This week vkgy interviews vkei band Scarlet Valse.

Scarlet Valse is a symphonic metal band who is at the frontline of the Starwave Records lineup. They've been active since 2011, and are renowned for their charismatic and responsible nature. Read on to learn more about them.

⚠ 日本語版へこちら。

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• Thank you for allowing us to do this interview! First, let’s learn a little bit about the members.

• Please introduce yourselves. What’s a phrase you would use to describe yourself?

[Kakeru] I’m Kakeru the Great Demon King and Archangel.

[You.] I’m You. I’m just a guitarist.

[Rin] Scarlet Valse's glutton! I'm guitarist Rin! The phrase I'd use to expresses myself is “take it easy.”

[Shian] Hello~! ! I’m the wonderful and energetic bassist Shian!

[Yo-hey] I’m Scarlet Valse Drums Yo-hey!! ROAR~~~!

• How did each of you become interested in visual kei?

[Kakeru] Anyway, after seeing bands on TV and in magazines expressing themselves in ways that were intense, beautiful, and flashy, I knew I wanted to do such things myself.

[You.] I think it was a TV program called BreakOut through which I learned the phrase visual kei.

[Rin] When I started playing the guitar, some of the magazines I read wrote about a lot of visual kei bands. I wasn't that interested in visual kei per say; it was more like a natural idea of “band = visual kei.”

[Shian] After seeing the jackets of the singles from X, I started rummaging through their CDs and DVDs and admiring their fancy looks!

[Yo-hey] The reason was that I was amazed at being able to transform myself into another me!

• What made each of you choose to play music? Why did you choose your instrument?

[Kakeru] I’ve always admired the coolness of bands such as X and LUNA SEA, and the idea that everyone in them worked hard towards one thing. I choose vocalist because, well・・・ just because they get attention (laughs).

[You.] When I saw BOФWY and X I thought they were really cool and decided to form a band myself. I’d already started playing the guitar a little before that, so I went straight for the guitar.

[Rin] At first, I just wanted to do something fun with my friends. I was tired of playing games all the time, so we thought why not play in a band together. Back then, I enjoyed spending time together more than playing (laugh). The reason why I chose the guitar.. Well isn't guitar cool? That’s why (laugh).

[Shian] Actually, my first dream ever was to form a band. I wanted to form a band rather than being a solo artist. Originally I am not a bassist, but I started playing it in college, and I still am.

[Yo-hey] When I was a boy, I liked so many bands which I fell in love with, it made me want to play in a band. I chose drums because they gained the most interest from me!

• What’s your favorite Scarlet Valse song to play live, and why?

[Kakeru] For me it would be, Prayer, Shining・・・, and Dear. It's easy to empathize with them, and I feel great after singing them.

[You.] Silhouette-シルエット- because of the audial worldview.

[Rin] I think it’s “Prayer” now. I'm happy when I can be my real self and share my smile with everyone!

[Shian] It’s Shadow’s Game isn’t it・・・ I think the best way to describe its atmosphere is “bouncing,” because it naturally makes you want to bounce around!

[Yo-hey] Silhouette-シルエット-, Prayer, and Misty Night, because I can drum them well, so they’re fun!

• Scarlet Valse recently released a limited “Inferno” long parka. What’s your favorite Scarlet Valse merchandise, and why?

[Kakeru] I guess I like our long t-shirt the most? Just as in the past, we’ve released a onepiece style t-shirt, and a t-shirt that has the same design as our limited long hoodie.

[You.] I often wear our hoodies, and the red is a particular favorite.

[Rin] I like to draw, so I like our goods which are created by ourselves the most, especially since they capture our feelings from each era (laughs).

[Shian] I love our towels! The logo towel is just like “The Scarlet Valse” thing, right?

[Yo-hey] My favorite is the white Scarlet Valse hoodie which is a uniform on the days of our lives!

• What’s a personal goal that you would like to accomplish?

[Kakeru] I bought an acoustic guitar, so maybe someday I will play it and sing on stage.

[You.] There are some. The details are a secret, but I'm practicing and trying new things.

[Rin] This year... I hope to have many more happy moments than last year. It’s easier to smile and to be nice to someone if you are happy yourself.

[Shian] My goal and challenge is to keep up with the times by seeing how much I can do and how many people I can get to notice me, via the internet.

[Yo-hey] To live up to Scarlet Valse’s instrumentalists, I’d like to improve my drumming skills and give my best without any accidents or injuries!

• On April 15th, you released your single CD+DVD, “Inferno.” Next, let’s learn about that release.

• Could you please tell us a little bit about the songs included in “Inferno”?

[Kakeru] The concept was simply “demon.” But actually, at first I was throwing song ideas other than Inferno to the members--not for the title track, but for the coupling songs. When the coupling songs were ready, I wanted something with more impact, so I hurriedly wrote Inferno. It has a darker, more demonish image, but at the same time it means: even if you fall into darkness, you can burn the place down and crawl back up.

