Medusa>>Eliza>>Liza-E>>ELIZA - JAPAN
|
Lovin’ Hittin’ Scratchin’ – 1990 - Fandango |  |
Members Vocals Brain Surgery>>Ryugo [Ryugo Ito] – Diall, Harkenkreuz,Grudge/Curse, Saber Tiger>>SADAYA [SADAYA SAKEBI]>>Saber TigerGuitar Michiru [Michiru Kaneda] – Gladiator>>HIKOMI [HIKOMI KAWASAKI]>>Gladiator - KIMIHIKO [KIMIHIKO SATO]Bass Screw Driver>>Hisaaki [Hisaaki Kagamo]Drum Nobu [Nobuyuki Odera] |
History & Biography Hokkaido-based Eliza was briefly called Medusa in 1983, but changed its monicker due to the existence of the Osaka-based band of the same name. The band’s founder was bassist Hisaaki. Early drummer was Yoshinobu Okamoto. Eliza, Saber Tiger and Fast Draw were part of the FES Raiders tour of Japan in 1987. The band carried on until 1987, regrouped in 1988 and again ceased activities in 1990 when, in fact, most of the Japanese metal bands disbanded. The band returned once in 1992 and once in 2004 for one-off shows, in another incarnation as Liza-E between 2012 and 2017 and again as Eliza after that.The band was first heard through the Battle Of A Saint demo of 1984, which featured the song Scorpion. This song was also issued as a single. The local Fasten Up Records issued the Born To Be Wild, To Be Free EP in 1986. The band left the island and toured eastern and western Japan for six shows in March of 1987. Another trek followed in July. The band played with Fast Draw and Saber Tiger, all Hokkaido-based bands. The band’s debut album of 1988 was preceded by the album’s opening track, namely Fast As Lightning, as a single. This did not carry the band far as Dream On Tonite was a 1988 demo. Nevertheless, Fasten Up issued the Chronicle compilation in 1988. Another demo, called Nothing To Lose, featured one song. Another demo, this time self-titled, was released in 1990. The band netted a deal with Fandango/Tokuma, but disbanded as the entire Japanese metal scene collapsed. Still, a video called Fast And Loose with the same cover as the LP was issued in 1990. Sadaya Sakebi, formerly of Saber Tiger, became the singer in 2012. Upon its return the band recorded the From Liza-E To Eliza – Live At Cube Garden Sapporo DVD in 2017. Something Like Hot was the subject of a thirtieth anniversary in 2019. The Battle Field CD of 2017 was a full-length with a guest contribution from former guitarist Michiru. It featured a couple of new tracks, but also self-cover versions. It was issued through Nobu’s Studio ARL. Original drummer Nobu left in 2018 and was replaced by Sho (Shoichi Tamura) in 2019. Hisaaki became a part-time member and the band drafted bassist Daisuke Fujitani to assist. The act performed in Tokyo for the first time in 32 years. The band was operating with two bassists and had no drummer as of the autumn of 2021. The original bassist lived in Tokyo and the group replaced him with a local musician for Hokkaido shows. Nacarbide and Eliza had three concerts in the cities of Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo in Japan in September 2022. Seventh Heaven, Rosario Ark, Benzy and Valkyrie opened locally. Eliza’s early guitarist Kaneda Michiru died in January 2023. Feathers Crying was a new demo from the band in 2023. Drummer Yuta joined in 2023. The band was booked for gigs in Hokkaido and Stakkman Attack 2024, alongside Riot City and Coven Japan, in Tokyo. To begin, the band maintained a flamboyant glam/visual kei image, featuring metal melodies that were pleasant to the ears, a warm bass sound, and