DEATHGAZE (typeset as simply d… Read Full Bio ↴Nagoya, Japan (2003-2007) (2007-2014)
DEATHGAZE (typeset as simply deathgaze from 2004 to 2006) was a Japanese alternative metal band formed in July of 2003 in Nagoya. The band's final line up came in 2009, when only vocalist Ai and drummer Naoki were the remaining founding members still in the band.
Final line-up:
藍 (Ai) - Vocals (2007-present), guitar (2010-present), bass (2003-2008)
貴樹 (Takaki) - Guitar, backing vocals (2009-2014)
孝介 (Kosuke) - Bass, backing vocals (2008-2014)
直樹 (Naoki) - Drums (2003-2014)
DEATHGAZE plays a style of alternative metal with some elements of hard rock (mostly in more recent releases) and some ballads can also be found on albums. They can also be grouped in nagoya kei which is a subgenre of visual kei focusing on a darker sound and appearance, usually with more prominent bass as well.
Before DEATHGAZE had formed, vocalist 葉月 (Hazuki) played in ベリィ with drummer 直樹 (Naoki). 藍 (Ai), then bassist for KeiL, also provided guest backing vocals for the band. After ベリィ had disbanded, the three met up and were joined by guitarist 柑那 (Kanna) and formed DEATHGAZE.
The band started their career with a few small performances and in February of 2004 released their first EP, 「294036224052」. After a brief tour from March-April 2004, Hazuki left to become the vocalist of lynch. and shortly after, Kanna left to play guitar for Puppet Mammy. The remaining two DEATHGAZE members contacted KeiL‘s 直人 (Naoto), who had also provided support guitar for ベリィ, and 宗 (Sou), ex-Be≒Luna and DEATHGAZE was complete again.
After the release of an album, several singles and EPs, vocalist Sou decided to leave the band to get married in the fall of 2006, leaving DEATHGAZE without a frontman once again. The band finished what concerts they had planned, without a vocalist, and announced a hiatus in March of 2007, after going on a coupling tour with ギルガメッシュ (girugämesh) called "Girugaze&Deathgamesh". For this tour, vocal duties were shared by bassist Ai and girugämesh' vocalist Satoshi.
In November 2007, the band returned, with bassist Ai having become the vocalist. They announced 孝介 (Kousuke) as bassist in the beginning of 2008.
The band announced that guitarist Naoto would leave the band for personal reasons after their one-man show at April 26, 2009. On their website it said that the band will continue activities with a support guitarist, 貴樹 (Takaki), who officially became a member at their tour final on December 20, 2009. In 2009 they also held a coupling tour with cocklobin named "Deathlobin".
DEATHGAZE have since released their third full-length album, BLISS OUT, on December 8, 2010. The limited deluxe edition of that album contains a bonus disc with re-recordings of some older songs from around the time of genocide and mass murder.
Since 2010 Vocalist Ai has also taken up the guitar for several songs, and has played an 8-string guitar since 2012.
Ex-members:
葉月 (Hazuki) - Vocals (2003-2004) (now in lynch.)
宗 (Sou) - Vocals (2004-2006)
柑那 (Kanna) - Guitar (2003-2004)
直人 (Naoto) - Guitar, backing vocals (2004-2009)
DEATHGAZE official homepage: www.deathgaze.jp
Children
DEATHGAZE Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hagasareta hifu no yoko de, neko ga akubi wo shite kao wo arau
Hitsuyou to saretakute, dakedo doushitemo namida ga nagareru
Yogoreta kao de warau bokura wa, doredake minikuku nareba ii no?
Wake up child ≠ why still cry?
Wake up child ≒ not end yet
Sore wo saegiru you ni, yodare de nurashita muchi ga me ni sasaru
Donna ni kusattetemo ii kara, hon no sukoshi dake demo ai wo choudai
Umare de ai wo shiranu bokura wa, yume mo kibou mo iranai no?
Wake up child ≠ why still cry?
Wake up child ≒ this isn't over yet
Get a rush from masturbate
Todoku hazu no nai utagoe wa mujaki ni hibiite
(now close your eyes and don't peek)
Togire togire no kioku no naka "kokoro" wa doko ni wasureta no darou?
Why are you always like this?
Why are you gazing at this world?