[You.] Regarding the song "falldown," which I composed: the theme of this work was about an angel who fell down and became a demon. Since Heaven was the theme of our last work, I tried to express the intensity and pathos of the “fall.”

[Rin] The reason we chose that title track is because it’s easy to envision the world as a whole, right? I’d already composed Cruelty Lovers, but when I heard about the concept of demon, the thought of a succubus was the first thing that came to mind.

• Title track Inferno has a dark and oppressive sound that feels unusual for the band. Was it challenging to show this side? Will we see it again?

[You.] We’ve always done dark and heavy songs, so this one wasn’t a hard time.

[Rin] This kind of atmosphere is actually something I’m good at, so it wasn’t a struggle at all. It was arranged with the intention of enhancing the atmosphere of the song, and it went smoothly! After now・・・ I wonder what we’ll make? (Laughs) If we want to do something, we’ll do it! (Laughs)

[Shian] As for the bass, I added a little more weight to the tone than before.

[Kakeru] Simply, all of Scarlet Valse’s songs are one story when you put them side-by-side. Sometimes they’re light, sometimes they’re dark. It’s like life huh (laughs).

• How was the composing and recording process for this single? Were there any challenges?

[You.] The chorus of fall down has all major chords except Dm, which is the key of the song, so it was difficult to do a tapping solo in that chord progression.

[Rin] We did everything we wanted to throughout the single’s songs, and everything went smoothly! Ah, if I have to say something, it’s that composing Cruelty Lovers was a bit of a problem for me. It’s catchy and casual, but at the same time a little dark・・・ It was hard to find the right balance (laughs).

[Shian] The second time I practiced the dueling guitar and bass solo, I practiced until I got blisters (laughs).

[Yo-hey] Drum arrangement is always different, and it was difficult this time too! But there was also a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment!

[Kakeru] The singing didn’t have any high tones this time, so it was a bit of a struggle to work in nuanced emotions. Particularly in the dialogue portions. They go way too fast (laughs).

• This work contrasts with your previous single, “Heaven.” Was this intentional? Is there any relationship between the two works?

[Yo-hey] Heaven is an angel and Inferno is a demon!

[Shian] Angels and demons. Like black and white. That's it. (smile)

[Rin] Well, the shooting for the current MV was also created at the same time as the previous MV, so these two MV’s are two and one.

[Kakeru] More specifically, it's related even before “Heaven”. The wings of the butterfly are transformed into an angel, and then fall into darkness. [Ed.: referring to their album Metamorphosis.]

• “Inferno” includes a DVD with 14 songs from your 2019 tour final oneman at Takadanobaba AREA. What’s your strongest memory or impression from that day?

[You.] We’ve performed at Takadanobaba AREA many times, including our formation oneman, but this was the best oneman we’ve ever had.

[Shian] It was my first oneman at Takadanobaba AREA, and the biggest impression I had was how many fans were there!

[Rin] It was the memory of being able to announce our next step, the O-WEST oneman. Mm, we’d always wanted to do an O-WEST oneman, but in fact the members ourselves were surprised on that day with the news that we’d be able to do it (laughs).

[Yo-hey] It was the first time I’d been informed about our upcoming schedule right before a show; we’d formed a circle and learned about the O-WEST oneman, and then went out on stage. It left a big impression on me!

[Kakeru]It was the tour final of our 47-prefecture tour, where we were really excited about the oneman but also had a vision of the future. I told the members we were going to do a oneman tour next, but I didn’t tell them where the final was (laughs).

• Lastly, let’s learn more about the band.

• Please tell us about how you formed, and how you got to the current lineup.

[Kakeru] Well my previous band disbanded and so I was looking for members to start a new band. Also I was looking for a music genre that suited me. Soon I realized that a current genre, a mix of "classical and metal" suited me well. With that in mind I gathered members who liked the same type of style, I found them via parties and friends’ lives (laughs).

[Shian] I was in the middle of joining a band, but by the time I found out, I was already playing bass here (laughs).

[Kakeru] Oh, there were a few member changes after the formation, but when someone decided to leave, we found a new member unexpectedly fast.

[Rin] And so here I am (laughs).

[Kakeru] Member changes always kept my thoughts busy, since it really can be confusing to your fans if you had to change your lineup so often. But after the last change the members became strangely stable and we are supporting each other while looking forward to the future together.

Of course I also had the similar feeling with our ex-members, however what I mean now is that we are connected by our music without words, or something? It's strange (laugh).

• Your music could be classified as metal, but you express yourselves as a vkei band. Why did you choose to join the vkei scene?

[You.] I try to come up with visuals that fit the music of Scarlet Valse.

[Rin] Rather than choosing this scene, I chose what I thought was cool and what I wanted to do, and that's why I'm in this scene (laughs).

[Shian] Because I don’t have to think about things so deeply?

[Kakeru] I guess it's because I like it myself and it also fits me well. Above all it's like having fun together all the time. For example, “I bought this interesting game recently, let's play it together!” ...something like that (laughs).

