In Japan earlier this month, JrockRevolution.com had the opportunity to catch up with girugamesh! Check it out!

JRR: In 2008, you went overseas during stupid tour’08, as well as for Sakura Con and the JRock Revolution Festival. How did you feel, being exposed to all the cultures in the different countries you visited?

ShuU: When we went to America for JRock Revolution with X JAPAN and YOSHIKI, it was our first overseas live. Outside of language barrier difficulties, the understanding of [our] music was the same as always so we got really excited. The culture and food may have been different and we had work and stuff to do, but we still had a great live.

JRR: Was there anything you found particularly interesting overseas?

Яyo: On our day off, because it was our first time in America, I did something fun — I went shopping in Melrose and had a lot of fun.

Nii: Because I/we were received well during our first performance overseas, I came to like playing for overseas fans.

Satoshi: I don’t speak English, but words aside, I think that our music speaks for us and that really builds our confidence.

JRR: In your upcoming tour, you will be returning to America for shows in Boston, New York and Philadelphia — which of these cities are you most excited to visit. Which have you wanted to play in the longest?

ShuU: New York — we always hear about it here and it’s been made really famous, we hear lots of stories and have this vision of Times Square, so I’m really looking forward to going there.

Яyo: I’m for New York, too. They show it on TV all the time here and I really want to go and see it! And now I’m finally able to, so I’m really looking forward to it!

Nii: New York — I want to go and see Times Square. It seems like the center of the world. I heard so much about it as a kid, I really want to go and experience it for myself.

Satoshi: Wherever our fans are waiting for us is where I want to go.

JRR: Tell me about your latest album, “GO.”

Яyo: “Go” is an album comprised of lots of songs with bright musical composition and– [trails off]

ShuU: We combined things like electro, metal and pop elements and melodies in order to create what, I think, is a wonderful and incredibly positive album.

Nii: Composing the songs for this album in 2010 was really hard work for me. So being able to finally listen to all of the songs on it is really wonderful.

Satoshi: Because the lyrics and melody in “GO” are really positive, I feel that the people who listen to GO are made happy by it.

JRR: What’s your favorite song off of GO?

Яyo: All of them, but especially “MISSION CODE.” When we do it live it’s intense and there’s lots of dancing.

ShuU: “13 days” — it’s really funky. Our style is a really funky rock and we want people to be able to dance to it.

Satoshi: I like the song “Saikai” because the song contains a strong message, so I hope that the listener can also try to read the lyrics while listening to the song.

Nii: I like “destiny” — composing “destiny” opened the way for us to be able to compose the rest of our songs on “GO.”

JRR: How do you feel you’ve changed as an artist since you started Girugämesh?

Яyo: When we started, we played kind of frightening lives — they were like, “RAAAR!” But now we want to have fun with everyone and let them all enjoy [the live]. We want our lives to have lots of feeling and I think we’ve collected that good feeling into “GO.”

ShuU: To put it simply — we’ve changed from negative to positive, I think.

Nii: I agree with what ShuU and Яyo had to say.

Satoshi: At lives, we used to not smile, but now we do and I think that’s how we’ve changed the most.

JRR: How did you decide on calling yourselves Girugämesh?

Яyo: I like Playstation games. You know Final Fantasy, right? I was playing that one day and there was a character whose name was Girugämesh. At that time, Nii and ShuU, like many other bands, used a German dictionary in order to create a cool band name, so we thought that a name like Girugämesh would have a really strong impact and we decided on it. Only for impact [laughs].

JRR: Why did you come together as a band?

Яyo: Everyone likes the same music. ShuU and Nii have known each other since they were kids and I was their kouhai [junior] at school. So, we decided to start a band. But at that time we didn’t have Satoshi, so we had a different vocalist. After a while, our vocalist quit and we brought in Satoshi to the band. And from 2004 we’ve been performing together.

JRR: How do you feel you are different from other modern V-kei bands?

ShuU: We’re all really good friends since we’ve lived close together for such a long time.

Яyo: Yeah, we’re all really good friends and we have a real affection for each other.

ShuU: I think that bands and people are a lot alike — as we get older, we change in good ways. I think that’s how we’re different. We also have a lot of self-confidence.

JRR: What is your favorite venue that you’ve played in Japan (and why)?

Яyo: Shibuya AX — It’s easy to play lives there, it’s big and it’s in a good place!

ShuU: We haven’t played there yet, but ZEPP Tokyo — It’s the biggest [live house] in Japan [It holds 3000 people]. We’re playing our grand final there and I’m really looking forward to it.

Nii: I like ZEPP Tokyo, too. I’ve seen other artists play there and I thought to myself, “Man, I really want to play a live here!”

Satoshi: I like the place where we played our first live, Motoyawata ROUTE14. Because it was the only live house in our hometown … Even though the live was difficult, it was a good venue.

JRR: What is your favorite venue you’ve played at overseas and why?

Яyo: The Wiltern [Los Angeles — where] we played JRock Revolution.

Nii: La Loco in Paris — The fans in Paris were energetic and excited and the structure of the venue was really interesting and it was really easy to play a live there.

ShuU: It’s not a live house, but when we went to Germany I felt like everyone there was kind of Japanese-ish. I’m really looking forward to playing lives in Germany [on this upcoming tour].

Satoshi: I really liked Zeche in Bochum [Germany]. I feel like this live house in Germany was a very traditional type of live house. It’s been said that there’s a lot of bands that sell out [their shows] there, so I was really happy to play there.

Interview by: Maura D. & Erin C.
Edited by: Debra H.