This morning at 5am Shota Yokoyama, leader of HIGHFeeL and guitarist of ADAMS, has passed away. He was hit by a brainstroke at 28th November at a concert in Warsaw and was sent to hospital. His condition has been rated as severe - 36 hours later he lost the fight.
I am deeply shocked and sad, my hands have been shaking all day long. I was not able to do anything. But I as an EVE, as one of ADAMS' fans, want to give us a voice.
Everybody who have had the possibility to meet him personally and to look into his eyes will have been able to see the depths of his soul in there. This soul has been carried to Heaven now. I am convinced he will get into Heaven: He was a very dear person full of honesty. Everything he did came from the depths of his heart. He was always hard-working to acheive the best for everyone. He poured his full heart and energy in everything he did. He always worked supplied by the power of love. Love has not only been the main concept of ADAMS, it has been the leading concept of his life. We as their EVES did our best to give all our love to him. And he knew that and always continued to walk his way.
Remembering the song "HERO", we as their EVES are their "dear precious broken pieces". Today we definitely are broken. We will never see him standing on stage again, singing, playing the guitar. We will never see him standing in front of us again, speaking to us with his lovely English accent. We will never be able to look into the depths of his brown eyes which contained and offered so much love again. And we will never see his heart-warming smile again.
But while our eyes are weeping, our hearts start remembering all the precious moments we were allowed to share with him. We cherish his music and works, we engrave his memory even deeper in our minds and hearts. And we maintain this lovely smile and start smiling ourselves as well: He would not want us to see us crying, he always wanted to make us smile. He has given all his love to us, so now we return it to him. We think of him with all the love we have, and he would be very touched to see us praying for and thinking of him. But he also would tell us to be strong and to continue living, to work for acheiving our goals.
Today the broken pieces are gathering from all over the world, connected by the pain of this sudden and severe loss. Let us be strong and offer all the love we have to Shota once more! Let us support family and friends, let us all together pray for him. May he peacefully rest forever.
Have sweet dreams, dear Shota-san.
With love
Your dear precious broken pieces, your EVES
As I already have mentioned a long time ago, I have had the possibility to lead an interview with HIZAKI himself before his concert in Cologne on 25th May. Finally I was able to translate it into English, so enjoy! ^___^
The original interview in German can be found here on AnimePRO. Big thanks to 33Degrees again for making this interview possible! Please do not repost/copy etc without my permission!
It has been an important European tour for
Visual Kei guitarist HIZAKI: In May 2015 he travelled as a solo artist for the
first time. We not only were allowed to attend his debut concert, he also took
some of his time before the show to answer a short interview for us.
Due to some difficulties with the organization
the intended interview time had to be postponed and shortened a bit.
Nevertheless we have received some interesting answers:
·AnimePRO:You’re
on a solo tour for the first time now. Which aspect is dominating, anticipation
or anxiety?
HIZAKI: Definitely anticipation! I would say I’m looking
forward to it 95%, only 5% consist of worries.
·AnimePRO:If
you will have some free time during the shows, do you want to do or see
something special?
HIZAKI: I want to visit many castles and churches
because the European architecture is impressing and inspires me. For example
there shall be amazing buildings in Liechtenstein, I would like to visit them
very much.
·AnimePRO:Talking
about inspiration: What do you do if you lack of it once?
HIZAKI: Then I go to the temple and pray to the gods
that this time span will pass quickly.
·AnimePRO:Let’s
talk about song composition. What is created first when writing a new piece?
HIZAKI: Above everything concerning the music the
message thrones. Just after that everything else follows, the melody, the
chorus, the instruments. And just at the very end we go to the studio and record
the full song.
·AnimePRO:Concerning
studio recording: It needs some time until a song turns out to be perfect;
breaks are needed in between. Do you have a “miracle cure” or a tradition which
restores your power again quickly?
HIZAKI: The pure recording time isn’t that long at all,
usually we are done with everything within one day. We don’t need long breaks
or “miracle cures” but focus on finishing off successfully quickly.
