Samurai metal band Ryujin release heaviest single yet "Gekokujo"
Samurai metal band Ryujin deftly deliver heavy metal and blazing guitar wizardry from Japan with their self-titled Napalm Records debut, “Ryujin” set for release on January 12, 2024.
Today, the band is thrilled to share their heaviest, fastest, folk-infused burner yet, entitled Gekokujo, alongside an intense, high production value music video. The track explores shades of death metal, thrash, and folk influence, colliding as a riff-fest of head-spinning technique!
Ryujin frontman and mastermind Ryoji Shinomoto explains, "In Japanese history, gekokujo refers to the act of a lower-ranking person politically or militarily overthrowing a higher-ranking person, violating the social order, and seizing power.
I would say the song is Japanese horror folk metal. The music video also depicts Japan's unique horror. Enjoy the dark side of Ryujin too!".
Ryujin are Ryoji Shinomoto (Guitar, Vocals, Shamisen, Erhu, Dragon Flute & Orchestration), Shuji Shinomoto (Drums & Vocals) and Aruta Watanabe (Bass & Vocals). We caught them live not long ago, supporting Pain on their UK dates, and they were incredible!
You can watch the video for Gekokujo below:
Blending both Japanese and English lyricism and featuring production and several guest features by Matthew Kiichi Heafy (Trivium), the band's high speed riffs and breakneck guitar descents pair with traditional Japanese elements (including instrumentation on Shamisen, Dragon Flute, Erhu, and Taiko), delivering a sound influenced by everything from ancient orchestral Gagaku to even modern anime themes.
Self-titled release “Ryujin” features production by Matthew Kiichi Heafy and mixing/mastering by Mark Lewis, with guest appearances by Heafy (vocals and conducting on various tracks) and Mukai Wataru of the Kansai Philharmonic Orchestra (cello). Blending both Japanese and English lyricism, the albums tracks feature titles based on the words of the Ainu people of Hokkaido (Ryujin’s home region), as well as famous Japanese paintings and idioms.
Opening instrumental track Hajimari sets an ominous stage for Gekokujo - a thrash-ified death metal riff-fest with folk-inspired passages. First single Raijin & Fujin is an epic power metal storm featuring guest vocal contributions from Matthew Kiichi Heafy, while The Rainbow Song blends modern melodic heavy metal and power metal innovation. Tracks like Dragon, Fly Free and Kunnecup invite the listener to sing along with Ryujin as they paint musical canvases of adventure and positivity. Scream of the Dragon embraces their extreme influences amid uplifting choruses and a story blending English and Japanese lyrics, before Gekirin ventures into darker death metal hints and nautically-inspired melodies (as “Ryujin” is a dragon god of the sea in Japanese mythology, these oceanic musical themes weave seamlessly throughout the album).
The album nears the end with three primarily Japanese-language opuses - the rock-opera-like ballad Saigo No Hoshi, the traditionally-inspired title track Ryujin and a cover of Linked Horizon’s Guren No Yumiya - widely known as an opening theme of popular anime series Attack On Titan. The album finishes with a bonus English-language version of Saigo No Hoshi, with vocals once again performed by Matthew Kiichi Heafy.
You can pre-order “Ryujin” HERE in the following formats: CD digi-sleeve, gatefold clear orange vinyl, and digital album.
