The acclaimed Japanese visual kei band blending industrial rock and nu-metal returned to the stage after a hiatus of more than 14 years. Ahead of their upcoming Latin American tour, they spoke with Fuera del Radar about their musical concept, preparations for the tour, and the creative process behind their new single.
Let’s start with RAPTURE, your first release in 16 years. What was the creative process like for achieving a fresh sound that still felt so distinctly D’ESPAIRSRAY?
Karyu When composing, I started by thinking about what our fans were hoping for and the kind of D’ESPAIRSRAY song I would want to hear myself. While revisiting our older material, I wanted to find a way to express the band as I feel it now, while also pushing the members to the limits of what we can play today.
I knew it would be our first release in a long time and would attract a lot of attention, so I wanted to incorporate different signature elements of D’ESPAIRSRAY into the song. At the same time, I created it from the instincts and perspective I’ve developed through everything I’ve experienced over the years.
Since the beginning, the band’s music has often placed us in an atmosphere of bleak darkness, yet the lyrics always leave room for dawn and hope. Is the concept of D’ESPAIRSRAY rooted in the duality between darkness and light?
HIZUMI Yes, I think so. That duality is part of the concept behind the band’s name itself. The world we live in is full of darkness and desire, with countless things constantly swirling beneath the surface. But there is also hope in our music: the longing for the world not to be, and never to have to be, only that.
How does this concept come across in your concerts? What feelings do you hope to convey to your fans?
HIZUMI I’ve faced many moments of despair myself, but I’ve always had friends and people around me who helped me overcome them, and that’s how I’ve made it this far. For those going through similar struggles, I want to offer the same kind of support and hope that I’ve received from others throughout my life.
ZERO We want to give people the chance to disconnect from their everyday lives and offer them a world that feels completely outside reality.
You’ve said that this return feels like coming home. Thinking about your recent shows in Japan and your first festival abroad, which song feels most familiar on stage to each of you, and why?
HIZUMI Infection. I think this song really brings out each member’s personality.
Karyu MIRROR. When we play it, it feels very distinctly D’ESPAIRSRAY to me. Seeing the audience’s reaction also makes me nostalgic.
ZERO Garnet. It’s a very familiar song to me, partly because it was the first one we made a music video for. When we first performed it live, I had just made a major change to my visual style, so I vividly remember how shocked and surprised the audience was. That memory has stayed with me ever since.
TSUKASA MIRROR. It’s the song I’m most excited to play on drums, and the audience’s reaction has always been incredibly energetic. To this day, I feel the same euphoria from the crowd that I remember from back then.
The setlist for your reunion concert in May covered your biggest hits, but also included rarely performed B-sides such as Subliminal and PARADOX 5. Will we get to hear the same variety of sounds on your Latin American tour?
TSUKASA We haven’t started working on the setlist yet, but when we get to that point, I’d like to play a wide variety of songs from across our discography.
A year ago, you mentioned that reuniting offered the chance to leave Japan again, revisit certain cities, and even reach new continents, which turned out to be a hint at your 2027 world tour. How did the idea of visiting places as far away as Mexico and Chile come about? Were you aware of visual kei’s immense popularity on this continent?
Karyu I’d known for a long time that there was a visual kei scene in Latin America, and we’d also received so many messages from fans there. That’s why I always wanted us to go and see it with our own eyes. Then, when we reunited, some of the first offers we received from abroad came from there. We really felt it was a great opportunity and that there must be a reason things were unfolding this way, so we decided to make it happen.
ZERO We had actually received offers from Latin America even before going on hiatus, but unfortunately we couldn’t make them happen at the time. So when we resumed our activities, I wondered whether those offers would come again. I’ve always wanted to go wherever people want to see us; so while Latin America will be our first destination this time, I’d love to visit more new places in the future.
I’ve heard that people in Latin America are incredibly passionate, not only about J-rock and J-pop, but also about anime and Japanese culture in general. I’m really looking forward to meeting everyone in such a passionate corner of the world.