·AnimePRO:You
are famous for your breathtaking and fast guitar solos. It needs a lot of time
and effort until such a solo is composed – how long in average, regarding your
experiences?
HIZAKI: It differs very much: Everything from 0 to 100
hours is possible.
·AnimePRO:How
about inventing the title? Do you already have some ideas in your mind while you
are still composing, or do you decide this after finishing the song?
HIZAKI: Just at the very end the song gets its title.
·AnimePRO:Besides
to composing songs and writing lyrics there are several other tasks to be done
until a new album can be released, for example giving interviews, promotion,
photo shoots. What needs most time?
HIZAKI: Definitely TERUs design work! (laughs)
·AnimePRO:How
about the outfits? Do you create them yourself entirely?
HIZAKI: Usually TERU creates the main parts of our
outfits, but we also have a designer. When I have a rough idea for a new outfit
we meet altogether and work at the final result.
·AnimePRO:In
the end a random question which doesn’t fit the frame of the interview that
much, just for interest: What is your favorite animal?
HIZAKI: (answers in a shot) Cats! (common laughter)
After that our time already was over and we had
to shorten our questions a bit. We thank HIZAKI and 33Degrees for making this
interview possible although there has been time delay.
_____
Thank you for reading and see you again with a report about the concert itself!
Already some time ago I had the opportunity to lead an e-mail interview with HIZAKI himself! ^___^ I'm writing reports for the German internet page animePRO, and our co-chief is able to ask the management of the artists for accreditations.
So, this time I had the luck to get in contact with 33Degrees and got the chance to send in some questions already before the upcoming European solo tour.
You can find the German version of the interview here~ Please do not repost/copy etc without my permission!
To everybody who doesn't understand German, here are the original answers as I got them in English:
AnimePRO:Thank you
for taking the time to answer to this interview, and congratulations for your
first solo tour! In the following, let us talk about the tour, your musical
career and also about Germany: HIZAKI: Thank you!
AnimePRO:In general you’re a band musician. Why are you going on a solo tour now, and
why do you start in Europe instead of Japan?
HIZAKI: I always wanted to do solo project. And luckily I have got offers from EU this
time.
AnimePRO:You’ve been in Germany for some times already. Do you like something best of this country, or
do you have some positive memories of something?
HIZAKI: I like the gentle and kind personality of German people!
AnimePRO:Do you know German music and/or musicians?
HIZAKI:Michael Schenker is my guitar hero! German metal bands are very popular in
Japan as well.
AnimePRO:You’re in the music business for a long time now and can already look back on
a successful career. Is there a phase or band which has shaped you most or more
than others?
HIZAKI: I think my character as musician has not much changed over the years of my
music career, but if there is anything which shaped me as I am now is Versailles
time.
AnimePRO:You’ve been working on solo projects earlier. Especially with HIZAKI Grace Project you’ve
focused on your guitar play. Can we expect you to experiment with solo projects
in the future again?
HIZAKI: I want to do a world tour and I am also planning to release new songs!
AnimePRO:You’ve announced we can look
forward to songs of all epochs of your career. Will you tell us some previews,
or shall it stay a surprise? HIZAKI: It will be a surprise for the fans who comes to my live, but I will be playing
many songs from the new Album of Jupiter!
So please come to the live in Germany and France!!
AnimePRO:Thank you very much for taking
the time for this interview. Now we wish you lots of success for the first
concert of your very first solo tour! We are looking forward to it and let
ourselves surprise!
HIZAKI: Thank you! Let’s have great moment together in EU!!
Big thanks to 33Degrees again to making this interview possible!
Finally I want to upload a new album review today - this time I've chosen Adams' third album called "SEXPLOSION"! Since I've visited their concert in Luxembourg on 27th February I got the chance to already buy the CD although the album isn't released officially or digitally yet.
The CD jacket is printed double-sided, so you can decide whether you want to put Shota (left) or ADAM (right) in front; usually ADAM is on the front side. The two faces with the black background are their recent promotional photo for this album and the tour.
