The LIVING DEAD: An Interview with THE SOUND BEE HD

Always on the lookout for great artists to show our readers, we were excited when the opportunity to interview THE SOUND BEE HD was given to us. For those that don't know, THE SOUND BEE HD is a band formed by former Media Youth vocalist, DAISUKE. They formed in 1998 and. barring a hiatus from 2005-2010, have been active ever since. They've hosted several overseas shows in the United States, China, and elsewhere. In 2015 they added Yuu as their guitarist who was formerly in Suicide Ali and Iix. In 2017 they released their album "LIVING DEAD" and they recently released a single titled "ENDLESS DEAD" (The official MV for this song can be found following the interview.) We're excited to hear more about this group in the future so be sure to check out this interview where we cover everything from their formation to their upcoming plans!

A-to-J: Thank you for the interview can you please introduce yourselves and perhaps give us an interesting fact
about yourselves?
DaISUKE DARK SIDE: I am DaISUKE DARK SIDE on vocals. I ate my girlfriend and then I turned her into my microphone stand. I sing while using a music stand. My house is full with the bones of my girlfriends.
裕-Yuu-: I am Yuu on guitar. My hobbies are the Airsoft survival game and making coffee. Would you like to try them with me?
YOU: I’m the bassist YOU. I live with 8 cats. No cats, No life! Besides that, I really love alcohol.
HIRO: I am HIRO, I’m in charge of the drums. The longest relationship I’ve ever had is with my pet turtle.

A-to-J: For those new to THE SOUND BEE HD can you give us a bit of a history from your formation to now?
DaISUKE DARK SIDE: I began my solo career after leaving the band media youth. A while later, I also left the company I was working with for my solo activities. Following that events, the band that I made became THE SOUND BEE HD.

A-to-J: How would you describe your musical sound to those who haven’t heard your music before?
裕-Yuu-: Our music includes heavy sounds but also songs where you can clearly listen to the melody. I think that it’s hard to get bored of our music because each album has its very own concept.

A-to-J: Are there any recurring themes or elements within THE SOUND BEE HD’s music?
YOU: Life and death. Blood, darkness, shinigami (god of the death) and zombies too. Our themes cover all of those topics.

A-to-J: You recently released a new single titled “ENDLESS DEAD” and late last year you released an album titled “LIVING DEAD”, can you tell us a bit about these releases?
裕-Yuu-: For our new single “ENDLESS DEAD”, It took me 3 months to make the arrangements for just one song. It became a really hard task because the tremendous numbers of tracks, but I think that It turned into a good song once assembled. “LIVING DEAD” is the compilation of the three albums released after I joined THE SOUND BEE HD. I get the feeling that it is an introductory CD to the current THE SOUND BEE HD which I’ve been part of it.

A-to-J: These release titles, and the band’s imagery, contain horror elements. Are you fans of the horror genre in general?
DaISUKE DARK SIDE: Completely, I love horror. I also like to make soundtracks for that kind of movies. I’ve made a lot of themes about death too. I like to feel the world of the living from the world of the dead.

A-to-J: What is the typical THE SOUND BEE HD concert like?
YOU: We express a certain world view from the beginning to the end. There are ballads to listen, there are uptempo songs and also heavy songs. There are also songs that allows us to become one with everyone.

A-to-J: Speaking of concerts, do you happen to have any funny stories that occurred while performing that you can share with us?
HIRO: I wanted to go to the toilet during a really long oneman live show and I almost didn’t make it.

A-to-J: Since “Visual Kei” can have a very wide definition we were wondering what it means to you and how you would classify THE SOUND BEE HD as a band.
HIRO: Speaking about Visual Kei, we are easily accepted by the hardcore fans of the scene. However, since THE SOUND BEE HD has a lot of ballad songs too, I think that we are a band that can be accepted by a wide range of people. Also, one of the characteristics of Visual Kei is that you can change the make-up style and clothes according to the theme of the songs of each release.

A-to-J: What are some of your upcoming plans for THE SOUND BEE HD?
DaISUKE DARK SIDE: I used to make a lot of plans and have many dreams in the past, but now I am only grateful to be able to properly carry out my band activities. That’s why my goal is to create good music and perform live. Either in Japan or overseas.

A-to-J: Lastly, can you give us a closing message to your fans?
DaISUKE DARK SIDE: Even if the music is eternal when you listen to it, I experience the highest happiness during a concert. I feel alive while performing. I would like to meet as many of you as possible during my lifetime. I want you to come to see me.
裕-Yuu-: We will meet for sure! It’s a promise!
YOU: To all of you who already know about THE SOUND BEE HD, and also to all of you who haven’t heard about us: I would like you to see one of our concerts someday! I want to share the world of THE SOUND BEE HD with many people around the world.
HIRO: Thank you very much for supporting us! I love to go overseas, play a show and then have some cultural exchange. Please wait for the day that we can meet each other!

For More on THE SOUND BEE HD:
Website: http://thesoundbeehd.zombie.jp/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/the_soundbee_hd
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thesoundbeehd

The above interview was coordinated by Royal Stage with oversight by Rubi Garza.

ENDLESS DEAD MV