Interview with Terror Squad 2007

By Bradley Smith

You have recently released your album Chaosdragon Rising.  Can you tell us a little bit about that album and what went into its creation?

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It’s a loud, sexy, fast, and emotional album that is made by 6 crazy but intellectual bastards.

We have already begun the music structure in 2000.
We were not always conscious of an album.
We've done our best for "what we want to do now" at each time.

Probably, we began songwriting and the construction of the album in about 2004. However, that isn't clear

We always thought that we want to make the music that only we can make.

There were quite a few years between your 1^st album and Chaosdragon Rising.  How do you feel your musical style has progressed over that time period?

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Some people are thinking that the genre of thrash is already dead, and it won’t evolve anymore.
But we think that possibility of thrash is more limitless.
So we built up OUR THRASH which only we were good at and evolved it.

As a band you guys have been around for quite a long time.  Why was there such a long period between your first full length and your second full length?  How do you feel all the years between has helped Terror Squad as a band? 

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It is a question we are often asked.
As for us, the making of music is slow somehow.
We think and think it out and make the crazy, outrageous and dirty TERROR SQUAD music by all of us.
There are a lot of things that time from forming up TERROR SQUAD brought us.
Confidences, uneasiness, joy, sorrow, falling hair, etc ...
But now, we feel that may have played music now that we think.

Terror Squad formed in 1996 but for the most part you guys still remain fairly unfamiliar to Western Audiences.  Can you give us some band history? 

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We formed up in 1992 to play pure crazy thrash metal like BULLDOZER, DARK ANGEL, and so on.

We released our first demo tape in 1994. We play a lot of shows in Japan,
and rehearsed the song for the first album.

In 1996, we offered the song called “Disco bloody disco for the legendary compilation,
“Headbangers against disco” from Swedish Primitive art recs.

1999, we finally released the first album “The wild stream of eternal sin”.
It’s a first bomb from WORLD CHAOS Prod. to thrash the world!

In 2001, we toured over 7 places of Germany with SCORNAGE. And we played with BONEHOUSE also. They were very cool guy and we enjoyed the tour.

Then finally we released “CHAOSDRAGON RISING” in 2006.
The first 1000 copies were limited edition with cool DVD.
And we sold out in a moment (Sorry!) But normal version is also enhanced CD
"Chaosdragon rising" disc is CD-EXTRA including a Promotion video which condensed intense and chaotic shows.

While listening to CDR I noticed a strong Voivod vibe in there but there were so many other directions the songs went in.  What are some of the most important Influences on the development of Terror Squad’s style?

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The music called Rock’n’Roll!!
The music which each member likes is very different.
So, we can't express with simple words what our style was influenced in.
Each member was influenced from various music.
Thrash, Punk, Hardcore, Progressive rock, Fusion and more. We throw them into a boiling pot called TERROR SQUAD and let them rock!!

What do you consider the Lyrical direction of Chaosdragon Rising and Terror Squad in general to be?  Do you find it hard to write lyrics in English?  Why did you decide to sing mostly English lyrics as opposed to Japanese?

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I choose a language to fit the music. Because, We have listen to both Japanese and English songs naturally.
I decide which I make a language of the lyrics in various ways. I decide it with affinity with a made vocal line, or decide it properly. I leave the way to sensitivity.
It is one of the causes to love that I listen to the hard core music that is sung in Japanese. I want you to feel unique sense of incongruity and aggression by another language. It's like a scorching feeling to listen to Spanish hard core for the first time, right?

I don’t decide lyrical direction. I don’t want to be seized with only one direction.
I sing and write the songs as I want, and as I like.
About the English songs, I want to express more delicate and plentiful .It is the present problem. I hope to be taught it by a cool English teacher….Of course a woman.

I must say that the artwork for Chaosdragon Rising is simply superb.  Where did you get it and how does it fit in to the concept of the album?  Will future albums continue is this sort of Anime/Manga direction?

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Your sensitivity is wonderful.
You felt that This album has value not only in music but in artworks. Didn't you?
We are glad that you a talented guy listened to this album.
We are very much getting excited. Thank you.
Incidentally, this artwork is the work of the lunatic guy HESOMOGE who did all the art work since the TERROR SQUAD formation.
At present, he is the member of TERROR SQUAD.