soaring vocals with a smooth singer. Think of the band as an original entity that, if push came to shove, could be compared to Tokyo Blade, Sweden’s Regent, Saber Tiger with the vocals of 44 Magnum. The band, Fast Draw and Saber Tiger were the three prominent Hokkaido metal bands of the ‘80s. Reviews ELIZA – BORN TO BE WILD, TO BE FREE – FASTEN UP Interviews  Founded on the island of Hokkaido in Japan in 1983, and heard by exactly two people outside of its home country, the hard rock and heavy metal band Eliza is truly an insiders’ tip. Look up the word ‘injustice’ in the Japanese to English dictionary and a picture of the band illustrates the word’s meaning. Granted, the band is guilty too with its disbandment, line-up and style changes, but fact remains that many more people need to hear Eliza. The Japanese are never originators, but they pick things up and always do it better. Ali “The Metallian” caught up with four of the band members in Hokkaido for an interview that was conducted in Japanese and translated into English as well. Let bassist Hisaaki, guitarists Hikomi and Kimihiko and singer Sadaya introduce you to the beauties of Eliza. – 23.04.2022 METALLIAN: First and foremost thank-you and congratulations for creating music that should be immortal. More people need to hear your music. It is under-rated. With that said, the first question is about the band’s monicker. Who came up with this name and who was Eliza? KOGAMO HISAAKI: Thank-you! I think this year should be our bands' 40th anniversary (laughs). First, we want to thank you for being interested in us. In terms of being under-rated, I think that many heavy metal fans are smart and rejected Eliza as such. Personally, I do not care (laughs). It is a long story so let me skip it. In my opinion this not caring and surprising listeners is Eliza's personality. Something like that (laughs again). We sincerely respect the people who think our music should be listened to by more people. We are also going to love music more and more every day. SATO KIMIHIKO: The naming of Eliza was Kogamo’s idea. I think that he was saying that the monicker was an android’s and the name was taken from some book. I agreed with the name because it was simple and I liked it. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: It was Kogamo’s idea, but I do not remember how he came up with it. KOGAMO HISAAKI: Eliza was... the nickname of a person who taught me the splendour of women for the first time about when I was 15 years old (laughs). Her real name was Elizabeth, yet she was called Eliza by everybody. She was sexy and beautiful (laughs). Also, she was part American and part British and three years older than I. In terms of the band’s name, nobody asked me about it until now, but I should tell you the truth since Sato is telling you about an android. Look up Eliza in Wikipedia. Eliza is an early natural language processing computer program created from 1964 to 1966. I was interested in science fiction since I was a child and got the idea that humans will be controlled by AI someday from this domain (laughs). The people who were controlled by AI will experience conflict, anger, sadness et cetera. I thought that I should use these human emotions in our music. Anyway, I really liked the naming Eliza, which spoke to my heart and body. It felt good (laughs). METALLIAN: I need to pick up on a couple of things just said. Kogamo says heavy metal fans showed rejection to Eliza. This