• What’s a song that you would recommend to someone who hasn’t heard Scarlet Valse, and why?

[You.] I would recommend “Agehachou No Yume” (揚羽蝶乃夢)

[Rin] Our songs have a wide range of musicality, so I'm sure there's a song for everyone. So I don’t think I can choose a song for someone (laughs).

[Shian] You must listen to all our recent releases!!!

[Yo-hey] For me, my signature songs are Agehachou No Yume (揚羽蝶乃夢), Prayer, and Dear.

[Kakeru] Every song is soulful, but if you want to feel the current Scarlet Valse more deeply, then “Prayer”, “Heaven,” and “Inferno” would be the best to try out.

• Your activity has lasted almost 10 years. How has the band changed in that time? What has stayed the same?

[You.] Our lineup has changed a lot, but I don’t think our fundamental sound has changed.

[Rin] First of all, I wasn’t there at the 6th anniversary, so that’s a big point of change. (laugh) First from outside, and now from inside the band, I’ve held various feelings about them; I feel like “we used to be a band that wanted to be cool, and somewhere along the way we actually turned into a cool band.”

[Kakeru] Well, when we first started I think I was acting aggressive or defiant or something like that because I didn’t want to be hit by others. But that’s not to say that I deny those days; it’s because I had those days that I’m able to do everything with a lot of confidence now. What hasn’t changed is my musical pursuit and my belief in writing stories.

• During your activity, what achievement are you most proud of, and why?

[You.] Having such a lovely fanbase. If a band isn’t good, they don’t get real fans; it’s the fanbase that allows a band to grow.

[Rin] It’s not just about the songs I’ve written or worldview I’ve created. The humanity of our members is great. And I think our lineup is well balanced. So my pride lies in the people that make up Scarlet Valse.

[Shian] The things we’ve done with these members. It’s because of these members that we’re able to be active now.

[Yo-hey] I’m proud to have met such good members!

[Kakeru] We have fans because we have these members, we have these members because we have these fans. And of course, our supportive staff too. So it’s all the people who are involved with us huh?

• In 2014, you joined the label Starwave Records: how did this help your activity as a band?

[You.] CD distribution has been easier, we’ve been able to get into karaoke services, and our range of activities has expanded considerably.

[Kakeru] There were a lot of things that I didn’t know, and I was able to learn them--and I also gained a lot of friends.

• When the COVID-19 situation was emerging, you were quick to adopt strategies such as live-streamed shows. How do you think it will affect you going forward?

[You.] I think streaming lives are a good thing, even if we’re able to do normal lives, because there are people abroad and in Japan who can’t come to actual shows to watch them. But the quality of streaming lives in the industry has gone up as a whole in the last few months, so that kind of quality will be required in the future, I think.

[Rin] I think everything happens for a reason, and one should always adjust to their environment, so from now on・・・ it’s meant to be isn’t it? (smile)

[Shian] I don’t know what will happen because we’re still in the middle of figuring out the correct answer to everything. But I believe what we’re doing now will definitely help in the future.

[Yo-hey] I’ve had to make adjustments and face challenges because of this period, so I’m going to make the most of them!

[Kakeru] Well, I didn’t want to say “I won’t do anything” just because it’s a period of self quarantine. During times like these, our lovely fans--no, all human beings--crave entertainment, as that’s how minds are purified. That’s what I think.

So of course I think humankind will continue to want entertainment, they’ll want music. We’ll have to change our approach each time so that it doesn’t get boring, and we’ll have to provide good content as well as sound quality, but yes, I think the world will be streaming more for a while.

• Please tell us your band goal for this year.

[Shian] From last year to this year. From this year to next year. I’m just going to keep doing what I can do.

[Kakeru] Yes, everything will stay positive. Actually, I’m in this state because of coronavirus, but what I didn’t do last year, I can do now (laughs). That’s positivity and seeing the good in things! Also, I guess we should definitely do the WEST oneman and reschedule our other shows!

• Finally, please give a message to your readers.

[You.] Thank you for reading until the end. I can’t wait to go crazy with everyone again at lives, so let’s all be careful not to get sick with the coronavirus.

[Rin] Thanks for reading to the end. Please eat well, sleep well, and live a wonderful life. And it would be great if our music could be a part of that life.

[Shian] I think that this awful, unprecedented situation brings with it lots of moments of confusion for you all. And of course, for us too. I think that we’ll shake things up and shine a bright light on them. We’ll never go out of business. Trust me, and reach out.

[Yo-hey] We’re all living in the same era and we’ll see each other again for sure!

[Kakeru] Whether difficulty, sadness, fun, or happiness, I think we can experience and overcome, and still look to the future--because of you. I’ll see you soon!

• Thank you for this interview. We wish you the best of luck.

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Thanks to @Ryu and @VisualKeiKatt for coordination.
@vkeijonas and a friend for Japanese question and translation help.

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