NEW NOISE
GYZE
These Japanese folk metallers are bringing the sound of the Imperial Court to metal
WORDS: ELEANOR GOODMAN PICTURES: LITCHI
‘KONNICHIWA! SAYONARA! ITADAKIMASU!’
When festivals come back, these are the chants that’ll be ringing out: hello, goodbye and, er, a before-eating pleasantry of ‘thank you for the meal’. The anthem Samurai Metal, from Japanese folk metallers Gyze, is sprinkled with easy vocabulary for audience participation, in the way of Korpiklaani’s Beer Beer or Finntroll’s Trollhammaren. In the meantime, there’s a ridiculous video to keep us entertained, featuring the band wielding instruments and drawing weapons, alongside guest appearances from old touring buddies Dragonforce and Battle Beast. It’s very silly. And exactly what we need in 2021.
“We wanted something for the European metal festivals – it’s really funny! And really unique. And it will make people happy, I think!” laughs frontman Ryoji Shinomoto, speaking via Zoom from his home in Hokkaido, the northernmost of Japan’s main islands. Today, it’s so snowy that the trains have stopped running.