D’ESPAIRSRAY started out in visual kei in 1999 and then helped pioneer its international expansion in the mid-2000s. How has your view of visual kei changed over time? Also, do you consider visual kei a musical genre or a cultural movement?
HIZUMI In a way, I think visual kei is a genre where people carrying similar wounds can share their pain with one another. It can offer you salvation, but it can also drag you into the deepest despair. There is a delicate, and sometimes dangerous, balance between the two. I think it’s one of the forms of musical expression that touches most closely on themes of life and death.
TSUKASA I feel that visual kei has evolved into a very diverse musical world, ranging from dark, heavy sounds to softer styles. There are no strict rules about what it should be, which makes it a very free genre. At the same time, that makes what you bring to the music and the substance behind it matter most. Since it’s sometimes also called “Visual Rock,” I do consider it a musical genre. Personally, I feel that visual kei is part of Japanese culture itself.
Speaking of the passage of time, do you think the experience gained through your other projects during these 14 years apart also sets a greater challenge for this chapter of D’ESPAIRSRAY?
HIZUMI There are still things I can’t do because of the problems I’ve had with my throat, but in terms of both technique and mindset, I feel I’m capable of much more now than I was back then, which allows me to present D’ESPAIRSRAY’s music in new ways.
Karyu For me, things moved at a faster pace with Angelo than they had earlier in my career, and we also played much larger venues. I can definitely draw on what I learned from that experience, particularly in the way I face things and how I approach the stage.
ZERO During those years away from D’ESPAIRSRAY, I was able to develop different skills and build my own creative arsenal, including design and composition. Today, I’d also like to explore composing within D’ESPAIRSRAY, something I didn’t do with the band back then.
TSUKASA During this time, I’ve developed a broader perspective when looking out at the audience, and I also feel more relaxed and confident on stage. My drumming and sense of rhythm have also become much more stable than before.
Since we’re “Fuera del Radar” (“Off the Radar”), we’d like to end the interview with an off-the-radar recommendation. Please tell us a little about your current influences: is there a project, film, artist, or album that you think deserves much more recognition than it has received? What would you recommend to your fans?
HIZUMI A Japanese band called GARI. I love the quality and creativity of their music. There’s something unique about their sound and sense of style that I really admire.
Karyu H.U.G and Luv PARADE. Both are projects I’ve been working on over these years, and I feel they deserve much more recognition.
ZERO Well, I actually feel that D’ESPAIRSRAY still isn’t known by enough people around the world, so I’d love for more people to discover us. (laughs)
TSUKASA I’d recommend Japanese music as a whole. Regardless of genre, there is so much excellent music in Japan that I think deserves to be heard more widely.
Finally, please send a message to your fans, and also to those who don’t know you yet, inviting them to your concerts in Chile and Mexico.
HIZUMI Let’s head for a new frontier! There may be many people who still don’t know our music, but from another perspective, that also means there are still many who have yet to discover us. I want to invite you to come and witness the first step in this new challenge.
Karyu Don’t miss this chance to discover D’ESPAIRSRAY, and come see us live. We’ll make it an incredible night for you!
ZERO It’ll be the first time in my life that I cross the equator! I hope you’ll join us on this historic tour. As I mentioned before, I’ve heard that Latin American audiences are incredibly passionate, so I’m already looking forward to the day we finally meet!
TSUKASA Now that D’ESPAIRSRAY have reunited, I hope you’ll take this opportunity to see us live. Once you get hooked on our music, you won’t be able to escape!
Many thanks to D’ESPAIRSRAY and their staff for giving us this interview! The legendary visual kei band, who helped pioneer the genre’s international expansion in the mid-2000s, will arrive in Latin America for the first time with D’ESPAIRSRAY WORLD TOUR 2027 “REVENANT”, which will take them to Chile and Mexico.