Before jumping into the song analysis some general information. Adams already had announced the album would mark a change in their music style: "SEXPLOSION" would become influenced mainly by electronic elements and they wanted to leave behind the pop sound characteristically for their first two albums "NEO SEXUAL" and "SIXNINE". Shota told he has collected many new impressions during the last Europe tour, especially concerning electronical music, and now has woven them into the ten new songs "SEXPLOSION" consists of. Moreover he wants to increase his singing parts and doesn't want to use the guitar that often anymore - indeed he has realized this plan in the latest release.
My very first impression confirmed this attitude: The style mainly has changed, but in my opinion didn't became worse. In opposite: This highly experimental album maybe isn't the best way to introduce Adams to new fans, but who already knows them since the beginning of their career will be pleased to enjoy a completely new face of which proves how wide and open their musical style can vary. "SEXPLOSION" offers a new perspective and brings fresh gust, confirms their motto "Original, Revolutionary, Timeless" perfectly.
1. LOVE ME Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
This song was already released before the tour start and the pre-sell of the album as a teaser.
Right from the beginning we dive into Adams' new face of electro sounds with buzzing basses, discobeats and electronic guitars. Mainly ADAM is singing, from time to time accompagnied by Shota's background voice. The song forms a heating opening of the album and moves to dancing, is melodious and instantly buries its way into one's ear. Unfortunately the song suddenly ends after just 2:37 minutes and leaves the listener somewhat unsatisfied, expecting a similar powerful continuation. On the other hand the song mustn't have been longer, instead it could have become monotonous because the pattern repeats itself two times - once more the song would have lost its high quality.
Rating: 5 / 5
2. WHY Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
The second song manages to pick up the dance sound of the previous number and connects the rapid end with its beginning. The dancable beat is accompagnied by powerful electronic guitar sounds, synthesizer elements and the change between ADAM's and Shota's singing parts. While the first stanza is dominated by ADAM's voice and monotonous powerchords the beat drops out when Shota starts rapping - but when the refrain starts all the elements are woven together and now form a melodious and firing melody that is likely to stick in one's ear. This earwig potential additionally is underlined by the remarkable, continuously repeating line "Why don't you remember". In the second stanza ADAM continues singing, but now the riffs get more harmonious and interesting before the sound returns to the opening chords and Shota's singing part is quite similar to his first one. The second stanza isn't full-packed with all musical elements of the song,;the guitar drops out here while beat and synthesizer continue. After a short reheating insert of Shota the final refrain returns to full musical force and is additionally transposed higher. After two repetitions also this song rapidly ends and causes a quite similar feeling like after "LOVE ME".
In my opinion this song is a very experimental one because the usual elements of an electro or pop song (1st stanza, refrain, 2nd stanza, refrain, break, refrain (2x) ) are present but vary in an interesting manner. This makes listening to this song refreshing although it may be a bit difficult to get into it at first. All in all nevertheless worth the full rating!
Rating: 5 / 5
3. Baddest Crown Words&Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
This song is also packed with electro elements and manages to keep up the atmosphere created by the first two numbers, comparable to "WHY" follwing to "LOVE ME". Beginning with a piercing synthesizer soon a voluminous beat controls the song, accompagnied by ADAM's pure and Shota's distorted voice. The first stanza resolves without break in a melodious refrain which shows the full spectrum of all musical elements Adams are using in this song: Synthesizers, electronic guitars and two alternating voices. At the beginning of the second stanza the beat suddenly drops out and opens the stage for guitar licks, a singing ADAM and a rapping Shota instead before it returns and builds up the song's usual style again. The second stanza is quite similar to the first one and maintains a regular song pattern before it resolves neatless in a transposed break where ADAM's voice suddenly increases and pitches higher. But quickly the song returns to its beginning pattern with the piercing synthesizer and the heartbeat-striking beat, the refrain follows again. After this the song rapidly ends with the words "Baddest Crown", but is nevertheless summed up neatly and forms a pretty piece.
A song that makes fun to listen to and that deserves full rating.
Rating: 5 / 5
4. HERO - Dear Eves my precious broken piece - Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
The fourth number carries an important meaning for Adams themselves as well as for the fans: It is dedicated to their EVES, as they call their female fans. This song will become a standard piece at future live concerts and is the one that reminds most of their "old", more pop-oriented music style; nevertheless it contains electronic elements.