cannot be true or could it? Also was Eliza the nickname of a woman you had met as a teenager or is the truth that it was a programming language? I am confused. Then which story is fact? KOGAMO HISAAKI: Do heavy metal fans accept the band Kiss or LA metal of 1980s as heavy metal? In terms of the stories, both are truth. What a great name! Is it not? METALLIAN: Hisaaki, It is. Is it correct that the band was founded by you? Why was the name changed from Medusa? SATO KIMIHIKO: I believe it was (founded by) Kogamo after he left the band Screwdriver. We did not have a twin-guitar band in Sapporo at that time so he wanted to make a ‘beefy’ band like Maiden and Accept. I think that the changing of the band name from Medusa was due to our already having a band with the same name in Japan. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: We changed our name because there was the band Medusa, which already had started its activities. KOGAMO HISAAKI: That's right! METALLIAN: The band’s sound is heavy metal to start and becomes more sleaze and hard rock-oriented later. With that said, the sound comes across as your own and not copied. As such, who influenced the band members to come up with the Eliza sound and style? SATO KIMIHIKO: When we started, I had an image of the band as being like a British or German one as mentioned before. Kawasaki and I left the band because our band was going to shift to a party-rock style. Kawasaki and I hated that. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: We who are answering this question were playing as a quintet so I do not know much about the band’s line-up after it became a quartet. We had the same taste in musical styles so it was natural to create the music that we did in our early days. KOGAMO HISAAKI: I am probably the person who influenced our music style, but the other members’ identities influenced me as well. I will not talk about the era with the four members of Eliza right now. I do not mind if you think that band is a completely different one from that one right now. Your opinion that ‘Eliza’s music is heavy metal to start and becomes more sleaze and hard rock-oriented later’ is the reason why our music is not categorized as heavy metal, which is what I was talking about at the beginning of this interview. METALLIAN: Could you say a few words about your classic song, Scorpion? What is it about? Since the band sings ‘I love you,’ is the track about a person? SATO KIMIHIKO: I believe that Kogamo asked (former singer) Yokouchi Shuichi to write lyrics fit for a love song for this track after Kogamo wrote an original story for the song. Only Yokouchi knows the meaning of this song. KOGAMO HISAAKI: I wrote this song because a radio personality named Seisoku Ito said “It is boring that every last one of them (referring to musicians) is singing about ‘Love’ or ‘Fire’”. That was 40 years ago on a Japanese radio show, which is still broadcast on the radio. Then I thought, “Well... Let’s sing about ‘love’ and ‘fire’ then” (laughs). This is why I wrote the lyrics (laughs again). This track became loved by many people because the members’ ideas became well entwined. I was writing lyrics and music when we did not have a vocalist in the early days. Scorpion was the same... but... it did not work out. So, we completed it after Yokouchi officially joined us and corrected a part of this track. Regarding your question about whether it is for someone, all listeners have someone to love. Add our love to your love for someone you love. This is a “I Love You” to everyone who is listening to this track, audiences at a concert or anyone who became interested on us (laughs)! METALLIAN: Are you still in touch with Yokouchi Shuichi? If so, what is he up to? SATO KIMIHIKO: He is well. I heard that he became an excellent manager. I have not had contact with him for almost seven to eight years. We do not have a bad relationship. Our relationship is amicable. