With thundering drum rolls, loud guitar solos, bluesy frameworks and raspy vocals the album is no deviation from their signature style of “Jet Rock‘n’Roll” – the unique strain of punk music coined and created by Guitar Wolf. This is a sound that guitarist and the self-proclaimed Guitar Wolf, Seiji, has previously referred to as having ‘everything in the red’.
“I love heavy noise sound,” Seiji says, explaining this sound. “When the meter of the audio device goes into the red zone, the sound becomes one big entity itself. Then it becomes like a ripping, exploding planet.” That’s no exaggeration. Known just as well for their frenetic live shows as they are for their music, the band rips through audiences with elaborate stage production, microphones that spew fire and often play through entire sets non-stop.
Since its inception, Guitar Wolf has undergone a shake down with the passing of one of its original founding members Billy aka Bass Wolf. After suffering a fatal heart attack in 2005, the band was left without a bassist until later year when they played their first show with their new bassist UG. A completely untrained musician, Seiji explains this was an important and deliberate part of the decision making process.
“After Billy passed away, many people came to us to play the bass in the band. All of them were experienced musicians and I could predict how they would play. I thought we could never be stronger than Guitar Wolf with Billy if we played safe with a predictable musician. We bet on UG who we couldn’t predict what he would do at all. He was an exceptional delinquent back then. That was an important factor, too.”
After 25 years of performing, Guitar Wolf still has no plans on slowing down. Experience has shown the value of tenacity. It’s rewarded them with longevity that most bands can only pray the rock gods will deliver them.
“We’ve been effectively using the world’s top five powers all the time. Top five powers are: alcohol sake power, anger power, erotic power, pyramid power, etc.” Perhaps it was the alcohol sake power that gave them the strength to have recently delivered a 20-date tour in North America and Canada. Despite the five powers, Seiji believes his continued motivation to perform is completely organic. “I’m a bullet of rock. I must keep shooting someone’s heart all the time. The ‘rock vibration’ never stops in my body.”
This frenetic energy is something that Guitar Wolf wants to infiltrate into those around them. With recurring themes of humans versus technology, Beast Vibrator is a message to the modern world. “When I was walking in the street one day, I noticed everyone was slouching, looking down. I was surrounded by phone junkies. All of a sudden I felt the anger come up inside of me, when I thought, ‘People, get your wild instinct back! Shake like a wild beast!’ [That’s how] I got this title Beast Vibrator,” says Seiji.
With Australian tours lined up for the end of this month there’s no telling what the band has in store for us. “I’ve been thinking of many plans, but these are the secrets. You can expect the regulars like jump, action, loud sound, rock explosion as usual. Let us explode together,” says Seiji. One thing we can expect is lashings of alcohol sake power.
BY ISABELLA UBALDI
