KNOSIS – NIPPONGAKU Interview (Transcription)

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NIPPONGAKU: Before we start, there were a lot of questions, right? Are we going through all of them?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Yeah, well… We don’t have to do all of them.

NIPPONGAKU: Even if you do all of them, it’s fine. Is everything okay?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Yes.

NIPPONGAKU: Let’s begin. Hello everyone. Today we’re joined by KNOSIS. Thanks for coming. To start, could you introduce yourself?

Ryo Kinoshita:
How’s it going? My name is Ryo Kinoshita. I’m the vocalist. Nice to meet you.

NIPPONGAKU: Thanks. This time you’re touring Europe with Paledusk. It’s not your first time here, but would you say you’re used to it now?

Ryo Kinoshita:
With KNOSIS, yes.

This is our third European tour. For me, and for Kosuke on bass and Moro on drums, we’re pretty used to it now.

So whatever happens, no problem.

How do I put this…

We’ve become warriors, and nothing really throws us off anymore.

NIPPONGAKU: Thank you. So you already speak Spanish…

Ryo Kinoshita:
I guess so. Haha.

NIPPONGAKU: We can try speaking a little Spanish if you want. Are you up for it?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Well… I can only say hello. That’s enough.

I already said it earlier… My name is Ryo Kinoshita.

What else was it…

The words I know… Let’s see, which ones were they?

Beer, dog, house…

Well, I’ve forgotten a lot. I studied Spanish at university, but I forgot everything. Haha.

NIPPONGAKU: Amazing, really. Your journey in music has been so long. How old were you when you first got into music?

Ryo Kinoshita:
I started listening to music when I was 12.

At first I listened to J-pop and J-rock. Then I discovered Linkin Park.

And from there I started getting into heavier music like punk and metal. I also got into Metallica and Slayer, and then even more extreme stuff, like death metal and black metal.

I ended up liking more aggressive music even more. Then I started playing guitar and thought about forming a band.

I moved to Tokyo, and since then I’ve been making music for around 18 years.

NIPPONGAKU: You also play guitar. When you write KNOSIS songs, do you also write the guitar parts? Can you explain a bit?

Ryo Kinoshita:
The way we write KNOSIS songs lately is…

Our producer is Yoshi, from SURVIVE SAID THE PROPHET.

He brings us the song sketches or the core idea, from the verse to the chorus.

And from there I do the arrangement, change the tempo, reorder parts, rebuild the guitars, and finish shaping the song.

And when we record it, I play the guitar myself.

NIPPONGAKU: Thanks. KNOSIS has a very powerful, high-energy sound. What tuning do you use on guitar?

Ryo Kinoshita:
We use a seven-string guitar in Drop A tuning.

And well… I didn’t want something as low as djent.

But I also didn’t want it too high. Drop A felt like the perfect spot.

Drop A, or sometimes Standard A, because a lot of bands I like use those tunings.

So we decided on Drop A.

NIPPONGAKU: Interesting. KNOSIS has collaborated with artists like Nik Nocturnal and Yukina from HANABIE. Is there anyone you’d like to work with in the future?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Yes. There are a lot of people I’d like to collaborate with.

How can I put it…

With people making really interesting music in the current metalcore or hardcore scene.

And also with artists from other genres.

For example, someday I’d love to do something with Björk. She’s had a huge influence on me.

And yeah…

In the past I’ve played songs by Carcass and worked with other heavy bands. I think I understand heavy music well.

But more than chasing collaborations, I want to keep working hard and make good songs so other artists want to join me.

NIPPONGAKU: That’s great. Thanks for the answer. There are so many questions. Sorry about that, really. Thank you, you’re very kind.

NIPPONGAKU: Last time you came to Madrid with your former band Crystal Lake. A friend of mine went to that show, and he told me you grabbed him by the shirt and screamed the lyrics right in front of him. It moved him a lot. He’s crazy about your music and always says he’ll never forget that moment.

NIPPONGAKU: At live shows, what emotions do you feel? Right now we’re talking calmly, but when you get on stage, it seems like you become a different person. What do you feel up there?

Ryo Kinoshita:
First of all, tell your friend I’m sorry about the shirt. If it got ruined, I’ll give him one.

Tell him, haha.

How can I say this…

The emotion is…

Kiai. Do you know that word?

It’s like passion… How can I explain it…

I don’t know how to say it…

It’s like feeling alive. Like the feeling of being alive.

