HER NAME IN BLOOD "Evolution From Apes"
Interviewed and written by: Yuichi Masuda
Unleashed beasts never stop evolving.
Distilling their charm into another representative EP, HER NAME IN BLOOD valiantly rush headlong through the way of muscular metal that luridly depicts their present, real self.
A quadruped monkey grows bipedal before it gets a weapon and evolves closer into a man: with the symbolic cover art, HER NAME IN BLOOD’s new EP, “Evolution from Apes,” is an interesting piece and a testament to the evolution of the band.
“We want to make the band more far-reaching,” says vocalist Ikepy. “That is the prime motive behind the EP. In some way, the EP is like a bit of a culmination and includes two new songs that can be additions to our signature pieces and we also re-recorded three of our 'must' songs that we’ve always played at gigs. We had an idea that it would be a wild result if we re-recorded our old songs with the skill set we have now and under a new recording circumstance, and we hit the mark. It came out kind of synonymous with our style."
“It’s not like we couldn’t write new songs more than two,” laughs guitarist Daiki. “I think, for someone who knows no more about us than the band name or doesn’t even know us at all, these five songs straightforwardly tell them what this band is like .The retakes don’t aim at different versions of the originals but we kind of wanted to make them more relevant to our current live performance.”
As this remark suggests, what these five songs exactly project is their present self full of experience and confidence. And the band’s tremendous impact remains no less here than on stage. This is strongly related to what Ikepy describes as “a new recording circumstance” earlier.
"We used to put every part in perfect place whereas this time is different," explains Daiki. "For instance, we recorded drums and bass together and we gave a nod to takes that were slightly out of sync as long as we thought they were cool. We also tried to capture and bring every nuance of TJ's guitar instrumentation to the fore. We've been often told to reflect our strength of stage performance on recordings. Since the previous "Beast Mode," our engineers have changed and we have recorded songs with emphasis on this matter. As a result, I think the album sounds raw and very human."
To the band, ‘human’ seems to mean a wild, valiant sound that satisfies their instinct. Not to be outdone by these fully updated songs, two new takes―"Last Day," written by Daiki, and "Down" by bassist Makoto―feel as convincing and promising. Daiki says "Last Day" is one they completed in the shortest time ever and it is a result of their aspiration for a straightforward, simple song."It exactly represents Makoto," he says of "Down," whose chorus features Makoto as a vocalist. With the characteristic each member reflected more relevantly, the quintet pulled off five tracks that encapsulate their present selves. It seems like they became fully aware of their own progress firsthand.
"The theme of the album is surely down to the self-awareness of our own progress," says Ikepy. "It's not like we are just trying to expand our music aimlessly but digging deeper and seeking out our own metal. Also, not only every one of us has developed the skill but also each of us has evolved as a band member, I think."
Pointing at the cover art of the album, I wonder how the evolution is going to continue. Being asked, "There's already too much muscle than we actually have," says Ikepy in a self-depreciating manner while Daiki laughs and says "I'm not sure if the next generation will put on any clothes." But then, Her Name in Blood are no longer in need of any outlet, let alone armor for protection as the progress the album proves is a good omen for further evolution and expansion of their real selves down the line.