The whole atmosphere of the song is optimistic and motivating, shall deliver a positive feeling to the listener. This is revealed right from the beginning where a guitar as well as a synthesizer form an increasing intro before the former lines "We are Adams not a hero nor a god nor Buddha" resound, sung by both. The raising sound continues while ADAM is singing alone now; the tension finally resolves and opens the floor for a winged refrain remarkable by the lines "Dear my precious broken piece", a background synthesizer and an electric guitar playing. The second stanza begins in the same way like the opening of the song, and soon ADAM and Shota start alternating each other's vocals and maintain the song's atmosphere which stays subdued at first, just to raise again to the second refrain which is similar to the first one. The break is quite silent and at first just the guitar is leading to another increase. Shota starts singing, ADAM joins in and then also percussion elements support the raising melody to the final, usual refrain.
Summing it up the song is an enjoyable electro-pop number and will prove as a new evergreen that will accompany Adams' future career permanently. Nevertheless it just receives 4 of 5 points because this song tends to become a bit boring when listening to it too often: It doesn't consist of that many experimental elements and can be categorized as more mainstream.
5. blind Words&Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
This song is also influenced by electronic elements, but is no dance number but rather a pop song. Beginning with a piano and an acoustic guitar, the sound suddenly turns to a beat and a synthesizer, then ADAM and Shota start singing softly, alternating their parts. Later an electric guitar joins in, and the first stanza resolves in a melodious refrain before the slightly varied second stanza begins. The usual pattern is kept with the second refrain until the beat and instruments shortly drop out, just to start playing again bit by bit. Finally the break resolves in the last refrain and the song is summed up in a coherent way.
All in all a harmonious song enjoyable to listen to, but also likely to loose its initial fascination when listening to it too often.
Rating: 4 / 5
6. ゲームセット (Game Set) Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
Also the sixth song is mainly dominated by electronic elements right from the beginning on: A synthesizer imitating Sci-Fi and space-like sounds introduces the refrain, accompanied by ADAM's subdued voice, then the song gains speed and increases with percussion elements. Suddenly everything takes a turn and changes the atmosphere of the beginning rapidly: A ceasing electronic bass leads to a heart-striking beat and an electric guitar. ADAM joins in, singing for two stanzas and the number keeps its serious atmosphere until it resolves in a harmonious refrain which reveals an outburst of all elements used in this song; also the Sci-Fi synthesizer. In the middle part the elements are reduced and the beat dominates the song, but then the blooming refrain follows again. The piece ends quite rapidly and leaves the listener somewhat unsatisfied a third time already.
Nevertheless the number has high earwig potential and its experimental character make it an interesting experience to listen to. In my opinion the "problem" is that two completely different music styles face each other what makes it difficult to enjoy it as a whole: On the one hand the beat in the stanzas forms a dancing part, on the other hand the space-like synthesizer and the refrain are almost too electronic to be still dancable. The combination of both in the refrain is something one needs to get used to and can sound weird when listening to it for the first time. Moreover the song quickly can seem to be too overloaded with elements: Shota definitely wanted to try out putting together various styles and elements, but in my opinion it is a bit too much; he either could have cancelled the guitar, the beat or the synthesizer. Nevertheless I personally like the song, maybe even because of its refreshing impact on the album.
Rating: 3,5 / 5
7. Darling Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
This song is more calm and most likely to be the only ballad on this album, although its still too fast and with continuous rhythm to be a real one. Here a completely other way of playing with electronical elements is revealed: No beats are present, instead a constant percussion plays throughout the number. Instrumentally the song is dominated by an electric acoustic guitar and some "glitter" effects in the refrain. The pattern is simple and fitting to a normal pop song with first stanza, refrain, second stanza, refrain, a middle part and several variations of the refrain until an instrumental outro sums up the longest song of the album with 5:37 minutes.