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: Unfortunately! KOGAMO HISAAKI: Same as Kawasaki’s comment! METALLIAN: Why did you, guitarists Kawasaki Hikomi and Kimihiko Sato, quit before the debut album was released? SATO KIMIHIKO: I hated our drummer at that time. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: Difference in musical directions. The direction was different when we changed from heavy metal to hard rock. KOGAMO HISAAKI: A debut album?? What kind of debut? I personally made my debut at various cabaret clubs many times... (laughs). Well, this is a continuation from the beginning of the interview, but it was during the time that we found a gap between Sato and Kawasaki’s heavy metal style and my style. I believe that we were on a couple of tours with other bands… with a certain band which had a professional contract. I remember during our chat with them Kawasaki was astonished about their salary. I also had the same thought. I also remember that Kawasaki muttered to me, ‘we can achieve so much if we try hard to become a professional band.’ I had little understanding about these things back then. I felt sorry for Sato and Kawasaki, but was definitely going to make the shift and to change at once because I wanted to make the most of the individuality of (new singer) Ryugo Itu who was in our band at that time. I also wanted make my own style more prominent. It was not a good period for the band. 
METALLIAN: The full-length albums deliver a different style than the early demos and EP. How do you see this? SATO KIMIHIKO: The opportunity to record and produce came with the financial, and other, assistance of Tauchi Masato who was a member of the crew of Kawasaki and I. He said that he wants to immortalize the track 踊り子 with the best sound for the future. He also said that he would pay for this production. I am very grateful to him. KOGAMO HISAAKI: I am thankful to be able to participate in this recording. I am thankful to Mr. Tauchi and Mr. Kaneda Mitsuru who were involved in the recording, Mr. Odera and other related parties too. SADAYA: I am indebted to Tauchi in various ways and very thankful to him for choosing me. He is a nice guy. METALLIAN: By the way, who was Fasten Up Records? SATO KIMIHIKO: It was Mr. Aoyama’s (Aoyama Yasuhiko) label. Saber Tiger was also on the label too. I do not know any other bands that were on the label. KOGAMO HISAAKI: Yes, it was Mr. Aoyama’s label. He is my teacher and I worked with him after the dissolution of the five-member Eliza. I am in contact with him when I am drunk (laughs). The monicker of Eliza is also a favourite of his. METALLIAN: Speaking of which, Eliza’s history is intertwined with that of Saber Tiger. Firstly, why do you think Saber Tiger continued and made it whereas Eliza disbanded? SATO KIMIHIKO: Kawasaki and I have no idea why Eliza became inactive. For the activity to resume, singer Sadaya joining us was necessary. He is the best singer. In terms of Saber Tiger’s