER NAME IN BLOOD and PROMIC for making this interview possible.