That kind of feeling…

That’s exactly what I want from a live show. I want to feel alive, and I want the audience to feel it too. I want people to hear the music and feel that they’re truly alive.

When you give everything, that’s what happens.

Exactly.

I want everyone to be aware that they’re alive. We don’t usually think about that.

But if I feel it, others can feel it too.

And that helps people live better lives.

I hope they can have a good life.

NIPPONGAKU: Thank you. We’re really looking forward to tonight’s show. And don’t worry about your friend’s shirt. He went home very happy, really.

NIPPONGAKU: We all have dreams when we’re kids. Is the Ryo of today the Ryo you imagined as a child? Did you follow that dream, or did it change over time?

Ryo Kinoshita:
When I was very little, my dream was to become Ultraman.

And if you ask whether I achieved that… well, I didn’t.

But at least when I was 12 and started getting into music, I was able to do what I wanted to do back then.

For example, playing with bands like Slipknot or Deftones, the kinds of things I dreamed about at the time, have come true.

NIPPONGAKU: Amazing. So, Ultraman then. Haha. Well, you can do anything in this world. Haha.

NIPPONGAKU: This interview might be getting too long. Are you okay? Really, thanks. About KNOSIS’s setlist, what song do you like playing live the most?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Well, lately there’s a song we haven’t released yet called “Kushizashi.”

It roughly means being skewered or impaled.

It was inspired by Elden Ring, and it’s really fun to play live.

It’s a slow, heavy track, but it gets the crowd moving and I have a lot of fun playing it too.

NIPPONGAKU: Amazing. Then I’ll look forward to its release.

NIPPONGAKU: So, for the ending… Do you play video games often?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Yes, I play a lot.

Of course, Elden Ring, Dark Souls, Bloodborne… I really love FromSoftware games.

And when we’re on tour, I like to play Smash Bros a lot.

We all play together. Especially Moro, Kosuke and me.

And on this tour, the Paledusk, Greyhaven and Headwreck members join in too.

Yes, we play Smash.

NIPPONGAKU: In Smash Bros, who’s your favourite character? Mario, or who do you like best?

Ryo Kinoshita:
I always use Ganondorf.

Kosuke uses Dedede, and Moro often uses Bowser.

Let’s say we’re all into villains. We’re definitely power-type players.

Ganondorf is pretty low on the tier list, so winning with him feels great.

NIPPONGAKU: Yeah, he’s a strong character. He’s slow, but he hits hard. One punch, and goodbye.

NIPPONGAKU: You’ve played in many countries already. Is there any country you haven’t played yet, but would like to visit?

Ryo Kinoshita:
I’ve never played in Africa. I’d love to play there someday.

They have a really developed music scene there. There’s a lot of electro, especially with tribal influences.

There’s also quite a bit of metal, and a very strong underground scene.

Metal, yes…

People mixing noise and techno to create new music. I’d love to feel that live and play with them.

Yeah… I’d love to play there, and also get inspired by it.

NIPPONGAKU: That’s amazing. Thanks for the answer. We’re down to the fun questions now, right? Haha.

NIPPONGAKU: Are we down to two? Yes. If you had to choose just one product from a konbini, what would you pick?

Ryo Kinoshita:
From a Japanese konbini, or from abroad?

NIPPONGAKU: Right, they’re different… Can it be a specific one? Like 7-Eleven or FamilyMart? Any of them?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Then FamilyMart…

They have really good dried fruit.

They have all kinds, but the dried peach is especially good.

There are other fruits too, like passion fruit.

I’ve tried dried fruit from different places, but the peach from FamilyMart is the best.

Whenever I go there, I always end up buying it.

NIPPONGAKU: Thanks for the recommendation. I’ve tried dried mango and it’s good too. Next time I’ll try the peach.

NIPPONGAKU: And now, the last question. It’s an A or B game. Ready?

NIPPONGAKU: Tsukemen or ramen?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Ramen.

NIPPONGAKU: Ramen team! Takenoko or kinoko?

Ryo Kinoshita:
Kinoko, kinoko.

NIPPONGAKU: Thanks. And the last one… Countryside or city?

Ryo Kinoshita:
City.

NIPPONGAKU: Alright, that’s it. The interview is over. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much.

NIPPONGAKU: Would you like to say something to your fans in Spain?

Ryo Kinoshita:
The fans in Spain have supported us for a very long time.

They’re incredibly passionate, as are the fans in other parts of Europe.

Especially Spain is one of the countries where I feel a lot of love.

So of course, I’ll come back.

I want to do many more shows. Come and see us live.