longevity, Mr. Kinoshita is the reason. I think that Saber Tiger’s existence and survival is just because he keeps on playing. KOGAMO HISAAKI: Talent, effort and passion! We have an adage, which goes, ”persistence is power.” I think he is exactly Saber Tiger. He is one of the people I respect. METALLIAN: Secondly, what is the connection between the bands? Eliza features former Saber Tiger singer Sadaya. At some point Kinoshita of Saber Tiger was playing live with Eliza. As well, the band toured together using the FES Raiders monicker. Both bands were on Fasten Up Records. SATO KIMIHIKO: Our relationship with Saber Tiger is good. I am also on good terms with the disbanded band Fast Draw’s members. KAWASAKI HIKOMI: I do not have much of a deep connection with Saber Tiger, but we had a tour together and made for an exciting metal scene in Sapporo at that time. I received very good inspirations (from them). KOGAMO HISAAKI: All bands at that time were not friendly like now, but we were comrades who sailed in the endless ocean in search of a unique personality. We respected each other's bands and members somewhere in our hearts. That is why we are friendly with any bands and any members now. SADAYA: It is good. We can exchange banter like, ‘How is it going?’ and then have a jovial chat when we meet. I also personally visit Kinoshita's house. METALLIAN: There was a Kerrang magazine on the cover of Something Like Hot. Was Eliza ever featured in Kerrang? SATO KIMIHIKO: I think there was not such a thing before Kawasaki and my temporary withdrawal from the band. KOGAMO HISAAKI: No way! We are under-rated (laughs). METALLIAN: Congratulations, it would have been embarrassing if Eliza was in that rag. Eliza disbanded, but returned twice, Once in 1992 and once in 2004. What were the occasions? For example, were they intended to be one-off concerts or other? SATO KIMIHIKO: It was some kind of an event or something like that. It was an invitation from drummer Odera. I was thankful to Odera at that time. KOGAMO HISAAKI: (Thinks)… we had been playing as Eliza as a quartet... Was it that year? I forget (laughs). METALLIAN: The band returned in 2012. What was the goal of this reformation? SATO KIMIHIKO: Our goals were an event appearance and a full-scale reformation, which would also include new releases in the future. METALLIAN: The band changed its name to Liza-E in 2012. What was the reason for this? Then the name reverted to Eliza. Again why? SATO KIMIHIKO: It was a strange name when (drummer) Odera initiated this plan. We reverted to the original name after talking it over with Kogamo. KOGAMO HISAAKI: I was consulted by Sato. I thought a lot about using the Eliza name and there was also a conflict regarding that. Mr. Kaneda and other involved people pushed me to do it. “Without Kogamo it is not Eliza,” he said. So I decided to join the band and use the Eliza name again. The band Eliza equals my playing with this line-up! I am excited now. METALLIAN: How did the band and singer Sadaya connect initially? SATO KIMIHIKO: Odera brought him. He is the best frontman. SADAYA: I was Eliza’s audience member first and then became their singer when I realized It was something of an identical experience to Saber Tiger. I feel strange in my current situation sometimes. I think that my past and present were blessed with members who are kind. METALLIAN: Eliza has issued an album called Battlefield. Two questions: Why re-record material? Also, are the new songs