Taiyou to tsuki ga nobori, makka ni somatta karada wo terasu
Yasashiku wa nai hikari, karappo ni natta ishiki de abiru
Aware da to waraeba ii, ima wa sore demo ashita wo mite mitai
Jamamono to kimerareta bokura wa, ikiteiru koto sura tsumi na no?
Todoku hazu no nai utagoe wa mujaki ni hibiite
(now close your eyes and don't peek)
Togire togire no kioku no naka "kokoro" wa doko ni wasureta no darou?
Kanau hazu no nai kono yume wa kawari wo sagashite
(now close your eyes and don't peek)
Inori wo komete hajimeyou "kokoro" wa sude ni torikaesenai
Why are you always like this?
Why are you gazing at this world?
The lyrics to DEATHGAZE's song CHILDREN paint a dark and haunting picture of a world filled with despair, where people are struggling to find meaning in their lives. The first lines speak of a bright afternoon, where the singer is trapped by the walls of their own thoughts, while a cat yawns and cleans its face by their side. The singer feels like they need to cry, but they don't know why, and they wonder how much ugliness they can tolerate before they become ugly themselves.
The chorus encourages a child to wake up and stop crying, as their suffering is not over yet. The next lines describe an intense sexual act, which is interrupted by a whip lashing and binding the participants - perhaps it is a metaphor for the singer's own isolation and pain. They then ask for a little love in their life, wondering if it's possible for somebody like them, who was born without love, to learn how to give and receive it.
The second chorus echoes the first, but the following lines delve further into the memory of the singer, asking where they have lost their heart in this fragmented world. They then observe the sun and the moon competing for light, and recognize the emptiness of their own consciousness. Finally, they wonder if it's okay to laugh in the face of adversity, and muse on whether their sentence of living as outcasts is a punishment for a sin they never committed.
Line by Line Meaning
Aru hareta hirusagari, itsumo no you ni kabe ni tsurusareru
On a clear afternoon, just like always, we're trapped behind walls
Hagasareta hifu no yoko de, neko ga akubi wo shite kao wo arau
A cat yawns and washes its face against our tattered skins
Hitsuyou to saretakute, dakedo doushitemo namida ga nagareru
We feel the need to exist, yet tears still flow no matter what
Yogoreta kao de warau bokura wa, doredake minikuku nareba ii no?
How ugly can we become before we stop laughing with dirty faces?
Wake up child ≠ why still cry?
Wake up child is not the same as why are you still crying?
Wake up child ≒ not end yet
Wake up child is equivalent to this is not over yet
Kanzen na kono sekai, neko ga mesubuta ni hatsujou shiteru
In this perfect world, a cat is in heat and mating with another
Sore wo saegiru you ni, yodare de nurashita muchi ga me ni sasaru
As if to suppress it, drool drips onto our lashes
Donna ni kusattetemo ii kara, hon no sukoshi dake demo ai wo choudai
No matter how rotten we become, please just give us a little bit of love
Umare de ai wo shiranu bokura wa, yume mo kibou mo iranai no?
As if we were born without knowing love, do we not need dreams or hope either?
Get a rush from masturbate
Getting a rush from masturbating
Todoku hazu no nai utagoe wa mujaki ni hibiite
A voice that should not reach us, innocently echoes
(now close your eyes and don't peek)
A direction to close your eyes and not look
Togire togire no kioku no naka "kokoro" wa doko ni wasureta no darou?
In fragmented memories, where did we forget our "hearts"?
Why are you always like this?
Why are you always like this?
Why are you gazing at this world?
Why do you stare at this world?
Taiyou to tsuki ga nobori, makka ni somatta karada wo terasu
The sun and the moon rise, illuminating our bodies stained red
Yasashiku wa nai hikari, karappo ni natta ishiki de abiru
A not so gentle light, we wander with empty consciousness
Aware da to waraeba ii, ima wa sore demo ashita wo mite mitai
It's okay to feel sorrow and laugh, right now we want to see tomorrow
Jamamono to kimerareta bokura wa, ikiteiru koto sura tsumi na no?
We who were decided as nuisances, are even living considered a sin?
Kanau hazu no nai kono yume wa kawari wo sagashite
This dream that shouldn't come true, is searching for a change
(now close your eyes and don't peek)
A direction to close your eyes and not look
Inori wo komete hajimeyou "kokoro" wa sude ni torikaesenai
Let's begin with a prayer, but our "hearts" cannot be regained
Contributed by Jackson G. Suggest a correction in the comments below.