Kurobutai means “black stage”. For Japan’s Saiseiga, the title connects the new music to the period spent performing The Black Hole live. The release includes “Bias”, “System” and “Behind the Scenes”, instrumental versions of all three tracks, and footage from the band’s fifth-anniversary concert.
The songs were written after Saiseiga had taken The Black Hole onto the stage. That experience led them back into the same world, with “Behind the Scenes” serving as an epilogue to the album. The concert footage adds the live side of that period, bringing the new material and the performances that shaped it into the same release.
Regan, Katsuki, Tohko and Wakkun spoke to AFRICA.ROCKS about Kurobutai, the changes in their writing process, the different ways they build songs together and the audience finding Saiseiga outside Japan.
Kurobutai combines six tracks with videos. What did you want this release to show about SAISEIGA at this point in the band’s history?
Regan: After creating THE BLACK HOLE and bringing it to life on stage, we felt an intense desire to explore that world further. We wanted to remain immersed in its darkness. At the same time, the growth and confidence we gained through that experience made us want new listeners to discover the current form of SAISEIGA through the deep black world we had created. That feeling became Kurobutai. It is a very important release for us.
Katsuki: I see this release as a further expansion of the mysterious atmosphere found on our third album, THE BLACK HOLE. Every song on Kurobutai could easily have belonged on that album. After touring THE BLACK HOLE last year, however, we felt inspired to express those live experiences through new music. “Behind The Scenes”, in particular, feels almost like an epilogue to that chapter.
Tohko: We released new songs over three consecutive months, beginning in January. Around the same time, the footage from our solo show in November was finally completed. The timing worked perfectly, so we thought it would be interesting to combine both elements in one release, bringing together older and newer sides of SAISEIGA.
“For future material, we are considering returning to our roots and building songs through rhythm-section sessions again.”
You have released four albums, including a live record, and an EP within a relatively short period. How has writing and recording so frequently changed the way you work together?
Katsuki: We are always looking for ways to develop our creative process because the way we work has a major effect on the finished music. With THE BLACK HOLE and Kurobutai, I began presenting my ideas to the band in much more specific detail than before. That gave me a strong sense that we were creating better music together. I could only work that way because I have complete trust in the other members.
Tohko: During our early years, we often wrote songs without making demos first. The bass and drums would build ideas together through jam sessions. For THE BLACK HOLE and Kurobutai, we began with a clear concept and created more developed demos beforehand. That helped us define the overall atmosphere and direction more clearly. For future material, we are considering returning to our roots and building songs through rhythm-section sessions again.
Wakkun: Speaking specifically about the guitars, much of the material on our first EP and debut album was completed quite quickly. We recorded performances during rehearsals and later reamped them through home recording. Our main songs, especially those intended for music videos, were usually recorded properly in the studio from the beginning.
SAISEIGA handle the songwriting and arrangements yourselves. How do ideas usually develop inside the band before a song is considered finished?
Katsuki: There are generally two approaches. One involves spending hours playing bass or guitar to a click track, recording everything and later searching through the material for ideas worth developing. The other involves going into the studio with Tohko and creating music through rhythm-section jams. It may take more time, but we believe there is real value in human interaction and creativity. That is one of the most meaningful parts of being in a band.
Tohko: When the rhythm section jams together, we usually begin with nothing planned. We keep throwing out ideas and seeing what happens. Whenever something makes us stop and say, “That’s interesting,” we begin building from there. I leave the overall arrangements to Katsuki, while I have the freedom to develop the drum parts through discussion and experimentation.
Regan: By the time a demo reaches me, it is often already quite developed. Sometimes I write from my own emotions at that particular moment. At other times, I sense a certain movement, atmosphere or scenery emerging from the music, and my imagination begins to expand naturally. My process is always guided by whatever the music draws out of me.
Wakkun: The main structure of the songs is usually created and arranged by Katsuki and Tohko. I build my guitar solos over those demos. Occasionally, I take a less conventional approach by improvising freely, recording everything and assembling the final solo afterward.
Your music has already reached audiences outside Japan through Orange Festival in India and the use of one of your songs in Kengan Ashura. What did those experiences show you about the way your music connects with listeners in other countries?
Regan: We have been fortunate to receive opportunities that sometimes feel almost destined, and we are both grateful and amazed by them. We also genuinely enjoy watching reaction videos on YouTube. Seeing people surprised by our music is exciting, and it is wonderful when our songs make someone smile.
Tohko: Most of the comments we receive on YouTube are in English rather than Japanese, so we can clearly see that many listeners are discovering us overseas. We have also watched many reaction videos, which always makes us happy. Although our lyrics are written in Japanese, we include English translations in our music videos whenever possible so that the meaning can reach a wider audience.
Katsuki: Music has become a shared language for us. Even when listeners are separated from us by countries, cultures and languages, I still feel close to them. We are connected through a shared love of heavy metal. I hope we can work hard enough to bring our live show to them one day.
Wakkun: The comments on our music videos and the reaction videos showed us that people overseas were listening. The moment it felt most real, however, was when we played shows in places such as Shibuya and Shinjuku and saw so many international fans in the audience. That was when it truly became real to me.
“This tour allowed us to show a more delicate and nuanced side of SAISEIGA, beyond intensity and momentum.”
The tour ended with a final show in Shibuya, Tokyo. What did you prepare for that night, and how would you like the audience to remember this chapter of SAISEIGA?
Regan: However polished social media may appear, it can never fully capture the experience of being there in person. The title Kurobutai may sound solemn and elegant, but inside the venue there was something much darker and heavier: a space created through sound, passion and the raw energy of people sharing the same moment. That is what I hope people remember.
Tohko: Throughout the tour, we challenged ourselves in different ways at each venue and invited guest musicians to perform with us. For the final show, however, we wanted to present the fullest expression of SAISEIGA with only the four of us. I believe we delivered an energetic performance, and I hope everyone who attended left completely satisfied.
Wakkun: Since this was our first solo tour, we approached it with one clear goal: to make every show unforgettable. After Kurobutai, SAISEIGA will continue developing. I hope people stay with us and see where we go next.
Katsuki: This tour allowed us to show a more delicate and nuanced side of SAISEIGA, beyond intensity and momentum. I now feel even more motivated to develop that part of our music. I believe SAISEIGA are a distinctive Japanese heavy metal band. There are not many bands in the world approaching metal in quite the same way. I would be happy if people could enjoy us from that perspective as well.