new compositions or are they older songs that are recorded now? SATO KIMIHIKO: The reason of recording was as mentioned before . KOGAMO HISAAKI: I am the only person who lives far away from the other members so did not have time to work on new songs. Also, the last time I played my instrument was a while ago. Therefore, re-recording older songs was the best choice, I thought. METALLIAN: Eliza played Tokyo after 32 years of absence in 2019. The band looked vital and energetic. Is the next concert in Tokyo in 2051? SATO KIMIHIKO: I want to play Tokyo and Osaka every year beginning in 2022. I would also like to travel overseas if we receive an offer. SADAYA: I will go anywhere if called! METALLIAN: Could you update our readers on the group’s line-up? Who is on bass, who is on drums and are you recruiting new members? SATO KIMIHIKO: Singer Sadaya, guitarists are Kawasaki and I, bassists are leader Kogamo and Daisuke. We found a good drummer and will announce his name later. The reason why we have two bassists is that Daisuke will play when we have a concert in Hokkaido since Kogamo lives in Tokyo so cannot travel here easily. METALLIAN: What is next for the band? What is the latest news and plans? SATO KIMIHIKO: We have found a good drummer. To our fans I say, ’please wait for us.’ We are hoping to receive some offers like a label contract and an endorsement of equipment too. SADAYA: We are moving forward with the next album. We want to deliver it to everyone as soon as possible. METALLIAN: Could you give us any details about the upcoming album? Do you have any title and when can we expect it? SADAYA: We did not decide on a title yet, but it should be all original and cool sounds which is newly written and composed. Please look forward to it. METALLIAN: Quick question: What do you think of model and singer Elisa? SATO KIMIHIKO: This is my first time hearing her. Not my type. METALLIAN: Have you lived a life that is wild? Have you been free? SATO KIMIHIKO: It was wild. Now it is free. KOGAMO HISAAKI: Ah... Born to be wild, to be free! Well, only that is ongoing (laughs)! SADAYA: I have been in wildlife and I will continue to be wild without changing! METALLIAN: Everyone everywhere knows that Metallian is the best website there ever was and ever will be. Do you also agree? SATO KIMIHIKO: I agree with it. I will support you and want to get your support for us. Thankful for this interview too. Thanks again. KOGAMO HISAAKI: Yes, same opinion as Sato... but my planet which I am staying on does not have a website like this! Do you mind if I talk about this wonderful website to my cool friends? We will look forward to seeing you again, thank you very much have a nice day! Eliza’s website can be found at https://eliza2017.wixsite.com/main. The band is playing live occasionally so pending a new album grab the older releases and either try to catch the band live if you live in Hokkaido or pray to Buddha that the Japanese government opens the country’s borders to the dirty foreigners so you can sneak in alongside the first million Chinese tourists and slip away from the tour group to see Eliza in action. Alongside miso ramen, creamy butter and good fish they surely are one of the island’s top attractions. 1983年北海道で結成され、国外で知る者はわずか2人。ハードロック・ヘビメタバンドElizaはまさに知る人ぞ知るバンドである。 「不公平」の単語を日英辞書で引けば、このバンド写真がその意味を示している。メンバーや音楽スタイルの変更、解散といった事も確かにあったが、それでももっと多くの人達がElizaを聴くべきだ。日本人が本家本元になる事はまずない。がしかし、いつだって拾い上げたものを改良するのが日本人というものだ。 