1st post by KEISUKE (English ver.)

Nearly a year has passed since the new coronavirus strain, an unprecedented disaster, started to eat into the entire world.
Humankind remains at its mercy in the face of the coronavirus’s ferocity, as gloomy days continue to lie ahead with no end in sight.
Damage from the coronavirus pandemic ranges from direct to indirect, forcing change upon people’s lifestyles.

As a musician and vocalist, I have also been greatly affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Since March, I have been cut off from one of the lifelines of a musician, namely concert activities (other than no-audience concerts). With no other source of income, I’ve recently started working part-time at a bento store.
As it seems that fried foods will become greasy due to the oil if they are fried for too long, it is timed accurately with a kitchen timer.
Time and punctuality is of absolute importance in any society. A person who is not punctual will eventually become a person who cannot keep his/her promises.
Fans who have been to our concerts will probably know this but DEVILOOF does not adhere to scheduled start times very much.
Regarding that matter, I would like to take this chance to apologize. I am really sorry.
Holding a sense of awareness that making others wait is to steal away their time, I would like to make an effort to start concerts according to schedule from now on, something that should have been a matter-of-fact.

During this period of self-restraint, I’ve been floating underwater, behind-the-scenes, under the pretext of it being a production period.
Speaking of living creatures that live underwater, the first thing to come to mind might be fish, however, there are also creatures who are also mammals like us but have been compelled to live underwater.
Dolphins are one of them.
Dolphins used to live on land. However, as they started to live in the sea for some reason, dolphins acquired the appearance and characteristics needed to survive in water.
Bearing a resemblance to the shark, which is of a different species: fish, this resemblance between the two is said to be due to them growing up in the same environment. It seems that this is called convergent evolution.
Just like this, living organisms have repeatedly evolved in order to survive.

While it might be a little bit of a stretch, I believe that the same is true in the evolution process of music genres.
Can’t it be said that death metal and grindcore are a product of convergent evolution in the underground music scene?
I think anyone who has listened to the above 2 genres will understand that while the two are classified as 2 different genres, they have much in common.
With the exception of expert metal-lovers who have become accustomed to listening to metal music, most might not even notice a difference.
While most first-time listeners may not even realize the difference between death metal and grindcore, the two genres have one clear difference.
It’s actually their roots in music. Even though they are this similar, the two genres actually originate from different genres?~ This is exactly like the dolphin and the shark.
I have no idea which is the dolphin and which is the shark. In my opinion, grindcore is probably the dolphin.

Returning to the topic about roots, it seems death metal was derived from thrash metal while grindcore was derived from hardcore punk.
In other words, death metal and grindcore come from two different genres namely metal and punk which can be said to be 2 complete opposites.
I think much probably happened in the process such as the influence of the historical backdrop at the time and various crossovers but I am not too sure of the details.
In any case, how the two have managed to evolve in such a similar way while retaining their different musical characteristics, ideas and fashion has really piqued my interest.
I’m in a state of “I really want to know”.
Oh right… Differences in the contents of the lyrics is also one element in differentiating between music genres. One difference between death metal and grindcore that is often pointed out is also their lyrics. While one might think there’s not much meaning to lyrics since no one can even tell what they are saying, I feel like the thoughts and emotions put into a song is very important when differentiating between genres.

I often hear people saying, “It doesn’t matter what genre the music is as long as it’s cool.”.
Of course, it is not like I can’t understand their opinion and way of thinking. However, it can also sound like they aren’t in the least bit interested in the thoughts and emotions the musician has put into the music.
Can you really say that you are listening to the music while ignoring its essence?
I feel like a piece of work is only complete when the listener (receiver) tries to understand the thoughts and emotions the musician (sender) has put into the piece.
It is not about whether you are or aren’t able to understand, but about trying to understand. That’s what’s important.

Last but not least, I would like to introduce to you a grindcore band that has caught my attention lately.
I sincerely hope that the day will come when the musician’s (sender’s) thoughts reaches the listener (receiver) in its truest sense.