Nemophila - Oiran & Raitei: dynamite gunpowder

 

Hello my dears. I am the Raven who speaks to you.

In today's “Melodiam Corvidae”, I will talk about “Nemophila”, an all-female japanese metal band. The name is not so strange for those who like flowers, after all the species is much more common in the american continent than in Japan, which is curious. But the name makes sense, given the five petals that the plant has (same number of band members, as is traditional in projects with twin guitars). The term “nemophila” is formed by the junction of two greek words: the first is nemus, which means grove. And the second, much easier to remember, is philos which means love or loving. It's a very girly thing to create a band named after a flower, right? But don't judge the girls before you hear them: their sound is powerful, in-your-face and full of attitude. Unlike many other japanese female bands that care too much about the looks, “Nemophila” doesn't want to know about any of that. Their thing is T-shirts, jeans and a sonic thump coming out of their amplifiers. They just want to have fun playing the most straight forward and traditional metal possible.

Although some of the faces are recognizable to heavy music listeners, after all some of them have long experience in the japanese scene, “Nemophila” is relatively new. The band was formed in mid-2019 by experienced guitarist Saki and vocalist Mayu. Being realistic, it is impossible to talk about “Nemophila” without talking a little more about Saki, in particular. Because without her the band would not be possible, in my opinion. It is Saki who really opens doors for having a more consolidated and respected name in the japanese music industry.

Let's go back a little to the past. In the mid-2000s, a female band called “Destrose” appeared in Japan and, it must be said, in a completely unfavorable scenario for them in terms of the market. These were girls with a strong passion for rock and metal, but who didn't necessarily have a niche or cultural segment in Japan that could embrace them. Both “Destrose” and the better known “Aldious”, in their early days, faced many difficulties before getting a little more media attention. “Aldious” is still active, as you may know. But “Destrose” had 10 years of productive work. Although they had a solid sound, one of the band's biggest problems was the excessive change of members. Lots of girls coming in and out of the band. The ones that were most successful in the market were undoubtedly those that endure for a long time. The recognition began to be proportional only in recent years, already in current projects, but it is undeniable that the years of “Destrose” certainly gave them a lot of credibility.

But what does this have to do with Saki, our focus? It has and a lot. Because if her and Destrose's fate hadn't crossed, many opportunities might not have arisen. It all started precisely in this constant exchange of members. In one of these opportunities, Saki ended up assuming the position of Destrose's solo guitarist between 2009 and 2010, which made her create friendship bonds with the band and also meet more people from the female rock circle (which in Japan, is almost like a little club; the country is very small, I remind you). “Destrose” only ended activities in 2015, when bassist Miho and drummer Haruna decided to follow their own path by forming one of the most relevant female bands in japanese metal today, “Lovebites” (which has already played in the main european festivals, including Wacken Open Air). But it wasn't the first time that “Destrose” gave birth to another band that would become bigger: there was also “Mary's Blood”, formed in 2009. Although Miho and Haruna have their names strongly associated with Destrose's history, they are actually part of of the second generation of the band. Vocalist Eye and drummer Mari were from the previous generation, as was guitarist Eri, who stayed with “Mary's Blood” until 2012 and then decided to quit. It was then that the others remembered Saki and invited her to be the band's permanent guitarist.

Saki is undoubtedly very talented in not only playing but also writing music. And it's no wonder that she gets involved with a lot of projects at the same time. Prior to the hiatus announcement (which could possibly be permanent), Saki was playing with “Mary's Blood” and “Nemophila” at the same time. But she still shared time in another project with the former bassist of the band DragonForce, called “Amahiru”. However, as Saki herself states in the past, with “Nemophila” she can have a little more freedom to do whatever she wants, because although she is one of the main composers of “Mary's Blood”, the fact that the band is older and more consolidated implies a specific type of sound and appeal, desired by its audience. Some invisible ties and other responsibilities that are very noticeable to the eye end up forming within a popular band, after all it is not just a group of musicians, but also a brand, a company.