Ali "The Metallian"は北海道のメンバー４人と肩を並べ、日本語でインタビューを行い英訳した。ベーシスト寿明、ギタリストの彦美と公彦、それにシンガーのSadaya。さぁElizaの美しさを存分に語っていただこうではないか。 – 2022.04.23 METALLIAN: まずは不滅のELIZAに長年の活動への感謝とお祝いを。世間では過小評価されていますが、もっともっと多くの人達に聴かれるべきバンドだと思います。と言う事で、まずはこのバンド名について。誰のアイデアなのか、またELIZAなる人物は誰でしょうか？ 小鴨寿明: (以下Hisa)ありがとうございます！今年で40周年だと思います(笑)先ずは、俺達に興味を持って頂き感謝致します。過小評価の件ですが…Heavy Metalを好きな人達は頭の良い人達が多く、俺達をHeavy Metalにカテゴライズしようとして拒否反応が出たのではないかな？(笑)個人的には気にしていない(笑)話せば長くなるので割愛させてもらうが、俺個人にとっては「これがELIZAの個性、してやったり！」というところかな？(笑)それと「多くの人達に聴かれるべき」と思っていただいてる方々に、俺達は心から敬意を表します。またより一層俺達も音楽を愛していきます!! 佐藤公彦: (以下公彦) ELIZAのネーミングはHisaのアイデアです。確か何かの本のアンドロイドの名前と言ってた気がする。俺はシンプルで気に入って賛成したよ。 川崎彦美: (以下彦美)Hisaの発案。経緯までは覚えてない。 Hisa: ELIZAとは…俺が15歳の時に初めて女性の素晴らしさを教えてくれた人の愛称だ(笑)本名はElizabeth。皆からイライザって呼ばれていた。アメリカとイギリスのハーフで3歳年上のとても綺麗でセクシーな人だった(笑)バンド名については、今まであまり聞かれたことないかな？公彦がアンドロイドの話をしてしまったので…事実を話すよ。 ウィキペディアによるとElizaとは、1964年から1966年にかけて作成された初期の自然言語処理プログラムのひとつ。 俺は子供の頃からSFとかに興味があって、この情報を知った時に「いずれ人類はＡＩに支配されるのでは？」と思った(笑)AIに支配される人類の葛藤や怒り、悲しみ等を詩、曲にいかせないかと思ったんだ。まぁとにかく、俺の心と体に響く「ELIZA」というネーミングがとても気に入ったんだ。気持ち良かったし！(笑) METALLIAN: 今の話の中でお聞きしたい事が何点か。Hisa氏がヘビメタ好きはELIZAに対し拒否反応が出た、との事ですが、そんなことは起こりうるのでしょうか？ それに加えてバンド名の由来。「１０代の頃に出会った女性の愛称」その後に事実として「言語処理プログラム」のお話も。少々混乱しているのですが、どちらの話が本当なのでしょうか？ Hisa: ヘビーメタルファンは、”KISS” をヘビーメタルと認めるだろうか？”80s LAメタル”をヘビーメタルと認めるだろうか？（バンド名の由来は）どちらも、本当だよ。最高のネーミングだろ！ 
METALLIAN: 確かに、良いネーミングですね。バンドを立ち上げたのは ベーシストのHisa氏という事で正しいですか？Medusaから今のバンド名へ変更した理由は何ですか？公彦: 結成理由はHisaがScrewdriverを脱退してから当時、札幌にツインギターのバンドもなく、MaidenやAcceptのような男らしいバンドを組みたいと言った理由だったはず。Medusaからの変更は、確か日本に同名のバンドがあると聞いたからだったかな。 彦美: Medusaというバンドが 俺達より先に活動していたので改名した。 Hisa: That's right！その通りです！ METALLIAN: ELIZA音楽は、ヘビメタから始まりスリーズメタル、ハードロック指向へと移り変わります。この作風はコピーではなくバンド独自のものですね。この音楽スタイルが確立する影響を与えたのは誰ですか？ 公彦: 先ほどの理由で最初はブリティッシュ、ジャーマンをイメージしていた。彦美と俺が抜けた理由は当時流行っていたパーティ系へシフトしていったからだね。彦美と俺はパーティロックが嫌いだから。 彦美: 今 この質問に答えているのは5人でヘビーメタルをプレイしていた時のメンバーなので、4人になってからの事は解らない。初期の頃は5人が同じ音楽性だったのでとても自然に出来上がった。 Hisa: 音楽スタイルを形成しているのは、確かに俺かもしれないが、他のメンバーのIdentityがあってこそ！4人でのELIZAについては、ここでは話すつもりはない。全く別物と受け止めて頂いても構わないが…。「ヘビーメタルから始まりスリーズメタル、ハードロック指向へと変わります」という見解でいらっしゃいますが、冒頭でお話したHeavy Metalにカテゴライズされない理由である。 METALLIAN: 古い曲ですがScorpionについて少々。何についての楽曲なのでしょう？「I love you」と歌っていますが誰かへ捧げた曲ですか？ 公彦: スコーピオンはHisaが元ネタを作った時にラブソングで歌詞をとシュウ（元ボーカルの横内執一氏）に言ったはずだね。歌詞の意味はシュウしかわからないと思う。 Hisa: 今でも流れている日本のラジオ番組でパーソナリティの伊藤政則氏が今から40年前の当時、「どいつもこいつもLoveだ！FIRE!だと歌いやがって つまらない」と申し上げておりましたので…。では「Love Fire」と歌ってみましょう！(笑)ということで歌詞を書いた(笑)この曲はメンバーのアイディアが特に良く絡み合い、人々に愛される作品になったと思う。初期の作品はボーカルが不在の為、俺が歌詞、メロディーを書き上げていた。「scorpion」もそうだ…が…しかししっくりこず…。正式加入した横内執一に一部を修正してもらって完成した。「誰かに捧げてる曲ですか？」に関しては聴いてくれてる人達が誰かを愛している…その思いに重ねてくれればいい。また音源を聞いてくれたり、LIVEを見に来てくれた人達、俺達に興味を持ってくれた人達全員に向けた「I Love You」です！(笑) METALLIAN: 横内執一氏とは依然連絡を取り合っていますか？もしそうなら彼の近況はどうでしょうか？ 公彦: 彼は元気だよ。優秀な経営者となっていると聞いた。この7〜8年はやりとりはないな。険悪ではない。友好的だと思う。 彦美: 残念ながら! Hisa: 彦美と同じく! METALLIAN: デビュー・アルバム発売前に脱退したギタリストのお二人、彦美氏と公彦氏。その理由とは？ 公彦: 俺は当時のドラマーが嫌だった。 彦美: 音楽性の違い。Heavy metalからHard rockに変わりかけた時 方向性が違った。 Hisa: デビューアルバム？？なんのデビューでしょうか？キャバクラには個人的に色々な店に幾度もデビューしましたが…(笑)まぁ冒頭で割愛した話の続きになってしまうが、公彦、彦美の思っているHeavy Metalの方向と俺が持っているStyleの違いが少し前から如実に現れていた頃だった。その頃確か、プロ契約した某バンドと北海道をカップリングでツアーをしていた。楽屋の話で、その某バンドの給料を聞いて公彦が驚愕していたのを思い出す。俺も聞いてそう思った。頑張ってプロになれば色々な事が出来る…と、公彦が俺に呟いたのをおもいだす。俺は少し前からその事は理解していた。その頃在籍していたシンガーの「伊藤竜吾」の個性をいかす為にと、俺自身のStyleを浮き彫りにしたい感情で、公彦や彦美には申し訳ないと思いつつ、一気にシフトチェンジしようとしたのは間違いない。バンドとしては良い状態ではなかったかな…。 METALLIAN: フルアルバムがこれまでのデモやEPとスタイルを変えての発売となりましたが、これについてどう思われますか？ 公彦: 制作のきっかけは結成から彦美と俺のクルーだった田内正人の声かけから。彼が「踊り子」をいい音で残したいと言ってくれたから。制作費も出すと言ってくれた。彼にはとても感謝している。 Hisa: 参加させて頂き、田内正人氏、俺のレコーディングに関わってくれた金田充氏、NOB氏、その他関係者に感謝しています。 