"Darling" is the most unspectacular song of this album, in my opinion, and quickly gets monotonous: It can't keep up the vivid dancefloor atmosphere created by the previous songs. On the other hand one can argue that especially this offers a welcome break to catch breath again for the next song which shall reveal as firing with an electrizing beat again. Thus, "Darling", as the title says, is a highly romantic song what is emphasized by ADAM's soft and sweet voice. It invites for dreaming and is just enjoyable to listen to, for example when you want to calm down or are shortly before going to sleep.
Rating: 3 / 5
8. S.E.X Words&Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
Besides to "Game Set" this is the most experimental song of the album, but compared to the sixth number it unfortunately missed the track and its purpose. Shota tries out lots of elements and combines them in different ways, but the number doesn't have a clear structure and seems to be composed rather arbitrarily than clearly planned. Synthesizers, a discobeat, a distorted electric guitar and their subdued voices alternate and surprise, rather confuse the listener throughout the song. Generally this game with combining the elements in various manners could be highly innovative, but is flattened by the continuous repetition of the word "SEX" and some "Oh"s besides to Shota's spoken parts. The impression of a slightly low level is created by that and lowers the song's potential even more.
Experimenting with styles is always difficult and often doesn't succeed - unfortunately also here.
Rating: 1,5 / 5
9. Wolf Words&Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
Number nine is the most rock-influenced song of the album and just contains few electronic elements, is dominated by Shota's guitar playing. As the title promises the atmosphere really reminds of a wolf on a hunt: It stays restless throughout the song, and while the stanzas are less melodious the refrain turns out to be more harmonious. Nevertheless a serious mood is delivered, and the break before the final refrain reminds strongly of a howling wolf: A whining electric guitar is accompanied by Shota's subdued speaking voice until ADAM takes over and the song increases again to the final refrain with its already known pattern.
All in all an interesting song which is worth listening to. Stylewise it's a bit lost because it neither fits to Adams' new nor their old sound - but since Adams wanted to create an experimental third album this song will find its appreciated place on the tracklist.
Rating: 3,5 / 5
10. Fly through the sky Words: ADAM / Music&Arrangement: SHOTA
The last song sums up the album in a beautiful way: It is a more pop-like song with few electronic influence and besides to "HERO" reminds of Adams' old music style, for example of "Stand Up" as the last song of their first album "NEO SEXUAL". As the title says the atmosphere is winged and invites to dreaming while flying through the sky in imagination with the light guitar sounds, the relaxed background synthesizer, glitter elements and the boys' melodious alternating voices. The pattern is usual for pop songs and makes listening to it simple and enjoyable, especially when the last stanza is transposed higher and fulfills the listener's expectations; one isn't left unsatisfied. Thus, this song is nice to calm down and relax, but also nothing too special.
Rating: 3,5 / 5
Final conclusion:
Adams have proved that they keep their promises: They announced a highly experimental new album which should change their music style to more electro-pop, and the result fulfills this expectation to 100%. Every song contains more or few electronic elements, and with every number they tried out different ways to realize their new experiences with European electronic music. "SEXPLOSION" can definitely be recommended to their fans who will be pleased of new and varying sounds, but wouldn't be the first choice for newbies, as already mentioned in the beginning.
To put it in a nutshell: I suggest to everyone to take a peek into Adams latest work themselves to form their own opinion because it's very likely to fall in the one extreme of total advocacy or the other of absolute disapproval. Fact is that they've proven the actuality of their motto "Original, Revolutionary, Timeless" flawlessy.
Everybody who have had the possibility to meet him personally and to look into his eyes will have been able to see the depths of his soul in there. This soul has been carried to Heaven now. I am convinced he will get into Heaven: He was a very dear person full of honesty. Everything he did came from the depths of his heart. He was always hard-working to acheive the best for everyone. He poured his full heart and energy in everything he did. He always worked supplied by the power of love. Love has not only been the main concept of ADAMS, it has been the leading concept of his life. We as their EVES did our best to give all our love to him. And he knew that and always continued to walk his way.
He has given all his love to us, so now we return it to him. We think of him with all the love we have, and he would be very touched to see us praying for and thinking of him. But he also would tell us to be strong and to continue living, to work for acheiving our goals.
