While the elites of the world are setting out to force their vision of utopia on the masses, Japan’s Kruelty are countering with Untopia, their second full-length, which guitarist Zuma states means “there’s no utopia on Earth.”
The five-piece’s tough brand of beatdown hardcore mixed with death metal is as matter-of-fact and nasty as it gets. Although Kruelty take influence from ’90s Japanese beatdown bands like Dyingrace and 43 Urban, they deliver their provocative message vocally in their native tongue. Zuma elaborates on the lyrics and concept of the new release, “Mostly they’re written in Japanese, but inserts on every format have (an) English version so you guys can still enjoy them. (The lyrical concept revolves around) what we have to do to live here, what kind of darkness we’re standing in. It might be dark and heavy, but mostly still positive.”
These upstarts are no stranger to turning dark situations into positive ones.
“This could sound funny or weird, but we haven’t really stopped during the pandemic. On March 20, 2020, we had a record-release show for A Dying Truth in Tokyo which was literally in the beginning of COVID. Then, people just might have to go more underground, to hide that we had actual shows with moshing around that time, so a lot of shows were constantly happening in Japan, with masks on, while you guys had to be quiet at home,” he laughs. However, he counters, “Weird thing is, we still have to put masks (on) at shows despite every other country being back to normal already.”
A Dying Truth is their debut album, and Zuma is impressed with how the band are progressing as songwriters on the follow-up, Untopia, saying, “Since A Dying Truth, we improved as a band technique-wise, so I could write more complicated songs on this album, especially (with) drums (being) faster and more groovy, bass (being) much tighter, and vocals have so much better expression.”
Zuma’s focus on his craft is razor sharp, leaving little to no time or interest in much else: “I don’t really have anything other than music recently. Kruelty has been becoming almost everything to me.” There’s another significant factor contributing to his dedication to the project, which he proudly boasts, “I don’t think many bands have a husband and wife (Seina, bass). I mean, we both dedicate everything.”
The ambitious shredder does however find time to pursue other musical endeavors, as he divulges, “I book shows almost every week and just started another band that sounds like if NAILS had more death metal-ish tremolo riffs. Hopefully the debut EP is coming in a few months.” Not to be outdone and ever the hustler, he continues, “Last year, I started organizing a festival called Rotting Noise Tokyo. Hit me up if your band wants to play my fest!”
There’s no doubt Kruelty is making noise in their early reign as Japanese masters of brutality. Fans of the band can be zealous with their support, but then there are those that are a bit shy, maybe even intimidated by the barbarity of the live performance. Zuma takes note of the latter, and still gets surprised at shows by their cryptic reactions, confessing, “We have a bunch of breakdowns, but I don’t think they’re big fans of what we’re playing. Then, they come to us and say, like, we’re super good.” He follows this statement with another giggle.
Zuma may openly display a playful side to his personality, and without restraint, but he’s dead serious about Kruelty’s material and reputation. It can’t be laughs and happiness all the time. After all, there’s no utopia on Earth.
Untopia is available for purchase on Kruelty’s Bandcamp and the Profound Lore webstore. You can follow them on Instagram and Twitter.