叫/SADAYA: 田内くんには色々お世話になってるし俺を選んでくれて凄く感謝してるよ。彼はナイスガイだね。 METALLIAN: ところで Fasten Up Recordsとはどちら様でしょう？ 公彦: 青山(Aoyama Yasuhiko)氏のレーベル。SABER TIGERもいた。他はわからない。 Hisa: そう青山氏のレーベル。俺は5人でのELIZA解散後も一緒に仕事した恩師である。酔っ払った時位は連絡する(笑)彼もELIZAというネーミングがお気に入りらしい。 METALLIAN: そういえば、ELIZAの歴史と絡み合うバンドのSABER TIGER。第1の質問ですが、ELIZAが解散となった一方でSABER TIGERが存続した理由とは？ 公彦: ELIZAが活動しなくなった理由は彦美と俺はわからない。再活動にあたってはシンガーの叫の加入が全て。彼は最高のシンガーだ。SABER TIGERの持続の理由は木下氏が全て。彼が弾き続けるだけでSABER TIGERだからと思う。 Hisa: 才能と努力と情熱！日本では「継続は力なり」ということわざがあるが木下氏がまさに、SABER TIGERなのだと思う。リスペクトする1人だ。 METALLIAN: 第2にバンド間の関係は？元SABER TIGERの叫/SADAYA氏のELIZA加入、SABER TIGER木下氏のELIZAライブ参加、更にはFESレイダースという名で行った共同ツアーもありますね。加えてFasten Up Recordsも共通点ですね。 公彦: SABER TIGERとの関係は良好。もうないけど、ファストドロウの元メンバーとは仲がいいよ。 彦美: SABER TIGERとは 深い繋がりはないけれど ツアーを一緒にまわったり あの時の札幌のメタルシーンを一緒に盛り上げた仲間ですね。とても良い刺激を受けたと思います。 Hisa: 当時はどのバンドも今のバンドみたいになかよしこよしではなかったが、どのバンドも独自の個性を求めて果てしない大海原で航海していた戦友である。お互いのバンドやメンバーを心のどこかでリスペクトしていたから、今はどのバンドとも、どのメンバーとも皆フレンドリーだ。 叫/SADAYA: 良好だよ。会えば「調子どう？」って言って笑いながら話せる仲。個人的に木下邸に遊びに行く事もあるしね。 METALLIAN: アルバムSomething Like Hotのジャケットに、雑誌Kerrangが写っていますが、同誌に紹介された事はありますか？ 公彦: 彦美と俺の一時脱退前はなかったと思う。 Hisa: 過小評価されているのです(笑)あるわけが無い！(笑) METALLIAN: それは良かった。あんなボロ雑誌に掲載されてたら、一生後悔してましたよ。1992年と2004年に２度再結成していますが、何がきっかけだったのでしょう？（例えば一度限りのコンサートやイベント等） 公彦: 何かのイベントだったかな。ドラマーのノブの声かけだったね。その時のノブには感謝してるよ。 Hisa: …4人でのELIZAでやったことがあるが…その年なのかなは…忘れた(笑) METALLIAN: 2012年の再結成の目標は？ 公彦: イベント出演と将来的に本格的に再活動や音源リリースを含めた再活動を目指して再結成をしました。 METALLIAN: 2012年にバンド名をLiza-Eに変更した理由と、その後ELIZAに戻した理由とは？ 公彦: 最初はノブ始動だから変な名前だったけど、Hisaと話して戻した。 Hisa: 公彦に相談された。ELIZAのネーミングを使うかどうかは相当考えたし、葛藤もあった。金田氏やその他ELIZAに関わってくれた皆が、HisaがいないとELIZAじゃないしょ！て言って背中を押してくれたので決めた。このメンバーで俺がプレイすること。すなわち“ELIZA”なのだ。今はワクワクしてるよ。 METALLIAN: バンドと叫/SADAYA氏との出会いは？ 公彦: ノブが連れてきた。最高のフロントマンだ。 叫/SADAYA: SABER TIGERの時もそうだったけど、昔KIDSでステージの下から見ていた自分が、気づいたらそのバンドのシンガーとして歌ってる…そんな今が時々不思議な気持ちになるんだ。過去も今も俺はメンバーに恵まれてると思うよ。 METALLIAN: アルバムBattlefieldについて２つ質問です。なぜリレコーディン版となったのか？新曲は新しく作成したものなのか、もしくは昔の曲を現代レコーディングしたものでしょうか？ 公彦: レコの理由は先の通り Hisa: 俺だけ、メンバーと距離が離れているので、新曲をメンバーと練りあう時間がなかったし、俺自身ブランクがあったので、リレコーディングがベストだと思った。 METALLIAN: 2019年に行われた32年ぶりの東京ライブは 活気にあふれ、エネルギッシュでした。次は2051年の東京ライブでしょうか？(笑) 公彦: 2022からは毎年東京や大阪などでプレイしたいと思っている。オファーがあれば海外も行きたい。 叫/SADAYA: 呼ばれれば何処にだって行くぜ！ METALLIAN: 読者に向けて現在のメンバーを紹介してください。ベースが誰でドラムは誰なのか、それと現在メンバー募集はしていますか？ 公彦: シンガーの叫/SADAYA、ギターは彦美と俺、ベースはリーダーのHisaと大輔。ドラマーはいいヤツが見つかった。そいつについてはまた知らせるよ。ベースが2人なのは、Hisaが東京に住んでいて中々来れないので、北海道でLIVEがある時は、大輔が弾いてくれてるんだ。 METALLIAN: バンドの最新情報やこれからの予定をお聞かせください。 公彦: いいドラマーが見つかったよ。ファンのみんなは待っていて欲しい。まだレーベル契約や、機材のエンドースは無いけど、期待して待ってるよ。 叫/SADAYA: 次のアルバムに対して動いているよ。できるだけ早く皆の手元に届ける事が出来ればいいなぁと思ってる。 METALLIAN: 次作のアルバムについて。現段階でタイトルやリリース時期など、公表できる情報はありますか？ 叫/SADAYA: タイトル等は決まってないけど、新たに作詞作曲した全てオリジナルのクールな音源になるはずだよ。楽しみにしていてくれ！ METALLIAN: ちょっとお聞きしたいのですが、モデル兼歌手のElisaについてどう思われますか？ 公彦: この方は初めて知った。好みではないな。 METALLIAN: これまでの人生 wildでしたか？現在freeでいますか？ 公彦: wild だったね。今は free だ。 Hisa: 嗚呼、Born to be wild、to be free！これだけは継続中だ！(笑) 叫/SADAYA: 今までも wild な人生だったけど、これからもぶれずに wild にいくぜ！ METALLIAN: 我らメタリアンが今までもこれからも最高のウェブサイトである事は全世界に知れ渡っていますが、その意見に賛同しますか？ 公彦: 賛成する。これからも貴殿を応援するし、俺たちを応援して欲しい。このインタビューにも感謝している。ありがとう。 Hisa: 嗚呼、公彦と同じ意見だ。。が…俺が滞在している惑星にはこの様なサイトはない！素晴らしいサイトなので、俺のいる惑星のイケてるヤツらにも教えたいが構わないか？(笑) また、会える日を待っている。 Elizaのウェブサイトはこちらhttps://eliza2017.wixsite.com/main バンドは今も時折ライブを行っているので新作アルバムが出るのを待つその間、これまでにリリースされたアルバムを入手しよう。 北海道に住んでいるなら彼らのライブに行くのも良い。汚い外国人に対する日本政府が行う入国制限解除を仏に願い、その解除後一番に訪日する１００万人の中国人グループに紛れElizaに会いに行っても良いだろう。 ちなみに味噌ラーメン、クリーミーなバター、美味い魚も北海道で人気の高いアトラクションの一部だ。 If you enjoyed this, read Saber Tiger |
Eliza