We are focusing on a wide range of music genres such as EDM, Hard Rock and Metal, with this in our souls we started our career with highly addictive melodies and screams. We play our lives without wavering and even our highly addictive and catchy tunes are strongly loved, even by the overseas audience.
Visual Laboratory,
Thank you very much for taking your time to answer this interview!
Please introduce the band with one single Kanji. And why did you choose this Kanji.
希 (Mare) -> rare; seldom
Meaning of Hope
Meaning of Rare
I think these two meanings are equal to the band.
What’s your favorite Kanji? And why do you like this Kanji?
Yossy: 怒 (Ika) Anger
Starting from anger, it gives the power to continue my efforts.
Misery: 崖 (Gake) Cliff
I want to live my life to the very limit.
Takumi: Taku (拓) to be open
I want to be a drummer who opens up the future.
Why did you want to become a bandman? What inspired you to be one?
Yossy: I love to sing, so I wanted to be in a band.
Misery: I discovered the joy of songwriting from home recording to songwriting, I gained friendships and so it became a band.
Takumi: But they told me that I was too tone-deaf, so I became a drummer.
The band has some long history, how does Visual Laboratory different from the early beginnings?
Yossy: I’m doing the music I want to do.
Misery: I’m putting all my effort into doing whatever I like, even into small stuff.
Takumi: Current members are different from previous and we have nothing to change our music. But we try to get to the best way in different members to create music.
Takumi is a muscular drummer, but have you played any sports?
Yossy: He was doing karate and tennis.
Misery: He didn’t specialize in any sports.
Takumi: Table tennis.
Misery you said that you are a “Defender life is offside” person. Could you explain it a little bit more? What makes you such a person?
Misery: “defender”, I am the key to protection.
I support the band with my bass and I also was the founder of the band, so I am the defender.
Also as my name suggests too, I’m not very lucky, so I wish to live forever on the borderline, God is a mischievous person.
Misery: owa (哀れ) = pity; sorrow; grief; misery; compassion; pathos
Please tell us something about the instrument you are playing.
Yossy: Microphone: super55
Misery: ebs multi comp mxr m80
Takumi: My muscles
How do you like to spend your free-time?
Yossy: I read books and watch movies
Misery: Boat Race
Takumi: Muscle training and hugging my dog.
The band’s concept and style are violent, passion and emo. Can you elaborate on the concept and style of the band and why did you choose it?
“Get rid of everyday stress!” That’s the motto we love to express all. So we express our songs carefully and intensely in a stylish way. We want to be more emo and empathize more with the audience so that they can hear what they have in their daily lives and what they feel too.
Visual Laboratory sound has been described as “a mix of rock, screamo and EDM”: what are the influences of the band?”
Yossy: LINKIN PARK, LUNA SEA, and many artists.
Misery: Not particularly.
Takumi: Chatmonchy, Maximum The Hormone, DASEIN
Yoshii because you are an all-rounder vocalist, is there still any kind of technik you want to try out?
Female voice
With songs like “Under Slave a Girl” and “Ai Hate U”, the band doesn’t seem to shy away from heavy topics like BDSM and the theme of love and hatred. What inspires your lyrical content and how does that fit with the image and sound of Visual Laboratory?
Yossy: The words came to my mind while listening to the sound and spelled out in the form of lyrics.
Misery: Inspired by Yosshi’s songs.
Takumi: Just how I felt back then.
What’s your process of song composing?
We just compose a wonderful song. We create the image we wanna create.
With the second single “Musica Democracy”, there’s a strong message against the current music industry. What are your views on mainstream music? How does a niche genre like visual kei attack the mainstream and become the winner?
Yossy: I don’t deny mainstream music. I just think that it’s important to keep shouting our own message into a world where you not get buried easily.
Misery: I like mainstream music, I live old music, we just do what we have to do and can do.
Takumi: I like Aimyon (あいみょん)
It’s not about winning or losing, it’s about having fun together.
All three of your singles have been available on digital platforms. What made you recur to online music distribution rather than physical releases?
Yossy: Cost. I personally collect CDs and stuff, so I want to do physical releases with my band in the future.
Misery: It’s easier.
Takumi: Costs. Also the work around it is less heavy.
How did you become interested in visuals?
Yossy: I started because I had a complex about my own looks, and make-up feels like Kabuki.
Misery: Because of the looks and the wide range of music genres.
Takumi: My friends listened to it.
For everyone, “What is visual? What is the relationship between music and visual? And what does “visual” mean to you?
Yossy: I don’t think a definition is necessary. But for me, I use makeup to express what’s on the inside of my heart.
Misery: It’s a visual impact.
Takumi: It’s just wearing makeup and being in a band. The rest is a free scene of anything, you can do whatever you want.
How would you describe the Osaka scene? And how does it differ from the past?
Yossy: We just do what we can do now. I think that’s more important to act than to evaluate.
Misery: I want to eat pizza
Takumi: I will order pizza….
How do you think the current visual scene is different from the past?
Yossy: It feels as fewer people will come to the venue to see bands.
Misery: I want to eat sushi.
Takumi: Expensive sushi.
How does it feel to have foreign fans discover your music?
Yossy: Really happy.
Misery: Amazed Happy
Takumi: Very very Happy
Due to COVID-19, live houses have been shut for many months. How has that affected the band?
Yossy: Can’t play lives.
Misery: ooh no!
Takumi: Bebe left us…
Even in this difficult time, Do you have planned some new fun things for your fans?
We wish to play actively towards non-vkei bands too. It might seem simple, but it’s still a challenge for Japanese underground bands.
Why should someone listen to your music? What is a unique point that other artists don’t have?
Yossy: The way you enjoy our music it is up to you, so please listen to it how you like it. Also we want to express the way of enjoying music that only we can do.
Please write a message to your fans.
Yossy: I wish to create a view together with everyone which we only can create together. Thank you for your support!
Takumi: Reallly thank you!!
Please check our MV’s and our future activities!
The final words are for Misery
Misery: Eh? The last? eeeeeh_(:3」z)_
Thank you very much for this interview!
Interview questions help thanks to: J A E 〜