When recording was finished and in the creation of artworks. (as the contents of booklet)
Artwork as answers to each tunes of the album was completed one by one.
We looked at his art one by one, and were excited each time.
We felt "Is he picking a fight with us by his artwork?".

A comment from the said person is cool, too!
The comment of the following HESOMOGE .


--HESOMOGE(Artwork):
thx!
I am a member of the TERROR SQUAD.
Instead of the guitar or the microphone, I have a paintbrush.
At first I got roughmix tracks and the lyrics.
I read the lyrics and listen to the music several hundred times.
Ohzeki(Gt.) explained "This album has changeful tunes like "white album" of the Beatles" .
But, I felt that there was consistent EMOTION in the bottom of music and lyrics of this album.
I caught that, and put a form with my view of life.
I wanted to make the new world by artwork　on music and the lyrics.
Of course, so far as I do the art work of TERROR SQUAD, I promised to show that it is more stimulative with this aim.
The story of SOMA which is not on booklet will be released in HESOMOGE.com.
Please Check it.

URL http://hesomoge.com/

There are more and more bands that are starting to come out of Japan.  As an insider what do you think of the Japanese scene and what do you think it offers that makes it different than any other scene?

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In Japan, loud music styles are divided too much strictly.

Sometimes, we feel that both audiences and players are stereotyped in it

But we don't care about their fixed idea.  And we play our Rock 'n' Roll.

I lived in Japan for 3 years and I thought it was an exciting and very unique place.  How do you feel about Japanese culture in general?  Do you think the society is too strict or do you have even more freedoms than the rest of the world?

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First of all, life in Japan is convenient in the various situations.

Everyone who meets with the ancient culture will be overwhelmed in that dignity and divinity. Don't you think so?

Buddha statue is exactly mysterious and divine.

Japanese food is very best !!!!!

We eat sushi every day.

We fuck Geisha every morning.

Climbing Mt. Fuji is our daily work, too.

FYI, "Don't buy initial lot of the SONY product." is Japanese famous principle.

Since Japan is so unknown for most of us Westerners it holds a sort of Magical allure for us.  Are there any distant lands that hold the same sway over you?  Where would you like to visit and why? 

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I'll get right to the point.

That is the universe.

I wanna go to that black sea someday for the sea bathing.

However, we may die in the impact accident because the universe is filled with the space debris..

No!!

It's hideous!!!! 

Do you follow politics at all?  Are you glad that Japan pulled its contingent of troops out of Iraq?  How do you feel about the Japanese military deploying troops outside of Japan?

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Honesty, we can't judge Japanese politics strictly.

Because we are perniciously six stupid guys!

We can't judge whether today's breakfast was delicious or not.

All the same.

We can't judge whether sending troops to Iraq was right or not.

If it can, We don't want human to fight with human.

There is no borderline in music. Isn't it?

The day when the border of the nation, race and religion disappears someday may come as well as music.

...No, such doesn't occur, or it is ...

I would anticipate that Terror Squad live shows are pure chaos and anarchy.  What do you guys do live and how are the audiences over there?

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Our live show is exactly full of chaos and the anarchy.

Of course, audiences respond to us by the behaviour like wild violence, too.

Because all of the guys who are there are SAMURAI.

And we agitate audiences by the heart, the body, and performance further.

Don't you think that to be good correlation?

Final statements are yours

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Hi! Did you already buy a CD?

We are Japanese. Therefore, we all want to eat sushi.

Won't you buy a CD so that we may eat sushi?

To tell the truth, though we are Japanese, we can't afford to eat Sushi because Sushi is too expensive.

Well, even if we can't eat sushi, we promise to keep delivering the excellent fast, loud, chaos and anarchy music to all friends!!

This summer, We'll go to Euro tour to knock the Euro Metal heads down.

We wish you come to our CHAOSDRAGON RISING TOUR to feel our real chaos!!

Thrash on！

Tour Dates

4.July - 14.July /2007

Denmark

Germany

Belgien

England

France

and more...