Founding “Nemophila” with Mayu was like going back to garage days, to rehearsals after school. And that's exactly what “Nemophila” looks like and also sounds like. Just check the covers and other videos they publish on Youtube. Some years back these ladies expected to hit the road and promote their two singles a little more, called “Oiran” and “Raitei”. But with the pandemic scenario, their plans all went down the drain. The interesting thing is that even in the calamity, this did not take away from them any enthusiasm. In addition to the sound of the band being very good, what also attracted me was the amount of satisfaction they get when playing together. Whether at home, in the studio, at online concerts or with the participation of pioneers of heavy female music in Japan, like drummer Mittan from the band “Show Ya”, they always seem to be having the time of their lives.

There is almost nothing negative about “Nemophila” in terms of entertainment and sound quality for lovers of the genre. When Mayu started working with Saki, she was looking for work opportunities. Mayu has a very distinctive timbre, which I think is essential in a vocalist. She likes dirty vocals, but also sings cleanly and in tune. Her vocal spectrum is limited and doesn't reach such high notes. However, her style is very characteristic and certainly different from what we are used to hearing in the scene. Her timbre is serious, but curiously smooth at the same time. The dirty vocals, arising from her taste for metalcore, lack tone, but at the same time are very particular to her. If you hear Mayu talking or singing, you'll automatically know it's her without having to see her. “Smooth dirty vocals” is the expression I can think of to describe the way she sings. She's not Angela Gossow, Alissa White-Gluz or Tatiana Shmailyuk: her growls don't have as much strength and aggression. But that's exactly what's interesting about Mayu's vocals, this softening that is quite unusual. In terms of clean vocals, in addition to the bass that characterizes her voice, Mayu works very well with intonation: she attacks syllables, puts punch, strength in singing. Vocally, she is a hybrid between punk and metalcore.

Accompanying Saki on guitars, we also have Hazuki as a soloist. And like Saki, this girl plays a lot, see? Particularly, I didn't know her very well, but in recent years she appeared on the net accompanying the band of the little prodigy Lisa-X, who I have followed since she was a little girl and already published videos playing songs by virtuosos like Paul Gilbert and John Petrucci on Youtube. To play with Lisa, you need to have absurd guitar skills and Hazuki does not disappoint. When I realized she was a member of “Nemophila”, I was pretty sure that was something I'd want to hear. Just like Saki, Hazuki likes powerful riffs, bold and melodic solos, as the good old metal book of the eighties dictates. The two together are gunpowder for dynamite.

Bassist Haraguchi is a relative newcomer among these veterans, but her intensity and enthusiasm on the four strings is simply a delight. Haraguchi is not the type of bass player to hide, but one who joins the party, filling the loud guitars with screeching metallic strums. Drummer Murata Tamu is the most discreet of the five ladies, but certainly one of the best heard. And largely because of the fact that she is a multi-instrumentalist (having a broader musical vision and a perspective that goes beyond percussion). The fact that she acts more as a drummer puts her in the role of leading the rest of the band, which she does in a precise way and dosing the energy and speed of the others in the right measure. Instrumentally, Murata Tamu has very good taste and it's not a mere coincidence that her musical preferences are for bands like “Dream Theater” and “Opeth”. “Nemophila” really works on a group contribution and everyone helps write the compositions, which leaves Saki in a much more comfortable and less burdened position. But of all the members, Murata Tamu is perhaps the musician with the most autonomy to fill in the contributions provided. As “Nemophila” is far from having the progressive sound that the drummer likes the most, it is through her small touches that metallic compositions come out of the common sense. Although the songs are very traditional in terms of heavy metal, there is always some surprise in the course of the tracks presented in the singles “Oiran” and “Raitei”, in instrumental terms.

I hope “Nemophila” lasts a long time. They really enjoy being together and, as a result of this, at the interpersonal level, of relationships, the prognosis is very good. It remains to be seen whether the japanese market will allow many of these interesting bands that have emerged in the country to survive. Personally, I hope so. The freshness and enthusiasm of japanese metal is always a welcome and necessary counterbalance to the infertile and stuck sound of western bands. It is important for sporadically breathing new life into the genre and presenting other perspectives that honor the past, while still looking to the future. It was no wonder that the legendary Marty Friedman left “Megadeth” for a musical life in Japan. From a financial point of view, a much more modest decision, but from an artistic point of view... I can understand it perfectly.

Corvid greetings!